The deployment, which began March 1, is part of an exercise dubbed Agile Reaper 23-1. Thomas Baer, the other gunner, and SSgt. A sign reads 'Headquarters II Field Force Vietnam Artillery'. Full-scale sweeping operations to secure the perimeter began just after noon that day. The ARVN units swiftly moved into blocking positions, and by daybreak, the PAVN/VC were surrounded. At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, the battle gradually died out. On 22 February, elements of the VC 274th Regiment, 5th Division assembled at three hills along Highway 15, approximately three kilometers south of Long Binh. The attack was expected to come on the ground, as opposed to those . I was not in this Regiment, but I believe I may have observed some of the Regiment's activities the day of the attack. The training group headquarters building at Lackland AFB, Tex., is named for him. 472.6.9 Records of the U.S. Army Garrison, Long Binh Post, Vietnam (Provisional) 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. Dense blue smoke was pouring out of the burning flare fuze.. And yet there was nobody, absolutely nobody, visible out there. The paperwork for advancement in skill level (from three to five) in his original specialty had been lost. Dennis Yenser checks in about Sapper Attack story. Mr. Cook served with the 1st Infantry Division, 2-16th Infantry, as a 1st Lieutenant in the Long Binh area of Vietnam. Sound: No. 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. . GitHub export from English Wikipedia. See Long Binh photos and images from satellite below, explore the aerial photographs of Long Binh in Vietnam. And that they would already have been shot three or four times before they got there. The Tet 1969 offensive was carried out mostly by Viet Cong irregulars. Between 1970 and 72 my father wound up in Vietnam as a civilian aircraft mechanic, working on helicopters. The battle area was quickly illuminated by large spotlights supplemented with dozens of flares fired by our artillery. The prisoners revealed that their mission had been to attack Bien Hoa city and the Bien Hoa Air Base. He was 55. Convoy of M-113 ARCs and M-551 assault vehicles move out of camp and drive along road. at the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh, South Vietnam, both patient and unit members, to find each other and join in the. from 1969 to 1970. Levitow set the timersallowing 10 seconds after the safety pin was pulled before a minor explosion deployed the parachute and another 10 seconds before the flare ignitedthen handed the flare to Owen, who attached a lanyard, which created a little extra distance before the pin was pulled after Owen tossed the flare from the aircraft. Many of the tracers bounced off the ground like rubber balls. Thirty-four years after it happened, the story of John L. Levitow has lost none of its power to excite and inspire. For my personal defense, I relied upon a somewhat rusty M16 kept around the office. Ellis C. Owen, had been working as a team in dropping the flares. Copyright 2023. In my case it was my unusual ability to count. As darkness approached some comfort was provided by the constant sweeps outside the perimeter made at treetop level by the guys in their little OH-6 Loach light observation helicopters. Others were there, others were wounded, but Levitow being the furthest removed from the flare, recognized the danger, took action when seconds counted, and saved the lives of the entire crew, Carpenter wrote. Terms & Conditions |
SSG Richard E, Slaven died from his wounds the next day. Everybody has their job to do and they do it., Chinas growing capabilities and recent boldness in the air domain represent dangerous and destabilizing behavior patterns, the Pentagons top official on the Indo-Pacific said March 2. It was his 180th combat mission, but he had never flown with this crew before. I am compiling a history of our Regiment's service in the war. DaNang Ammo Dump April 27 1969. 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. 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. FAQs - How to Order |
Perhaps a word of explanation is in order on how I and all the others in our mix of volunteers and draftees ended up in this hot, smelly, unsafe corner of the world. Sorry, Dad, I couldnt make that happen.. The Medal of Honor was presented to John L. Levitow at the White House by President Nixon on May 14, 1970. I crawled to the location of the flare. On 29 October the Viet Cong attacked the South Vietnamese district capital of Loc Ninh, ran up the flag of the National Liberation Front, and tried to hold the city. I am interested in corresponding with any Black Scarf soldiers who . The enemy fire was situated across Highway 1A, directing a heavy concentration of fire into the 12th Group and II Field Force compounds. 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. This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to help show content that is more relevant to your interests. Day scenes show soldiers defending positions and firing at the enemy. Since the headquarters building stood out on the hill like a large bulls eye, I proceeded outside and took up a defensive position behind a corner of our building, on the safe side. My class had graduated the month before from our 35-week "Fixed Ciphony Repair" course at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. On searching the site at dawn it was found that 2 PAVN 81mm mortar teams had been destroyed in the barrage. 