HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Although the photographers covered combat, few scenes in the book depict the blood-soaked drama of the battlefield. CAPTAIN P. ROTHWELL, AN ADVISER WITH SPECIAL FORCES, WITH MONTAGNARD SOLDIERS. The US could be called complicit in that event as intelligence knew of the planning and did nothing to stop it. Mom is going to pick him up now! What seemed like minutes later a big green man, grinning ear to ear, walked through the front door yelling, Hows my little sister! I dont know if these memories are real, or made up, or parts of stories I pieced together after the fact. Now, involved in yet another war, the road took on a different look. Pleiku, South Vietnam. I am both excited at seeing some of my lost photos and, at the same time, troubled by the memories they spark.. Gun Trucks: A Vietnam Innovation Returns by Major Dean J. Dominique Before 1967, there was no relevant doctrine for using gun trucks to support convoys. Vo Thi Phuong resting in a hospital, with one of her children standing by the bed. The United States recognized Bao Dais French controlled South Vietnam Government. When his gun jammed, he grabbed his drivers M-16 and shot an enemy soldier off a nearby truck. It also gave birth to new bases, called pump stations, that were spread out along the road. The US tried to halt bombings and negotiate peace but that didnt last long. Cucumbers are a popular vegetable to grow in home gardens, offering numerous health benefits and culinary versatility. Pleiku, Vietnamese Play Ku, city, central Vietnam, located in the central highlands. It seems to be a common perception that soldiers have war buddies. A refugee faces questioning by a U.S. Marine. At the end of January, the PAVN and VC launched the Tet Offensive. Overseas Weekly Collection/Hoover Institution Library and Archives. Friendships grew between the Roadrunners and the children; some of the MPs made strong efforts to learn Bahnar. By September, petroleum products were being pumped more than 100 miles from Qui Nhon to the storage tanks in the Pleiku tank farm. (See? Pleiku departure; 50 years later, veterans recall memories explosions, then another, and another, and another. What my brother called My first clue about what was going on. 84,000 Viet Cong guerrillas strategically attacked a hundred cities around South Vietnam. That mostly meant drugs. He was a young Captain and I felt from the look on his face I would get a fair hearing. I have visited that wall many times. They came unarmed, and at Checkpoint 30A were ordered to turn around and return to Pleiku. (Im just relaying the information Im not making judgements). .Ive seen how he puts his wardrobe together.) 1968. It was tragically and utterly wasteful. The Pleiku Campaign took place from 23 October to 26 November 1965. Our collection contains a wealth of material to help you research and find your connection with the wartime experiences of the brave men and women who served in Australias military forces. By July Johnson announced plans for an additional 44 combat battalions, which brought the US Military presence to 125,000. Public entrance via Fairbairn Avenue, Campbell ACT 2612, Book your ticket to visit: awm.gov.au/visit, Copyright Twenty days later, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Lyndon Baines Johnson was sworn into office, and handed the big pile of smelly, messy poo. the National Register of War Memorials, is a new initiative . Camp Holloway is a former U.S. Army base near Pleiku in central Vietnam . first night of the offensive, "Charlie" launched at least Military Artwork. Over the past few years, many gardeners have noticed an increase in root knot nematode infestations in their raised beds. Public entrance via Fairbairn Avenue, Campbell ACT 2612, Book your ticket to visit: awm.gov.au/visit, Copyright Use this login for Shop items, and image, film, sound reproductions. If drafted he would have to serve two years of a probable unknown fate. In this image marked by an editor for publication, Specialist Fifth Class Jimmy L. Arnold holds a toddler in his arms and obtains a present from Santa for him. At CP 30A (midway point), this patrol would join the rest of the highway patrols and together they would sweep back to Pleiku. The Battle was between North and South, the Chinese and the French, Ho Chi Minh and Bao Dai. He just doesnt see pastels very well . Etienne. (I would have preferred to learn this information 40 years after the fact, too.). With limited space for crop rotation, some gardeners ha. While we were sitting there I said, Hmmm. I thought they were personally out to fulfill the prophecy I had by: Eberhart, Ronald P. Please look for a confirmation email from Mail Chimp. Flickr. Ann Fabos of U.S.A.I.D. Put him in the boiling pot and out he goes. It soon became evident that sharing Bahnar village life wasnt enoughthe Roadrunners wanted the Montagnard children to get a taste of American life as well. (I dont believe his deployment lasted long.). Diem was very unpopular in South Vietnam. To download the full size picture, right click on the full size picture and select " Save Picture As .". When I pressed further he did say that when he went to the cities he would see large barracks with brand names like Sea-Land and Pacific Architects and Engineers. As Deep Throat famously said Follow the money. Corporate involvement and greed in Wars goes back a long way and continues through