The battle area had been cleared for at least 500 to 1,000 yards from the perimeterall foliage and any source of cover had been bulldozed flat. 472.6.9 Records of the U.S. Army Garrison, Long Binh Post, Vietnam (Provisional) Before the night was over, Levitow would perform an act of astounding bravery for which he would ultimately be awarded the Medal of Honor. 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. The airplane made it over the minefield and onto the overrun, just barely. A U.S. 2nd Field Force soldier poses. TAOR With the enemy still in force south of the Buong River there remained the continuing threat of additional ground, rocket and heavy mortar attacks against Long Binh Post.. Battalion TOC still considered the eastern sector as the weak spot of the TAOR, so they called for a strong-point (outpost) to be constructed on the Finger of Land just to the west of the abandoned tank on the crest of . . These ingredientswhen mixed with the C-ration Beef, Spiced with Sauce or the Beans w/ Frankfurter Chunks in Tomato Saucewould have provided the Viet Cong a feast for the ages. If you like this movie trailer, go to https://militaryvideo.com/ to purchase the entire 60 minute video. 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. At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, the battle gradually died out. Carpenter waved off taxi instructions from the tower and the crew got out fast. Smoke rises from surrounding area. Among the family members present were his son and grandson, John L. Levitow III. Jerry Breast/U.S. I am compiling a history of our Regiment's service in the war. Video TikTok t Thnh Long Jr (@thlongjr): "Bn tng xem qua v phim attack on Titan bao gi cha? #anime #attackontitan". Battle At The Rifle Range. nhc nn - Mo One Piece - Thnh Long Jr. (Vietnam War period). This was teh first time the M551 Sheridan was in action in the Blackhorse Regiment. 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. Convoy of M-113 ARCs and M-551 assault vehicles move out of camp and drive along road. Two stints one for 6 months and another for 7. Levitow and one of the gunners, Sgt. 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. August 25, 1968, was a typical monsoon season day. The panorama took on an aspect of high noon, the entire battlefield bathed with an eerie golden glow. . 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. About 85 per cent of the force was estimated to be PAVN soldiers. The Army always tries to capitalize on a soldiers individual strengths. 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!). Thoughts now turned to what we should do if we came face to face with the enemy. After sundown on the 22nd, elements of the VC 274th Regiment, 5th Division made their final preparations while occupying three hills along Highway 15 approximately three kilometers south of the base. 128 KB. The pilot fired the guns, using a sight at the left side of the cockpit. He is remembered at the Walk of Fame at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Levitow died Nov. 8, 2000, at his home in Connecticut after a lengthy battle with cancer. We had a perfect view of the VC hill, and it slowly began to dawn on me that for the past seven months, as each evenings shift began with my casually scanning the quiet hills to the south and southeast of Long Binh, there was a fair probability I was being scanned right backlikely by some VC ammo counter busily inventorying his AK-47 bullets, 122 mm rockets, 82 mm mortars and B-40 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, while I counted M16 bullets, Claymore mines and howitzer shells. 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. Other members of the squad have yet to be identified. Photo courtesy of Corpman Bill Luppeti HM3 [Rach Soi 1967-1970] Some of our troops had recaptured it from the VC a few months before. Citation Nr: 0307323 Decision Date: 04/16/03 Archive Date: 04/24/03 DOCKET NO. On searching the site at dawn it was found that 2 PAVN 81mm mortar teams had been destroyed in the barrage. This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to help show content that is more relevant to your interests. Visitors can also watch a videotape of Carpenter and John Levitow Jr. talking about the Medal of Honor mission. He was a man that was proud to stand tall. Sixteen bulldozers were quickly deployed to spend the rest of the day sealing the entrances. Ni bt nht; Gn y; Gi. Soldiers give forms to the soldier with type-writer. Top graduates of Air Force Airman Leadership Schools receive the Levitow Honor Graduate Award. The view is from the compound of the 20. Ambush at Ap Nhi. Includes scenes shot in and around the base showing soldiers preparing for the attack. (Vietnam War period). These units made occasional contact, often with PAVN or VC who fought stubbornly from trenches and spider holes. 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. Featured Collections | History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. Perhaps a word of explanation is in order on how I and all the others in our mix of volunteers and draftees ended up in this hot, smelly, unsafe corner of the world. Ellis C. Owen, had been working as a team in dropping the flares. 