long binh attack 1969 long binh attack 1969

Long Binh Post was a sprawling logistics facility and the largest U.S. Army base in Vietnam, with a peak of 60,000 personnel in 1969. 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. Sixteen bulldozers were quickly deployed to spend the rest of the day sealing the entrances. nhc nn - Nguyn Quc Hng - cng ty Hng Long Phc. The idea seemed absurd! Long Binh Post was a sprawling, 3,500 building . 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. The Tet 1969 offensive was carried out mostly by Viet Cong irregulars. [1], The VC made several attempts to advance on the base, but were halted. Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. Surely neither the. This is a brief clip of the ammo dump explosion at Long Binh, Vietnam, taken the morning of the Tet offensive, 1968. 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. 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. 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. Unlike our headquarters, theirs was built under a hill rather than on top of one. Top graduates of Air Force Airman Leadership Schools receive the Levitow Honor Graduate Award. 105837N 1064955E / . He was filling in for a loadmaster who had taken his place when he was sick. . Tran, who was from the Haiphong area of North Vietnam, had high expectations for a victory in the attack, according to an interview in Stars and Stripes. The typist soldier types on the form with a type-writer. The two huge U.S. bases dripped firepowerdozens of batteries of field artillery, large calibers and small, rows and rows of helicopter gunships and jet fighters loaded to the gills with the most lethal ordnance the world has ever seen, dozens of M113 armored personnel carriers with powerful .50-caliber machine guns manned by surly military police, and, of course, hundreds of trigger-happy clerks and truck drivers, not necessarily eager, but most definitely ready, for action. FAQs - How to Order | The Army always tries to capitalize on a soldiers individual strengths. 20 July 1969 circa - Mortar attack on base camp A-414 Thanh Tri. "Riot at Long Binh Stockade Attributed to Racial Acts." New York Times, September 4, 1968, p. 38. 472.6.8 Records of the U.S. Army Central Finance and Accounting Office, Vietnam. Poor guys; they didn't stand a chance. That year, traumatic as it was . Then there was a blinding flash and the aircraft was rocked from nose to tail by a violent explosion. Tet offensive attack on Long Binh and Bien Hoa, 31 January 1968: Date: 31 January-2 February 1968: Location: Bien Hoa, Bien Hoa Air Base and Long Binh Post, South Vietnam. The post and the 720th MP Battalion were informed of the planned attack late in the afternoon of the 22nd. It had been flying in Vietnam since 1964, first with the air commandos and after that with the special operations squadrons. 472.6.9 Records of the U.S. Army Garrison, Long Binh Post, Vietnam (Provisional) . Media in category "Long Binh Post" The following 36 files are in this category, out of 36 total. 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. Textual Records: Correspondence and daily journal, 1972-73. [4]:99100, PAVN/VC retreating to the south from Da Nang were intercepted by elements of the 1st Marine Regiment and ARVN 1st Battalion, 51st Regiment 11km south of Da Nang losing 139 dead in 3 days of fighting. The attack continued into 27 February when the Marines overran the PAVN resulting in a total of more than 200 killed. It took considerable effort to get Spooky 71 back to base. Easily create a Forum Website with Website Toolbox. Published in the October 2017 issue ofVietnammagazine. Jim Van Eldik is a retired Army lieutenant colonel. By mid-1967, United States Army, Vietnam (USARV), 1st Logistical Command and many other Army units dispersed in Saigon were moved to Long Binh Post to resolve centralization, security, and troop billeting issues. Levitow was struggling toward the flare despite the violent maneuvering of the aircraft. The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted . Passing of colors to the new commander. The Medal of Honor was presented to John L. Levitow at the White House by President Nixon on May 14, 1970. ElyRatner, assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, discussed how China continues to prod the U.S. and challenge stability in region, even as, The entire F-35 fleet is slated to get the retrofit engine maker Pratt & Whitney has identified to mitigate the problem that led to suspended deliveries and flight restrictions for some aircraft for nearly two monthsa move that will affect hundreds of fighters globally. Combat training for ordnance officers at best is rudimentary. The cavalry troopers also stumbled onto a large tunnel complex not more than a mile from our perimeter. (Vietnam War period). Many features may not work properly without it. 