In 1969, the 85th Evacuation Hospital moved from Qui Nhn and was established at the northwest end of the airfield, adjacent to Highway 1. Forty-five years ago the 101st Airborne Division went into South Vietnam's A Shau Valley as part of Operation Apache Snow. First and Finest . A recently captured enemy soldier reported their casualties had reduced their companies to around 60 men. After eight hours of furious fighting, a change in wind direction prompted the Spanish to break off read more, Nearly one billion television viewers in 74 countries tune in to witness the marriage of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, to Lady Diana Spencer, a young English schoolteacher. He ends with June 12, Deltas extraction from Hill 376 a few days after a massive artillery barrage destroyed the enemy force. For more information contact: drswier@gmail.com. The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division was based here from MayJune 1968. Multiple helicopters can be seen on and around the launch pad area. The enemy firing from the berm quickly ceases. After an intense tenday battle in May, infantrymen of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Mobile) took a ridge in the A Shau Valley that they had dubbed Hamburger Hill. They are heavily camouflaged with vegetation stuck in their helmets, web gear and packs, and practically invisible until they move. "A lot of the jobs didn't interest me, but I saw a picture of a paratrooper behind the recruiter's desk and he noticed I was big into football and weight training back then and he said I'd make good airborne material. (UPI photo). They collapse inside the perimeter. Copyright 2021 DrRichSwier.com LLC. The airborne infantrymen of the 101st were still needed mostly involved in rapid deployment strategies but the training was shifting with the times, and the times were changing indeed. Published in R&R on the Beaches of South Vietnam. The decisive moment a favorable turn in a battles outcome occurs is often not recognized by those in the throes of fighting. We headed off to Hue and when we got there proceeded to cross over the perfume River Bridge into Hue and then turned off to the east along a canal. The boy was captured and Chicom C54 weapon was captured., In the rubble and along the road leading to Hue were found signs stating, Shoot the American and South Vietnamese aggressors, for a better Vietnam, Long Live Ho Chi Minh., LT Hogan wrote in his memoirs, During the night of 25 February, D Company received sporadic sniper fire from across the river but for the most part things were quiet. Capt. Battle of Dong Ap Bia, AKA Hamburger Hill, Summary Report, 101st Airborne Division, May 1969: On 11 May 1969, a battalion of the 101st Airborne Division climbing Hill 937 found . I went to the first sergeant and told him I wanted to go to Vietnam. Sgt. The Fall of the A Shau Special Forces Camp (March 1966), Operation Dewey Canyon (Base Area 611, February-March 1969), Click here for a detailed map of Base Area 611 (1:50,000), 101st Airborne Div. General Melvin Zais , commanding General of the 101st United States Airbourne Division greets a fellow American soldier. . The base was used to support U.S. and ARVN forces fighting in the Battle of Hue. A firefight soon ensued between A Company and the NVA and multiple Soldiers were hit. His slight, wiry frame and average height belied his strength. Doc makes sure he hasnt overlooked any life-threatening wounds and applies bandages to the worst of them. Tim Witenburg, glances back toward the camera as he carries a wounded comrade. The enemy continues to advance from the northwest on Deltas position, hidden from direct observation from Roy and Whartons position. The 2/501 ABN INF was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division commanded by Major General Jack Tolson. The photo was . Republishing of columns on this website requires the permission of both the author and editor. Airborne All The Way! Thua Thien Province Base Camps/Firebases. ", "I was in the point platoon and in the ambush a couple of guys behind me got wounded," said Witenburg. The early morning hours before sunrise are peacefully quiet. For reference purposes the book Where We Were by Michael P. Kelly, Hellgate Press, 2002, provided much of the information. I vividly remember being in a makeshift bunker on a knoll when all hell broke loose on this very day forty-six years ago on January 30, 1968. Find the perfect d day battle image. [1][2], From FebruaryAugust 1968, the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (FebruaryAugust 1968) comprising. That is what good soldiers do. As they moved out to reinforce their fellow Screaming Eagles, they made contact with the enemy. Run for it! the war in Vietnam. ZA 182-527 Pleiku Ammo Supply Point, Plei Mrong Rd. Pre-Owned. In mountainous, forested terrain the lethal blast area is reduced. Get the best deals for 101st airborne patch vietnam at eBay.com. It is an illusion. The 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry was assigned on 16 March 1987 to the 2d Infantry Division and activated in Korea. the US Forces. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Militarily, Tet was decidedly an Allied victory, but psychologically and politically, it was a disaster. They are a hundred or so meters from Delta Companys defensive position and safety. Vietnam. In June or July 1968, U.S. Special Forces established Forward Operating Base 1 (FOB 1) at Phu Bai. The 1st Brigade, which consisted of 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment and 2-327, had arrived in Vietnam in 1965 before all the other elements of the division, who arrived in 1967. Hue: March 1968: Carentan II (Lam Son 216)* Hue: Apr-May 1968: Deleware* A Shau Valley: Apr-May 1968: Nevada Eagle (Lam Son 224 . Among the cities taken during the first four days of the offensive were Hue, Dalat, Kontum, and Quang Tri; in the north, all five provincial capitals were overrun. The group then remained in the Da Nang area until departing Vietnam. 472.2 RECORDS OF THE MILITARY ASSISTANCE ADVISORY GROUP (MAAG) VIETNAM 1950-64 154 lin. Photo courtesy of Norm Miller, 70-71. Should be one around the inside of his elbow. Jay Cope was also identified as the figure standing looking up with maps on his fatigues. He chuckled and told me we were all going anyway, so don't worry about it.". In Saigon, a 19-man Viet Cong suicide squad seized the U.S. Embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the buildings roof and routed them. On the day "Help From Above" was taken, Company A was tasked to assist Company C of the 2-327. Jim Littleton in 3rd Platoon to provide a three-man team with machetes. Their early identification of the enemy force moving toward Delta Company saved many lives. Some 20 meters (22 yards) away and just above them on the high ground to their north is a berm running parallel to the LZ from east to west. On 28 July, Johnson announced that 50,000 U.S. troops would go to South Vietnam immediately. The first 4,000 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. The weather was rainy and the temperature dropped as low 48 degrees. I was a young 2nd Lieutenant with A Company, 2nd Battalion 501st Airborne Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam when the Tet Offensive began. Elements of 101st Airborne Division, the 1st Cavalry Division and 5th Marine Regiment were the major units committed in the Battle for Hue. Fortunately, the enemy is not positioned on the military crest of the hill. According to a US Army Center for History report on Tet of 1968, "As the 1st and 3d Brigades moved into the corridor along Highway 1 between Quang Tri City and Hue, the 2d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, commanded by Col. John H. Cushman, redeployed from Cu Chi in III Corps, northwest of Saigon, to Landing Zone El Paso. 101st Airborne Patch: Screaming Chicken Eagle: Death From Above Patch: 44: Tet 69 Counteroffensive Collage: Agent Orange Poster: 101st Airborne souvenir from Hue: Captured VC flag from Hue: 45: 101st Airborne Patch: Vietnam-If you haven't been there, then shut your mouth Patch: 46: 101st Winged Warriors Patch: 1968 TET Offensive Survivor Patch: 47 Among them is the ancient city of Hue. Vietnamese plan for victory, the A Shau became a major battle ground They will run through the smoke and flame just as soon as the Cobra helicopters finish their attack. Due to the weather air strikes were limited, thereby leveling the field of battle between my battalion and the 90th NVA Regiment. The top of the rock is a perfect place for locating the large international orange panel that marks their position for friendly aircraft. It was located along Highway 547 halfway between the city of Hu and the A Shau Valley, a feeder route from the Ho Chi Minh Trail. God please let me survive! is the common thought. Finding a landing zone for Charlie Company is the first of Delta Companys morning tasks. Sleep-deprived soldiers instinctively react to the unwelcome wake-up call. As I turned to glance back, he took the photo.". The Recon team is done. The DrRichSwier.com is a not-for-profit news forum for intelligent Conservative commentary. Among the soldiers in what was officially called Operation Lamar Plain was Lt. Ed Sherwood, a platoon leader in Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry. The loyalty we had to each other was profound.". In the meantime, Littletons security team is told to return, and they make it back without incident. ", 101st Airborne Division Soldiers in famous Vietnam photo interviewed for first time, 101st Airborne Division Soldiers in famous Vietnam photo interviewed for first time. I had just returned from Iraq and was working with Vietnam veterans who'd served in . 472.3.1 Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Joint Staff. Shot down on FSB Currahee 1969 and awaiting a lift out for repairs. . Baldwin was also very compassionate. The base was used to support U.S. and ARVN forces fighting in the Battle of Hu. Their company commander at the time, Cpt. As the house band at the Whiskey a Go Go on the Sunset Strip, they had built a large local following and strong industry buzz, and out on the road, they were fast becoming known as a read more, Off the coast of Gravelines, France, Spains so-called Invincible Armada is defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake. 1966 between 101st ABN and NVA; I am looking for my dad's rank and photos of his platoon in the Vietnam war; Looking for the death certificate for cousin who died in action in Vietnam; Looking for 1969-1970 log books of USCGC . Units based at Phu Bai during this period included: On 20 October 1972 the base was handed over to the South Vietnamese.