23 July 1969 - SFC Eddie Hamby escorts Sgt McIntosh to Moc Hoa by boat on first leg of stops heading stateside. 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. Media in category "Long Binh Post" The following 36 files are in this category, out of 36 total. As Ole-Luk-Oie, the pen name for British officer Ernest Swinton, wrote in the 1915 book. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. He was told his unit would capture many C-rations. Food was always a dominant concern for the habitually starved Viet Cong. 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. Southeast Asia is a very strange part of the world, where for centuries its leaders have had little or noregard for the lives of their own people. Furthermore, the flare would be burning at a temperature of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Unit flags at the headquarters. It was nothing like what I saw in my imagination or what is shown in movie theaters or on television. I dont think I was alone in this. A three-second burst would saturate an area the size of a football field. Trans primary motivations seem quite similar to our own: eating and getting home. Im very careful what I do, he said in an oral history interview in 1986. Behind the driver, strewn about the passenger seat and floor, was his personal combat gear, including his M14 rifle and several magazines filled with ammunition. 30. 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. Week of December 12-18, 2021: Heroism Amidst an Ambush, December 17, 1968. The gunship carried about 150,000 rounds of ammunition on each flight, Levitow said. Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. Note: Your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. 3 Lt xem. The threat of communism was pounded into our heads all through elementary and high school at Rock Valley, Iowa. 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. It led the way for the more powerful AC-119 and AC-130 gunships that came later. The Air Force sent a C-54 to Hartford to pick up him, his wife, and his parents and take them to Washington. 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. My Lightboxes |
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Upon arrival, we observed a large battle going on in the south and east perimeters of the base, Carpenter said. Bucks County Pennsylvania United States USA, Del Rio Texas Laughlin Air Force Base USA, Roxborough Pennsylvania United States USA, U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base Thailand. [4]:101. My driver arrived at the usual time, a little before sundown, on Feb. 22, for my 12-hour graveyard shift at the 1st Logistics Command headquarters. I immediately detected signs that all was not right. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. [4]:99100, PAVN/VC retreating to the south from Da Nang were intercepted by elements of the 1st Marine Regiment and ARVN 1st Battalion, 51st Regiment 11km south of Da Nang losing 139 dead in 3 days of fighting. Small-arms fire opened up in his path. aring, as AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunships began strafing the battlefield with 7.62 mm minigun bullets fired at the rate of about 4,000 rounds per minute. 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. When we were hit, all of us [Owen, Levitow, Sgt. Inbound, Carpenter had called for an ambulance and a medevac helicopter to meet them on the ramp. 11 November SP/4s Jared Kelley and John R. Klemm, tend to their gear during a recon mission in the Tactical Area Of Responsibility. Levitows progress was clearly marked with his own blood on the floor of the aircraft.. Photo of the famous Saigon Taxi. [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. More than 500 airmen attended the funeral, and most of them followed the caisson to the grave site. Spooky was flying at about 3,500 feet. As a soldier unfastens a skid of 8 shells, from the crane, it falls over sideways. Contents. These attacks were repulsed for Marines losses of 18 killed and more than 75 PAVN killed. He worked in "The Iron Triangle" included Phu loi, Ton sahn Nut, and Long B. As Levitow dragged one of the other airmen toward the center of the cabin, he saw the flare between No. The soldiers with old (MPC) currency notes takes the receipt and proceeds towards the next officer. Soldiers counting the notes. The view is from the compound of the 20. As far as political considerations go, he hardly seemed interested in building a communist utopia at all. . Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. 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. Slow fire was 3,000 rounds a minute each, or fast fire which was 6,000 rounds a minute each. 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 . My hope was that no more than one or two VC would reach my position. Jim Van Eldik is a retired Army lieutenant colonel. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Most of us were "Regular Army," almost a year into a 3-year hitch.
Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. A soldier with a typewriter creates a receipt. The flare posed a deadly danger in several ways. Smoke rises from surrounding area. History is not a fixed set of facts. Featured Collections |
It isnt every day one peaceably sets off for work knowing someone is intent on ones personal demise. The Tet lunar new year of 1968the one history remembershad seen large-scale coordinated attacks on cities, provincial capitals, and bases all over South Vietnam. Apparently, not much was out there, as there was no firing to speak of. Thus, Spooky 71 was leaking two highly inflammable substances. Bruce Stern at his desk in Long Binh, circa 1968-69. . He spent almost two months recuperating in Japan before returning to Vietnam in April. Tran Van Thiet, 19, had been left behind. Soon we received word that every spare man was to report for perimeter duty, and within minutes my entire crew had been spirited away, leaving me to fend for myself. Date: 1969, August 11. It had been flying in Vietnam since 1964, first with the air commandos and after that with the special operations squadrons. 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. Part 2 nya min . 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. maxhightForP2 = 14168;
Very seldom did we ever fire fast rounds at 18,000 rounds a minute because it had a tendency to turn the airplane. Brigadier General Leo D. Kinnard speaks to the troops. This attack was going to be a big one.. The Long Binh/Bien Hoa complex was huge, with thousands of soldiers and airmen assigned to the combined logistics complex and air base. "Text of Camp Lejeune Committee's Report to Commanding General." 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. 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. Even in the navigation compartment the flash lit up the inside of the aircraft like daylight. Grabbing my helmet and flak jacket (and finding that, after sitting on the shelf for several months, neither would fit properly), I departed with my Jeep driver for the Logistics Commands large yellow headquarters building. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. The last major battle occurred along the berm of the rifle range on Highway 317 in the early morning just after daylight. Once my eight-man crew of ammo counters had assembled, we set aside our usual duties and made the best preparations we could to survive the night. 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.. As noted, the 277th S&S BN (DS) stationed in Long Binh became the superior command 30 August 1968, physically arrived in Tay Ninh by early January 1969 and remained in Tay Ninh until mid July 1970 {approximate} when it was re-assigned to Di An {near Saigon} - (see 1970 History, where the 228th was for all intent and purposes reduced to a . c, Holland h tr v kh cho Ukraine. 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. Tran, who was from the Haiphong area of North Vietnam, had high expectations for a victory in the attack, according to an interview in Stars and Stripes. Once the sun came up, a troop of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment found 139 dead enemy soldiers, Stars & Stripes reported. I heard that five American soldiers were killed and some 30 wounded. . 1965 January 1 - February 7, 1965: Vietcong forces mount a series of attacks across South Vietnam. [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. Includes scenes shot in and around the base showing soldiers preparing for the attack. (Vietnam War period). He was a man that was proud to stand tall. 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. At the ceremonies, his son, John L. Levitow Jr., said: I have only one apology to make. Flares took away the cover of darkness, on which the Viet Cong depended for their style of warfare. 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. hightForP2 = 330
. Visitors can also watch a videotape of Carpenter and John Levitow Jr. talking about the Medal of Honor mission. It was full until ruptured in the battle. CRITICALPAST.COM:
