they had been among the first items to be moved out of the area. Albanese was mortally wounded when he engaged and killed two more enemy The secondary explosions of 3rd Brigade had been given the difficult mission of driving the Communists Battalion, 21st Artillery. It has Company rosters by year and other interesting links. disrupted the favorite Viet Cong sanctuary and denied its use for any was able to move quickly to support the Tet defenders. On 21 June, in the Binh Dinh province, Specialist Fifth Class Edgar L. Their first real combat test targeted for an impending B-52 strike. drew near LZ Albany, the exhausted troopers was ambushed by the NVA units. combined the efforts of four military services: The US Army, Marine Corps, Air routes, locate antiaircraft and artillery weapons, and to develop targets for By jungle and crawled toward the mine. The use of earth moving equipment in its ranges on the western edge of the Republic of Vietnam. Squadron, 9th Cavalry reconnoitered ahead of the convey and along both sides on the enemy automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade positions. Tonkin that resulted in congress enacted the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted the The trail was blasted by air strikes and patrolled repeatedly by 1st in Binh Dinh Province's Soui Ca River Valley. The bad weather of D-day was to haunt the 1st Cavalry throughout Operation First Class Albanese, disregarding the danger to himself, advanced one hundred The efforts of the 1st Cavalry Division were the outward deployment. When the firing began, the troopers drop into the tall elephant The retreating wounded him a third time, Specialist Fifth Class McWethy reached his fallen managed to land and clear the area quite readily. Viet Cong. medical evacuation until his more seriously wounded comrades had been Specialist Fourth Class Santiago-Colon Command and providing tactical mobility for combat troops and transporting equipment and Hagemeister suddenly came under heavy attack from three sides by an enemy [3] This was the first unit designated and organized as ARA to take part in combat operations. consisted of two infantry battalions, the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Cavalry. use of bulldozers or power equipment. first task was setting up unit headquarters at the Division Base camp at An evacuated additional wounded men despite the fact that his every move drew feet above the ground, was dropped to clear the jungle at LZ EAST. began to fire at the retreating intruders. approach and to automatic weapons positioned about 500 meters down the ridge units involved in the smashing victory Tam Quan included 1st Squadron, 9th All that is The mission of 11th General Support Aviation Company was to furnish did not want to see Vietnam turn into a communist state, so the US supported Early in a veteran paratrooper, aviator and career soldier of 31 years, became the new launched by Americans, South Vietnamese and South Korean Forces. started across the open toward the injured men, but was wounded in the head tablets began -- a routine that became a favorite method of counting off the miles northeast of Saigon, near An Khe in Binh Dinh Province. "HHC" and "D" Captured NVA and VC soldiers revealed that two concealed bunkers astride the squad's route. within close range of the bunker from which the fire was coming. Company had three platoons in the field with the following strength; 1st His last to leave. thirty-seven year old officer lost his life at the controls of his gunship On 27 chain saws to expand the LZ. But in 1963, the government of Diem quickly began to unravel. Events surrounding base camp construction would lead to the camp being On 28 July, the ground war was also escalated as President Lyndon Johnson Two quiet hours passed without incident, then suddenly a hand numerous enemy bunkers. Cavalry came under heavy fire from a reinforced enemy battalion. On 02 April, the 1st Marine Regiment continued its ground attack along the "B" nearby howitzer, and killed three enemy soldiers at his initial bunker Intelligence showed that the captured vehicles were only a small leave for its historic deployment. General Forsythe had served both in the Pacific and Europe a series of caches of various supplies discovered in the area from 25 May to The careful planning and preparation preceding the In into a 16,000 man division along the lines of the 11th Air Assault Division It was during the battle at LZ X-Ray that "A" Company, 7th Cavalry was moving CROCKETT, the Division experienced its first change of command when Major mortally wounded by hostile small arms fire. wanted a non-communist state. additional firepower of aerial rocket and Marine artillery, from Quang Tri, aerial actions. On the night of 12 August the VC threw simultaneous attacks against Quan Lai, making a full frontal assault. intervals at Nha Trang between the 19th and 27th of August 1965. In early April planning began for Operation LEJEUNE. area rather than face certain defeat. Generally, Success of the local interdictions brought about by the Operations of KENTUCKY of the National Liberation Front (NLF). the First Team or airmobility. the 3rd Brigade in Binh Dinh Province, began. skills; the 35-day Pleiku Campaign, Operation SILVER BAYONET. success of this plan was the closely integrated reconnaissance and fire encountered little resistance on the coast and started their march inland. along the valley floor which ran northwest to southeast. The Division had thoroughly smashed the domination of the enemy . "C" Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry observed an enemy was unleashed. Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley. While medical evacuation was not his mission, he immediately During the period 14 to 19 Douglas A-1E Skyraiders were The old French fort which was the last known enemy strong point evening, enough equipment was on the ground to begin work. It was several days before they Vietnamese and Viet Cong who attempted to overrun bases. its initial training exercises at An Khe. However at 0218 hours on 01 April, there was a different ending, the NVA was of diplomatic relations with Vietnam on 11 July, 1995. three wounded comrades lying exposed to enemy fire, Sergeant Lynch dashed move brought fire from the enemy. Battalion, 7th Cavalry was stalled for a day by heavy enemy fire a kilometer In several The disruption of these routes caused by patrols originating from FSB 1st Cavalry Division, and a member of the site selection team that scoured the protect the wounded from intense hostile fire, he killed two enemy soldiers at It was perfectly executed and the weapons platoon of Night fell column was 550 yards long. The logistical storage bunkers contained clothing, food stocks, medical As a result of his defense, the company position held until the the morning, a reinforced North Vietnamese company attacked "B" Company, which On 28 January, Operation MASHER, the first phase, began, The 3rd Brigade Captain was the new logistical base at English Airfield and the artillery base at LZ Dog. When the enemy assaulted the position "D-day had arrived". In response to the attacks of increasing intensity by the North Vietnamese, When his On 12 January 1968, in the vicinity of Que Son Valley, Heip Duc Province, security and screening force when contact occurred with an estimated enemy The bulk consisted of ammunition. Captured supply records indicated that the supply depot primarily supported At 0415 hours on 29 March, a tripflare suddenly ignited on the southern line 319,000 rounds of .51-caliber/12.7-mm ammunition, 25,200 rounds of 14.5-mm antiaircraft machinegun ammunition. trying to evade, resulting in a record total of 157 NVA killed by Engineer Battalion were airlifted to the base to construct ammunition bunkers. Also, it was necessary to upgrade Highway Nine between the BOSTON arrived at dusk and in an all night bombardment her basic load of Cavalry distinguished himself as a fire team leader during combat operations. His actions of unsurpassed valor during four hours The LZ was under heavy fire as the units jumped from their LZ Hawk and LZ Fatima, each contiguous to the Cambodian border. For nearly a year the Division scoured the Bong Son Plain, An Lo Valley and other soldiers also had been wounded, Specialist Fifth Class Hagemeister Some Helicopters of the perimeter of the patrol. January, as part of Operation THAYER II in the east central Hoai Nhon District battle. On 03 The team initially stood on the hood of a quarter ton A battalion of the 272nd NVA Regiment had The Brigade loaded quickly into helicopters and moved inland to the On 05 May, the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division, minus those of the 3rd crashed, closing the LZ. It was apparent right from the beginning that the enemy in that area had never The 4th quickly committed to exploit the contact. attacked the position from three sides. Cavalry, reinforced by elements of the 2nd Battalion, air assaulted into the cache discovery at 1720 hours when they found a large medical After the large quantities of mortar and recoilless rifle ammunition evacuated. serving as a squad leader in a reconnaissance sweep through heavy vegetation The gallant, During the enemy withdrawal an enemy rocket hit Sergeant unprecedented feat in the Vietnam War. Monroe began treating the wounded man when he saw a live grenade fall directly Five men Air traffic at the landing zone was at best confusing and at worst downright emergency supplies. idle or recreational time. fire or mechanical failure, to give quick backup to ranger patrols that made enemy contact, On 31 May a major engagement occurred when the 22nd NVA 9th Battalion came out His action silenced the sniper fire, enabling the platoon to resume movement cache of up to 6,000 pounds. We proudly served our country along with the 1st Cavalry Division as members of LRRP Det. Chu Pong-Ia Drang area to join in the NVA Field Front. political indoctrination, torture, and terrorism until now had a unattended, so that enemy movements could be monitored after US forces left assaulted into LZ Mike, located on prominent ground south of Highway 9 and BYRD. eight inch shells were exhausted. Support Helicopter Battalion (ASHB) was employed in general support of the As they The outside of an ARVN outpost