March 08, 2008
Vietnam 43Yrs. Ago Today
Today marked the official start of the American ground war when 3,500 United States Marines were dispatched to South Vietnam.
Escalation of the Vietnam War officially started on the morning of January 31, 1965 when orders were cut and issued to mobilize the 18th TAC Fighter Squadron from Okinawa to Danang air force base (AFB).A red alert alarm to scramble was sounded at Kadena AFB at 3:00 a.m. F-105's, pilots and support were deployed from Okinawa and landed in Vietnam that afternoon to join up with other smaller units who had already arrived weeks earlier. Preparations were under way for the first step of Operation Flaming Dart.
The mission of Operation Flaming Dart, to cross the Seventeenth Parallel into North Vietnam, was already planned and in place before the attack on Pleiku. The attack on Pleiku occurred on February 6, 1965. On February 7, 1965 forty nine F-105 Thunderchiefs flew out of Danang AFB to targets located in North Vietnam. From this day forward the war was no longer confined to South Vietnam.
It took almost an hour to get all forty nine of the F-105's in the air. On that morning, the continuous loud roar of the F-105 engines going down the runway, one following another, was described by the ground crew as a "rolling thunder". At this time the Marines had not landed and Danang AFB was unprotected.
After several attacks, it was decided that U.S. Air Force bases needed more protection. The South Vietnamese military seemed incapable of providing security On March 8, 1965, 3,500 United States Marines were dispatched to South Vietnam. This marked the beginning of the American ground war
I salute all the brave men and women, past and present, of the US Military. Thank you for your service. I stand in awe of you.
By Stable Hand at March 8, 2008 09:15 PM | | l digg this
