SAN DIEGO | OLD TOWN

WrITTEN AND rESEArchED by Taylor M. Wycoff

PrODucTION SPONSOr Wendy nash

in honor of randy nash

OrchESTrA SPONSOr carey Wall

AUDIENCE RESOURCE GUIDE

SEASON SPONSOrS BIll & JUdy GarreTT • leonard hIrsch

AUDIENCE RESOURCE GUIDE

619.337.1525 • WWW.cyGneTTheaTre.coM

DOGFIGHTDOGFIGHT

aBoUT ThIs GUIdeThis guide serves as a resource for audiences, including detailed production history, extended

program notes, and historical context to further enhance understanding of the play.

TaBle of conTenTsAbout the Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Plot Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Musical Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5About the Playwrights: Duchan and Pasek & Paul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7From the Screen to the Stage: The Production History of Dogfight . . . . . 8The u.S. Armed Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Setting the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 50 years Ago: The World in 1963 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Vietnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13recommended resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

cygnet Theatre company values the feedback of patrons on the content and format of its Audience resource Guides. We would appreciate your comments or suggestions on ways to

improve future Audience resource Guides.comments may be directed to Taylor M. Wycoff by email at taylor@cygnettheatre.com .

aBoUT The PlayIt’s November 21, 1963, the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, and three young Marines set out for one final boys’ night of debauchery, partying and maybe a little trouble. but when corporal Eddie birdlace meets rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of compassion

Play synoPsIsIn 1967, Eddie birdlace, a u.S. Marine just returned from Vietnam, rides a Greyhound bus heading for San Francis-co. As he travels through the night, he remembers rose Fenny and the night he spent in San Francisco four years earlier. Memories overwhelm him and suddenly it’s November 21, 1963. The Greyhound bus becomes a military bus, carrying Private First class birdlace and his rowdy fellow Marines, fresh out of training and ready for action. birdlace and his two best friends, boland and bernstein, who call themselves the Three bees are participating in a dogfight, a cruel game with simple rules: each Marine puts $50 in the pot and the one who brings the ugliest date to the party wins the money. As the Marines set off to scour the city for potential dates, birdlace ends up in a diner, where he sees rose, a shy waitress, quietly playing guitar in a corner booth. he flirts with her, eventually inviting rose to be his date. Not knowing the true purpose of the evening, she’s excited to go on her first date. Meanwhile, other Marines find their dates, including boland, who breaks the established rules of the dogfight by inviting Mar-cy, a wisecracking, near-toothless prostitute eager to win a share of the cash prize that comes with being deemed the ugliest date. When they reach the Nite Lite, a club rented for the party, birdlace finds himself questioning his plan to subject rose to the event and suggests they go somewhere else and get a bite to eat. rose believes his change of heart means he’s embarrassed by her, that he doesn’t want his friends to meet her. conflicted, birdlace acquiesces and they enter the party. At the table with his friends and their dates, birdlace drinks heavily and grows sour. he tries unsuccessfully to keep rose off the dance floor during the slow dance, when the contest is officially judged. As they dance, each Marine presents his date for judging. It’s determined Marcy is the ugliest, crowning boland the big winner. Later, in the ladies room, Marcy reveals to rose the true nature of the party. A distraught rose returns to birdlace, furious and deeply hurt and slaps him hard across the face, before escaping in shame. The Marines, reckless and invincible, continue their debaucherous last night. Feeling terrible about how he treated rose, birdlace leaves them and goes to her. he apologizes as best he can and spends the rest of his last night trying to make it up to her.

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The cast of Cygnet Theatre Company’s production of Dogfight

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characTerseddIe BIrdlace: A u.S. Marine, Private First class from buffalo, Ny. he is well respected and

a natural leader amongst his comrades. he is also a cocky smooth talker and is initially a hothead. he eventually sheds his brash exterior when he falls for rose.

rose fenny: A diner waitress who dreams of life as a musician. She is a naturally shy girl, naïve of the world around her. She becomes smitten with birdlace and discovers a lot about her self-respect and confidence along the way.

BernsTeIn: A u.S. Marine, Private First class from cleveland, Oh. he and birdlace are good friends despite bernstein’s nerdy demeanor and inexperience with the opposite sex.

