Medical personnel participated in countless MEDCAP (Medical Civil Action Program) missions that provided medical care to Vietnamese civilians. Helicopter ambulances brought casualties to hospitals within minutes of leaving the battlefield so that 97.4% of wounded service members admitted to military hospitals survived. Meanwhile, medical teams worked tirelessly to aid sick, injured, and wounded service members. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard units trained and assisted South Vietnamese forces located and destroyed North Vietnamese troops and supply routes conducted ground operations against the Việt Cộng patrolled rivers and canals mined North Vietnamese ports participated in air and surface bombardment of targets in South and North Vietnam flew reconnaissance and supply missions and provided aeromedical flights, pararescue and air sea rescue. At that time, North Vietnam sought to develop a communist state, while South Vietnam aligned with the West. involvement in Vietnam grew following surrender of the French and partition of North and South Vietnam in 1954.
For the U.S., the mandate was clear: limit Soviet power in Southeast Asia and halt the spread of communism. At the same time, Soviet-supported rebel forces increasingly sought independence.
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