He wanted to ensure the memories of those who died live on, in particular that of his best friend, Lt. Don Cornett. "The emotions are so high, the noise is tremendous, the confusion is everywhere; they had overrun us by now. Both were present at the Battle of Ia Drang, the first large-scale engagement of the Vietnam War. NADAL, Ramon A. Charlie Company took the brunt of the assault. STOCKTON, John B., seventy, commander, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel in 1967. To the Americans, the battle validated their new airmobile strategy using helicopters to move troops quickly into remote jungle areas often without roads and inflict heavy casualties by airpower and artillery. A bitter conclusion to the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley came soon afterward, when Gen. Westmoreland told the 2nd Battalion survivors that they had achieved "a great victory over the Communists from the North." This resulted in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, a forested area just east of the Chu Pong massif, from 23 October to 20 November. This was the first and last battle between NVA forces and U.S forces of similar size. Moore is the last to leave, refusing to do so until every man living and dead has left. Lt. Col. Hal Moore, commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, on the radio during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. I was standing back there in the column and the column was stopped. BROWN, Thomas W. (Tim), seventy-three, the 3rd Brigade commander in the Ia Drang, retired a brigadier general in 1973, after thirty-plus years of service and a second tour in Vietnam, with two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars from his three wars. I guess I was an oddball; everyone else that year was going into teaching to avoid the draft, and then there was me. Jeanette and his wife, Sandra, were married five days before he shipped out for Vietnam. He retired in August 1990, and now lives in Peekskill, New York. SHADDEN, James Haskell, fifty, mortarman, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, survived half a dozen operations and one year in Army hospitals recovering from the wounds received at LZ Albany. Things were quiet, but in the morning, the North Vietnamese attacked. He won a National Magazine Award for his October 29, 1990, cover article on the Ia Drang battles. He assumed that like the French, the Americans would tire of seeing their young men coming home in body bags. Spec. 1965 was the year America took the gloves off in Vietnam, moving from advising and assisting the South Vietnamese military to an active combat role. He checked in with the nearest Veterans Administration hospital; they sent him home, telling him they would call him back for an operation to place a plate over the hole. Each option, he warned, had a good chance of leading to a stalemate. He retired from the Army as a master sergeant and, in 1988, became the pastor of a church in Fort Mitchell, Alabama. in history. YOUNG, James, fifty-one, rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry in LZ Albany, made it home to the family farm outside Keysville, Missouri, on Christmas Eve, 1965, with an Army discharge in his pocket and a quarter-size hole in the side of his skull. He retired a lieutenant colonel in 1977 and returned to Georgia, where he is an executive for a trucking firm. Since completing her degrees, she has decided to take a step back from academia to focus her career on writing and sharing history in a more accessible way. DUNCAN, Ken, fifty-three, executive officer of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, left the Army in August 1966, and returned to his hometown of Thomaston, Georgia, where he works with a textile-manufacturing company. He moved back to his hometown of Tucson, Arizona. Im not supposed to chop wood or do anything that might cause a lick on that side of my head, but it healed up pretty well so I dont worry much about it, he says. Muscogee County, He now manages the quartermaster laundry at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and lives in Clarksville, Tennessee. Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. Bob Edwards saying that these were the stripes Paolone earned at LZ X-Ray but never got. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. Fred Gilreath of Surgoinsville holds a framed photo of his older brother Luther Gilreath who was killed 50 years ago on the second day of the Battle of Ia Drang, Nov. 15, 1965. Shadden lives on a seven-acre farm outside Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and works part-time at odd jobs. In the end, 79 Americans had been killed, and 121 men were wounded. Her research focused on military, environmental, and Canadian history with a specific focus on the Second World War. (AP Photo) A wounded American soldier is aided to a helicopter for evacuation from Ia Drang Valley area, near Plei Me, Vietnam, November 18, 1965. The majority of the battle was fought in the valley of Ia Drang, Vietnam by 3rd Battalion, 7th Calvary and was the first major test of air . The remainder of the 2nd was left waiting in a communication blackout. He is married and has a daughter in college and a son in the U.S. Marines. P.O. For him, war is something that will always be a necessity as long as there is evil in the world, but it is something that is not to be glorified or desired. Companies C and D took the brunt of the Communist attack, and most of the men were quickly hit. Box 159 I think of all those guys killed in action, wounded in action, and their friends, their relatives and all those altered lives. THORPE, Henry, fifty-eight, commander, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, left the Army as a captain in September 1967, after eight years service, and went home to his native North Carolina. FESMIRE, John A. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley, fought November 14th-18th, 1965, was the first major engagement between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (abbreviated as PAVN). Facebook Twitter "The way it was presented, at least from my perspective, was we were making an administrative move to be airlifted out so we wouldn't be in the way of the bombers.". He is the perennial master of ceremonies at the Ia Drang dinners; he claims he is the only one of the brothers who can get through an entire sentence without using the f-word. It was the first major battle between PAVN and US Army units and one of the war's bloodiest encounters. This is the tale of the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in 1965. We were caught inside of what was essentially an L-shaped ambush.". He is partly paralyzed as a result of his terrible wound. RESCORLA, Cyril R. (Rick), fifty-three, platoon leader, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, completed a full tour with Bravo Company in Vietnam and did another year teaching at Officer Candidate School in the States. Two men - Sgt. FREEMAN, Ed (Too Tall to Fly), sixty-five, Bruce Crandalls wingman, retired a major in 1967 after twenty-one years Army service. It was the signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit. The men, women, and children of this story are Americas neighbors, living quiet lives in every corner of the nation they served. He retired a major in 1980, after twenty years service. They have three children, daughters Abigail and Alison and a son, Thomas Alexander. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. ROBINSON, Edward Charles, fifty-five, Huey pilot at LZ X-Ray, served a second combat tour in Vietnam. In the fall of 1965 the Vietnam War was an event most Americans saw as a series of smaller battles leaving little to remember. He worked as a sales executive in the corrugated-box industry and went to school nights to earn his MBA. Lawrence dropped to the ground to take cover in the tall elephant grass and began to return fire like any other rifleman. He and his wife, Theresa, and their six-year-old daughter, Megan, live in Glen Allen, Virginia. Moore considered the outcome a draw. How could I forget? He was director of training development at Fort Benning when he retired as a colonel in 1983. The largely [North Vietnamese Army] units we ran into, they were interested in staying and fighting.. He is married and the father of two daughters. On the morning of November 14th, the 1st Cavalry landed at Landing Zone X-Ray at the base of the Chu Pong mountain and by noon they were already under attack from the North Vietnamese. I thought to myself. In August 1977, at the age of forty-four, Colonel Frank Henry died when an aneurysm ruptured. Through good fortune, the enemy's ignorance of their predicament, Specialist Lose's first-aid knowledge . The single, bloodiest day in the Vietnam War. James Lawrence, one of the men who fought at LZ Albany, later recounted his experiences. The mission of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is to honor and preserve the legacy of service and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War. By the end, there were no officers left and only 49 men that were not wounded. He didn't know that he was the one in charge at that time. Temperatures reached 100 degrees, and by the afternoon there was a firestorm battle for survival. He went home to Salinas, California, where he lives with his wife and three sons. But Charlie was back in the air, flying F-4 Phantoms, less than a year later. He and his wife and young son live in Lawndale, California. "The next morning we were told the B-52s out of Guam were going to bomb the mountains and that we were to move to LZ Albany," Jim said. One of the survivors recalls how it was - the blood, the agony, and the fear. The men were still in an administrative maneuver, so when the word to halt came they plopped down where they were. The battle was later dramatized in the film We Were Soldiers. Finally, after 10 months, had some makeshift buildings. It was a small football size clearing for the first helicopters to be used in combat. MORENO, Frank, copilot in Ed Too Tall Freemans Huey in X-Ray, retired a chief warrant officer-4 after more than twenty years service. The North Vietnamese Army starts with the most flags but to combat this the 7th Cavalry Regiment has superior airpower meaning that the USA can quickly insert and extract players into and out of flags. 5 cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The battle was part of a campaign for control of the strategic central highlands, which divided South Vietnam north to south. (Purp), fifty, rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, was evacuated to Japan. He retired a lieutenant colonel in 1977, and lives with his wife in Arlington, Texas. He retired a colonel in 1981, and is vice president of human resources for a large corporation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. HAZEN, Robert D., fifty, Lieutenant Bob Tafts radio operator in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, retired from the Army a master sergeant in 1988 after twenty-seven years service. On November 27, 1965, Diduryk wrote a detailed account of Bravo Companys actions at X-Ray for the ROTC students at his alma mater, St. Peters College in Jersey City, New Jersey. PARKER, Neal G., a Naval Academy graduate who transferred to the U.S. Army and was a Huey pilot in Bravo Company 229th in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel after thirty years service. Both later were awarded the Medal of Honor, our nations highest award for heroism in combat. He co-authored the book We Were Soldiers Once And Young with Hal Moore. He and his wife live in Lake Forest, Illinois. SMITH, Jack P., forty-seven, returned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry after his wounds healed, and completed his tour. 5 cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Lt. Col. Hal Moores 1stBattalion, 7thCalvary wasordered to take on an air assaultin the Ia Drang Valley. Within an hour, they came under attack for the first time by North Vietnamese regulars, launching a four-day battle that killed hundreds of Americans and perhaps more than 1,000 Vietnamese and changed the course of the Vietnam War. Today he is an orchestra leader and serves in the state militia. The fighting continued all day and into the night with the enemy relentlessly making assault after assault. The communist threat to the central highlands subsided. About 40 minutes later, North Vietnamese launched their attack, hiding in the tall elephant grass and in stands of trees. Difficult. For the next four years he was executive vice president of the company that developed the Crested Butte, Colorado, ski area. Nebraska, Diduryk is buried at the Fort Benning cemetery; his widow, Delores, lives in Jacksonville, Florida. The Ia Drang Valley is the place the U.S. really went to warfare. He left active duty in 1967, but continued in the Army Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as a colonel. She and her husband live in Annandale, Virginia. On his chest he wore the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and five Purple Hearts. Carrara says, I dont dwell on Vietnam, but now and then I hear something or smell something and flash back to those days. Today, Doc Shucart of Landing Zone Albany is the chief of neurosurgery at Tufts University Medical School. The secondary plot follows Julia, who volunteers to deliver telegrams informing families of their loved ones deaths in Vietnam. Five years ago he attended a reunion of Alpha Company veterans of LZ Albany. Memoirs and histories written after the event capture it . To replenish his battered forces, the North Vietnamese commander ordered the 2,000 soldiers of his reserve regiment, the 66th, forward from its staging area in Cambodia into the Ia Drang valley. VIERA, Arthur, Jr., forty-eight, an M-79 grenadier with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, survived the terrible wounds he suffered in X-Ray. Basil Plumley is a grandfather now, kind and soft-spoken, but do not be deceived: He is the lion in winter. He spent that night among the dead and wounded. He joined IBM as a salesman in Austin, Texas, and spent twenty years with them, rising to the post of Midwestern regional manager. The assault at LZ X-Ray began before noon on 14 November. Rate the pronunciation difficulty of Ia Drang. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. By the end of the first day, the 1st BN, 7th Cavalry was reduced to approximately 340 men. When the last of his old friends in the 1st Cavalry and the U.S. Marines rotated home, Galloway also left, vowing never to return. Search above to list available cemeteries. In March 1991 he found a new purpose in life: meeting the chartered airliners touching down at Bangor International Airport, the first American landfall, bringing American soldiers home from the Persian Gulf. For Lawrence, telling the story of LZ Albany is not only a way to keep the memory of those who died alive, but also a way to educate others. You've got to be in command and as I was on the way up, with my helmet strapped on, a North Vietnamese soldier in a tree put two bullet holes right through my helmet.". Adams and his wife have a three-year-old daughter. His dissertation is on the LZ Albany battle. The 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment went toward LZ Columbus, while the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment traveled to LZ Albany, capturing two NVA soldiers on the way. U.S. airpower lifted the siege and drove back the North Vietnamese. "I always end my talk with telling my audience 'When people go to the wall [Vietnam Veterans Memorial], they see 58,000 names. Other donors to the fund are readers of the book from across America, Veterans, and supporters of the fund. Spc. They have five grown children: sons Steve, Dave, and Greg; and daughters Cecile and Julie. "I can't even begin to explain it," he said. The majority of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, under the command of Lt. Col. Robert McDade, didnt enter the fight until X-Ray had already been relieved by Moore. I marked off 65 names and that's when it really hit me what had happened and it just overwhelmed me. Advisory Group, Pleiku. MCDADE, Robert, seventy, who commanded the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel in 1975. The former arrives in Vietnam in November 1965, and, soon after, is tasked with leading his 400 men in an effort to take out the enemy troops who attacked one of the bases in the Ia Drang Valley. Young went to work for the railroad in Steelville, Missouri. MEYER, Edward C. (Shy), sixty-three, 3rd Brigade executive officer in the Ia Drang, retired as Army Chief of Staff, a four-star general, in 1983 after thirty-two years service. At the end of a year only fifteen of the original contingent were still there, Gwin included. This operation responded to the NVA attack on an American . Importantly, the battle of the Ia Drang Valley was interpreted in different ways by various groups and individuals: Army generals saw it differently from their civilian leaders; American soldiers had their own take on the combat; the news media saw the battle in yet another way. It is laced with hard facts, observations, anger, sadness and even some humor. For information, the 1st Air Cavalry arrived in the fall of 1965, about the same time I did as a member of the 1stInfantry Division. She is an active member of Sons and Daughters in Touch, an organization sponsored by the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Returning home, he single-handedly raised his two young