After the Tonkin Gulf incident in August 1964, the deteriorating political situation of the southern government after the assassination of President Ngô Đình Diệm, and an increase in Viet Cong large unit actions, the U.S. government decided to introduce American ground combat troops into Vietnam. On 8 March 1965, 3,500 U.S. Marines of the 3rd Marine Division landed on the beach near Da Nang to protect the airfield at Da Nang, then operated by the U.S. Air Force. In the first five months of 1965, U.S. troop levels increased to 55,000. By the end of 1965, 200,000 troops had been introduced into Vietnam. Additional escalation of U.S. troop levels to 543,000 continued through 1969. But a build-up of logistics facilities of all kinds was required prior to introduction of more troops into Vietnam.
