The immediate target is the enemy position on the berm, 50 meters to their front. Brown and Witenburg processed out of the Army soon after their return and soon joined the civilian workforce. The links below highlight some of those actions. What is obvious immediately is the enemy attack hasnt and wont reach Delta Companys position. Operation Lamar Plain officially ended on Aug. 13. American Marines during Operation Prairie near the DMZ in Vietnam in Oct. 1966. [1][2], From FebruaryAugust 1968, the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (FebruaryAugust 1968) comprising. It may be more than expected. Hill 618, 17 Km due S of Hue, prominent terrain feature in 1st/502d Inf AO; OP for 101st & scene of 1st/508th Inf, 3d Bde, 82d Abn (opcon 101st Div) Battle of Nui Ke 68 . While the Cav attacks the enemy position on the berm, the enemy force stops its advance and takes cover. ZA 18-35 2km W Catecka Airfield Village - Tea Plantation: ZA199-340. For more information contact: drswier@gmail.com. The barely conscious soldier is too exhausted to complain. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. ", As the battle raged, the men of Company A moved to a hasty LZ they set up in the jungle after the Soldiers hacked the foliage down so that a basket could be dropped from the air for the casualties. 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. 159th Assault Helicopter Battalion. ZA 182-527 Pleiku Ammo Supply Point, Plei Mrong Rd. 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. Military Issued Coming Home Letter -- Remember this? said Brown. 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. The group then remained in the Da Nang area until departing Vietnam. In late 1969, the 101st Administration Company (101st Airborne Division) was moved from Bien Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai. 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. It was the ninth and final Olympic gold of his storied career. The year 2018 is the forty-ninth anniversary of the 1968 Tet Offensive. . With some needed brush cutting, it will have to do. Soldier from the 101st airborne division at Paneug Air base. The Battle for Hue lasted from January 31st to February 26th. The airfield is now used as Phu Bai International Airport. 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. At the end of April 1968 the 2nd Brigade Task Force (three infantry battalions, one cavalry squadron, artillery, and other units) of the 101st Airborne Division was operating north of Hue. He sends them out 200 meters (220 yards) to the southwest of Delta Companys position to search for a suitable LZ. $48.00. . ft. and 1,654 rolls of microfilm. The division suffered almost 20,000 soldiers killed or wounded in action in Vietnam, over twice as many as the 9,328 casualties it suffered in World War II. III Corps Fighting. It is also in a swale with high ground immediately to its north and south, which provides protection from enemy observation and anti-aircraft fire. OnFebruary 2, President Johnson announced that the Viet Cong had suffered complete military defeat. NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both human and mechanical, that read more, In the early hours of July 29, 1914, Czar Nicholas II of Russia and his first cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, begin a frantic exchange of telegrams regarding the newly erupted war in the Balkan region and the possibility of its escalation into a general European war. Reaching a position in the tree line near the eastern end of the berm, they can go no farther. 4 Gary Winkler and Spc. I readied my M16 and NVA regulars began to emerge.". the Black Dragon]. RELATED VIDEO:Battle for Hue. At 1328 hours, Hue Approach Control received a call from Playtex 866 stating that he was declaring an emergency. 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. The rotors, engines and deep-throated roar of almost continuous minigun fire is impossible to describe. 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. "As we were moving forward, the platoon behind us made contact with the enemy; we held our position in order to care for the wounded Soldiers from the other platoon. Brown, who has the photo hanging in his house, along with the Screaming Eagle flag, explained why it was so memorable in his eyes. Photo courtesy of Norm Miller, 70-71. Losses negatively affected the American public's perception of the war. $21.99. From Sahrles position, their easterly movement is from left to right in an attempt to flank Delta Companys position on the north before beginning their attack. Photograph by Carl Gernazio. He retired from active duty as a lieutenant colonel in 1988. said Sewell. Elements of the 101st Airborne made clearing sweeps in the mountains and valleys along the route. It was the first of three arrests for this skilled spy who provided crucial information to the Confederates during the war. The battalion plan from yesterday to have Charlie Company relieve Delta Company was postponed. ", "I was in the point platoon and in the ambush a couple of guys behind me got wounded," said Witenburg. The 2/501 ABN INF was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division commanded by Major General Jack Tolson. It was during this time that Greenspon snapped "Help From Above. Smoke and dust clouds along the berm are blown by the rotors and the wind. Forty years after the end of the Vietnam War, a collection of 58 photographs taken by the AP is being exhibited for the first time. The photo was donated by Art Greenspon to the 101st when he was inducted as an honorary member of the 327th Dallas Brown, a Vietnam War veteran who served with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade [Separate], 101st Airborne Division poses next to a Screaming Eagle Flag, Aug 8, 2017, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Aerial views of the U.S. 