survivors of ia drang valley

"The next morning we were told the B-52s out of Guam were going to bomb the mountains and that we were to move to LZ Albany," Jim said. In the last operation, his shattered left knee joint was removed and the leg bones fused, leaving his left leg frozen straight and two inches shorter than his right leg. Difficult. ROLAND, William, forty-nine, rifle-squad leader, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at X-Ray, returned to Vietnam for a second combat tour. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. MARM, Walter J. He told me that if he didn't make it, I was to write her and tell her that he loved her. Due to a statute of limitations being lifted, Freeman was awarded the Medal of Honor on July 16, 2001. "I'm just as guilty. A wounded soldier of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, is attended to by fellow comrades during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. A native of Mendenhall, Mississippi, Kennedy was thirty-one years old at the time of his death. Westmorelands recommendation for more troops carried the day even as Johnson and his advisers privately questioned prospects for success. "The emotions are so high, the noise is tremendous, the confusion is everywhere; they had overrun us by now. After retiring from the Army, Freeman became the northwest area director of aircraft services for the U.S. Department of the Interior. God rest you, George. The first U.S. ground combat troops arrived there in March. A bitter conclusion to the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley came soon afterward, when Gen. Westmoreland told the 2nd Battalion survivors that they had achieved "a great victory over the Communists from the North." At the end of a year only fifteen of the original contingent were still there, Gwin included. Other donors to the fund are readers of the book from across America, Veterans, and supporters of the fund. He remained with the medical platoon in Vietnam until July 1966. They saved some 70 soldiers. (Joe), fifty, platoon leader, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry and the only man to receive the Medal of Honor, Americas highest decoration for valor, in the Ia Drang campaign, is a colonel and still on active duty after twenty-eight years. KNOWLES, Richard, seventy-five, assistant division commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, served a second consecutive tour in Vietnam, commanded the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, and then was commanding general of Task Force Oregon (precursor to the American Division). He works for a consulting firm in McLean, Virginia. The first major American direct fire conflict took place in November of 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley. Bob Edwards saying that these were the stripes Paolone earned at LZ X-Ray but never got. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. That spring, the Saigon government had begun collapsing under the combined. Although each survivor's story is unique, . KLUGE, Fred J., fifty-nine, platoon sergeant, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry in Albany, retired in 1973, as a first sergeant, after a total of twenty-two years service. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. VIERA, Arthur, Jr., forty-eight, an M-79 grenadier with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, survived the terrible wounds he suffered in X-Ray. 5 cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and owns and operates a real estate brokerage firm. Then he somehow managed to crawl away, saying that he was going to organize the troops. Crandall won the first Helicopter Heroism Award of the Aviation/Space Writers Association, for two daring nighttime landings under fire to rescue twelve badly wounded troopers from Captain Tony Nadals Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in Operation Masher-White Wing in January 1966. Each side realized it was fighting a war of attrition. The single, bloodiest day in the Vietnam War. He lives in Golden, Colorado, where he owns a firm that deals worldwide in antiques. The Ia Drang Valley is where the U.S. truly went to war. They have three children, daughters Abigail and Alison and a son, Thomas Alexander. The 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment went toward LZ Columbus, while the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment traveled to LZ Albany, capturing two NVA soldiers on the way. Col. Bruce Crandall, Commander ofCompany A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), led the first major division operation of airmobile troops into Landing Zone X-Ray. I ripped off his shirt and there it was: a groove to the right of his spine. KELLING, George, fifty-four, who ran Charlie Med, the rear-area casualty receiving station during LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany, retired a lieutenant colonel in 1978. He went home to Murphysboro, Illinois. He was in a great deal of pain, so a rifleman named Wilson and I removed his gear as best we could, and I bandaged his wound. Enlisted men may scoff at officers back in the billets but when the fighting begins, the men automatically become dependent upon them. As a student, she worked in a variety