"The Johnson Administration downplayed the significance of the landing, explaining that the marines were being deployed to secure an airbase used for Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing campaign against North Vietnam."
"Once Americans started getting killed, it would be hard to leave without winning the war, and the war might prove very hard to win."
"Most of the marines in the first wave had little idea what to expect. They came in on landing craft, D Day style, and leaped into the surf in full battle dress, carrying M-14s."
"As they stormed the beach, they were astonished to be greeted not by enemy fire but by photographers, young Vietnamese women handing out garlands of flowers, and a few sightseers."
On March 8, 1965, U.S. Marines landed in South Vietnam, marking the first deployment of American combat troops. This action followed years of military support since 1954 and was part of a broader strategy involving Operation Rolling Thunder. The Johnson Administration minimized the landing's significance, but it represented a critical turning point. The Marines faced an unexpected welcome rather than combat, highlighting a lack of awareness among both the troops and the South Vietnamese government about the implications of this escalation.
Read at The New Yorker
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