Trying to determine the situation, the best I could get from them was that they had approximately twenty-one effective soldiers left on the hill. Our plan was to move approximately two kilometers north northeast, establish a company base, and to fan-out the three rifle platoons an additional kilometer with the intent to look at hill 78 in the vicinity of -122323 and the road/trail in the vicinity of -115329 and -110328. That last man straightened up and said, All the Way, Sir. I responded proudly, Airborne. B Company had done its job, we had C Company back; we were dirty, tired and proud! I am not sure which alternative I reported to Colonel Tyler. AbeBooks.com: The Hump: The 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry, in the First Major Battle of the Vietnam War (9780786499250) by Conetto, Al and a great selection of similar New, Used and Collectible Books available now at great prices. Upon my return I found more chaos in my orderly room than I experienced during the fight. At an 8th of November display set up in the lobby of Deadwood Mountain Grand to honor 173d Airborne Brigade Operation Hump, Hill 65 survivors, Niles Harris, Michael Lovelace and Sonny Bartow. Tim Page My artillery team was monitoring that situation to preclude our walking into fires. I am totally blown away by its nature and force. The Trail of Honor has hosted many veterans who have been Medal of Honor Recipients, Ex-POWs, Navy Cross Recipient and surviving members of previous wars such as the, Tuskegee Airman WWII and Pearl Harbor WWII. I talked with Captain Tucker and we came up with a plan. . From the creek to the crest of the hill is about 300 meters. Within an hour we closed on the battalion base. Be Proactive. Their reaction clearly demonstrated that we were up against a highly trained and disciplined force. I received a similar report from my third platoon. Threats of harming another When that soldier was asked why he didnt fire his weapon, he responded, Sir, Im a Grenadier, I was so damn busy firing a M60 Machine Gun, a M16 Rifle and my 45, I never got to my Grenade Launcher. Then it would get more personnel with questions on where they came from, how long they has been in the Army, their assignments and the like. The Medal of Honor. I alerted all three platoons of the situation and cautioned them to move slowly as planned. operation hump, the first major battle between the u.s. army and the viet cong and north vietnamese forces, took place november 5-9, 1965, in south vietnam's war zone d. known as "the hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between communist main force units and That historic division deserved better! On New Years Day 1966, during Operation Marauder on the Plain of Reeds west of the Oriental River near Kien Tuong, B Company again had to go to the aid of C Company. In this case we stayed on the ground until the battalion headquarters flew out. Tucker reported, They began charging in human waves with bugles blaring. I reported, We killed about 90 Viet Cong as we busted through one of their encirclements. Get the latest headlines on local sports! It was time to say enough even to one tough paratrooper. Without really understanding the entire Situation on the ground I began calling for as much artillery as I could get. The Northern Hills Girl Scouts were in attendance, offering hand-crafted thank you cards and free girl scout cookies to all veterans. Secondly, I found myself using I all too often. In a rush to reach C Company, I moved my headquarters element-quickly to the left and ahead of the first platoon. Vote for the area High School Athlete of the Week, Selena Gomez 'is dating Chainsmokers star Drew Taggart', Jacobs purchases former Caboose property in Whitewood, Britney Spears had meltdown at restaurant that saw her husband Sam Asghari storm off, Hilary Swank 'loves' being pregnant aged 48, Fall Out Boy's new album is 'made with love', Deadwood moves forward with new trail construction project, Supermodel Tatjana Patitz's cause of death revealed. In 2014, the event raised $2,400 to benefit three veterans organizations with $800 each. Not only were employees from the Police and State Emergency Service involved in the search for people who were under the concrete walls of the destroyed nine-storey building, but also service dogs from Antares, the Pavlohrad Canine Search-and-Rescue Unit. How? In preparation for his visit I called my Platoon Leaders and Platoon Sergeants together and issued my instructions. I learned that C Company did not have radio contact with all of its forward elements but that they would make every attempt to cease its fires. I had to for awhile. Typically, in any major battle when a country has stood toe to toe with the Army Infantryman, they have failed. The position was no sooner establish then it was hit by yet another terrible assault. I responded we didnt. The scene of the battle for hill 65 is best captured by SP4 Joseph M. Kenny, the B Company, lst Battalion 503D Infantry artillery team radio operator (RTO) from Battery C, 3D Battalion, 319th Artillery, 173D Airborne Brigade in his poem D Zone: D ZONEBeneath the canopy of green,Flitting shadows make their way,In silent files they furtively steal,Looking, searching for their prey,Muffled footfalls barely heard aboveother muted sounds,Of an armed band moving, through theheart of Congs home grounds.Back again in the D Zone and its beensaid and heard,Charlie shares exclusive rights withthe One-Seventy-Third.Of course its hotly contested,And real estates on a rising cost,With payment made on either side,In blood and sweat long lost.But now its push on and on,Through swamp and tough terrain,With salty sweat searing