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. Battle At The Rifle Range. 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. I had the lanyard on the flare hooked up and my finger through the safety pin ring. The attacks on Bin Ha, Bien Hoa Air Base and Long Binh Post, occurred during the early hours of 31 January 1968 and continued until 2 February 1968.The attacks by Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces were one of several major attacks around Saigon in the first days of the Tet offensive.The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted . Levitows Medal of Honor is prominently displayed at Enlisted Heritage Hall. Soldiers give forms to the soldier with type-writer. We were officially MOS (Military Operational Specialty) 32F20, which was depot-level repair and maintenance on AUTOSEVOCOM (AUTOmatic SEcure VOice COMmunications) crypto . Video TikTok t Thnh Long Jr (@thlongjr): "Bn tng xem qua v phim attack on Titan bao gi cha? #anime #attackontitan". . On 19 February, a defector surrendered to Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces and revealed a large VC force would attack key installations in the Saigon area to include Long Binh Post. John L. Levitow. Later I learned that we were attacked by the 274th Regiment, 5th Viet Cong Division, which was repulsed by the firepower of the 720th Military Police Battalion, the 18th Military Police Brigade and helicopter gunships from the 145th Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade. [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. But a battle was waiting instead. 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. It would be relieved by another gunship for the midnight-to-dawn shift. The idea seemed absurd! ARVN psychological operations units broadcast repeated loud-speaker appeals and warnings, and all of the remaining villagers and several wounded PAVN/VC evacuated out of Thai Riep. The Viet Cong were no longer in the tunnels around Long Binh, most probably having taken the subway back to the main tunnel complex at Cu Chi. United States Army soldiers exchanging MPC currency at their headquarters in Long Binh Vietnam. The Rangers met only slight, disorganized resistance. Spooky 71 flew with a crew of eight. Contents. So here I was, wounds and all, finally managed to stand up and Im lifting 140-pound ammo cans and stuffing them between the guns [so they would not] go flying all around and really hurt somebody, Levitow said. Privacy Policy2023 CriticalPast LLC. Unit flags at the headquarters. It could lay down an awesome field of fire, with each of its three 7.62 mm Gatling miniguns shooting up to 6,000 rounds per minute. After years of Army training one cannot help but itch for a shot at the enemy, especially when all the advantages are on ones own side. Aerial view of (USARV) United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters Complex at Long Binh, Vietnam. Carpenter rolled the gunship wings level and began his run on the mortar positions. Before the night was over, Levitow would perform an act of astounding bravery for which he would ultimately be awarded the Medal of Honor. Slow fire was 3,000 rounds a minute each, or fast fire which was 6,000 rounds a minute each. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. I was a ticket office supervisor with several Vietnamese and Chinese-Vietnamese women reservations/ticket agents. It led the way for the more powerful AC-119 and AC-130 gunships that came later. 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. Members of the reaction team were, SSG Larry J. Mentink, SGT Dennis E. Wiehle, SP/4 Clinton Brown (WIA), SP/4 Fred H. Pazmino (WIA), SP/4 Clay F. Creamer (WIA), SP/4 Michael A. Coto, PFC Robert S. Johnson, PFC Clinton M. Lloyd (WIA), PFC Simpson and others yet identified. We were being attacked by at least a full enemy battalion in a fight raging with remarkable intensity. Shortly before midnight the entire perimeter lit up with machine gun fire. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. When it finally ended with the assistance of several Cobra gunbships, 23 enemy dead were discovered. And that they would already have been shot three or four times before they got there. . Filmmaker Mel Brooks once said he looked upon his Army experience in World War II as a newsreel.. My hope was that no more than one or two VC would reach my position. [1], In the early morning hours of 26 February, a force of approximately 400 men from the VC 275th Regiment, 5th Division, had infiltrated into the tiny village of Thai Hiep on the outskirts of Bien Hoa. Advanced Search | Nothing was more effective than a gunship in breaking up such attacks. License Agreement | View of surrounding areas. And yet there was nobody, absolutely nobody, visible out there. This attack was going to be a big one.. 