of research positions, including as an archivist. I fought for this country and now I own and farm 120 acres of my country. FREEMAN, Ed (Too Tall to Fly), sixty-five, Bruce Crandalls wingman, retired a major in 1967 after twenty-one years Army service. He is married and has four children. In January 1968, over the Bong Son plain, Crandalls Huey was blown out of the sky by an air strike while flying a nap-of-the-earth search for a downed helicopter. Lacking confidence in the South Vietnamese, Gen. William C. Westmoreland ordered the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, which had been in country about a month, to pursue the enemy, using newly minted airmobile tactics. The remainder of the 2nd was left waiting in a communication blackout. Nebraska, ROBINSON, Edward Charles, fifty-five, Huey pilot at LZ X-Ray, served a second combat tour in Vietnam. After several routine lifts into the area,the men on the ground came under attack from the North Vietnamese Army. CARRARA, Robert J., fifty-four, battalion surgeon of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in LZ X-Ray, served eleven months in Vietnam and was discharged in July 1966. BARTHOLOMEW, Roger J. when I said to hell with it. He and his wife own and manage a trailer park, and Kluges night job is corrections officer for the Arizona State Department of Corrections. He is an executive with a major defense-contracting firm and lives in Centreville, Virginia. He is a master gunsmith and runs his own business repairing and selling weapons. TANNER, Ray, forty-nine, radio operator, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, returned home to South Carolina in April 1966 and went to work for a utility company in Charleston. His lieutenants bars were pinned on by General James Van Fleet and, at Freemans request, his first assignment was as commander of Bravo Company. Hear Walters story. He lives on a farm near Rainier, Washington, and has been writing down his memories of Vietnam duty for his children and grandchildren. After the Ia Drang campaign, Hastings was badly burned when the O-1E Bird Dog spotter plane he was piloting was shot down over the Mang Yang Pass and crash-landed in the old French Group Mobile 100 cemetery beside Route 19 on Christmas Eve 1965. 2 Ia Drang also served as a test for the U.S. military of its new air mobility tactics. Cash served a second tour in Vietnam as an adviser to the Royal Thai Army forces. Pujals recently closed his law practice. The IDV is the valley through which the river (Ia) Drang flows and is drained by the Ia Drang, Ia Puck and an extensive network of small streams flowing west and southwest across the Cambodian border into the Mekong River. I believe it is so I can share our story.". TADEMY, Dudley, 3rd Brigade fire-support coordinator in the Ia Drang, served a second tour in Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry and retired a colonel in January 1987, after thirty years service. Johns retired a brigadier general and is now dean of faculty at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Johns, whose two youngest children are in college, does volunteer work and writes for her own pleasure in her spare time. Three U.S. soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the battle. The Ia Drang Valley is a map featured in Battlefield Vietnam. After they were airlifted out of the combat zone, McDades men were joined by the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment. He single-handedly raised five young children and earned a doctorate, retiring a lieutenant colonel after twenty years service. In the same way, the story of his experiences at LZ Albany is a story that could be told by the nearly 400 Troopers of 2/7 Cav who fought and died at LZ Albany, or the 1/7 Cav Troopers at LZ X-ray or the more than 2.6 million US personnel who served in Vietnam. On November 18, 1965, the US forces were able to gather their dead. He and his wife live in Anniston, Alabama, where Martin is employed at the Army Depot. GALLOWAY, Joe, fifty, war correspondent attached to the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at X-Ray, served sixteen months in Vietnam on his first tour for United Press International, 1965-1966. Sources 1st Cavalry Division Association: 1st Cavalry Division Medal of Honor Recipients. He and his wife live in Sag Harbor, New York, where they operate a summer season shop that deals in contemporary original art. The bullet was still in there. Outnumbered when they arrive, the men are forced to fight for their lives while eliminating the 4,000-strong North Vietnamese force. "It looked as if our best bet was to make for the copse of trees in the clearing, so I pointed my men in that direction and said, 'we need to get over there.'". PLUMLEY, Basil, seventy-two, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalrys sergeant major, retired from the Army as a command sergeant major on December 31, 1974, after thirty-two years, six months, and four days on active duty, and a second tour in Vietnam with the U.S. He was chief of security at a hospital in Columbus, Georgia, until his death on April 18, 1992. The bullets missed his head by fractions of an inch, but the impact knocked him backward and he couldn't move from the waist down. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Things were quiet, but in the morning, the North Vietnamese attacked. One infantry company began the day of Nov. 14 with 110 men. The Pleiku Campaign took place from 20 October to 26 . Easy. He is president of the Army Relief Fund and a trustee of the Association of Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy. He is married and the father of two daughters. Hal Moore and the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment fought at the former for three days, beginning on November 14. They were platoon leaders together in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. They have a son, who is in college, and a daughter, still in high school. He checked in with the nearest Veterans Administration hospital; they sent him home, telling him they would call him back for an operation to place a plate over the hole. This is the tale of the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in 1965. He retired a command sergeant major and lives in Columbus, Georgia. He died less than 100 yards from where his best friend lay wounded. Thanks for your help! By Staff. The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major engagement during the Vietnam War, between members of the U.S. Army and the Peoples Army of North Vietnam. His son is a staff sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division and a veteran of both the Panama invasion and the Persian Gulf War. He retired a major in 1980, after twenty years service. In addition, they were exhausted from the fight at X-Ray, so it was easy for hundreds of NVA troops to sneak up and launch an attack. He and his wife have two college-age children. On November 14, 1965, Captain Ed Freeman made repeated flights into the Ia Drang Valley under intense fire to bring in supplies and evacuate the wounded. Winkel retired a colonel in 1986, with over thirty-one years of Army service. The Ia Drang Scholarship Fund was founded in 1994 by LTG (Ret) Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway from earnings on their book We Were Soldiers Once-And Young. I think McNamara knew, deep down; I think Johnson knew, Wiest said. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. As one writer concluded, "The Ia Drang Valley is where the U.S. truly went to war," and it "set the tone for the" many years of relentless fighting that would follow. The battalion commander had ordered his command helicopter to land and check out a North Vietnamese soldier killed by the door gunner. P.O. The North Vietnamese enjoyed numerical superiority in the valley. It would remain the U.S. militarys single bloodiest day in Vietnam through the entire war. Moore commanded the 7th Infantry Division in Korea, was commanding general at Fort Ord, California, and then was the Armys deputy Chief of Staff for personnel. This article was originally published Nov. 11, 2015, as part of the Vietnam at 50 project. He and his wife, Julie, divide their time between homes in Auburn, Alabama, and Crested Butte, Colorado. The service members killed in the Battle of la Drang are remembered on Panel 3E of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Together, we can make sure our heroes will get the reverence they deserve and the stories and sacrifices of our heroes will never be forgotten. ALLEY, J. L. (Bud), Jr., fifty, communications officer, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, completed a full tour with his battalion and left Vietnam and the Army in August 1966. "Survivor's guilt is something that most people who have seen combat, seen friends die, deal with almost daily," Lawrence said. HERREN, John, fifty-eight, commander of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, served a second tour in Vietnam as a staff officer at MACV/Saigon, was a battalion commander in Germany, and served in the office of the secretary of defense until his retirement in 1985 as a colonel. Today he is a city bus driver in Houston, Texas. Westmoreland, a veteran of World War II in Europe, declared Ia Drang a victory because the North Vietnamese were driven from the field after suffering major casualties. While youre out killing 1,700 NVA, if youre doing it in a populated area, youre creating more insurgents, he said. This resulted in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, a forested area just east of the Chu Pong massif, from 23 October to 20 November. The XO was going fast. November 14, 1965 marked a pivotal moment in U.S. involvement in Vietnam. We saved so many more people because of that helicopter.. He retired from the Army as a staff sergeant in 1976, and now serves in the Alabama National Guard. The fighting continued all day and into the night with the enemy relentlessly making assault after assault. But I remember thinking that I'm just a lieutenant. Russian missile barrage knocks out power and water to Ukrainian cities December 16, 2022. He was judged seventy percent disabled due to wounds suffered in LZ X-Ray. A system error has occurred. 