The Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968 (part 1 of 2)

The U.S. Marines maintained a base at Khe Sanh, about fourteen miles south of the Demilitarized Zone and ten miles east of the Laotian border. In late 1967 Americans noted that the North Vietnamese were building up their forces in the region. The fighting began in January 1968 as the North Vietnamese troops encircled Khe Sanh. The United States committed some 6,000 troops to defend the base. In addition, B-52s rained down some 100,000 tons of bombs around Khe Sanh, the most massive bombing campaign in history. U.S. reinforcement arrived in April, bringing the battle to an end. The base was closed soon thereafter.
Khe Sanh garnered a great deal of attention in the American press; President Johnson obsessed over the battle, fearing a major American defeat. Historians note, however, that the North Vietnamese assault was in all likelihood a diversion as their troops prepared for the Tet Offensive, tying up U.S. troops.

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