First American Fatalities In South Vietnam
Today in History: July 8,1959
On July 8, 1959, when guerrillas hit a Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) compound in Bien Hoa, 20 miles northeast of Saigon, Master Sgt. Chester M. Ovnand and Maj. Dale R. Buis became the first Americans killed in the Vietnam War.
On November 1, 1955, the group arrived in South Vietnam as military backup, composed of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps personnel to give advice and aid to the Joint General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, training centers, corps and division commanders, and to province and district headquarters.
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