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Fearing that Vietnam would become a communist state, Truman sent over 35 military advisors, transport planes and jeeps as a part of a multimillion dollar package.
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Eisenhower didn't want to abandon Vietnam completely due to "Domino theory" and ended up sending Diem military supplies and weapons, $2 billion in aid and increased the number of military advisors to around 1,000 strong
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On August 2nd, 1964 the USS Maddox (and American Destroyed) was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin by North Vietnamese torpedo attacks. A second attack led to the US air-strikes against North Vietnam and the passage of the Southeast Asia Resolution by Congress which allowed military operations in the region without a proper declaration of war.
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With President Johnson having a 4-year term ahead, he was able to turn his focus towards Vietnam
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The White House authorized Operation Flaming Dart which was a series of targeted bombing runs in response to Viet Cong attacks
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In March of 1965 the United States government started a sustained bombardment of North Vietnamese targets. The US also bombed the Ho Chi Minh trail, and deforesting chemicals such as Agent Orange were used to try and clear our vegetation.
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By April 1965, President Johnson had already sent the first 60,000 American soldiers to Vietnam. In the Summer in 1965 under the command of General William Westermoreland, the US forces executed their first two major military operations against the Viet Cong, and scored victories in Chu Lai and in the Drang River Valley
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From late 1965 American battle strategists largely depended on "Search and Destroy" missions. American troops would fly into enemy controlled territory on helicopters, find out where the enemy is and then set landmines and ambushes.
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A joint US-Australian operation in Binh Duong province that involved 8,000 men. The objective was to locate an enemy headquarters, and the joint forces cleared the area with minimal losses. Although they failed to find any major base, they discovered a complex network of tunnels.
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A search and destroy mission which cleared a large amount of South Vietnam, killing 2,000 Viet Cong and capturing important supply dumps.
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An operation which aimed to drive the Viet Cong out of the "Iron Triangle". It was largely successful, but incurred lots of collateral damage alienating thousands of South Vietnamese
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As combat increased, so did the amount of killed servicemen, lowering the American people's support of the war. According to polls, by 1967 56% of Americans asked said that the Vietnam War was a mistake
