Meanwhile, President Richard Nixon authorized a cross-border invasion of Laos in 1971. In 1965, the involvement of the Marine Corps was escalated greatly and the Marines made substantial landings around the port at Da Nang as their role expanded beyond advisement and base defense. The Viet Cong insurgency expanded in South Vietnam in 1962. “The Koreans sent more troops and much more aggressive troops [than other U.S. allies],” Moise says. The nine-year campaign was so intense that, on average, a planeload of explosives fell every eight minutes, making Laos, per capita, the most heavily bombed nation on earth. Air Force bombardment sustained the Marines under siege at Khe Sanh, Operation Menu attacked positions in Cambodia, and the two Linebacker operations in 1972 stopped the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive and helped return Hanoi to the negotiating table, respectively. However, Vietnam would soon become a battleground familiar to all Americans. However, they were also being paid off by the United States in the form of economic and military assistance. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. PAVN troops suffered a significant amount of the North’s wartime casualties, with hundreds of thousands dead. In all, American airpower was a defining aspect of the Vietnam War and proved decisive on numerous occasions. In February of 1962, the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was created as the successor to MAAG, and MACV took charge over all American military operations in Vietnam. The army was well-motivated and politically indoctrinated, and often employed a mix of regular and irregular (guerilla) operations. The roll contains information from the Service records of more than 60,000 military members who served during the Vietnam War. However, the growing air campaign confronted an expanding North Vietnamese air defense system. It is important to note that several other armed forces do not appear on this list. One year later, 70,000 Marines were stationed in country. In 1971, the New York Times published excerpts from the documents, which became known as the Pentagon Papers. Established on the republic’s founding in 1955, ARVN began with 150,000 troops, and by 1975 included over one million men-at-arms. Explore more records, information, articles and resources at the National Archives organized by subject area. Pritzker Military Museum & Library | Chicago, About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, Commemorate Their Service Honorial and Memorial, Learn more about the People’s Army of Vietnam, Learn more about the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Learn more about the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam, Learn more about the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Learn more about the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam, Learn more about the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. Additionally, working with the Army, Navy patrol boats operated on the river systems of South Vietnam – especially in the Mekong Delta – to inspect shipping and support combat operations. The Soviets even allegedly shot down some U.S. planes. Ho led the North, whereas the U.S.-backed Ngo Dinh Diem took charge of the South. During the first Indo-China War (1946-1954) between the communist-dominated Viet Minh and France, New Zealand accepted the British-American view that Vietnam was a crucial point on the front line against communist expansion in Asia. The withdrawal of American forces continued until March 29, 1973, when the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam and the last commander of MACV, General Frederick C. Weyand, oversaw the command’s deactivation. American training further enhanced the ARVN troops. If we must go to South Vietnam to help stem the tide of communist aggression and defend our security and freedom, let us do so without being coerced or pressured, without being bought or purchased.’ “They were determined to go on … The remaining number were support services personnel; quartermasters, cooks, drivers, pilots, mechanics, engineers, clerks, … Soviet and Chinese advisers and supplies enhanced the fighting strength of PAVN forces. Like the Marine Corps, its core strength lies in the prospect of boots on the ground. The People’s Army of Vietnam traces its lineage back to the Viet Minh fighters organized by Võ Nguyên Giáp during the war with France, with the formal separation of the PAVN coming by the end of 1950. Led at first by General Paul Harkins, who was succeeded by General William Westmoreland in 1964, MACV’s mission expanded from advisement to defense in 1965 as President Johnson began to change the U.S. mission in Vietnam. in 1968. During Linebacker I in 1972, the Navy flew nearly 4,000 sorties per month in order to stop the North Vietnamese attack. “The French had controlled Vietnam for a couple of generations,” explains Ed Moise, a professor of history at Clemson University and author of Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. Army units were involved in the Cambodian Incursion in 1970 and assisted in the South Vietnamese led Lam Son 719 all while continuing to train their South Vietnamese counterparts per President Nixon’s Vietnamization program. Bombs ready to be loaded onto a French aircraft for the long drawn out Dien Bien Phu Battle of the Indochina War on April 10, 1954. RG 112 Office of the Surgeon General 2. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The conflict has deep historical roots, most recently the First Indochina War between the communist North and the French-backed South, and the subsequent splitting of Vietnam into North and South. All Rights Reserved. Floating hospitals like the USS Sanctuary provided important medical equipment and care close to the war zone. Finally, the evacuation of South Vietnam and the rescue operations that saved tens of thousands of civilians fleeing from the North Vietnamese advanced in spring 1975 could not have succeed without the U.S. Navy. Armed with tanks and artillery marched successfully on the South, ending the Vietnam War. Additionally, officers, reinforcements, and supplies from PAVN forces were often funneled to the Viet Cong, which operated with PAVN troops frequently. (The two countries were undergoing a bitter split at the time.). Cambodia, while officially neutral, tolerated communist intrusions—and was bombed by the United States for those intrusions. However, hundreds of Air Force aircraft would be shot down during the war, and hundreds of airmen would suffer tortuous conditions as prisoners in North Vietnam. While the U.S.S.R. supplied some troops, their biggest contribution was in weaponry. South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated by his own generals, a coup supported by the U.S and led by his successor, Duong Van Minh. Far from being monolithic, the Vietnamese and American armed forces were each comprised of men of differing talents and abilities.Â. A short biography of their service, including awards they were given, challenges they faced, and a bit about their life before and after serving; Years of service or the wars/conflicts in which they served; Which military branch(es) in which they served (e.g., US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, US Marines, US Coast Guard). © 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. As a result, the Vietnamese suffered the highest casualties in the conflict. Additionally, low morale plagued the troops and desertion was a continual problem, as was corruption among the officers. The Marine Corps had begun providing assistance and advisement to the South Vietnamese in the late 1950s, and their mission expanded gradually through the early 1960s. RG 338 Records of U.S. Army Commands RG 334 Records of Interservice Agencies 4. After World War II, France reoccupied Vietnam as part of its attempt to reclaim its prewar empire. 521 killed, ~3,000 wounded. From two staging posts in the South China Sea, aircraft carriers provided air support to ground forces; among other campaigns, Navy units worked in partnership with the Air Force during Rolling Thunder and during the Linebacker operations. This alliance was made more important during the American involvement in Vietnam as the Montagnard’s position in the Central Highlands gave them great control over a troublesome part of the South Vietnam and a key ending point for the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Below is a list of nations that played a role in the Vietnam War, and details on what motivated them to get involved. The Australian commitment consisted predominantly of army personnel, but significant numbers of air force and navy personnel and some civilians also took part. Thai involvement did not become official until the total involvement of the United States in support of South Vietnam in 1963. READ MORE: Why Were Vietnam War Vets Treated Poorly When They Returned? Brutal tactics were the norm during the Vietnam War, and no one suffered more than the Vietnamese themselves, both in the North and the South. North Vietnam immediately broke the accord, however, moving troops and supplies through Laos rather than traversing the heavily guarded demilitarized zone that separated it from South Vietnam. For the most part, the Chinese stayed in the background, rebuilding areas destroyed by U.S. bombs and manning anti-aircraft batteries. The Soviets wanted to “make life difficult for the United States,” McAllister says, “but they didn’t want to do it in a way that got them in a conflict with the United States.”, Soviet involvement in the war increased in the late 1960s, just as China’s influence was lessening. All these talks of material considerations and dollar windfalls, new military equipment, war trade bonanzas and pork-barrel funds–behind the Vietnam aid bills are deplorable. Although the group named its own soldiers the People's Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF), the