-
Kennedy's increase of military advisors in Vietnam
President JFK sends helicopters and
400 Green Berets to South Vietnam and
authorizes secret operations against the
Viet Cong. -
Gulf of Tonkin & Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin caused
Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
This allowed the president to “take all
necessary measures, including the use of
armed force” against the enemy during times
of war. -
Tet Offensive
A combined assault of Viet Minh and North Vietnamese armies. Attacks are carried out in more than 100 cities including Hue and Saigon, and the U.S. Embassy is invaded. The effective, bloody attacks shock U.S. officials and mark a turning point in the war. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson launches a three-year
campaign of sustained bombing of targets
in North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail -
My Lai Massacre
More than 500 civilians were murdered by
U.S. forces. The massacre happened amid a
campaign of U.S. search-and-destroy operations
that are intended to find enemy territories,
destroy them and then retreat. -
Election of 1968
Republican Richard M. Nixon wins the U.S.
presidential elections and promises to restore “law and order” and
end the draft. -
Kent State Massacre
National Guardsmen fire on anti-war
demonstrators at Ohio’s Kent State University,
killing four students and wounding nine. -
Expansion into Laos and Cambodia
North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers moved and operated, at times pursued by South Vietnamese and American forces. The fall of Cambodia and Laos marked the bitter end to the Vietnam War. -
26th Amendment Ratification
It was thought that Those old enough to be drafted for military service should be able to vote. Congress lowered the voting age as part of the Voting Rights Act of 1970. They reduced the age to 18. -
Pentagon Papers
The New York Times published articles detailing leaked Defense Department documents about the war. The report showed that the U.S. government had increased U.S. involvement in the war. -
Paris Peace Accords
President Nixon signs the Paris Peace Accords, ending direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The North Vietnamese accept a cease-fire. As U.S. troops depart Vietnam, North Vietnamese military officials continue plotting to overtake South Vietnam. -
Fall Saigon
The capital of South Vietnam is seized by communist forces. The government of South Vietnam surrenders. U.S. Marine and Air Force helicopters transport more than 1,000 American civilians and nearly 7,000 South Vietnamese refugees out of Saigon.
