long binh attack 1969

The medics cut away the dead and contaminated flesh to prevent infection, and Levitow was flown to the big Air Force hospital at Tachikawa, Japan, where 40 pieces of shrapnel were removed between his knee and his hip. The loadmaster on Spooky 71 was A1C John L. Levitow, 23, from Glastonbury, Conn. He flew two more AC-47 combat missions and showed up at the flight line for a third when the squadron commander told him he was grounded. Levitow was struggling toward the flare despite the violent maneuvering of the aircraft. [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. 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. 1971 serving with the 95th Military Police Battalion. independent documentary Letters from Long Binh. Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, one year after the original Tet Offensive. The idea seemed absurd! 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. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. SUMMARY: On December 17, 1968, a 39-vehicle convoy from the 48th Transportation Group was moving ammunition and food between Long Binh and Dau Tieng, South Vietnam when the lead vehicles were suddenly hit by mortar fire. At that instant the flare separated and ignited in the air, but clear of the aircraft.. Viet Cong attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (1966) From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Nov. Dec. On 18 February a Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines called in artillery fire on a group of PAVN/VC 5km south of Marble Mountain resulting in 21 secondary explosions believed to be from detonating rockets. To Love Ru Tp 22 - Vit Sub. He was the center of much attention but also the victim of bureaucracy. . The cavalry troopers also stumbled onto a large tunnel complex not more than a mile from our perimeter. For my personal defense, I relied upon a somewhat rusty M16 kept around the office. The research for this After Action Report included OPERATIONAL REPORTS, DAILY STAFF JOURNALS and DUTY OFFICER S LOGS at the Battalion, Brigade and Division levels located in the National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. I worked for Pan American Airways and lived with the 99th Replacement Battallion across from USARV Headquarters in Long Binh from October 1969 through December 1969. Capt. Tran Van Thiet, 19, had been left behind. The prisoners revealed that their mission had been to attack Bien Hoa city and the Bien Hoa Air Base. Additional South Vietnamese Regional Force elements moved in and the ARVN troops continued to contain the PAVN/VC forces until 11:00 when assault forces, in the form of the ARVN 36th Ranger Battalion, reinforced the contact. Later I learned that we were attacked by the 274th Regiment, 5th Viet Cong Division, which was repulsed by the firepower of the 720th Military Police Battalion, the 18th Military Police Brigade and helicopter gunships from the 145th Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade. The MP squad suffered three wounded. As Levitow dragged one of the other airmen toward the center of the cabin, he saw the flare between No. Note: Your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. More than 500 airmen attended the funeral, and most of them followed the caisson to the grave site. Some of my first recollections as a youngster from the cornfields of Iowa were the television and radio presentations of an ominous phenomena known as the yellow peril, although on our black-and-white TV sets this threat appeared more as black swaths oozing first from Russia across China, then over North Korea and finally covering the countries of Southeast Asia on their way across the ocean to the United States. 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 More than 100 individual and crew-served weapons were captured. If your URL is correct, you'll see an image preview here. The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted . COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT, VIETNAM 1969. Back home in Connecticut, he learned that his Medal of Honor had been approved. Levitows progress was clearly marked with his own blood on the floor of the aircraft.. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press. Each one of the guns could fire two speeds, Levitow said. I was a 2nd Lieutenant, on my second night in Vietnam when the attack on Long Bing Post began at 2 AM. I am interested in corresponding with any Black Scarf soldiers who . The brigade was comprised of 2d Battalion, 3d . Ahead of the release of Pentagons 2024 budget release in the coming weeks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin touted major investments by the DOD across a broad array of portfolios, including the nuclear triad, space, and next-generation fighter aircraftwhile promising once-in-a-generation expenditures for shipyards and munitions manufacturing in particular. Trans primary motivations seem quite similar to our own: eating and getting home. --- and so it went for lots of the fighting in Vietnam. 25/26 January 1969. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Passing of colors to the new commander. Long Binh Jail was a prison for American soldiers on the outskirts of Saigon with notoriously harsh conditions. M113 armored personnel carriers and M551 Sheridan armored reconnaissance vehicles supported the forces on the ground while AH-1 Cobra gunships and OH-6 helicopters provided air support. 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. For the first time the U.S. territory of Tinian, a small island around 100 miles north of the American military hub of Guam, hosted F-22 Raptors. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. The villagers told the ARVN forces how they were driven out of their homes and confined to an area near a creek running alongside the village. Contact Us | The Medal of Honor was presented to John L. Levitow at the White House by President Nixon on May 14, 1970. The ARVN units swiftly moved into blocking positions, and by daybreak, the PAVN/VC were surrounded. One of the larger battles of the Vietnam War had been fought right in front of me, and I never saw the enemy. Sixteen bulldozers were quickly deployed to spend the rest of the day sealing the entrances. The gunship carried about 150,000 rounds of ammunition on each flight, Levitow said. It was used as a base of operation for the increased ambush and reconnaissance patrols conducted in the uninhabited eastern end of the TAOR. The idea was quite unsettling. See Long Binh photos and images from satellite below, explore the aerial photographs of Long Binh in Vietnam. By Richard E. Killblane - Transportation Branch Historian September 15, 2008. It was another hot February day in 1969 at the sprawling Long Binh logistics base about 20 miles northeast of Saigon. A regimental commissar had assured the men in Trans company that the attack would be easily successful and after it was over we would be able to go home to North Vietnam. The rationale given for the supposedly easy victory: The VC battalion would face only desk soldiers without field experience (ouch!). It was Feb. 24, 1969, and the second day of the Tet counteroffensive. Thus, my daily mission (with the aid of my eight-man crew) was to account for all the ammunition in South Vietnam, at least every round not yet in the hands of the fighting troops. Three B Company ambush squads were positioned along the eastern end of the TAOR on the "Finger Of Land," and a reinforced squad of twelve MP's, including two Scout Dog handlers from the 212th MP Company, were positioned on Hill-15 along the Buong River. Surely neither the. [4]:99, The PAVN/VC attacks on Da Nang were a failure resulting in more than 500 dead. Shot up and near stalling, Spooky approached Bien Hoa in the dark. As usual, I initially took refuge under my desk, then ordered everyone to rush downstairs on the assumption that any direct hits would likely riddle the upper floor. Color: Color. He was a man that was proud to stand tall. John L. Levitow. It isnt every day one peaceably sets off for work knowing someone is intent on ones personal demise. On 8 February patrols from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines found 7 122mm rockets 14km southwest of Da Nang and another 13 140mm rockets 2km further south. Numerous bases were attacked, these attacks were all beaten back but did inflict casualties and reinforced the fact that PAVN/VC forces were able to mount attacks at will. [1], The VC made several attempts to advance on the base, but were halted. The Viet Cong were no longer in the tunnels around Long Binh, most probably having taken the subway back to the main tunnel complex at Cu Chi. Beyond that was an open area where tanks were patrolling back and forth, apparently looking for VC who had squirreled themselves down into rat holes trying to avoid the tanks. Hugging the deadly device to his body, he dragged himself back to the rear of the aircraft and hurled the flare through the open cargo door. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Im very careful what I do, he said in an oral history interview in 1986. More recently, Enlisted Heritage Hall obtained a surplus C-47 and converted it to a mock-up of an AC-47, with the colors and markings that Spooky 71 bore in February 1969. So proficient had I become at this task that I had acquired the nickname Lieutenant Bullets. Officially, however, I was an ammunition stock control officer in the Army Ordnance Corps. A VC mortar attack on the airfield at Binh Thuy on the banks of the Mekong resulted in the destruction of a Bird Dog FAC aircraft. 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. With no friendly troops visible between me and the battle, into my M16 went the magazine of tracers in preparation for a confrontation with anyone who might break through that wall of gunfire, something at which the Viet Cong were quite adept. Viet Cong sappers infiltrated the base and lay in long grass between the runways for several hours before placing their satchel charges. The 228th per DA consolidated orders of 1970 was "confirmed" as being awarded an MUC for time period 15 February 1969 - 15 August 1969, as was the 277th and other units/sections under its command { HHC . The miniguns fired four rounds of invisible ball bullets followed by one tracer round, but the bullets came so fast they looked like a continuous red stream. Military aviation and technology are ever-changing, from the prevalence of drones to a shift to jets for special mission surveillance, once the province of propeller aircraft. The battle area had been cleared for at least 500 to 1,000 yards from the perimeterall foliage and any source of cover had been bulldozed flat. In my case it was my unusual ability to count. During the Vietnam War, Long Binh Post was the U.S. Army's largest base located in the former South Vietnam. 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. We were being attacked by at least a full enemy battalion in a fight raging with remarkable intensity. 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 Tet 1969 offensive was carried out mostly by Viet Cong irregulars. I then looked back to see a flare that had slid up against the cans of 19,000 rounds of ammunition, Platt said. 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. So they were given guns and were told to attack Long Binh Post (population 30,000 armed U.S. soldiers). Nearly 60 years after he was first recommended for the nation's highest military award for his bravery during the Vietnam War, retired Col. Paris Davis, one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat, received the Medal of Honor on Friday. I dont think I was alone in this. . Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. Most of us were "Regular Army," almost a year into a 3-year hitch. 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. The Mk 24 flare was a metal tube, just over three feet long and about five inches in diameter. Large images may take a few minutes to appear. 