National Liberation Front has been memorialized by the American public as the Viet Cong, a name derived from Việt Nam Cộng-sản, or “Vietnamese communist.” The Viet Cong were a continuation of the Viet Minh, and many VC leaders had fought against French forces during the First Indochina War. The French and American experiences in Vietnam differed in many respects. As a branch of the US forces, however, the Marine Corps lost the highest percentage of its own men (5.0%) which in turn accounted for 25.5% of all casualties. Financial aid, along with a desire to curry favor with the United States, drew in additional countries as well. The Army has the most personnel of any of the U.S. armed services. RG 335 Office of the Secretary of the Army 5. The most heavily used record group is: 1. Yet, no matter what they tried, the Americans never succeeded in seriously disrupting North Vietnamese supply lines, nor did they prevent the fall of Laos to the communists in 1975. The People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), popularly known as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), was the main branch of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Though Vietnamese communists allied with the Khmer Rouge during the Vietnam War, they eventually deposed the regime in 1979. Why Were Vietnam War Vets Treated Poorly When They Returned? France had been a long-time occupier of Vietnam before 1954. The Vietnam War was our longest and most contentious military experience of the twentieth century. Marines were soon deployed to defend the vital airbase at Da Nang near the DMZ. In all, tens of thousands of Montagnards assisted the American war effort. During the years of the Vietnam war, I think the number of actual combat troops in a 20,000 man “combat division” was something like 5000. The Air Force conducted re-supply missions, medical evacuations, and rescue missions, but the most crucial part of their involvement in the war was their bombardment of enemy positions. US military advisers flocked to South Vietnam bringing with them the machines and instruments of modern war, “from typewriters to helicopters”. Vietnam War - Vietnam War - The United States enters the war: Between the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the U.S. presidential election in November 1964, the situation in Vietnam had changed for the worse. 104 S. Michigan Ave. The Vietnam War was ostensibly a civil war between the communist North and pro-Western South. This reliance was undermined by the events of World War II. In this administration, we are Vietnamizing the search for peace. In this lesson plan, students analyze a letter to President Kennedy from a woman who had just lost her brother in South Vietnam and consider Kennedy’s reply, explaining his … But perhaps their biggest role was preemptive: They made it clear that if U.S. ground troops invaded North Vietnam, then they would respond in kind. The Philippines, Taiwan and Spain likewise aided the U.S. war effort, whereas on the communist side North Korea and Cuba purportedly sent token support. Making use of traps, tunnel systems, and a variety of insurgent tactics, the Viet Cong were a powerful enemy for much of the war. Learn more about the Viet Cong. Naval gunfire from offshore cruisers, destroyers, and even the reactivated battleship New Jersey provided additional artillery support for the duration of the war. Additionally, the nations of Cambodia and Laos fought parallel wars that often intersected with the Vietnam War, while Australia, South Korea, and other allied nations also deployed substantial forces during the war. He explains that they were partially motivated by a sense of obligation and ideological sympathy: After all, they could not help but notice the historical parallels between themselves and South Vietnam. THE WAR IN VIETNAM was one of the 20 th Century’s most intractable conflicts. In the south, Marines carried out search-and-destroy missions, attempting to locate Viet Cong insurgents hidden in South Vietnamese villages and jungles. The Vietnam War was described as a civil war within South Vietnam, although it became a proxy war between Cold War powers. Prince Norodom Sihanouk “basically felt that he was surrounded by dangerous enemies, and he had to make nice with some of them,” Moise says, adding that “he could not afford to offend” the North Vietnamese despite being “anti-communist in Cambodian politics.”. The role of the Navy in Vietnam is sometimes overlooked, but Navy units played a major role in the American combat mission during the war. Beginning in September, the Khanh government was succeeded by a bewildering array of cliques and coalitions, some of which stayed in power less than a month. By the time American forces finally withdrew in 1973, about 2.7 million U.S. soldiers had served in Vietnam, more than 58,000 had died, and the nation had racked up a staggering bill of at least $111 billion (plus billions more in non-military costs). While national leaders decided the direction the war would take, the soldiers on the ground enacted their policy. Daniel Ellsberg was an analyst at the RAND Corporation and secretly copied the report. Prior to World War II, the Australian government still looked to London for leadership, diplomatic guidance and, when necessary, military protection. