Final answer:
The U.S. was actively involved in the Vietnam War from 1965 until the withdrawal of combat troops in 1973, following the Paris Peace Accords. American involvement indirectly continued until the fall of Saigon in 1975, resulting in over 58,000 U.S. military deaths and unification of Vietnam under communism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War lasted for a significant duration, with active combat operations commencing in the mid-1960s. It began in earnest after President Lyndon Johnson escalated American military presence in 1965, with large-scale troop deployments and extensive bombing campaigns. By 1969, under President Richard Nixon, efforts were already underway to reduce U.S. military involvement, culminating in the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, which officially ended direct American military engagement. However, the war itself continued until the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Throughout this period, the Vietnam War deeply affected domestic politics in the United States and left a lasting impact on both the American and Vietnamese people. The U.S. finally withdrew its combat troops in 1973, but by this point, there had been over 58,000 U.S. troops and over a million Vietnamese fatalities. The aftermath of the war saw a unified Vietnam under a communist government after the South Vietnamese government fell in 1975.