The ferry carrier, USNS Core, arrives in Saigon with the first U.S. helicopter unit. This contingent included 33 Vertol H-21C Shawnee helicopters and 400 air and ground crewmen to operate and maintain them. Their assignment was to airlift South Vietnamese Army troops into combat.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Edward VIII abdicates, 1936
- American Revolution
- British delay Washington's march to Valley Forge, 1777
- Automotive
- NYC authorities jettison plans for expressway across Lower Manhattan, 1962
- Civil War
- The Federals occupy Fredericksburg, 1862
- Cold War
- Soviets declare nudity a sign of "western decadence", 1969
- Crime
- Billionaire conman Bernard Madoff arrested, 2008
- Disaster
- Toronto endures record snowstorm, 1944
- General Interest
- UNICEF founded, 1946
- Yeltsin orders Russian forces into Chechnya, 1994
- Hollywood
- Tootsie actress Teri Garr born, 1944
- Literary
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn is born, 1918
- Music
- Sam Cooke dies under suspicious circumstances in LA, 1964
- Old West
- Buffalo Bill Cody makes his first stage appearance, 1872
- Presidential
- Madison presents trade agreement to Congress, 1815
- Sports
- Muhammad Ali vs. Trevor Berbick, 1981
- Vietnam War
- First U.S. helicopters arrive in South Vietnam., 1961
- Paratroopers depart South Vietnam, 1969
- World War I
- Yuan Shih-kai accepts Chinese throne, 1915
- World War II
- Germany declares war on the United States, 1941
Dec 11, 1961:
First U.S. helicopters arrive in South Vietnam.
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
This Week in History, Dec 11 - Dec 17
- Dec 11, 1961
- First U.S. helicopters arrive in South Vietnam.
- Dec 11, 1969
- Paratroopers depart South Vietnam
- Dec 12, 1968
- Procedural questions cause difficulty at the peace talks
- Dec 12, 1969
- Philippine soldiers depart South Vietnam
- Dec 13, 1972
- Peace negotiations in Paris deadlocked
- Dec 13, 1974
- North Vietnamese commence attack on Phuoc Long Province
- Dec 14, 1961
- Kennedy announces intent to increase aid to South Vietnam
- Dec 14, 1964
- Operation Barrel Roll begins
- Dec 15, 1965
- U.S. bombers strike industrial targets in North Vietnam
- Dec 15, 1969
- Nixon announces additional U.S. troop withdrawals
- Dec 16, 1965
- Westmoreland asks for more troops
- Dec 16, 1972
- Kissinger announces that North Vietnamese left negotiations
- Dec 17, 1971
- Cambodian forces under heavy pressure
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