1968: The Tet Offensive took place. Viet Cong forces over ran Hue City and executed 80 high school students living in a boarding house of the Ministry for the Development of Ethnic Minorities. This year is referred as “Tet Mau Than” or Year of Human Blood by the Vietnamese.
January 30, 1968: North Vietnam and Viet Cong forced Dega civilians to travel to South Vietnamese military bases across the Central Highlands. They lied to the Dega people about North Vietnamese victory and deceived the people into seeking shelter, food, and other supplies at South Vietnamese bases.
North Vietnam did not win the war yet. Dega men, women, and children were massacred by South Vietnam when they approached their bases. They were used as human shields to cover the advance of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. Dega civilians were also massacred along roads, trails, and villages during this time. The death count is estimated to be near a million in just two days.
The Americans realized the people approaching the South Vietnamese military bases were civilians and demanded South Vietnam stop shooting. If the Americans were not present in the highlands we are certain the Dega people would have been completely exterminated.
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