Hillsdale College Professor Mark Moyar Speaks at Nixon Foundation
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair in Military History at Hillsdale College, spoke at the Richard Nixon Foundation on Jan. 26. The event was held in honor of the 50-year anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 that officially ended the Vietnam War.
Delivering the keynote address, Moyar highlighted the need to correct misinterpretations of the Vietnam War. “Today’s students need to understand the Vietnam War because it remains central to debates over American foreign policy and national identity,” says Moyar. “Students deserve to know whether they should cower in shame as the heirs of a ‘stupid’ and ‘unjust war’ — as most professors and journalists have usually depicted the conflict — or should instead take pride in a worthy but mishandled war of necessity, as described by myself and other historians.”
Referencing the important research in his recent book, “Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968,” Moyar argued that U.S. military intervention was not hopeless, but that President Lyndon B. Johnson’s refusal to heed the advice of his generals and ground forces beyond South Vietnam was detrimental.
Moyar is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Cambridge and the author of seven books, including two books on the Vietnam War: “Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954-1965” and “Triumph Regained.” Before joining the Hillsdale College faculty in 2021, he served as the Director of the Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
For a headshot of Moyar, click here. For a video of the speech, click here.