Sunday, July 22, 2012

At War's End, U.S. Ship Rescued South Vietnam's Navy

Enlarge Hugh Doyle The South Vietnamese fleet follows the USS Kirk to Subic Bay in the Philippines. The Kirk's final mission at the end of the Vietnam War was to bring the remnants of the South's navy to safety in the Philippines. text size A A A September 1, 2010 Last of three parts On April...

35 Years On, Vietnam Heroes Reunited, Decorated

Crew members of the USS Kirk try to wave off a CH-47 Chinook carrying South Vietnamese refugees on April 29, 1975. But the helicopter's pilot, Ba Nguyen, was determined to unload his passengers, who included his wife and three young children. text size A A A September 1, 2010 Second of three parts...

After 35 Years, Unlikely Navy Caregivers Receive Recognition

On April 29, 1975, as Saigon was falling to Communist North Vietnamese forces, a small U.S. Navy destroyer escort ship, the USS Kirk, played a dramatic but almost forgotten role in rescuing up to 30,000 South Vietnamese. Here, a member of the USS Kirk's crew tends to a Vietnamese baby. The men of...

Children of the Vietnam War

Born overseas to Vietnamese mothers and U.S. servicemen, Amerasians brought hard-won resilience to their lives in AmericaThey grew up as the leftovers of an unpopular war, straddling two worlds but belonging to neither. Most never knew their fathers. Many were abandoned by their mothers at the gates of orphanages. Some were discarded in garbage cans. Schoolmates taunted and pummeled them and mocked...

Vietnam 101: A Short Introduction

Summary: The Vietnam War occurred in present-day Vietnam, Southeast Asia. It represented a successful attempt on the part of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam, DRV) and the National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam (Viet Cong) to unite and impose a communist system over the entire nation. Opposing the DRV was the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam, RVN), backed by the...

Vietnam War: Battle of Ia Drang

Battle of Ia Drang - Conflict & Dates: The Battle of Ia Drang was fought November 14-18, 1965, during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Armies & Commanders United States Colonel Thomas Brown Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDade approx. 1,000 men North Vietnam Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu An approx. 2,000 men Battle of Ia Drang - Background: In 1965,...

Vietnam War: Battle of Hamburger Hill

Conflict: The Battle of Hamburger Hill took place during the Vietnam War. Dates: US forces were engaged in the A Shau Valley from May 10 to May 20, 1969. Armies & Commanders: United States Major General Melvin Zais approx. 1,800 men North Vietnam Unknown approx. 1,500 men Summary of the Battle of Hamburger Hill: In 1969, US troops began Operation Apache Snow with the goal of...

Vietnam War: End of the Conflict 1973-1975

Working for Peace In October 1972, Nixon’s National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, concluded a secret peace agreement with North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho. After reviewing the agreement, President Thieu demanded major alterations to the document. In response, the North Vietnamese published the details of the agreement and stalled the negotiations. Feeling that Hanoi had attempted to embarrass...

Vietnam War: Nixon & Vietnamization 1969-1972

Handing Off the War Campaigning under the slogan “Peace with Honor,” Richard M. Nixon won the 1968 presidential election. His plan called for the “Vietnamization” of the war which was defined as the systematic build up of ARVN forces to the point that they could prosecute the war without American support. As part of this plan, American troops would slowly be removed. Nixon complemented this...

Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive

The Tet Offensive On January 21, 1968, an intense barrage of artillery hit the US Marine base at Khe Sanh in northwest South Vietnam. This presaged a siege and battle that would last for seventy-seven days and would see 6,000 Marines hold off 20,000 North Vietnamese. Anticipating that American forces would be drawn north to the fighting at Khe Sanh, Viet Cong units broke the traditional Tet...

Vietnam War: Americanization

On August 2, 1964, USS Maddox, an American destroyer, was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats while conducting an intelligence mission. A second attack seemed have occurred two days later, though the reports were sketchy (It now appears that there was no second attack). This second “attack” led to US air strikes against North Vietnam and the passage of the...

Raid on Son Tay

Conflict: The raid on Son Tay prison camp occurred during the Vietnam War. Dates: Colonel Simons and his men captured Son Tay on November 21, 1970. Armies & Commanders: United State Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons Lieutenant Colonel Elliot "Bud" Sydnor 56 Special Forces soldiers, 92 airmen, 29 aircraft North Vietnam Leaders: Unknown Numbers: Unknown Battle Summary: In 1970,...

Battle of Dak To

Battle of Dak To - Conflict: The Battle of Dak To was a major engagement of the Vietnam War. Dates: Fought over nineteen days, the Battle of Dak To lasted from November 3 to November 22, 1967. Armies & Commanders: US & Republic of Vietnam Major General William R. Peers 16,000 men North Vietnam & Viet Cong General Hoang Minh Thao Tran The Mon 6,000 men Battle of Dak To -...

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Tet 1969 at Cu Chi

The American command in Vietnam had predicted the attacks for months — believing at first that they would start at the end of the summer of 1968, then around the time of the presidential election in November, and finally about the time of Richard Nixon's inauguration — but the NVA and the VC remained...
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