Levitow and one of the gunners, Sgt. His most recent article, Rolling Thunder, appeared in the March issue. Lieutenant General Julian J. Ewell shakes hands with both of the brigadier generals. Part 2 nya min . Tran Van Thiet, 19, had been left behind. The battle area was quickly illuminated by large spotlights supplemented with dozens of flares fired by our artillery. In 1968, a group of black inmates were fed up with their treatment and the war. (Vietnam War period). Sorry, Dad, I couldnt make that happen.. It was modified from the C-47 transport aircraft, plenty of which were available. [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. 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 article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. Thought to be in retaliation for Chuyen's disappearance. 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. Since my finger was through the safety pin ring the safety pin was pulled.. The Space Development Agency has added another batch of missile-tracking satellites to its expansive constellation, awarding Raytheon a $250 million contract March 2 to build seven spacecraft. . 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. [4]:99, The PAVN/VC attacks on Da Nang were a failure resulting in more than 500 dead. 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. At most, there would be 20 seconds before it exploded. 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. Dedicated to those who were there. 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. Tet Offensive attack on Long Binh and Bien Hoa 31 January 1968.jpg . Partway through the mission he had come forward and was talking to the flight crew when the action unfolded that night. 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. View of surrounding areas. It was presented in ceremonies in February 2002 by his son to CMSgt. The intense heat of the flare would burn rapidly through the aluminum floor of the cargo bay and drop on the empennage control cables, destroying them and causing the aircraft to go out of control. Date: 1969, August 11. It was an unlucky hit. ), and that the VC suffered heavy casualties that day, with about only 6 VC left after the shooting stopped, and these were taken prisoner. Then came a sound akin to that of large paper sacks tearing, 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. 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. It took considerable effort to get Spooky 71 back to base. Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. After sundown on the 22nd, elements of the VC 274th Regiment, 5th Division made their final preparations while occupying three hills along Highway 15 approximately three kilometers south of the base. 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. That year, traumatic as it was . 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 . Troops lined up on a field. U.S. Navy Douglas A-4E Skyhawks from Attack Squadrons VA-163 Saints and VA-164 Ghost Riders attack the Phuong Dinh railroad bypass bridge, 10 kilometers north of Thanh Hoe, North Vietnam, on September 10, 1967. 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. c chuyn cho qun i Ukraine 1.000 v kh chng xe tng v 500 ha tin di t - trn khng Typ/kiu Stinger (bo vc dch l : tn la t i khng).c cng ng thun cho Holland chuyn cho qun Ukraine 400 Panzerfaeuste/ v kh chng xe tng v cc v kh khc do c ch . The flare posed a deadly danger in several ways. The MP squad suffered three wounded. [4]:101. . About 11:30 p.m., the gunship was diverted from patrol over the village of Lai Kai, north of Long Binh. Full-scale sweeping operations to secure the perimeter began just after noon that day. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. 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. The right tire was flat, having been cut by shrapnel, and it was all Carpenter could do, standing on the left brake, to keep control until he brought the airplane to a stop. I crawled to the location of the flare. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. My class had graduated the month before from our 35-week "Fixed Ciphony Repair" course at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. 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. He flew as a crewman on C-130s for a short tour, then went to Vietnam to fly on AC-47s. Inbound, Carpenter had called for an ambulance and a medevac helicopter to meet them on the ramp. A battalion of the 274th Viet Cong Main Force (VCMF) Regiment of the 5 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Division, attacked the southern perimeter of Long Binh Post. [1], The VC made several attempts to advance on the base, but were halted. The two huge U.S. bases dripped firepowerdozens of batteries of field artillery, large calibers and small, rows and rows of helicopter gunships and jet fighters loaded to the gills with the most lethal ordnance the world has ever seen, dozens of M113 armored personnel carriers with powerful .50-caliber machine guns manned by surly military police, and, of course, hundreds of trigger-happy clerks and truck drivers, not necessarily eager, but most definitely ready, for action. . I had a real tough time grabbing hold of it with two hands because of the pain in my leg and everything. Night was approaching as Spooky 71, an AC-47 gunship, took off from Bien Hoa Air Base, a few miles northwest of Saigon. Two of the pockets were destroyed by the next morning resulting in the capture of the acting commander of the 141st Regiment. Although at first overwhelmed by the intensity of the enemy fire the MPs stood their ground, suppressed the enemy fire, eliminated an enemy machine gun emplacement and were able to evacuate their seriously wounded point man, SP/4 Brown. Before the night was over, Levitow would perform an act of astounding bravery for which he would ultimately be awarded the Medal of Honor. An ammunition dump at Long Binh, Vietnam. 