long binh attack 1969 long binh attack 1969

Soldiers lined inside the building waiting for their number. 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. Photos (51) by Lou Mengoli, 1967. [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. Shortly before midnight the entire perimeter lit up with machine gun fire. Long Binh Jail was a prison for American soldiers on the outskirts of Saigon with notoriously harsh conditions. A U.S. 2nd Field Force soldier poses. 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. Later I enrolled as an ROTC student at South Dakota State University, became an Army officer and was assigned to Long Binh in August 1968. The cavalry troopers also stumbled onto a large tunnel complex not more than a mile from our perimeter. Spooky was flying at about 3,500 feet. CRITICALPAST.COM: Between the town of Bien Hoa and the base was an old French minefield, never cleared and fenced by barbed wire. Soldiers of the United States Army Signal Group have military payment certificates exchanged at their headquarters in Long Binh Vi, U.S. soldiers handling 155mm artilery shells in an ammunition dump at Long Binh, Vietnam. At about 03:00, as reconnaissance elements of the unit were observed and engaged by US Air Force security forces at the perimeter of Bien Hoa Air Base, the villagers began to flee their homes, running down streets and creek beds. Ahead of the release of Pentagons 2024 budget release in the coming weeks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin touted major investments by the DOD across a broad array of portfolios, including the nuclear triad, space, and next-generation fighter aircraftwhile promising once-in-a-generation expenditures for shipyards and munitions manufacturing in particular. . Filmmaker Mel Brooks once said he looked upon his Army experience in World War II as a newsreel.. He was discharged from active duty after his Vietnam tour and shortly afterward was assigned to an Army Reserve unit. Some of our troops had recaptured it from the VC a few months before. He was told his unit would capture many C-rations. Food was always a dominant concern for the habitually starved Viet Cong. Viet Cong attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (1966) From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. This region includes ten provinces: Binh Duong, Binh Hyua, Binh Long, Binh Tuy, Hau Nghia, Long An, Long Kahnh, Phuoc Long, Phuac Tuy Tay Ninh. On 8 February patrols from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines found 7 122mm rockets 14km southwest of Da Nang and another 13 140mm rockets 2km further south. South Vietnamese woman 1969 Sep 15, 2017. . 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. I was a 2nd Lieutenant, on my second night in Vietnam when the attack on Long Bing Post began at 2 AM. 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. Levitows Medal of Honor is prominently displayed at Enlisted Heritage Hall. I dont think I was alone in this. 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. (Vietnam War period). Well, not everybody had departed. FAQs - How to Order | I stay away from publicity and things like that. Nearly 60 years after he was first recommended for the nation's highest military award for his bravery during the Vietnam War, retired Col. Paris Davis, one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat, received the Medal of Honor on Friday. (I was a big-shot first lieutenant and chauffeured to work.) The Long Binh Army post, adjacent to Spookys home base at Bien Hoa, was under mortar attack. 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. For months I observed various combat actions outside the perimeter and every now and then even sought cover beneath a nearby steel desk as a stray mortar or artillery round came flying in our direction, which, whenever it occurred, was astonishing enough. It was full until ruptured in the battle. The Long Binh/Bien Hoa complex was huge, with thousands of soldiers and airmen assigned to the combined logistics complex and air base. 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. (true?/false? In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. independent documentary Letters from Long Binh. We had no bunkers. When we were hit, all of us [Owen, Levitow, Sgt. Thought to be in retaliation for Chuyen's disappearance. This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to help show content that is more relevant to your interests. 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. (On earlier AC-47s, one of the guns had been mounted in the door.) Smoke rises from surrounding area. The Spooky 71 crew could see mortar tube flashes about one mile south of the area of the earlier attack. The Tet 1969 offensive was carried out mostly by Viet Cong irregulars. To Love Ru Tp 22 - Vit Sub. In the interest of security - and to ease communications - the army centralized Saigon's American forces in 1967 by stationing them all at an enormous compound built just outside of the city. 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. Background. Media Battle of Long Binh 1969 Parts 1 & 2 11thACRCombat Operations After Action Report of Attacks in Northern Binh Long Province 10-13aug69 (All content and photos on this site are the property of their named owners and may not be copied or used for any other purposes without permission. 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. As of 1969 Lieutenant General Do Cao Tri's III CTZ . The idea was quite unsettling. We heard that the commander of the tanks was Col. George S. Patton Jr. nhc nn - Nguyn Quc Hng - cng ty Hng Long Phc. Week of December 12-18, 2021: Heroism Amidst an Ambush, December 17, 1968. As Ole-Luk-Oie, the pen name for British officer Ernest Swinton, wrote in the 1915 book. The ARVN units swiftly moved into blocking positions, and by daybreak, the PAVN/VC were surrounded. Back home in Connecticut, he learned that his Medal of Honor had been approved. . 