>>. >> arthel: this is a fox news weather alert. severe storm upgraded. tropical storm beryl picking up speed around warnings are in effect for the entire georgia coast. up to six inches of rain, coastal flooding and powerful thunderstorms are expected in that region. latest storm track has beryl making landfall tonight. and start your air-conditioners. soaring at indy 500, hottest day was in 1937 when it hit 92 degrees, today may shatter that record. here is a look at high temperatures around the rest of

the country for the memorial day weekend, mercury reaching into the 90s from texas to illinois. with all this heat more severe storms, large hail damaging winds and thunderstorms and even isolated tornadoes forecast across the central u.s. stretching from minnesota to kansas and oklahoma. stay tuned for fox with the latest weather updates. now shocking new details in a syrian massacre. a as we await a statement from emergency meeting at u.n. security council, the head of the observers says 116 people killed and 300 injured in an attack on syrian village. dozens of victims were reported as children. it's most deadly incident n. evidence at the scene implicates government security forces. today, more killings reported over in that area.

we'll keep you posted a 6 all developments and all the latest headlines, tune in to foxnews.com. right now, back to war stories with oliver north. >>. >> oliver: president john f. kennedy in south vietnamese's president were both murdered in november of '62. both assassinations profoundly affected the course of events in vietnam. >> there was nobody really ready to take over the job. this begin a period of later revolving door governments? >> vice president lyndon johnson became the 36th president of the united states. >> johnson had bad feelings about vietnam. if he didn't continue the struggle in vietnam. he would be seen as betraying

the legacy of kennedy. >> what johnson wants most in 1964 is to be elected in his own right as president. he views vietnam as a danger to that goal. he said vietnam is the biggest damn mess i have ever seen. >> oliver: in january 1964 the man who would command the troops william westmoreland arrives in saigon. >> he needs a larger commitment to stabilize the situation. >> do you think it's a mistake to explain? >> i think what the president, it would be wise to say as a little possible. >> the u.s. arrival of the beatles was met with youthful frenzy but in washington, lb objective had bigger things on his mind. it would really foul up his campaign strategy. >> if we're going to stay in there, we haven't done so yet.

i'm not sure if it's exactly the right time. >> if you start doing it you will be called a war amonger. >> it was a war that was lost in slow motion. >> despite his growing concern over the affect on his campaign, a covert operation sent asian percent nears to carry out attacks on the communists. >> u.s. navy destroyers were on top secret gathering missions along the north vietnamese coast two august 1964 one of destroyers were attacked. >> two torpedo boats went out. they lost the fight. >> washington called the attacks unprovoked and claimed the maddux was on a routine patrol in international waters. two days later, maddux

accompanied by sea turner joy picked up what seemed to be high speed vessels on the radar. both ships opened fire. >> i am confident there was no attack but what they were seen was ghosts on the radar. generated by the weather. >> when the smoke cleared, they cabled pearl harbor, review of action makes many reports contact and torpedoes fired doubtful. lbj thought he needed to respond. >> for years of hostile actions, today required me to take action. >> i think it was time to pull blow the hell out of north vietnam and all the restrictions we were put on was off. i said about time. >> they weren't off.

air group commander walked in to the ready room, he said. >> 26-year-old lieutenant edward alvarez was stationed in the gulf of tonkin. pilots and nearby u.s. ticonderoga was to carry out the missions, his mission to fly his jet to bomb the north vietnamese naval base in the harbor. >> i think the most was on my mind, this is real. this is war. we might even make the evening news. >> oliver: he would, indeed, make the evening news. after successfully heading back to the target. his plane was hit by enemy fire. >> i've been hit. i guess my wing must have come

off because i couldn't control it. >> oliver: he bailed out. after being picked up by north vietnamese fishing boat he was turned over to the enemy. he was the first pilot to be shot down over north vietnam. >> i would have to say we achieved our objective. i think we got the torpedo boats out. >> any effort to interrogate you? >> of course, i gave them my name, serial number and date of birth. but that is for a prisoner of war. the united states has declared on us. we have declared war on you. >> after a week of grueling interrogation he was hustled into a jeep and driven eight hours to hanoi. >> next thing i know i'm entering this old big prison compound. i was the first occupant. we later gave it the name henry

