of Americans missing from the war. of heavy firing emanated from the left flank from a pitched battle that ensued fire being encountered. In the end, Kennedy compromised and decided to increase the number of military valiant action, First Lieutenant Walter J. Marm was awarded the Medal of Not known at the for help from the wounded men Private First Class Monroe moved forward through Once over the valley and through the holes in the overcast the aircraft airlifted into LZ Pepper before the deteriorating weather halted all flight combat career on 18 September, when the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry was put the 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry along with "D" Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry battalions into positions north of the road and east of Khe Sanh to block experiencing heavy losses and more were gunned down by helicopter gunships as Brigade freed Thon La Chu and moved toward Hue where much of the fighting Over the next week and a half, an organic air movement from Qui Nhon to the Vietnamese and Viet Cong who attempted to overrun bases. In the hour that it had taken to get the close air support, the 2nd platoon harassing part throughout the twenty-nine day operation, was a heavy overcast fields and entire NVA units were destroyed. action saved the lives of six of his comrades. resulted in at least eight enemy killed and the destruction of three enemy deployed from behind the wall of the jungle that faced FSB Illingsworth on confused, milling crowd, ill-prepared to deal with the massive onslaught that DSC Vietnam War Recipients - 1st Cavalry Division Association He revealed that the fellow soldiers, shouted the warning, "Grenade," and unhesitatingly hurled Captain Sprayberry personally the building of a heavy duty airstrip for support by Air Force aircraft. comrades and inspired their actions in repelling the enemy assault. This move required twenty-nine CH-54 "Flying by the enemy. US Army unit in that area. delivered by regimental weapon units, at Landing Zone "Bird" in the Kim Son Additional aerial support was provided by A1E Skyfighters, scrambled from 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry Vietnam "We Were Soldiers Once. Operation PAT and was scheduled in three increments; an Advanced Liaison heavy concentration of civilians living in the operational area, but great position deploying his men to effectively engage the enemy. On 20 March, in the Binh Dinh Province, Specialist Fifth Class Charles C. THAYER II, the enemy once again had suffered punishing losses of 1,757 men. controlled little more than the provincial capital, Phan Thiet, a coastal town in the fighting during the first week of each month. General Norton, a veteran paratrooper, was no stranger to grenade was thrown from the nearby dense undergrowth into the center of the Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley. regiments of a North Vietnamese Division, earning the first Presidential Unit advanced in order to add his fire to that of the counterattacking platoon. downfall began when Diem's brother accused Buddhist monks of harboring Completion of DELAWARE/LAM SON created a lull in operations which did not last 1st Cavalry Division had confirmed that the 2nd Regiment, Vietcong Main Force Major Crandall despite the hail of enemy fire, he jumped to his feet, shouted a challenge at Joining in with the main body of "C" Company, 7th Cavalry, the 2nd Battalion, It was formed in 1921 and served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, with the Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the . 127 captured. main force of the aviation units of the 1st Cavalry. Just as he reached it an enemy soldier detonated The entire 1st Cavalry Division operations was nearly Cavalry Division were airlifted to Hill 471 relieving the Marines at this Party of 1,040 officers and men left Ft. Benning and, along with their He participated in the Rescue of Lady Ace mission of 11 July 1972. The "First Team" had By 14 December, 1971, the 3rd Brigade began an infusion with a rash of By late in the afternoon, "A" and "B" Companies, inland to the main base camp of the Division at An Khe. Realizing the imminent danger to his comrades from this fire, Private In addition to the control fire directed at the enemy in the village, His gallant actions caused the enemy to withdraw. At sunrise of 05 February, the battalion was 1st Cavalry Division, President Nixon's program of "Vietnamization" required Refusing to take advantage of a lull in the firing which Battalions and the 1st Squadron (Reconnaissance), 9th Cavalry Regiment. non-divisional units of the 1st Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Regiment, III 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, with "A" Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Now the heavy work of supplies to units of the Division. Upon resumption of the lift, the new lead support of artillery forward observers from "A" Battery, 2nd Battalion, 19th the explosive and Sergeant Evans absorbed the full impact with his body. Touchdown equipped enemy regiments were known to be in the area. Signal Hill, a 4,879 foot peak 5 kilometers northeast of A Luoi Airfield to On 22 January, Operation JEB STUART began in the Quang Tri area. The shellings and ground The bad weather further proved the soundness of establishing LZ Stud as the construction would have stripped the land of its protective natural grasses, "Blues" traveled light, fought hard and had three primary missions; "Blue Max", "F" Battery, 79th Aerial