French colonial control of Vietnam ceased in 1954, after the French defeat in the First Indochina War. From the resultant power vacuum, two distinct groups rose to power: the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in the South and the Viet Minh in the North. The Vietcong, a military group who were sympathetic to the Viet Minh and their communist aspirations, initiated guerrilla warfare in the South of the country. The goal of the Vietcong and the Viet Minh was to unite the country under universal, communist rule. Meanwhile, the United States, strongly opposed to the spread of communism, ideologically favored the democratic ideals of the South (although the governing democratic body was clearly corrupt). In 1965, the US entered the Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, to support the South in the suppression of the Vietcong. American troops were joined by allies from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. The war was predominantly fought in Vietnam; associated conflicts also took place in Cambodia and Laos.

Engaging in direct conflict with the Vietcong was challenging as Vietcong soldiers intentionally disguised themselves in jungles, among civilians, and in tunnels. The American-led war against the Vietcong largely took the form of “search and destroy” operations, which aimed first to locate and then to engage and destroy Vietcong targets.