A Veterans Day Soundtrack to History

Explore the experiences and perspectives of Vietnam War veterans this Veterans Day with TeachRock’s A Veteran’s Soundtrack to the Vietnam War lesson plan. Read first-hand accounts, listen to popular music of the era, analyze song lyrics, and view video clips in this engaging resource from our media-rich CNN Soundtracks: Songs that Defined History lesson collection. Additionally, a student-facing version of this lesson is available as a slide deck for streamlined classroom instruction or independent student exploration. With all of these resources, students will:

  • Examine newspaper editorials, first-hand accounts, and personal reflections from Vietnam War Veterans

  • Discover how many songs released during and after the Vietnam War articulated the experiences of Americans who served in the United States Armed Forces during the war

  • Analyze popular songs that have resonated with veterans, and many other Americans, since the time they were released

  • View videos that provide additional context and information about the Vietnam veteran’s experience before, during, and after the war

Watch this video from the lesson to hear how “music was like medicine” to Americans serving in the Vietnam War.

More TeachRock resources for Veterans Day:

  • “Musical Reactions to the Vietnam War”: Framing the reaction to the Vietnam War from the perspective of songwriters, visual artists and writers, investigate the differing political viewpoints Americans had during the war by examining the music, photography, and journalism of the era.

  • “The Vietnam War – A Document-Based Question”: Specifically designed for AP U.S. History prep, consider the ways the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War affected the culture and values of the country by examining ten primary source documents.

  • “The Impact of 1960s Anti-War Music”: From the perspective of young Americans not old enough to vote, examine the role of anti-war protest music in providing a voice for those opposed to the Vietnam War.

Veterans Day history:

To gain a deeper understanding of Veterans Day, it’s important to be familiar with the holiday’s history. Veterans Day was initially recognized as Armistice Day by President Woodrow Wilson on November 11th, 1919. The President chose the date because it was the one-year anniversary since an armistice was declared in WWI, ending combat between nations. Through a series of legislative actions by Congress over the next several decades, the federal holiday was eventually designated as Veterans Day in 1954. On Veterans Day, Americans can come together by expressing thanks and appreciation to our fellow citizens who have served in the United States Armed Forces.