When did the war between Vietnam and the US begin and end?
The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War 1 was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the Communist World, namely the Soviet Union and Red China against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), and its allies notably the United States military in support of the South, with US combat troops involved from 1965 until the official withdrawal in 1973.
Although officially, the Vietnam Conflict had neither a beginning nor an end, for the purpose of this answer it can be best examined through the decade the United States was involved: February 6, 1965 – August 30, 1975. During World War Two the French had been a major ally to the United States in the defeat of Adolph Hitler and the Axis Powers. France occupied and claimed the small coastline country of Vietnam in Indochina. In this region there had been recent Communist uprisings funded by the USSR The Vietnamese were willing to accept Communism in return for what they had been fighting for over 2000 years: self rule. In 1950 the United States, owing a debt of gratitude towards France, sent several advisors to aid French control in Vietnam. Over the next decade and a half, the United States would send an entire Army and Navy to aid the French in maintaining control in South Vietnam, which had separated from the Communist North Vietnam by treaty in 1954. In early August of 1964 a small
This is an except from the State of New York that says: Vietnam War date changed Legislation changing the starting date of the Vietnam War has been signed into law by Governor George E. Pataki, extending New York State veterans benefits to veterans previously not eligible for them. The new starting date for wartime service during the Vietnam War is February 28, 1961 with the ending date of the wartime period remaining as May 7, 1975. New York State had previously recognized Dec. 22, 1961 as the starting date. Eligibility for many New York State veterans benefits requires the veteran to have served during a defined period of war or hostility. Expanding the wartime period by nearly 10 months will offer eligibility to those who served on active duty at some point during that previously unrecognized wartime period for such benefits as real property tax exemption and Civil Service credits for appointment to competitive positions. For federal benefits administered by the Federal Office of Ve
