50 Years Ago Today

[Old School 611]

This Day in U.S. Military History

 

50 years ago today the Tet Offensive took place, the turning point of the Vietnam War!
 

The Tet Offensive was a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. The offensive was an attempt to foment rebellion among the South Vietnamese population and encourage the United States to scale back its involvement in the Vietnam War. Though U.S. and South Vietnamese forces managed to hold off the attacks, news coverage of the massive offensive shocked the American public and eroded support for the war effort. Despite heavy casualties, North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region.
 

[Old School 611]

Yep I was a junior in high school and who would have though this would have a significant impact on my life.

[GRIZ 3,369]

I was 18 years old in training at Fort Benning.  The Pueblo was seized by North Korea about a week earlier.  I wasn't sure if I was going to Korea or Vietnam.   Glad I wound up in Vietnam.  Gets too cold in Korea.  You can only put on so many clothes and still be cold.

[bdhszy1 18]

I too was 18 and in boot camp in Great Lakes. We were not told of the Tet offensive but were told of the taking of the Pueblo. I was one of the lucky ones who got stationed on the east coast and had to defend Bermuda and the Caribbean Islands.