In 1968, a group of black inmates were fed up with their treatment and the war. The clouds hung low, making flying helicopters . Photo of the famous Saigon Taxi. nhc nn - Nguyn Quc Hng - cng ty Hng Long Phc. They tell me that I had 40 pieces of shrapnel in me at the time, Levitow said. The rounds landed on post with some igniting the POL fuel site east of the highway. About 85 per cent of the force was estimated to be PAVN soldiers. Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. 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. 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. 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. The threat of communism was pounded into our heads all through elementary and high school at Rock Valley, Iowa. 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. YouTube, 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 . If your URL is correct, you'll see an image preview here. The idea seemed absurd! By 15:00 the 36th Ranger Battalion moved into the village attacking the PAVN/VC force. Soldiers of the United States Army Signal Group have military payment certificates exchanged at their headquarters in Long Binh Vi, U.S. soldiers handling 155mm artilery shells in an ammunition dump at Long Binh, Vietnam. As a soldier unfastens a skid of 8 shells, from the crane, it falls over sideways. The base was host to US Army Headquarters. 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 . My Lightboxes | from 1969 to 1970. 1 minigun and a jumble of spilled ammunition. With the progression of the battle came a feeling of incredulity. 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. 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. 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. [1], The VC made several attempts to advance on the base, but were halted. Intelligence had indicators of the pending attacks. 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. FAQs - How to Order | Over time, the Department of Defense plans to turn. 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. After the battle came another shock. Capt. Hc_Thn. 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. United States 2nd Field Force change of command ceremony at Long Binh, Vietnam. A U.S. 2nd Field Force soldier poses. Featured Collections | Surely neither the Viet Cong nor North Vietnamese Army would attempt such a suicidal mission. 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. History is not a fixed set of facts. remembrance of shared experience. June The second of two new outpost's was built on the western end of the Finger Of Land. 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. Ike originally intended these dominos to represent Chinas neighbors such as North and South Vietnam. It isnt every day one peaceably sets off for work knowing someone is intent on ones personal demise. The U.S. created an Afghan air force that was too technologically advanced for its native country to sustain, then pulled the rug out from under it, according to a U.S. government inspector general report. On searching the site at dawn it was found that 2 PAVN 81mm mortar teams had been destroyed in the barrage. The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted . 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. 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. At that instant the flare separated and ignited in the air, but clear of the aircraft.. The 64-year-old Army veteran died suddenly of a heart attack. [4]:99, The PAVN/VC attacks on Da Nang were a failure resulting in more than 500 dead. 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. Nothing was more effective than a gunship in breaking up such attacks. The award-winning exhibit, designed by curator William I. Chivalette, includes a lifelike mannequin of Levitow, paintings, photographs, uniform items, and artifacts. The idea was quite unsettling. 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. It was modified from the C-47 transport aircraft, plenty of which were available. A change of command at 2nd Field Force Artillery Headquarters at Long Binh, Vietnam. I couldnt walk. (Vietnam War period). [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. Over the years, there were numerous other recognitions. 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. . Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. Large images may take a few minutes to appear. 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 stay away from publicity and things like that. 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. Each one of the guns could fire two speeds, Levitow said. As Levitow dragged one of the other airmen toward the center of the cabin, he saw the flare between No. 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. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. [Three] thousand rounds a minute was more than sufficient.. The soldiers with old (MPC) currency notes takes the receipt and proceeds towards the next officer. The pilot was Maj. Kenneth B. Carpenter, flying his first combat mission as aircraft commander. Navy) 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. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. 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. After Levitow left the Air Force, he worked in veterans affairs for more than 22 years. . NEW on HistoryNet: Attack on Long Binh, a 1969 Viet Cong attack on a US logistics base in Vietnam #VietnamWar http://trib.al/poYUWdo Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. The enemy fire was situated across Highway 1A, directing a heavy concentration of fire into the 12th Group and II Field Force compounds. Opportunity knocks. We're weird, he said. New York Times, January 8, 1969, p. 12. 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. The flare was armed just before it was thrown out the door, with timers set to give it some distance from the airplane before the parachute deployed and the flare was triggered. Note the attacking Skyhawk in the lower right and one directly left of the explosions on the bridge. The flare posed a deadly danger in several ways. 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 prisoners revealed that their mission had been to attack Bien Hoa city and the Bien Hoa Air Base. It was also called Dragonship and Puff the Magic Dragon (after a song, then popular, by Peter, Paul, and Mary) but went mostly by Spooky, the call sign with which it flew its missions. Advanced Search | Smoke rises from surrounding area. 128 KB. That year, traumatic as it was . hightForP2 = 330 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. 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. Jerry Breast/U.S. 