The Tet Offensive During The Vietnam War
The Tet Offensive is an important event in American history because it was a battle that marked a climacteric turning point in American participation in the Vietnam War. It was a series of attacks against South Vietnam. The Tet Offensive took place in the city of Hue back in 1968. Throughout this difficult time period, many people were killed, wounded or missing in action. This battle had caused a tremendous change in the lives of Americans, North and South Vietnamese citizens. Tet is a holiday on the Vietnamese calendar that has been valued by many people. It had been an occasion for an unofficial peace agreement in the Vietnam War between the South and North. On the eve of the holiday, South Vietnam found themselves caught up in war.
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By the 14th of February, most of the city south of the river was in American hands.The battle was fought endlessly until February 17. By the dawn of February 24, ARVN soldiers brought down the Viet Cong banner and raised the South Vietnamese flag; declaring the war to be officially over. The battle of Hue, caused 384 ARVN to be killed, 1800 wounded and 30 missing in action. The U.S. Marines had suffered greatly, having 147 dead Marines and 857 wounded. The army however, lost 74 troops to death and 507 were seriously wounded. The battle of Hue left 40 percent of its buildings destroyed; leaving 116,000 civilians homeless. Civilians had greatly suffered during this period of time. Among the population 5,800 civilians were reported either dead or missing. Months after the battle, 1,200 civilian bodies were stumbled upon in 18 rapidly concealed mass graves. “Three communist defectors told 101st Airborne Division Intelligence officers that they had witnessed the killings of several hundred people at Da Mai Creek, about 10 miles south of Hue, in February 1968.” (“Tet” 1). The mass graves that had been discovered were not reported on the American media. The press would not believe the information that was coming through to them because they thought that reports came from unreliable sources. In a report published in 1970, Douglas Pike, the U.S. Information Agency, wrote that at least half of the bodies unearthed in Hue revealed clear evidence of extremely cruel killings. This had included hands wired behind the backs, rags stuffed in the mouths and alive burial. After all the terrors that people had faced, not everyone agrees that a massacre had occured at Hue. “In an article published in June 24, 1974, issue of Indochina Chronicle titles ‘The 1968 Hue Massacre,” political scientist D. Gareth Porter called the massacre “enduring myths of
By the 14th of February, most of the city south of the river was in American hands.The battle was fought endlessly until February 17. By the dawn of February 24, ARVN soldiers brought down the Viet Cong banner and raised the South Vietnamese flag; declaring the war to be officially over. The battle of Hue, caused 384 ARVN to be killed, 1800 wounded and 30 missing in action. The U.S. Marines had suffered greatly, having 147 dead Marines and 857 wounded. The army however, lost 74 troops to death and 507 were seriously wounded. The battle of Hue left 40 percent of its buildings destroyed; leaving 116,000 civilians homeless. Civilians had greatly suffered during this period of time. Among the population 5,800 civilians were reported either dead or missing. Months after the battle, 1,200 civilian bodies were stumbled upon in 18 rapidly concealed mass graves. “Three communist defectors told 101st Airborne Division Intelligence officers that they had witnessed the killings of several hundred people at Da Mai Creek, about 10 miles south of Hue, in February 1968.” (“Tet” 1). The mass graves that had been discovered were not reported on the American media. The press would not believe the information that was coming through to them because they thought that reports came from unreliable sources. In a report published in 1970, Douglas Pike, the U.S. Information Agency, wrote that at least half of the bodies unearthed in Hue revealed clear evidence of extremely cruel killings. This had included hands wired behind the backs, rags stuffed in the mouths and alive burial. After all the terrors that people had faced, not everyone agrees that a massacre had occured at Hue. “In an article published in June 24, 1974, issue of Indochina Chronicle titles ‘The 1968 Hue Massacre,” political scientist D. Gareth Porter called the massacre “enduring myths of