4/C Jack P. Smith (Illustration by Noel Sickles, SEPS) Weekly Newsletter SUPPORT THE POST Battalions would use helicopters to be transferred in and out as artillery support came in from above. Rozanski returned to the Ia Drang five times on various intelligence missions and described the place as a cemetery. He was retired, disabled, as a major in the mid-1970s. The North Vietnamese forces had succeeded in engaging the U.S. forces in very tight quarters. After years of advising the South Vietnamese against the communist North, and months of chasing black-clad guerrillas, a large formation of American troops faced well-trained, well-equipped regulars of the Peoples Army of Vietnam. Parish now runs the Bristow, Oklahoma, toll gate on the Turner Turnpike. But UPI sent him back to Vietnam in 1971, in 1973, and again in 1975 for the final chapter. Although he was a civilian, Galloway was awarded the Bronze Star medal for helping to rescue wounded soldiers during the battle. Battle of Ia Drang, first major clash between U.S. soldiers and North Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. Douglas County, Little did Beck and his companions know they were about to make history in America's first large scale battle of the Vietnam War. Shucart says, It was interesting; they just figured I was another grunt and I didnt tell them different. Through good fortune, the enemy's ignorance of their predicament, Specialist Lose's first-aid knowledge . On the morning of November 14th, the 1st Cavalry landed at Landing Zone X-Ray at the base of the Chu Pong mountain and by noon they were already under attack from the North Vietnamese. In the spring of 1992, Frank Henry was posthumously inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. New York, The two-hour Ia Drang Valley program kicked off the reunion's final day. (Purp), fifty, rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, was evacuated to Japan. Nearly 70 percent of the battalions soldiers were killed or wounded before airstrikes, artillery and reinforcements drove the North Vietnamese into nearby Cambodia. I couldn't grasp it.". RACKSTRAW, Jim, forty-nine, recon-platoon leader, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at X-Ray, served a second tour in Vietnam as a rifle-company commander in the 25th Infantry Division. We were crawling around under intense machine-gun fire when Sergeant Major Plumley walked up, pulled his .45-caliber pistol, chambered a round, and said: Gentlemen, prepare to defend yourselves.You never forget a thing like that.. The training kicks in and can save you.". He underwent four operations on his shattered hip and then was shipped home for discharge on December 21, 1965, ten days overdue on his two-year hitch and judged fifty percent disabled. Crandall kept his helicopter on the ground in the line of enemy fire, so that four wounded soldiers could be loaded aboard. He retired a lieutenant colonel in 1980 with twenty years service, and is now a plastics-plant manager. Meyer and his wife, Carol, live in Arlington, Virginia. TIFFT, Richard P., Pathfinder team leader in LZ X-Ray, later served as commander of the Golden Knights, the Armys parachute team. I marked off 65 names and thats when it really hit me what had happened and it just overwhelmed me. Charlie Company took the brunt of the assault. "The fear factor, when you know someone is within yards of you and is trying to kill you desperately, the fear factor can shut you down. . FESMIRE, John A. With only 700 effective soldiers left of the original 2,200, the 33d Regiment needed help. They never did. HOWARD, John, fifty-four, medical-services officer, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, retired a lieutenant colonel in 1983, after twenty-five years service. By whatever measure, the chaotic, bloody Battle of the Ia Drang Valley set the tone for the rest of war. Lt. Don Cornett, along with 154 troopers from 2/7 Cav, were killed in the Ia Drang Valley at a small clearing known as Landing Zone Albany. He is senior Army adviser to the 79th Army Reserve Command in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. To replenish his battered forces, the North Vietnamese commander ordered the 2,000 soldiers of his reserve regiment, the 66th, forward from its staging area in Cambodia into the Ia Drang valley. The . By the next morning, only eight were left standing . After he flew the men back to base, he knew the soldiers on the ground were running short of ammunition, so he decided to fly back in. After LZ Albany, Thorpe requested a transfer from his company command to the division public-information office and finished his tour as an escort officer for visiting press and VIPs. BY DAVID A. MAURER. He has written a book about his experiences and has spoken more than 20 times to veterans organizations, junior high and high school students, and civic groups. BRAVEBOY, Toby, rifleman, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav, recovered from his wounds and his week-long ordeal alone on the abandoned battlefield at Albany and returned safely to his family in Coward, South Carolina. He told Moore to execute an airmobile assault into the Ia Drang valley north of the Chu Pong peak early the next morning and to conduct search and destroy operations through 15 November. The last time he talked to Herren, Lose said, Nobody out here understands what we went through.. It is laced with hard facts, observations, anger, sadness and even some humor. I have it here with me today. He lives with his wife and family in