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Gulf of Tonkin Conflict
A North Vietnamese patrol boat fired on a United States ship in neutral waters. This later resulted in Congress giving President Johnson the ability to use military force without a declaration of war. -
Diem assassinated
Against the wishes of John F. Kennedy, the US Army assisted the coup of President Diem, ending in his assassination. -
Tet Offensive
On the holiday of Tet, 80,000 Vietcong troops emerged from the tunnels in which they resided to attack. They destroyed and captured almost all of Metropolitian South Vietnam, and swung the opinions of the population of the United States -
My Lai Massacre
A shocking blow to the civilians of the United States, the horror of the My Lai Massacre was unbelievable. Americans stormed a South Vietnamese town, killing 300-500 women and children, as well as raping some of the women. -
Invasion of Cambodia
As part of Nixon's plan to end the Vietnam War, he ordered the invasion of Cambodia, where the Ho Chi Minh Trail steadily supplied the Vietcong with the necessary ingredients to carry out their plans. However, the average American believed that this only lengthened the gap between war and peace. -
Pentagon Papers Printed in NY
These top-secret papers were leaked by the New York Times in 1971. These papers held secrets about what was really going on in Vietnam, which ended up being completely different from the information that the government had been spewing out. -
Fall of Saigon
Soon after the United States pulled out of Vietnam, the North Vietnamese did not take long to take South Vietnam over. Led by the Vietcong, they blazed through South Vietnam and captured Saigon with ease.