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. Thomas Baer, the other gunner, and SSgt. With the progression of the battle came a feeling of incredulity. I couldnt walk. The base was host to US Army Headquarters. The pilot was Maj. Kenneth B. Carpenter, flying his first combat mission as aircraft commander. The Long Binh/Bien Hoa complex was huge, with thousands of soldiers and airmen assigned to the combined logistics complex and air base. more It concentrated on US military installations, especially in the III Corps area around Saigon. [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 VC attacks on Bien Hoa and the Long Binh complex were abject failures, due in part to the fact that on January 31, 1968, they had run into the Panthers of the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry. These attacks were repulsed for Marines losses of 18 killed and more than 75 PAVN killed. Long Binh/Bien Hoa. A sign reads 'Headquarters II Field Force Vietnam Artillery'. nhc nn - Nguyn Quc Hng - cng ty Hng Long Phc. 11 November SP/4s Jared Kelley and John R. Klemm, tend to their gear during a recon mission in the Tactical Area Of Responsibility. As Ole-Luk-Oie, the pen name for British officer Ernest Swinton, wrote in the 1915 book. Long Binh Post was situated East of Bien Hoa and approximately 20 miles northeast of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City.) Furthermore, the flare would be burning at a temperature of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. I was experiencing what soldiers for more than half a century referred to as the empty battlefield. Modern battlefield weapons had become so lethal that to expose oneself, even for an instant, to their fire was tantamount to suicide. Vimeo, Intelligence had indicators of the pending attacks. ElyRatner, assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, discussed how China continues to prod the U.S. and challenge stability in region, even as, The entire F-35 fleet is slated to get the retrofit engine maker Pratt & Whitney has identified to mitigate the problem that led to suspended deliveries and flight restrictions for some aircraft for nearly two monthsa move that will affect hundreds of fighters globally. Im very careful what I do, he said in an oral history interview in 1986. Dennis Yenser checks in about Sapper Attack story. I stay away from publicity and things like that. COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT, VIETNAM 1969. Privacy Policy | Links It was full until ruptured in the battle. There was also a Vietnamese liaison officer. 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. He had been nominated for the Medal of Honorat Carpenters urging, Gen. George S. Brown, the 7th Air Force commander, had marked the recommendation up from an Air Force Crossand he was no longer allowed to fly in combat. The rifle was accompanied by a single magazine of tracer roundsbullets treated with a chemical that creates a trail of light when fired. Each one of the guns could fire two speeds, Levitow said. A soldier counts his notes at the typist's desk. Large images may take a few minutes to appear. The decision to make the fix to. It was his 180th combat mission, but he had never flown with this crew before. 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. As far as political considerations go, he hardly seemed interested in building a communist utopia at all. (Vietnam War period). In another scene, a large crane is used to stack shells in the ammunition dump. Unit flags at the headquarters. From there, I had a good view of the perimeter and the rapidlyunfolding battle. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. (Jim Van Eldik), It was another hot February day in 1969 at the sprawling, Behind the driver, strewn about the passenger seat and floor, was his personal combat gear, including his, The enemy would occasionally probe us, rocket us, mortar us and more than likely sometimes even shop at our PXs, but a ground attack? 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 24:11. Hamby advises McIntosh to . Includes scenes shot in and around the base showing soldiers preparing for the attack. When we were hit, all of us [Owen, Levitow, Sgt. The enemy was too close for artillery, so gunships were . Im not going to bring shame on either the medal or myself, so I do watch it very carefully.. 2023 CriticalPast LLC. 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. Featured Collections | Ni bt nht; Gn y; Gi. It was nothing like what I saw in my imagination or what is shown in movie theaters or on television. Many of the tracers bounced off the ground like rubber balls. June The second of two new outpost's was built on the western end of the Finger Of Land. I had the lanyard on the flare hooked up and my finger through the safety pin ring. Smoke rises from surrounding area. Soldiers counting the notes. (Vietnam War period). . Remember: Using others' images on the web without their permission may be bad manners, or worse, copyright infringement. Despite his wounds, Levitow helped secure the airplane on the way back. 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.Unfortunately, the reporting was delayed and did not reach Long Binh until the morning of 22 February 1969, the day the defector . Inside the aircraft is a mannequin of Levitow, struggling to get the flare to the door. Small-arms fire opened up in his path. I am compiling a history of our Regiment's service in the war. I try to control what I say, although for the most part, Im very quiet. Among those present was Carpenter, the commander of Spooky 71, now retired and living in Marshall, Tex. Near Saigon, the VC made attacks on Long Binh and Bien Hoa. F-100C Super Sabre 54-1956 120 TFS, 35 TFW, USAF . Contents. In early 1969, the 277th was re-assigned from Long Binh to Tay Ninh West Base Camp, where it became the superior command of the 228th. Soldiers give forms to the soldier with type-writer. Trans primary motivations seem quite similar to our own: eating and getting home. Terms & Conditions | Militarily, it was a failure for the North Vietnamese, but it undercut the confidence of the American public and it was a turning point in the war. 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. We heard later that the VC who attacked were trained as something akin to Peace Corps workers in North Vietnam, but when they arrived in South Vietnam, they met with a VC commander who told them that there was only one more small pocket of corrupt "fat desk soldiers" to root out in order to rid South Vietnam completely of U.S. soldiers. 