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South Vietnamese President Diem instituted rules banning communism and cracked down on pro-communist citizens in the south.
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President Diem visits the U.S. for 10 days meeting with important U.S. government figures.
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North Vietnam forms and equips the Viet Cong in South Vietnam to conduct insurgency operations.
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Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy is elected in the November 1960 U.S. elections.
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Due to increasing threats Kennedy's advisors urge him to deploy advisors to vietnam raising the number from 900 to 16,000
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The Diem regime is overthrown by a US backed military coup by the ARVN following the Buddhist oppresion.
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ARVN troops and us helicopters and advisors move to attack a report of large amounts of VC in or near the village of Ap Bac which was a crushing disaster leading to heavy casualties for the ARVN as well as 2 U.S. advisors and 5 US helicopters were shot down. also crushed much of the South's morale
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President JFK is shot by Lee Harvey Oswald and VP Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as president of US
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Destroyer USS Madox is supposedly attacked by North Vietnamese patrol boat in the Gulf of Tonkin
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The US launches retaliatory airstrikes on North Vietnam.
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Men of the 9th Marine division land at Da Nang to protect us bases and airfields
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The US 7th Air Cav land att LZ X-ray to find and destroy the 66th PAVN Regiment. they proceeded to get ambushed and defended the Landing zone for 3 days under constant attack taking 495 casualties and killing 1745 PAVN.
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US Marines are sent to push PAVN forces across the DMZ which lasted for a month with the US taking 126 casualties while the PAVN lost 717
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US army forces go on a search destroy operation in Kom Tum province but unbeknownst to them it was just a diversion to lure troops away from the major cities
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After a leaked messege from westmoreland for more troops the media went wild and westmorland is replaced by general Creighton Abrams.
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PAVN forces attack and lay siege to the marine combat base at Khe Sahn for 77 days inflicting 2,815 casualties but losing 10,000-15000. part of the larger Tet Offensive
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in January 1968 The north launches tthe Tet Offensive which was an attack on every major city and military installation in Vietnam and to make the south's population rise up and overthrow the saigon regime
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PAVN infiltrate and ttake over Hue City. USMC forces go in and are forced to do house to house fighting leading to most the city being destroyed, 1800 US casualties, and 5400 PAVN casualties. A South/US victory
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The south and north converge in Paris to discuss peace in southeast asia.
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President Ricard Nixon is elected in the 1968 primary
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President Nixon forms a plan to win "peace with honor" in Vietnam. he starts his new policy called "Vietnamization" where the US starts withdrawing troops and supply/support and put more responsibility on the ARVN
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North Vietnams revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh dies
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In 1970 following the cambodia incursion anti-war protesters at kent state university take over the the campus. the governor deploys national guard where after many provications the national guard opens fire killing 4 students
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after the pro-communist regime in cambodia is overthrown by a anti-communist coup the new leader allows US and ARVN troops into Cambodia.
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The media got their hands on seceret messages, recordings, and reports from someone in the pentagon
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The ARVN supported by US helicopters and airforce move to attack the Ho Chi Mihn trail. although successful at first the PAAVN counter attack and kill or capture half the ARVN troops and shot down almost half the US support Helicopters. the mission was a failure and cast doubt on Vietnamization.
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unrestricted US bombing raids on North Vietnam
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After long negotioations starting in 1968 the north and south have finally agreed to sign a peace cease fire that ended the war but allowed the north to keep troops in the south. Nixon said that if the north broke the truce he would use the full might of US airpower but that never came.
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After a major PAVN offensive the ARVN troops in the central highlands retreat taking heavy casualties
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PAVN took over and captured 100,000 surrendered ARVN troops.
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PAVN forces rush south to take over saigon but are halted at Xuan Lóc. the brave outnumbered ARVN troops held out for 2 weeks before finally being overran.
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South Vietnamese president Tiue flees to tiwan.
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after the fall of Xuan loc saigon was wide open and the PAVN pushed south into the city prompting the most hasty and arguably flawed pull out of Americans and some vietnamese trying to flee at the embassy and Tam Son Nugt airport. much of the chaos could be because of the American ambassador Graham Martin who didn't order an evacuation until it was almost to late