The Day America Walked Into the Quagmire - March 8, 1965

On March 8, 1965, 3,500 U.S. Marines landed at Da Nang, South Vietnam, to protect an American airbase. Defensive operations only. Limited mission. Temporary deployment. Eight years later, 58,000 Americans were dead and the United States had lost its first war. This is a story about mission creep how each small, logical decision led to a massive, unwinnable commitment. How defensive became offensive. How protection became occupation. And how the road to quagmire is paved with reasonable choices.