1960s Timeline

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Apr 30

Under Secretary of State George Ball Speaks Out on Vietnam

Apr. 30, 1962 - George W. Ball (pictured), Under Secretary of State, warned today that the war against the Communist Viet Cong in South Vietnam would be a “long, slow, arduous” struggle of a type that is not “congenial to the American temperament.” But he said it could “definitely” be won with the help the U.S. was providing to the South Vietnamese Government. Discussing the nature of the American assistance, he insisted that no U.S. combat units were in Vietnam, that “we are

Apr 28

U.S. Special Forces Training Rhade Tribesmen to Fight in Vietnam

Apr. 28, 1962 - The U.S. Special Forces are arming, training, and organizing the Rhade tribesmen of South Vietnam into a surprisingly effective anti-guerrilla army. About 2,000 tribesmen have been trained to defend their villages against the Viet Cong. There had been misgivings about arming the Rhade tribesmen, based on doubt as to which side they would help, but the Army’s gamble is paying off. The Rhade tribesmen appear to be moving enthusiastically into the anti-Communist

Apr 27

Communist China Supporting North Vietnam

Apr. 27, 1962 - The Chinese Communists are said to be stepping up their military advisory program in North Vietnam to counter the continuing build-up of U.S. forces in South Vietnam. One intelligence estimate speaks of as many as 3,500 Chinese soldiers now attached for training and support to the Communist North Vietnam Army. Of the estimated total of 16,000 North Vietnamese troops now believed to be among the Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam, large numbers are said to h

Apr 25

Vietnamese Rangers, with help from U.S. Marines, Rout Communists

Apr. 25, 1962 - Vietnamese Rangers and the Civil Guard, with help from U.S. Marines, dealt a major blow today to Communist insurgents in the heart of the Mekong Delta country. Routed in heavy fighting, a Communist battalion lost 87 killed and 3 captured. Government forces suffered six dead and six wounded. Marine helicopters shuttled four Ranger companies and one company of the Civil Guard to battlefield positions that nearly checkmated the bewildered guerrillas. Whenever Gov

Apr 24

Government Troops Kill 69 Viet Cong Insurgents

Apr. 24, 1962 - South Vietnamese troops, backed by American air support, killed 69 Communist guerrillas today in a running battle 34 miles southwest of Saigon, U.S. military sources said. Four companies of special Vietnamese rangers and infantry troops took part in the action. A normal infantry company in Vietnam varies from 100 to 130 men. No Government casualties were reported. #vietnam #vietnamese #vietnamwar #VietnamVet #VietnamVeteran #history #OTD #ColdWar #JFK #communi

Apr 23

Wounded Sergeant in Vietnam Denied Purple Heart

Apr. 23, 1962 - An American sergeant wounded in the leg by Communist fire has been denied the Purple Heart. Although the incident was two months ago and although the sergeant was the first casualty among U.S. Army helicopter personnel, the episode was hushed up by the military command in Vietnam. The only explanation advanced by military sources in Saigon is that Purple Hearts and combat medals cannot be awarded in Vietnam because Washington does not recognize this as a comba

Apr 18

Viet Cong Proving a Tough and Elusive Foe in South Vietnam

Apr. 18, 1962 - The Communist insurgents (pictured) are still winning most of the clashes in the arc of South Vietnamese provinces from the Cambodian frontier to the South China Sea. They are scoring victories despite better training and better arms for the Government forces and despite the fact that U.S. military advisors attached to Military Region 31, which is comprised of the 9 northern provinces, have increased from 12 at the start of the year to 142. The Communists are

Apr 16

U.S. Marines Wait for Action in South Vietnam

Apr. 16, 1962 - United States Marines awaited their first action today in the intensified war against Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam. Like the three U.S. Army helicopter companies in South Vietnam, the Marine task unit will come under Communist fire. Like the Army units, the Marines are under orders not to shoot unless fired upon. The Marines’ main job will be to airlift Vietnamese combat troops into areas occupied by the Viet Cong. It will also help resupply isolated

Apr 15

Former C.I.A. Director Dulles Arrives in Saigon with Pentagon Study Group

Apr. 15, 1962 - Another indication of deepening U.S. involvement in South Vietnam’s campaign against the Communist guerrillas called the Viet Cong was the arrival in Saigon today of a Pentagon study group that included Allen W. Dulles (pictured), former chief of the C.I.A. The group will try to determine whether the 6,000 U.S. military personnel assigned to the South Vietnamese forces as advisors, trainers, and transport assistants really know why they are in Vietnam and what

Apr 15

U.S. Marine Helicopter Unit Lands in South Vietnam

Apr. 15, 1962 - A U.S. Marine helicopter unit landed in Vietnam today. The Marines will be based at Soc Trang, capital of Ba Xuyen Province, 100 miles southwest of Saigon. They will assist the U.S. Army’s 57th Light Helicopter Company, based at Saigon’s Tan Son Nhut Airport, in operations against Communist guerrillas in the southern tip of Vietnam, which has been one of the worst areas of Communist infiltration. The 16 H-34 helicopters and 400 men of the Marine unit were flow