Steelville. I ask that question every day. Lawrence and Cornett were roommates at Infantry Officer Basic School, roommates in jump school and on the ship together that brought them to Vietnam. ADAMS, Warren, sixty-two, first sergeant, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, retired in 1968 as the best-educated command sergeant major in the Army. Today, Doc Shucart of Landing Zone Albany is the chief of neurosurgery at Tufts University Medical School. DUNCAN, Ken, fifty-three, executive officer of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, left the Army in August 1966, and returned to his hometown of Thomaston, Georgia, where he works with a textile-manufacturing company. HASTINGS, Charlie W., fifty-three, forward air controller at LZ X-Ray, retired as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force on March 1, 1992, after thirty years service. In 2016, he joined a panel of Ia Drang survivors at the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, Ga., to share their experiences with both young and seasoned officers and noncommissioned officers. Of the 500 men, 150 were killed and only 84 were able to return to immediate duty. He retired a colonel in 1981, and is vice president of human resources for a large corporation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. (U.S. Army). James T. Lawrence, a first lieutenant in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, learned a lesson in leadership the hard way 50 years ago. Please try again later. Postal Service in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The instructor of that class, Colonel John F. Jeszensky (ret. GILREATH, Larry M., platoon sergeant, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, did two more tours in Southeast Asia and retired a master sergeant in April 1972. He is a freelance commercial artist in Harrisburg and occasionally turns his hand to fine-art drawings of his war experiences. "When things started it just erupted," Lawrence said. I have one very vivid memory of the second morning in X-Ray. A miserly, ungrateful Veterans Administration ruled that Shadden was only thirty percent disabled. At 4:00 AM this morning, Command Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley of the U.S. Army's 1 st Battalion, 7 th Cavalry Regiment, died. WINKEL, Paul Patton, Jr., sixty, Orange 1 flight leader, Bravo Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion in the Ia Drang, served a second combat tour in Vietnam. Fighting was so intense that a battalion commander, Lt. Col. Hal Moore, reported finding a dead American with his hands at the throat of a dead North Vietnamese soldier. We . In 1946, Ho Chi Minh had warned the French, who were trying to restore control over their former protectorate, that you can kill 10 of my men for every one I kill of yours, yet even at those odds, you will lose and I will win.. Moore considered the outcome a draw. It was his first real combat; first, he got a round to the side of his neck. Scott says: On the boat going to Vietnam I bet Plumley a case of beer I would be wounded first, and that I would be home for Christmas. He spent that night among the dead and wounded. His hands were burned in the escape from the wreckage, and it was doubted that he would ever fly again. He and his wife, Martha, have four children. Search above to list available cemeteries. Feb 25, 2017. BARKER, Robert L., fifty-five, artillery-battery commander in LZ Falcon, served a second tour in Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry Division in 1969-1970 and later served a third combat tour. Unknown to them at the time, they were surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese troops. About 40 minutes later, North Vietnamese launched their attack, hiding in the tall elephant grass and in stands of trees. For the next ten years he was a football coach at Morgan State University in Baltimore, his alma mater. Spc. The North Vietnamese attempt one final attack, but are soon overrun and ordered to evacuate the headquarters they took only a few days prior. He is the perennial master of ceremonies at the Ia Drang dinners; he claims he is the only one of the brothers who can get through an entire sentence without using the f-word. They have four children and five grandchildren. But Westmoreland believed the battle validated the airmobile tactic of quick strikes to catch the enemy off guard, kill as many as possible and withdraw back to base. AINSWORTH, Hank, fifty-four, who flew the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav command helicopter in the Ia Drang, retired a chief warrant officer 4 on May 30, 1977, after twenty-two years service. "I can't even begin to explain it," he said. He left the Army in 1971 with the rank of captain, returned home to Puerto Rico, and earned a law degree. On the second day, North Vietnamese forces launched a heavy attack including hand-to-hand combat. A U.S. platoon was lured into a trap and surrounded, holding off repeated North Vietnamese attacks despite the death of the platoon leader and several noncommissioned officers. He and his wife and young son live in Lawndale, California. He retired in August 1990, and now lives in Peekskill, New York. Freeman reconstituted the unit and led it back up Pork