It changed my life. Matt Fratus is a history staff writer for Coffee or Die. He prides himself on uncovering the most fascinating tales of history by sharing them through any means of engaging storytelling. He writes for his micro-blog LateNightHistory on Instagram, where he shares the story behind the image. He is also the host of the Late Night History podcast. When not writing about history, Matt enjoys volunteering for One More Wave and rooting for Boston sports teams.
Follow Matt Fratus: Twitter Instagram. Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer Search. When the Viet Mihn attacked, the French would destroy them. The French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu because they greatly underestimated the determination and abilities of the Vietnamese guerrilla forces.
The French fortifications were insufficient; they were out manned, outgunned, and outmaneuvered. Neither the bravery of the French troops, nor the legendary heroics of the French Foreign Legion paratroopers, were enough to save the situation. This defeat shocked the French people and their government, eliminating their will to continue the war. In July , talks between France and the new Republic, held in Geneva, finally produced an agreement. The Geneva Agreement ended colonial rule in Vietnam with a working plan for the smooth transition of power from the French to the Vietnamese.
With the northern region being the industrial center, and the southern regions being agricultural, the division of Vietnam posed economic problems. This division also caused a major shift in population. The large Catholic population in the North, fearing retaliation from the new Communist regime for their support of the French began an exodus to the South. An estimated , of the Viet Mihn stationed throughout the South, by order of the Hanoi government, began their own exodus to the North.
Ho Chi Mihn was confident that he would win the elections, and turned his attention toward the economic and social troubles facing his government. He realized that the U. Ngo Dihn Diem gradually increased his sphere of power, while the United States began to assume the role of supporter left vacant by the French.
Cambodia was the only state involved which refused to sign the Geneva Agreement; it was self-declared neutral and led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Each faction actively tried to gain an advantage in the government. The elections gave the Pathet Lao more votes and the U. This support from the United States was offensive to many.
A young captain, Kong Le, who commanded the paratroop battalion of the RLA, seized the Laos capital, Vientiane, demanding a return to the neutralist policies. Due to the landlocked position of Loas, to gain any advantage American troops would have to be committed and the supply problems were too great. At the end of the s, there were few Special Operations Forces. These elite units were trained to fight and operate behind the lines of a conventional war, specifically in the event of a Russian drive through Europe.
President Kennedy, aware of the situations in Southeast Asia, recognized the need for unconventional warfare and utilized Special Operations as a measure against guerrilla activity. In March of , the Chief of Naval Operations recommended the establishment of guerrilla and counter-guerrilla units. These units would be able to operate from sea, air or land.
The men of the newly formed SEAL Teams were educated in such unconventional areas as hand-to-hand combat, high altitude parachuting, safecracking, demolitions and languages. After SBI training class, they would enter a platoon and train in platoon tactics especially for the conflict in Vietnam. The Pacific Command recognized Vietnam as a potential hot spot for conventional forces. In March of , SEALs were deployed to Vietnam for the purpose of training South Vietnamese commandos in the same methods they were trained themselves.
From the beginning they encountered sniper fire and on 25 March were attacked. The unit managed to escape without any injuries, the survey was considered complete and the Weiss returned to Subic Bay. On 31 July, the Nastys were used on a mission to destroy a radio transmitter on the island of Hon Nieu. Using 88mm mortar on the night of 3 August, they shelled the radar site at Cape Vinh Son.
Due to the immense firepower of the 88mm recoilless, the North Vietnamese believed the large guns of an U. Naval ship were bombarding them. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident gave the Unites States the legal and political power to justify a stronger involvement in the Vietnam conflict. A bombing of an U.
Air Base on 30 October killed five servicemen. Another attack on Christmas Eve hit a U. At the outset of the war, operations consisted of ambushing supply movements and locating and capturing North Vietnamese officers. Due to poor intelligence information, these operations were not very successful.
When the SEALs were given the resources to develop their own intelligence, the information became much more timely and reliable. The SEALs and Special Operations in general started showing an immense success rate, earning their members a great number of citations. On 28 October , Comdr. Robert J. As the war continued, the SEALs found themselves positioned in the Rung Sat Special Zone where they were to disrupt the enemy supply and troop movements, and into the Mecong Delta to fulfill riverine fighting on the inland waterways operations.
The brown water of the Delta provided the foundation for the development of SEAL riverine operations. The SEALs adapted quickly and with deadly results.
The braces, inlets and estuaries intermingled and left a broad area for both the North and South to operate. The SEAL teams experienced this war like no others. Combat with the VC was very close and personal. Unlike the conventional warfare methods of firing artillery into a coordinate location, or dropping bombs from thirty thousand feet, the SEALs operated within inches of their targets. SEALs had to kill at short range and respond without hesitation or be killed.
Into the late sixties, the SEALs made great headway with this new style of warfare. Theirs were the most effective anti-guerrilla and guerrilla actions in the war. However, back at home the politics of war were working against the administration. The anti-war protest became much louder by the end of the sixties. The American public began to question this war that was claiming so many of their young men.
The anxiety and anger caused by the war began to take its toll and violence erupted at home. National Guard units were sent to college campuses to disperse protesters. The now infamous incident at Kent State that resulted in four fatalities was one of many clashes between protesters and the government. In the beginning of , the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong orchestrated a major offensive against South Vietnam. As propaganda the Tet Offensive was successful: America was weary of a war that could not be won, for principles no one was sure of.
However, North Vietnam suffered tremendous casualties, and from a purely military standpoint the Tet Offensive was a major disaster to the Communists. By , the US decided to remove itself from the conflict. Nixon initiated a Plan of Vietnamization, which would return the responsibility of defense back to the South Vietnamese.
Conventional forces were being withdrawn, however, operations of the SEALs continued. Accessible from sea, it also provided a landing area for helos. On 6 June , Lt. Melvin S. Dry was killed when entering the water after jumping from a helicopter at least feet above the surface. When attached to the riverine groups the UDTs conducted operations with river patrol boats and, in many cases, patrolled into the hinterland as well as along the riverbanks and beaches in order to destroy obstacles and bunkers.
Additionally, UDT personnel acted as advisors. You will be redirected to our secure website for processing. Your donations help us on our mission to provide a path to safety and bring about the expedition of the SIV program for our allies. Citizen and eligible for security clearance.
Physical Requirements Ages 20 push-ups in 2 minutes 54 curl-ups in 2 minutes 1. Check out these cool facts! Olseon, a four-star Admiral. There were only three teams at the time. During filming of The Grinch , Jim Carrey consulted a Navy SEAL to teach him how to handle psychological and physical hardship in order to withstand his grueling makeup process in the film.
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