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Vietnam free of French
France recognizes Vietnam as a free nation -
Soviet Communists offer Vietminh weapons
The Vietminh nationalists had gone to the U.S., who denied them support, so they went to the Soviet Communists instead -
Eisenhower introduces the 'Domino Theory'
If we lost control of the communism in Vietnam, then it would spread. Other countries, or dominoes, would fall, until communism reached the U.S. -
Period: to
U.S. soldiers in Vietnam
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Communists advance on South Vietnam
North Vietnamese Communists invade South Vietnam and murder hundreds of South Vietnamese officials -
Ho Chi Minh Trail is used to transport weapons
Use of the Ho Chi Minh trail is initiated and weapons and supplies are transported throughout it. -
Kennedy elected President
Narrowly won the election -
Vietcong formed
Guerillas go undercover as South Vietnamese. Friends by day, enemies by night. -
U.S. Advisors deployed in Vietnam
Advisors (Green Berets) sent in to oversee operations in the war. -
U.S. begins use of Agent Orange
A pesticide that destroys the greenery of the jungle but also began to cause cancer and birth defects in those who were exposed. -
Gulf of Tonkin
North Vietnamese bomb the U.S. Maddox, initiating combat between the two sides -
Khe Sanh
North Vietnamese soldiers surround the U.S. occupied city of Khe Sanh, and by far outnumber the U.S. soldiers. With the use of napalms, the Vietnamese are defeated. -
Tet Offensive
Tet is the Vietnamese new year. During the war, it was a time of ceasefire, but the North Vietnamese took that day to attack every major South Vietnamese city. -
My Lai Massacre
A group of soldiers, led by Lieutenant Calley, attack a South Vietnamese town and torture or murder everyone there. -
Hamburger Hill
U.S. soldiers attack North Vietnamese that have made camp on a large hill.
We won the battle, but there was a sign afterwards that said 'was it worth it?' -
Kent State Protests
Students protest the war and police retaliate, killing four students. -
U.S. invades Cambodia
Invasion of Cambodia to halt the flow of supplies to Vietnam. -
Pentagon Papers leak
Daniel Ellsberg leaks papers from the Pentagon about the Vietnam War, further dicrediting the government -
Easter offensive
More bombs dropped then than all other dropped bombs in our previous wars combined -
Paris Peace Accords
POWs released, and U.S. tropps retreat from Vietnam -
Last U.S. troops leave Vietnam
The Paris Peace Accords are signed, and the last of the U.S. soldiers leave Vietnam
