Posted on Nov 16, 2016
Kennedy decides to increase military aid to Saigon - Nov 16, 1961 - HISTORY.com
2.22K
19
8
5
5
0
President John F. Kennedy decides to increase military aid to South Vietnam without committing U.S. combat troops.
Kennedy was concerned at the advances being made by the communist Viet Cong, but did not want to become involved in a land war in Vietnam. He hoped that the military aid would be sufficient to strengthen the Saigon government and its armed forces against the Viet Cong. Ultimately it was not, and Kennedy ended up sending additional support in the form of U.S. military advisors and American helicopter units. By the time of his assassination in 1963, there were 16,000 U.S. soldiers in South Vietnam.
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. BurroughsSgt Joe LaBrancheSSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F.PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnellSSG Leo Bell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see)
Kennedy was concerned at the advances being made by the communist Viet Cong, but did not want to become involved in a land war in Vietnam. He hoped that the military aid would be sufficient to strengthen the Saigon government and its armed forces against the Viet Cong. Ultimately it was not, and Kennedy ended up sending additional support in the form of U.S. military advisors and American helicopter units. By the time of his assassination in 1963, there were 16,000 U.S. soldiers in South Vietnam.
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. BurroughsSgt Joe LaBrancheSSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F.PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnellSSG Leo Bell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see)
Kennedy decides to increase military aid to Saigon - Nov 16, 1961 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.com
Vietnam War
Warfare
American History
Military History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
4
4
0
Incremental support during an insurgency which became a full and bitter civil war seems poorly advised in hindsight SP5 Mark Kuzinski.
Former POTUS Kennedy obviously was unfamiliar with insurgency in southern and southeast Asia. If he had been aware of what happened in Malaysia in the 1950s and Pakistan/India in the 1940s and who Ho Chi Minh was he might have acted differently.
JFK certainly didn't display wisdom in this area.
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell CW5 (Join to see) CW5 Charlie Poulton SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SGT Forrest Stewart SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright
Former POTUS Kennedy obviously was unfamiliar with insurgency in southern and southeast Asia. If he had been aware of what happened in Malaysia in the 1950s and Pakistan/India in the 1940s and who Ho Chi Minh was he might have acted differently.
JFK certainly didn't display wisdom in this area.
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell CW5 (Join to see) CW5 Charlie Poulton SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnell SGT Forrest Stewart SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright
(4)
(0)
SSgt Robert Marx
No he did not. Ho Chi Minh had been supported by the OSS and at the end of WW2 he captured many Japanese arms. While Ho Chi Minh was bloodthirsty in practice the people loved him. Either use over whelming force or go home.
(2)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
SSgt Robert Marx - Yes, Ho Chi Minh was supported by the Office of Strategic Services in WWII. He broke relations with us when we did not support his effort to free his people from French colonial rule.
Ho led his people to defeat the French in 1954/1955 and drive them away. He was a very capable and brave leader.
In this area and many others JFK displayed his naiveté in foreign affairs.
He was lauded as the hero of PT-109 and never really had no significant strategic experience. Mush of his Presidency is still too classified to be released but we know of the Bay of Pigs and some activity relating to southeast Asia.
Ho led his people to defeat the French in 1954/1955 and drive them away. He was a very capable and brave leader.
In this area and many others JFK displayed his naiveté in foreign affairs.
He was lauded as the hero of PT-109 and never really had no significant strategic experience. Mush of his Presidency is still too classified to be released but we know of the Bay of Pigs and some activity relating to southeast Asia.
(2)
(0)
SSgt Robert Marx
The Bay of Pigs operation had already been given the green light by President Eisenhower. The French literally sunk all of their resources in their base at Dien Bien Phu. This was a mountain fortress in an inaccessible area so could only be resupplied by air. The French used poor military judgment and subsequently lost their possession of Indochina. They were much better off without it.
(1)
(0)
2
2
0
Always reminds me of how long it started before it started when I read these SP5 Mark Kuzinski
(2)
(0)
1
1
0
I have read some place or another do not start a land war in Asia unless you are prepared to fight for a thousand years,because they are ,a good example is Vietnam they fought the Chinese for centuries even after we left they were back at it with Red China a few years later!
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google