Chapter 29 Section 2U.S. Involvement Grows

“Americanizing” the War

• Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and General William Westmoreland, Commander US Forces in South Vietnam believed the US needed to increase its military presence in South Vietnam beyond the role of advisors to the South Vietnamese Armed Forces (ARVN)

• This called for more troops and airstrikes against targets in North and South Vietnam

General William WestmorelandCommander US Forces in South Vietnam

Robert McNamaraSecretary of Defense

A Green Beret on patrol with ARVN troops

An American door gunner covering ARVN troops

US Helicopters prepare to transport ARVN troops into battle, 1965

Rolling Thunder

• In March 1965, following a Vietcong attack on US troops at Pleiku, President Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam

• Code named “Operation Rolling Thunder”• Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps warplanes

attacked strategic targets in North Vietnam and Vietcong strongpoints in South Vietnam

• Lasted until November 1968

Phillipsburg HS graduate 1st Lieutenant (later Major) Bruce Lawrence, KIA July 5, 1968 over North Vietnam when his F4 Phantom was hit by a surface-to-air missile (SAM)

F-4 Phantom

North Vietnamese SA-2 SAM

Agent Orange• Agent Orange is a chemical used by the U.S. Army

in the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971 to remove forest cover, destroy crops, and disrupt agriculture food production.

• It is called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band that identifies the barrel the chemical came in. There were also Agents Purple, Green, and Pink.

Agent Orange• The U.S. military dumped some

20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides on about a quarter of former South Vietnam between 1962 and 1971.

• The defoliant decimated about 5 million acres of forest — roughly the size of Massachusetts — and another 500,000 acres of crops, the report said.

Agent Orange• The chemical have been shown to

cause serious skin diseases as well as a vast variety of cancers in the lungs, larynx, and prostate. Other effects include cleft palate, mental disabilities, hernias, and extra fingers and toes.

• The scariest impact is that the disease and deformities caused by the chemical can span across generations.

The Marines Land

• On March 8, 1965, US Marines arrived to defend the airbase at Da Nang. More troops soon followed.

• By the end of 1965, there were 184,300 US troops in Vietnam

• 636 Americans had been killed in the war to date

March 8, 1965- The first deployment of U.S. battalion-sized U.S. combat units to Vietnam

Pictured are Marines from 3rd Battalion, 9th Regiment

The 1st and 3rd Battalions soon followed, bringing the strength of the 9th Marine

Expeditionary Brigade up to 5,000 troops.

The Vietcong

• The Vietcong (VC) were South Vietnamese communists fighting for unification with North Vietnam

• They waged guerilla warfare, dressed as civilians and hid after attacking US troops

• They were supplied by the North Vietnamese by the Ho Chi Minh Trail that went through Laos and Cambodia

• The VC were highly motivated and suffered great hardships

The Vietcong and North Vietnamese dug a complex series of tunnels, from which they mounted surprise attacks.The U.S. dropped napalm to burn these jungle hideouts.

Mounting Costs

• By the end of 1968, 500,000 US troops were in country

• Over 30,000 Americans had been killed

Friend or Foe?

• The VC looked no different from the average civilian

• Women and children were often used to attack US troops

• The VC used booby traps, mines and human bombs to kill US troops

Vietcong & NVA Strategy

• The VC and NVA knew they could not match US firepower

• They relied on hit-and-run tactics to harass American forces

• Many attacks occurred at night• The goal was to erode American’s will to fight

through attrition

U.S. Troops Fulfill Their Duty• Americans served in Vietnam

for a variety of reason• Many volunteered to serve

their country• Some fought to stop

communism• Some fought to protect the

South Vietnamese• Many were drafted and had no

choice but to serve

Morale Declines• Morale declined for many

reasons– The majority of troops after

1965 were draftees– Losses continued to mount– US Troops felt the South

Vietnamese people were indifferent to their presence and should be defending their own country

– A growing anti-war movement at home undermined morale

Economic Problems at Home

• Johnson’s Great Society programs were very expensive

• The cost of fighting in Vietnam was also very high

• Massive government spending had lowered the unemployment rate but inflation was very high

• These factors led to increased taxes

The Anti-War Movement

• By 1967, opposition to the war was widespread• Two camps had emerged, Doves and Hawks• Doves questioned the war. They included liberal

politicians and students who saw the conflict as a localized civil war.

