Vietnam and the Home Front: How DoD Installations Adapted, 1962-1975

In the United States, the buildup for the Vietnam War included construction of mission-related buildings and structures to support the war. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, requires federal agencies to inventory and evaluate their cultural resources, usually as they near 50 years of age. The Vietnam-related structures are about to turn 50 and there is no existing historic context describing the development, construction, and use of these facilities. A broad overview from 1962 through 1975 highlights the Vietnam-influenced construction that created facilities on many installations. This new construction augmented the existing World War II-era infrastructure that became heavily utilized in support of the Vietnam War. By providing a broad foundation of the U.S. military s involvement in Vietnam, this report can be utilized to develop more detailed research that will lead to identification and evaluation of Vietnam-era facilities at Department of Defense military installations in the United States. This report s historic context provides military cultural resources professionals with a common understanding for determining the historical significance of Vietnam-era facilities, greatly increasing efficiency and cost-savings of this necessary effort.