Boland: A u.S. Marine, Private First class and birdlace’s closest friend. A poor Southern cad, he is the most vocal supporter of the dogfight and fairly crude in his behavior and language.

Marcy: boland’s date for the dogfight. She is a nearly toothless and homely prostitute. She is crass and brash, but sneaky and cunning.

fecTor: A u.S. Marine, Private who is not too bright. he is the newbie of the Marines.

sTeVens: A u.S. Marine, Private First class who is cocky.

GIBBs: A u.S. Marine, Private First class from the Midwest.

MaMa: The owner of the local diner. She is unamused by the Marines’ antics and protective of her daughter, rose.

rUTh TWo Bears: bernstein’s date for the dogfight. She is a Native American woman from Albuquerque who appears deadpan and largely without interpretable expression.

loUnGe sInGer: A sleazy, showy, self-indulgent lounge singer who knows exactly what’s going on at the party and is in on it.

addITIonal characTers played by the actors playing fecTor, sTeVens, GIBBs, Marcy, MaMa, rUTh TWo Bears, and loUnGe sInGer: BUs PassenGers, PeTe, MarInes, serGeanT, PeGGy, lIBrarIan, PrayInG draG QUeen, dIner PaTron, sTeVens’ ParTy daTe, fecTor’s ParTy daTe (sUZeTTe), chIPPy, WaITer, BIG Tony, hIPPIes

Eric Von Metzke, Alex Hoeffler, Patrick Osteen, Scott Nickley, Charles Evans, Jr., and Ben Gibson as the Marines in Cygnet Theatre Company’s production of Dogfight.

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acT onePrelUde: Take Me Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rose, birdlace, Ensemble

Before soMe kInda TIMe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . boland, bernstein, birdlace

soMe kInda TIMe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All Marines (Sergeant)

We Three Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . birdlace, boland, bernstein

hey, Good-lookIn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women, All Marines

GIVe Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rose

coMe To a ParTy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . birdlace, rose

noThInG shorT of WonderfUl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rose

coMe To a ParTy (rePrIse) . . . . rose, birdlace, boland, bernstein, Fector, Stevens

noThInG shorT of WonderfUl (rePrIse) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rose

Before The ParTy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rose

doGfIGhT seQUence . . . . . . . . . . . Lounge Singer, boland, bernstein, Stevens, Fector

BlasT off! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lounge Singer

ThaT face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lounge Singer, Marines

IT’s JUsT a ParTy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lounge Singer

doGfIGhT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marcy, rose

IT’s JUsT a ParTy (rePrIse) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lounge Singer

PreTTy fUnny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rose

acT TWoenTr’acTe: hey Good lookIn’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . band

hoMeToWn hero’s TIcker TaPe Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All Marines

fIrsT daTe, lasT daTe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rose, birdlace

fIrsT daTe, lasT daTe (rePrIse) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rose, birdlace

hoMeToWn hero’s TIcker TaPe Parade (rePrIse) . . . . . . . . . .bernstein, boland

Before IT’s oVer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rose

GIVe Way (rePrIse) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ensemble, rose

soMe kInda TIMe (rePrIse) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All Marines

War seQUence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All Marines

TransITIon: Take Me Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Women

coMe Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .birdlace

fInale: Take Me Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ensemble

MUsIcal nUMBers

Glossary of TerMs(in order of appearance)

eagle, Globe and anchor: The official emblem and insignia of the u.S. Marine corps. The eagle represents the unites States; the globe represents their worldwide presence; and the anchor points to the Marine corps’ naval heritage and its ability to access any coastline in the world. Together, the eagle, globe and anchor symbolize the corps’ commitment to defend our nation—in the air, on land and at sea.

semper fi: Short for “Semper Fidelis,” it is a Latin phrase that translates to “always faithful.” Semper Fidelis became the Marine corps motto in 1883 with the intention of guiding Marines to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other, to the corps and to country, no matter what.

dinah shore: An American singer, actress, television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s.

lesley Gore: An American singer, songwriter, actress and activist. At the age of 16, in 1963, she recorded the pop hit “It’s My Party.”

Willie Mays: An American Major League baseball center fielder who spent almost all of his 22 season career playing for the New york and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New york Mets. he was elected to the baseball hall of Fame in 1979.

Bob dylan: An American singer-songwriter, artist, and writer. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when his songs chronicled social unrest, such as “blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-changin” which became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements.

