Answer:
When the North sent in more men, the US retaliated by sending in more men, which was referred to as the escalation. Basically the Johnson administration only had two options, to end and quit the war or escalate the war to win. In the war of "body counts" whom ever had the most men would win, whom ever lost the most would lose. By the height of the war, we had 500,000 men in country. The escalation however, looked good in the white house, not so much on practice.