The flare was armed and rolling loose in the aircraft. I am compiling a history of our Regiment's service in the war. But a battle was waiting instead. The brigade was comprised of 2d Battalion, 3d . Another typist gives MPC currency notes to the soldiers. He did not yet have a five-level as a loadmaster, and without a five-level, he could not be promoted, and if not promoted, he could not re-enlist. The video has no narration. Alsoand central to the story of Spooky 71it carried about 50 magnesium flares to illuminate targets on the ground. Levitows Medal of Honor is prominently displayed at Enlisted Heritage Hall. Media Battle of Long Binh 1969 Parts 1 & 2 11thACRCombat Operations After Action Report of Attacks in Northern Binh Long Province 10-13aug69 (All content and photos on this site are the property of their named owners and may not be copied or used for any other purposes without permission. Apparently, it was impossible for an Iowa corn farmer to get his mind around the idea of hundreds of men actually trying to kill each other. Inside the aircraft is a mannequin of Levitow, struggling to get the flare to the door. This article was written by John E. Gross and originally published in the February 2008 issue of Vietnam Magazine. 25/26 January 1969. June The second of two new outpost's was built on the western end of the Finger Of Land. Among those present was Carpenter, the commander of Spooky 71, now retired and living in Marshall, Tex. Unit flags at the headquarters. The pilot, copilot, and navigator were in the forward cabin, and the flight engineer, two gunners, and the loadmaster were in the cargo bay in back. Thus, Spooky 71 was leaking two highly inflammable substances. A change of command at 2nd Field Force Artillery Headquarters at Long Binh, Vietnam. Surely neither the. Shrapnel and jagged shards of metal ricocheted through the cargo bay, and a shock wave from the explosion swept the interior of the airplane. 1st Signal Brigade 1966-1972, Saigon, Long Binh VISIT HOME PAGE 101st Airborne Division 1965-1971, Bien Hoa, Phan Rang, Phu Bai VISIT HOME PAGE 9th Infantry Division 1966-1969, Bear Cat, Dong Tam He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Nov. 17, 2000. Soldiers counting the notes. The Air Force Scientific Advisory Boarda group of experts and researchers the department taps for independent advice on key science and technology effortsis undertaking four studies in 2023, including two that will likely inform the services approach to Secretary Frank Kendalls operational imperatives. Since my finger was through the safety pin ring the safety pin was pulled.. The series of assaults met heavy resistance by the battalion of PAVN who had turned the villagers sandbagged shelters into a series of well-fortified defensive positions. Long Binh Post was a sprawling logistics facility and the largest U.S. Army base in Vietnam, with a peak of 60,000 personnel in 1969. Levitow and one of the gunners, Sgt. 1969 Amphitheatre - Long Binh - by Dave Ondrey by manhhai 6 1 BOB HOPE Show - Long Binh - Largest Audience Show by manhhai 5 1 1969 Amphitheatre - Long Binh - by Dave Ondrey by manhhai 5 1 LONG BNH 1967 by manhhai 5 2 1 2. 28 March Ambush and Recon Team #75, and #76 were on a joint night operation on Hill-15 in the southeastern sector of the TAOR. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press. The paperwork for advancement in skill level (from three to five) in his original specialty had been lost. It was an unlucky hit. My hope was that no more than one or two VC would reach my position. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. at the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh, South Vietnam, both patient and unit members, to find each other and join in the. Quan Loi August 12/13, 1969 by Bill Rubenstein. We had a perfect view of the VC hill, and it slowly began to dawn on me that for the past seven months, as each evenings shift began with my casually scanning the quiet hills to the south and southeast of Long Binh, there was a fair probability I was being scanned right backlikely by some VC ammo counter busily inventorying his AK-47 bullets, 122 mm rockets, 82 mm mortars and B-40 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, while I counted M16 bullets, Claymore mines and howitzer shells. The basic course at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland allocated one week in the field for brushing up on combat skills. Even in the navigation compartment the flash lit up the inside of the aircraft like daylight. 5 Lt xem. I realize that what I say will be represented not only as a Vietnam veteran but as a Medal of Honor recipient, and the media will have a field day. Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off. [4]:100, After dawn on 23 February a VC unit was detected near the Ha Vang District and the Marine security force killed 6 and captured 2 and forced the rest of the unit to retreat into a cemetery where they were attacked by the ARVN 21st Ranger Battalion the next day losing a further 57 killed. In 1998, Air Mobility Command named a C-17 Globemaster, The Spirit of Sgt. The last major battle occurred along the berm of the rifle range on Highway 317 in the early morning just after daylight. The airplane made it over the minefield and onto the overrun, just barely. Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. South Vietnamese woman 1969 Sep 15, 2017. . Spooky 71 flew with a crew of eight. The spilled ammunition19,000 rounds of it by Platts estimatewould start cooking off in seconds. For reasons unknown, it had not been emptied when the AC-47 went to Vietnam. The attack lifted momentarily, and the gunship began dropping flares to provide illumination requested by a nearby ground unit. History is not a fixed set of facts. Answer (1 of 6): Now I can answer that from a very odd perspective. Tran Van Thiet, 19, had been left behind. The gunners kept the guns loaded and working during the flight. [2][3], Since early February 1969, the 1st Marine Division had noted an upsurge in PAVN/VC activity around Da Nang. By Richard E. Killblane - Transportation Branch Historian September 15, 2008. "Text of Camp Lejeune Committee's Report to Commanding General." For my personal defense, I relied upon a somewhat rusty M16 kept around the office. The attacks on Bin Ha, Bien Hoa Air Base and Long Binh Post, occurred during the early hours of 31 January 1968 and continued until 2 February 1968.The attacks by Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces were one of several major attacks around Saigon in the first days of the Tet offensive.The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted . On the morning of 26 February following Napalm and Snake Eye air strikes, Company L, reinforced by Company M assaulted the PAVN position making slow progress against determined PAVN resistance. The occupants were helplessly slammed against the floor and fuselage like so many rag dolls., At that moment, a loud explosion was heard and a bright flash filled the aircraft, said Maj. William P. Platt, the navigator. The remaining elements of the company were held in ready reserve. After years of Army training one cannot help but itch for a shot at the enemy, especially when all the advantages are on ones own side. After Levitow left the Air Force, he worked in veterans affairs for more than 22 years. Dedicated to those who were there. 128 KB. They fought to the last because (1) they were told that they would be tortured mercilessly by US soldiers should they be captured, and (2) being Buddhists, they did not want to die on foreign soil, but hoped to escape so they could go home to North Vietnam to die. Many of the tracers bounced off the ground like rubber balls. Many features may not work properly without it. . As Ole-Luk-Oie, the pen name for British officer Ernest Swinton, wrote in the 1915 book The Great Tab Dope: Who can blame a desire for the real thing, or professional zeal, whether it be that of a burglar, a Harley Street appendix hunter, or a trainer of blind monkeys?. The retired Green Beret, who was a trailblazer as one of the first Black officers to join the Special Forces, told Military.com on Thursday that he . Location: Long Binh Vietnam. I heard that five American soldiers were killed and some 30 wounded. He spent almost two months recuperating in Japan before returning to Vietnam in April. The pilot was Maj. Kenneth B. Carpenter, flying his first combat mission as aircraft commander. For months I observed various combat actions outside the perimeter and every now and then even sought cover beneath a nearby steel desk as a stray mortar or artillery round came flying in our direction, which, whenever it occurred, was astonishing enough. ATTACK ON LONG BINH POST. They could'nt tell how big the post was, for the post's perimeter lighting had not yet been installed. By mid-1967, United States Army, Vietnam (USARV), 1st Logistical Command and many other Army units dispersed in Saigon were moved to Long Binh Post to resolve centralization, security, and troop billeting issues. In early August 1969, the 1st Infantry Division determined that its old nemesis, the 9th PLAF Division, was preparing for a new offensive in Binh Duong province.By this time, the 9th Division had been reorganized and redesignated as a PAVN (NVA) division. During the Vietnam War, Long Binh Post was the U.S. Army's largest base located in the former South Vietnam. Navy) The enemy fire was situated across Highway 1A, directing a heavy concentration of fire into the 12th Group and II Field Force compounds. On searching the site at dawn it was found that 2 PAVN 81mm mortar teams had been destroyed in the barrage. The enemy would occasionally probe us, rocket us, mortar us and more than likely sometimes even shop at our PXs, but a ground attack? Full-scale sweeping operations to secure the perimeter began just after noon that day. The rounds landed on post with some igniting the POL fuel site east of the highway. I am interested in corresponding with any Black Scarf soldiers who . Jerry Breast/U.S. The enemy was too close for artillery, so gunships were . Ambush at Ap Nhi. It was modified from the C-47 transport aircraft, plenty of which were available. Between the town of Bien Hoa and the base was an old French minefield, never cleared and fenced by barbed wire. Aerial view of (USARV) United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters Complex at Long Binh, Vietnam. On 9 May 1969, Pentagon correspondent William Beecher stated that US air raids against ammo dumps and base camps in Cambodia . Dennis E Haines, Recipient of the Images Of Bravery Award, Patient at the 24th Evacuation Hospital, December 1968. It was originally called the FC-47D (for fighter cargo) but subsequently changed to AC-47 (attack cargo) in response to objections from fighter pilots. Hc_Thn. center, as they run down Route 1 near Trang Bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding places on June 8, 1972. The next day, I was promoted to E-4, retroactive nine months with pay, Levitow said, but by then, he had decided to take an early out. Combat training for ordnance officers at best is rudimentary. I try to control what I say, although for the most part, Im very quiet. Viet Cong sappers infiltrated the base and lay in long grass between the runways for several hours before placing their satchel charges. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. He was the center of much attention but also the victim of bureaucracy. Shopping Cart | We heard that the commander of the tanks was Col. George S. Patton Jr. On 19 February, a defector surrendered to Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces and revealed a large VC force would attack key installations in the Saigon area to include Long Binh Post. If you like this movie trailer, go to https://militaryvideo.com/ to purchase the entire 60 minute video. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. The battle area was quickly illuminated by large spotlights supplemented with dozens of flares fired by our artillery. Amazingly five or six Viet Cong actually did sneak into the compound, but, luckily or unluckily for my sake, depending on the outcome, not in my area. Soldiers of the 221st Signal Company Vietnam have military payment certificates (MPC) exchanged at their headquarters in Long Binh Vietnam as part of a country wide general order. Week of December 12-18, 2021: Heroism Amidst an Ambush, December 17, 1968. I hated it. More to his liking, he went home to Connecticut and became a medical administration officer in the VA hospital system and special assistant to the chief of Medical Administration Service in New England. Filmmaker Mel Brooks once said he looked upon his Army experience in World War II as a newsreel.. He was discharged from active duty after his Vietnam tour and shortly afterward was assigned to an Army Reserve unit. We were young men in the U.S. Army. Trang ch> attack on Titan final season 3 part 1 > Bnh lun 6. I must add, though, that from a different perspective the battle I witnessed in Vietnam was exactly the same as those I had seen in movies: One was just as unreal as the other. Under Col. Robert Smoker, Task Force 99s new commander, the unit will continue to try to cut through red tape and field new systems quickly. It isnt every day one peaceably sets off for work knowing someone is intent on ones personal demise. 23 July 1969 - SFC Eddie Hamby escorts Sgt McIntosh to Moc Hoa by boat on first leg of stops heading stateside. . Spookys operators had successfully resisted pressure to change the call sign. [4]:99, Before dawn on 23 February, the first day of Tt, the PAVN/VC fired 25 122mm rockets at Da Nang's deep water port hitting an ARVN ammunition dump and a fuel tank farm at Da Nang Air Base and cause minor damage to an A-6A and 6 helicopters at the Air Base. After the battle came another shock. An ambush platoon reaction team that was held in ready reserve was assigned to conduct a sweep of the tree line where the post perimeter had received heavy enemy fire from during the early morning attack. NEW on HistoryNet: Attack on Long Binh, a 1969 Viet Cong attack on a US logistics base in Vietnam #VietnamWar http://trib.al/poYUWdo The Tet 1969 offensive was carried out mostly by Viet Cong irregulars. Flares took away the cover of darkness, on which the Viet Cong depended for their style of warfare. These ingredientswhen mixed with the C-ration Beef, Spiced with Sauce or the Beans w/ Frankfurter Chunks in Tomato Saucewould have provided the Viet Cong a feast for the ages. The attacks by Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces were one of several major attacks around Saigon in the first days of the Tet Offensive. On the second firing pass, the mortars firing on Long Binh were silenced.. Supported videos include: Long Binh/Bien Hoa; Da Nang; References; External links; Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off. License Agreement | This place is situated in Bien Hoa Town, Dong Nai, Vietnam, its geographical coordinates are 10 54' 0" North, 106 51' 0" East and its original name (with diacritics) is Long Bnh. Upon arrival, we observed a large battle going on in the south and east perimeters of the base, Carpenter said. The training group headquarters building at Lackland AFB, Tex., is named for him. Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. He is remembered at the Walk of Fame at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Levitow died Nov. 8, 2000, at his home in Connecticut after a lengthy battle with cancer. A soldier with a typewriter creates a receipt. Long Binh Jail was a prison for American soldiers on the outskirts of Saigon with notoriously harsh conditions. Vit Trinh thng hiu tht l trn Vit Trinh, sinh ngy 27 mon 11 nm 1972, l con gi din vin nng lng in nh, tn dn chng trnh, o din vi gim kho ngi vit Nam. Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. 20 July 1969 circa - Mortar attack on base camp A-414 Thanh Tri. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. On 23 February 1969, Task Force Privette (A and B Troops, 1st Squadron, 11th Cav and a company of 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry) reacted to an attack on the Long Binh perimeter, killing 88 NVA. Dense blue smoke was pouring out of the burning flare fuze.. Nowhere, however, is Levitows memory recalled more vividly than at the Enlisted Heritage Research Institute at the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex, Ala. Levitow willed his Medal of Honor to the Enlisted Heritage Hall there. Terms & Conditions | I felt as if someone had taken a two-by-four and squarely hit me against the whole right-hand side of my body, Levitow said later.
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