THE US: The commander of US military operations in the Vietnam War died on Monday night at a retirement home in Charleston, South Carolina. Gen William Westmoreland (91), lived at a retirement community with his wife.
The silver-haired officer, whose name will always be linked to the Vietnam War, was known for highly publicised and positive assessments of US military prospects in the conflict.
Westmoreland led US troops in Vietnam from 1965 until 1968. Under his command, the number of fighting men rose from just a few thousand to more than 500,000, but victory remained out of reach.
As protest movements against the undeclared war grew at home, Westmoreland kept pushing for more troops and arms. Under his command, search and destroy tactics were used, as was the defoliant Agent Orange and the liquid fire, napalm.
But efforts to drive the Viet Cong from the countryside were not particularly successful.
The turning point of US involvement was in January and February 1968 during Tet, the lunar new year - previously a traditional ceasefire period.
The Viet Cong launched the Tet offensive against more than 100 cities and military bases, catching US troops off guard.
The Viet Cong held on for weeks with some of the bloodiest and most violent fighting of the war. The strength and ability of the communist troops stunned US forces. Casualties were high.
After Tet, Westmoreland wanted an additional 206,000 US troops. Instead, president Lyndon Johnson, who also announced his intention not to run for re-election, ordered restrictions on bombings to the north. Westmoreland was recalled, spending the four years until his retirement in 1972 as army chief of staff - a largely ceremonial post.
After Vietnam, he was highly critical of both the Johnson and Nixon administrations in conducting the war. He also denounced American media for alleged distortions that turned people against the war. "A lesson to be learned," he said, "is that young men should never be sent into battle unless the country is going to support them."