The United States detonated its first hydrogen bomb at a test location in the Marshall Islands. A second detonation test is done March 20. One of the pilots, Capt. Hayden J. Lockhart, becomes the first Air Force pilot captured by North Vietnam. The Special Forces camp at A Shau, South Vietnam, is attacked by 4,000 North Vietnamese regulars.
Bad weather reduces air support and the camp is evacuated.
Fisher is awarded the Medal of Honor for his exploit, becoming the first Air Force person to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Southeast Asia.