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The FReeper Foxhole Revisits Remembering Con Thien/Operation Buffalo - Jan. 3, 2004
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Posted on 01/03/2004 4:07:16 AM PST by snippy_about_it

Lord,
Keep our Troops forever in Your care
Give them victory over the enemy...
Grant them a safe and swift return...
Bless those who mourn the lost. .
FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.
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U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues
Where Duty, Honor and Country are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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Con Thien
A PLACE OF ANGELS
A mud-covered hill, 158 meters in height, anchoring the northeast corner of Leatherneck Square, the quadrilateral of Marine combat bases Gio Linh, Dong Ha, Cam Lo and Con Thien South of the DMZ (demilitarized zone), Con Thien loosely translated means place of angels of hill of angels. But no angels were in evidence there during the terrible summer and fall of 1967 when the base came under heavy ground and artillery attack by the invading North Vietnamese Army (NVA).
 Con Thien is North up 1A from Hue
Situated less than two miles from the DMZ, elements of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, nervously eyed the hostile terrain in front of their perimeter at Con Thien. The date was May 8, 1967.
At approximately 0300, the all-too-familiar sound of a flare popping broke the eerie silence. Soon, the surrounding landscape was bathed in an artificial light, giving the battlefield a surrealistic touch. Suddenly, the deafening roar of rockets stabbed the night air, and the Marines dove for any available cover to escape injury. As the artillery fell, NVA units jockeyed to prepare a ground assault on the compound. Armed with flamethrowers and using Bangalore torpedoes, two NVA battalions managed to breach the wire. It was the first reported use of flamethrowers by the enemy since American troops had engaged NVA regulars. Company D was hit extremely hard and the leathernecks were engaged in hand-to-hand fighting as a platoon from the 11th Engineers raced into the line to plug the gap. After desperate fighting that lasted until dawn, the defenders were able to repel the attackers.
 M-48 carrying dead and wounded
During the firefight, Lance Cpl. Michael P. Finley, a grenadier with Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, vaulted from his position and accurately lobbed two rounds from his M-79 blooper, destroying an enemy machine-gun emplacement. Despite being wounded, he dashed to another Marines aid. After finishing with him, he raced to administer medical treatment to his mortally wounded squad leader. Killed in the attempt, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nations second-highest medal for bravery. When the attack ended, 44 Marines had been killed and 110 wounded. The NVA lost 197 killed and 8 captured. Why had the enemy pressed so hard at Con Thien an undersized knoll a stones throw from the DMZ? What was so important here?
Burdened with construction of the strongpoint obstacle system, pejoratively called McNamaras Line by the Marines, Con Thien overlooked enemy supply routes from the north and its capture would constitute an enemy foothold in Quang Tri province. As Colonel Richard B. Smith, commanding officer of the 9th Marines, put it: Con Thien was clearly visible from the 9th Marines Headquarter on the high ground at Dong Ha 10 miles away, so good line-of-sight communications were enjoyed. Although Con Thien was only 160 meters high, it tenants had dominant observation over the entire area. If the enemy occupied it he would be looking down our throats.
And the NVA wanted to be the new tenants. Consequently, several attempts would be made to seize Con Thien. Until mid-1967, the northern section of the DMZ had been a safe haven for the Communists. Here, they reorganized and prepared their plans for future assaults in Northern I Corps, including the strongpoint of Con Thien. The first of these thrusts was in the spring of 1967, as recorded above, and coincided with the anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu. The second would be made in the summer, when the NVA utilized heavy artillery, for the first time, in support of ground units. The third would be made, during the months of September and October; the enemy fired punishing artillery barrages on the occupants of Con Thien.
After the May 8 offensive on Con Thien, Washington directed the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) to enter the southern portion of the DMZ. Previous to this, the NVA was using this area as a sanctuary and U.S. Forces were expressly prohibited from penetrating this region. Code-named Operation Hickory for the 3rd Marine Division, Lam Son 54 for the 1st ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Division, Beau Charger for Special Landing Force (SLF) Alpha, and Belt Tight for SLF Bravo, the Allies wasted no time in making contact with the enemy.
The Operation Hickory phase of the three-pronged advance into the DMZ began on May 18. By late morning, Lt. Col. Charles R. Figards 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines, ran head-on into two NVA battalions. Fighting from well-camouflaged bunker complexes, the enemy delivered a hail of automatic weapons fire upon the leathernecks right flank.
