This Month in Vietnam

Until recently the Vietnam War was, and possibly still remains, the most widely reported war in history. Just as a Napoleonic army developed a baggage-train of non-combatant followers so too did the US Army in Vietnam. However, a large proportion of this new baggaage-train consisted primarily of television and news reporters from around the world. Base camp was, for the most part, a relatively comfortable and safe billet in Saigon or some Provincial Capital in South Vietnam.

Many news stories that were filed from Vietnam were simple stories taken directly from the Army's own 'official' news agency. However, the Vietnam War did produce some legendary reporters and in particular some brilliant, perhaps foolishly gung-ho photographers, who accompanied the troops in the field. Many of them, like the soldiers they were reporting on, paid the ultimate price. Sixty-three journalists were killed in Vietnam between 1955 and 1977 and this figure remained the highest until only recently when it was, sadly, surpassed in Iraq.

These articles present a monthly synopsis of events and brief news stories as they happened in Vietnam.

1965

February - The term "combat pay" is only a colloquialism and is avoided in official terminology because the United States is not regarded as engaged in combat in Vietnam. The New York Times

March -

April -

May -