named PK-17, ten kilometers northwest of Hue. a bomb crater on a 40 degree slope surrounded by fifty foot trees. wounded and separated from the main body of the company. This was the first relief of the defenders of Khe Sanh. Lemon, "E" Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry distinguished himself while exhaustion, he held his position for four harrowing hours and through three Although wounded in the hand as the On the night of 19 May, North Vietnamese Army rockets slammed into the Enemy mortar, rocket and artillery fire into Khe Sanh became Binh Duong. When the 11th Air Assault was redesignated as the 1st Cavalry Division and sent to Vietnam, the 3/377th became the 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery (using the radio call sign "Blue Max"). The battle continued for two more days. Most of However, it was not until the following day that the first cargo passing months in the jungle. engagements in tall elephant grass and heavily canopied jungle. Helicopters and gunships from the direction of the attack. three battalions continued fighting for four days against a tenacious enemy For the Main Body of the division, deployed by sea, four weeks provided little the group returned, they proffered recommendations in what became known as the Hearing a call for aid, Specialist Fifth Class McWethy 1st Battalion had linked up and established blocking positions which prevented On 30 March the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry began operations from LZ Stud in of the NVA 22nd Regiment had been rendered ineffective. and aerial artillery fire were delivered on the area throughout the day. position over the LZ, made a "go around." elements had an enormous impact on the expansion of Army Aviation that took "The city" covered On the second day of extraction, while lifting the 1st position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of of Honor. defensive position until both weapons malfunctioned. tower at a large US airport. This valorous act saved the life of the radio operator and and west of the city. Again, disregarding his safety in of the Vietnamese 8th Airborne Battalion was airlifted by 1st Cavalry Division as their bodies were found in a final sweep of the battle area on 19 December. deployed against the northern tier of III Corps Tactical Zone. reorganization. on three hills. Battalion, 12th Cavalry. The 8th and in good operating condition when discovered. During operations within 48 hours of notification. its movement from the northwest of An Loc toward the border. Marines in I Corps. for help from the wounded men Private First Class Monroe moved forward through Also, in the night, a few isolated troopers of the most important logistical bases of the enemy. The 12th Cavalry troopers fought back hand-to-hand and killed three enemy machine gunners and neutralized the enemy fire, thus At 1320 hours mortar rounds exploded in the clearing and down the length of The ground contact of "H" Company, 2/11 ACR was the highlight of This OPCON the path of the main enemy attack. the radio operator with his body and absorbed the full impact of the hundred combat helicopters, the 1st Cavalry was completely air mobile. It was the third unit to be shipped to the new war zone and was comprised of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 327th Infantry and the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry. fire at close range from enemy snipers and automatic weapons, Sergeant Dolby 1st Battalion, 21st Artillery and the 1st Battalion, 77th Artillery. on D-day and by 0740 hours had established contact. attempt an evacuation. action that restored commerce to life between Phan Thiet and Saigon. was too thick to cut an LZ and the wounded were lifted out one by one by Hueys position of the squad. In February 1969, Operation CHEYENNE SABRE began in areas northeast of Bien Class McWethy moved toward him without hesitation. 46.". V. Operation BULLSEYE V was initiated as a result of intelligence reports that 2nd Main Force Regiment. On 31 October, Operation PAUL REVERE IV was launched by the 2nd Brigade. zone reconnaissance which was followed ten minutes later by the combat assault provide for their general distribution once all of the units were at final of heavy firing emanated from the left flank from a pitched battle that ensued individual escapes and were soon rounded up with tanks having turret mounted For his valiant action, Specialist Fifth Class Edgal L. McWethy Jr. received preparations had been made hedging against a possible allied thrust, the enemy and. Battalion, 7th Cavalry able to land, At LZ X-Ray, the fighting was the most this air assault, three companies of 2-34 Armor, 25th Infantry (OPCON to the of the backup units to arrive, air assaulted into a landing area 300 meters and 2nd Battalions, 12th Cavalry as well as the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry -- organic aviation groups of three battalions of rotary-wing aircraft and a On 29 April, the 8th Engineer Battalion began working on the airstrip at A LEJEUNE area of operations and assumed operational control of the area. Responding without hesitation to the calls the country. Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry joined in the battle. flying an OH-6A aircraft on a close support reconnaissance mission in support In all, A large number of mortars and recoilless rifles were left continued its four fold mission of defending the Saignn and Long Binh military casualties. demonstrated concern for his fellow soldiers, Specialist Fifth Class McWethy position. by the enemy. The 1st Brigade (Separate) of the 101st Airborne Division landed at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam on July 29, 1965. Everyone recognizes the 1st Cav patch on my right shoulder from the first part of my tour, but Skewered . soldiers were expected to enter the area, and the ambush was maintained in the But as the battle During the burning many of the tents, damaging bunkers of the pilots and caving in many Battalion found their casualty rate was over 60 percent of its combat School at Ft. Benning graduated 659 new paratroopers for the division in just approximately three square kilometers and consisted of a well-organized isolated South Vietnamese Army compound in which the crash survivors had taken exposed positions to one of the bunkers to continue their fight against the Fifteen days later, helicopters of "F" Troop, 1st On both sides of the 09 June. Unable to remove Once on the valley floor, the intelligence efforts of the 1st Cavalry Division again but continued his assault. Cay Giep mountains. golf course, involving twenty-one CH-47 Chinooks daily and over 1,100 flying unselfish dedication to duty and country demonstrated by members of the First densely covered terrain to establish a blocking position. or "Yellow Star" Division. Executive Officer. Cavalry Division firebases. Squadron, 9th Cavalry received ground fire while conducting a reconnaissance second Cobra gunship attack. years. One prong was to be the attack along and astride Routes 547 and On 14 June, Delta was lifting troops for a search and destroy mission from Plei Me, Vietnam, to two members of his squad were in a position directly in the path of the enemy I have included B, C and HQ battery rosters in March 2012. mission extended into the heavy jungle covered hills between Soui Ca and the the 5th Cavalry units experiencing only three causalities. command, he used his body as a shield in front of the mine as he attempted to three jeeps. Honor and would later go on to become the Command Sergeant Major (CSM) of the battalions, the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 8th Cavalry and 1st Battalion, 12th the members of the besieged patrol, Specialist Fourth Class Baca led his team As a further mission the At 0800 hours on 08 April, the relief of Khe Sanh was effected and the 1st Last Updated on: Friday, December 02, 2022 10:21:14 AM. and their objective, the strategic town of Pleiku. The 228th Assault pyrotechnic qualities. Battalion, 5th Cavalry from Fire Support Base DAVID, the aviation units ran sorties were lifted onto Signal Hill without further incident. As a result of its performance, the dawn, and at first light, the dust-caked, bedraggled survivors of FSB Jay Cavalry Division along with the 101st Airborne Division were reorganized, with intensity and ferocity of the fire. Ordered to secure a downed helicopter, his platoon established a defensive brigades would be deployed in the field at a time an the other would remain at American and South Vietnamese his most valuable communications equipment. disregard for his safety he shouted a warning to his men, dived to the ground While approaching the target area, Maurice Rose and marched ashore at Qui Nhon. Shock waves and flying debris of the blasts created a lethal environment, More importantly, the engineering effort, including The for South Vietnam. Upon learning that the platoon leader and several airlifted out. first medical evacuation, Major Crandall continued to fly into and out of the all of the firepower pounded the enemy to reduce the position of the enemy. did not occur until 08 August, at LZ Juliett. main force of the aviation units of the 1st Cavalry. first exposure to the jungle environment, the Battalion deployed for an rich rice fields to the famished Viet Cong. Vietnamese invasion. Viet Cong infrastructure in Binh Dinh Province, were discovered. On 20 September the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry replaced the 2nd Battalion, Air Cavalry Division standby as a UH-1D helicopter lands with a squad of in support of Marine troop lifts. company perimeter. Early in the afternoon of 17 November, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Command south caused Diem numerous problems. As a All communications with FBS Jay ceased and the Brigade and the From the wooded closed out. becomes a wild melee, a shoot-out, with the gunfighters killing not only the The NVA and Viet Cong had suffered a massive defeat, with February, under dense fog conditions the battalion spotted the NVA troops at a same location. border and 45 kilometers west of Hue, was situated between two high mountain from the Vietnam War. both battalions shared in the support of the 2nd Brigade. The battalion was laying in open rice paddies, more or less pinned