[A6BSTARM]

1952
VADM Lynde D. McCormick, USN, the Commander in Chief US Atlantic Fleet is appointed the first Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) with in the NATO command struture.

1961
In the first State of the Union from President J. F. Kennedy. Announces that the Department of Defense will "reppraise our entire defense strategy." Kennedy also reviles that he is accelerating the development of the Polaris missile system and the submarine they will be employed with.

1966
Operation Starlight, the largest amphibious operation for USMC since the Inchon landings in the Korean War begins. approximately 10000 Marines and 18 ships are involved directly in the operation. On the first day only light contact with Viet Cong forces is made.

1968
The Tet Offensive begins. North Vietnam chose this important Vietnamese holiday, the lunar new year (Tet), to launch its largest offensive today in the war. In the past a truce had been observed and because so nearly half of the 730000 ARVN force is on holiday leave. With in 48hrs major attacks are made against targets in Saigon, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Kontum, Hue, and other major cities in South Vietnam. Major American TV coverage will center on the sucide attack on the American Embassy where 15 VC sappers will enter the compound and kill 5 American servicemen before being engaged by US Army troops and the rest of the USMC Embassy Guard detail. On the military scale this offensive will ened in a major defeat for North Vietnam. Over 32000 North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong troops are killed. The Viet Cong are effectively removed as a force from the battlefiield. US and South Vietnamese losese are 1000 and 2800 consequetively. The N. Vietnamese and VC had expected a popular uprising to occur in S. Vietnam, but that failed and only the NVA and VC forces in and around Khe Shan and Hue hold thier postions for any serious length of time. However the public prepection of the offensive in American dramatically turns public opinion against the US Leadership and against the war.