The Major Confrontations of the Cold War: American Military Operations 1950-1975

Pat Mullen returns with a fresh look at recent military history. Pat has delivered a number of WW II and WWI programs over the past three years, and his new offering is in response to many requests from participants. Here's what will be covered in the twelve sessions:
Korean War 1950-Present, also known as "The Forgotten War", this was the first major conflict of the Cold War.

The course will examine what went right and what went wrong. How could a country supported by the US be so easily overrun, and how did the personalities of the various leaders affect the outcome?

Cuban Missile Crisis October 12-28, 1962. This was the closest the US ever came to all-out nuclear war. Hear Pat's firsthand account of the countdown to the crisis. His unit, the 18th Airborne Strike Force, was scheduled to be in the initial wave of the invasion of Cuba. The planning was based on inadequate military intelligence, and would have resulted in a massacre of US troops. How did this all play out in Washington and what were the missteps along the way?

Vietnam War 1945-1975: A war whose first casualty was "Truth." We will examine a number of political decisions that led to war. Why Did President Johnson seize on the Tonkin Gulf Incident to go to war? Many choices were made that could have prevented war but instead made it inevitable. There was not only an anti-war sentiment at home but also within the military, with over 98,000 deserters. We'll take a close look at the corrupt South Vietnamese government that was installed by the CIA. Why were we doomed to failure from the beginning? At the recommendation of Robert McNamara, just prior to his death President Kennedy had ordered withdrawal of our military advisors. Why did President Johnson reverse this decision?

Early enrollment is recommended, as the class size is limited to 50, and Pat's classes fill up quickly.

Please note: there will be no classes October 15, November 12, 19, 26, December 10, 24 and 31, January 14 and February 11.