Woody Guthrie: An American singer-songwriter and musician whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children’s songs, ballads and improvised works.

Jarhead: (military jargon) another name for a Marine.

squid: (military jargon) another name for a sailor, usually in the Navy.

Wally cleaver: A fictional character in the iconic American TV sitcom Leave it to beaver. Wally is the “all-American”

boy- an intelligent, polite teenager, who is trusted by his parents, popular with his peers, and liked by his teachers.

eagle scout: The highest rank attainable in the boy Scouting program of the boy Scouts of America.

Blue Plate special: A term used in the u.S. by restaurants, particularly diners and cafes, referring to a specially low-priced meal, which usually changes daily.

Perry Mason: A fictional character, a criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner.

commies: Short for “communists.” The shortened and informal term commie has derogatory connotations, whereas the full form communist is merely descriptive. both terms refer primarily to an advocate of communism, but have been more widely applied to an enemy, a foreigner, or a person regarded as subversive.

Melvin: Slang for a geek, square, dork, dweeb, etc.

Bobby Vee: An American pop singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s.

Ticker Tape Parade: A parade honoring a visiting dignitary, hero, or the like, in which confetti, shredded newspaper, etc. is showered into the streets from buildings along the parade rout.

Pete seeger: An American folk singer and activist. Seeger was one of the folk singers most responsible for popularizing the spiritual “We Shall Overcome” that became the acknowledged anthem of the 1960s American civil rights Movement.

kingston Trio: An American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s.

odetta: An American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a civil and human rights activist, often referred to as “The Voice of the civil rights Movement.”

Gook: A contemptuous term used to refer to a native of Southeast Asia or the South Pacific, especially a member of an enemy military force.

 

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aBoUT The PlayWrIGhTs:duchan and Pasek & Paul

PeTer dUchanPeter Duchan wrote the book of the musical Dogfight, which premiered at Second Stage Theatre in 2012 (directed by Joe Mantello, choreographed by christopher Gattelli). Dogfight won the 2013 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and was nominated for five Outer critics circle Awards, including Outstanding New Off-broadway Musical and Outstanding book of a Musical, and two Drama League Awards, including Outstanding broadway or Off-broadway Musical. Additionally, Dogfight earned Peter and collaborators benj Pasek & Justin Paul the 2011 richard rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. Peter co-wrote the screenplay for Breaking Upwards, released by IFc Films in 2010, as well as the short film Unlocked (official selection, Tribeca Film Festival). his play Lavender Scare was presented as part of the Geva Theatre’s 2011 Plays-in-Progress series. he is currently at work on two new musicals, collaborating with composers ben Lee and breedlove, respectively. Dramatists Guild Fellowship, 2011-2012. Proud graduate of Northwestern university.

Pasek & PaUl benj Pasek & Justin Paul wrote the music and lyrics for the broadway musical A Christmas Story (dir. John rando, chor. Warren carlyle), which opened in November of 2012 and enjoyed a critically-acclaimed, record-breaking run at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Their cast album for the show was recorded and produced by Sony Masterworks and is published through Warner/chappell Music. benj & Justin are also the composers behind the Off-broadway musical Dogfight (dir. Joe Mantello, chor. christopher Gattelli), which premiered in July of 2012 at Second Stage Theatre. A cast album, produced by Sh-K-boom/Ghostlight records, was released in Spring of 2013. Their original songs are featured on Season 2 of the hit Nbc show Smash.

The duo made their debut as songwriters with their widely-acclaimed song cycle Edges, which is licensed by Music Theatre International and has had hundreds of productions worldwide, including South Korea, Australia, china, South Africa, the Philippines, Denmark and more. Other theatrical works include James & the Giant Peach (Kennedy center, Goodspeed Musicals, dir. Graciela Daniele, chor. Pilobolus), and Duck for President and If You Give a Pig a Pancake (Theatreworks uSA). Their musical work for TV can also be seen on Sesame Street and Johnny & the Sprites (Disney TV series). Performances of their songs have been featured on The View, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, VH1 Morning Buzz, The Rosie Show, Fox & Friends, and more.

benj & Justin are the recipients of the 2011 richard rodgers Award for Musical Theatre from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a 2011 Sundance Institute Fellowship, the 2011 AScAP richard rodgers New horizons Award, the 2011 AScAP Songwriters Fellowship Award, and a 2007-2008 Dramatists Guild Fellowship. In 2007, they became the youngest recipients of the Jonathan Larson Award in the foundation’s history. They have participated in AScAP’s Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project and were named one of Dramatist Magazine’s “50 to Watch” in contemporary theatre.

