At about 0600 on the morning of 8 November C Company began a move northwest toward Hill 65, while B Company moved northeast toward Hill 78. Mike drug me off that hill.. on Nov 8 1965 173rd ambushed by 1200 VC Heavy fighting occured. I responded we didnt. We needed to be able to hear what might be going on around us. When we thought we had finally got the job done we called for a medical evacuation helicopter (Dust Off). That historic division deserved better! I alerted all three platoons of the situation and cautioned them to move slowly as planned. We only had his name when all radio contact was lost. Fifty-two years ago today, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was halfway through its year of service in Vietnam. I called my leaders together, informed them as to the Generals comments, thanked them and announced a winner (that I cant recall) of the six-hour drill. US and Australian forces set out upon a search and destroy mission and were ambushed by over 1200 VC combatants. Only one vote per IP address is recorded during the polling period. Comas are considered the first stage of . Early that evening we received a torrential rain, the last of the rainy season. That is what Lovelace remembers most vividly from the day of the battle. Its 100 percent done by volunteers and I appreciate all the time everybodys put in.. . From the creek to the crest of the hill is about 300 meters. Another memorable thing about that was I played dead. I expected one more helicopter to come in and get the General out. I ordered the first platoon leader, First Lieutenant Michael P. DeFrancisco, to move his platoon even further to the left or south of the third platoon in order to have two platoons abreast and ready to rapidly move on line once we reached the objective. While their-were more, three stuck in my mind and two of those were dead. Cutting a hole in the jungle, our third task, turned out to be a lot tougher than we had imagined. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. As we climbed the hill we spotted a series of well dug in and covered enemy positions. 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; Its the 50th for us, Harris said just prior to the event. 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. I made sure everyone knew we had the General with us, we would move slowly and we would not be taking any chances. I had to for awhile. Byron Tyler 1.97K subscribers Hill 65 was one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War. 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. Date 5-8 November 1965; Location: South Vietnam, Bien Hoa: Result: United States/Australian victory, Viet Cong retreats. I said I didnt, but I had. who was severly wounded himself but continued to care for . With the recovery of Lt. Thurston, we had accounted for all members of my command. Above it all I wanted to hear the sound of the battlefield. Just having them near was a help to us. The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest award for military valor in action. Somewhat auspiciously the name of the operation signified the halfway point of our year in Vietnam. Upon my return I found more chaos in my orderly room than I experienced during the fight. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. A second alternative was that we were fighting a main line PAVN unit. On Friday, November 12, 1965 Brig. 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 The firing had noticeably increased and was no longer sporadic. At this point there was artillery fire north of hill 65. They got the message and I didnt get any more help, guidance or visitors until the General arrived the next day. How? We had yet to find seventeen missing from C Company. In between the Air Force flights, we were resupplied by an Army helicopter dropping their bundles through the jungle canopy with but one mishap. Operation Hump. Threats of harming another On a closer look I found Lt. Waller had been hit in one shoulder and his opposite hand. I called for more artillery and again reported that we needed help if we were to hold. Put differently, many owed credit for their bravery are not recognized because I fail to recall their names or the particulars. 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. Its for each other.. Ever so gradually fires were falling off. 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. In a rush to reach C Company, I moved my headquarters element-quickly to the left and ahead of the first platoon. On November 8th, 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump, War Zone D in Vietnam were ambushed by over 1200 V.C. Moving initially with the first platoon my headquarters element crossed the creek and began climbing hill 65. During a lull in the fighting I began to move among the wounded, meeting for the first time our Protestant Chaplain James Jim M. Hutchens. Earlier I became aware that A Company was tasked to attempt to get to us. To protect them I ordered the second platoon to assign two squads (eighteen paratroopers) to secure the area. In coding a resupply message I mistakenly called for one hundred trip flares when I had intended to order one hundred claymore mines. About five minutes later C Company deployed a second platoon and shortly thereafter reported it was in contact with an enemy force considerably larger than a platoon. Severely wounded and risking his own life,Lawrence Joel, a medic, was the first living black man since the SpanishAmerican War to receive the United StatesMedal of Honorfor saving so many lives in the midst of battle that day. While on the chopper returning to Bien Hoa I recalled the number of my soldiers wounded and killed on this operation that had been wounded on prior operations. John Rich followed up, And every single night, Niles, we sing the 8th of November in every single town we go to and we always bring up veterans on the stage and we always tell your story and we always tell them what you told us to tell them. 