Hector Membreno. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Then I began the sad process of writing letters to the parents and loved ones of our dead. 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. OPERATION HUMP 08 November 1965 On 05 Nov 1965 the 173rd Airborne Brigade initiated "Operation Hump", a reconnaissance in force in an area about 15 miles north of Bien Hoa. Shortly following that order the first platoon reported the enemy had moved behind them and they were taking fire from the east. Here are the initial stages of recovery that survivors may experience during the first few weeks following traumatic brain injury. They posed questions via chords and via their lyrics. 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. The 173D Airborne Brigade enjoyed the finest leaders our Army had to offer. He usually began by asking them if they were in the fight. I talked with Captain Tucker and we came up with a plan. When Colonel Tyler came on the net it took everything I had to report I estimated our two companies had more than forty dead, approximately seventy wounded, and were missing up to another twenty. A daily e-mail to let you know when the new e-edition has been posted. Later, some would claim I lead the effort. Jerry had been the lone survivor of his 12-man patrol during the deadly mission. US and Australian forces set out upon a search and destroy mission and were ambushed by over 1200 VC combatants. Gunships were returning fire as we extracted. 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. And third, we had to create ia hole in the jungle. With triple canopy jungle we were experiencing difficulty firing grenade launchers and thus had ruled out the use of mortars early in the fight. 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. Release date . To read all of today's stories, Click here or call 642-2761 to subscribe to our e-edition or home delivery. OPERATION HUMP Introduction In all US wars throughout history, the US Army Infantryman has played a crucial role in the success or failure of every battle. (Operation Hump was named so because it occurred exactly halfway through the unit's tour of duty.) Joseph Alsop from Washington gave an account of the battle. The Air Force dropped us the saws but they were impossible against teakwood trees. Poll closes at Noon Friday and the winner will be announced in Saturday's print edition. A radio operator was holding the company radio and keying the hand mike for him. I had to for awhile. The result of the battle was heavy losses on both sides. I responded we didnt. As he entered each tent our troops were called to attention and then instructed to continue working on their -equipment as part of the six-hour drill. Some hours later, after reporting they had busted their way through a wall of the enemy, the first platoon reported they had retaken the position, found fifteen dead, two severely wounded paratroopers and Langston, unconscious with a large hole in his helmet, but still alive. Create a password that only you will remember. 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. 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. Sgt. You might know it as the 8th of November. He had never failed me before but this time he would. . I told him we had to get him but I would need help. That is what Lovelace remembers most vividly from the day of the battle. While their-were more, three stuck in my mind and two of those were dead. 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. He cleared the trees and we began to breathe again. 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. That historic division deserved better! 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! By their look. But about an hour and a half before the show started, as everyone stood up in anticipation of the performance . Which is, Everybody has their own 8th of November. Not only you. 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. So Niles, heres to a true American hero. We couldnt walk and carry them out except at great risk to them. I had become a rifleman because we had lost one of my lieutenants and I wanted him back under any circumstance. Having been the battalion S2 prior to taking command of B Company, I had studied the area and was well aware of reports of an enemy build-up in the area. Sonny says Hill 65 is. We went back to work, blew out more trees. Use the 'Report' link on In preparation for his visit I called my Platoon Leaders and Platoon Sergeants together and issued my instructions. No sooner had I issued those instructions when Colonel Tyler, on the battalion command net, asked how long it would take to reassemble my unit. I was wrong and would learn it shortly. We hadnt made much progress on a landing zone. They made it about halfway up the hill when we finally broke them and they backed down off the hill slowly. You have permission to edit this article. My final instructions were to move to the sound of the firing in the general direction of hill 65. Serving on Admiral Byrd's team for the Antarctic Expedition at the end of WW II was a privilege that only a handful of sailors would enjoy. Saturday, together in Deadwood for the first time ever, they recalled a few of their most vivid memories and impressions left from the life-changing event, as the fourth annual Deadwoods Veterans Salute sponsored by the Deadwood Business Club and held at Deadwood Mountain Grand, honored their service and sacrifices, along with all area veterans. My artillery team was monitoring that situation to preclude our walking into fires. Less than one hundred feet in front of them was a M60 machine gun being dragged backwards. our medics were pushed to their limits but accomplished the seemingly impossible. We didnt know the situation between our position and the battalion base. 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. Having reported the establishment of our base at approximately _117319, I ordered Clair to begin moving in the direction of the trail in the vicinity of _110328. Get the latest headlines on local sports! 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. All nominations are voted online by the readers. The company had recently been issued the PRC 25 radio and had insufficient radios to operate below the company level, thus all platoons were on the company frequency. Task Force 68 included 4,700 men, 13 ships, and 33 aircraft. On order my third and first platoons moved quickly! 5 min read. The risk was becoming too great to go on with it. 1942 raid of Allied shipping by the Imperial Japanese Navy Flying in perfect weather, on the very cold night of Sunday, October 16, 1944 an Army Air Force bomber barely nicked the western . This would be a spinal fusion operation. 760 likes. High around 35F. The search for four people still missing after a major plane crash in Nepal resumed on Monday, as a video purportedly filmed by one of the passengers . 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. 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. It was unreal, like something out of films from the civil war. Now we knew the Dust Off would be coming in. The firing had noticeably increased and was no longer sporadic. 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operation hump survivors