Books in We the People: Industrial America series

Three years after the end of World War II, the citizens of Berlin were threatened with starvation. The Soviets had blocked all traffic into the divided city. No food, coal, or other supplies could reach the more than 2 million citizens. The Allies, led by the United States and Great Britain, came to their rescue. Cargo planes filled with supplies flew into the city around the clock. With expert planning and coordination, the Berlin Airlift saved the city and gave the Allies their first major victory of the Cold War.

In January 1968, the North Vietnamese Army, along with Viet Cong rebels, launched surprise attacks on cities and military bases throughout South Vietnam. The military campaign was timed to launch during Tet, the Vietamese new year. Fighting alongside the South Vietnamese, U.S. soldiers battled for days. Thousands of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers were killed, and no South Vietnamese cities were lost to the enemy. Yet the severity of the attacks shocked the Americans back home and caused many to turn against continuing the war.

The black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., draws millions of visitors every year. They come to remember and honor the loved ones they lost in the Vietnam War, one of America’s most divisive conflicts. They touch the names engraved on the V-shaped monument, known as the Wall, and view the nearby sculptures. The memorial is one of the most inspirational sites in the nation’s capital. But it wasn’t always so. The monument’s design was controversial, just as the Vietnam War had been.

As the United Stated entered World War II, a large percentage of the U.S. soldiersdubbed G.I. Joeswere drafted. The young men came from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, and most had never seen the battlefield. Equipped only with the necessary items of survival, the G.I.s endured harsh conditions while fighting deadly enemies. From the beaches of Normandy to the jungles of southeast Asia, the G.I.s helped turn the tide of war.