Williams County Vietnam War Memorial

Williams County Vietnam War Memorial. . , In January 1968, the Tet Offensive began. Attacks were carried out in more than 100 cities and outposts across South Vietnam. Also the US Embassy in Saigon was invaded. U.S. public support for the war began to wane. In May 1969. at Ap Bia Mountain, later nicknamed Hamburger Hill, US. paratroopers attacked entrenched North Vietnamese forces to cut off infiltration from Laos. In 1969, the Nixon administration gradually reduced the number of US. forces in South Vietnam as part of a strategy known as Vietnamization. U.S. troops in Vietnam were reduced from a peak of 549,000 in 1969 to 69.000 in 1972. In April through June 1970, US and South Vietnamese forces attacked communist bases across the Cambodian border. Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and reasserted control over the President's ability to use force in the war. In March through October 1972, the North Vietnamese Army launched a large-scale offensives against the South Vietnamese Army and U.S. forces., In December 1972. President Nixon ordered Operation Linebacker, air attacks on Hanoi and Haiphong, to force the North Vietnamese to negotiations. In January 1973, The Selective Service announced the end of the draft and instituted an all-volunteer military. In January 1973. President Nixon signed the Paris Peace Accords, ending direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. In February through April 1973, North Vietnam returned 591 American prisoners of war in what is known as Operation Homecoming. The last Americans killed in the Vietnam War were Gary L. Hall, Joseph N. Hargrove and Danny G. Marshall, three Marines left behind on May 15. 1975 on Koh Tang Island during the Mayaguez incident. 2,709918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. Approximately 58.178 U.S. Service members were killed, 303,635 were wounded, and 2,500 Americans were listed as prisoners of war or missing in action. The effects of Agent Orange continued to take a toll on those who served. 240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.,

"By serving in the Army and being sent to Vietnam, it has given me a greater appreciation for living and working in the United States of America." , - Lynn Skiles, Northwest Township, "Although the war was not good, I still thank God every morning for the bullet wound, the cancer and bringing me home alive and a chance to serve Him. The rice paddies were not easy for night ambushes but gave us a break from the jungles." Ted Mathes, Bryan, Ohio, "My brothers and I, from Land Clearing meet every two years. We talk about what happened in Vietnam. Our wives are very involved and it helps." , Thomas L. Trausch, Edgerton, Ohio, "I never want to see Vietnam again, but I think about it all the time, too many lives needlessly lost. Like many, I continue to battle with numerous life-threatening illnesses caused by our exposure to Agent Orange. My only solace is the relationships I maintain with the men that were there with me." , - Frank Routt, West Unity Ohio