Today In History- October 22

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Vietnam War: First United States casualties in Vietnam.

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  • Original author: This_Day_In_History
  • Created Date: 21 Apr 2008
  • Page views: 162 total (3 this week)

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Vietnam War sees first U.S. casualties.

| Saigon, Vietnam

Just years after the abandonment of French Indochina, on October 22, 1957, the United States suffered its first casualties of the Vietnam War.  1957 was a significant year in the war, as hundreds of government officials were assasinated, with control being taken in South Vietnamese villages.  The U.S. government misunderstood the growing power of Ho Chi Minh in North Vietnamese communism.  Escalation of military presence in Vietnam occurred in the years following, beginning in earnest with President John F. Kennedy.

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On October 22, 1957, I was one of a number of military personnel aboard a bus in front of the Metropole Hotel on Tran Hung Dao in Saigon, Vietnam when a bomb exploded under us. I was assigned to MAAG-Vietnam Headquarters in Cholon at the time. The bus carried numerous other assignees to our headquarters building in that city. I've been looking for specific articles and, if available, photos of the incident to pass on to my family. I do have quite vivid memories of the bombing and its results on my comrades, but would like to have "official" US newspaper accounts. I'll share them in the future if there are any responses to this post.. In the meantime, if anyone reads my post, I'd sincerely appreciate hearing from you with references to this specificarticles or pictures of the bombing that occurred on that date. I'm hoping to hearing from anyone who has pertinent information about both these incidents, but particularly about the one in front of the Metropole Hotel in Saigon. Thanks!

02 Nov 2008