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froM The screen To The sTaGe: The Production history of Dogfight

InsPIraTIonDogfight is a musical adaptation of the 1991 film of the same name which starred river Phoenix and Lilli Taylor. book writer Peter Duchan always held a soft spot for the lesser-known film and felt that the characters were worth exploring further. he reached out to childhood friend Justin Paul, who then joined the project with his writing partner benj Pasek. The musical received a richard rodgers Award for Musical Theater in 2011, an award which en-ables new composers and playwrights to produce new musicals by pro-viding financial support. With help from that recognition, the musical was picked up by the reputable Second Stage Theatre company.

 

 

Lindsay Mendez with Nick Blaemire, Derek Klena, Josh Sagarra, and Annaleigh Ashford in the original off-Broadway production of Dogfight at Second State Theatre Company in New York City.

ProdUcTIonsDogfight debuted off-broadway at the Second Stage Theatre company in New york city on June 27, 2012. The production was directed by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello and starred Lindsay Mendez as rose and Derek Klena as Eddie. It ran until August 19, 2012. Pace university staged the first production following the off-broadway premiere, running from October 2 to 9, 2013. Dogfight first played to international audiences at the Southwark Playhouse in London from August 8, 2014 through September 13, 2014. The first fully trans-lated production of Dogfight opened on June 11, 2015 at the M-Lab theatre in Amsterdam.

crITIcal reacTIon“Dogfight is something special! studded with impressive songs, an unexpected love affair, and

a genuine and charming soul.” -The Associated Press

“an intimate little heart-breaker of beguiling freshness.” -Newsday

“a musical with no shortage of fine attributes: tenderly moving score, spot-on performances and a heart of gold. easily the most delicate, surprising musically satisfying score since Spring Awakening.

you gotta hear Dogfight sing!” -Time Out New York

“superbly crafted, gratifyingly intelligent, richly observant, and immensely enjoyable. This is musical theater at its finest.” –Backstage

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The U.s. arMed forces

air force As the aerial warfare service branch of the united States Armed Forces, the united States Air Force is the nation’s source of air and space power. It is the most recent branch of the u.S. military to be formed, and is the largest and one of the world’s most technologically advanced air forces. The primary mission of the uSAF is to fly planes, helicopters, and satellites.

army The united States Army, officially designated as the “Army of the united States,” is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of the united States that performs land-based military operations. The Army generally moves in to an area, secures it, and instills order and values before it leaves. It also guards u.S. installations and properties throughout the world.

coast Guard The coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the u.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters) and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set. It operates under the u.S. Department of homeland Security during peacetime, and can be transferred to the u.S. Department of the Navy by the u.S. President at any time, or by the u.S. congress during times of war.

navy The united States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the united States Armed Forces, accomplishing its missions primarily by sea, but also by air and land. It secures and protects the oceans around the world to create peace and stability, making the seas safe for travel and trade.

Marine corps The united States Marine corps is a branch of the united States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the u.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. The Marine corps is known as the u.S.’ rapid-reaction force and are trained to fight by sea and land. They are usually the first “boots on the ground” and are known as the world’s fiercest warriors.

The united States Marine corps was founded in 1775, even before our nation was officially formed. This elite group of men and women live by a strict code of integrity and ethics, producing not just strong warriors but people of exceptional character. The core values of honor, courage and commitment inform everything a Marine does, on and off the battlefield.

The uSMc serves as an expeditionary force-in-readiness. As outlined in 10 u.S.c. § 5063 and as originally introduced under the National Security Act of 1947, it has three primary areas of responsibility:

• The seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and other land operations to support naval campaigns.• The development of tactics, techniques, and equipment used by amphibious landing forces in coordination

with the Army and Air Force.• Such other duties as the President may direct.

