>> i got here, i arrived at khe sanh the 19th of january. we got hit the 21st.johnson was absolutely determined to pull the marine base at all costs. >> more than 200 marines died here, 800 seriously wounded. >> there was never the large clashing of forces they had expected. but the marines were subjected to just a brutal onslaught. >> in the spring of '68, you've got the most violent period of the entire war. the united states ramps up use of military force, ramps up airstrikes. about 500 americans a week are being killed. and of course the backdrop for all of this is the draft. >> no one knows when peace will come. and so for all the young men facing the draft, it is not an easy time to be a young man in america. >> i feel that every citizen every male citizen has an obligation to his country. >> i don't see serving in the armed forces as meaningful in any way. >> hell, no, we won't go! >> the draft has really mobilized young people. how many different ways can you say hell, no, we won't go. ♪ >> my name is chris grounds from jersey. >> michael dover, new york

leaders vowed that the marine outpost at khe sanh would be defended at all costs but today the u.s.nounced that the marines are pulling out of khe sanh. >> that's the last bunker on this base. now that the american troops have blown it up, there's nothing to protect them from enemy artillery. so now it's time for the final departure. >> why did we fight so hard to keep it if we were going to give it up like this was the question some asked themselves. others were relieved because they privately believed khe sahn was of marginal importance, anyway. >> the futility of the war, what was the clear goal? there was no clear goal in the end result was abandonment. >> khe sahn, a few must remember their comrades, among the 2,500 casualties. >> i think khe sahn stands as a symbol of the whole war effort. we got in for a supposedly strategic reason. it became a point of pride for president johnson and others from the administration. the small number of marines at that outpost were subjected to just brutal bombardment for five months and when it turned out the enemy wouldn't fight the way we w