1966 was the year of the big build up of US forces in Vietnam. In 1965 there were 184,300 US Servicemen in-country; 12 months later
the figure had risen to 385,300. As new units arrived they were sent to areas throughout South Vietnam. Vietnam was blocked off into 4 military areas with the Marines given the responsibility of the North, the army handling the central regions and the ARVN operating in the far south.
The experience of American soldiers in Vietnam varied. The frontline units did the actual fighting while the rear-area units were responsible for their support. A marine rifleman's 13 month tour bore little resemblence to that of an army reconnaissance scout's 12 month tour. The kind of Vietnam War a soldier experienced also depended on what he did in it.
Compare the experiences of the accounts of US soldiers, VC guerillas and ARVN troops in the Personal Accounts section on the main page.
This page was created and is maintained by Chris Hewitt.
© 1997 hewittchris@hotmail.com
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