The Marine corps plays a major role as the first force on the ground in most conflicts. Today, 187,891 Marines are stationed around the world at all times, ready to deploy quickly whenever and wherever needed. The commitment ranges from three to five years of service, but as the saying goes, “There are no ex-Marines or former Marines, simply Marines in different uniforms and in different phases of life.”

seTTInG The scene

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To fully appreciate “Dogfight,” it helps to see it as the record of a particular time. In November 1963, John Kennedy was still president, “Vietnam” was not yet a familiar word, hair was short, and the counterculture was still idealistic and tentative - more concerned with realization than revolution.

-Dogfight (film) review by Roger Ebert

50 years ago: The World in 1963by alan Taylor with The Atlantic

A half century ago, much of the news in the united States was dominated by the actions of civil rights activists and those who opposed them. Our role in Vietnam was steadily growing, along with the costs of that involvement. It was the year beatlemania began, and the year President John F. Kennedy visited West berlin and delivered his famous “Ich bin ein berliner” speech. Push-button telephones were introduced, 1st class postage cost 5 cents, and the population of the world was 3.2 billion, less than half of what it is today. The final months of 1963 were punctuated by one of the most tragic events in American history, the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. Let me take you 50 years into the past now, for a look at the world as it was in 1963.

civil rights leader reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. waves to supporters on the Mall in Washington, District of columbia, during the “March on Washington,” on August 28, 1963. King said the march was “the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of the united States.”

crew chief watches ground movements of Vietnamese troops from above during a strike against Viet cong Guerrillas in the Mekong Delta Area, on January 2, 1963. The communist Viet cong claimed victory in the continuing struggle in Vietnam after they shot down five u.S. helicopters. An American officer was killed and three other American servicemen were injured in the action. by 1963, nearly 16,000 American military personnel were deployed in South Vietnam.

A motorist’s view of a street in baghdad, Iraq, on February 12, 1963, where tanks stand by to prevent further outbreaks of fighting which followed a military coup and overthrow of Premier Abdel Karim Kassem’s five-year-old regime by elements of the ba’ath Party.

 

 

 

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The use of small, portable TV sets in the u.S. had not quite caught on in 1963, but in Japan, where they were first developed, viewers were hooked on the miniaturized video machine. Owners of the sets, such as this patient in a Tokyo hospital, took them with them wherever they went.

Napalm air strikes raise clouds of smoke into gray monsoon skies as houseboats glide down the Perfume river toward hue in Vietnam, on February 28, 1963, where the battle for control of the old Imperial city has ended with a communist defeat. Firebombs were directed against a village on the outskirts of hue.

Diane Sawyer, 17, America’s Junior Miss of 1963, takes a few snapshots of New york’s skyline on March 18, 1963.

The launch of the Mercury Atlas 9 rocket with astronaut Gordon cooper on board from Launch Pad 14 at cape canaveral, Florida, on May 5, 1963. Mercury Atlas 9 was the final manned space mission of the u.S. Mercury program, successfully completing 22 Earth orbits before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

A cheering crowd, estimated by police at more than a quarter of a million, fills the area beneath the podium at West berlin’s city hall, where u.S. President John F. Kennedy stands. his address to the city hall crowd was one of the highlights of his career.

 

 

 

 

 

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26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman to travel in space, as seen in a television transmission from her spacecraft, Vostok 6, on June 16, 1963.

Thich Quang Duc, a buddhist monk, burns himself to death on a Saigon street to protest alleged persecution of buddhists by the South Vietnamese government, on June 11, 1963.

Alabama’s governor George Wallace (left) faces General henry Graham, in Tuscaloosa, at the university of Alabama, on June 12, 1963. Wallace blocked the enrollment of two African-American students, Vivian Malone and James hood. Despite an order of the federal court, Governor George Wallace appointed himself the temporary university registrar and stood in the doorway of the administration building to prevent the students from registering. In response, President Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard. One hundred guardsman escorted the students to campus and their commander, General henry Graham, ordered George Wallace to “step aside.” Thus were the students registered. Kennedy addressed the public in a June 11 speech that cleared his position on civil rights. The bill that he submitted to congress was ultimately passed as the civil rights Act of 1964.

Folk singers Joan baez and bob Dylan perform during a civil rights rally on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.c.

read the full article at http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/02/50-years-ago-the-world-in-1963/100460/.

