Aviation gas was leaking from the fuel lines on the right side, and that wasnt all. Advanced Search | Passing of colors to the new commander. Seriously wounded were, SSG Slaven the squad leader, SP/4 Robert Cressman, PFC Larry W. Holton, and CPL Lee Van Muon, their Popular Forces Interpreter. In my case it was my unusual ability to count. (Lt. Cdr. Records relating to the Christmas mail program, 1969-72. The idea seemed absurd! The following is a collection of photographs and letters sent to college friends, dated from 27 November 1969 to 26 May 1970, from John Cook. [4]:99, The PAVN/VC attacks on Da Nang were a failure resulting in more than 500 dead. 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. Vietnam Da Nang 2 Vietnam Dong Tranh River 2 Vietnam French Indo China 7 Vietnam Khe Sanh 13 Vietnam Long Binh 3 Vietnam Phan Rang Air Base 18. The three guns were mounted in window ports, just forward of the open cargo door. Near Saigon, the VC made attacks on Long Binh and Bien Hoa. Long Binh Post was a sprawling, 3,500 building . Among the family members present were his son and grandson, John L. Levitow III. This region includes ten provinces: Binh Duong, Binh Hyua, Binh Long, Binh Tuy, Hau Nghia, Long An, Long Kahnh, Phuoc Long, Phuac Tuy Tay Ninh. Combat training for ordnance officers at best is rudimentary. The occupants were helplessly slammed against the floor and fuselage like so many rag dolls., At that moment, a loud explosion was heard and a bright flash filled the aircraft, said Maj. William P. Platt, the navigator. [4]:99, Before dawn on 23 February, the first day of Tt, the PAVN/VC fired 25 122mm rockets at Da Nang's deep water port hitting an ARVN ammunition dump and a fuel tank farm at Da Nang Air Base and cause minor damage to an A-6A and 6 helicopters at the Air Base. The MP squad suffered three wounded. 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. By 15:00 the 36th Ranger Battalion moved into the village attacking the PAVN/VC force. In another scene, a large crane is used to stack shells in the ammunition dump. [4]:100, After dawn on 23 February a VC unit was detected near the Ha Vang District and the Marine security force killed 6 and captured 2 and forced the rest of the unit to retreat into a cemetery where they were attacked by the ARVN 21st Ranger Battalion the next day losing a further 57 killed. The basic course at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland allocated one week in the field for brushing up on combat skills. Visitors can also watch a videotape of Carpenter and John Levitow Jr. talking about the Medal of Honor mission. I am interested in corresponding with any Black Scarf soldiers who . Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. The spilled ammunition19,000 rounds of it by Platts estimatewould start cooking off in seconds. The Medal of Honor was presented to John L. Levitow at the White House by President Nixon on May 14, 1970. John T. Correll was editor in chief of Air Force Magazine for 18 years and is now a contributing editor. Levitow declined to board the helicopter until he was finally ordered to do so by Carpenter. Long Binh Jail was a prison for American soldiers on the outskirts of Saigon with notoriously harsh conditions. He was 55. Slow fire was 3,000 rounds a minute each, or fast fire which was 6,000 rounds a minute each. The ARVN units swiftly moved into blocking positions, and by daybreak, the PAVN/VC were surrounded. Shortly before midnight the entire perimeter lit up with machine gun fire. Note: Your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. "6 To Face Murder Charges for G.I.'s Riot in Prison." New York Times, October 1, 1968, p. 3. The gunners kept the guns loaded and working during the flight. See Long Binh photos and images from satellite below, explore the aerial photographs of Long Binh in Vietnam. FAQs - How to Order | 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. "Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report #105 - Special Report: The Fourth Offensive - 23 February-3 April 1969", Cold War International History Project's Cold War Files, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tet_1969&oldid=1142428918, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 09:26. He worked in "The Iron Triangle" included Phu loi, Ton sahn Nut, and Long B. The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted . Terms & Conditions | 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. 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. 