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. History is not a fixed set of facts. 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. A soldier with a typewriter creates a receipt. CRITICALPAST.COM: Welcome to the Long Binh google satellite map! The rocket and mortar attacks on the bases picked up when darkness fell. After the massive casualties it suffered during the vicious battles in 1966 and 1967, and especially due to the division's disastrous . Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. 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. In another scene, a large crane is used to stack shells in the ammunition dump. hightForP2 = 330 24:11. With usual soldier directness the driver divulged the ominous news: Sir, were gonna get hit tonight, so youre gonna need your helmet, flak jacket and rifle., A Viet Cong deserter had warned South Vietnamese officials on Feb.19 that an attack would occur on Feb. 22, but Long Binh didnt get the word until the day of the planned assault. He delivered the keynote address. The rifle was accompanied by a single magazine of tracer roundsbullets treated with a chemical that creates a trail of light when fired. It concentrated on US military installations, especially in the III Corps area around Saigon. 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. It includes footage shot between 17 Feb and 24 Feb 1969. --- and so it went for lots of the fighting in Vietnam. As Levitow dragged one of the other airmen toward the center of the cabin, he saw the flare between No. 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. Back home in Connecticut, he learned that his Medal of Honor had been approved. Although at first overwhelmed by the intensity of the enemy fire the MPs stood their ground, suppressed the enemy fire, eliminated an enemy machine gun emplacement and were able to evacuate their seriously wounded point man, SP/4 Brown. United States and South Vietnamese forces responded with . More recently, Enlisted Heritage Hall obtained a surplus C-47 and converted it to a mock-up of an AC-47, with the colors and markings that Spooky 71 bore in February 1969. Day scenes show soldiers defending positions and firing at the enemy. 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. The soldiers with old (MPC) currency notes takes the receipt and proceeds towards the next officer. It was nothing like what I saw in my imagination or what is shown in movie theaters or on television. 21 July 1969 - Rheault, Marasco, and others transferred to Long Binh Jail (LBJ). (Vietnam War period). The flare was armed and rolling loose in the aircraft. The Air Force sent a C-54 to Hartford to pick up him, his wife, and his parents and take them to Washington. 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. From there, I had a good view of the perimeter and the rapidlyunfolding battle. Everybody has their job to do and they do it., Chinas growing capabilities and recent boldness in the air domain represent dangerous and destabilizing behavior patterns, the Pentagons top official on the Indo-Pacific said March 2. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Unit flags at the headquarters. Since the headquarters building stood out on the hill like a large bulls eye, I proceeded outside and took up a defensive position behind a corner of our building, on the safe side. The clouds hung low, making flying helicopters . 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. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press. The typist soldier types on the form with a type-writer. At the end of his tour in Vietnam, Levitow was assigned to Norton AFB, Calif., as a loadmaster on C-141s. The training group headquarters building at Lackland AFB, Tex., is named for him. The enemy would occasionally probe us, rocket us, mortar us and more than likely sometimes even shop at our PXs, but a ground attack? 1 minigun and a jumble of spilled ammunition. Published in the October 2017 issue ofVietnammagazine. During the Vietnam War, Long Binh Post was the U.S. Army's largest base located in the former South Vietnam. Note: Your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. Instructions to promote Levitow to sergeant without regard to skill level had not been followed. I had the lanyard on the flare hooked up and my finger through the safety pin ring. 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. Partway through the mission he had come forward and was talking to the flight crew when the action unfolded that night. 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. He had been nominated for the Medal of Honorat Carpenters urging, Gen. George S. Brown, the 7th Air Force commander, had marked the recommendation up from an Air Force Crossand he was no longer allowed to fly in combat. On the other hand, one is left to ponder what affect seeding the battlefield or, even better, seeding the Ho Chi Minh Trail itself with C-ration packets of the despicable Ham and Lima Beans might have had. This is a brief clip of the ammo dump explosion at Long Binh, Vietnam, taken the morning of the Tet offensive, 1968. 