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The Vietnam War
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The Division of Northern and Southern Vietnam
U.S. does not have free elections for Vietnam because they know Ho Chi Minh would win meaning Vietnam would be a communist country so Vietnam was divided into northern and southern sections. The Northern was communist and led by Ho Chi Minh and the Southern was an anti communist and was aided by the U.S. -
Ngo Dinh Diem leads Southern Vietnam
Ngo Dinh Diem returns from exile in America and kicks out former emperor Bao Dai and declares himself president and refuses to hold elections. He gains support from United States, and they start sending military advisors. -
Self Immolation
Buddhist monks set themselves on fire as a political statement against south Vietnam government because Ngo Dinh Nhu, attacked Buddhist pagodas throughout South Vietnam, violating sacred religious orders because he accused them hiding communists or actually being communists. -
Ngo Dinh Diem Overthrow
The U.S. realized that Diem's government was corrupt and none of the citizens respected him. They overthrew him and even though generals promised him he could leave the country they killed him instead and was replaced by the Chief Of Staff of the Armed Forces of South Vietnam. -
Gulf of Tonkin attack
U.S. Navy destroyer was in Gulf of Tonkin and Northern Vietnam gunboats detected it and came to shoot at it. It retreated and hardly any damage was done to the warship. In two days the destroyer and another warship returned and believed that Vietnamese vessels were to be in the area and had missiles, but it turned out to be a phantom attack, or miscommunication. Linda Johnson finds this an excuse to enter Vietnam and comes out to the public and says that the U.S. ships were viciously attacked a -
The decision for War
U.S. congress passes Gulf of tonkin resolution and sends in more troops. -
Rolling Thunder
Massive US bombing campaign, Rolling Thunder, begins in North Vietnam. US conducted constant air raids for the three years in north vietnam
Rolling thunder begins, a Massive U.S. bombing campaign, in North Vietnam. The U.S. carried out constant air raids for three years, until November 2, 1968 -
Send in the Troops
The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam meaning the war was in full effect and around the world there was a sizeable reaction for the U.S. involvement and China and Soviet Union both threated U.S. to stop intervening. -
Tet Offensive
North Vietnamese join forces with Viet Cong, guerilla troops in South Vietnam and launched Tet Offensive, attacking one hundred South Vietnamese ubran cities and the U.S. embassy was briefly taken over. It shocked U.S. and South Vietnamese troops and the U.S. public because they were no where near a victory as they thought -
My Lai Massacre
U.S. troops started firing at the village at My Lai, at children, women, and elderly men, even Sergeant Michael Bernhardt said that he saw no one that looked military of age. My Lai only came to public was when a soldier who was interviewed claimed he shot 10-15 men women and children. The importance of this was it shocked not only Americans but the world as it showed poor representation of the U.S. military and how it failed to show leadership, morals, and discipline. -
540,000 Soldiers
U.S. troops in Vietnam reaches 540,000, meaning more men are losing lives, the war is not going to end any time soon and the start of public support declines. -
Cambodian Campaign
President Nixon announces that U.S. troops will invade Cambodia and attack enemy locations. This announcement sparks protests, espcially with college students. -
Kent State Massacre
Ohio, Kent State University, students were protesting the Cambodian Campagin. Ohio National Guards intervened and shot 67 rounds in 13 seconds at unarmed students, killing 4 and wounding nine. Hundreds of high schools and colleges closed due to a 4 million student strike. Students were extremely against the Vietnam war because media omitted civllian deaths and showed gruesome battlefield footage. -
Napalm Girl
South Vietnamese planes dropped a napalm bomb on Trang Bang which had been attacked and occupied by North Vietnamese forces. A South Vietnamese Air Force pilot mistook the group for enemy soldiers and diverted to attack. Photos showed the public how gruesome and horrid the war was and how thousands civillians were constantly dying. -
The Ending
The Vietnam War is officially over for the United States, pulling out the last U.S. combat soldiers making this the longest American war in history. Thus South Vietnam eventually surrenders to North Vietnam and on March 30, 1975 the war is over.
