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Japan Surrenders to the Allies
After Japan made its surrender, they had to give up control of Indochina. Ho Chi Minh took this as an opportunity to declare Vietnam's independence, however, France was not looking to lose their colony. French troops returned in 1946 to seize control of Vietnam. -
Dien Bien Phu
France was struggling to fight against Vietminh despite the efforts provided from the U.S.. In the town of Dien Bien Phu, France was able to force Vietminh into open battle by cutting their supply lines. A huge Vietminh force bombarded the French, and they were able to defeat the French forces. The French made a peaceful withdrawal from Indochina. -
Antiwar Protests
Many Americans were upset with the war happening in Vietnam, as many saw the drafting system as unfair. As a result, many protesters gathered on several occasions. By far the largest was in Washington D.C. when almost 100,000 protesters gathered. Half of these protesters stormed the capital, and 500 arrests were made. Protesters refused to recognize the drafting system. -
Tet Offensive
Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces launched a massive surprise attack on American forces during the Vietnamese New Year. Most of the American airbases in South Vietnam were attacked and most of the South's major cities. Vietcong even went as far to blast their way into the American embassy in Saigon. -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was the process of slowly withdrawing U.S. troops while South Vietnamese assumed the fighting. Nixon announced the withdrawal of 25,000 U.S. troops. Meanwhile, Nixon was also conducting air strikes in North Vietnam and secret bombings of Vietcong sanctuaries to disturb their supplies. -
Kent State University Protests
During April of 1970, Nixon made the announcement that U.S. troops had entered Cambodia to destroy Vietcong bases. However, many did not believe Nixon's claims and they believed that it was an excuse to expand the war. As a result, this led to more protests. At Kent State University, National Guard soldiers armed with tear gas and rifles opened fire on protesters, killing four students and injuring 9. 60 shots were fired at the protesters. -
Prisoners of War
During the Vietnam War, more than 700 U.S. military personnel were kidnapped and taken prisoner. They were subject to torture in several different forms. As a condition for ending the war, America demanded that any prisoners of war be released. It took 3-4 months to release all of the prisoners. After all the assumed prisoners arrived home, the government determined that around 2,500 military personnel were "missing in action." -
Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Dedicated in Washington D.C.
A Yale student, Maya Lin, designed the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial located in Washington D.C.. The memorial is a large black granite wall containing the names of those killed and MIA during the war.