Cleland's Time At The Front

Various | Hon

[Hon]

Sen. Joseph Maxwell Cleland

Sen. Max Cleland, U.S. senator from Georgia, served in the Army from 1965 to 1968 and as a Signal Corps officer from Oct. 18, 1967 to Dec. 23, 1968 in Vietnam, where he was severely wounded in a grenade explosion. Sen. Cleland was an aide to then-BG Tom Rienzi at Fort Monmouth, N.J., when he volunteered for duty with 1^st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam. First assigned to 1^st Cavalry’s Signal battalion, CPT Cleland then volunteered as communications officer for 2d Battalion, 12^th Cavalry, which had been chosen for Operation Pegasus – the relief of Khe Sanh – in April 1968. CPT Cleland was on a mountaintop with his Signal team to set up a radio relay when he lost his legs and right arm to a grenade explosion. For Khe Sanh he received the Bronze Star for meritorious service and Silver Star for gallantry in action.

http://www.gordon.army.mil/ocos/rdiv/REGTNCO/cleland.asp

From Khe San Chronology 1962-1972:

Apr 1 [1968] - Operation PEGASUS begins; 2/1 and 2/3 (1st Marines) attack west from Ca Lu along Route 9. Elements of 3d Bde, 1st ACD conduct helo assaults into LZ Mike and Cates. Joint engineer task force begins repair of Route 9 from Ca Lu to Khe Sanh.

Apr 3 - 2d Bde, 1st ACD assaults LZs Tom and Wharton.

Apr 4 - 1/5 CavSqd moves northwest from LZ Wharton and attacks enemy units near old French fort; 1st Battalion, 9th Marines moves southeast from rock quarry and assaults Hill 471.

Apr 5 - 1/9 repulses enemy counterattack on Hill 471 and kills 122 North Vietnamese. 1st Bde, 1st ACD departs Ca Lu and assaults LZ Snapper.

Apr 6 - One company of 3d ARVN Airborne Task Force airlifted to KSCB for the initial link up with defenders. Elements of 2d Bde, 1st ACD relieve 1st Battalion, 9th Marines on Hill 471; 1/9 commences sweep to northwest toward Hill 689.

1st Bde, 1st ACD helilifted north of KSCB. 2/26 and 3/26 push north of combat base; Company G, 2/26 engages enemy force and kills 48 NVA.

Apr 8 - 2/7 CavSqd links up with 26th Marines and conducts official relief of combat base. 1/26 attacks to the west. 3d ARVN Airborne Task Force air assaults into LZ Snake west of Khe Sanh and kills 78 North Vietnamese.

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/4867/timeline.html

From Doxagora (a post that is meant to be very laudatory of Cleland):

While an aide [to a general] at Forth Monmouth, NJ, Cleland volunteered for a combat tour with the 1st Air Cavalry Division. Once in-theatre, then-Captain Cleland volunteered for a post as communications officer with 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry in April, 1968. This is meaningful because Cleland knowingly volunteered for Operation PEGASUS.

Some context: At 5:30 AM on January 21st, an NVA artillery barrage hammered away at the forward base of Khe Sanh in what would prove to be a grim foreshadowing of the Tet Offensive, nine days away. By February, enemy fire made it impossible to supply Khe Sanh by C-130, and the military was forced to use paradrops and helicopters in concert with sustained attacks against NVA anti-air emplacements. Outside Khe Sanh, 20,000 NVA soldiers prepared for assault, testing Marine lines with hundreds of men at a time.

Operation PEGASUS was an air assault operation designed to break the back of the NVA at Khe Sanh. 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry was one of the first two forces into the area, landing on April 1st at LZ WHARTON, just south of a ruined French fort (used by the NVA as the main stronghold for their attacks on the Marines) and the road leading north to Khe Sanh. 2/12 Cav and 1/5 Cav secured WHARTON, which would serve as the staging area for the assault on the fort.