today. If you dont know how its played it goes like this: You sit in a circle with a couple of guys. Pleiku, South Vietnam. And the psychological wounds dont heal, even after fifty years, Mr. Greenspon wrote in his essay. It is true! South Vietnam. The Pleiku Airbase Association The military operations started with an attack on a US base by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC) on January 1, ending a truce declared by the Pope and agreed upon by all sides. At times, the highwaymen responded to the occasional collision between the war effort and the peoples effort to pursue their daily existence. Vietnam War Photos. South Vietnam. I politely said "Thank-You," got up and walked out thinking, "Free at last, Free at last Thank-God Almighty, I'm Free at last." I boarded a plane and flew to Cam Ranh Bay AB to wait for my freedom bird flight home. One of you pulls the pin out of a grenade. Like Sgt Steve Shelt, I served Jim and his fellow MPs may, or may not, have taken advantage of that after hours quiet time. Aside from meeting up with the locals they would occasionally head up into the mountains where the Montgnard, indigenous peoples of the central highlands, lived. As an Army MP battalion, the 504th gave priority to the support of tactical units, being cited specifically for its efforts during the Dak To fighting in November 1967 and the assistance it provided to the 11th Infantry Brigade in December 1967. Nope. Pleiku 1968 - Page 2 - Vietnam Veterans Pleiku, South Vietnam. 1968-12. Captain P. Rothwell, an Adviser With Pleiku AB, 633rd SPS Under sniper fire, a Vietnamese woman carries a child to safety as US marines storm the village of My Son, near Da Nang, searching for Vietcong insurgents, 25 April 1965. Embrace the Abundance of Delicious Tomatoes: Tips and Tricks from Expert Gardeners, Title: The Deluge of Delicious Tomatoes and More: A Gardener's Dream Golf-8 Bunker. Minh was able to infiltrate his Northern comrades into the landscape of the South (those infiltrators were known as the Viet Cong) while the new Southern Leader was attacking anything and everything that wasnt a Catholic. Joseph F. Stringham issuing commands to his company on Black Leach Hill. The clerk went to a side office door, entered and after a few minutes came out and, still snarling, said through clenched teeth, "You can see the Captain". at Pleiku on the swing shift, "C" Flight, 633rd Security A well-placed B-40 rocket would result in a thunderous explosion and devastating fire. The authors cousin (right) and another Soldier sit in a gun jeep (with dual M60 machine-guns) on a convoy in the Central Highlands of Vietnam on the way to Pleiku in 1967. I think we stood here to say good-bye to Jim or Mike when they were leaving for the military. Before I even finished the sentence my mother started to cry. Memory is an odd thing. A soldier examines his C-ration meal. Then there was the listening to the tapes coming back from the frontthe only time we heard any emotion was when my brother learned his beloved dog, Mickey, had been hit by a car and did not survive the night. After having spent time at Phan Rang, Pleiku The conflict dragged on. We were in the two (2) flight configuration--twelve hours on and With that in mind, I recently decided to toss the family honor code out the window. By 30 Jan 68, I had been in-country 6 1/2 months. While he was the one who had to do the heavy lifting, a family member doesnt go off to war without some type of domino effect. Because of the constant malfunctioning of the twin .30-caliber machine guns and difficulties with the engine starters, the V-100 (nicknamed coffin on wheels) never gained the confidence of the Roadrunners. Each jeep mounted an M-60 machine gun that could traverse 360 degrees, and the occupants also carried M-16s, M-79 grenade launchers, .45-caliber pistols and various grenades. manned it, I didn't know if they were still there, most ARVIN had The August 1968 ambush took place at Pump Station Eight, located at the base of the pass on the eastern side (not farm from Checkpoint 27) and the area of many earlier attacks. . The distance from An Khe to Pleiku on Route 19 is about 55 miles, and B Company controlled most of that area (C Company operated the stretch of road nearest to An Khe). galleries are progressively closed from 4 pm. (It was also during the Tet that the famous image of the execution of a Viet Cong guerrilla by police chief General Nguyen Ngoc Loan was made by Eddie Adams. I asked, a lot, during our conversation about what he knew of the big picture and he insisted that he just put his head down and did his job. An OSS member on his way to the airport was accidently killed when a Viet Minh believed him to be French. In November of 1963 a military coup against Diem occurred resulting in the assassination of Diem and his brother. left for their holiday, no fire came from the OP, I held mine, In charge of everything was another patrol that included the leader (usually a buck sergeant) of all the Roadrunners in the field that day. He also said they were to protect the convoys. We recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and waters. Dressed in loin cloths and carrying crossbows, the Montagnards sometimes went about their daily business as if the war was nothing more than a nuisance. In 1967, the patrols also used the infamous Cadillac-Gage V-100 Commando armored car, which required a three-man crew. South Vietnam. Like