After Vietnam gained independence from France in July 1954, the war-torn country faced serious internal division between a Communist North government led by President Ho Chi Minh and an anti-Communist South government. The United States perceived that the military condition of the South government was weakening and sent military advisors to assist. By 1964, the United States formally entered the war with the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, and numerous air strikes and troops were sent under President Johnson's leadership. The 1968 Tet Offensive became a critical point of debate over continued U.S. involvement in the war. By 1970, President Nixon slowly transitioned U.S. troops out and shifted more of the responsibility for fighting the war to South Vietnam. In 1973, the Paris Peace Accord was signed, U.S. troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, and prisoners were released. By 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to the North, and Vietnam became one nation. For U.S. soldiers returning home to civilian life, it was a very difficult time as they faced a divided nation while also coping with the physical and emotional toll of war.