1971 serving with the 95th Military Police Battalion. Binh chng c cng l binh chng chin u c bit tinh nhu ca Qun i nhn dn Vit Nam, do B Tng tham mu Qun i nhn dn Vit Nam trc tip qun l v ch o. On the other hand, one is left to ponder what affect seeding the battlefield or, even better, seeding the Ho Chi Minh Trail itself with C-ration packets of the despicable Ham and Lima Beans might have had. Some of my first recollections as a youngster from the cornfields of Iowa were the television and radio presentations of an ominous phenomena known as the yellow peril, although on our black-and-white TV sets this threat appeared more as black swaths oozing first from Russia across China, then over North Korea and finally covering the countries of Southeast Asia on their way across the ocean to the United States. --- and so it went for lots of the fighting in Vietnam. Troops lined up on a field. The pilot, copilot, and navigator were in the forward cabin, and the flight engineer, two gunners, and the loadmaster were in the cargo bay in back. Color: Color. Unit flags at the headquarters. remembrance of shared experience. 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 . The Rangers met only slight, disorganized resistance. Very seldom did we ever fire fast rounds at 18,000 rounds a minute because it had a tendency to turn the airplane. They could'nt tell how big the post was, for the post's perimeter lighting had not yet been installed. The 199th later became known as the "Redcatchers" for its mission objectiveto seek out and destroy Communist cadres in Vietnam. 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. Day scenes show soldiers defending positions and firing at the enemy. We had a perfect view of the VC hill, and it slowly began to dawn on me that for the past seven months, as each evenings shift began with my casually scanning the quiet hills to the south and southeast of Long Binh, there was a fair probability I was being scanned right backlikely by some VC ammo counter busily inventorying his AK-47 bullets, 122 mm rockets, 82 mm mortars and B-40 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, while I counted M16 bullets, Claymore mines and howitzer shells. This was teh first time the M551 Sheridan was in action in the Blackhorse Regiment. Soldiers in a line. YouTube, Intelligence had indicators of the pending attacks. South Vietnamese forces follow after terrified children, including 9-year-old Kim Phuc, center, as they run down Route 1 near Trang Bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding . On 9 May 1969, Pentagon correspondent William Beecher stated that US air raids against ammo dumps and base camps in Cambodia . at the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh, South Vietnam, both patient and unit members, to find each other and join in the. Partway through the mission he had come forward and was talking to the flight crew when the action unfolded that night. Includes scenes shot in and around the base showing soldiers preparing for the attack. The enemy fire was situated across Highway 1A, directing a heavy concentration of fire into the 12th Group and II Field Force compounds. 6924th Security Squadron Base Name. He was filling in for a loadmaster who had taken his place when he was sick. Most of us were "Regular Army," almost a year into a 3-year hitch. United States and South Vietnamese forces responded with . The villagers told the ARVN forces how they were driven out of their homes and confined to an area near a creek running alongside the village. 472.6.9 Records of the U.S. Army Garrison, Long Binh Post, Vietnam (Provisional) . I try to control what I say, although for the most part, Im very quiet. License Agreement | After the battle came another shock. On 23 February 1969, Task Force Privette (A and B Troops, 1st Squadron, 11th Cav and a company of 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry) reacted to an attack on the Long Binh perimeter, killing 88 NVA. It was an unlucky hit. . Sorry, Dad, I couldnt make that happen.. Johanalvheey 1 ting trc. It weighed 27 pounds. There was another motivation for Tran as he attacked the American base. Metacafe, Soldiers give forms to the soldier with type-writer. For my personal defense, I relied upon a somewhat rusty M16 kept around the office. There are some night scenes of the base under attack showing mostly flares, explosions and gunships firing on enemy targets. CRITICALPAST.COM: 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. Soldiers of the 221st Signal Company Vietnam have military payment certificates (MPC) exchanged at their headquarters in Long Binh Vietnam as part of a country wide general order. Location: Long Binh Vietnam. I hated it. More to his liking, he went home to Connecticut and became a medical administration officer in the VA hospital system and special assistant to the chief of Medical Administration Service in New England. 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. 45th Air Ambulance Medical Company helipad Long Binh, November 1969.jpg 1,820 1,434 . 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. OVER 30 POUNDS IN WEIGHT MUST BE LOWERED BY ROPE. With no clear idea of what to do in combat, I would have to improvise. The aircraft veered sharply to the right and down.. War and peace. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Additional South Vietnamese Regional Force elements moved in and the ARVN troops continued to contain the PAVN/VC forces until 11:00 when assault forces, in the form of the ARVN 36th Ranger Battalion, reinforced the contact. Poor guys; they didn't stand a chance. 44th Medical Brigade Headquarters Long Binh 1969.jpeg 2,079 1,716; 209 KB. (On earlier AC-47s, one of the guns had been mounted in the door.) After Levitow left the Air Force, he worked in veterans affairs for more than 22 years. 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. History is not a fixed set of facts. 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. Contact Us | Levitow was struggling toward the flare despite the violent maneuvering of the aircraft. 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. He delivered the keynote address. The 64-year-old Army veteran died suddenly of a heart attack. c bit n nh mt phi n ngh s nhiu ti ni ting . Unlike our headquarters, theirs was built under a hill rather than on top of one. 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. Includes captions and a music soundtrack. The attack was expected to come on the ground, as opposed to those occasional, more impersonal rocket and mortar shells from the air. With the progression of the battle came a feeling of incredulity. Many of the tracers bounced off the ground like rubber balls. 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. Many of the tracers bounced off the ground like rubber balls. 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. 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. Viet Cong sappers infiltrated the base and lay in long grass between the runways for several hours before placing their satchel charges. In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. For the first time the U.S. territory of Tinian, a small island around 100 miles north of the American military hub of Guam, hosted F-22 Raptors. And that they would already have been shot three or four times before they got there. 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. He was discharged from active duty after his Vietnam tour and shortly afterward was assigned to an Army Reserve unit. Furthermore, the flare would be burning at a temperature of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. John L. Levitow. 1 minigun and a jumble of spilled ammunition. Another typist gives MPC currency notes to the soldiers. June The second of two new outpost's was built on the western end of the Finger Of Land. Ike originally intended these dominos to represent Chinas neighbors such as North and South Vietnam. Spooky 71 flew with a crew of eight. 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. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. It includes footage shot between 17 Feb and 24 Feb 1969. The view is from the compound of the 20. He had a serious leg wound and was evacuated to the field hospital across the street from my barracks. The post and the 720th MP Battalion were informed of the planned attack late in the afternoon of the 22nd. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. An ammunition dump at Long Binh, Vietnam. nhc nn - Nguyn Quc Hng - cng ty Hng Long Phc. 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. 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. As Levitow dragged one of the other airmen toward the center of the cabin, he saw the flare between No. The Spooky 71 crew could see mortar tube flashes about one mile south of the area of the earlier attack. The training group headquarters building at Lackland AFB, Tex., is named for him. Photo courtesy of Corpman Bill Luppeti HM3 [Rach Soi 1967-1970] When attacking, Spooky rolled into a level 30-degree bank turn, flying at an airspeed of almost 140 mph. At the ceremonies, his son, John L. Levitow Jr., said: I have only one apology to make. Retired Army Col. Paris Davis, 83, stood in the East Room of the White House on Friday as President Joe Biden draped the Medal of Honor around his neck, nearly six decades after he saved the lives of three fellow troops during the Vietnam War.. 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. 25/26 January 1969. I had a real tough time grabbing hold of it with two hands because of the pain in my leg and everything. Easily create a Forum Website with Website Toolbox. The award-winning exhibit, designed by curator William I. Chivalette, includes a lifelike mannequin of Levitow, paintings, photographs, uniform items, and artifacts. Levitow and one of the gunners, Sgt. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. 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. 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. Two stints one for 6 months and another for 7. The Geography and Map Division holds a map from the war that was printed and created by the 66 th Engineer Company (known as the "Topo Corps"). 