On April 4, two days before the 2/5 Cav attacked the fort from LZ WHARTON, Cleland won his Silver Star. Cleland was at the battalion command post at WHARTON when NVA forces began a rocket and mortar barrage in an attempt to dislodge the Americans from their position. According to Cleland's Silver Star Order:

Capt. Cleland, disregarding his own safety, exposed himself to the rocket barrage as he left his covered position to administer first aid to his wounded comrades. He then assisted in moving the injured personnel to covered positions. Continuing to expose himself, Capt. Cleland organized his men into a work party to repair the battalion communications equipment which had been damaged by enemy fire. His gallant action is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Three days later, the Old French Fort fell. On April 8, American forces set up within the defenses of Khe Sanh. 2/7 Cav moved from LZ THOR (east of WHARTON) and cleared a road to Khe Sanh, allowing American forces to link up with the Marines in the base.

Cleland was ordered to set up a radio relay on a nearby mountain. He and his signals team were airlifted to the site. While disembarking from the helicopter, Cleland saw a grenade that he thought had fallen from his webbing. Cleland tells what happened:

On April 8, 1968, I volunteered for one last mission. The helicopter moved in low. The troops jumped out with M16 rifles in hand as we crouched low to the ground to avoid the helicopter blades. Then I saw the grenade. It was where the chopper had lifted off. It must be mine, I thought. Grenades had fallen off my web gear before. Shifting the M16 to my left hand and holding it behind me, I bent down to pick up the grenade.

A blinding explosion threw me backwards.

The grenade turned out to belong to an inexperienced soldier who had incorrectly set the pin for a hair-trigger detonation.

Seven days later, Operation PEGASUS was ended as the NVA was forced out of the area. From the beginning of the siege to the end of PEGASUS, 730 Americans were killed in action, 2,642 were wounded, and 7 were officially classified as missing in action. A few months later, Khe Sanh was officially abandoned.

Although Cleland's injury occurred in a combat zone, during general combat operations, Cleland was not eligible for a Purple Heart, as his injury did not occur while in direct combat with the enemy. ("Friendly fire" injuries qualify for the Purple Heart only if the fire was directed at an enemy.)

http://www.doxagora.com/

[mewzilla]

How he managed to lose his soul is another story.

If you should get a chance, take a look at Cleland's FEC records, especially the committee donations he's received. Cleland is just another feeder at the trough of Dem special interests.

[Robe]

A grenade consists of a lemon sized hollow steel casing filled with an explosive powder, a cap like device screws into the top, IT consists of a little spring loaded flipper (don't cha love the tech talk )a handle holds the flipper open , and the handle is held in place by a pin( looks just like a cotter pin) with a large ring on to to put your finger in.
You hold the grenade in your hand and hold the handle down with your fingers, When you pull the pin, and throw the thing.. the handle immediately is flung off, and the little flapper slams down on a primer which sets a fuse to burning in a tube connected to the top.
After a period of time , anywhere from 3 to 15 seconds the grenade goes BOOM Anybody out there that can explain it better , feel free to jump on in..

[CaptainLou]

I applaud and thank anyone who wore the uniform of our country, especially those that did so in a combat situation.

That being said, I also don't think we should be giving anyone a free pass about what they say or do upon returning home.

I don't think anyone here would denegrate Cleland's service, it's what came after that service and how he's leveraged it for personal gain that are the issue. IMHO, the heros aren't the ones that have to constantly remind folks about their accomplishments.

[lilylangtree]

Good reference information.

[CaptainLou]

A grenade consists of a lemon sized hollow steel casing filled with an explosive powder, a cap like device screws into the top, IT consists of a little spring loaded flipper (don't cha love the tech talk )a handle holds the flipper open , and the handle is held in place by a pin( looks just like a cotter pin) with a large ring on to to put your finger in.
You hold the grenade in your hand and hold the handle down with your fingers, When you pull the pin, and throw the thing.. the handle immediately is flung off, and the little flapper slams down on a primer which sets a fuse to burning in a tube connected to the top.
After a period of time , anywhere from 3 to 15 seconds the grenade goes BOOM Anybody out there that can explain it better , feel free to jump on in..

During basic training we had a guy who pulled the pin, flipped the handle, and THEN threw the grenade. He was on his way home that afternoon. Those aren't the kinds of people you want in your fox hole. :-)

[N. Theknow]

Students name: Cleland, Max

Course of Study: Grenade Handling

Grade: F

Teacher's comments: When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.

