Complex sentence: Marine Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak in Vietnam early favored pacification and opposed conventional attrition strategy, but he had failed to convince first Gen. Westmoreland, then McNamara at Defense, and ultimately President Johnson.
Split into simpler sentences: Marine Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak, however, in Vietnam early favored pacification and opposed conventional "attrition" strategy. Yet Krulak had failed to convince first Gen. Westmoreland, then McNamara at Defense, and ultimately President Johnson.