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The Vietnam War officially started on November 1st, 1955. Catholic nationalist Ngo Dinh Diem emerged as the leader of the South, while Ho Chi Minh lead the communist state to the north. Both officially went to war on each other for control over their country. The U.S. supported Ngo Dinh Diem and sent resources to help him fight communism, but it was a few years before U.S. military was sent.
(Photo: Ngo Dinh Diem) -
Almost 10 years later, America sends its first American combat troops, U.S. marines, to Vietnam. They landed on beaches near Da Nang, South Vietnam. When the South's army was on the verge of collapsing, President Johnson immediately dispatched 100,000 soldiers to support the South in their fight. There wasn't even a declaration of war. He just publicly announced it at the end of July.
(Photo: U.S. Marines wading ashore near Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, 1965.) -
A horrific massacre where as many as 500 unarmed Vietnamese villagers were killed by U.S. troops in the hamlet of My Lai. Soldiers were originally instructed to destroy the village because they suspected it contained Viet Cong fighters; however, no soldiers were recorded being seen. Immediately a cover-up began before the shooting even stopped, but somehow the information was leaked to the world, horrifying the U.S.
(Photo: Vietnamese citizens photographed during the My Lai Massacre.) -
Members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd of unarmed protesting college students at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. This event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close. Also, at this time roughly 335,000 U.S. troops are in Vietnam, and approximately 50,000 have been killed.
(Photo: Protestors against the Vietnam War in New York City on April 27th, 1968.) -
President Nixon signed the Paris Peace Accords, which ended direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. It was said that the U.S. troops were to be withdrawn within 60 days and that the 17th parallel will remain the dividing line until the country could be reunited by "peaceful means."
(Photo: U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger, Pres. Richard Nixon, & Deputy National Security Alexander Haig discussed the Vietnam War on November 13, 1972).