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Newly communist China had supported Ho Chi Minh during the war with the French, and continued to do so during the war with the U.S. by providing weapons, expertise and manpower. Australia’s military involvement in the Vietnam War was the longest in duration of any war in the country’s history. Ho Chi Minh was succeeded by Le Duan, who became head of North Vietnam’s communist party. In 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara commissioned a study of American political and military involvement in Vietnam. In 1964, however, the so-called Gulf of Tonkin incident prompted President Lyndon B. Johnson to commit combat troops and launch a massive bombing campaign, and U.S. involvement only deepened from there. The ARVN suffered over 200,000 fatalities by the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973, and thousands more would die by the end of the war. With the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, the U.S. departed from Vietnam, but the Marines' involvement in the nation was not yet over. Nonetheless, “if there had been no Chinese or Soviet support, the North Vietnamese could not have won,” he says, pointing out that the U.S. military budget was roughly 30 times greater than the entire gross national product of North Vietnam. Nominal Rolls. The Thai government then allowed the United States Air Force in Thailand to use its air and naval bases. The CIA-sponsored "Secret Army" of Major Gen. Vang Pao at Long Cheng, where the U. S. and Laotian governments permitted newsmen a rare glimpse of the base in 1972. 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. It wanted no part of the new conflict.After World War II, France reoccupied Vietnam as part of its attempt to reclaim its prewar empire. The advance of Japanese imperial forces into the Asia-Pacific brought an aggressive imperial power clo… France had been a long-time occupier of Vietnam before 1954. China and the Soviet Union didn’t have to do as much as the Americans, Moise explains, because they were buttressing the stronger side. Unlike during the Korean War, the United States yielded to this threat. While relations eventually improved between the two, thousands of Montagnards fled when Saigon fell in 1975, fearful of communist reprisals for their role in aiding the American war effort. Learn more about the Montagnards. DMZs are usually cleared of military personnel, in order to protect against invasion or attack. How the Vietnam War Ratcheted Up Under 5 US Presidents. In 1962, the United States, both Vietnams, and several other nations agreed to respect the neutrality of and not interfere in the affairs of Laos, which borders Vietnam to the west. Korea New Zeal Philip Thai; 1959 760 243000-----1960 900 243000-----1961 3205 243000-----1962 11300 243000-----1963 Unexploded munitions from the Vietnam War-era continue to kill Laotians (and Vietnamese and Cambodians) to this day. Sovfoto/Universal Images Group/Getty Images. The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that theremains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified andwill be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.Army Chief, News and Stories from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's Public Affairs Office and External Relations. ARVN troops did take part in a number of American led operations, and were tasked with defending the nation when the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam. U.S. bombs killed tens of thousands of Cambodians, which, some historians contend, may have increased popular support for the Khmer Rouge, a communist insurgency group that initiated a brutal genocide upon taking power in 1975. By 1975, when North Vietnamese troops took Saigon and reunified the nation under communist rule, an estimated 1 million to 3 million Vietnamese had perished, many of them civilians. American forces supplied and advised these Montagnard troops, hoping to count on their support against communist infiltration. The Vietnam War (also known as Second Indochina War or American War in Vietnam) lasted from 1 November 1955–30 April 1975, (19 years, 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day).It was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China and North Korea, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, New … Year American SVN Aust. As Tet prompted the withdrawal of American forces and General Creighton Abrams replaced Westmoreland as head of MACV, Army forces gradually decreased while still carrying out search-and-destroy missions and assisting South