During the War
Taken by Olvier Noonan, this picture captures American soldiers listening to a radio broadcast in Vietnam in 1966
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Battle of Ap Bac (January 2, 1962) AKA Hamburger Hill
Battle of Ap Bac was the first major battle in the Vietnam war. It was fought in a village in Dinh Tuong province, approximately 50 miles southwest of Saigon on January 2, 1962. The battle resulted in heavy casualties on a much more superior South Vietnamese troops with American assistance in weapons and planning. It exemplified poor performances in both fighting ability and spirit of the South Vietnamese forces in compared to the Viet Cong |
Re Education Camps were created after U.S. forces left Vietnam, and the war ended.
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Agent Orange being spayed via plane over Ho Chi Minh Trail
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Agent Orange began usage in 1961 and ran until 1971.
It was started with Operation Ranch Hand Estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects as a result of its use. Red Cross of Vietnam estimates that up to 1 million people are disabled or have health problems due to Agent Orange |
Captured by Art Greenspot, first sergeant from A company 101st Airborne Division guides a medevac helicopter through the jungle
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Battle of Ia Drang Valley (October 26 – November 27, 1965)
Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between regular U.S. and People’s Army of Vietnam troops. Despite heavy casualties on both sides, both claimed the battle was a victory of their owns. As a matter of fact, Ia Drang Valley battle was considered essential as it set the blueprint for tactics for both sides during the conflict. American troops continued to rely on air mobility and artillery fire to achieve their battlefield objectives |
total number of ordnance dropped approximately tripled the totals for World War II.
7,662,000 tons of explosives, compared to 2,150,000 tons in the world conflict Vietnam was crippled after the war, as many of its vital resources used as output for trade was destroyed. An estimated 800,000 tons failed to detonate, contaminating around 20 percent of its land. 36 percent of the total forest area and damaged some 500,000 acres of rice and other crops. Country wide starvation and famine spread through Vietnam, especially in work camps, where many prisoners suffered from dangerous jobs, and even more dangerous conditions. |
Marines defend against the North Vietnamese Army
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The Tet Offensive (January 30 – March 28, 1968)
While the U.S. and South Vietnamese were still focusing on Khe Sanh, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops surprisingly launched the Tet Offensive – a series of aggressive and coordinated surprise attacks on over 100 major towns and cities throughout South Vietnam on January 30 – the first day of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). |