William Westmoreland

Westmoreland was appointed commander of US forces in Vietnam in June 1964. He oversaw the escalation of US troop levels from 16,000 to over 500,000 and directed the strategy of attrition against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces.

During the Tet Offensive, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched a massive surprise attack across South Vietnam. Westmoreland's forces repelled the attacks, but the scale of the offensive contradicted his earlier optimistic assessments of progress, leading to a loss of public support for the war.

Following the Tet Offensive, Westmoreland requested an additional 206,000 troops for Vietnam. This request was denied by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who instead announced a bombing halt and peace negotiations, marking a shift in US policy.

Westmoreland was relieved of command in Vietnam in June 1968 and reassigned as Army Chief of Staff. His departure marked the end of the attrition strategy and the beginning of Vietnamization under General Creighton Abrams.