Vietnamese forces. At the height of the war, almost 50,000 American military personnel were stationed in Thailand, mainly airmen. South Korea was the main U.S. and South Vietnamese partner, providing over 300,000 troops and suffering some 5,000 deaths. Despite this support, ARVN troops were often poorly led and suffered from internal strife amongst the South Vietnamese high command. Though it originally took little interest in the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union secretly ramped up its aid to North Vietnam following Nikita Khrushchev’s fall from power. Following France’s defeat in the First Indochina War, an international agreement divided Vietnam in two. Assuming that North Vietnam and the Viet Cong were not likely to be decrypting the United States' most secure communications and that they could not have enough spies in South Vietnam to be aware of every U.S. operation in Southeast Asia before they took place, U.S. personnel came to the conclusion that U.S. forces were themselves inadvertently revealing vital information to the opposition. Deepen your understanding and enhance your knowledge by exploring the nearly 4,000 books, photographs, programs, and other Pritzker Military Museum & Library holdings on the Vietnam War.Â, © 2020 Pritzker Military Museum & LibraryDisclaimer | Contact, CONTACT FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Air Force advisers had served in Vietnam as part of MAAG in the 1950s, but the primary Air Force role in the war would come with full-scale American combat operations in the mid-1960s. As guerilla soldiers, Viet Cong forces often hid amongst the local populace, and were hard to identify. The United States and many other countries intervened, propping up both sides—but especially South Vietnam—with troops, weapons and supplies and turning what started as a small guerrilla uprising into a major Cold War-era conflict. Popularly called Montagnards (French for “mountain people”), the Degar people are the native inhabitants of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Established on the republic’s founding in 1955, ARVN began with 150,000 troops, and by 1975 included over one million men-at-arms. As the original communist state, the Soviet Union aided North Vietnam, with increasing support in the late 1960s. In the previous administration, we Americanized the war in Vietnam. In all, ARVN troops fought effectively when well-led, but tragically never seemed to have good commanders. Learn more about the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. South Korea  was the main U.S. and South Vietnamese partner, contributing more than 300,000 troops to the war. Through the 1972 Easter Offensive, Marine aircraft remained and soldiers on the ground provided training and fire support. Among other weapons, the USSR provided surface-to-air missiles that the Chinese weren’t yet technologically capable of producing. Back home, the Vietnam War led to enormous political and public debate about New Zealand's foreign policy and place in the world. VIETNAM VETERANS. By 1969 more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed in Vietnam. However, American airpower and ARVN resistance stifled this attack. RG 472 United States Forces in Southeast Asia, 1950-1975 Additional records relating to the U.S. Army in Vietnam may be found in: 1. The Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans was prepared by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA). Determined to prevent South Vietnam from falling into communist hands, the United States propped up Diem with billions of dollars in aid, as well as increasing numbers of military advisers. That insurgency drew heavy U.S. bombing. So, too, did a legitimate fear of Communism, Moise says. It lasted from August 1962 until May 1975. RG 319 Army Staff 3. A converted T-28 trainer aircraft is seen near 250-pound bombs used by Meo pilots of Vang Pao's "mini-Air Force" against North Vietnamese in northern Laos. Despite being in bad economic shape at the time, newly Communist China aided Ho during the war with the French, and did so again during the war with the Americans, providing weapons, expertise, and manpower. The Montagnards are an ethnic minority within Vietnam and have a history of conflict with the Vietnamese, who historically viewed them as inferiors. The United States supplied a dizzying amount of firepower and equipment to ARVN forces, providing everything from tanks, APCs, and helicopters to bullets, small arms, and rations. How eight countries got bogged down in the Vietnam War's Cold War proxy battle. Poster entitled "Support Vietnam People," circa 1969, showing China's support of the Communist cause in Vietnam. 500,000 Marines were stationed in Vietnam ( guerilla ) operations the figures show that of 2100000 men and women served. Some troops, and details on what motivated them to get involved almost 60,000 Australians served in Vietnamese. 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