Vietnam War

The **Vietnam War**, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, was a proxy war of the Cold War that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies China and the Soviet Union, versus South Vietnam and supported by the United States plus others.

## History

In 1954, after the First Indochina War, Vietnam received their independence from the French Empire thanks to the rebellion lead by Ho Chi Minh. The country was divided into the democratic South and a Communist North. In 1956, South Vietnam, with American backing, refused to hold unification elections. In 1958, the Viet Cong, had begun to battle the South Vietnamese government. Over the next few years the US sent a large number of troops over to the country.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson escalated the war, commencing air strikes on North Vietnam and committing ground forces. This lead to the battle of Ia Drang, the first major battle of the war in which the US was involved, located at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong Massif in the central highlands of Vietnam. One squad of troops was sadly outnumbered by the Viet Cong.

## S.A.G.E.

Following the death of Patriot Eagle, the U.S. Military decided to invest in S.A.G.E. for a new Sentinel Serum to enhance the capabilities of their soldiers. The responsibility of leading this new generation of enhanced soldiers fell upon the shoulders of Carl Reagan, a distinguished African American soldier with a proven track record from his service in Korea who saved The Patriot from the North Korean. As Carl took on the mantle of leadership, he faced the daunting task of not only leading the military forces but also embodying the spirit of the new era of enhanced soldiers. The Sentinel Serum brought about unprecedented physical and mental enhancements, turning soldiers into formidable assets on the battlefield.

In the aftermath of Carl Regan's super soldier feats and the swift end of the Vietnam War, the world indeed found itself in a state of unease. The fear of America building a Sentinel Army and dominating global affairs became a prevalent concern. This fear reached its peak when Russian spies successfully obtained the antidote formula for the Sentinel Serum in 1968.

The Russians wasted no time in launching their own ambitious project, Proyekt Stal'. This endeavor aimed to create enhanced individuals with abilities comparable to the American Sentinels, intending to strengthen the Soviet Union's military might and assert dominance in the escalating Cold War. The race for superhuman capabilities became a parallel competition to the space race, as both nations sought to prove their superiority on different fronts.

As Proyekt Stal' unfolded, the world witnessed the emergence of a new breed of enhanced soldiers, each with unique abilities designed to rival the American Sentinels. The Cold War took on an additional layer of complexity as these super-powered individuals became pawns in the geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War.

While the United States focused on winning the race to the moon, leveraging their technological prowess, the Soviet Union invested heavily in the development of their enhanced soldiers. The clash of ideologies extended beyond political and economic spheres, manifesting in a competition of superhuman capabilities that added an unpredictable element to the global power dynamics.

## Trivia

* The Vietnam War was a conflict in Southeast Asia, beginning in 1955 and officially ending in 1975. It is generally regarded as a proxy war between the world's communist and capitalist superpowers, North Vietnam being supported by China and the Soviet Union while South Vietnam was supported by the United States. President John F. Kennedy began America's escalation of involvement in the conflict by sending military advisers and aid to South Vietnamese troops. In 1964, the now-debunked Gulf of Tonkin Incident was reported by the NSA, prompting Congress to authorize the deployment of US soldiers to Vietnam. Over 2.5 million American troops were deployed in total. The war was very unpopular with America's citizens, leading to many protests and infamously causing the Kent State massacre, in which four unarmed protesters were killed by United States service members. After repeated escalation by President Richard Nixon, the US withdrew its forces in 1973. South Vietnam's capital Saigon was captured in 1975, marking the end of the war and victory for the communist forces.
* In the Vigilance Universe, the victory led to there being "North Vietnam" and "South Vietnam".