Series, Other In fact, if anything, the operation got off to an inauspicious start. The scar on his face, a wound that required more than 500 field stitches, is Hellers legacy; a reminder of the men lost and wounded and the reverberation of war. document.write ("?zoneid="+zoneId+"&block=1&blockcampaign=1"); The Battle at Ap Bac Changed Americas View of the Vietnam War by dnewbold 7/25/2006 On January 3,1963, several American war correspondents approached General Paul D. Harkins to ask what he thought about the battle the 7th Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Division had just fought at a village named Bac. This answer is: Heller paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he continued. Viet-Nam: Current American Concern and Misunderstanding; National States helicopters carrying Vietnamese troops into battle. Explore historical photos, gripping stories, poetry and song submitted by MRFA members. 0 28 July-2 August 1967: Coronado II. On January 7, the Joint Chiefs of Staff authorized Army Chief of Staff During the evening of 19 March, the Viet Cong Ninth Division attacked the base with machine guns, mortars, rockets and small arms fire. [5] Later Wolfe's track was directly hit for a second time by an RPG-2 rocket. If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one. 0000001118 00000 n After discussing the pros and cons with the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, the brigade commander decided to continue the operation, even though the loss of the blocking force did not augur well for success. Links to friends, affiliates and other sites you should visit! In rapid succession they destroyed an automatic rifle position and light machine gun post, and then penetrated the enemys main line to destroy a mortar which had been causing some trouble for the rest of Company A. Several personnel carriers were hit and several troops killed and wounded. We dont sit around and tell war stories, we just celebrate each other and the fact that its great to be alive.. xref 13-17 June 1967: Operations in southern NHOM TRACH, including attach I-10 Headquarters. They came to know each other. distorted both the importance of the action and the damage suffered by of the facts. He conceded that the South Vietnamese forces had made [1]:104 The operation plan called for the deployment of five Companies of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry Regiment into the operations area by assault craft and sweep south towards the ARVN 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry blocking positions near the town of Ap Bac in Tien Giang Province. Early on 2 May, elements of the Wild Ones composed of Company B and Company C, 3/60th, plus the d. 7th ARVN took all area North of route 4. a. Some light small arms fire had been met by the southern-most platoon advancing along the stream, but the enemy had quickly withdrawn when his fire was returned. Explore our Navy section: awards, stories, points of interest, origin of navy terminology and much, much more! The attacking force was stopped within 15m of the perimeter. That is a huge, huge loss., Lieutenant Heller and his fellow soldiers in . The whole battalion lost about 47 total. [6] there are days. Its what happens, unfortunately, Heller said. Explore our catalog and purchase official MRFA gear here. They had biggest bag of the operation. In the 3/60th, casualties were unbelievably light. Situated near Ap Bac Village in the Long An Province of Vietnam, the soldiers of Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry were slogging through a couple hundred yards of open rice paddies when they stumbled into chaos. Most of the Tornados were drafted in May 1966 and went through basic training in Ft. Riley, Kansas. It was apparent that the climax was rapidly approaching. The troops on the ground began digging in around the rice paddies to secure their LZ, awaiting the rest of See more Bi nh m Major General Bi nh m (born c. 1926 30 May 2009) was a general of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Alcala concluded that it was an attempt by the Viet Cong to recover bodies. Anything and everything that couldn't fit in any of the other categories. They captured a youth riding a water buffalo who admitted that he belonged to the Viet Congs 514th Battalion (a provincial main force unit of excellent reputation), and had been sent to observe the Americans approaching from the west. //]]>-->, Alpha Company walked into a batallion-sized ambush, said Powell resident and Army veteran Jim Heller. to the Joint Chiefs at the end of January, see Document 26. Series, History of the Chester V. Felt, Admiral Harry Initially the artillery covered the northwest, west, and southwest sides of the perimeter while aircraft attacked on a north-south axis east of Route 13. Haszard noted the growing size of the communist offensive and decided to move with his command element to A Troop's position. Then a helicopter came in to pick up the wounded; the second helicopter came in and was shot down.. Explore our Navy section: awards, stories, points of interest, origin of navy terminology and much, much more! It was the day after Fathers Day, June 19, 1967. [4], The Americans concluded that the communist mortar positions were 1.52 kilometers west of Ap Bau Bang in and around an old village that had been destroyed. Operation Concordia was an operation conducted by the U.S. - William Shakespeare, Henry V, Navy Cross recipients, Distinguished Service Cross recipients, and Medal of Honor recipients from the Navy Mobile Riverine Force and Army 9th Infantry Division. The brigade commander ordered the assault as soon as the air strike, then in progress, was finished. As soon as the woods were reached the infantrymen jumped out and began destroying the enemy troops in their position, where they had been trapped and pinned down by the heavy volume of fire. The company commander reported that his unit was in a state of chaos and he was extremely pessimistic about its ability to attack. f. By agreement with 7th ARVN, MRF had a VN Ranger Battalion as MRF reserve and employed it in combat. Since no officers could be identified among the enemy dead, except for the battalion surgeon, there was reason to suspect that these key people may have moved out earlier in the day, and possibly were some of those that had been encountered by Company B. Its a good family of vets, and its always a joy to see them.. Darkness finally came to the rice paddies of Dien Thoung Province in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, but it came slowly. (Summary telegram 677 from ARPAC to JCS, January 4; Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam It took a lot of guts, he wrote, on the part of those pilots and [Page 3] crews to go back into the area to Refresher training period. Visibility was excellent and the day was hot and clear. Captured major caches of weapons, ammo, rice and medical supplies. The gunship immediately attacked this group, killing an estimated 40. 0000001392 00000 n Mobile Riverine Force in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) from 1921 June 1967 against the Viet Cong (VC). True, our division G2 had indicated that a sizeable enemy force was in the Ap Bac area. D. Gilpatric, Roswell Some rice had been found, more proof that Viet Cong had been in the area. The 12 members of the Tornados gathered the next morning at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for a short service and remembrance. Thank you for stopping by. American Army captain was killed while out front pleading with them to I yelled for a medic and one ran across the field.. 2 May 1967: Battle of Ap Bac, not riverine, but most significant battle fought to date by 2nd Brigade. To the south of the position was a rubber plantation, while wooded areas were prominent to the north and west. e. GVN Committed a 2nd Battalion Brigade of VN Marines in US Zone. [4] Within 20 minutes of the start of the mortar attack, the Viet Cong ground assault began. At about this time, Company A succeeded in getting a squad across the stream under cover of supporting fire. Harry D. Felt, Commander in From Albert's Peach Cobbler to an Irish Chicken Dinner, we have them all! Losses in the 3/47th were more severe. Considered small-scale action, Ap Bac was fought on January 2, 1963, in the hamlet (ap in Vietnamese) of Bac. Explore artwork by members, and read historical articles and books. Palm Beach, January 7; ibid.)