[12]. During the Communist TET . The 2/501 left Hue in unit formation counting cadence all the airborne way. 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment was de-activated on 17 July 2015 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky as part of the Army Aviation Restructuring Initiative, but its distinguished lineage and legacy will live on as the Palehorse Squadron was reactivated as part of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division on 22 October 2015 at Fort Hood, Texas. ALL AMERICANS - Variant Patch - US 82nd . The following narrative is courtesy of Special Forces Gear: At dawn on the first day of the TET holiday truce, Viet Cong forcessupported by large numbers of North Vietnamese troopslaunch the largest and best coordinated offensive of the war, driving into the center of South Vietnams seven largest cities and attacking 30 provincial capitals from the Delta to the DMZ. On 1 February 1972 in a ceremony attended by Brigadier General John G. Hill Jr., Assistant Division Commander, 101st Airborne Division and Major General Phm Vn Ph, Commanding General, 1st Division, Camp Eagle was turned over to the ARVN. The U.S. Congress passes legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency responsible for coordinating Americas activities in space, on July 29, 1958. Nothing in the last six days gives any hint that a breakthrough is about to occur. Nearly 1,000 Viet Cong were believed to have infiltrated Saigon, and it took a week of intense fighting by an estimated 11,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops to dislodge them. At 3:50 a.m., Alphas artillery request is fired. In early May 1969, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong were threatening Tam Ky, the capital of Quang Tin province in northern South Vietnam. He tosses a saline solution bag from his medical kit to Stoner. Once American patrols had time to sweep the surrounding countryside and verify that no enemy units were nearby, Cushman moved the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, to Landing Zone Jane on 30 January to assist Colonel Rattans 1st Brigade in operations against Base Area 101.. In the process, we set up an LZ and began withdrawing the injured.". Several suffer from heat exhaustion. the narrow 25-mile long valley was an arm of the Ho Chi Minh Trail Recon requests permission to drop their rucksacks and make a run for it. Patrick McGuire, the company commander, has his forward observer call for artillery in the area from where they suspect the mortars were fired. Brown and Wintenburg each spent about a year in Vietnam, and both men struggled with anxiety for years. He has never done an IV before. "He was a lead-by-example type of guy, always up front leading the way and making sure we were doing the right thing. Rada was well liked by his platoon members. It was the third unit to be shipped to the new war zone and was comprised of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 327th Infantry and the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry. "Considering that I came from a very small town in Maryland, I feel my career was very successful and I am proud to have served our country." The deadly fire on the USS Forrestal began with the accidental launch of a rocket. Robert Clouatre, Spc. US Army Film by Ted Acheson DASPO C. The enemy position near the west end of the berm is continuing to fire AK-47s. The new Corps also co-operated closely with the ARVN 1st Division in the area. Ken Hornbeck, a Delta soldier serving as the Recon RTO, calls in and yells they are surrounded by a horde of enemy soldiers. This is likely part of the enemys general offensive that has been expected. In the rush to pull back, no one sees that he is hit. His rolled-up right sleeve is saturated with dark red blood. Otherwise, there would be several more casualties. said Sewell. ", "What people didn't understand back then but understand more now is that we were Soldiers doing our jobs," said Wintenburg. As usual, the fires are danger close to Delta Company and the Recon Team. Light casualties were reported by the command. Camp Eagle (also known as LZ El Paso and LZ Tombstone) is a former US Army base south-east of Hu in central Vietnam. From their vantage point, both Roy and Wharton can observe the enemy position on the berm about 50 meters (55 yards) away. He enacted a program read more, On July 29, 1909, the newly formed General Motors Corporation (GM) acquires the countrys leading luxury automaker, the Cadillac Automobile Company, for $4.5 million. Strand is standing 6 feet behind him, Clouatre is standing near to the side of Rada. In late 1965, The 3rd Marine Division established its headquarters at Phu Bai and would remain there until late 1967, when it was moved forward to ng H. 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