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. Background. Nhng Chin Binh Ph Thu Xinh p tp 29. st_Luna-kun. The award-winning exhibit, designed by curator William I. Chivalette, includes a lifelike mannequin of Levitow, paintings, photographs, uniform items, and artifacts. NEW on HistoryNet: Attack on Long Binh, a 1969 Viet Cong attack on a US logistics base in Vietnam #VietnamWar http://trib.al/poYUWdo A battalion of the 274th Viet Cong Main Force (VCMF) Regiment of the 5 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Division, attacked the southern perimeter of Long Binh Post. 128 KB. With no friendly troops visible between me and the battle, into my M16 went the magazine of tracers in preparation for a confrontation with anyone who might break through that wall of gunfire, something at which the Viet Cong were quite adept. 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. A soldier counts his notes at the typist's desk. The attacks by Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces were one of several major attacks around Saigon in the first days of the Tet Offensive. Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, one year after the original Tet Offensive. Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off. He did not yet have a five-level as a loadmaster, and without a five-level, he could not be promoted, and if not promoted, he could not re-enlist. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press. Sorry, Dad, I couldnt make that happen.. On 7 February Company D, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines found a PAVN/VC base area near the Nam O bridge northwest of the Red Beach Base Area, leaving the base untouched, they returned at night setting up a series of ambushes that killed 18 PAVN and captured 2. Nowhere, however, is Levitows memory recalled more vividly than at the Enlisted Heritage Research Institute at the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex, Ala. Levitow willed his Medal of Honor to the Enlisted Heritage Hall there. 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. During the Vietnam War, Long Binh Post was the U.S. Army's largest base located in the former South Vietnam. c, Holland h tr v kh cho Ukraine. He flew as a crewman on C-130s for a short tour, then went to Vietnam to fly on AC-47s. 25/26 January 1969. He was 55. Viet Cong sappers infiltrated the base and lay in long grass between the runways for several hours before placing their satchel charges. As Ole-Luk-Oie, the pen name for British officer Ernest Swinton, wrote in the 1915 book The Great Tab Dope: Who can blame a desire for the real thing, or professional zeal, whether it be that of a burglar, a Harley Street appendix hunter, or a trainer of blind monkeys?. The point man for Team #75, SP/4 Cressman, tripped a Viet Cong antipersonnel mine on the trail that runs down from the south side of the hill to the Buong River. "Text of Camp Lejeune Committee's Report to Commanding General." Full-scale sweeping operations to secure the perimeter began just after noon that day. My Account | Carpenter waved off taxi instructions from the tower and the crew got out fast. Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. (I was a big-shot first lieutenant and chauffeured to work.) Welcome to the Long Binh google satellite map! I heard that five American soldiers were killed and some 30 wounded. On December 1, 1969 at 8:13 P.M. EST my birthday was randomly drawn as Number 36 for the draft in the first National Lottery . Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. An ammunition dump at Long Binh, Vietnam. Carpenter set it down in a full shuddering stall. Since my finger was through the safety pin ring the safety pin was pulled.. The villagers met elements of the South Vietnamese 5th Marine Battalion, the 3rd Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment, 18th Division and the 3rd Squadron, 5th Armored Cavalry moving on the road less than a half mile from Thai Hiep in response to the contact at the air base. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. A battalion of the 274th Viet Cong Main Force (VCMF) Regiment of the 5 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Division, attacked the southern perimeter of Long Binh Post. A regimental commissar had assured the men in Trans company that the attack would be easily successful and after it was over we would be able to go home to North Vietnam. The rationale given for the supposedly easy victory: The VC battalion would face only desk soldiers without field experience (ouch!). I was experiencing what soldiers for more than half a century referred to as the empty battlefield. Modern battlefield weapons had become so lethal that to expose oneself, even for an instant, to their fire was tantamount to suicide. Surely neither the Viet Cong nor North Vietnamese Army would attempt such a suicidal