Page 45 - A Soldiers Exposition

BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM

1959: American military advisors were killed in Vietnam: The first US casualties
1960: The National Liberation Front (NLF) was formed, also known as the Vietcong (VC)
1961: US President Kennedy pledged extra aid to South Vietnam
1962: The number of US military advisors increased from 700 to 12,000
1963: 15,000 US military advisors were in South Vietnam
1964: The Gulf of Tonkin incident; Congress passed the ‘Gulf of Tonkin Resolution’
America bombs targets in North Vietnam; NLF attacked US airbases;
1965: ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’; first US combat troops were sent to Vietnam in March;
By the end of the year, there were 200,000 US troops in Vietnam
First major conventional clash between USA and NVA at Ia Drang
1966: 400,000 US troops were in Vietnam
1967: 490,000 US troops in Vietnam
1968: Tet Offensive
Demonstrations against the war started in America
My Lai massacre;
Peace talks began in Paris
540,000 US troops in Vietnam
1969: Nixon ordered the secret bombing of Cambodia; ‘Vietnamization’ started
Nixon announced the start of US troop withdrawals
480,000 US troops in Vietnam
My Lai massacre made public in November
1970: Four student demonstrators shot dead at Kent State University
280,000 US troops in Vietnam
Secret peace talks held in Paris
Large scale anti-war demonstrations throughout the USA
1971: 140,000 US troops in Vietnam
Lt. William Calley convicted of murder at My Lai and jailed.
1972: Haiphong harbor mined (May)
“Peace is at hand” – Dr. Kissinger.
1973: Ceasefire signed in Paris
Last US troops left Vietnam
US POW’s released
1975: Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia; NLF captured Saigon;

1982: Vietnam Veterans Memorial unveiled in Washington DC.

“Our society must accept responsibility for its war making. To the returning
Veterans, our leaders and people must say, you did this in our name and

because you were subject to our orders, we lift the burden of your actions
from you and take it onto our shoulders. We are responsible for you, for what
you did and the consequences.”

Edward Tick, Ph.D. – From: War and The Soul