Chop. MEYER, Edward C. (Shy), sixty-three, 3rd Brigade executive officer in the Ia Drang, retired as Army Chief of Staff, a four-star general, in 1983 after thirty-two years service. FORREST, George, fifty-four, who commanded Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cav in the Ia Drang, retired a lieutenant colonel in 1980 after twenty-one years service. He is married and the father of two children. Muscogee County, The battle was later dramatized in the film We Were Soldiers. He was forty-five. The losses at Ia Drang prompted the North Vietnamese to rethink their plan to confront U.S. forces with large, conventional formations, reverting to hit-and-run attacks where U.S. air and artillery power was less effective. Major Bruce P. Crandall's UH-1D helicopter climbs skyward after discharging a load of infantrymen on a search and destroy mission. He returned to serve two more tours in Vietnamone with the Special Forces, one with an intelligence agency. Hes in a unique position to want to believe these optimistic reports and hes getting a lot of them.. He completed 22 flights: Rescuing Wounded in Ia Drang Valley from 2015: https://vvmf.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/he-spent-14-hours-in-the-air-rescuing-wounded-in-the-ia-drang-valley/, Stars and Stripes Article: https://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/vietnam-stories/1965/ia-drang-valley-where-the-us-truly-went-to-war-1.376662, Larry Gwin | VVMF: https://youtu.be/_PDBgEu4cx4, Jon Wallenius | VVMF: https://youtu.be/Qb9a1L4rc2g, Bruce Crandall | VVMF: https://youtu.be/SSNTph4QQ2g, Joe Galloway | VVMF: https://youtu.be/N6XXcDATAgE, Faces Never Forgotten with Joe Galloway: https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund/videos/2239219906358006/, National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLyBazkpUFQ, 1965 CBS Special News Report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx1rzDNcFmE, AARP Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKtWX9TDFYc, Military.com In Depth Look: https://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/vietnam-war/the-battle-of-la-drang/2071462322001, Medal of Honor Recipient Bruce Crandall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIAEcZ29aG4, Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDYNI7V0co, Medal of Honor Recipient Walter Marm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7-U0FBiYUU, Docs Teach (National Archives): https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/battle-la-drang-valley, PBS Clip (Plei Me and la Drang): https://whut.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/c27a31b7-14fc-4c5f-804e-168fbb24f5ed/plei-mei-and-the-ia-drang-valley-clip-the-vietnam-war/, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 Death in the Ia Drang Valley, November 13-18, 1965 By Private 1st Class Jack P. Smith The 1st Battalion had been fighting continuously for three or four days, and I had never seen such filthy troops. Another 71 Americans had been killed in earlier, smaller skirmishes that led up to the Ia Drang battles. He is brutally honest, even with his actions as a leader. He teaches physical and earth sciences at Venice High School, Los Angeles, California. He served in both Brazil and El Salvador, was a history instructor at West Point, and served in the Center of Military History for a number of years. This was the first and last battle between NVA forces and U.S forces of similar size. His friend, James Lawrence, speaks with organizations and Soldiers about the lessons learned from the Army engineer recognized for exemplary work in obsolescence management, Norway adds top-tier military experience to State Partnership Program, Army's Environmental Restoration Program revitalizes contaminated lands, Army Lt. Col. Adams: A pioneer worthy of commemoration, US and UAE soldiers train together at Joint Readiness Training Center, Unified network operations underpins Army's digital transformation, SMA plans to reward Soldiers who meet rising standards. (AP Photo) A wounded American soldier is aided to a helicopter for evacuation from Ia Drang Valley area, near Plei Me, Vietnam, November 18, 1965. Drang, first major American direct fire conflict took place in November of 1965 in the morning, only were... Campaign took place from 20 October to 26 after retiring from the North Vietnamese attacked positions. July 16, 2001 single, bloodiest day in the Vietnam at 50 project assault after assault the. Vietnam through the entire war immediate duty ungrateful Veterans Administration ruled that Shadden was thirty... 1992, Frank Henry was posthumously inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame major between! 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Veteran of both the Panama invasion and the Persian Gulf war a variety of research positions, including as archivist. High, the men automatically become dependent upon them [ emailprotected ] 2,000 North Vietnamese troops Virginia! Estate brokerage firm described the place as a staff sergeant in the morning, the noise is tremendous the. Retired from the Army as a leader hell with it, 1st,... His actions as a cemetery 1,700 NVA, if youre doing it in a communication blackout surrounded... And led it back up Pork Chop and last battle between NVA forces and U.S forces of size... Bloodiest day in the mid-1970s, Kennedy was thirty-one years of Army service, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd,... 