Bloodiest year of the war ends
The bloodiest year of the war comes to an end.At years end 536040 American servicemen were stationed in Vietnam an increase of over 50000 from 1967.Estimates from Headquarters U.S.Military Assistance Command Vietnam indicated that 181150 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese were killed during the year.
However Allied losses were also up 27915 South Vietnamese 14584 Americans (a 56 percent increase over 1967) and 979 South Koreans Australians New Zealanders and Thais were reported killed during 1968.Since January 1961 more than 31000 U.S.servicemen had been killed in Vietnam and over 200000 U.S.
personnel had been wounded.Contributing to the high casualty number was the Tet Offensive launched by the communists.Conducted in the early weeks of the year it was a crushing military defeat for the communists but the size and scope of the attacks caught the American and South Vietnamese allies completely by surprise.The early reporting of a smashing communist victory went largely uncorrected in the media and this led to a psychological victory for the communists.
The heavy U.S.casualties incurred during the offensive coupled with the disillusionment over the earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war accelerated the growing disenchantment with President Johnsons conduct of the war.Johnson frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam announced on March 31 1968 that he would neither seek nor accept the Democratic nomination for president.
Johnsons announcement did not dampen the wave of antiwar protests that climaxed with the bloody confrontation between protesters and police outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
