OCTOBER 2019 21Sept. 2 The chairman of North Viet-
nam’s ruling Communist Party, Ho
Chi Minh, known as “Bac (Uncle) Ho”
to friend and foe alike, dies of heart
failure in Hanoi at age 79. Born
Nguyen Sinh Cung, purportedly on
May 19, 1890, in Kim Lien, French
Indochina, he was the guiding force of
the communist wars against France,
South Vietnam and the United States.Sept. 5 Former platoon leader 2nd Lt.
William L. Calley Jr., of Company C,
1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment,
11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry
Division (Americal), is charged with
six counts of premediated murder
for his role in killing civilians during
the My Lai Massacre on March 16,- Two months later, American
journalists broke stories that made the
incident public. Calley’s trial began a
year later.
Sept. 29 South Vietnam’s 32nd
Infantry Regiment launches Opera-
tion Quyet Thang 21/38 in An Xuyen
province in the Mekong Delta. The op-
eration, which ended on Dec. 31, killed
721 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong
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minimal.Oct. 16 The 1st Squadron, 10th Caval-
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Infantry Division, begins Operation
Cramer White to provide security on
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through South Vietnam’s Central
Highlands. When the operation ended
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and 52 enemy troops had been killed.Oct. 22 A joint U.S. force of the 1st Ma-
rine Division, 101st Airborne Division
(Airmobile) and 5th Infantry Division
initiate Operation Fulton Square, a
search-and-clear/reconnaissance mis-
sion in Quang Tri province in northern
South Vietnam. The operation was
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NVA/VC soldiers killed and minimal
U.S. casualties.SEPT. 20: GETTY IMAGES; SEPT. 23 (BRADY BUNCH): ABC/PHOTOFEST; SEPT. 23 (BUTCH CASSIDY): 20TH CENTURY FOX/PHOTOFEST; SEPT. 26: GUY ACETO
COLLECTION; OCT. 8: DAVID FENTON/GETTY IMAGES: OCT: 15: JOSEPH RUNCI/
THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES; OCT. 16: NY DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE VIA GETTY IMAGES; OCT. 31: PAUL MATTHEWS/FAIRFAX MEDIA VIA GETTY IMAGESOct. 16 The New York
5M\[QV\PMÅZ[\_QV-
ning season since they
were formed in 1962,
beat the heavily favored,
star-powered Baltimore
Orioles 5-3 in Game 5 of
the World Series to become
the Major League Baseball
champions. It was a mira-
cle for the Mets.OCTOBER 2019 21Oct. 31 Sam Walton, who had
opened a discount store in Rogers,
Arkansas, in 1962 and expanded it
into neighboring states, incorpo-
rates his business as Wal-Mart
Stores Inc. The company went
public on Oct. 1, 1970.
Oct. 8. In Chicago, about 200 Weathermen, a group
advocating confrontations with authorities over the
war and social issues, begin four “Days of Rage”—
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cars, shops and homes before an overwhelming police
force stops them.
Oct. 15 The Moratorium to
End the War in Vietnam, a
nationwide demonstration
organized by supporters of
former presidential candi-
date Eugene McCarthy,
rallied an estimated 2 mil
lion protesters Among the
largest gatherings were
those in Boston, New York
and Washington.