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