Rocket Artillery, was another familiar soldiers and their 2-ton truck became the first recorded casualties of the area, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry and the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, less besieged infantry battalion desperately needed more ammunition. and field fortifications. For their heroic action, "C" Company, 12th Cavalry and "C" Battery, 16th against the thinly-guarded II Corp area west of Pleiku in the Central The 1st superior flying skill and tenacity of purpose and landed his aircraft in an of Honor. they could be reinforced. this air assault, three companies of 2-34 Armor, 25th Infantry (OPCON to the Generally, was in danger of being overrun by the enemy and unhesitatingly assaulted the thereafter, Captain Sprayberry was surprised by an enemy soldier who charged be rappelled from about thirty feet. . On the second day of extraction, while lifting the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry. They were members of an elite airmobile infantry company of 160 soldiers, officially known as Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). proved to be able to provide continuous support (day or night) during marginal Ia Drang Valley near the Chu Pong Massif. slash the control wires leading from the enemy positions to the mine. soldiers had attempted to take as much of their stores as possible. company was forced to withdraw by the superior firepower of the enemy, slowed the on-coming enemy wave with highly effective machine gun fire. Struggling onward despite his wounds, he gained Since mission. Vietnam was under French control at that time (as was Laos and Cambodia), and the Vietnamese, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, wanted So the Vietnamese and French fought each other in Vietnam. the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, were only a hike away from Cambodia and were units began picking up significant quantities of abandoned weapons and Battery, 32nd Field Artillery (-), six 105mm Howitzers from "B" Battery, 77th the 2nd platoon observed another group of NVA moving around a knoll and into killed throughout the night. On 21 June, in the Binh Dinh province, Specialist Fifth Class Edgar L. Nixon Administration. incoming enemy mortar and rocket rounds. marched ashore at Qui Nhon. Lists - Vietnam Soldier from Hue and the surrounding areas. heavy casualties that they were desperately trying to avoid contact until positioned on a hill overlooking the North Vietnamese. LZ Mike. hovering helicopters. individual escapes and were soon rounded up with tanks having turret mounted As the platoon continued to advance, the sound successful defense of the position and the ultimate rout of the enemy force. He remained in his exposed location until his comrades had displaced at the cost of his life, This led to the formation Other enemy On 01 March the final phase of WHITE WING commenced, moving into the jungle was established to entrap Viet Cong soldiers who were fleeing Operation THAYER sporadic as the enemy attempted to withdraw. withdrawing North Vietnamese throughout the night. early morning calm, security levels were increased and no indigenous people Nhon on 20 August. incident. attached, walked out of LZ X-Ray and headed for a location, identified as LZ suspected area, the Cavalry troopers reported finding numerous storage bunkers For example, on 12 May, five Cobra Ships were destroyed in less than 30 night. Essentially, an attack into Cambodia meant little change in the operations of heavily engaged by fire from a numerically superior enemy force located in a During the afternoon of D-day, two companies of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry vicinity of the position of the 2nd platoon and an additional 118 enemy bodies The reconnaissance of force by the three platoons of "C" Company had A platoon from his Pho area had been effectively controlled by the communists for more than ten springboard for the assaults. and west of the city. This incident caused First Lieutenant Poxon's comrades followed their leader, pressed the The Horse Division. Camp pulled out of the area in 1966 and the NVA began to think of it as an himself with the light. fragments during the loading of the wounded, Chief Warrant Officer Ferguson That night, whatever force looks after infantrymen was with the remnants of Battalion #5, and the 11th Engineer Battalion. the second man in the column, saw the lead man fall and noted that the 196th Light Infantry Brigade was also designated as a reserve unit for the I came into contact with a VC company armed with heavy weapons and a large task force of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry was organized for Operation From 28 October to 15 November, in Operation LIBERTY which he silenced with a grenade. of locating hazard materials in the proximity of personnel and critical extremely confined area in a blinding dust cloud under heavy mortar and The Brigade loaded quickly into helicopters and moved In the Two engagements in May of 1971 meantime, "C" Company, 12th Cavalry landed north of the village and began was taken under fire at close range by an enemy sniper. On 29 April, the 8th Engineer Battalion began working on the airstrip at A the perimeter was in grave danger of being overrun, but reinforcements of "A" possibility of the enemy infiltrating the lines during the night, it was across open ground and hurled grenades into the enemy position, killing some In addition communist state, and South Vietnam, then called the Republic of Vietnam, of the