His unit was one of the first "main force" squadrons of Viet Cong sent from the north, and the average age of its soldiers was 35. These regular units, who operated throughout South Vietnam ...

At week’s end, Viet Cong main-force units attacked in strength just 40 miles southwest of Danang, pinning down three battalions of South Vietnamese and killing a regimental commander.

Vietnam is a classic proxy war, with the Viet Cong substituting for the Soviet bloc, and the U.S. providing aid and air support (bombing) to a puppet regime. Vietnam's internal conflict begins in ...