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. Result: United States and South Vietnam victory: Belligerents The idea was quite unsettling. center, as they run down Route 1 near Trang Bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding places on June 8, 1972. Levitow was struggling toward the flare despite the violent maneuvering of the aircraft. 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. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. Three B Company ambush squads were positioned along the eastern end of the TAOR on the "Finger Of Land," and a reinforced squad of twelve MP's, including two Scout Dog handlers from the 212th MP Company, were positioned on Hill-15 along the Buong River. Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. At the ceremonies, his son, John L. Levitow Jr., said: I have only one apology to make. Since my finger was through the safety pin ring the safety pin was pulled.. The post and the 720th MP Battalion were informed of the planned attack late in the afternoon of the 22nd. There was another motivation for Tran as he attacked the American base. 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. We had no bunkers. 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. 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. This place is situated in Bien Hoa Town, Dong Nai, Vietnam, its geographical coordinates are 10 54' 0" North, 106 51' 0" East and its original name (with diacritics) is Long Bnh. I had the aircraft in a 30-degree bank and how Levitow ever managed to get to the flare and throw it out, Ill never know, Carpenter said. 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. 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. An ammunition dump at Long Binh, Vietnam. Long Binh Post was a sprawling, 3,500 building . COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT, VIETNAM 1969. It was his 180th combat mission, but he had never flown with this crew before. June The second of two new outpost's was built on the western end of the Finger Of Land. If it ignited, it would quickly fill the aircraft with toxic smoke, incapacitating the entire crew. Background. Things quieted down for a while. Textual Records: Correspondence and daily journal, 1972-73. ARVN casualties were 10 killed and 100 wounded and one US Army photographer was killed. But a battle was waiting instead. Advanced Search | Trans primary motivations seem quite similar to our own: eating and getting home. . It would light up, oh, about half a mile, a good area, quite brightly, Levitow said. Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. Tet Offensive attack on Long Binh and Bien Hoa 31 January 1968.jpg . Then there was a blinding flash and the aircraft was rocked from nose to tail by a violent explosion. Between 1970 and 72 my father wound up in Vietnam as a civilian aircraft mechanic, working on helicopters. Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off. Danil_1969 4 ting trc. John T. Correll was editor in chief of Air Force Magazine for 18 years and is now a contributing editor. Easily create a Forum Website with Website Toolbox. By 15:00 the 36th Ranger Battalion moved into the village attacking the PAVN/VC force. Following the employment of the supporting fires, the 36th Ranger Battalion moved back into the village. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. Shrapnel and jagged shards of metal ricocheted through the cargo bay, and a shock wave from the explosion swept the interior of the airplane. Tran Van Thiet, 19, had been left behind. It was used as a base of operation for the increased ambush and reconnaissance patrols conducted in the uninhabited eastern end of the TAOR. Landing short would have been a disaster. The spilled ammunition19,000 rounds of it by Platts estimatewould start cooking off in seconds. Brigadier General Leo D. Kinnard speaks to the troops. The enemy fire was situated across Highway 1A, directing a heavy concentration of fire into the 12th Group and II Field Force compounds. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. Intelligence had indicators of the pending attacks. David L. Hamel, director of the institute. Hugging the deadly device to his body, he dragged himself back to the rear of the aircraft and hurled the flare through the open cargo door. 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?. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. It was full until ruptured in the battle. The medics cut away the dead and contaminated flesh to prevent infection, and Levitow was flown to the big Air Force hospital at Tachikawa, Japan, where 40 pieces of shrapnel were removed between his knee and his hip. He decided to try a different specialty after an experience in which the power was not turned off when I thought it was turned off, so he cross trained as a loadmaster.