Original sentence: She departed Bayonne 9 October 1967 for a new and vital mission, supply operations off Vietnam.She transited the Panama Canal the 16th on her way to the Pacific, and soon thereafter arrived off Vietnam
Edited sentence: She departed Bayonne 9 October 1967 for a new and vital mission, supply operations off South Vietnam.She transited the Panama Canal the 16th on her way to the Pacific, and soon thereafter arrived off the troubled Southeast Asian area to begin service to the fleet fighting to repel Communist aggression