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. Hide. Capt. The Geography and Map Division holds a map from the war that was printed and created by the 66 th Engineer Company (known as the "Topo Corps"). 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. The attack was expected to come on the ground, as opposed to those . Levitow was struggling toward the flare despite the violent maneuvering of the aircraft. Partway through the mission he had come forward and was talking to the flight crew when the action unfolded that night. I then looked back to see a flare that had slid up against the cans of 19,000 rounds of ammunition, Platt said. It was his 180th combat mission, but he had never flown with this crew before. It took considerable effort to get Spooky 71 back to base. The base was host to US Army Headquarters. Most estimates put the Viet Cong deaths at over 100. The troops sent to Saigon originally lived in army units dispersed throughout the city. The brigade was activated on 1 June 1966 at Fort Benning, Georgia, as the 199th Infantry Brigade (Light), with emphasis on counterinsurgency operations and mobility. Aerial view of (USARV) United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters Complex at Long Binh, Vietnam. "Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report #105 - Special Report: The Fourth Offensive - 23 February-3 April 1969", Cold War International History Project's Cold War Files, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tet_1969&oldid=1142428918, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 09:26. COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT, VIETNAM 1969. SSG Richard E, Slaven died from his wounds the next day. The 64-year-old Army veteran died suddenly of a heart attack. There was also a Vietnamese liaison officer. Before the night was over, Levitow would perform an act of astounding bravery for which he would ultimately be awarded the Medal of Honor. We were young men in the U.S. Army. Opportunity knocks. 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 . I am interested in corresponding with any Black Scarf soldiers who . Instructions to promote Levitow to sergeant without regard to skill level had not been followed. My driver arrived at the usual time, a little before sundown, on Feb. 22, for my 12-hour graveyard shift at the 1st Logistics Command headquarters. I consider the fact that the aircraft was able to fly at all a miracle, Carpenter said. Contents. For my personal defense, I relied upon a somewhat rusty M16 kept around the office. A soldier with a typewriter creates a receipt. Vietnam Da Nang 2 Vietnam Dong Tranh River 2 Vietnam French Indo China 7 Vietnam Khe Sanh 13 Vietnam Long Binh 3 Vietnam Phan Rang Air Base 18. Mini-Tet 1969 Begins February 23, 1969. Long Binh Post was a sprawling, 3,500 building . As usual, I initially took refuge under my desk, then ordered everyone to rush downstairs on the assumption that any direct hits would likely riddle the upper floor. hightForP2 = 330 --- and so it went for lots of the fighting in Vietnam. The rifle was accompanied by a single magazine of tracer roundsbullets treated with a chemical that creates a trail of light when fired. Then there was a blinding flash and the aircraft was rocked from nose to tail by a violent explosion. "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 . It's not widely known that during the course of the Vietnam Conflict, about 2 million (2,000,000) VC and NVA were killed -- which was about 15 percent of North Vietnam's 13 million population. Dedicated to those who were there. Small-arms fire opened up in his path. It was Feb. 24, 1969, and the second day of the Tet counteroffensive. For reasons unknown, it had not been emptied when the AC-47 went to Vietnam. I crawled to the location of the flare. Full-scale sweeping operations to secure the perimeter began just after noon that day. Furthermore, the flare would be burning at a temperature of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Tet Offensive attack on Long Binh and Bien Hoa 31 January 1968.jpg . . 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. Since my finger was through the safety pin ring the safety pin was pulled.. Terms & Conditions | Combat training for ordnance officers at best is rudimentary. [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. United States and South Vietnamese forces responded with . When attacking, Spooky rolled into a level 30-degree bank turn, flying at an airspeed of almost 140 mph. 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. The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted . The flare was armed just before it was thrown out the door, with timers set to give it some distance from the airplane before the parachute deployed and the flare was triggered. Slow fire was 3,000 rounds a minute each, or fast fire which was 6,000 rounds a minute each. My Lightboxes | Alsoand central to the story of Spooky 71it carried about 50 magnesium flares to illuminate targets on the ground. Day scenes show soldiers defending positions and firing at the enemy. 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. Photo courtesy of Corpman Bill Luppeti HM3 [Rach Soi 1967-1970] Amazingly five or six Viet Cong actually did sneak into the compound, but, luckily or unluckily for my sake, depending on the outcome, not in my area. 