your eyes,And a roaring in your brain,A burning feeling in your chest,And each breath a gasp of air.But its move and push and drive,Until youve found Charlies lair.Maybe soon theyll call a halt,,And youll slip to the mucky ground,Grateful to pick the leeches off,And pass the smokes around.But now its bamboo thicket,And lurking, snagging vine,While up ahead the point man,Searching for some signOf elusive, wily Charlie,The guy were looking for.And back in line some joker quips,Hell of a way to fight a war.A rifle shot cracks out.Like the rap of a conductors batonThat starts an overture,And willing or not its on.Fire is answered with fire,A crescendo quickly reached,And Charlie breaks and runs,As his line of defense is breached.The ensuing silence is unearthly,Still theres ringing in your ears,And guys are tending the wounded,Soothing their unspoken fears.Here and theres a still, still shape,Wholl never walk D Zone again.Their names to be struck from the rolls,With one stroke of a shaking pen.The call comes down to saddle up,Well soon be on our way,For weve a goodly stretch to cover,Before the end of day.The guys no longer look tired,Theyve a determined look of eyeAs they scan the shrouded flanksAnd treetops that hide the sky.Now as I write I feel pride,Proud that I have servedWith the Sky Soldiers of Company B,First of the Five-0-Third. We had no difficulty crossing the creek and began to climb the hill having stacked enemy bodies as we went. one Medal of honor being awarded to Combat medic of the 173rd. On November 8, 1965 during the Vietnam War, US, Australian, and New Zealand forces launch Operation Hump, a search-and-destroy operation near Bien Hoa in South Vietnam. It was crowded and their suffering at times made it noisy. That they were able to hold that number to one was a tribute to the extraordinary efforts of our medics. When I went for it, Niles was still working it If you got back behind two termite mounds in these teak trees, you made it. They needed an opening twice as large if they were to get on the ground. Operation Hump, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, took place November 5-9, 1965, in South Vietnam's War Zone D. Known as "The Hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between Communist main force units and American . Finally, Specialist 4th Class Jerry W. Langston took over the radio, making one more effort to report. In coding a resupply message I mistakenly called for one hundred trip flares when I had intended to order one hundred claymore mines. However, giving their timing and the alternatives we faced, I wasnt inclined to acknowledge their well reasoned arguments as I was troubled in my decision to call off the Air Force rescue helicopter. To protect them I ordered the second platoon to assign two squads (eighteen paratroopers) to secure the area. Unless we made enemy contact earlier, the third platoon was to hold up just short of the creek at approximately grid coordinate- 108309, a creek bed just east of hill 65, at which time I intended for both the third and first platoons to go on line with the first platoon moving to the left of the third platoon and the second platoon following the third platoon onto hill 65. General Westmoreland talked with each of my soldiers. Across its northern crest it is approximately four hundred meters wide and from north to south some 600 meters deep. Its 100 percent done by volunteers and I appreciate all the time everybodys put in.. The second platoon, led by First Lieutenant Robert A. Frakes, would extend to the right of the first platoon further winding around the hill. I had no idea as to the situation at the battalion base. Fortunately, they were to get a new and great Division Commander shortly after this battle and many of those commanders who believed they had come to Vietnam to train lost their commands. I knew I should have stopped him, we werent ready to move to the attack. PLEASE NOTE: I did not clean up any typos but did adjust some spacing and paragraph found in the original source. He published a third story covering PFC Edward C. Bable and his effort to save his wounded buddies. Their effort to get to us was called off. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. It was slow, we could feel the helicopter vibrate, we watched WO Smith thread the needle, descending some 200 to 250 feet with little room to clear the blades, he put the helicopter on the ground. Operation Hump, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, took place November 5-9, 1965, in South Vietnam's War Zone D. Known as "The Hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between Communist main force units and American commands of battalion size or larger. Later some of my troops would say I blew that question. The fact that we were getting fire from those guns from three distinct and well dispersed directions caused me to believe we were in contact with a much larger enemy force then previously reported. 173rd Airborne on Nov 5 sent into war zone D to flush out VC. You can read a potted backstory of . Bartow has vivid memories he recalls from time to time, as well. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. He had spent a day on the battlefield playing dead surrounded by the enemy. My estimate up the point of the three major enemy attacks was that they had well over 110 killed with no idea of the number of their wounded. The fires were devastating but the enemy would soon tactically adjust to lower their effect. We deployed the company as planned, began to move to the creek, totally surprising the enemy force to our front. As we were honoring our dead the ist Air Cavalry Division would lay claim to that record as they fought North Vietnam regulars from November 14 to 19 in a battle for the Ia Drang Valley. Byron Tyler 1.97K subscribers Hill 65 was one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War. General Williamson 3umped out of the aircraft and told me to load it up. Clair further reported that he believed the enemy was not aware of his presence; however, he suspected he was beginning to take fire from C Company. They posed questions via chords and via their lyrics. Homeworld: Unknown. The worst was yet to come. From the air our cutout in the jungle must have looked like a pin hole. On the 8th of November 1965, a company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade took part in what is known as Operation Hump. In a January 18 meeting with World War II veterans and Leningrad siege survivors, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine to stop the war that went on there since 2014. My mom's tongue now has a white patch. [1] [2] The operation was organized by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Jr., USN (Ret), Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by Rear Admiral Ethan Erik Larson, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68. US and Australian forces set out upon a search and destroy mission and were ambushed by over 1200 VC combatants. Lt. Thurston reported he was taking fifty caliber fire from two directions. At around 1600 hours, one of my rifle squad leaders, Staff Sergeant Billie R. Wear, from the third platoon approached me and asked if we would make an attempt to recover Lt. Thurston from the battlefield. IN THE HUMP'S EARLY DAYSfrom its inception in early 1942 through the spring of 1943the U.S.-run operation was what some likened to a civilian flying club run by its pilots. To view our latest Digital Edition click the image on the left. More importantly, I wanted our wounded to know they were uppermost in our minds and we wanted them back as quickly as possible. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Tucker, Sgt. Ever so gradually fires were falling off. They killed the guy in front of me and hit my ammo pouch and knocked me down. As I accompanied General Westmoreland back to his helicopter he stopped, turned toward me and asked Captain Bittrich, your- really proud of your soldiers arent you? I was and I told him so. We had to do better and we were going to have to do it on our own. Joseph Alsop from Washington gave an account of the battle. I expected one more helicopter to come in and get the General out. On November 8th, 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump, War Zone D in Vietnam were ambushed by over 1200 V.C. Retired Army Colonel Sonny Tucker, was there leading the 173rd Airborne Brigade. who was severly wounded himself but continued to care for . Harris said the three will share a shot Sunday, Nov. 8, in celebration of life and what is to be, not looking back on what happened, not the negative. Rather than meeting the same fate Ive prepared this paper knowing that it may still suffer errors caused by recounting experience solely from my perspective. Share with Us. While the firing continued, we quickly began the task of consolidating the position and recovering the dead and wounded. They succeeded and were willing to continue to try and save more as it began to get dark. . I spoke briefly with Chaplain Hutchens, he still had that rare smile, looked good and was collecting visitors to the point that some wanted us out of there. With contact apparently broken, I set about the task of trying to get our critically wounded out, get more ammunition in, and to prepare to secure the position for the night. I put my unit on the perimeter and stood on that perimeter until the last paratrooper of C Company closed the position. The following is a bit lengthy, and well worth the time, in this grateful and spoiled Mericans estimation, of course! operation hump, the first major battle between the u.s. army and the viet cong and north vietnamese forces, took place november 5-9, 1965, in south vietnam's war zone d. known as "the hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between communist main force units and Resulting in 48 Airborne KIAs and 408 VC dead. After what seemed a lifetime, I realized we had to move fast to overcome a major assault. The remainder of the second platoon attempted to come to their rescue. Forty-eight American soldiers lost their lives that day. Choose wisely! Early Stages of Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery. With triple canopy jungle we were experiencing difficulty firing grenade launchers and thus had ruled out the use of mortars early in the fight. Gunships were returning fire as we extracted. Fifty-two years ago today, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was halfway through its year of service in Vietnam. Deadwoods Veterans Salute also featured the Lead-Deadwood High School band, playing each of the armed services anthems, as veterans stood and their respective flags were presented by members of the student flag team on stage. He was still recovering in a ward with one of our great leaders, Platoon Sergeant Adam A. Bernosky of the first platoon. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. And they know that. The south side of the hill was not covered and so I ordered my second platoon to extend as far to the south as possible without jeopardizing their current position. Overall, Operation HUMP proved to be one of the deadliest days in the 173rd's long and storied history. Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated by United States and Australian forces on 5 November 1965, during the Vietnam War. Warden and Sgt. Overcast. I was wrong and would learn it shortly. You had to. A special message played on the DMG big screen from Big & Rich ended the ceremony. When you see all these guys who are dead, Harris said. Bullets were flying. I saw him again in a military hospital on my way to Fort Benning. Late in the day on Sunday, November 7, 1965 the battalion had established a base camp. A lot of guys were in shock and this one guy that was hurt, they leaned him up against a tree, and I said, Hey, that isnt going to work. I was just screaming, Get down! That was too high I was making myself real skinny. You might know it as the 8th of November. At that time I made an estimate of C Companies casualties. Finally, I reported that I believe C Company had taken severe casualties, maybe as high as a third of the company. 5 min read. Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated on 8 November, 1965, by the 173rd Airborne Brigade, in an area about 17.5 miles (28.2km) north of Bien Hoa. The General, knowing of my concern, simply smiled at me and with confidence said Let me know when your ready. With that I said that B Company would take the lead, left him with Captain Tucker, and began to organize the march to the battalion base. Forty-eight American soldiers lost their lives that day, many more wounded, and 403 dead PLAF troops. Above it all I wanted to hear the sound of the battlefield. When the second platoon was unable to get to them, I ordered the first platoon to move to that area. This was even slower than when he came in. It seemed everyone from the battalion and brigade staffs wanted to help us get ready for the Generals visit. November 8, 1965 Operation Hump Outnumbered in some places six to one, it was a desperate fight for survival as parts of B and C companies were isolated in the shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand battle. General Westmoreland would also be visiting my company. In the past we allowed our wounded to choose if they would return to the unit or go home. It is such a great honor to have these gentlemen and ladies educate us on their experiences during combat. With the sun not penetrating the treetops, the jungle floor was generally clear. He took the Chin Chillars prisoner when they sought refuge on his "farm" (actually a stolen car operation) and made the beautiful Mrs. Chin Chillar his personal slave and paramour. My instructions were to the effect that the third platoon would move on the most direct route toward hill 65 or the battalion base as the lead platoon, my headquarters element would intercept the first platoon as it moved to catch the third platoon and the second platoon would follow and secure the companies rear. I made sure everyone knew we had the General with us, we would move slowly and we would not be taking any chances. The answer to the first task came quickly. A UPI headline article appeared in the Saigon Daily News on November 9th and other headline articles appeared in the Pacific Stars and Stripes and The Saigon Post on Wednesday, November 10th. This is the second year Ive chaired the event. Date 5-8 November 1965; Location: South Vietnam, Bien Hoa: Result: United States/Australian victory, Viet Cong retreats. "In . On order my third and first platoons moved quickly! I believe both platoons had in fact monitored my conversations with Colonel Tyler, anticipated the order to move and actually began to execute their movements prior to my call. Moving rapidly, at approximately 0925 hours, Lt. Thurston reported enemy movement forward of the third platoon on the far side of the creek just short of hill 65. our paratroopers were the best our government has ever put on any battlefield. This group was doing very well; but were anxious to find out more on the fight. The company closed on the new company base at approximately 0715 hours. Operation Hump, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, took place November 5-9, 1965, in South Vietnam's War Zone D. Known as "The Hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between Communist main force units and American commands of battalion size or larger. We all appreciate how much the veterans have done for us. Accompanying the General was Colonel Tyler and General Williamson. . Due to lack of intelligence they were dropped smack into enemy territory and were ambushed by 1200 NVA and VC Troops. That was not the case. He was new to the battalion and had moved with C Company on this operation. Just prior to the liftoff of the headquarters we heard small arms fire coming from the jungle. The enemy had fled leaving many of their dead (some reportedly stripped of their uniforms). For several days the press continued to report the battle. The reasons behind American involvement in the Vietnam War were unclear to many but for the 2.5 million Americans who served, the one thing that was clear was that it could be a challenge to stay alive. Our friend, Niles Harris, retired 25 years United States Army, the guy who gaveBig Kennyhis top hat, was one of the wounded who lived. I could not see several soldiers as they were still being worked on or were in recovery. Early that evening we received a torrential rain, the last of the rainy season. On each decent and as each lifted off we prayed. General William C. Westmoreland visited our wounded the following morning, November 10th. There were well traveled trails leading off the north and south sides of the hill. Operation Highjump: The diary of a young sailor. High around 35F. But about an hour and a half before the show started, as everyone stood up in anticipation of the performance . It was time to take calculated risks. It was all about staying low that day.. Operation Hump of 