Utah Vietnam War Stories: Escalation

Click here to view a PDF transcript of Escalation.

Part One of KUED's Vietnam War Stories follows a number of Utah's veterans who were sent to Vietnam during the crucial buildup phase of the conflict. Follow these vets as they describe how the bustling city of Saigon began to deteriorate in the wake of attacks on U.S. war ships in the Golf of Tonkin in 1964.

Utahans were among the first combat troops to set foot on the ground in Vietnam in 1965. As relations between the Communist North and the United States-supported South escalated slowly into full-scale civil war the U.S. shifted from a limited supporting force in the South into the leading role combating the North Vietnamese, all the while enduring a brutal guerrilla war in the South.

KUED is proud to let the men and women who fought and lost friends and comrades finally tell their stories. It was a moment in time that would become a defining episode in American history, and in the lives of those who served.

After the show airs the full length video will be available to view online.