Sgt Steve Shelt, I served at Pleiku on the swing shift, "C" Flight, 633rd Security Police Squadron. For some, memory enticing instruments for something, or someone, that once was part of us. South Vietnam. All visitors require a free timed ticket to enter the Memorial Galleries and attend the Last Post Ceremony. Long before blogs and social media offered a platform for alternative voices, the tabloid covered issues faced by the grunts, including salacious reports about courts-martial in sex cases. Your generous donation will be used to ensure the memory of our Defence Forces and what they have done for us, and what they continue to do for our freedom remains today and into the future. In 1950 the era of McCarthyism began in the US after Senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin claimed that the US State Department harbored communists. As they had done on Highway 14 from Pleiku to Kontum (a stretch of road also patrolled by Roadrunners), engineers used specially equipped Rome plows to clear the jungle for 100 yards on both sides of the road. Pleiku In February 1965, the North Vietnamese attacked a U.S. military instillation in Pleiku, killing eight and wounding more than a 100. The memory creature will appear on demand, or not. Soldiers had a practice called fragging. To frag means to deliberately kill (an unpopular senior officer) typically with a hand grenade. Fragging was a real thing. Death on the road could come suddenly in the shape of a mine explosion, a snipers bullet or a B-40 rocket. North and South Vietnam became almost two separate entities that never developed a trust for one another. May 3, 1969. Convoys kicked out daily from Qui Nhon on their way to Pleiku and beyond; trucks from the 8th Transportation Group were loaded with everything from napalm to ice cream, ammo to beer, gasoline to steaks. 1968: 1LT John Fredrick Bradman (USA) Accident, Phuoc Long, RVN: February 18, 1970: Panel 13W, Row 26: 1968: 1LT Carl Alfred Peterson (USA) Ground, Thua Thien, RVN: August 10, 1969: Panel 20W, Row 125: 1968: 1LT Kenneth Martin Schlie (USA) Air loss, Quang Ngai, RVN: October 20, 1970: Panel 06W, Row 13: 1968: 1LT Charles E. Suprenant, Jr. (USAF . A gun-truck (with a quad .50-caliber machine gun) was on hand, and although the gunner was eventually killed, he burned out all four barrels firing on the attackers before dying. Fortunately for one truck driver, a highwayman had brought his pet dog with him on this days patrol. This supply route was considered to be one of the most crucial and treacherous in Vietnam, perhaps as tough a trip as had ever faced a trucker. The French believed they were back in control through the leadership of Dai, but Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence by quoting text from the American Declaration of Independence, given to him by the OSS. took place at Pleiku AB, Republic of South Vietnam during the 1968 At one point the option of a nuclear attack was even put on the table, but quickly dismissed. Both the book and exhibition also explore the outsize role of a publication led by two tenacious women, Marion von Rospach and Ann Bryan, both Stanford alumnae. Influential people like Dr. Martin Luther King and California Governor Ronald Reagan called for an end to the war. He tells the recruiter that if he cant be an MP hell become a cook. He was on about the 4th item when he said, "Got my MACV Boarding Pass.". Pleiku, South Vietnam. October 1968. Captain David Savage of Elimbah History Holloway Airfield, 13 April 1966 Camp Holloway was established in 1962. It was 40 years later when he just happened to be watching a documentary on PBS that he realized the night he was on patrol the NVA were marching south only a few hundred yards away. His job was clean up. In preparation for the daily Last Post Ceremony. As the youngest, and I refuse to cave in to the I was the baby line that my siblings would prefer to bestow on me, but as the youngest I was, well, very young during this period. Vietnam War-Stories.com: Pleiku Air Base, Last days in Vietnam by Ron Pleiku Campaign - Wikipedia At the end of each day came a mandatory operation known as the sweep. After the last westbound convoy of the day had passed, a Roadrunner patrol would begin the sweep at Checkpoint 27 (the farthest point of responsibility for the Roadrunners) and double back west, over the Mang Yang Pass. Of, course when we got home we all had lives to live so it didn't happen until I found my squadrons' web site and saw the name Pat Dunne on the Bulletin Board. Vietnam War - Memories of Pleiku justjo photo Soldiers await medics and tend to injured Vietnamese peasants. Art Greenspon/Overseas Weekly Collection/Hoover Institution Library and Archives. That was not the case. His efforts, along with those of attacking armor and Roadrunners, succeeded in driving the enemy force away, but with severe losses to both sides. Your generous donation will be used to ensure the memory of our Defence Forces and what they have done for us, and what they continue to do for our freedom remains today and into the future. (This was now US President number three holding on to the big pile of messy poo.) Then, in August of 1964, the infamous Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred which gave Johnson the key to the kingdom: in other words, Congress granted Johnson the authority to do whatever necessary in order to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty. By