War of Attrition
Cross-over point
point where you kill enough enemy where they don't have enough recruits to recover
Body Counts
problem with attrition, often inflated for career gains
Search & Destroy Missions
strategy of finding VC strongholds and using american firepower to destroy it, high kill ratio
Battle of Ia Drang Valley
Hal Moore dropped into LZ and immediately overran by VC, convinced Minh that he could win the war
Operation Starlite
battle near marine base in chu lai, marines surround VC and destroy
Free-Fire Zone
civilians told to leave an area, after which the area had a "green light" for unlimited military action.
Gen William Westmoreland
first US combat general in vietnam, replaced harkins