Apr 11

Twelve Viet Cong Killed by Government Forces

Apr. 11, 1962 - A United States military source said today that 12 Vietnamese Communist guerrillas were killed as the band that captured four American sergeants was being pursued. The source said that Vietnamese villagers who were carrying the dead guerrillas in blankets and ponchos dropped the bodies and fled when American fighter bombers appeared overhead. The villagers had been conscripted by the Viet Cong, he said. Two American sergeants (pictured) wounded in the initial

Apr 10

Two U.S. Army Officers Murdered by Viet Cong

Apr. 10, 1962 - United States Army officers said today that two wounded American sergeants were murdered in cold blood by their Communist captors in Danang, South Vietnam, on Sunday. Two other American sergeants, who were captured unwounded, are still prisoners of the Communists, the officers said. The four sergeants, trained in anti-guerrilla action, were escorting a Vietnamese Civic Action platoon on an 11-day training mission when their bivouac was overrun in a daylight at

Apr 8

Two Americans Killed, Two Captured by Viet Cong

Apr. 8, 1962 - Two United States enlisted men were killed and two others were missing today in an attack by Communist guerrillas near An Chau, west of Danang. The four Americans were part of a U.S. team engaged in training the South Vietnamese in village defense tactics. The loss was the heaviest suffered by the U.S. contingent advising the South Vietnamese. The deaths of the American soldiers were the first attributed to American fire. The bodies of the two slain Americans w

Apr 7

Viet Cong Attack is Crushed in Four-Hour Battle in An Hoa

Apr. 7, 1962 - South Vietnamese Government forces (pictured), alerted by spies in the Viet Cong movement, crushed an attack by 1,200 Communist guerrillas in An Hoa in a 4-hour battle, South Vietnamese officials said today. “A few more wins like this and the back of the Viet Cong in the area will be broken,” one American military advisor said. The Viet Cong left behind 45 dead in the action. Government losses were listed as 16 dead and 33 wounded. Many of the Viet Cong bodies

Apr 5

U.S. Army Establishes Anti-Guerrilla School at Fort Bragg

Apr. 5, 1962 - The Army announced today that it had established an anti-guerrilla school at Fort Bragg, N.C. Personnel will be trained to combat insurgents by improving living conditions of the people as well as by force. In addition to commando combat courses, the school will teach such things as civil affairs, psychological warfare, religion, history, agriculture, nationalism, engineering, communications, and light aviation. The scope of the school is in accord with a philo

Apr 1

U.S. Army Helicopters Assist South Vietnamese in Heavy Fighting

Apr. 1, 1962 - South Vietnam’s 42nd Regiment was engaged in heavy fighting today after a penetration deep into a Communist guerrilla stronghold in Binhdinh Province. U.S. Army helicopters flew a company of Vietnamese rangers into the area. The Eighth Helicopter Company not only carried reinforcements but also landed assault units that led an attack yesterday in an area that the Viet Cong long considered immune from invasion. It is a region of dense forests and rugged terrain,

Mar 28

General Lemnitzer Visits Vietnam

Mar. 28, 1962 - The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Lyman Lemnitzer, flew to the village of Binh Hung in South Vietnam today to discuss problems with a soldier-priest. Most of the 1,200 residents of the village and the Sea Swallows, their force of irregulars, and their commander, the Rev. Nguyen Lac Hoa (pictured center), turned out to meet the general. “This is an example for the entire Free World to emulate,” General Lemnitzer said. “Against this kind of co

Mar 26

South Vietnamese Troops Try to "Pacify" Villages North of Saigon

Mar. 26, 1962 - A comprehensive plan to pacify South Vietnam has started modestly in the forests north of Saigon. Last Thursday, Vietnamese forces under Brig. Gen. Van Thanh Cao (pictured right with Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann) began mopping up groups of Viet Cong Communist guerrillas in Binh Duong Province. This was the start of Operation Sunrise, which American observers have called the “first aggressive action against the guerrillas that made any sense.” What made th

Mar 24

U.S. Supports Irregular Army in Vietnam

Mar. 24, 1962 - The United States is quietly supporting an irregular army called the Sea Swallows, left by an expatriate Chinese Roman Catholic priest in the muddy flats of Camau Peninsula, the southernmost tip of South Vietnam. The priest is the Rev. Nguyen Lac Hoa (pictured). Legally, U.S. military aid cannot be given to an irregular force. It would require authorization by Congress. However, new U.S. carbines, M-1 rifles and automatic weapons are reaching this 1,200-man ar

Mar 23

Correspondents in Saigon Frustrated

Mar. 23, 1962 - One of the battles being fought in South Vietnam involves the problem of finding out what is going on and reporting it to the American people. Many correspondents in Saigon feel they are losing. One put it this way: “The Vietnamese Government is against us. They figure we are all spies or Communist propagandists. The United States side will not tell us much beyond the broad outlines of policy, and we cannot even be sure of that. After prying for weeks to get a