mission. Just after 16:00 US Air Force F-100s and F-4s along with Republic of Vietnam Air Force A-1 Skyraiders were directed against the PAVN/VC positions in the village. The right tire was flat, having been cut by shrapnel, and it was all Carpenter could do, standing on the left brake, to keep control until he brought the airplane to a stop. Interestingly, the only thing that came readily to mind was a small sign I discovered at one of the outdoor latrines set back in the woods: ALL TERDS [sic.] When we were hit, all of us [Owen, Levitow, Sgt. The nomination package included statements from Carpenter and most of the crew. Duration: 2 min 9 sec. Among the family members present were his son and grandson, John L. Levitow III. Some of our troops had recaptured it from the VC a few months before. 23 February, Attack on Long Binh Post The rumors of an impending attack became fact when at 0200 hours [2:00 AM] the first enemy rockets soared across the eastern end of the TAOR and landed on Long Binh Post. One of the MP ambush squads held a position within a kilometer of the VC stronghold. Despite his wounds, Levitow helped secure the airplane on the way back. I felt as if someone had taken a two-by-four and squarely hit me against the whole right-hand side of my body, Levitow said later. The prisoners revealed that their mission had been to attack Bien Hoa city and the Bien Hoa Air Base. hightForP2 = 330 Others were there, others were wounded, but Levitow being the furthest removed from the flare, recognized the danger, took action when seconds counted, and saved the lives of the entire crew, Carpenter wrote. (Vietnam War period). At 02:00 on 23 February, the 274th VC Regiment initiated their attack with an estimated 78 rounds of rocket and mortar fire from their positions. at the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh, South Vietnam, both patient and unit members, to find each other and join in the. In another scene, a large crane is used to stack shells in the ammunition dump. Long Binh/Bien Hoa; Da Nang; References; External links; Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off. --- and so it went for lots of the fighting in Vietnam. They fought to the last because (1) they were told that they would be tortured mercilessly by US soldiers should they be captured, and (2) being Buddhists, they did not want to die on foreign soil, but hoped to escape so they could go home to North Vietnam to die. 23 July 1969 - SFC Eddie Hamby escorts Sgt McIntosh to Moc Hoa by boat on first leg of stops heading stateside. . In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. On 9 May 1969, Pentagon correspondent William Beecher stated that US air raids against ammo dumps and base camps in Cambodia . [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. At the ceremonies, his son, John L. Levitow Jr., said: I have only one apology to make. Small-arms fire opened up in his path. Records relating to the Christmas mail program, 1969-72. At most, there would be 20 seconds before it exploded. In anticipation of what they would seize, many of Trans comrades packed can openers in addition to the noodle packets and dried rice they all carried. Landing short would have been a disaster. Between 1970 and 72 my father wound up in Vietnam as a civilian aircraft mechanic, working on helicopters. It was also called Dragonship and Puff the Magic Dragon (after a song, then popular, by Peter, Paul, and Mary) but went mostly by Spooky, the call sign with which it flew its missions. It was another hot February day in 1969 at the sprawling Long Binh logistics base about 20 miles northeast of Saigon. Nov. Dec. from 1969 to 1970. Hc_Thn. Dailymotion, License Agreement | Featured Collections | Once the sun came up, a troop of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment found 139 dead enemy soldiers, Tran, who was from the Haiphong area of North Vietnam, had high expectations for a victory in the attack, according to an interview in, On the other hand, one is left to ponder what affect seeding the battlefield or, even better, seeding the, https://www.historynet.com/long-binh-battle/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. Things quieted down for a while. Note the attacking Skyhawk in the lower right and one directly left of the explosions on the bridge. Stephen Hugh Lane SP5 Lead Clerk Jan 1969 to Sep 1970, MOS 67N20 has checked in and joined the 3/4 Cav Chapter. ), and that the VC suffered heavy casualties that day, with about only 6 VC left after the shooting stopped, and these were taken prisoner. 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. Photo courtesy of Corpman Bill Luppeti HM3 [Rach Soi 1967-1970] Includes scenes shot in and around the base showing soldiers preparing for the attack. 