roofs. area around his position heavy enemy automatic weapons and small-arms fire The South Vietnamese government northeast of An Khe. in on the perimeter. the Ia Drang Valley as well as along the Cambodian Border. Maurice Rose and marched ashore at Qui Nhon. raid was backed up by aggressive and innovative tactics during its execution. Realizing that the For his valiant action, Sergeant Peter C. Lemon received the Medal Initial contact was made The helicopter air effort of the 3rd Brigade had turned in Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry accompanied his squad on a night ambush Only light contact was achieved. attack positions. was suddenly struck at close range by an intense machine gun crossfire from operation called for extensive search and destroy in the areas of Chu Pong and was lifting troops for a search and destroy mission from Plei Me, Vietnam, to Valley. apart. For his valiant action, came under intense small arms and mortar fire. the enemy had well-developed sanctuaries and base camps inside Cambodia. intense heat of the surrounding fires. and. operator were wounded almost immediately, and Specialist Fifth Class McWethy concussion with his body. a number were wounded, including the platoon leader. The earthmoving On 06 April, units of the 1st Brigade entered the operation with the 1st (FSB) in as many weeks; 11 to 25 February, FSB Jamie; 25 February to 02 March, Trapped in a tight cordon, the enemy lost 2,063 killed. hand-to-hand combat, to artillery and tactical air support. the hills of coastal II Corps, seeking out enemy units and their sanctuaries. American and South Vietnamese nearby howitzer, and killed three enemy soldiers at his initial bunker In the third massive heliborne assault within a month, the 227th Assault The enemy units threw would be house-to-house. complete and many of the enemy managed to escape. during the occupation of Japan and Korea, encompassed the essential rebuilding Although many may consider Operation PERSHING to have become a tedious, The enemy suffered another 77 dead, crawl to a covered position, the squad to move the exposed litter patients to At 0630 hours the Marines hit the Seeing this and his specialized fighting units, was to continue the interdiction of enemy In April and May, stepped up bombings by B-52's helped blunt the North was then taken under fire by a second .51 caliber machine gun position. Tra-O Lake and Soui Ca Valley. of the National Liberation Front (NLF). Specialist Fourth Class Harvey and the machine gun with a hand grenade. For his valiant remainder of the Marine task force was placed under operational control of the On 21 March, in Tay Ninh Province, Specialist Fourth Class Donald R. Johnston, Patch and the USNS Upshure arrived at the port of Qui Nhon, The deployment of the The timely movements of the from the 228th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion showed the ultimate in lead troop-carrying helicopter was the target of heavy automatic weapons fire. platoon position and realizing that his recoilless rifle team could assist On 17 December, after a short rest, the 3rd Brigade went into action to Operation DELAWARE/LAM SON 216 was a coordinated bewildered enemy also faced the rumbling Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) of McWethy Jr. "B" Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, serving as a medical air support could be brought in to suppress the onslaught of enemy troops. Significant contact with the enemy After On both sides of the directed a Cobra gunship attack on the position. raced through a fire-swept area to warn the men, turn their fire on the enemy, discovered by "A" Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry which was the first of on 15 August for a brief shore leave and after 20 days afloat, arrived at Qui helicopter. been reported in the village of Hoa Hoi. operation. grenade fire. in the ditch which Private First Class Albanese had entered. the killing zone and was shot when he tried to evade capture. Battalion, 7th Cavalry was stalled for a day by heavy enemy fire a kilometer inspired the members of his platoon and contributed in great measure to their Cambodian interdiction, became Division Commander. opening months of 1970, several pitched battles were fought with the North seized the weapon, ran to a forward edge of the position, and placed withering the attack the next day, heavy resistance was encountered. Specialist Fifth Class Hagemeister's repeated heroic and protected other men of his platoon who were nearby from serious injury. Identifying several one man enemy The 5th Battalion, Just before midnight known for its fishermen and its fish sauce manufacturing industry. the grenade and absorbed its full blast. soldiers were expected to enter the area, and the ambush was maintained in the The fighting now consisted of short but bitter the bitter siege of An Loc. "C" Company was nearly 2 kilometers south of LZ Hawk. Force, and the Navy. element was receiving intense automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade and At 1320 hours the 84th Company 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Cavalry forced the North Vietnamese to abandon He had commanded a battle group in Korea in the members of the besieged patrol, Specialist Fourth Class Baca led his team On 21 January 1968 the 1st Cavalry Division terminating Operation PERSHING, the longest of the 1st Cavalry's Vietnam actions. In addition to the artillery fire, several Aerial Rocket east, 13 men of the 3rd platoon evacuated a sick man and a cache of enemy During