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. He showed up for his typical night shift at the office. The retired Green Beret, who was a trailblazer as one of the first Black officers to join the Special Forces, told Military.com on Thursday that he . 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. The Mk 24 flare was a metal tube, just over three feet long and about five inches in diameter. Soldiers of the 221st Signal Company Vietnam have military payment certificates (MPC) exchanged at their headquarters in Long Binh Vietnam as part of a country wide general order. A 70-strong VC force attacked the 2/1 Marines command post 6km south of Marble Mountain losing 17 dead. I was a ticket office supervisor with several Vietnamese and Chinese-Vietnamese women reservations/ticket agents. Then came a sound akin to that of large paper sacks tearing, 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. After the battle came another shock. Passing of colors to the new commander. The panorama took on an aspect of high noon, the entire battlefield bathed with an eerie golden glow. [4]:99, To the west of Da Nang, shortly after midnight on the 23rd Company M, 3/7 Marines ambushed a PAVN force killing 10 and later that night a larger force was spotted and artillery fire was called in. Vit Trinh thng hiu tht l trn Vit Trinh, sinh ngy 27 mon 11 nm 1972, l con gi din vin nng lng in nh, tn dn chng trnh, o din vi gim kho ngi vit Nam. He delivered the keynote address. 20 July 1969 circa - Mortar attack on base camp A-414 Thanh Tri. About 85 per cent of the force was estimated to be PAVN soldiers. Shot up and near stalling, Spooky approached Bien Hoa in the dark. Levitow and one of the gunners, Sgt. We're weird, he said. The enemy was too close for artillery, so gunships were . Retired Army Col. Paris Davis, 83, stood in the East Room of the White House on Friday as President Joe Biden draped the Medal of Honor around his neck, nearly six decades after he saved the lives of three fellow troops during the Vietnam War.. Intelligence had indicators of the pending attacks. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. Spooky 71 had gone as far as it was going. Note the attacking Skyhawk in the lower right and one directly left of the explosions on the bridge. Shopping Cart | They tell me that I had 40 pieces of shrapnel in me at the time, Levitow said. After the massive casualties it suffered during the vicious battles in 1966 and 1967, and especially due to the division's disastrous . [4]:97 Later that day rockets hit the An Hoa Combat Base destroying 15,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and igniting 40,000 gallons of aviation fuel and 50 rockets were fired at Naval Support Activity Da Nang with more than half going into the sea and the remainder causing minor damage. YouTube, Seventh Air Force, among others, expressed concern that transmissions might be intercepted and give warning of the gunships approach to the enemy. 11 November SP/4s Jared Kelley and John R. Klemm, tend to their gear during a recon mission in the Tactical Area Of Responsibility. M113 armored personnel carriers and M551 Sheridan armored reconnaissance vehicles supported the forces on the ground while AH-1 Cobra gunships and OH-6 helicopters provided air support. His grieving son had no option but to file away those unanswered questions forever. 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. . The battle area was quickly illuminated by large spotlights supplemented with dozens of flares fired by our artillery. . On 23 February 1969, Task Force Privette (A and B Troops, 1st Squadron, 11th Cav and a company of 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry) reacted to an attack on the Long Binh perimeter, killing 88 NVA. The MP squad suffered three wounded. (Jim Van Eldik), It was another hot February day in 1969 at the sprawling, Behind the driver, strewn about the passenger seat and floor, was his personal combat gear, including his, The enemy would occasionally probe us, rocket us, mortar us and more than likely sometimes even shop at our PXs, but a ground attack? 5 Lt xem. I immediately detected signs that all was not right. At that rate, a three-second burst placed a shot every square foot in an area the size of a football field. . The airplane made it over the minefield and onto the overrun, just barely. 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. He was the center of much attention but also the victim of bureaucracy. 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. It concentrated on US military installations, especially in the III Corps area around Saigon. In early August 1969, the 1st Infantry Division determined that its old nemesis, the 9th PLAF Division, was preparing for a new offensive in Binh Duong province.By this time, the 9th Division had been reorganized and redesignated as a PAVN (NVA) division. Many features may not work properly without it. Stephen Hugh Lane SP5 Lead Clerk Jan 1969 to Sep 1970, MOS 67N20 has checked in and joined the 3/4 Cav Chapter. Large images may take a few minutes to appear. 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. One of the larger battles of the Vietnam War had been fought right in front of me, and I never saw the enemy. Apparently, it was impossible for an Iowa corn farmer to get his mind around the idea of hundreds of men actually trying to kill each other. It would light up, oh, about half a mile, a good area, quite brightly, Levitow said. In another scene, a large crane is used to stack shells in the ammunition dump. Poor guys; they didn't stand a chance. Back in the States, the aircraft had been fitted with a tank inside the fuselage to hold isopropyl alcohol. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Ike originally intended these dominos to represent Chinas neighbors such as North and South Vietnam. The first explosion, seemingly an earth-shattering blast, occurred perhaps 30 or 40 yards outside our office, spraying the building with gravel and steel fragments, perforating our walls and windows. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. My class had graduated the month before from our 35-week "Fixed Ciphony Repair" course at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. United States 2nd Field Force change of command ceremony at Long Binh, Vietnam. c chuyn cho qun i Ukraine 1.000 v kh chng xe tng v 500 ha tin di t - trn khng Typ/kiu Stinger (bo vc dch l : tn la t i khng).c cng ng thun cho Holland chuyn cho qun Ukraine 400 Panzerfaeuste/ v kh chng xe tng v cc v kh khc do c ch . Other members of the squad have yet to be identified. Apparently, not much was out there, as there was no firing to speak of. The 228th per DA consolidated orders of 1970 was "confirmed" as being awarded an MUC for time period 15 February 1969 - 15 August 1969, as was the 277th and other units/sections under its command { HHC . The research for this After Action Report included OPERATIONAL REPORTS, DAILY STAFF JOURNALS and DUTY OFFICER S LOGS at the Battalion, Brigade and Division levels located in the National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Ni bt nht; Gn y; Gi. 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. ), and that the VC suffered heavy casualties that day, with about only 6 VC left after the shooting stopped, and these were taken prisoner. 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. [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. Sound: No. Bruce Stern at his desk in Long Binh, circa 1968-69. . Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. The rounds landed on post with some igniting the POL fuel site east of the highway. They could'nt tell how big the post was, for the post's perimeter lighting had not yet been installed. The last pocket along the An Tan ridgeline proved more difficult and Company L, 3/7 Marines suffered numerous casualties forcing it to withdraw. [4]:98, At dawn PAVN sappers attacked the 1st Marine Division headquarters on Hill 327 and the 2/7 Marines command post to the northwest. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. It isnt every day one peaceably sets off for work knowing someone is intent on ones personal demise. Photo courtesy of Tom Lefavour and taken around October 1969. [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. Im not going to bring shame on either the medal or myself, so I do watch it very carefully.. Viet Cong attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (1966) Part of the Vietnam War: Date: 4-5 December 1966: Location: Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. He worked in "The Iron Triangle" included Phu loi, Ton sahn Nut, and Long B. Unit flags at the headquarters. The Tet 1969 offensive was carried out mostly by Viet Cong irregulars. Sixteen bulldozers were quickly deployed to spend the rest of the day sealing the entrances. 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. My Account | United States Army soldiers exchanging MPC currency at their headquarters in Long Binh Vietnam. More than 500 airmen attended the funeral, and most of them followed the caisson to the grave site. Except for the eruptions from our perimeter bunkers, the entire battlefield seemed devoid of peopleat least people who could be seen. Long Binh/Bien Hoa. ATTACK ON LONG BINH POST. Photo of the famous Saigon Taxi. 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. View of surrounding areas. (Vietnam War period). 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. It concentrated on US military installations, especially in the III Corps area around Saigon. Stacks of 155mm artillery shells are loaded onto a truck by a crane, in groups of 16 at a time, on wooden skids holding 8 apiece.The soldiers are stripped to the waist. It was nothing like what I saw in my imagination or what is shown in movie theaters or on television. The training group headquarters building at Lackland AFB, Tex., is named for him. I realize that what I say will be represented not only as a Vietnam veteran but as a Medal of Honor recipient, and the media will have a field day. His most recent article, Rolling Thunder, appeared in the March issue. 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. Many of the tracers bounced off the ground like rubber balls. 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. Textual Records: Correspondence and daily journal, 1972-73. These attacks were repulsed for Marines losses of 18 killed and more than 75 PAVN killed. The firing grew to a continuous roar, with lines and lines of red tracers emitted by M60 machine guns crisscrossing the battlefield. . This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. On searching the site at dawn it was found that 2 PAVN 81mm mortar teams had been destroyed in the barrage. 472.6.8 Records of the U.S. Army Central Finance and Accounting Office, Vietnam. He spent almost two months recuperating in Japan before returning to Vietnam in April. John L. Levitow. (Vietnam War period). Media in category "Long Binh Post" The following 36 files are in this category, out of 36 total. The pilot fired the guns, using a sight at the left side of the cockpit. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, the battle gradually died out. Answer (1 of 6): Now I can answer that from a very odd perspective. F-100C Super Sabre 54-1956 120 TFS, 35 TFW, USAF . Jim Van Eldik is a retired Army lieutenant colonel. 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.