hill. >> robert mcnamara and joint chiefs of staff knew that was very likely that a second incident in the gulf of tonkin did not occur but they were anxious to support the president in getting this resolution through congress and avoiding a debate on vietnam. >> the gulf of kontin resolution would allow lbj to use forces without declaring war but mcnamara would have to answer tough questions in closed door hearings. >> he brings with him. chairman of the chief of staffs and they lie about the a.m. but guitsz surrounding the second attack. >> he briefed lbj on the hearings. >> i think the hearings are very satisfactory. it was just near unanimous supported.

>> congress overwhelmingly passed the gulf of tonkin resolution. it gave lbj the power to take, quote, all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the united states and prevent further aggression. it was basically a blank check. it would be cashed in vietnam. >> when america bombs north vietnam, it's not understood that they will respond by increasing infiltration into south vietnam. >> viet cong were growing larger at the same time they are stealing the con tri-side in the slow seepage of guerilla warfare >> oliver: lbj was elected president of the united states and edward alvarez endured three months of starvation at the hanoi hilton.

>> somehow i rael was really convinced that someone was going to come along and open my cell, come on you are going home. the fact i would be left there didn't enter my name. >> the first troops hit the beach in vietnam. that is next on war stories. [ w] for the london olympic games, our town had a "brilliant" idea. support team usa and show our olympic spirit right in our own backyard. so we combined our citi thankyou points to make it happen. tom chipped in 10,000 points. karen kicked in 20,000. and by pooling more thankyou points from folks all over town, we were able to watch team usa... [ cheering ] in true london fashion. [ male announcer ] now citi thankyou visa card holders can combine the thankyou points they've earned and get even greater rewards. ♪

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american lives must end and america treasure be spilled in countries that we barely know, that is the price change has demanded of conviction and of our enduring covenant. >> oliver: when he gave his inaugural address there were 20,000 troops in vietnam and 400

had died there. both those numbers were about to rise dramatically. ♪ >> oliver: in february eight americans were killed. lbj responded with flaming gun. they bombed a north vietnamese army base. from his cell, downed pilot knew the war was escalating. >> i would look out in my cell and i would look up this way and there were three tracers. >> this is decision point for the president. this is rolling thunder bombing campaign against north vietnam. >> it begin on two march, 1965. president and his advisors bombing would force the north to back down. white house maintains strict control over targets. that in fear of a wider war with china or the soviets muted the

effectiveness of rolling thunder. >> there will be followed very closely by the introduction of marines initially under the auspices, thought from the very beginning, to make offensive killing operations. >> make it late in the day and miss some of the morning additions. it will minimize it. >> marines came ashore and thousands were on the way. they landed two months later on 7 may with second battalion. >> how are you g.i. joe. >> they made landing with the greetings of hanoi anna. >> and guys in your squad say about this. >> don't worry about this, you are trained. we're going to take them out.

>> we an unopposed landing. we were met on the beach with all the locals, lots of kids. everybody thought this was going to be great. >> i got a 65 pound pack, it was 110 degrees in the shade. >> may '65 brought the first rolling thunder. lbj hoped to negotiate and ho chi minh ignored the overture and repaired damage to air defenses. billy was plenty busy. >> did it change your missions at all, increase in troops? >> definitely we moved from the coast area up to the cambodian to the border and special forces started building. >> we cannot be defeated by

force of arms. we will stand in vietnam. >> in july, president johnson announced that troop involvement would go to 125,000. >> johnson still wants to avoid a debate on vietnam. what johnson does he under states the number of troops that general westmoreland wants and under states the money it's going to take. >> oliver: initial contact was light. but they needed to be aware of booby traps. >> it was a cakewalk. >> did you have good maps? >> not very good maps. vietnam has bunch nice things like leaches and other things. >> you get into a fresh water stream and time to wash up a little bit. you have all these leaches hanging on places you don't want

to talk about. >> and there would be far more than leaches to worry about. location of 2,000 vietcong. marines were ordered to take them on. >> it was totally hush, hush. >> what is going through your head? >> what the hell are we in to? >> oliver: operation starlight takes a bloody toll when war stories continues. does your phone share what you are seeing and hearing right now

