This project is the result of a long-standing passion in both modern history being viewed and
understood through popular culture resources, such as film, as well as an enduring interest in the
Vietnam war – specifically its significant cultural impact upon American society. This dissertation aims
to come to an understanding of America’s reaction and response to the variety of Vietnam war films
produced since the end of the conflict. The conflict in Vietnam casts a shadow over American society
and culture to an unprecedented degree, only equalled in America’s foreign policy interventions in
both Iraq and Afghanistan respectively. The American combat in Vietnam was, and for many still is, a
contentious issue which severely and irreparably divided the nation throughout the late twentieth
century. Although many now argue that the Korean War, between 1950 to 1953, acted as a pre-curser
to the later events, it was Vietnam that was truly the first case in American military history that
provoked such widespread national embarrassment and shame. For many, it was unclear why America
were so heavily involved in this civil war in South-East Asia – with others believing that America had
no place there and were acting as the aggressors. This was a difficult period in American history and
had a lasting impact on the nation’s high and popular culture. Not only did American intervention in
Vietnam have a devastating impact on the lives of millions of Vietnamese civilians, it also caused the
deaths of thousands of US troops as well as traumatically altering the lives for all that fought in the
war.