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Truman Supports French Government in Vietnam
France was fighting against Vietnam and because France was democratic and Vietnam was communist, we gave lots of financial support to France. -
North Vietnamese prevail at Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was final battle in the First Indochina War between France and Vietnamese revolutionary forces.These forces were part of what is referred to as the People's Army of Vietnam. The battle occurred between March and May, 1954, and ended in a massive French defeat that effectively ended the war. -
Geneva Conference splits Vietnam at the 17th parallel
The Geneva Conference was a conference which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, which the purpose was to attempt to find a way to re-unify Vietnam and discuss the possibility of restoring peace in Indochina. -
JFK initiates Operation Farm Gate and sends Green Berets to Vietnam
These were the first U.S. military detachment of Air Commandos sent to Vietnam in 1961. They flew combat missions with South Vietnamese pilots, and trained them in peaceful warfare. -
Deposed South Vietnamese President Diem is assassinated
The South Vietnamese really didn't like him and he refused to step down from leadership, therefore he was killed. -
William Westmoreland put in control of U.S. military forces
He became the US Army General during the Tet Offensive and he used a strategy of attrition. -
Gulf of Tonkin incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was two separate occurrences involving naval forces of North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin that prompted the first large-scale involvement of U.S. armed forces in Southeast Asia. -
Widespread protest of the Vietnam War
Many Americans did not agree with their friends, family, coworkers, and even people they don't know being shipped off to Vietnam to fight, when they probably won't come back. This sparked protests across the nation against the war. -
Tet offensive touches off widespread protests in the United States
U.S. citizens and the media looked at the Tet offensive from a different point of view. While it was a disaster for the North Vietnamese and the majority of military objectives lay uncompleted, it was a blow to the morale of the U.S. and South Vietnamese. -
Phoenix Program
The Phoenix Program prioritized capturing and interrogating all of the Vietcong. -
News of My Lai massacre breaks
The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder of hundreds of unarmed civilians in South Vietnam. Victims included women, men, children, and infants. Some of the women were gang-raped and their bodies were later found to be mutilated and many women were allegedly raped prior to the killings -
Kent State tragedy
During an altercation on May 4, twenty-eight guardsmen opened fire on a crowd, killing four students and wounding nine. Following the killings, the unrest across the country escalated even further. -
U.S. troop withdrawal from Vietnam
Finally, after the longest war America has ever fought, the US slowly brought home their troops. When soldiers came home however, they were not recieved warmly. -
U.S. military draft terminated
So many soldiers were drafted into the Vietnam War, and so many died, that there is no longer a draft and they only take volunteers -
North and South Vietnam unified under communist rule
North and South Vietnam stayed seperated at the 17th Parallel but agreed for both to remain communist.
