WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- On this day in history, America's direct intervention in the Vietnam War ended, and the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam.
On March 29, 1973, the U.S. withdrew its last combat troops. This came two months after the U.S., North and South Vietnam and the Vietcon
g signed a peace agreement in Paris.
As part of the peace agreement, many American prisoners of war were freed from North Vietnam as well.
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America's direct involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1961. The U.S. had been providing indirect military aid for two decades before that, but in that year, President John F. Kennedy sent "the first large force of U.S. military personnel" to support South Vietnam, according to History.com.
U.S. bombing raids started under President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration. In 1965, Johnson decided to escalate the nation's involvement, scaling up the number of troops deployed and increasing bombings.
The war was highly controversial back home -- History.com said that news surfaced of the U.S. participating in "war crimes" (such as the massacre at My Lai); and in 1968, North Vietnam's Tet Offensive crushed many hopes for a swift end to the war. Protests broke out across the nation, some of which turned violent.
After all combat troops were recalled, some civil employees stayed behind to help South Vietnam's government.
The war came to an end on April 30, 1975, when North Vietnam troops took over the capital of Saigon. ...read more read less
