There will always be controversy over the validity of the US involvement in Vietnam. Despite its unpopularity on the home front, it proved to be a testing ground for new weapons and tactics, many of which are still in use today. From a military standpoint, the bombing halts during the war were pointless and only served to allow the enemy to reinforce and fortify its positions. This cost the aircrews dear. The war in the air had evolved into a much deadlier game than that played out during the Korean War. The evolution of the air-to-air missile (AAM) and the surface-to-air missile (SAM) had forced a drastic change in tactics and the safety of extreme altitudes had all but disappeared. By late 1965, the only way to deal with these threats was to come in fast and low and destroy them.
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