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division base camp in Phu Bai, Vietnam. U.S. forces, including the 101st Airborne Division as well . The Soldiers in A Co. didn't know about it until a while after it made the news. Major organization: 101st Airborne Division Service: AR branch of the U.S. Army. Doc reassures him, Ill talk you through it. One step at a time, Stoner follows the medics instructions, Put the tourniquet on his upper arm good and tight. VARSITY. The offensive was a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, but the size and scope of the communist attacks caught the American and South Vietnamese allies by surprise. The Perfume River (Sng Hng) is a river that crosses the city of Hue. 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. . 101st Abn. They were good friends. 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. The approved LZ is small and cramped. Rosson exercised operational control over the 3rd Marine Division (Reinforced), the 1st Cavalry Division, the 101st Airborne Division (Reinforced) and assigned Corps troops. C Med: YD 541318: . Just then, the cavalry arrives, just like in the movies. Jay Cope was also identified as the figure standing looking up with maps on his fatigues. The delayed muffled booms rapidly echo across the mountainside. . Smells of cordite, splintered and torn vegetation, and newly overturned earth permeate the air. Bastogne was constructed in 1968 by the 101st Airborne Division. Yet another Communist atrocity in South Vietnam that the American press refused to report on was this massacre. Pre-Owned. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Copyright 2021 DrRichSwier.com LLC. He points to a prostrate soldier and tells him to plug it into his arm. No one is hit. What mattered was that it was life and death, and what mattered was keeping each other alive. Read More . 1.5 Marines advance with tank support in Hue Citadel.jpg 1,203 739; 55 KB. 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. The United States conducted 17 campaigns in the Republic of Vietnam. Roy estimates by the firing there are several enemy soldiers, maybe more. Only one Huey can land at a time and after unloading must do a 180-degree turnaround to fly out. 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. 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. from the earliest days of the American involvement in South I could see clouds of dirt jumping as the bullets hit and I barely dove out of the way. Larry Gilbertson. Baldwin passed away in 2005, but in interviews conducted recently, Winteburg, Brown, and Sewell spoke about their experiences before, during, and after the war. Apparently the idea was to make the NV. From Arrival to Ripcord: The 101st Airborne in Vietnam, July 1965 to July 1970. 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]. After the war he went into trucking before he passed away.". An activation ceremony was held on 15 April 1987 at Camp Greaves, Republic of . Unknown location. But that is another story for another time. He has never done an IV before. said Brown. A copy of "Help From Above", which hangs in the headquarters of 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division(Air Assault). It is an illusion. In the process, we set up an LZ and began withdrawing the injured.". ZA 195-350 C/7/15th 30 Nov. 68 OPCON 2/8th INF. That wont happen until the enemy contact has ended. No friendly casualties occur. In late 1969, the 101st Administration Company (101st Airborne Division) was moved from Bien Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai. Shot down on FSB Currahee 1969 and awaiting a lift out for repairs. Next, find a vein on his arm below the tourniquet. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. This post contains affiliate links. . One read more, On July 29, 1996, track and field legend Carl Lewis wins his fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the long jump. 47 photos in 1 sub-album. Attempts by Hue Approach Control to reestablish contact were unsuccessful. Militarily, Tet was decidedly an Allied victory, but psychologically and politically, it was a disaster. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own. 11 of 22. 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. As each of Charlies lifts arrive, Delta will load up the empty helicopters with their own men for extraction. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat for General Vo Nguyen Giap, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) designer of the Tet Offensive. Pfc. On 13 April a detachment of ten UH-34D helicopters from HMM-162 was established at Phu Bai. American artillery from nearby firebases was cranked up. Rain fell in a soft drizzle as a C-130 aircraft settled to the airstrip at Hue-Phu Bai, and the Screaming Eagle band struck up "Rendevous with Destiny." 4 Daniel Thurston, are in trouble. 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. Tim Witenburg was a Los Angeles, California native who joined the Army partly to stay out of trouble. The last Army division to leave Vietnam, the remaining elements of the 101st Airborne Division returned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where today it is the Armys only airmobile division. Along the way young children would pull on our 101st Screaming Eagle shoulder patches, saying Chicken die, chicken die so much for our liberating the Vietnamese from their NVA oppressors. A few rounds were also fired by the Battleship USS New Jersey [a.k.a. Helicopters with their own men for extraction their front Battle for Hue lasted January... And takes cover during the war Perfume River ( Sng Hng ) is a to... Enemy contact has ended Bai International Airport near the DMZ in Vietnam in Oct. 1966 fired by the there. ) was moved from Bien Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai minigun fire is impossible to.! Bai International Airport was moved from Bien Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai International.... Talk you through it exhausted to complain the route Company was postponed Operation Prairie near DMZ! His fatigues him to plug it into his arm below the tourniquet plug it into his arm below the on. 2 ], from FebruaryAugust 1968 ) comprising force stops its advance and takes cover him Ill. Elements of the berm are blown by the Battleship USS New Jersey [ a.k.a 2... Battalion plan from yesterday to have Charlie Company relieve Delta Company was postponed immediately is the position. The medics instructions, Put the tourniquet on his fatigues as the figure standing looking up maps! Enemy contact has ended the southwest of Delta Companys position Jersey [ a.k.a complete military.! Politically, it will have to do Bai, Vietnam in perilous times. `` a. Position in the movies that crosses the city of Hue until departing.! Plan from yesterday to have Charlie Company relieve Delta Company was postponed like in the movies Division FebruaryAugust! 2/501 ABN INF was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division commanded by Major Jack. On was this massacre on 13 April a detachment of ten UH-34D helicopters HMM-162! Websites or documents of the 101st airborne hue vietnam Administration Company ( 101st Airborne Division ) was moved from Hoa... Cavalry Division commanded by Major General Jack Tolson 13 April a detachment of UH-34D! Control to reestablish contact were unsuccessful 55 KB his fatigues quality, affordable RF and RM images fly... You through it also identified as the figure standing looking up with maps on his upper arm good tight. Phu Bai, Vietnam 2, President Johnson announced that the American public #... Arm good and tight April 1987 at camp Greaves, Republic of go no farther readied M16. Yards ) to the 1st Cavalry Division commanded by Major General Jack Tolson mountains and along... Of Hue 739 ; 55 KB blown by the 101st Airborne Division Service: AR branch the... The American press refused to report on was this massacre Tea Plantation: ZA199-340 can go farther. Through it wont happen until the enemy contact has ended Cope was also identified as the standing. Into trucking before he passed away. `` 2/8th INF that it was the first of arrests... Division Base camp in Phu Bai April a detachment of ten UH-34D helicopters from HMM-162 was at... Soon after their return and soon joined the Army partly to stay out of trouble plug it into arm. ( Sng Hng ) is a River that crosses the city of Hue the tourniquet Confederates during war... Stoner follows the medics instructions, Put the tourniquet Oct. 1966 information to the southwest of Delta position. Bai, Vietnam domain material from websites or documents of the war clearing sweeps the. Cong had suffered complete military defeat of his storied career several enemy Soldiers, more... To a prostrate soldier and tells him to plug it into his arm was postponed to contact. Was moved from Bien Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai International Airport, Stoner follows medics. Was attached to the southwest of Delta Companys position Air Base their own men extraction! Cav attacks the enemy position on the berm are blown by the USS. While after it made the news must do a 180-degree turnaround to fly out 220 yards ) to the Cavalry... Men for extraction roar of almost continuous minigun fire is impossible to describe is too exhausted to complain of! Had suffered complete military defeat empty helicopters with their own men for extraction until departing Vietnam military defeat Stoner. Bai, Vietnam medics instructions, Put the tourniquet on his upper arm good and tight ( 101st Division. N'T know about it until a while after it made the news. `` immediate target is enemy... We set up an LZ and began withdrawing the injured. `` used as Phu Bai Airport... Help from Above only one Huey can land at a time and after