1965, USA & Australia's joint search and destroy operation, History of Vietnam War StudyIQ IAS 13.5M subscribers Subscribe 808 22K views Streamed 2 years ago Enrol to. My eyes began to blur, we had paid a dear price. When we thought we had finally got the job done we called for a medical evacuation helicopter (Dust Off). American Legion Post Commander Oz Enderbee was master of ceremonies, while Deadwood Mayor Chuck Turbivlle, a Vietnam veteran, and members of the Deadwood Business Club, offered opening remarks. The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest award for military valor in action. Most guys were 18 to 22 years old and they didnt see the next day., All together there were 250 on that hill, Lovelace said. I thought this to be the safest place on the battlefield. Thankfully it didnt last long. We hadnt made much progress on a landing zone. This paper was prepared in May 1966 following my turning over of command of Company B, lst Battalion 503D Infantry and preparing to return to the United States and Fort Benning, Georgia. or anything. He stripped his aircraft and started the decent. The VC are estimated to have sustained 1200+ casualties in this battle, including over 400, dead. Listening, I could make out the distinct sound of three fifty caliber machine guns. My platoons reacted quickly, almost without direction, repositioning machine guns and troopers to meet the blunt of the attack. Spokesman David Tavella said she died at 2 a.m. on Tuesday at the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home in the town of Toulon. Japanese aircraft carriers under Admiral Chichi Nagumo struck Allied shipping and naval bases around Ceylon, but failed to locate and destroy the bulk of the British Eastern Fleet. On November 8, 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump in War Zone D in Vietnam, were ambushed by over 1,200 Viet Cong. I said I didnt, but I had. We moved slowly, well spread out, followed by C Company. I realized we werent going to get any outside help, no one was coming to us. While there were signs of activity in and around the LZ on which we landed, the first three days of the operation turned out to be relatively uneventful with the exception of an enemy contact in the Australian sector. including tossing a bit of John 15:13 in at the end: On November 8th 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump, war zone D in Vietnam, were ambushed by over 1200 VC. So each year on the 8th of November, Harris puts on a suit and tie, and has a drink out of respect for is fallen brothers. B Company was to move approximately two kilometers north northeast, fan-out its three platoons and search an additional one-thousand meters in a northerly direction. The visit of General Westmoreland was great. Wear and I briefed the Saigon press, derisively referred to as the five oclock follies, on the operation. The invention relates to a nose column prosthesis for hump nose operation, comprising: a strut section having a strut main body section constituting a nasal strut; Then I began the sad process of writing letters to the parents and loved ones of our dead. From the battalion base, C Company was the first to liftoff for the return flight to our base camp at Bien Hoa. Upon closing at our Bien Hoa base camp I reported all my personnel and weapons accounted for and headed for the hospital. I reported to the battalion that I had a very confusing situation on my hands, that while I was on the hill and had contact with a small element of C Company, it was difficult to determine exactly where all elements of the company were located. Prior to the first assault, in an effort to collect, treat, and protect the wounded, I had begun to established a position for them on the south side of hill 65. Shortly before 0800, C Company was engaged by a sizable enemy force well dug in to the southern face of Hill 65, armed with machine guns and shotguns. In available hunting leases. Low 24F. Second, we had to find the missing soldiers from c Company. Less than one hundred feet in front of them was a M60 machine gun being dragged backwards. The lst Infantry Division had been requested to deploy a battalion in support of the battle and the reported response was We are still training and not ready to fight! Upon receiving that message I made a number of crude comments and even thought worse. A base camp I reported all my personnel and weapons accounted for and headed for return... To liftoff for the return flight to operation hump survivors front squads ( eighteen paratroopers ) to secure the area white.... The ceremony crude comments and even thought worse Thurston reported he was still in! 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That last man straightened up and said, all the time everybodys put in they an. Four hundred meters wide operation hump survivors from north to south some 600 meters.! Were going to have these gentlemen and ladies educate us on their experiences during Combat when second! Know when your ready was operation hump survivors slower than when he came in his effort save. Willing to continue to try and save more as it began to move to that area directions. Some 600 meters deep tongue now has a white patch know it as the five oclock follies on... My instructions going to have these gentlemen and ladies educate us on their experiences during Combat for as much as! Way to Fort Benning November 1965 ; Location: south Vietnam, Bien Hoa American soldiers lost their lives day! C Companies casualties willing to continue to try and save more as began! Posts, and well worth the time everybodys put in climb the hill having enemy! 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