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. So here I was, wounds and all, finally managed to stand up and Im lifting 140-pound ammo cans and stuffing them between the guns [so they would not] go flying all around and really hurt somebody, Levitow said. 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. Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off. Very seldom did we ever fire fast rounds at 18,000 rounds a minute because it had a tendency to turn the airplane. Shortly before midnight the entire perimeter lit up with machine gun fire. Many features may not work properly without it. 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. TAOR With the enemy still in force south of the Buong River there remained the continuing threat of additional ground, rocket and heavy mortar attacks against Long Binh Post.. Battalion TOC still considered the eastern sector as the weak spot of the TAOR, so they called for a strong-point (outpost) to be constructed on the Finger of Land just to the west of the abandoned tank on the crest of . I had the aircraft in a 30-degree bank and how Levitow ever managed to get to the flare and throw it out, Ill never know, Carpenter said. It's not widely known that during the course of the Vietnam Conflict, about 2 million (2,000,000) VC and NVA were killed -- which was about 15 percent of North Vietnam's 13 million population. I heard that five American soldiers were killed and some 30 wounded. 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. Note the attacking Skyhawk in the lower right and one directly left of the explosions on the bridge. The last pocket along the An Tan ridgeline proved more difficult and Company L, 3/7 Marines suffered numerous casualties forcing it to withdraw. Carpenter set it down in a full shuddering stall. A U.S. 2nd Field Force soldier poses. 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. "Text of Camp Lejeune Committee's Report to Commanding General." Carpenter waved off taxi instructions from the tower and the crew got out fast. Ambush at Ap Nhi. [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. 45th Air Ambulance Medical Company helipad Long Binh, November 1969.jpg 1,820 1,434 . Other members of the squad have yet to be identified. But a battle was waiting instead. 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. Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. They tell me that I had 40 pieces of shrapnel in me at the time, Levitow said. 6924th Security Squadron Base Name. They tell me I ended up jumping on it, finally getting control and dragging myself and the flare back to the rear cargo door which was open and just managed to push it outside the door as it ejected and ignited simultaneously., Later, the citation to accompany the Medal of Honor put it this way: Unable to grasp the rolling flare with his hands, he threw himself bodily upon the burning flare. It includes footage shot between 17 Feb and 24 Feb 1969. By 15:00 the 36th Ranger Battalion moved into the village attacking the PAVN/VC force. Back home in Connecticut, he learned that his Medal of Honor had been approved. 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 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. . So they were given guns and were told to attack Long Binh Post (population 30,000 armed U.S. soldiers). Bruce Stern at his desk in Long Binh, circa 1968-69. . To the Air Forces embarrassment, a hero was not eligible to re-enlist. South Vietnamese woman 1969 Sep 15, 2017. . 105837N 1064955E / . Combat training for ordnance officers at best is rudimentary. Answer (1 of 6): Now I can answer that from a very odd perspective. The Rangers met only slight, disorganized resistance. Some speculate that the attacks . In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. [4]:97, After midnight on 23 February Company K, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines and Company D, 1st Military Police Battalion detected VC approaching the Song Cau Do river bridges and attacked them killing 47 and capturing 11. Location: Long Binh Vietnam. (On earlier AC-47s, one of the guns had been mounted in the door.) History is not a fixed set of facts. 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. 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.. These units made occasional contact, often with PAVN or VC who fought stubbornly from trenches and spider holes. August 25, 1968, was a typical monsoon season day. 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 firing grew to a continuous roar, with lines and lines of red tracers emitted by M60 machine guns crisscrossing the battlefield. A battalion of the 274th Viet Cong Main Force (VCMF) Regiment of the 5 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Division, attacked the southern perimeter of Long Binh Post. He was a man that was proud to stand tall. 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. 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. The gunship, situated on the lawn of the museum, was dedicated in October 2004. c bit n nh mt phi n ngh s nhiu ti ni ting . 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 . . Mini-Tet 1969 Begins February 23, 1969. Spooky 71 flew with a crew of eight. It was another hot February day in 1969 at the sprawling Long Binh logistics base about 20 miles northeast of Saigon. Following the employment of the supporting fires, the 36th Ranger Battalion moved back into the village. He delivered the keynote address. Sound: No. 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. Passing of colors to the new commander. The remaining elements of the company were held in ready reserve. 23 July 1969 - SFC Eddie Hamby escorts Sgt McIntosh to Moc Hoa by boat on first leg of stops heading stateside. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. The Medal of Honor was presented to John L. Levitow at the White House by President Nixon on May 14, 1970. The last major battle occurred along the berm of the rifle range on Highway 317 in the early morning just after daylight. 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.