 

 

 

 

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VietnamThe Vietnam War is likely the most problematic of all the wars in American history. It was a morally ambiguous conflict from the start, ostensibly a war against communism yet also a war to suppress nationalist self-determination. The war was rife with paradoxes: in the name of protecting democracy, the united States propped up a dictatorial regime in South Vietnam; later in the war, the u.S. military was destroying villages in order to “save” them. because u.S. objectives were often poorly defined during the course of the war, u.S. policy often meandered: indeed, the united States would “Americanize” the war only to “Vietnamize” it five years later. Not surprisingly, a profound sense of confusion pervaded the entire conflict: the American media sometimes represented tactical victories as terrible defeats, while the u.S. military kept meticulous enemy body counts without any clear method of distinguishing the bodies of the hostile Viet cong from those of the friendly South Vietnamese.

The u.S. involvement in Vietnam is inseparable from the larger context of the cold War. Ever since the end of World War II, the united States and Soviet union had been in the midst of a worldwide struggle for spheres of influence, each superpower wanting to exert cultural, political, and ideological control over various regions of the globe. At the same time, the united States and the uSSr each wanted to stop the other country from gaining any such spheres. Southeast Asia in general, and Vietnam in particular, were important spheres of influence in the minds of both u.S. and Soviet leaders. With the “fall” of North Vietnam to communism in 1954, the united States became committed to stopping the further spread of communism in the region.

The escalation period of the Vietnam War, from 1955 to 1965, mirrored the cold War in that the united States and uSSr avoided direct conflict—and thereby the possibility of nuclear war—by operating through proxy governments and forces. unfortunately for the united States, the u.S.-backed South Vietnamese government was weak and corrupt, while the Soviet-backed North Vietnamese government was a fiercely proud and independent group of nationalists willing to fight endlessly against foreign dominance and for Vietnamese unification.

The united States further antagonized the North Vietnamese by stepping into the power void that France, the former colonial power in Vietnam, had left behind. In its zeal to battle communism, the united States essentially ended up assuming the hated role of imperial master in Vietnam. As a result, when the united States sent troops into the territory in the mid-1960s, they found a far different situation than any other they had faced up to that point in the cold War. Instead of its usual tentative dance of brinksmanship with the uSSr, the united States suddenly faced an enemy that believed deeply in its nationalist as well as communist cause and implacably hated u.S. intervention.

Although Lyndon Johnson originally believed that the commitment of u.S. troops would save South Vietnam from communist oppression, his policy of escalation, combined with richard Nixon’s later bombing campaigns, effectively destroyed the country. by the end of the war, the u.S. military had used 7 million tons of bombs on Vietnam—more than all the bombs dropped on Europe and Japan during World War II. The ultimate human cost of the Vietnam War was staggering for all sides: an estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians, 1.1 million North Vietnamese soldiers, 200,000 South Vietnamese soldiers, and 58,000 u.S. soldiers were killed.

The Vietnam War had a tremendous impact on American society and culture, in large part because it was the first American war to be televised. As a result, the American press played a significant, unforeseen role in the war, especially in the arena of public opinion. The photographs, videos, and opinions of American journalists, coupled with the simple fact that young Americans were dying on foreign soil against an enemy that did not threaten the united States directly, turned much of the American public against the war. This enormous power of the media and public distrust of the government have been a mainstay of American society ever since. Decades later, the war still figures prominently in American film and literature, and the black granite wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.c., remains one of the most potent symbols of American loss.

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Vietnam War (1945–1975).” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLc. 2005. Web. 10 Jun. 2015.

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recoMMended resoUrces

Books and articles:• United states Marine Guidebook of essential subjects

http://www.theusmarines.com/united-states-marine-guidebook-of-essential-subjects/

Websites and organizations:• history.com’s “Vietnam War history”

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history

• Pasek & Paul’s websitehttp://pasekandpaul.com/

Movies and Video clips:• dogfight (1991 film)

• Behind the Music: dogfight- Broadway.comhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdvfGwZaIdM

• how Justin Paul and Benj Pasek Became Pasek and Paulhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbWjmdSybEg

• Pasek and Paul on songwritinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM7gTbjLTA8

• Music Theatre International’s “dogfight” youtube Playlisthttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN8EjkTpwXMD8cTKgrdlF6qNhb_ch8cK0