1. Vietnam
America shows up

2. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Robert McNamara, President Johnson’s Sec. Def. advises that U.S. should step up it’s commitment in SE Asia
A U.S. Destroyer is sent off the coast of Vietnam, the U.S.S. Maddox
The Maddox was supporting S. Vietnamese operations on N. Vietnamese coastline
Sonar operators mistook signals as torpedoes & reported being attacked

3. The Report

4. Johnson’s reaction to Tonkin
Pres. Johnson asked Congress to authorize military force to keep this from happening again
U.S. Troops began arriving in Vietnam in 1964
7th Fleet steams into the Gulf of Tonkin – “Yankee Station” air strikes begin

5. Operation Rolling Thunder
Bombing Campaign of North Vietnam
Targeted the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a series of supply routes from the North to South Vietnam
Industrial centers & harbors were “off limits”
Chemical warfare – defoliants were sprayed – “Agent Orange”

6. 1964 to 1967 U.S. troop strength went from 185K to 486K
Many U.S. victories give the American public confidence in the war & is widely supported at home
By the end of 1967, very little seemed to have been accomplished

7. “The average age was 19”
Soldiers in Vietnam spent 13 months “in country”
First war where soldiers rotated in and out as single elements – units no longer shipped together
The average U.S. Soldier was less educated, younger, & Poorer
No real “front line”, you could be hit anywhere at anytime

8. The Media in Vietnam
Vietnam was the first “televised war”, people would tune in every night & watch the war
Overall public opinion was made from the numerous news reports

9. The Tet Offensive
February 1968, N. Vietnam springs the most & least effective strike
Least effective: no real damage done
Most effective: It showed that no where in Vietnam was safe for anyone at anytime
Every major urban center in S. Vietnam was hit by Viet Cong fighters

10. Khe Sanh: a USMC “Alamo”
Khe Sanh was a village near the DMZ
U.S. Military forces (Army & USMC) made fire bases on hill tops to protect civilian villages
Khe Sanh: 77 day siege, U.S. Marines & Army hold a strategic crossroads keeping infiltrators from Laos out
The odds of surviving were slim

11. Khe Sanh

12. Khe Sanh: Importance
5,000 USMC up against 20,000 to 40,000 NVA (North Vietnamese Army)
General Westmorland wanted to lure the NVA into a major attack to crush them using the USMC as bait
The siege lasted 77 days

13. Capturing the images of Khe Sanh
Robert Ellison was killed during one of many rocket attacks.
He was serving with the Marines