Elizabeth John summary 1962

On January 12, 1962 Operation Chopper began. Helicopters were flown by U.S. Army pilots caryying 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers to sweep a NLF strong hold near Saigon. This day marks America's first combat mission against the Vietcong.
Still early in 1962 Operation Ranchhand was in effect. The goal of this operation was to clear vegetation along the highways, in hopes of making it more difficult for the Vietcong to hide themselves for ambushes. As the war continued the scope of Ranchhand increased. Alot of forests were sprayed with "Agent Orange", whish is an herbicide that contains the deadly chemical Dioxin. Guerilla trails and base areas were exposed to this harmful chemical, and crops that fed Vietcong units were destoryed.
Australia also began supporting South Vietnam in the early 1960's in effort to keep communism from spreading. In 1962 Australia also sent 30 military advisers, which became known as the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. This team arrived in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 which was the first involvement of Australia in the Vietnam War.

http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/timeline/index.html

http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/vietnam.htm