In the first use of the recently-arrived U.S. helicopters, Operation Chopper lifts about 1,000 South Vietnamese paratroopers to an assault on a suspected Viet Cong headquarters about 10 miles west of Saigon.

Operation Chopper marks America's first combat missions against the Vietcong.

In their first encounter with U.S. Army helicopters, the Viet Cong were defeated in December of 1961 during "Operation Chopper".

However, The lessons that they learned in the bitter defeat were not forgotten.