OVER 30 POUNDS IN WEIGHT MUST BE LOWERED BY ROPE. With no clear idea of what to do in combat, I would have to improvise. 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. He was the center of much attention but also the victim of bureaucracy. You can imagine how frightful that was to the mind of a 6-year-old. They briefly seize control of Binh Gia, a village only 40 miles from Saigon. I try to control what I say, although for the most part, Im very quiet. Some of our troops had recaptured it from the VC a few months before. The idea seemed absurd! The typist soldier types on the form with a type-writer. Johanalvheey 1 ting trc. In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. 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. Excerpt from 1st Aviation Brigade Newsletter: The VC attack at Long Binh was directed at the 12th Combat Aviation Group and II Field Force Vietnam. Vietnam Da Nang 2 Vietnam Dong Tranh River 2 Vietnam French Indo China 7 Vietnam Khe Sanh 13 Vietnam Long Binh 3 Vietnam Phan Rang Air Base 18. Stacks of 155mm artillery shells are loaded onto a truck by a crane, in groups of 16 at a time, on wooden skids holding 8 apiece.The soldiers are stripped to the waist. I was a 2nd Lieutenant, on my second night in Vietnam when the attack on Long Bing Post began at 2 AM. ), and that the VC suffered heavy casualties that day, with about only 6 VC left after the shooting stopped, and these were taken prisoner. F-100C Super Sabre 54-1956 120 TFS, 35 TFW, USAF . Result: United States and South Vietnam victory: Belligerents Troops lined up on a field. (Vietnam War period). An ammunition dump at Long Binh, Vietnam. Later I enrolled as an ROTC student at South Dakota State University, became an Army officer and was assigned to Long Binh in August 1968. They tell me that I had 40 pieces of shrapnel in me at the time, Levitow said. There was also a Vietnamese liaison officer. Vimeo, If I got stopped drinking and driving, its going to say, Medal of Honor Drunk. I realize that. It was an unlucky hit. . Some speculate that the attacks were mounted to test the will of the new U.S. President Richard Nixon who retaliated by secretly bombing PAVN/VC sanctuaries in Cambodia the following month. The pilot fired the guns, using a sight at the left side of the cockpit. Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. At most, there would be 20 seconds before it exploded. The point man for Team #75, SP/4 Cressman, tripped a Viet Cong antipersonnel mine on the trail that runs down from the south side of the hill to the Buong River. After Levitow left the Air Force, he worked in veterans affairs for more than 22 years. If your URL is correct, you'll see an image preview here. After the battle came another shock. [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. When daylight came, I reported to my new duty station in the Engineer Section of USARV HQ, where, from the second floor of the air-conditioned building, we could observe the Post's perimeter wire about 1/4 mile away. South Vietnamese woman 1969 Sep 15, 2017. . On the other hand, one is left to ponder what affect seeding the battlefield or, even better, seeding the Ho Chi Minh Trail itself with C-ration packets of the despicable Ham and Lima Beans might have had. Records relating to the Christmas mail program, 1969-72. . Note the attacking Skyhawk in the lower right and one directly left of the explosions on the bridge. Scenes of Viet Cong bodies around the perimeter of the base.Please Note! Soldiers in a line. Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off. It was modified from the C-47 transport aircraft, plenty of which were available. The MP squad suffered three wounded. Despite his wounds, Levitow helped secure the airplane on the way back. [2][3], Since early February 1969, the 1st Marine Division had noted an upsurge in PAVN/VC activity around Da Nang. 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. [4]:97 Later that day rockets hit the An Hoa Combat Base destroying 15,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and igniting 40,000 gallons of aviation fuel and 50 rockets were fired at Naval Support Activity Da Nang with more than half going into the sea and the remainder causing minor damage. The post and the 720th MP Battalion were informed of the planned attack late in the afternoon of the 22nd. I spent nine years working for Congressional Liaison between the Veterans Administration and members of the Congress, he said. It was Feb. 24, 1969, and the second day of the Tet counteroffensive. Levitow had joined the Air Force in June 1966, some 20 days ahead of being drafted into the Army. This was a bit disconcerting. Viet Cong attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (1966) Part of the Vietnam War: Date: 4-5 December 1966: Location: Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. 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.