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President Kennedy sends 100 Special Forces troops to South Vietnam
Troops are sent in after the first two recorder American deaths during a Viet Minh guerillas strike at Bien Hoa. -
First Helicopter Falls
The first US helicopter is shot down in Vietnam, one of 15 ferrying troops in attack against the village of Hong My. -
Plans To Bomb North Vietnam Begin
The U.S. National Security Council recommends the bombing of North Vietnam. President Johnson approves only the planning phase by the Pentagon. -
Battle of Ia Drang
The first battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers. This battle had inconclusive results as both sides claimed to be the victors. 15,000 to 17,000 Vietnamese soldiers died and 559 American soldiers died. -
Man of the Year Awarded to a General
Time Magazine names General William Westmoreland "Man of the Year." -
U.S. B-52s bomb North Vietnam for the first time
Bombing of Haiphong and Hanoi begins -
Battle of Khe Sanh
Battle was used as a distraction to build up the Viet Cong forces in the south for the so called "Tet Offensive". -
Tet Offensive
The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong launched surprise attacks on over 100 major towns and cities throughout southern Vietnam. -
Battle of Hill 937 (Hamburger Hill)
The bloodiest battle to date, this was a turning point for U.S. troops as the war became more and more unpopular back in the states. -
President Nixon Orders More Troops Withdrawn
Reducing total to 280,000 by the end of the year. Invasion of Communist sanctuaries inside Cambodia by U.S. and South Vietnam forces -
Air Strikes Continue
North Vietnam sees its heaviest attacks since 1968 -
The Easter Offensive
The North Vietnamese launched three attacks simultaniously on the cities of Quang Tri, Kon Tum, and Binh Long. -
Battle of Xuan Loc
This battle was the last ditch effort of the last military unit of the United States Army and South Vietnamese forces to stop North Vietnamese forces. -
The Fall of Saigon
100,000 North Vietnamese forces surrounded Saigon and the 60,000 American forces left to defend it. The city fell and the Veitnam war was finally ended with the U.S. and it's allies evacuating. -
Vietnam Memorial Erected
Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated to the 58,183 Americans killed during the war.
