The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War: The Approaching Storm, Conflict in Asia, 1945-1965 - French Indochina War, Hanoi Opens Campaign for South Vietnam and Laos, Gulf of Tonkin Combat, Communist Threat

This is a print replica reproduction of an important U.S. Navy history, The Approaching Storm, Conflict in Asia, 1945–1965. The Approaching Storm covers the global, regional, and ideological stimulants of the conflict. The struggle for Southeast Asia was only one episode in the even longer Cold War that began in 1946 and ended with the collapse of global communism in the late 1980s. The 58,000 Americans who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam marched in the same proud ranks as the tens of thousands of their compatriots who fought and died to achieve ultimate victory in the Cold War. The U.S. Navy was in the forefront of the fight. More than 2.6 million Sailors and Marines served in the combat theater at one time or another. It is the objective of this series, The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War, to honor the faithful service to their country of those men and women who, in John Paul Jones’ immortal words, went “in harm’s way” to fight for freedom. It is important for this and future generations of Americans to understand that in the war for Southeast Asia our Sailors fought with skill, courage, and perseverance in often trying circumstances. They were sorely tested but never failed to do their duty.
Contents: Emerging Communist Threats in Asia * Conflict in the Far East * The French Indochina War * Growing U.S. Concerns about Southeast Asia * Changing of the Guard in South Vietnam * Hanoi Opens the Campaign for South Vietnam and Laos * U.S. Naval Assistance to South Vietnam * The U.S. Navy and Counterinsurgency Warfare * U.S. Naval Forces Join the Fight * Bringing the War to North Vietnam * Combat in the Gulf of Tonkin * On the Eve of War * Passage to Freedom * A Naval Advisor: Lieutenant Dale C. Meyerkord * Escape from Laos * 34 Alpha Maritime Operations * Task Force 77 * The Author * Acknowledgments * Suggested Reading

As a bonus, this reproduction includes a complementary Vietnam history, History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - The Joint Chiefs of Staff and The Prelude to the War in Vietnam 1954–1959.