Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
In September 1968, Jimi Hendrix released his single “All Along The Watchtower“, from the Electric Ladyland album. It wasn’t intended to be about the Vietnam War, but it conveyed feelings and sentiments that the soldiers serving there related to, and is thus very much a piece of Vietnam War music. 1968 had probably been the [...]
11/05/1968: Nixon Elected President
Richard Nixon won the November 5th 1968 Presidential election, and would succeed President Johnson in the Whitehouse. He had outlined his platform at the GOP convention earlier in the year: “Tonight I do not promise the millennium in the morning. I don’t promise that we can eradicate poverty and end discrimination in the space of [...]
11/01/1968: Rolling Thunder Bombing Against North Vietnam Ceases
Operation Rolling Thunder, the aerial bombardment campaign against North Vietnam, came to an end on November 1st 1968, after three years and eight months of bombing. The purpose of Rolling Thunder was to prevent the flow of personnel and supplies into South Vietnam, to destroy the transportation systems of North Vietnam, to intimidate North Vietnam [...]
11/01/1968: Accelerated Pacification Campaign and Phoenix Program Begin to Combat Viet Cong
The Accelerated Pacification Campaign was launched on November 1st 1968. In the wake of the Tet offensive at the beginning of 1968, the goal of the Accelerated Pacification Campaign was to strengthen the security of at least 1,000 hamlets, and to significantly weaken the Viet Cong presence and influence in South Vietnam over a period [...]
The Beatles – Revolution
It was very uncommon for The Beatles to make an overt political statement in their songs, and 1968′s “Revolution” was a rare exception. Written by John Lennon, it suggests that he wants to see changes, but is uncomfortable with the violent radicalism many advocates for change are espousing, with lines like: “We all want to [...]
Rolling Stones – Street Fighting Man
Street Fighting Man, released by the Rolling Stones in August 1968, is a commentary on the civil unrest that was happening around the world. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger referred to the May 1968 student riots in Paris, which resulted in the massive general strike of eleven million workers for two weeks, [...]
The Doors’ “Unknown Soldier”
The Doors’ “Unknown Soldier” is an anti-war song from their July 11th 1968 LP “Waiting For The Sun”. The song was controversial enough for many radio stations to refuse to play it. It was also quite popular, with the single reaching #39 on the charts. The message of the song is delivered very dramatically with [...]
10/14/1964: US to Accompany Laotian Air Force
1964: The Pentagon authorizes U.S. fighters from Navy aircraft carriers at “Yankee Station” off the coast in the Gulf of Tonkin to fly escort for Laotian Air Force T-28 fighter-bombers on bombing missions against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese targets in Laos, protecting the T-28s from North Vietnamese MiGs. (Article for “Vietnam War Timeline” / [...]
10/14/1968: 24,000 Sent Back to Vietnam for 2nd Tours
The U.S. Department of Defense announces that 24,000 troops from the Army and the Marines will be sent back to Vietnam for involuntary second tours. This was due to the high troop turnover and the scarce supply of soldiers for what was proving to be a long war with very high personnel requirements: by January [...]
10/14/1968: Australia’s First Draft Dodger Conviction
John Zarb becomes the first Australian conscientious objector convicted of failing to comply with his draft notice. He’s sentenced to two years’ prison time. He was 21 years old, and had previously been refused official conscientious objector status. Publicity of his conviction increased public opposition to conscription, and he became a poster child for the anti-war [...]