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. Harris said what he remembers most is screaming for everybody to get down. 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. Bullets were flying. They posed questions via chords and via their lyrics. The fires were devastating but the enemy would soon tactically adjust to lower their effect. We couldnt walk and carry them out except at great risk to them. Operation HIGHJUMP commenced 26 August 1946 and ended in late February 1947. A weekly newsletter to let you know what's going on in the Hills currently. I talked with Captain Tucker and we came up with a plan. Colonel Tyler kindly intervened in the heated discussion and brought it to a halt. C Company was to conduct its search northwest of the battalion base in the direction of hill 65. This paper would have more than met that request. Overall, Operation HUMP proved to be one of the deadliest days in the 173rd's long and storied history. 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. Release date . It was a standby. I led him to each soldier in their squad tent. I reported to Colonel Tyler that I believed we were surrounded and, while we would hold the position, we were going to need help. Due to lack of intelligence they were dropped smack into enemy territory and were ambushed by 1200 NVA and VC Troops. 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. The Story Of Specialist Fifth Class Lawrence Joel Winston-Salem native, Specialist Fifth Class Lawrence Joel of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade, fought during Operation HUMP. Subsequently I received a report that my second platoon had spotted an element of A Company and may have taken fire from that element. While studying the history of our Nations Civil War I was often struck by how quickly memories of key participants in battles fade or become distorted over time. My excellent artillery team, from the 319 Artillery Battalion, brought a curtain of steel forward of us. Big Kenny began by offering a toast to the 173d and the survivors for their 50th anniversary of deployment to Vietnam. This memoir of an Operation Hump survivor begins with the sequence of events leading up to the battle, from the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. By first light we were ready. 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. 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. When you get knocked down by a machine gun, you stay down.. Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson, DEADWOOD Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his brother.. They made a second attempt, seemingly more desperate than the first, but it met with the same fate. From the Bien Hoa Air Base they sent a fire-fighting helicopter to hover above us while lowering a basket. I then visited the other wounded. Fifty years ago, they survived the Nov. 8, 1965, Vietnam battle called Operation Hump. This would be a spinal fusion operation. We hadnt made much progress on a landing zone. The result of the battle was heavy losses on both sides. This song is his story. We continued our attempt to clear an area to get helicopters in to carry our wounded out. 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. I knew I should have stopped him, we werent ready to move to the attack. 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. After some brief exchange we moved out and at approximately 1625 hours an improvised squad of the third platoon, made up mostly of non-commissioned officers, lead by SSgt Wear, recovered the remains of their fallen leader. Leaders seemed to appear everywhere knowing what was about to happen. He moved well forward of his platoon and was killed. Fighting continued throughout the day with some indications that the enemy was trying to disengage. [New Movie] 'Search Operation: The New Town Survivor . Soft-close at 4 a.m. and hard-close at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, November 20 and Sunday . Through the night we lost one of our wounded. After what seemed a lifetime, I realized we had to move fast to overcome a major assault. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Severely wounded and risking his own life, Lawrence Joel, a medic, was the first living black man since the Spanish-American War to receive the United States Medal of Honor for saving so many lives in the midst of battle that day. . I knew we would lose more wounded through the night. When you see all these guys who are dead, Harris said. 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 General spotted our dead, all covered in ponchos, stopped, looked at them, and seemingly paused to say a prayer. How in the hell were we going to protect him, why take the chance? The VC are estimated to have sustained 1200+ casualties in this battle, including over 400, dead. I received a similar report from my third platoon. Here my notes on the wounded are mixed with wounded from another fight. He further informed me that the situation was not clear on hill 65, and that while speed was of the essence, I was not to take any undo risks. You had to. My early assessment was that we had a mess on our hands and must initially try to secure a position on the hill. While not probably the wisest decision on my part, I felt compelled to follow the squad in this recovery and I understood the unusual composition of that squad. Poll closes at Noon Friday and the winner will be announced in Saturday's print edition. Proceeds from a silent auction held at the event will go to benefit the Black Hills Avenue of Flags, as well as to help fund a new project at the South Dakota Veterans Home in Hot Springs. Shamblin was hurt so badly that he would be evacuated and subsequently die on November llth. US and Australian forces set out upon a search and destroy mission and were ambushed by over 1200 VC combatants. 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