Posted on 01/30/2021 4:17:04 PM PST by redcatcherb412
Dick Freeman, 40th PIO
In the early morning hours of 31 January 1968, the Brigade Main Base at Camp Frenzell-Jones (Bien Hoa/Long Binh) came under heavy 122mm rocket, mortar, and crew-served weapons fire.Following the artillery assault came waves of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese from the 274th and 275th Viet Cong Main Force Regiments.The mission of the enemy units were to overrun BMB on their way into Saigon. They were to replenish their supplies, weapons, and ammunition at BMB after destroying all components of the 199th!
The next morning after the all clear and in the days to follow, it was reported that over 500 enemy KIA’s were in and around the base camp's perimeter wire.Camp Frenzell-Jones had been hit hard but not breached.
Ho Nai Village, right across the road from BMB had been heavily infiltrated and overrun, however. For the next two days, elements of the 4-12th Infantry would be heavily engaged in clearing all enemy forces from the village.
There were so many AO's that got hit that night and so many on this site fought there. Doubt if anyone forgets good old TET '68.
I was on the perimeter wire that night.
Where were you? Let's hear it from TET survivor Freepers.
What we called the “Tet Offensive” was what General Giap considered his “General Uprising,” the climatic action that was to overthrow the Republic of VietNam and drive the Americans (and their allies) out of the country. Militarily, it failed about as badly as Hitler’s Battle of the Bulge did in WWII.
Years later, one of the commanders of the US 9th Inf Div met the man who had been his opposite number in the Mekong Delta region at the time. “You know,” the American said, “You never beat us in the field. We won every battle over battalion size.” “That is true,” the Communist leader replied. “It is also irrelevant.”
[Viet Nam veteran: C/4/47; 2nd Brigade; 9th Inf. Div.]
A cowardly act by the Commies. Tet is THE national holiday,...Christmas, New Years, birthday, birthdate of Martin Luther King all rolled into one single day, a day reserved for feasting and remembering family. Yet these cowards launched a surprise attack knowing their brethren were engaged in solemn celebration. Despicable!
Thanks for bringing some history back to light. I missed Tet I but was there for the mini-tet of 1969. Two NVA companies tried to get through the wire at Long Binh but left 120 behind. It was surrealistic watching one of our guys (Inf Cpt) crawl down the ditch behind the bunker line and methodically take out 5 sappers using grenades. His first name was Gayle but never knew his last name. Seems like a long time ago.....
The enemy here - the leadership of the Leftist "antiwar" organizations worked directly with the enemy, including a virtual commuter service to Hanoi and back throughout the war.
I only fault our government for failing to convict these traitors and expose all that they were doing while we were investing our bodies and lives over there.
HQ Comm., 2511, top of the hill. Flown out of there Aug. ‘66.
Best thing going there was the hot Tiger beer.
Sorry I missed the show.
Semper Fidelis
My friends the media lost the war. Didn’t mean that LBJ had to give it to them. Wm. Westmorland was a liar and a yes man. After WW2 we were all patriotic and thought we could kick anybody’s ass. There were plenty of naive young men that wanted to go out and prove it. VN gave them that opportunity. Then there were the ‘leaders’ who wanted to be heroes by using their subordinates as cannon fodder. I won’t say those that fled to Canada were cowards but when you have a war monger like LBJ prosecuting the war and a Jimmy Carter forgiving the draft evaders it means 58k lost their lives while others didn’t know what they were doing. Not me pal.
For all their expertise in recognizing and fighting a foreign enemy, they seemed quite inept at fighting a domestic one within which was allied with the enemy without.
Imagine what would have happened during the Second World War if we had a pro-enemy Third Column openly demonstrating for the Nazis or the Japanese, carrying their flags and chanting for their victory over us.
They would have made short work of them - but for some reason, our lives weren't worth supporting during our war.
Gave all my 199th documents and such to the local VFW that was collecting stuff from the various units that fought in Vietnam. My Red Catcher books and emblems were the first that they had received. Had to educate them about 199th. Can’t remember all the details after all these years.
May Walter Cronkite, on the other hand, receive the opposite. That leftist has the blood of thousands of American young men on his hands.
GD Walter Cronkite.
He has the blood of thousands of American young men directly on his hands for his lies on CBS News. His lies killed our collective heart and will to fight and win, extending the war needlessly.
He was a covert leftist that fooled America into believing he was a patriot and became known as “the most trusted man in television”. After he retired, he removed his mask and proudly announced his leftism, writing for a leftist rag.
GD Walter Cronkite.
And my dad said Walter Crankcase lied about the whole thing.
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