-
Period: to
Vietnam War
-
Defeat at Dien Bien Phu
French soldiers occupied the mountain city of Dien Bien Phu to cut off the supply line to Vietminh infantry. Sadly, they were surrounded and shot down by them and lost their hold on the town, -
South Needs Help
The first direct shipment of U.S. military aid to Saigon arrives. The U.S. also offers to train the fledgling South Vietnam Army. -
Torture
Diem launched an attack against Viet Minh suspects in the countryside. Those arrested were put before "security committees" with many suspects tortured or executed. -
Carnage
Vietcong guerrillas begin a widespread reign of terror in South Vietnam. They bomb and assassinate.Over 400 South Vietnamese officials are killed. -
Assassination
Thousands of government functionaries and other real and imagined enemies of the Vietcong were assassinated. Diem's men also suffered. -
Kennedy
Republicans felt that Democrats were weaker when it came to war. Kennedy decided to accept the war by increasing military aid and advisers. -
Vietcong Strength
The guerrilla army from North Vietnam, known as the Vietcong, fought to reunify the coutntry and encourage Communism. -
Operation Ranchhand
Operation Ranchhand begins. The goal of Ranchhand is to clear vegetation alongside highways, making it more difficult for the Vietcong to conceal themselves for ambushes. -
Operation Chopper
In early 1962 there was an need to fight back that couldn't be put off any longer. America was to have its first combat mission against the Vietcong. -
Defenders
During his State of the Union address, President Kennedy states, "Few generations in all of history have been granted the role of being the great defender of freedom in its maximum hour of danger. This is our good fortune..." -
Ngo Dinh Diem
Southern Vietnam leader who believed in Catholocism. He was greatly supported for being anti-Communist. Unfortunately, he shared his dilike for Buddhism, a prodominate religion in Vietnam, which brought him a decline in followers. Soon after, he was executed by Vietnamese generals. -
The Build Up
Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked two American destroyers (ships) in the Gulf of Tonkin. This one attacked forced America to retaliate with bombs. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The House and Senate felt that the safety of America was pressured by Vietnam. They passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which gave Johnson permission to take any necessary measures to repel enemy attacks. -
Man Down
Two days before the U.S. presidential election, Vietcong mortars shell Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. Four Americans are killed, 76 wounded. -
It's On Now
Johnson created Operation Rolling Thunder which was a sustained bombing campaign for North Vietnam. Afterwards he sent the first combat troops into Vietnam. -
National Teach In
This was a day where 122 colloeges spoke about the war on llive broadcast over the radio. -
American Bombing
Bombing from American planes killed as many as 220,000 Vietnamese. This lasted for two years. -
War and Society
Blacks made up 20% of American combat deaths--about twice their proportion of the population withtin the U.S. -
Trouble on Tonkin
A fire resulting from a punctured fuel tank kills 134 U.S. crewmen aboard the USS Forestall in the Gulf of Tonkin, in the worst naval accident since World War II. -
Agreement?
President Johnson makes another peace overture, but it is soon rejected by Hanoi. Hanoi is the capital of North Vietnam. -
Reassurance.
Following an optimistic briefing, President Johnson tells the American public on TV, "We are inflicting greater losses than we're taking...We are making progress." -
Khe Sanh
20,000 NVA troops attack the American air base at Khe Sanh. A 77 day siege begins as 5000 U.S. Marines in the isolated outpost are encircled. Sort of similar to the battle at Dien Bien Phu. -
Saying Goodbye
Wiith the decresase of fightin, President Nixon orders the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam. The soldiers are brought home in small amounts in order to keep a presence strong within Vietnam. -
Cambodia
The war, increasing in size and immensity has eventually moved. The war is still mainly in Vietnam but runs partially into Cambodia. -
Peace
The Paris Peace Accords are signed that provide a cease-fire. Boh countries have now agrred to end this war.
