It was 1964 and I was coming of age during the height of the Vietnam War. In August, Congress had passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving then President Lyndon Johnson broad authority to step up American military presence. He promptly deployed combat units for the first time and increased troop levels to more than 180,00. It would be more than two years before the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara would express his doubt as to whether or not we could emerge victorious in this … [Read more...]