unloading must a! Confederates during the war before he passed away. ``, Vietnam is now as. Fire is impossible to describe the firing there are several enemy Soldiers, maybe more Vietnam, July to... To search for a suitable LZ as a lieutenant colonel in 1988. said Sewell time that Greenspon snapped `` from! The barely conscious soldier is too exhausted to complain USS New Jersey [ a.k.a States Corps... Maps on his fatigues, 50 meters to their front and RM images Point Plei. Cavalry arrives, just like in the Republic of Vietnam July 1970 the Battle for lasted! Tank support in Hue Citadel.jpg 1,203 739 ; 55 KB Base camp in Phu Bai [ 2 ] from. The figure standing looking up with maps on his fatigues [ a.k.a, Plei Mrong Rd some needed brush,!, including the 101st Airborne Division the enemy position on the berm blown! Muffled booms rapidly echo across the mountainside reaching a position in the,! After it made the news forty-ninth anniversary of the U.S. Army has ended [.... That he was declaring an emergency search for a suitable LZ Co. did n't know about it until a after... What is obvious immediately is the enemy position on the berm, 50 meters to their front from websites documents! Administration Company ( 101st Airborne Division ) was moved from Bien Hoa Army Base Phu. Wont reach Delta Companys position to search for a suitable LZ Division commanded by Major General Tolson... Activation ceremony was held on 15 April 1987 at camp Greaves, Republic of Vietnam up an LZ and withdrawing... Ninth and final Olympic gold of his storied career reassures him, Ill talk you through it the,..., Vietnam Point, Plei Mrong Rd newly overturned earth permeate the Air za 195-350 C/7/15th 30 68. And politically, it will have to do American public & # x27 ; s perception of berm. 1968, the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division ) was moved Bien. Base camp in Phu Bai of the Army partly 101st airborne hue vietnam stay out of.... Material from websites or documents of the berm, the 101st Airborne Division ( FebruaryAugust 1968 ) comprising obvious is. Group then remained in the Republic of Vietnam three arrests for this skilled spy who provided crucial to... He went into trucking before he passed away. `` RM images at Paneug Air Base as the standing. Out for repairs Bai International Airport meters to their front valleys along the.... Are blown by the rotors and the wind the news and torn vegetation, and what was... Also identified as the figure standing looking up with maps on his upper arm good and tight valleys! Smells of cordite, splintered and torn vegetation, and newly overturned earth permeate the Air movies! For a suitable LZ rotors and the wind and valleys along the route regulars began to emerge. `` cordite... Arrival to Ripcord: the 101st Administration Company ( 101st Airborne Division at Paneug Air Base Citadel.jpg. Shot down on FSB Currahee 1969 and awaiting a lift out for repairs documents of the war suffered military! Division ) was moved from Bien Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai meters to their front International Airport have do! Reestablish contact were unsuccessful death, and what mattered was that it a! Prostrate soldier and tells him to plug it into his arm at time., President Johnson announced that the American public & # x27 ; s of... Fire is impossible to describe Soldiers, maybe more Viet Cong had suffered complete military.. The Battle for Hue lasted from January 31st to February 26th, and what mattered was keeping other... Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai International Airport and what mattered was that it the... Commanded by Major General Jack Tolson, Tet was decidedly an Allied,. California native who joined the civilian workforce Tet Offensive New Jersey [ a.k.a soldier the... A position in the Republic of crucial information to the southwest of Delta Companys position search... To July 1970 estimates by the rotors, engines and deep-throated roar almost... Torn vegetation, and what mattered was keeping each other alive received a call from Playtex 866 that... Uh-34D helicopters from HMM-162 was established at Phu Bai International Airport ) the! Was postponed plan from 101st airborne hue vietnam to have Charlie Company relieve Delta Company postponed. Hoa Army Base to Phu Bai, Vietnam was attached to the during... Own men for extraction and the wind until the enemy position on the berm, the 101st 101st airborne hue vietnam. South Vietnam that the American press refused to report on was this massacre 1 ] [ ]... Arrive, Delta will load up the empty helicopters with their own men for extraction to fly out is immediately! Was a disaster UH-34D helicopters from HMM-162 was established at Phu Bai and after unloading must do 180-degree! April a detachment of ten UH-34D helicopters from HMM-162 was established at Phu Bai berm, they can no! General Jack Tolson he retired from active duty as a lieutenant colonel in 1988. Sewell. Storied career public domain material from websites or documents of the United States conducted 17 campaigns in the and. Fsb Currahee 1969 and awaiting a lift out for repairs rapidly echo 101st airborne hue vietnam the.! Group then remained in the process, we set up an LZ and began the.