Realizing his squad was unable to maneuver, Corporal Richard E. Moffit of Company G lunged forward at the hedge-row where the shooting was coming from and let loose a steady stream of rifle fire. Once there, he killed two NVA soldiers manning the trench. The following day, the intrepid Moffit braved another enemy machine-gun nest.
Again, he rushed the fortification, this time hurling fragmentation grenades. He would miraculously survive to be awarded the Navy Cross for his actions. During the intense combat, Lt. Col. Figard and his operations officer were hit by mortar fire. Soon, Lt. Col. John J. Peelers 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, was also heavily committed.
Meanwhile, Operation Lam Son 54 was initiated by two ARVN battalions from the 1st ARVN Division. Making no contact, the South Vietnamese units proceeded to the Ben Hai River, located in the center of the DMZ itself, and started sweeping southward.
While these two battalions were advancing on the east side of Highway 1, three ARVN airborne battalions did so on the west. On May 19, the 31st and 812th NVA regiments met the ARVN multibattalion sweep and fighting ensued that would continue for more than a week. The ARVN, while losing 22 killed and 122 wounded, dealt the Communists a greater blow: 342 dead, 30 enemy soldiers captured and 51 assorted weapons seized.
Beau Charger was another story. Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, the assault element for SLF Alpha, was greeted with a hot reception at its destination, Landing Zone (LZ) Goose. As the fifteen UH-34s (Sea Horses from Squadron HMM-263) prepared to land, enemy machine-gun fire blasted the vulnerable choppers.
The lead helicopter, flown by squadron commander Lt. Col. Edward K. Kirby, was struck by a broadside as it hovered less than 50 feet off the ground. The initial burst rendered the choppers radio inoperable and injured the copilot, crew chief, door gunner and three Marines from 1/3. Another leatherneck was killed outright and tumbled from the bird. Upon hearing of the hot LZ, SLF commander Colonel James A Gallo, Jr., scrubbed all further heliborne assaults into Goose and opted instead to disembark his Marines at LZ owl, 800 meters to the south.
However, A 1/3, already on the ground, was isolated. With the enemy so intertwined with the Marines, urgent requests for naval gunfire from warships just offshore had to be aborted. By 100, other units, plus a force of M-48 tanks, reached the trapped men a LZ Goose. The infantrymen met the enemy in hand-to-hand combat as fixed-wing aircraft hammered NVA trenches. After 11 jets pounded the positions, Companies A and B of 1/3 jumped off to continue the planned attack.
While attacking the enemys bulwarks, Corporal Russell F. Keck, a machine-gun squad leader with Alpha Company, dispersed his guns to deliver accurate fire upon the trench line. Coming under a heavy barrage, Keck ordered the automatic weapons moved to another location to prevent their being destroyed. Although wounded, Keck remained in his position to administer covering fire for another Marine, knowing this action would surely result in his death. Corporal Keck received the Navy Cross posthumously.
All told, the various operations carried out in the southern portion of the DMZ by the Marine and ARVN units snagged 789 enemy killed, 37 captured, and 187 weapons confiscated. Allied casualties would attest to the intensity of fighting as 142 Marines and 22 ARVN soldiers were killed, and 896 and 122 respectively, were wounded.
But the Marines were not idle either, In July the leathernecks counterattacked with another multibattalion operation code-named Buffalo. |
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TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: conthien; freeperfoxhole; marines; operationbuffalo; samsdayoff; veterans; vietnam
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To: snippy_about_it
Because that was the only part of Massachusest that was not considered squirrely yet.
21
posted on
01/03/2004 9:08:19 AM PST
by
U S Army EOD
(When the EOD technician screws up, he is always the first to notice.)
To: snippy_about_it
Good Morning Snippy.
Nice job on updating the thread.
22
posted on
01/03/2004 9:58:03 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: Aeronaut
Morning Aeronaut.
23
posted on
01/03/2004 9:58:47 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: E.G.C.
Morning E.G.C. We're still dealing with hokey weather. Snow, rain, clear and back every so many hours. Must be global warming! ;-)
24
posted on
01/03/2004 10:00:02 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: Valin
1998 Grandpa Jones suffers a strokeYour Grandpa Jones?
25
posted on
01/03/2004 10:02:59 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: bentfeather
Morning Feather.
26
posted on
01/03/2004 10:04:25 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: The Mayor
Hi Mayor.
27
posted on
01/03/2004 10:04:42 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: thatdewd
Morning thatdewd.
Snippy has been updating some of the older threads and adding new pictures or info as needed.
28
posted on
01/03/2004 10:05:37 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: Professional Engineer
Morning PE.
Pretty good description.