[LibWhacker]

Thanks, Hon, bookmarked! The facts appear correct and it's never wrong or shameful to compile facts.

[chimera]

And I've never heard a hero BRAG about his combat record. Just isn't done.

This is why I think Kerry is a phony. No one I ever knew who was in tough, life-threatening combat would ever run off at the mouth about it like Kerry does.

And I have known many war heroes. I'll start with my Dad, who was in the second wave ashore at Normandy on D-Day. As much as I pleaded with him, he wouldn't talk to me about it. He made it from there to the Rhine and was in any number of hot combat situations, but would never speak of them unless prodded to do so.

His brother was in the Navy and was at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th. Then was on the radar picket line during the waves of kamikazes. He only talked about it once when we were watching a "Victory At Sea" episode.

Another uncle was a turret gunner on the B-29s that flew raids in the Pacific. He survived a crash on landing that knocked him and one other crewmember out of the plane as it cartwheeled and exploded down the runway, breaking his arm and some ribs. They were the only survivors. The one and only time he ever talked about it was to relate that incident to us, although I always wondered how he was wounded in the war.

So when I hear these ersatz "heroes" like John Kerry piping up, I have to hold my tongue, lest my anger and disgust at their feigned "heroism" lead me to actions I'll later regret.

[stylin19a]

your headline stinks.

That they served matters. How they served is a matter for them & their GOD.

How someone trying to get elected presents their military service, is also a matter for the American public.

Present the facts as they stand. Don't bias it with a really crummy headline.

Semper Fi

[RicocheT]

Cleland served and did his duty. Don't attack his service record. If you are in a combat area one minute or one year, you are where any number of things can kill or maim you.

I do disagree with Cleland's political ideas in his post-Vietnam political jobs. You can disagree with those without putting down the Vet's service record. Same deal with Kerry and McCaine.

[Dilbert56]

Question about: "GWB was never at the front". From what I've read, his group was assigned the role of intercepting strategic bombers (presumably from the Soviet Union). For that mission, isn't anyone who is at plus-five readiness on the front lines. You don't have to be physically in Alaska do you?

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

That is the way I heard this story as well- it was a fairly common (although stupid and unsafe practice) for young troops, especially those without an Infantry MOS, to hook grenades to webgear by the ring. Subsequent movement, snagging on objects in vehicles or aircraft, etc could cause a disaster.eXPERIENCED NCO'S PREVENTED MANY OF THESE. Note that Cleland was a Signal Corps officer, whose Infantry skills probably did not extend beyond the ability to clean his .45. iT IS SO LIKE A DEMOCRAT TO TRY TO SHIFT THE BLAME TO SOME UNKNOWN LOW-RANKING SOLDIER -BUT IN THIS CASE IT IS OBVIOUSLY NONSENSE.

Accidental death and injury during this war was far more common than almost anyone can imagine. I have a theory that more men died from accidents, including training accidents, during the official ten years of the Vietnam War, than were killed or wounded in combat. (my own Special Forces class lost nine killed and 3 permanently disabled in TRAINING ACCIDENTS! And these were experienced soldiers, most with at least a tour in the combat zone. i PERSONALLY HAVE SEEN hundreds OF ACCIDENTAL DEATHS, INCLUDING AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS, ARTILLERY ACCIDENTS, MISHANDLING OF WEAPONS, DROWNINGS DURING WATER-CROSSING OPERATIONS, ETC ETC.
Am I saying that accidental deaths are less tragic than dying by stepping on a mine, etc? No, I'm not. I AM saying that this Cleland story has been PURPOSELY muddied up by himself and his worthless Democrat Party (which STArted THIS WAR, REMEMBER...) IN ORDER TO GET HIM ELECTED IN gEORGIA, ONE OF THE sTATES WHERE A MILITARY RECORD IS A POSITIVE THING, EVEN NOW. (aSK A FEW PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW POLITICS HOW cLELAND WAS QOUNDED, AND YOU WILL HEAR THAT IT WAS A COMBAT INJURY FROM PRACTICALLY ALL. aHH, THE POWER OF MYTH...
fLAME AWAY, ALL YOU ARMCHAIR WARRIORS- i DO NOT GIVE THE nORTH END OF A sOUTH-bOUND rAT WHAT YOU THINK. (iF YOU ARE A dEMOCRAT IS AMAZING THAT YOU CAN GENERATE ENOUGH BRAIN POWER TO KEEP YOUR LUNGS WORKING!