• Hawks supported Johnson’s war policies. They were mostly conservatives who believed the war was crucial to a U.S. Cold War victory.

13 of the 58,272 listed on the Wall attended Phillipsburg High School

Phillipsburg’s Roll of Honor

MajorBruce Edward Lawrence

Pilot(Phillipsburg, NJ)

557th Tactical Fighter SquadronUSAF

Tour of duty began on November 9,1968KIA

July 5, 1968Surface-to-Air Missile Hit

North VietnamPHS Class of 1960

Staff SergeantTerrance Edward Smith

Infantry (Phillipsburg, NJ)

25th Infantry DivisionUSA

Tour of duty began on April 23, 1967KIA

March 24, 1968Enemy Action

Tay Ninh ProvinceAttended PHS 1962

For Gallantry in Action, Staff Sergeant Smith distinguished himself by heroic actions on March 24, 1968, while serving as a platoon sergeant with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 14 Infantry on a combat operation in the Republic of Vietnam. When his unit was pinned down by intense enemy fire, Sergeant Smith reacted instantly to the situation and led his platoon to protective cover. He repeatedly exposed himself to the enemy fire to direct his men's fire and when a group of his men were trapped by the enemy fire he maneuvered to their position. After maneuvering these men to within 25 meters of the friendly positions, Sergeant Smith was mortally wounded by the intense enemy fire. His valorous actions saved several lives and were of immeasurable value to the successful completion of the mission.

Silver Star Citation (Posthumous)

Private First ClassJames Robert Morris

Rifleman(Phillipsburg, NJ)

3rd Battalion 7th Marine RegimentUSMC

Tour of duty began on November 28,1967KIA

January 31, 1968Enemy Action

Quang Nam ProvincePHS Class of 1964

SergeantAlbert Aleya Outwater Jr

Platoon Guide(Phillipsburg, NJ)

3rd Battalion 3rd Marine RegimentUSMC

Tour of duty began on July 17,1967.KIA

July 21, 1967 Enemy Action

Quang Tri ProvincePHS Class of 1964

CorporalAlbert Shiller

Rifleman(Alpha, NJ)

9th Infantry DivisionUSA

Tour of duty began on November 12, 1967KIA

April 2, 1968Wounds received from enemy booby trap

Binh Duong ProvincePHS Class of 1964

Specialist 4Daniel John Myers(Stewartsville, NJ)

1st infantry DivisionUSA

Tour of duty began on July 27, 1966KIA

January 30, 1967Non-Hostile Vehicle Accident

Di An, South VietnamPHS Class of 1965

Specialist 4Dennis Kline

(Phillipsburg, NJ)25th Infantry Division

USATour of duty began on July 15, 1966

KIAMarch 21, 1967

Friendly Fire (Air Strike)Hug Nghia ProvincePHS Class of 1965

PrivateRobert John Marcantoni

Rifleman(Phillipsburg, NJ)

3rd Battalion 7th Marine RegimentUSMC

Tour of duty began on April 23, 1967KIA

April 10, 1968Enemy Action

Quang Nam ProvincePHS Class of 1965

Warrant Officer 1st ClassWilliam M. Konyu

Bell UH-1H Helicopter Pilot(Phillipsburg, NJ)

101st Airborne DivisionUSAMIA

April 16, 1969Helicopter Crash-Hostile Fire

Quang Nam ProvincePHS Class of 1965

Sergeant James L. Suydam(Phillipsburg, NJ)

199th Light Infantry BrigadeUSAMIA

October 9, 1969Non Hostile Helicopter Crash

Tay Ninh ProvincePHS Class of 1966

Private First ClassArthur Mortimer Rowe

Rifleman(Phillipsburg, NJ)

2nd Battalion 1st Marine RegimentUSMC

Tour of duty began on April 12, 1968WIA- May 19, 1968DOW- June 1, 1968

Enemy ActionKhe Sahn

Attended PHS 1966

Private First ClassRobert Franklin Bacon

Trooper(Phillipsburg, NJ)

1st Air Cavalry DivisionUSA

Tour of duty began on June 3, 1969KIA

July 17, 1969Enemy Action

Binh Duong ProvinceAttended PHS 1966

CorporalJohn Edgar Marason

Armored Vehicle Crewman(Phillipsburg, NJ)

173 Airborne BrigadeUSA

Tour of duty began on November 9,1968KIA

December 2, 1968Enemy Action

Binh Dinh ProvincePHS Class of 1967