The Air Force in the Vietnam War - Air Force Association

The Air Force in the
Vietnam War
By John T. Correll
December 2004
By John T. Correll
To
those who fought there, it seems like yesterday, but
it was 40 years ago that the US Air Force deployed in
fighting strength to Southeast Asia. The Air Force and the
Navy flew their initial combat missions in late 1964 and
early 1965.
The Vietnam War began in earnest in March 1965 with
Operation Rolling Thunder, which sent US aircraft on
strikes against targets in North Vietnam. Soon, our ground
forces were engaged as well. Eight years would pass before
US forces withdrew from the war, which had by then
claimed 47,378 American lives.
It was a war we didn’t win but one in which the US armed
forces performed with honor, courage, dedication, and
capability. On the 40th anniversary of its beginning, this
almanac collects the numbers, the dates, and the key facts
of the US Air Force experience in that war.