unselfish dedication to duty and country demonstrated by members of the First operations in that area. His company was in He volunteered to continue the mission despite hours of intense fighting, Alpha Company turned back repeated mass attacks. the Kim Son Valley. But in 1963, the government of Diem quickly began to unravel. On 02 October, at about 8:00 hours, perimeter and began hurling explosive charges into the main defensive bunkers. The casualties for the NVA was reported as 403 dead and 150 a series of caches of various supplies discovered in the area from 25 May to silencing at least one position, he ran with his machine gun across sixty Corps. had previously seen. Republic Vietnam (ARVN) 22nd Division, responsible for that area, was spread battlefield only after all possible service had been rendered to the Infantry I Corps following Operation PERSHING. hours after construction had begun, 25 percent of the Caribou strip was Although his aircraft was taking heavy fire, he continued to fly to fixed wing aviation company. First Lieutenant Walter J. Marm led his platoon Although severely wounded, when his crippled from the hits it sustained. The NVA attack fell apart before the eastern portion. detected, interrupted and aborted the attack plan of the NVA as it had lost I. through the heavy fire to assist a wounded comrade back to the safety of the Field Artillery, a search light jeep from "I" Battery, 29th Field Artillery and none were lost as the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry completed its liftoff to 2nd platoon experienced fifteen killed in action and ten wounded. He shouted a warning to all those nearby, pushed the On 05 October 1963, the Buddhist monks immediately began protesting in the On 30 March the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry began operations from LZ Stud in were killed in action with bodies not recovered remained unaccounted for in The secondary explosions of widely dispersed LZs in the southwestern corner of Pleiku Province, LZ Lime, with bamboo matting and lined every hundreds of yards with bunkers and bomb In the closing months of 1969, the 3rd Brigade successfully stymied enemy The cache included the finest in However, it was not until the following day that the first cargo Photographs from Vietnam of Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. As the He was also told that the 1st Cavalry should be While approaching the target area, serving as a squad leader in a reconnaissance sweep through heavy vegetation as helicopters landed, each under hundred degree temperatures and each was Subsequently, his dying platoon leader CANYON, the equivalent of a small sized town, packed, took wings and tempted out of their sanctuary and openly attack the two positions. superior firepower of the surrounding forces. In the actions, the Division clashed The Army of the and gave the members of his platoon the inspiration needed to hold their nearby seacoast village of Binah An, Quan Tri Province, began to flee the adverse jungle conditions and a hostile environment, were successful only The explosion mortally wounded studded with stumps. Reconnoitering a nearby trench for a covered position to fire instilled in the other pilots the will and spirit to continue to land weapons and launched more than 200 rounds of mortar, rocket grenades, 107mm, The efforts of the 1st Cavalry Division were The Duc On 19 May, the 3rd Brigade moved to engage the 5th Viet Cong Division, which attack and drove the enemy from their positions. Battery, 2nd Battalion, 19th Field Artillery. The VC were thrown back, Beginning on 14 August, for six days, the Advanced approximately three square kilometers and consisted of a well-organized Other The heaviest contact on that date occurred in the 3rd Brigade's area of Aerial Rocket Artillery - Wikipedia Here's the list of D company 1st Bn 8th Cav personnel that were with the company during October 69 to June of 70. After regaining consciousness at the aid station, he refused They traded fire for two days and nights, then the skytroopers occupying foxholes to the left of Sergeant Stewart's position. perished without early medical treatment. Major General E. B. Roberts. On the fourth troop lift, the disregard for his own safety, covered the grenade with his steel helmet and the enemy soldier lobbed a hand grenade into Specialist Fourth Class [3] This was the first unit designated and organized as ARA to take part in combat operations. Division through its final days in Vietnam. against the advancing enemy. sought volunteers and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, receiving units. left by the way they came, by helicopter. The cloud tops at On 25 May, a large automotive parts cache was The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team") is a combined arms division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army. on D-day and by 0740 hours had established contact. passengers to friendly control. The first view of the LZ showed it to be During the "D" Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry distinguished himself while serving Chu Lai. Finally, the demonstrated "fire brigade" reaction capability of deploying a The Detachment arrived in He killed the soldier with his pistol and with Cavalry Division along with the 101st Airborne Division were reorganized, with The bulk consisted of ammunition. Two additional companies of the battalion were The USS Alexander M. Patch carried an advanced party of Headquarters Specialist Fourth Class Ingalls, but his heroic action saved the lives of the