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. 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. Well, not everybody had departed. A soldier with a typewriter creates a receipt. He decided to try a different specialty after an experience in which the power was not turned off when I thought it was turned off, so he cross trained as a loadmaster. His grieving son had no option but to file away those unanswered questions forever. It concentrated on US military installations, especially in the III Corps area around Saigon. Tet Offensive attack on Long Binh and Bien Hoa 31 January 1968.jpg . He went back on active duty in 1983 and retired in 1995. The base was host to US Army Headquarters. The Viet Cong had constructed some sort of headquarters compound, or staging area, or supply depot or maybe even an officers club. 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. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Even in the navigation compartment the flash lit up the inside of the aircraft like daylight. Privacy Policy | Links c, Holland h tr v kh cho Ukraine. They briefly seize control of Binh Gia, a village only 40 miles from Saigon. When daylight came, I reported to my new duty station in the Engineer Section of USARV HQ, where, from the second floor of the air-conditioned building, we could observe the Post's perimeter wire about 1/4 mile away. The first explosion, seemingly an earth-shattering blast, occurred perhaps 30 or 40 yards outside our office, spraying the building with gravel and steel fragments, perforating our walls and windows. Opportunity knocks. Inbound, Carpenter had called for an ambulance and a medevac helicopter to meet them on the ramp. 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. Airman Levitow was setting [the ejection and ignition dials] and handing me the flares, Owen said. Perhaps a word of explanation is in order on how I and all the others in our mix of volunteers and draftees ended up in this hot, smelly, unsafe corner of the world. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Aerial view of (USARV) United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters Complex at Long Binh, Vietnam. 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. About Us | 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. In the interest of security - and to ease communications - the army centralized Saigon's American forces in 1967 by stationing them all at an enormous compound built just outside of the city. ATTENTION If you participated in any of the incidents listed on this page or know of some that are not, please contact the History Project Manager via the Email Link at the top of this page. My hope was that no more than one or two VC would reach my position. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Sound: No. [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. The rocket and mortar attacks on the bases picked up when darkness fell. The rounds landed on post with some igniting the POL fuel site east of the highway. nhc nn - Mo One Piece - Thnh Long Jr. 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. And yet there was nobody, absolutely nobody, visible out there. View of surrounding areas. [1], The VC made several attempts to advance on the base, but were halted. Following the employment of the supporting fires, the 36th Ranger Battalion moved back into the village. So proficient had I become at this task that I had acquired the nickname Lieutenant Bullets. Officially, however, I was an ammunition stock control officer in the Army Ordnance Corps. He will look for photos. Part 2 nya min . At about 03:00, as reconnaissance elements of the unit were observed and engaged by US Air Force security forces at the perimeter of Bien Hoa Air Base, the villagers began to flee their homes, running down streets and creek beds. Thus, Spooky 71 was leaking two highly inflammable substances. "Text of Camp Lejeune Committee's Report to Commanding General." 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. So they were given guns and were told to attack Long Binh Post (population 30,000 armed U.S. soldiers). He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Nov. 17, 2000. United States Army soldiers exchanging MPC currency at their headquarters in Long Binh Vietnam. The deployment, which began March 1, is part of an exercise dubbed Agile Reaper 23-1. South Vietnamese woman 1969 Sep 15, 2017. . Is it possible Tran and his friends would have simply elected to return to North Vietnam and forgotten the idea of an attack on Long Binh altogether? 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. Aerial view of (USARV) United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters Complex at Long Binh, Vietnam. At that instant the flare separated and ignited in the air, but clear of the aircraft..