6924th Security Squadron Base Name. Mr. Cook served with the 1st Infantry Division, 2-16th Infantry, as a 1st Lieutenant in the Long Binh area of Vietnam. The aircraft veered sharply to the right and down.. It would light up, oh, about half a mile, a good area, quite brightly, Levitow said. N Vietnamese forces overrun and capture Phuoc Binh City, Phuoc Long Prov capital, after wklong siege, striking significant psychological blow to S Vietnamese Govt; loss of town, with population . He decided to try a different specialty after an experience in which the power was not turned off when I thought it was turned off, so he cross trained as a loadmaster. maxhightForP2 = 14168; He worked in "The Iron Triangle" included Phu loi, Ton sahn Nut, and Long B. The attack continued into 27 February when the Marines overran the PAVN resulting in a total of more than 200 killed. 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. Intelligence had indicators of the pending attacks. The Geography and Map Division holds a map from the war that was printed and created by the 66 th Engineer Company (known as the "Topo Corps"). At that rate, a three-second burst placed a shot every square foot in an area the size of a football field. My hope was that no more than one or two VC would reach my position. License Agreement | Welcome to the Long Binh google satellite map! Two of the pockets were destroyed by the next morning resulting in the capture of the acting commander of the 141st Regiment. The Long Binh Army post, adjacent to Spookys home base at Bien Hoa, was under mortar attack. It led the way for the more powerful AC-119 and AC-130 gunships that came later. On 9 May 1969, Pentagon correspondent William Beecher stated that US air raids against ammo dumps and base camps in Cambodia . This was teh first time the M551 Sheridan was in action in the Blackhorse Regiment. In 1968, a group of black inmates were fed up with their treatment and the war. c, Holland h tr v kh cho Ukraine. It was modified from the C-47 transport aircraft, plenty of which were available. The squad came under an immediate rain of grenades, automatic weapons fire and rocket propelled grenades from an entrenched enemy platoon hidden in the top of the berm. [Three] thousand rounds a minute was more than sufficient.. The idea seemed absurd! My Lightboxes | Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. The Viet Cong had constructed some sort of headquarters compound, or staging area, or supply depot or maybe even an officers club. In anticipation of what they would seize, many of Trans comrades packed can openers in addition to the noodle packets and dried rice they all carried. Ike originally intended these dominos to represent Chinas neighbors such as North and South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, but it was not long before some believed that places like Cuba, Angola, Chile, Peru, Michigan and South Carolina would also be on the list. If you like this movie trailer, go to https://militaryvideo.com/ to purchase the entire 60 minute video. Ike originally intended these dominos to represent Chinas neighbors such as North and South Vietnam. Carpenter set it down in a full shuddering stall. Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. 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 Long Binh/Bien Hoa complex was huge, with thousands of soldiers and airmen assigned to the combined logistics complex and air base. You can imagine how frightful that was to the mind of a 6-year-old. Dedicated to those who were there. I had the lanyard on the flare hooked up and my finger through the safety pin ring. [4]:98, At dawn PAVN sappers attacked the 1st Marine Division headquarters on Hill 327 and the 2/7 Marines command post to the northwest. South Vietnamese woman 1969 Sep 15, 2017. . Featured Collections | This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to help show content that is more relevant to your interests. [4]:99, To the west of Da Nang, shortly after midnight on the 23rd Company M, 3/7 Marines ambushed a PAVN force killing 10 and later that night a larger force was spotted and artillery fire was called in. It was his 180th combat mission, but he had never flown with this crew before. DaNang Ammo Dump April 27 1969. I couldnt walk. Levitow declined to board the helicopter until he was finally ordered to do so by Carpenter. Aerial view of (USARV) United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters Complex at Long Binh, Vietnam. On top of that came the domino theory of 1954, invented by then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Vehicles drive past on roads between the Long Binh Post area. [4]:99, Meanwhile to the west 3/7 Marines continued to engage PAVN forces, forcing them into 3 pockets along the Song Tuy Loan river. Except for the eruptions from our perimeter bunkers, the entire battlefield seemed devoid of peopleat least people who could be seen. Unfortunately, the reporting was delayed and did not reach Long Binh until the morning of 22 February 1969, the day the defector warned the attacks were set to begin. Upon arrival, we observed a large battle going on in the south and east perimeters of the base, Carpenter said. I had a real tough time grabbing hold of it with two hands because of the pain in my leg and everything. 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. In another scene, a large crane is used to stack shells in the ammunition dump. 23 February, Attack on Long Binh Post The rumors of an impending attack became fact when at 0200 hours [2:00 AM] the first enemy rockets soared across the eastern end of the TAOR and landed on Long Binh Post. The post and the 720th MP Battalion were informed of the planned attack late in the afternoon of the 22nd. 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. That evening, several ambush squads from the 720th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade kept watch along potential avenues of approach to Long Binh Post.

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