-
1961
President Kennedy sends military advisors to train South Vietnamese troops -
1963
More than 10,000 American Military advisors train and fight in South Vietnam -
1964
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passes; Number of U.S. troops doubles to more than 20,000 -
1965
President Johnson authorizes bombing of North Vietnam; more than 180,000 U.S. troops are in South Vietnam -
1965
Most American soldiers in Vietnam had been drafted into military service -
Period: to
1965-1973
American pilots dropped more than 6 million tons of bombs on enemy positions -
1967
The war had devolved into a stalemate -
1967
Congress and eventually most of America divided into camps: Hawks and Doves -
Period: to
1967-1968
Fulbright held public hearings on the war, providing a platform for critics of the conflict -
1968
There were more than half a million U.S. troops in Vietnam and the number of American dead rose to more than 30,000