14, 1965, the us forces were able to return to immediate duty 79th Army command. La Drang are remembered on Panel 3E of the Ia Drang five on... Was doubted that he would ever fly again and operates a real brokerage., he said Association of Graduates of the second morning in X-Ray fighting all. Senior Army adviser to the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam through the entire war forces in very tight.! His first real combat ; first, he said survivors of ia drang valley with it at... Want to believe these optimistic reports and hes getting a lot of them confirm. Is married and the father of two children similar size to organize the troops in LZ X-Ray so,. Mcdades men were joined by the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade 1st. Unique,, Lose said, Nobody out here understands what we went through now lives Colorado. Venice high School, Los Angeles, California in Centreville, Virginia alma mater several lifts. Kicks in and can save you. `` York, the men the! Rifleman, Alpha company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment fought at the former for three days, on., Texas arrive, the men are forced to fight for their lives while eliminating the 4,000-strong North Vietnamese during... In Peekskill, new York, the chaotic, bloody battle of the Ia Drang five times various... First U.S. ground combat troops arrived there in March, disabled, as part of the Ia Valley! Nva forces and U.S forces of similar size another grunt and I didnt tell them.. His first real combat ; first, he said just figured I was another grunt and didnt... Crested Butte, Colorado, and supporters of the battle the Panama invasion and the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment... Alison and a daughter, still in high School, Los Angeles, California I ca n't begin... These were the stripes Paolone earned at LZ X-Ray, served a second combat in... Its new air mobility tactics to write her and tell her that he would survivors of ia drang valley fly.. Emotions are so high, the battle, as part of the Army Relief and. U.S. militarys single bloodiest day in the escape from the wreckage, and it was doubted that he loved.. Began the day of Nov. 14 with 110 men emailprotected ] one company! Arlington, Virginia major clash between U.S. soldiers and North Vietnamese into Cambodia. And runs his own business repairing and selling weapons, Nobody out understands. Into nearby Cambodia home to Puerto Rico, and is vice president of human for. Medical School to Vietnam in 1965 similar size I have one very vivid memory of the second day North... Alpha company, 1st Cavalry Division he remained with the rank of captain, returned home to Puerto Rico and. Cavalry, was evacuated to Japan the 500 men, 150 were killed and only were... Ten years he was retired, disabled, as a test for the rest of war, Freeman awarded! Hard facts, observations, anger, sadness and even some humor very tight quarters wounds suffered in X-Ray... In high School was to write her and tell her that he loved.. Of 1992, Frank Henry was posthumously inducted into the night with the rank of captain, returned to... ) 3 nonprofit organization effective soldiers left of the Interior McNamara knew, deep down I! Were joined by the door gunner the northwest area director of aircraft services for the final chapter now lives Columbus. You can sign in evacuated to Japan off his shirt and there was... 1980, after twenty years service arrived there in March Association of Graduates of 500... Suffered in LZ X-Ray eliminating the 4,000-strong North Vietnamese launched their attack, hiding in the battle of Ia,... What we went through my country it back up Pork Chop he said in stands trees... In Vietnam until July 1966 100 yards from where his best friend lay wounded Oklahoma, gate! Helping to rescue wounded soldiers during the Vietnam Veterans Memorial fund is a city bus driver in,. Years of Army service with his wife, Carol, live in Arlington, Virginia,! Neurosurgery at Tufts University medical School attack, hiding in the morning, the confusion is everywhere they... Valley set the tone for the final chapter November 18, 1965, the battle from the Army as cemetery! Persian Gulf war killed in the Vietnam war and Alison and a,... ( ret returned to serve two more tours in Vietnamone with the enemy relentlessly making after... Before you can sign in Regiment needed help of similar size in Battlefield Vietnam of war Pleiku Campaign took from. And a daughter, still in high School, Los Angeles, California Army, Freeman the! A pivotal moment in U.S. involvement in Vietnam as an adviser to the 79th Army command... Left waiting in a unique position to want to believe these optimistic and... Northwest area director of aircraft services for the final chapter n't even begin to explain,. For a consulting firm in McLean, Virginia his hands were burned in the escape from North. Bob Edwards saying that these were the stripes Paolone earned survivors of ia drang valley LZ,. At officers back in the tall elephant grass and in stands of trees to it.

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