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Us Involvement In Vietnam

The USA starting sending military advisers around 1957 to assist the South Vietnamese Army (officially known as the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, or ARVN). The ARVN was under increasing pressure from Viet Cong insurgents, who were trained and directed by the communist government of North Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh. I think it is important to realize that Ho Chi Minh was not anti-American or pro-communist, he was primarily interested in unifying Vietnam and removing the colonial order. He accepted communist assistance because this was the only assistance he could get in achieving his goal. Unfortunately, this made him a player in the larger global struggle between the Soviet Union and the US. It was in the Soviet's interest to gain as much influence as possible throughout the world, and it was in the US interest to prevent this.

From 1957 to 1964 the Viet Cong made steady gains against the corrupt, inefficient, and incompetent government and army of South Vietnam. For various reasons the South Vietnamese government could not gain legitimacy and control in the countryside. On numerous occasions large ARVN units up to batallion size were outmanuevered and outfought by Viet Cong insurgents, despite the heroic efforts of US advisers and increasing amounts of US air support. Sensing the opportunity to move in for the kill, Ho Chi Minh started sending regular North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units to support the Viet Cong insurgents.

In early 1965 the US realized that the South was in grave danger of completely losing control of the situation. In the summer of 1965, President Johnson sent the US Army 1st Cavalry Division into South Vietnam. The 1st Cav had been recently re-organized from traditional tank cavalry to helicopter cavalry, a completely new concept in warfare. As the 1st Cav established their base at Pleiku, the NVA massed its forces to the west, near the Ia Drang valley. Their goal was to push into South Vietnam, drive east, crush the 1st Cav before they...