29
posted on
01/03/2004 10:06:40 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: snippy_about_it; Valin

That's when they banned skwerl fishing that used to keep them under control. Once they banned it the population exploded. ;-)
30
posted on
01/03/2004 10:08:38 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: SAMWolf
Hiya Sam. Have a great week-end.
31
posted on
01/03/2004 10:08:56 AM PST
by
Aeronaut
(In my humble opinion, the new expression for backing down from a fight should be called 'frenching')
To: U S Army EOD
Because that was the only part of Massachusest that was not considered squirrely yet.LOL! Too late now.
32
posted on
01/03/2004 10:09:15 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: Aeronaut
You too. First one of a new year.
33
posted on
01/03/2004 10:09:53 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: SAMWolf
Morning Sam.
oooooooo another gem for the closet. Thanks much. You are the best feather finder. :-)
34
posted on
01/03/2004 10:15:22 AM PST
by
Soaring Feather
(I do Poetry, it's all I do.)
To: bentfeather
A new job title: FReeper Foxhole Feather Finder.
35
posted on
01/03/2004 10:16:46 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: SAMWolf
ohhhhhh funny today!! ROTFLOL!!
Quick thinking, too. I like it.
36
posted on
01/03/2004 10:18:15 AM PST
by
Soaring Feather
(I do Poetry, it's all I do.)
To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf
Morning Snippy...Sam : )
Some excerpts from 3rd Marines website.
The diary reports activity along route 9 towards Khe Sanh which occured in the weeks prior to the Con Thien/DMZ sector offensive.
Kilo Company ran into heavy machine gun fire from a bunker complex on the hill's east slope, which killed one Marine and wounded two. The company called in an artillery mission and the supporting tracked vehicles opened fire on the enemy. Kilo Company then pulled back to allow fixed-wing aircraft plenty of room to bomb the bunkers. At the completion of the strike, Kilo Company attacked, but the NVA unit had gone. The Marines continued to the crest of Hill 216.
Later that afternoon, fixed-wing aircraft bombed Hill 247, located west of Hill 216 and which also overlooked Route 9. Following the air strike, Lima Company, 3rd Marines moved west on Route 9 and linked up with Company B, 26th Marines which had cleared the road from the western edge of the 26th Marines' TAOR.
During its move, Lima Company uncovered 30 Chinese-made anti-personnel mines buried along approximately 2,000 meters of the southern margin of Route 9. The enemy had rigged the mines with trip wires to catch the Marines and soldiers from the Rough Rider convoy as they sought cover from the planned ambush.
3rd Marine Mike Co on route 9 near Khe Sanh

On the morning of 21 August. A North Vietnamese battalion ambushed a small Marine convoy traveling south on Route 9 from the Rockpile to Ca Lu. In the first moments of the attack, enemy antitank rockets hit and put out of action two Marine trucks and two Army track-mounted, dual 40mm guns of the 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery. The security force with the convoy returned fire and radioed for air and artillery support. Lima Company of Lieutenant Colonel Robert C. Needham's 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines came down from the Rockpile, and a reinforced platoon from Mike Company moved up from Ca Lu. These maneuvers trapped the ambushers. The action lasted for more than six hours as the Marine units, sup ported by air and artillery, converged on the NVA battalion. As night fell the enemy broke contact and fled to the west. Confirmed Communist losses were light, but 3 Marines and 3 Army artillerymen died, with another 35 wounded.
The North Vietnamese tried again on 7 September at almost the same location, but again the enemy commander miscalculated the location of Marine forces, their ability to maneuver, and the speed with which the Marines could bring supporting arms to bear. The NVA ambushed a convoy at 1010, and again Marine units converged on the site from the north and south. This time the battle continued for more than eight hours. The Marines killed 92 of the enemy before the fight ended at dusk. American casualties in this encounter totaled five killed and 56 wounded.
To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf
I'm in.
38
posted on
01/03/2004 10:26:45 AM PST
by
Darksheare
(I know all I need to know about you. That mysterious duck over there however...)
To: Light Speed
The North Vietnamese tried again on 7 September at almost the same location, but again the enemy commander miscalculated the location of Marine forces, their ability to maneuver, and the speed with which the Marines could bring supporting arms to bear.A lot of our enemies have underestimated our Military, unfortunately they do have our politicians pegged. All they have to do is outlast the military and our politicians will give up.
39
posted on
01/03/2004 10:31:40 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
To: Darksheare
Morning Darksheare!
40
posted on
01/03/2004 10:31:59 AM PST
by
SAMWolf
("Bother," said Pooh, and called in an air strike.)
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