Existing comment:
The Vietnam War didn't start in 1965.
Although the United States had been involved in Vietnam for many years, it was only in 1965 that the first battalions of U.S. Marines arrived in the country. This commitment of troops brought the conflict in Vietnam to the attention of many ordinary Americans for the first time. As draft calls mounted and images of wartime suffering streamed into U.S. homes via television and print media, the nation became increasingly engulfed by the conflict.
What follows is not a full timeline of the Vietnam War. Instead, it chronicles major events that brought the war home to ordinary Americans -- among them, the artists in this exhibition. These moments shaped Americans' understanding of the war in Vietnam and their relationship to it. It is a timeline of the dramatic events that challenged artists to respond. |