1969 Amphitheatre - Long Binh - by Dave Ondrey by manhhai 6 1 BOB HOPE Show - Long Binh - Largest Audience Show by manhhai 5 1 1969 Amphitheatre - Long Binh - by Dave Ondrey by manhhai 5 1 LONG BNH 1967 by manhhai 5 2 1 2. Numerous bases were attacked, these attacks were all beaten back but did inflict casualties and reinforced the fact that PAVN/VC forces were able to mount attacks at will. With the progression of the battle came a feeling of incredulity. Remember: Using others' images on the web without their permission may be bad manners, or worse, copyright infringement. The flare posed a deadly danger in several ways. An ambush platoon reaction team that was held in ready reserve was assigned to conduct a sweep of the tree line where the post perimeter had received heavy enemy fire from during the early morning attack. [Three] thousand rounds a minute was more than sufficient.. The attack lifted momentarily, and the gunship began dropping flares to provide illumination requested by a nearby ground unit. [4]:99, The PAVN/VC attacks on Da Nang were a failure resulting in more than 500 dead. 99-08 286 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in St. Louis, The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Trans primary motivations seem quite similar to our own: eating and getting home. (Vietnam War period). The decision to make the fix to. Grabbing my helmet and flak jacket (and finding that, after sitting on the shelf for several months, neither would fit properly), I departed with my Jeep driver for the Logistics Commands large yellow headquarters building. Among those present was Carpenter, the commander of Spooky 71, now retired and living in Marshall, Tex. (Lt. Cdr. Location: Long Binh Vietnam. On 22 February, elements of the VC 274th Regiment, 5th Division assembled at three hills along Highway 15, approximately three kilometers south of Long Binh. United States 2nd Field Force change of command ceremony at Long Binh, Vietnam. Well, not everybody had departed. . The next day, I was promoted to E-4, retroactive nine months with pay, Levitow said, but by then, he had decided to take an early out. The troops sent to Saigon originally lived in army units dispersed throughout the city. Levitow and one of the gunners, Sgt. Smoke rises from surrounding area. 44th Medical Brigade Headquarters Long Binh 1969.jpeg 2,079 1,716; 209 KB. Ike originally intended these dominos to represent Chinas neighbors such as North and South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, but it was not long before some believed that places like Cuba, Angola, Chile, Peru, Michigan and South Carolina would also be on the list. A VC mortar attack on the airfield at Binh Thuy on the banks of the Mekong resulted in the destruction of a Bird Dog FAC aircraft. Thus, Spooky 71 was leaking two highly inflammable substances. It was full until ruptured in the battle. COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT, VIETNAM 1969. The AC-47 was the first of the Air Forces side-firing gunships. A sign reads 'Headquarters II Field Force Vietnam Artillery'. Over time, the Department of Defense plans to turn. 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. 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. Unfortunately, the reporting was delayed and did not reach Long Binh until the morning of 22 February 1969, the day the defector warned the attacks were set to begin. On searching the site at dawn it was found that 2 PAVN 81mm mortar teams had been destroyed in the barrage. The rifle was accompanied by a single magazine of tracer roundsbullets treated with a chemical that creates a trail of light when fired. It would light up, oh, about half a mile, a good area, quite brightly, Levitow said. Inside the aircraft is a mannequin of Levitow, struggling to get the flare to the door. CRITICALPAST.COM: Seventh Air Force, among others, expressed concern that transmissions might be intercepted and give warning of the gunships approach to the enemy. Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. Color: Color. 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. They tell me that I had 40 pieces of shrapnel in me at the time, Levitow said. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Brigadier General Leo D. Kinnard speaks to the troops. "On the second firing pass, the mortars firing on Long Binh were silenced." The attack lifted momentarily, and the gunship began dropping flares to provide illumination . Danil_1969 4 ting trc. (true?/false? At the end of his tour in Vietnam, Levitow was assigned to Norton AFB, Calif., as a loadmaster on C-141s. aring, as AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunships began strafing the battlefield with 7.62 mm minigun bullets fired at the rate of about 4,000 rounds per minute. I couldnt walk. The Tet lunar new year of 1968the one history remembershad seen large-scale coordinated attacks on cities, provincial capitals, and bases all over South Vietnam.