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When the attack began, Captain Maisey was at the west end of the base. He knew that holding the Bunker was critical to defending the base. Maisey moved immediately to the Central Security Command Post and volunteered to lead the defense of the Bunker, occupied by several men who were firing furiously through the gun ports. Outside were 30 to 40 security police who had come to the aid of the comrades. Maisey had to dive through the enemy s field of fire but was unhurt. It was the spookiest thing I have ever

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experienced. And I have been through a lot these past couple of years in Nam . stated a man inside the Bunker (Veterans Recall Tets Painful Lesson 154).

The Tet Offensive lasted from January 31, 1968 to March 2, 1968. A CIA reporter stated, The intensity, coordination, and timing of the attacks were not fully anticipated,

adding another major unexpected point was the ability of the Vietcong to hit so many targets simultaneously. (Heroes in the Line of Duty) Clearly, this attack took everyone by surprise and the effects will live on in the lives of many Vietnamese and American forever.

The Tet Offensive was the final nail on the coffin for the administration of Lyndon Johnson. In 1963, when he came to power after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, his approval rating was over 80%. By 1967, it was down to 40%. According to Karnow, Then Tet came and his rating plummeted as if Vietnam were a burning fuse that had suddenly ignited an explosion of dissent. (Karnow 95). At the beginning of March, his rating dropped to 30%. His credibility was gone. Johnson announced that the air strikes would be confined to below the twelfth parallel and authorized the opening of negotiations with North Vietnamese. These negotiations would try to make peace between the North and the South.

Troops levels remained at about 500,000 and the war would continue on after Tet for five years. More American soldiers died after Tet than before. 1,536 soldiers were killed from the US/Free World MAF, 2,788 ARVN soldiers were killed, and 45,000 were killed from the NVA/VC. A total of 63,224 soldiers were killed in the Tet offensive, not including the innocent people living in South Vietnam.

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From the bombing of the American Embassy, to the massacres at Hue, at Bien Hoa, and at Tan Son Nhut, the Tet Offensive served as the turning point in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was officially over in 1970. Richard Nixon had taken office as President in 1969. His comments of the Vietnam War told of the way the war was

understood,

No event in American history is more misunderstood that the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now. Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic. (Statistics about the Vietnam War).

Clearly, the South Vietnamese and the American people struggled for justice and equity through out the Vietnam War and especially during the Tet Offensive.

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