50 years ago today, July 08, in sunny Vietnam-land - Where were you?

2015-07-08T09:37:51-04:00

President Johnson decrees that a Vietnam Service Medal be awarded to Americans serving in Vietnam, even though there had been no official declaration of war.
There were 16,300 U.S. troops in South Vietnam at the end of 1964.
With Johnson’s decision to send U.S. combat units, total U.S. strength in South Vietnam would reach 184,300 by the end of 1965.

Ambassador Maxwell Taylor resigned as U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam.
Taylor had earlier been opposed to the introduction of U.S. ground troops into South Vietnam, proposing instead an intensified air campaign against North Vietnam.
Taylor would be replaced by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. who returned to Saigon for his second stint as Ambassador.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Jul 8 at 2015 9:46 AM

2015-07-08T09:46:19-04:00

Two Thumbs up!

Response by COL Ted Mc made Jul 8 at 2015 12:13 PM

2015-07-08T12:13:13-04:00

"Vietnam - Great Soldiers, Crappy War".

On the other hand, if the US hadn't "intervened", then the Vietnamese would no longer be a colony (or even a 'pseudocolony' with a ruling kleptocracy) and Vietnam would have become a single country under a Communist government - possibly with a flourishing economy - that didn't get a dime in foreign aid from the US government.