The Vietnam War was the most publicized war of its era; furthermore this was the most unpopular war to hit the United States. Riots began to break out across the country, the anti-war movement spread to every state begging to stop the war and chaos abroad. This was really a failure on the political side of things. To the public, all they saw was a failed attempt in a distant country. Events such as the Tet Offensive where the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong established an all-out attack on key locations in Vietnam, and although the Viet Cong were virtually wiped out, this still had a great psychological effect on the troops and on populists again in the United States. Another atrocity that occurred during this war was the My Lai massacre. This was the mass murder of unarmed civilians in South Vietnam that occurred on March 16, 1968. Around November 1969, the world took notice and was outraged by the killing of innocent civilians which induced and gave the public further reasons to stop the war. Although the war was very unpopular, men and women continued to fight and die for America. Heroes such as Captain John W, Ripley of Dong Ha, Medal of Honor recipients, and the troops in general who made the ultimate sacrifice were forgotten for a short time. As unpopular as the war was, the American people should still have known the stories and the good that some of these troops had done for the United States. What happened to Dong Ha? This event occurred in Vietnam around 1972, around the time that Americans were withdrawing from the country due to public demands. A Captain John W. Ripley, who was assigned to supervise and advise South Vietnamese troops, did not foresee performing such a heroic act to stop a further advance from the North. Captain Riley before being an officer was a member of the enlisted personnel, he underwent various rigorous training, he also did cross training with the British Royal Marines and did a one year tour in Vietnam with the Marines. [Captain Riley's dedication to duty cannot be expressed in words. His self-sacrifice and determination to stop the North Vietnamese army were even greater at this time in Dong Ha. He received information about an advanced movement by the NVA into the southern parts of Vietnam. A key element of this strategic move was the Dong Ha Bridge.