Posted on 01/29/2006 8:31:18 PM PST by indcons
A great deal has been written about the battles of Tet 1968 and the political firestorm that resulted from them. Less has been written about the danger, turmoil, chaos, confusion, contradictions and outright lunacy that confronted individual units as they responded to VC attacks on the morning of January 31. This is the story of one rifle company, and what it faced on that decisive day. Mainly it is the story of some of the finest solders to ever wear the uniform of the U.S. Army and how they reacted not only to fierce combat, but also to the fog of war.
In April 1967 I was a first lieutenant commanding a rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. I had been in command for five months and had been assured that I would be in command for one year, which suited me fine. My plan was to make captain and go to Vietnam as an experienced company commander. Since I was in an airborne unit, I was sure I would go to the 173rd Airborne Brigade or the 101st Airborne Division.
I was disappointed when I received orders to join the 9th Infantry Division. Not only would I not finish my command tour, I was being assigned to a leg division. When I arrived at 9th Division in June, I was shocked to learn that I was going to a mechanized battalion. I had assumed I would be assigned to one of the battalions in the Delta where I could use my light infantry and Ranger school experience. The only contact I had had with M-113 armored personnel carriers (APCs) was during a training exercise at the officers’ basic course just after I entered the Army.
(Excerpt) Read more at historynet.com ...
I understand that the Tet Offensive was an overwhelming military victory for the United States.
Yes, it was. The MSM said differently then and are still saying differently. NVN got their butts kicked in the Tet offensive. They could have been driven right into China but the gov't stopped them because NVN was being back by the then USSR.
I don't know much about the Vietnam war (except what I read here on FR and on the web). I'll be interested in hearing from the MilHist pingees....we have quite a bunch of knowledgeable vets and milhist experts on the list.
And the old communist bastard Walter Cronkite was the leader of the pack.
I had been out about 6 months when the Tet Offensive took place and I remember every night on the news hearing Walter ("The most trusted man in America") Cronkite rave on about how we were getting our a$$e$ handed to us.
He and Jane Fonda were carrying water for the communists from day one.
Now how could I not ping you to this thread?
Going from memory only but I read once that a top NVA general related in his memoirs how they were all sitting aroung glum faced at the disaster Tet turned out to be for them, near destruction of the VC etc when an aide entered the room waving Time or Newsweek which had a cover saying what a defeat it was for the allies whereupon their top NVA guy said that if Time said the US was defeated then they had better start behaving like the victors, cheer up !
Thanks for the post. I learned a lot.
ARVN were shown to be dismall in their ability.
There were however some excellent AVRN [South Vietnamese] units which would go on Charlie with resolve.
Dewey Canyon II [Lam Son 719] in 1971 displayed ARVN's capability....the writing was on the wall after the disasterous forray into Laos.
Hundreds of U.S. helo's ferrying ARVN into firebases were damaged and lost.
The roadnet/convey run on the ground into Laos was a slaughter guantlet.
*Into Laos...by Keith William Nolan is a must read on Dewey Canyon II.
U.S. Helo crews went into Firebases while Charlie over ran them.
The heroism is amazing.
Some Helo's were so shot up...they limped to the next firebase....only to find it being over-run.
Some U.S. soldiers stayed with AVRN who fought to the last man...calling in Air strikes in a series of cascading *Broken Arrow events.
Downed Helo crews...downed Fighter crews,...wandering thru the jungle while Charlie hunted them.
The scale of battle was huge....as U.S. Firebases on Vietnam side were zapped in strength.
damaged helo's returned to find themselves under fire at the U.S. bases.
Sheridan Tank crews lagered at night with Flechette rounds in the tube.
Charlie zapping platoons with RPG and mortars.
Ambushes on the roadnet towards Laos on Vietnam side were continual.
Some ARVN mechanised units halted just short of the ARVN firebases,....smoked cigarettes while their buddies got the chop.
Dewey Canyon II was compromised by ARVN commanders who had personal grudges with each other.
ARVN losses in Dewey Canyon II were over 50%.
Charlie knew the opp and was ready with significant forces spread out to assail the logistic run ...and to await the air coverage with quad site killing zones.
Charlie paid for Dewey Canyon II ....to the tune of near 20,000 killed.
The writing was on the wall however.....ARVN did not have the stuff to prevail without the U.S.
US Army, retired
Long Binh was in a suburb of Saigon. Bien Hoa is on Rt 1 the north/south "highway" that runs all the way to and thru Hanoi. Bien Hoa is about 30 kliks (20 miles) north of Saigon and is now served by a pretty decent road but still one lane each way.
Thanks for posting, sir. What do you think about the acount by this author? Do you think this article presents a fairly accurate picture of the conditions as they existed then in Long Binh?
Great post....thank you.
I will need to read it later...I am on the way to bed. I will be happy to review it tomorrow.
BTTT
"I was in Long Binh during the Tet Offensive."
We found your barber from the PX on the perimeter wire the next day ... :-)
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