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The First Air Cavalry in Vietnam

First Air Cavalry in Vietnam examines the development and experiences of the First Air Cavalry in the Vietnam War. Using helicopters for the first time on a large scale in warfare, the First Air Cavalry became the modern-day counterpart to the mounted Cavalry of earlier wars. The helicopter replaced the horse in rapid troop and munitions movements. The First Air Cavalry displayed all the spirit and panache of their romantic forbears, coming to the rescue and aid of ground troops as their predecessors had once done. First Air Cavalry in Vietnam would be useful for classes on American History, Military History, Cultural History, and the History of Science and Technology. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• besiege
• deployment
• differentiated
• enveloped
• feasibility
• fuselage
• inviolate
• munitions
• objective
• prime
• reconnaissance
• sanctuary
• subjugated
• surreal
• tenacity
• tenets
• valor
• versatile
• élan

Discussion Questions

1. The First Air Cavalry are part of the technological advances of the 20th century that made airpower a standard part of warfare. How has airpower changed the nature of war? What are the differences in the ways which wars are fought using airpower?

2. Gerald McRaney, host of First Air Cavalry in Vietnam, states that

3. What does the term

4. The term cavalry usually denotes a military force on horseback. Why was the First Air Cavalry, who used helicopters instead of horses, called a cavalry? How did the helicopter replace the horse in the latter half of the 20th century?

5. The helicopter was essential to airpower in the Vietnam War. Why?

6. One of the soldiers interviewed in the video stated that soldiers do not die for their country, they

7. The helicopter, including the sound of its rotor blades, are symbolic of the American experience in Vietnam. Why was the helicopter so ideal for the terrain of Vietnam? How do you think the experiences of American soldiers would have been different if the U.S. did not deploy helicopters in Vietnam?

8. The Vietnam War was fought using the tactics of guerrilla warfare. What is the difference between conventional warfare and guerrilla warfare? How are they fought differently?

9. Some of the members of the U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam were

Extended Activities

1. Imagine that you are a member of the First Air Cavalry in Vietnam. Write a letter home to a friend or relative and tell them about your experience.

2. Write an essay discussing the role of the helicopter in the Vietnam War.

3. Dividing the class into two sections, moderate a discussion on the pros and cons of America's involvement in Vietnam. What is the legacy of Vietnam for the American public, and the American military?

Air Dates

• November 10, 2005