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>>. >> oliver: in august of '65, los angeles exploded. on 18th, marines begin first emergencies in vietnam.

the navy begin to pound the first vietcongs. >> intelligence heard the first vietcong legend was preparing. >> he joined the company second battalion just before operation starlight. as a medical corpsman his job was to save lives. >> i don't think any of us slept that night. >> oliver: operation starlight called for a landing nine miles south of an airfield. another unity would come in from the north and they would conduct an assault west of the enemy. corpsman landed at slsm lsm v wright. >> we got to the top and we got mortar fire. >> no cover. no cover at all. >> how many casualties did you take?

>> we had four initially. >> how badly were they hurt? >> my first casualty was dead. i stock my financing other his eyeball. there was no reaction i closed his eyes zbloovm they were under fire. despite the incoming they had to move across open ground and assault from 43. >> from where we landed, open rice paddy all the way out 400 to 500 meters and to the left was a village and a large open trench in between. >> not a lot of cover. >> not a lot of cover to get in to. >> as we were getting close to it, i was the last man back. i looked down the trench line and the trench line was full of the bad guys coming up behind the platoon. i opened up, ran out of ammo and

i ran across and caught up with the rest of the platoon. >> oliver: if you hadn't done what you did the lead element of the company would have been annihilated. >> they would have come in. they had body counted of 25. >> oliver: shortly you come to this village and you really take casualties? >> they opened up. several guys got hit right away. >> despite the fire he went to work on the wounded. >> every one of these guys, all these young marines, 17, 18-year-olds. >> a little lance corporal in the middle of it. >> tell me about what doc martin did? >> he raced in there with very little cover and said to hell with it. ran out to marines to stop the

bleeding as best i could. >> oliver: lance corporal died six six days later in the hospital. operation starlight ended the same day. 44 other marines made the ultimate sacrifices but the enemy was far more bloody, 600 vietcong were also dead. >> i walked out and saw the blood and got sick. commander came. he said are you okay. he said today you are a marine. >> oliver: more on the road to the war in vietnam as war stories continues. [ barking ] i'm your dog,

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so don't just stand there holding your lattes, boys. make your move. we'll take the 5-hour energy. smart move. 5-hour energy. hours and hours of energy. >>. [ gun shots ] >> oliver: after starlight many more battles, broadcast to the world it was the first living room war. before the end, it would drive lbj from office, divide the nation and scar yet another presidency. >> i wanted to end this war. >> oliver: in 1973 the last combat troops left vietnam. that february edward alvarez was released. he chronicled his eight and a half years in the book "chained eagle." south vietnamese fell in 1975

but ho chi minh died in 1969 so he wouldn't be able to see the victories. billy retired in 1972. total time in vietnam, seven and a half years. he wrote about life as a warrior in his book hunting the jack will. >> we could have ended that so easy. >> oliver: he received navy cross for his heroism for his operation starlight. they would return to second tours in vietnam. navy corpsman received a bronze star after starlight and left the navy in 1968. >> a lot of men died and were wounded. we didn't get to do the job we could have done. >> oliver: in the early days, vietnam was the longest military

engagement and the only conflict where we won all the byes but still lost the war. years after it was over, robert mcnamara, december of 1965 he told johnson america couldn't win the war militarily. it didn't stop vietnam to drag on for ten nor years. vietnam has to seen the broader context of the cold war. the people that fought in vietnam cloud shrouded mountains and rice paddies, this war was anything but cold. it's easy to point to errors in washington but for those that fought there, there is something more important. it's honoring the three million that served in southeast asia and more than 58,000 who didn't come home. theirs is a war story that deserves to be told. i'm oliver north, good night.