At the end of january 1968 saigon was alive with the festive spirit as everyone prepares for the tet lunar new year. For the people of vietnam tet is both a joyous and a sacred time of the year. It was supposed to be the first spring of the second republic of vietnam and the tet truce proposed by the communist north vietnamese seemed to promise people a holiday free from the everpresent anxiety of war. The people gathered to pay respects for their ancestors. On the eve of the new year, thousands of saigon families prayed before the altars of their ancestors. They prayed that peace might be restored to their homeland. This year, however, the traditional firecrackers of the tet celebration came the fireworks of war. The vietcong taking advantage of the noisy celebration and the savage attacks on saigon, violating the fruits that they themselves his proposed. Areas of the city became a blazing inferno. Columns of smoke rose skyward after block after block in the capital city burned with the fires of vietcong treachery. The frightened people fled and many fell victim to the enemy gun fire. Government soldiers reacted quickly to counter the communist offensive and to protect civilian life and property. First and the seventh district of the capital. At the saigon radio and the strategic intersection throughout the city. Wherever the enemy appeared south vietnamese troops went into action. [ sound of gun fire ] [ sound of gunfire ] many of the terrorists attempted to hide. Soldiers found them and took them out. In a few areas of saigon the enemy held the upper floors of tall buildings. Tanks were immediately deployed for these areas to help dislodge the vietcong. The enemy used his elite troops to attempt the capture of the saigon radio station. Unable to achieve his objective, the enemy set fire to the building. The vietnamese Airborne Troops were quickly on the scene along with Fire Fighting squads that put out the blaze. These bodies are evidence of the miscalculation of north vietnamese fourstar general jep. General jep was was blamed with starting the tet offensive in 1954. Times, however, have changed. The loss of thousands of men and weapons have taught the communist general a grim lesson. This carefully planned attack by the north vietnamese have been described as their all or nothing go for broke effort. It ended in dismal failure. Ten communists dead for each a soldier lost is proof for the tremendous price they paid for their desperate attempt. Side by side with the combat soldiers saigon teams entered the dangerous area. They called on the people to remain calm. [ sound of gunfire ] fearful civilians ran to government soldiers for protection. The soldiers led them out of the area for safety in temporary Refugee Centers. Doctors and nurses at the medical corps came to the aid of civilian wounded in the city. Military and civilian ambulances heeded the evacuation of the seriously wounded. Among the real heroes of the day were the Fire Fighting squads. Throughout the city the vietcong set fire to heavily Populated Areas to cover their retreat. Each time the squad had to be on hand immediately to put out the fire and to keep them from spreading. The firemen braved both the flames and enemy guns to promote their vital role in the saving of saigon. [ sound of gunfire ] wherever the fighting was the heaviest, psychological warfare and civic action teams were on hand. The teams used their loud speakers to tell people the truth about the attack and how they could best escape to safer areas. The teams used their loudspeakers continually to app to the enemy to lay down his arms and surrender. Many vietcong responded to the call to surrender. Some areas, entire squads surrendered as a opportunity. These prisoners proved an excellent source of information. They told the lack of morale and fighting spirit in their ranks. Some told how they had been forced to fight, but when their leaders had been killed, they willingly surrendered to the government soldiers. As the battle progressed, the bodies of stubborn vietcong littered the streets. Piles of red chinese and russian weapons were taken from the dead and defeated communist troops. This elderly man, a lifelong resident of saigon, showed the soldiers the best way to surround the area the communists had infiltrated. Communist violence quickly turned large sections of the capital city into an inferno filled with frantic residents trying to save themselves and what few possessions they could carry with them. In the matter of hours, the homeless numbered the tens of thousands. On the fourth day of the battle, the focus of the conflict shifted to the heavily populated section. The fighting lasted for days. One of the bloodiest fire fights occurred at the section of the highway not far from downtown saigon. Here the army succeeded in denying the communists the chance to use the women and children of the area as human shields. Once the civilians were evacuated, the army saturated the area with a lethal display of firepower. [ sound of gunfire ] at the ammo dump, the entire battalion of entrenched vietnamese regulars proved no match for the third airborne battle group. They quickly circled the enemy and annihilated it. Many of these dead north vietnamese were forced from their farms and villages and sent to saigon to face what their superiors knew was certain death. Hundreds of their wounded and bleeding were abandoned on the streets of sy goaigon by the vietcong. They were provided medical care by both civilians and military medical teams. Many of the victims were sick and undernourished, even before the sevenday battle in saigon. They were given medical care and food. Here are some of the prisoners being interviewed by military correspondents. All the weapons captured here are from russia and red china. Thousands of families were burned out of their homes in the attack. The government immediately launched a program to set up refugee camps in the stricken areas of the city. When the fire subsided, the residents returned into the ashes of their homes and sadly shuffled through the ruins to salvage what they could. Many of these people have been born in these houses and had reared their children in them. Now there was nothing left but ashes and memories. The homeless stand around dazed, confused and helpless. While the paratroopers and marines were flushing out the last of the communists from the city, other army units were busy relocating t relocating the homeless at Refugee Centers where they could receive food and medical attention. Their fathers and husbands are dead. Here they are, helpless with their homes destroyed and possessions burned. The government now has the responsibility of caring for these orphans and widows as best it can while trying to prevent the communists from launching another devastating attack. Civic action teams also began a Disease Prevention Campaign among the citizens, especially the refugees. Religious and civic action organizations from all over the world responded to the governments request for aid. Food, medical supplies and clothing all poured into the refugee camps and were distributed to the victims. Truck after truck carried water in from outlying areas to the stricken city to help it get back on its feet. The food in the camps was simple but nourishing. Children are children, even in refugee camps. Supervised their play and recreation. As a health measure, the Army Engineer corps began to collect the mounds of garbage and debris that piled up on the streets during the fighting and its aftermath. Tons of garbage were loaded into army trucks and hauled away in an effort to help the residents get their neighborhoods back to normal. The people of saigon have cleaned up the city and begun to rebuild. Barbed wire and barricades have given way to the traffic typical of the big city. Life is returning to normal. Yet the citizens of saigon will never forget how the communists shattered the tet crew with such devastations and violence. Coming up next on American History tv in prime time, oral histories about the vietnam war. We hear from veterans and their spouses, including katherine westmoreland, widow of general william westmoreland, who commanded the u. S. Forces in vietnam from 1964 to 68. Then kenneth carlson, a combat veteran who grew up in a military family and later taught at a military academy. And later, henry hank thomas, a combat medic, civil rights activist and one of the