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 On 13 April a detachment of ten UH-34D helicopters from HMM-162 was established at Phu Bai. Phu Bair Rear; Cpt O'Brien on sign. A Navy ship in the South China Sea added its guns to the fight. On 30 August 1967 a People's Army of Vietnam mortar attack on the base damaged 13 helicopters, killing two Seebees and wounding 32 Marines and Seebees.[3]. The base was used to support U.S. and ARVN forces fighting in the Battle of Hu. Rada was well liked by his platoon members. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. detailed map of Phu Loc and near places. A Company, 101st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. What is obvious immediately is the enemy attack hasnt and wont reach Delta Companys position. Operation Lamar Plain officially ended on Aug. 13. I vividly recall that on the morning of February 26th a small boat pulled up to the A Company CP, located in a three story building along the Perfume River. But that is another story for another time. The easterly movement by the main enemy force indicates they are getting into position to attack Delta Company from the north. The 159th Brigade Operations Center (BOC) notified the 101st Airborne Division of the emergency call from Playtex 866 at 1350 hours. $48.00. The enemy continues to advance from the northwest on Deltas position, hidden from direct observation from Roy and Whartons position. Otherwise, there would be several more casualties. To a large extent, the success or failure of the offen- . When Hue was liberated we found over 7,600 civilians in shallow graves. 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. The brigade . As I was in-processing for basic training, I attended a briefing for Officer Candidate School [and] decided to apply during basic training. Once bandaged, Strand is surprised when Doc tells him he will also go out on the next medevac. As I turned to glance back, he took the photo.". The attack is to begin tomorrow, June 10. The man was . [1][2], From FebruaryAugust 1968, the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (FebruaryAugust 1968) comprising. Soon after first light, Roy adds several Delta Company soldiers to the attached Reconnaissance Platoon (now no bigger than a reinforced squad). Explore more . The base was used to support U.S. and ARVN forces fighting in the Battle of Hue. A few rounds were also fired by the Battleship USS New Jersey [a.k.a. It is an unselfish act typical of medics whose first instinct is to stay with, treat and protect the wounded. 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. (Allen W. Sims Collection) Full size 1255 1211 Post navigation. It was initially attached to the 101st Airborne and operated in the Hue/Phu Bai area of I Corps Tactical Zone. In Courage Under Fire: The 101st Airbornes Hidden Battle at Tam Ky, he gives a detailed, day-by-day account of his battalions actions during the operation, with a focus on Delta Company. Camp Eagle (also known as LZ El Paso and LZ Tombstone) is a former US Army base south-east of Hu in central Vietnam. Once they begin moving again, the Recon team is in danger of being overrun. In the far right, a helmetless Soldier, Sgt. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. 101st Abn. The constant flow of adrenaline, lack of food, sleep and daily, at times hand-to-hand, combat took its toll on all the men of 2/501st. On June 8, it seemed that little progress had been made. Only afterward is it known the Recons two PRC-25 radios are purposely left behind by the RTOs to lighten their load. Stoner looks at the bag, the soldier and then back to Doc. Among its major operations was the brutal fight for Ap Bia Mountain, known as the Hamburger Hill battle. Each 82 mm mortar round has a lethal blast radius of 30-35 meters (33-38 yards). The conflict continued, but by 1969 Sewell, Brown, and Witenburg had completed their tours and returned home. From 5 March 1975, the PAVN shelled the base as part of the HueDa Nang Campaign. The barely conscious soldier is too exhausted to complain. Rada could easily carry his 50-pound rucksack and 35 pounds of radio and batteries even in mountainous terrain. Sponsored. The enemy firing from the berm quickly ceases. [2]:159. "My brother convinced me to go down to the recruiter's office," said Witenburg. The new Corps also co-operated closely with the ARVN 1st Division in the area. 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. Roy decides to put them on the next helicopter out. He did two tours in Vietnam and retired as a sergeant major. 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. Sleep-deprived soldiers instinctively react to the unwelcome wake-up call. House at the 101st Airborne Division, Camp Eagle, Hue, Vietnam, 1964. . Cadillac was founded out of the ruins of automotive pioneer Henry Fords second failed company (his third read more. Roy still believes the solo move south by his understrength company is too risky with an enemy attack expected soon. The first relief force was dispatched from Phu Bai to the MACV Compound in Hu City. This was the first time that all three of the men had been interviewed. Yet another Communist atrocity in South Vietnam that the American press refused to report on was this massacre. ", "What people didn't understand back then but understand more now is that we were Soldiers doing our jobs," said Wintenburg. At 1100 hours on the 25th, D Company joined by A company and C Company with almost 300 men on line, advancing on Hue At 1400 hours, a small Vietnamese boy (estimated age 10 years-old) fired a few rounds at members of D Company. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I arrived in Vietnam late January 1968, the beginning of the Tet Offensive.". ", "I was in the point platoon and in the ambush a couple of guys behind me got wounded," said Witenburg. 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. Tepner will soon hear of his death with deep regret and sorrow. AND LOCATIONS USED BY THE 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR CAVALRY/AIRMOBILE) 1968-1972. I remember seeing footage on the Military Channel of Soldiers reenlisting in Iraq and Afghanistan; that's real patriotism. Photograph by Carl Gernazio. the primary military port in the old Vietnamese city of Hue As he and a detail of men drove a vehicle convoy through the . ZA 184-903 PLEI KLENG Airfield. Published in R&R on the Beaches of South Vietnam. On 30/31 January 1968, the base was hit by Vietcong mortar and rocket fire as part of the TET Offensive. Sgt. The Marines were pinned down behind this wall near the old citadel and radioed for support. US Army Film by Ted Acheson DASPO C 99 /r/combatfootage, 2023-02-22, 19:29:23 Permalink ft. and 1,654 rolls of microfilm. Clearing the LZ is hot work. For six days there was no resupply of food or ammo. The battles for the two northernmost provincial capitals in South Vietnam, Quang Tri City and Hue, are particularly worth examining because the enemy regarded them as key objectives, second only to Saigon, the national capital . Twenty minutes later the soldier comes around. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ALL AMERICANS - Variant Patch - US 82nd AIRBORNE DIV - HUE - Vietnam War - #.880 at the best online prices at eBay! Operations in A Shau Valley 1 May - 31 July 1969, Operation Apache Snow (Hamburger Hill, May 1969), Operation Apache Snow After-Action For 49 years, few have known the stories of the Soldiers that Greenspon photographed that day, or their fates. The saline solution begins to flow. ZA 182-527 Pleiku Ammo Supply Point, Plei Mrong Rd. Elements of the 101st Airborne made clearing sweeps in the mountains and valleys along the route. American artillery from nearby firebases was cranked up. "A lot of things back in the 'world' as we called it didn't matter out there. Provisional Corps, Vietnam, was designated XXIV Corps on 12 August 1968. 1.5 Marine cleans his M-16 during the Battle of Hue.jpg 1,023 705; 122 KB. All rights reserved. At that time the enemy force was within 100 yards of Delta Company. The enemy also sees Recon and begins to fire at them with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. Vietnam War: Elements of 2nd Brigade and 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division 10 miles NW of Hue during Operation Carentan II, 1 May 1968. For a welcome change, it is not well-aimed. At the north end of the valley was the major North Vietnamese Army (NVA) staging area known as Base Area 611. Roy radios for them to immediately pull back and take cover. ", 101st Airborne Division Soldiers in famous Vietnam photo interviewed for first time, 101st Airborne Division Soldiers in famous Vietnam photo interviewed for first time. Camp Eagle was used to support the 101st Airborne's major operations in the A Shau Valley - Operation Apache Snow in 1969 and Operation Texas Star in 1970. On 10 April 1965 Task Force Alpha of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines was landed by helicopter from Da Nang Air Base to secure the area. V. After Vietnam, Ed Sherwood served as an infantry officer in assignments in the 3rd Armored Division in Germany, the U.S. Army Infantry School and the 197th Infantry Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia. Only one Huey can land at a time and after unloading must do a 180-degree turnaround to fly out. 4 Dallas Brown, writhing in pain. the Black Dragon]. Men like Captain Ken Crabtree, Commander, B Battery, 1st Battalion, 321st Field Artillery, who was my boss, mentor and personal friend. Strand and Clouatre are both wounded, Clouatre seriously. Rada is carried by others who have come out to help. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, ordered the 101st Airborne Division to send in an airmobile brigade to destroy the enemy forces. General Melvin Zais , commanding General of the 101st United States Airbourne Division greets a fellow American soldier. As they moved out to reinforce their fellow Screaming Eagles, they made contact with the enemy. He was a great soldier, fondly remembered by all who knew him. 