[The Shrew]

The only thing that I would add to your description of the function of a grenade is that it is possible to "Milk" a grenade and allow the 'spoon' enough slack that the primer can be ignited while the spoon is still on the grenade. This is NOT a good thing.

Semper Fi,

TS

[znix]

This post and most of the comments here are disgraceful.

What matters is that they served.

[optimistically_conservative]

Within a short time, word came over that a sergeant, an older man, had straightened the cotter pins on two hand grenades he’d had hanging on his belt.

Evidently he’d done that recently when B-company was in contact with the enemy. Just now he must have somehow bumped them and they slipped off the pins. The sad part is that the sergeant was killed in the explosions.

Here was yet another example a man who’d lost his life senselessly, because of a fatal mistake.

Just about everyone in the field, including myself, carried at least two hand grenades hooked onto the front shoulderstraps of his pack. The ring that was pulled from a grenade, just before it was thrown, was attached to a cotter pin that went through the handle and prevented the firing mechanism from arming. The two ends of the cotter pin, where they stuck out the other side of the handle, were bent over so that it couldn’t accidentally slip out, and no one ever straightened those ends unless they were going to use the grenade right after they did.

That was what made this particular incident so odd. Even the least experienced man knew not to straighten those pins unless he was actually going to throw the grenade, yet this sergeant, who clearly should have known better, had just given his life for something so simple. ( http://www.cdl.panam.edu/dayoung/vn_pdf/gyp-47.pdf )

Other references:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-23-30/ch1.htm#p5

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-23-30/ch3.htm#s1

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-23-30/appb.htm

[verity]

"At the front" is inappropriate when referring to RVN.

[optimistically_conservative]

"Hair trigger" explained here.

[devane617]

What does any of this matter? As a Republican, and a person with a severe disability that has been in a wheelchair for forty years, I fail to see the benefit in attacking MC. MC has tried to make the best of a very bad situation that most of you could not comprehend, although on the wrong side of the isle. I see no benefit to conservatives to continue this attack.

[BadAndy]

"JF'ing Kerry abandoned his water craft & crew, ran ashore and shot a wounded, fleeing (cowering?) Viet Cong (likely) in the back."

Don't forget, the VC was also probably unarmed since he dropped his rocket launcher after being hit with a 50 Caliber round.

[cc2k]

Robe wrote:

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How do you SET the pin on a grenade for a hair-trigger detonation?

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The pin on a grenade is basically a soft metal cotter pin. It's just like a cotter pin you might find on your car or lawn mower. The ends are bent over to hold it in the hole, and the "eye" on the other end has a ring through it so it's easier to pull the pin out. You have to pull hard enough to pull and straighten the bent ends through the hole.

If you want to make it easier to pull the pin, you can straighten the ends of the cotter pin. This makes the pin relatively loose in the hole and it requires a little less force to pull the pin. Of course, that makes it easier to accidentally remove the pin when you don't want to.

Robe wrote:

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From Cleland"sown mouth at a dinner in Atlanta 'bout 6-8 years ago, was..... he had affixed the grenade to his webbing BY THE PIN RING!!!!...When he bent over the weight of the grenade pulled out the pin and it fell to the ground... he then bent over to pick it up when it went off !!!!

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That's what Max thought happened. For a long time, Max thought it was his own grenade that blew him up. But a few years back, he actually got a letter from the man who the grenade belonged to (or maybe he actually met the guy, I don't remember exactly). That soldier (now retired) said that he had straigtenned the pins on his grenades, and that is likely how the pin came out when it was dropped on the ground. I don't think he had his grenade attached to his webbing by the pin ring, though.