Understanding Tet: Misconceptions and Soldiers' Perspectives
This digital exhibit offers a critical review of several of the most pervasive myths surrounding the Tet Offensive while providing additional insight through the lens of personal recollections of soldiers who lived through the attacks. In Myths of Tet: The Most Misunderstood Event of the Vietnam War, Edwin Moïse explores one of the most important—but also misunderstood—events of the Vietnam War. The misperceptions surrounding this watershed event permeated the American perspective on the conflict not only at the time of the Vietnam War, but also through to the present day. This exhibit examines Moïse's contentions to better understand the true meaning and implications of the 1968 Tet Offensive. We then further explore the experience “on the ground,” leveraging observations of individuals who lived through many of the bloodiest days of the war, including the Tet Offensive. The resulting analysis offers a perspective on the Tet Offensive that challenges many of the popular narratives surrounding this critical event over the past five-plus decades.