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. The 2/501 ABN INF was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division commanded by Major General Jack Tolson. He has been talking with the 101st Airbornes air cavalry team, which was loitering nearby. "During the Christmas holidays, 1965, I received a letter from Uncle Sam stating 'you have been selected to serve your Country' and entered the Army in January 1966. No friendly casualties occur. Cushmans two remaining units, the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, and the 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry, remained at Landing Zone El Paso for its defense. A Florida Cooperation. . The operational unit was later re-designated as the 8th Radio . (UPI photo). Soldier from the 101st airborne division at Paneug Air base. The enemy attack from the berm seems to have been a diversionary attack, a planned distraction to allow the larger enemy force to make a surprise attack from a different direction. 2LT Rich Swier, Tet 1968 Battle for Hue, South Vietnam. Sahrle and his men begin yelling at Recon, Get out of there! After a five-day standoff . 1.5 Marines advance with tank support in Hue Citadel.jpg 1,203 739; 55 KB. The Central Highlands area in South Vietnam, consisting of 12 provinces, and the largest of the four corps in size. Doc enlists Stoner to help treat those who are in the worst condition. As a young "butter bar" forward observer attached to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division it was the beginning of my travels on the road to hell and beyond. The Soldiers in A Co. didn't know about it until a while after it made the news. The Wall location: 04W-115. The photo was . These pictures of the Hue Citadel were taken from the front, gunner's seat of a cobra from D-158-101st Abn Div, 1970 Images courtesy of Tom Kehoe: Various views along the bank of the Perfume River flowing through Hue Images courtesy of Tom Kehoe: Soc Trang Airfield from the air Image courtesy of Milton Lowden 121st AHC: The Road to Soc Trang . Called the "valley of death" by troops fighting there, the fighting was some of toughest of the war at the time. The heavy U.S. and South Vietnamese casualties incurred during the offensive, coupled with the disillusionment over the earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war, accelerated the growing disenchantment with President Johnsons conduct of the war. A fatal mistake. Should be one around the inside of his elbow. Littleton will also take a security team several hundred meters to the west of the LZ to cover the likely direction from which an enemy attack may come. The remaining members were pinned down in the Military Assistance Command Vietnam, compound in southern Hue by the initial Viet Cong and North Vietnamese assaults. In September 1974, during the Battle of Ph Lc, after pushing the ARVN defenders off Mo Tau Mountain, the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) targeted artillery fire against the base until they were evicted by the ARVN 1st Division and 15th Ranger Group on 11 December.[13]. Major organization: 101st Airborne Division Service: AR branch of the U.S. Army. Constituted on 15 November 1962 in the Regular Army, it became an element of the 101st . I love the division and am extremely proud of my service during the war. To say it is oppressively loud and violent is only a start. The early morning hours before sunrise are peacefully quiet. 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 . After a short time at Fort Bragg, I was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. 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. the US Forces. They are unable to see directly down to the wounded soldiers on the LZ or take them under fire as they make their way back to Deltas defensive position. Phu Bai Combat Base (also known as Phu Bai Airfield and Camp Hochmuth) is a former U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps base south of Hu, in central Vietnam. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. B Company "Varsity" 159th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne. Not for the NVA who caught us with our pants down and holding our collective you know what in our hands. The road to hell made a turn for the 2/501 troopers to reopen QL 1 or Highway 1, also known to the French as the Street without Joy and then due West into the A-Shau valley (the Valley of Death) and triple canopy jungle. Taylor and Westmoreland were both former commanders of the division, which was known as the Screaming Eagles. The 101st Airborne Division has a long and storied history, including combat jumps during the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, and the subsequent Market-Garden airborne operation in the Netherlands. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. This article was published in the February 2022 issue of Vietnam magazine. The deadly fire on the USS Forrestal began with the accidental launch of a rocket. troops from the 1st Cavalry and the 101st Airborne worked to cut off communist supply lines outside Hue against elements of three North Vietnamese divisions that US planners had thought . Find the perfect d day battle image. Pfc. Frederick Carlton Lewis was born July 11, 1961, in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in a middle-class read more, On July 29, 2000, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, one of Hollywoods highest-profile couples, marry at the Malibu, California, estate of the producer Marcy Carsey (The Cosby Show). While we tried to maneuver our way back to Vietnam, through the valley we were constantly taking fire. The United States conducted 17 campaigns in the Republic of Vietnam. 