From 1954 to 1975, North Vietnam (aka the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, or DRV) and South Vietnam (aka the Republic of Vietnam) were locked in a brutal armed conflict. The root was the former's desire for a single unified communist regime after overthrowing the French government that had been in control for over half a century. (Here's the complete Vietnam War timeline, explained .) Other countries participated in the war as well, sending support to either side of the conflict: The DRV received assistance from China and the Soviet Union, while the U.S. fought alongside South Vietnam starting in 1965.

There is a sizable list of messed-up things about the Vietnam War , but there are also true accounts of breathtaking missions amid the combat that are equal parts educational, tragic,

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