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. Those satellites will join the already-planned 28 satellites in the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer of SDAs Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Flares took away the cover of darkness, on which the Viet Cong depended for their style of warfare. The soldiers with old (MPC) currency notes takes the receipt and proceeds towards the next officer. 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. 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. (Vietnam War period). --- and so it went for lots of the fighting in Vietnam. 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. Banned from the Long Binh O'Club: The Club was a . In 1998, Air Mobility Command named a C-17 Globemaster, The Spirit of Sgt. Battle At The Rifle Range. "6 To Face Murder Charges for G.I.'s Riot in Prison." New York Times, October 1, 1968, p. 3. About 11:30 p.m., the gunship was diverted from patrol over the village of Lai Kai, north of Long Binh. It was thrown out of the aircraft and floated to the ground on a parachute, burning for as long as three minutes with an intensity of two million candlepower and making daylight over a square mile or so. 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. He was told his unit would capture many C-rations. Food was always a dominant concern for the habitually starved Viet Cong. .Anyway, the U.S. effort in Vietnam was (believe it or not) ultimately successful, for at the end, it was politically untenable for the Soviet Union to establish at Cam Ranh Bay its coveted "warm water" nuclear submarine base --- which, to my thinking, was what Vietnam was all about. 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. ), and that the VC suffered heavy casualties that day, with about only 6 VC left after the shooting stopped, and these were taken prisoner. He was a man that was proud to stand tall. He was discharged from active duty after his Vietnam tour and shortly afterward was assigned to an Army Reserve unit. Many features may not work properly without it. Result: United States and South Vietnam victory: Belligerents 6924th Security Squadron Base Name. A 70-strong VC force attacked the 2/1 Marines command post 6km south of Marble Mountain losing 17 dead. 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. Following the employment of the supporting fires, the 36th Ranger Battalion moved back into the village. Levitow also gave Enlisted Heritage Hall his fathers uniform and ribbons, the original Medal of Honor citation signed by President Nixon, photos, and other memorabilia. . 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. 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. 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. This was a bit disconcerting. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press. When it finally ended with the assistance of several Cobra gunbships, 23 enemy dead were discovered. 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. 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. 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. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. 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. 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. In my case it was my unusual ability to count. . Spookys operators had successfully resisted pressure to change the call sign. "Text of Camp Lejeune Committee's Report to Commanding General." Since my finger was through the safety pin ring the safety pin was pulled.. My class had graduated the month before from our 35-week "Fixed Ciphony Repair" course at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. 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. The deployment, which began March 1, is part of an exercise dubbed Agile Reaper 23-1. The Tet 1969 offensive was carried out mostly by Viet Cong irregulars. Back home in Connecticut, he learned that his Medal of Honor had been approved. 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. It was Feb. 24, 1969, and the second day of the Tet counteroffensive. The Mk 24 flare was a metal tube, just over three feet long and about five inches in diameter. The rifle was accompanied by a single magazine of tracer roundsbullets treated with a chemical that creates a trail of light when fired. The Medal of Honor was presented to John L. Levitow at the White House by President Nixon on May 14, 1970. Scenes of Viet Cong bodies around the perimeter of the base.Please Note! Passing of colors to the new commander. It could lay down an awesome field of fire, with each of its three 7.62 mm Gatling miniguns shooting up to 6,000 rounds per minute. Vimeo, All was relatively quiet until approximately 11:30 p.m., when suddenly a string of 82 mm mortar rounds marched directly across our end of the headquarters complex. 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. The brigade was activated on 1 June 1966 at Fort Benning, Georgia, as the 199th Infantry Brigade (Light), with emphasis on counterinsurgency operations and mobility. 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. 45th Air Ambulance Medical Company helipad Long Binh, November 1969.jpg 1,820 1,434 . The Viet Cong had constructed some sort of headquarters compound, or staging area, or supply depot or maybe even an officers club. Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. Din vin Ninh Dng Lan Ngc Ninh Dng Lan Ngc Vit Trinh. A three-second burst would saturate an area the size of a football field. Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. Levitows Medal of Honor is prominently displayed at Enlisted Heritage Hall. The brigade was comprised of 2d Battalion, 3d . 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 . It includes footage shot between 17 Feb and 24 Feb 1. Most of us were "Regular Army," almost a year into a 3-year hitch. It was nothing like what I saw in my imagination or what is shown in movie theaters or on television. 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 panorama took on an aspect of high noon, the entire battlefield bathed with an eerie golden glow. The flare was armed and rolling loose in the aircraft. They briefly seize control of Binh Gia, a village only 40 miles from Saigon. It would light up, oh, about half a mile, a good area, quite brightly, Levitow said. When attacking, Spooky rolled into a level 30-degree bank turn, flying at an airspeed of almost 140 mph. DaNang Ammo Dump April 27 1969. "On the second firing pass, the mortars firing on Long Binh were silenced." The attack lifted momentarily, and the gunship began dropping flares to provide illumination . 83 Lt thch,23 Bnh lun.Video TikTok t Nguyn Huy Cng 1969 (@userz65oz3pvgr1969). I immediately detected signs that all was not right. 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. The Army always tries to capitalize on a soldiers individual strengths. Apparently, not much was out there, as there was no firing to speak of. The Long Binh/Bien Hoa complex was huge, with thousands of soldiers and airmen assigned to the combined logistics complex and air base.