11 of 22. They collapse inside the perimeter. Wharton is on two radios. SUMMARY: 4,000 soldiers from the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division touched down at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam on July 29, 1965. . On the other phone is the artillery fire direction net. They quickly overrun Thurston and Winklers position and are closing in on Recons position. The weather was rainy and the temperature dropped as low 48 degrees. Artillery batteries from the . The A Shau Valley was one of the strategic focal points of the war in Vietnam. He acquired more copies of the photo and passed it out to Soldiers in his platoon where most of them stashed it away for their return to the United States. In the summer of 2017, I was a U.S. Army lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Hue was bisected by the Perfume River (Hng, in Vietnamese), which flowed from southwest to northeast out to the South China Sea.On the immediate northwest riverbank of the river was Old Hue, which consisted of the three-square-mile, high-walled, diamond-shaped "Citadel . Sculpture by Frederick Hart near The Vietnam Memorial Wall, Washington, DC. In 2014, the three Soldiers and other veterans of the unit visited Fort Campbell and spoke to current members of the 327th. Due to the weather air strikes were limited, thereby leveling the field of battle between my battalion and the 90th NVA Regiment. The base was originally established by the 1st Cavalry Division in January 1968, 7 km southeast of Hu and 9 km west of Phu Bai Combat Base. A trooper of the 101st Airborne Division attempts to save the life of a buddy at Dong Ap Bia Mountain, near South Vietnam's A Shau Valley on May 19, 1969. Brown and Wintenburg each spent about a year in Vietnam, and both men struggled with anxiety for years. Ronald Sahrle, who is leading the remnants of 1st and 2nd platoons, takes on the task of clearing brush to widen the LZ and enlists Sgt. Jay Cope was also identified as the figure standing looking up with maps on his fatigues. . I dedicate it to the 2/501 airborne infantry Commanders: LTC Richard Tallman, Battalion Commander; Captains Reiss, Alpha Company, Nickels, Bravo Company, Denny Gillem, Charlie Company; 1st Lieutenant Cleo Hogan, Delta Company (the Delta Raiders) and 1st Lieutenant Buch, Recon Platoon leader. Crowned in 1878, King Umberto became increasingly authoritarian in the late 19th century. In 1969, the 85th Evacuation Hospital moved from Qui Nhn and was established at the northwest end of the airfield, adjacent to Highway 1. Steve Strand, all from 3rd Platoon, begin work with machetes clearing the west end of the LZ. Forty-five years ago the 101st Airborne Division went into South Vietnam's A Shau Valley as part of Operation Apache Snow. As a young butter bar forward observer attached to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division it was the beginning of my travels on the road to hell and beyond. "The most memorable moments in my Army career came from leading and serving with the greatest division in the world -- the Screaming Eagles. Nothing could be further from the truth. In mountainous, forested terrain the lethal blast area is reduced. The officer would continue to serve for 24 more years after the conflict retiring in 1996 at the rank of Colonel. This United States military article is a stub. Wharton uses the berm to direct their fires. It takes him three sticks to get a vein. Roy recalls the enemy attack mentioned in the recent intelligence report. 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. Perhaps it is as many as 200 soldiers, maybe more. Capt. 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.. (from 101 airborne 1968 VIETNAM yearbook) The Wandering Warriors of the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade finally returned home to stay on October 2, 1968. This shows the 101st returning to the A Shau Valley on April 14 and 15th for a very short visit called Operation Fury. Several suffer from heat exhaustion. The Cav team is to keep its fires along the berm and not extend its firing beyond the two ends of the berm. https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/101vietnam1969-e1622627268764.jpg, http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png, In 1968, the Tet Offensive began in South Vietnam. The Crouching Beast by Frank Boccia. From Arrival to Ripcord: The 101st Airborne in Vietnam, July 1965 to July 1970. As each of Charlies lifts arrive, Delta will load up the empty helicopters with their own men for extraction. A recently captured enemy soldier reported their casualties had reduced their companies to around 60 men. Both men have enjoyed successful careers and are now retired. Reaching a position in the tree line near the eastern end of the berm, they can go no farther. 1969-72. On Jan. 31, 1968, the Tet Offensive was in full swing as the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong moved to take over the city of Hue. The base was originally established by the 1st Cavalry Division in January 1968, 7km southeast of Hu and 9km west of Phu Bai Combat Base.
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