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JFK is Assassinated, LBJ is Sworn In
Just hours after John F. Kennedy was assasinated, Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as President on Air Force 1. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident #1
Two US destroyers reported being fired on by North Vietnamese gunboats. President Lyndon B. Johnson didn't say anything about this actual attack, unlike the attack two days later. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident #2
Two days after the North Vietnamese attacked two US destroyers, another attack was reported. This attack may or may not have been fake or a false alarm, but President Lyndon B. Johnson saw this as an act of war, leading him to sign the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress passes a bill saying that the president (LBJ) can do whatever he needs to do in Vietnam. -
LBJ WIns the Presidential Election
Lyndon B. Johnson won the presidential election in 1964, winning 61% of the popular vote. This is important because Johnson was tough on communism, and wanted to deal with Vietnam. -
White House Authorizes Operation Flaming Dart
Operation Flaming Dart was the immediate US response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in which the US went on a series of bombing North Vietnam targets. -
Operation Rolling Thunder Begins
Operation Rolling Thunder was a three year bombing campaign over North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, which dropped 864,000 tons of bombs, killing 80,000-120,000 people. -
First US Ground Forces Arrive in Vietnam
3,500 US Marines landed at China Beach, the first US ground troops in Vietnam. -
Operation Starlite Begins
Operation Starlite was the first major offensive that was launched by only US forces. 5,000 US troops defeated 2,000 Viet Cong near Chu Lai. -
US Forces Directly Meet the NVA in Combat for the First Time
US ground forces directly met the regular North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in battle in the Drang River Valley. Two US regiments faced off against two NVA regiments, with 1,500 NVA deaths and 250 US deaths. -
Operation Crimp Begins
Operation Crimp was a joint operation between 8,000 US and Australian forces. The goal was to find Viet Cong headquarters in Chu Chi. Although the operation was unsuccessful, the US and Australians located a vast Viet Cong tunnel system. -
The Draft Lottery is Initiated
This greatly escalated the conflict in Vietnam, as men were being forced to go to war in Vietnam. This is a huge step up because the US hadn't used the draft since WW2, meaning that Vietnam was becoming a huge issue.