the years end there were 23,000 US military advisors in South Vietnam facing the threats from 170,000 VietCong / NVA Fighters. ground assault, we bad no KIA's nor wounded as a result. Thomas James Brennan of Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War, published in paperback this month by Penguin. President Johnson orders immediate reprisals, as 49 US Navy jets attack North Vietnam. Mostly supplied by the locals. Then, in 2014, a treasure trove of 35 mm negatives emerged from the gloom of a Scandinavian cellar, vividly reminding Mr. Greenspon of his time working for the scrappy little alternative tabloid. On November 13, 1982 the Vietnam Memorial, otherwise known as The Wall was dedicated with a total of 58,195 names engraved on the shining black granite. I would prefer to keep that story vague. Even though I was the youngest I was allowed to record my greetings in private. As we walked along the path he pointed to three different names on the wall. Also during Tet, a B Company MP stationed in Kontum survived being hit in the chest by a .50-caliber bullet. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. The first thing to know is that US engagement in Vietnam was not a war. In conclusion, my last day in the 'Nam almost didn't happen. Subtitle: Is it Worth the Effort? This is how it is, especially around memories of the Vietnam War. Before I go any further into this story, I want to make clear that I am a voyeur of history. "Charlie come", no target(s)--nothing but dirt, smoke and A favorite Viet Cong target was the 5,000-gallon tanker (often carrying JP-4 aviation fuel) that was hauled by the 359th Transportation Company. Tops and windshields were removed (the latter in 1968), and armor plating installed. The darkest day for B Company came late in 68 when two men from Headquarters Platoon decided to take their jeep for a joy ride down Highway 19. It seemed as if the ordinance sergeant would rid himself of aging explosives by outfitting the highwaymen with anything, whether they needed it or not. HISTORIC ARTICLE Jan 30, 1968 CE: Tet Offensive On January 30, 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops launched the Tet Offensive against South Vietnamese and United States targets. The strangest thing about memory, however, is that it is purely singular. What I know to be 100% true is that of all of my friends I was the only one who had a brother who went overseas to fight a war in a place called Vietnam. Strong loyalties developed within each group because they lived in separate quarters, had different equipment and outlooks, and also faced different risks. An Khe Pass - Vietnam War Travel As it had during World War II, the battalion participated in a large number of campaigns and earned decorations for outstanding service. As it turned out, the philosophy was probably correct; in any event, it helped control the fear of being so exposed and relatively small in number. For many roadrunners, their faith was severely tested on Highway 19; for some it was lost altogether. B Company was fortunate to suffer as few losses as it did. I remember bobbing up and down trying to see if VC were to the fence line to set of the trip flares, I thought for sure Pleiku | Vietnam | Britannica were no match for tanks. It was very clear through his time spent with the locals that all they cared about was surviving. Each new To say there was chaos is an understatement. The man who leaked the Pentagon Papers revealing that four successive U.S. presidents misled the public died on June 16. They mostly show the long hours of boredom and tedium that dominate life at war. Such a small area Soon he was gone and we were baking cookies and packing them in popcorn to send overseas. Finally, the clerk ripped the form from the typewriter and threw it at me across the desk. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. It was located along Route 19 approximately 3km east of Pleiku in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The US military was enough enemy to itself. Afterall, the plane doesn't leave until late in the afternoon, so I've got plenty of time. Instead, they offer relaxed portraits of American G.I.s and Vietnamese civilians taken between 1966 and 1972. Read about itineraries, activities, places to stay and travel essentials and get inspiration from the blog in the best guide to Pleiku [1] II Corps Command named it Pleime Campaign, with a slightly different starting date of 20 October instead of 23 October, [2] consisted of three operations: [3] An unidentified South Vietnamese police officer with a band of bullets around his waist glances backward while keeping guard. Both the Roadrunners and the children experienced love and trust, elements missing from the war environment. In a practice that some looked upon as suicidal, Roadrunners would position themselves within these convoysan example of their confidence and desire to confront the enemy. much less stop the sapper team(s). Pleiku, Vietnam. For their actions, the highwaymen were awarded Army Commendation Medals. One man even asked a woman to take a photo of he and his wife as he pointed to a name saying This is him. Pleiku Air Base - Wikipedia His daily job was essentially to pick up body parts. Cathy Domke/Overseas Weekly Collection/Hoover Institution Library and Archives. Her mission was to write for soldiers in their own language. The Tet Offensive became a major turning point in the Vietnam War.