-
Dien Bien Phu
French resolve to carry on war shattered by this North Vietnamese victory -
Ho Chi Minh Trail
North Vietnam creates a supply route for VC -
US becomes actively involved
Kennedy sends 3,000 US advisors to South Vietnam -
Operation Rangeland
Operation with goal of clearing vegetation and incorporating the use of Agent Orange -
Gulf of Tonkin Attack
Allegedly, the U.S.S. Maddox ship was attacked here. President Johnson in response orders American jets to bomb two naval bases and destroy a major oil facility. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Unoffical declaration of war- Pres. Johnson is given unlimited power in Southeast Asia in response to Gulf of Tonkin incident -
Rolling Thunder Begins
President Johnson authorizes a long bombing offense to stop Vietminh support of Vietcong Guerrillas -
Johnson commits over 60,000 troops
After failed peace agreement Johnson greatly increases U.S. occupation -
US Offers Peace for Economic Aid Proposal
The U.S. offers economic aid in exchange for peace. The offer was initially rejected. President Johnson then sent over 60,000 more troops to Vietnam. -
First Major Battle For American Units
An imminent attack against the U.S. Marine Base at Chu Lai is revealed from a Vietcong deserter. After, the U.S. launches Operation Starlight. The U.S. won with 700 Vietcong soldiers dead. -
Troops total 385,000
At the end of 1966, American forces reach 385,000 with an additional 60,000 sailors offshore. U.S. death tolls reach 6,000 and 30,000 wounded. Vietcong, however, have an estimated 61,000 deaths with over 210,000 troops. -
Operation Junction City
The goal of this peration was to destroy Vietcong bases and military headquarters in South Vietnam. One of the largest air-moble assaults and succeded in capturing large quantities of stores, equipment, and weapons. -
Khe Sanh Attacked By Vietcong
The Marine base at Khe Sanh is attacked by Vietcong with 18 dead soldiers instantly and 40 more wounded. Initial attack lasted two days. -
Tet Offensive begins
Over 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam shock attacked on the Tet holiday. By the end of the battles, 37,000 Vietcong were dead and many were wounded or captured. The fighting created over half a million refugees and over 2,500 Americans lost. -
My Lai Massacre
U.S. Charlie Company massacres the village of My Lai. Only one member of the company is later found guilty. Brought to light the questionable conduct of the war. -
Rolling Thunder Ends
Operation Rolling Thunder finally ends after three and a half years with 819 pilots dead or missing and hundreds in captivity. 182,000 North Vietnamese civilians and 20,000 Chinese support personnel are dead. -
Nixon Takes Office
President Richard M. Nixon takes office as the new President of the United States. With regard to Vietnam, he promises to achieve "Peace With Honor." -
Operation Menu
Nixon authorizes Operation Menu, the bombing of North Vietnamese and Vietcong bases within Cambodia. -
Agent Orange Use Ends
After being banned in the late 1960's, Agent Orange use in the war finally stops -
All But 133,000 Troops Home
Only 133,000 U.S. servicemen remain in South Vietnam. Two thirds of America's troops have gone in two years. The ground war is now almost exclusively the responsibility of South Vietnam, which has over 1,000,000 men enlisted in its armed forces. -
Peace Talks Break Down
In Paris, peace talks between the North Vietnamese and the Americans breakdown. -
Peace Talks Resume
North Vietnam and the United States resume peace talks in Paris. -
Cease Fire Signed
All warring parties in the Vietnam War sign a cease fire. -
Crook Resigns
Nixon resigns. South Vietnam is left without its strongest advocate. -
Last Casualties and Final Evacuation
At 4:03 a.m., two U.S. Marines are killed in a rocket attack at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport. They are the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War. At dawn, the last Marines of the force guarding the U.S. embassy lift off. Only hours later, looters ransack the embassy, and North Vietnamese tanks role into Saigon, ending the war. In 15 years, nearly a million NVA and Vietcong troops and a quarter of a million South Vietnamese soldiers have died. Hundreds of thousands of civilians had been kille