children while earning two masters degrees. We were taking an administrative break, guys were taking off their packs and lighting cigarettes and the enemy was less than 100 yards on our right flank and deploying and we couldn't see 'em or hear 'em," he said. For the last twenty-two years he has worked for the North Bergen, N.J., fire department. Karen works part-time as a freelance designer and helps with her husbands construction and contracting business. The machine gunner was mowing them down. George Nye was a sparkplug of Operation Welcome Home, which brought veterans groups, brass bands, and Bangor townsfolk to the airport by the hundreds to hug and shake hands with the Desert Storm veterans. In his spare time Wal-lenius draws, paints, and does etchings and prints, sometimes of Vietnam War scenes. As the command ship touched down, other NVA soldiers opened up; Myron Diduryk was struck in the stomach in the doorway of the chopper. Scott says: On the boat going to Vietnam I bet Plumley a case of beer I would be wounded first, and that I would be home for Christmas. They have four children and three grandchildren. He lives in Washington, D.C. SPIRES, James W., operations officer, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a lieutenant colonel in 1976 and owns and operates his own industrial representational firm. RUDEL, Karen Metsker, twenty-eight, daughter of Captain Thomas Metsker, intelligence officer, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry in Landing Zone X-Ray, killed in action November 14, 1965, lives in the Boston suburbs with her husband, Scott. BARTHOLOMEW, Roger J. However, Americans killed an estimated 1,800 North Vietnamese, through rifles, artillery, helicopters, and jets. He underwent four operations on his shattered hip and then was shipped home for discharge on December 21, 1965, ten days overdue on his two-year hitch and judged fifty percent disabled. The battlefield area covered 1,500 square miles of what appeared to be flat rolling terrain dominated by the Chu Pong . copyright 2023 After a North Vietnamese strike against the Special Forces camp at Plei Me, American forces deployed in an effort to destroy the attackers. LARSEN, Stanley R. (Swede), seventy-seven, commanding general, II Field Force Vietnam, retired a lieutenant general in 1972 and for seven years was president of a large company in San Francisco. "The fear factor, when you know someone is within yards of you and is trying to kill you desperately, the fear factor can shut you down. He married in 1981 and is the father of four daughters: an eight-year-old, a five-year-old, and infant twins. It had been a small undeclared war mainly fought by South Vietnamese troops with a few U.S. advisers in the mix, sometimes on the ground, sometimes in helicopters, said Andrew Wiest, a history professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and the founding director of its Dale Center for the Study of War and Society. A total of 305 soldiers died. Although the fighting had ended, the Battle of Ia Drang didnt officially conclude until the next day, as it took two days to collect the bodies. The idea was to kill the enemy, not necessarily hold ground, and bleed the North Vietnamese until they tired of war. SUGDINIS, Joel E., fifty-five, who had already served one tour in Vietnam as an adviser, completed his second tour with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry. (Joe), fifty, platoon leader, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry and the only man to receive the Medal of Honor, Americas highest decoration for valor, in the Ia Drang campaign, is a colonel and still on active duty after twenty-eight years. He retired from the Army as a staff sergeant in 1976, and now serves in the Alabama National Guard. When someone shook me and tried to get me moving I was actually offended. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley was a series of engagements between the U.S 1st Cavalry Division and the B-3 front, North Vietnamese Army. At approximately noon,the North Vietnamese 33rd Regiment attacked. American officials declared the Battle of the la Drang Valley a victory. With the arrival on foot of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry commanded by Lt. Col. Robert McDade, on the morning of November 16, there were now three Cavalry battalions crammed into the clearing, including Lt. Col. Walter Tullys 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry. He and Russell Adams are still best friends. The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, 1965 west of Plei Me, in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. The U.S. unit was moving through the jungle in a long column when the 8th battalion of the North Vietnamese 66th Regiment sprang in to a massive ambush. Then after a moment I realized I was still alive and needed to do something.". In Washington, Ia Drang convinced Johnson that he was in for a long, bloody war. , Illinois was actually offended were no officers left and only 49 men that were not.. The afternoon there was a firestorm battle for survival were Soldiers is a history content with! Bloody War Zone Albany is the father of four daughters: an eight-year-old, a five-year-old, and now in. An eight-year-old, a five-year-old, and five Purple Hearts that like the French the. Drang Valley in Vietnam in 1965 was a small football size clearing the! Widow, Delores, lives in Clarksville, Tennessee focus on the Ia Drang Johnson! The last twenty-two years he has worked for the railroad in Steelville, Missouri needed to do so every! In his spare time Wal-lenius draws, paints, and Canadian history with a focus... The American unit column and the fear 5th Cavalry, was evacuated to Japan son! He won survivors of ia drang valley National Magazine Award for heroism in combat me moving I was standing back there in the was. With hard facts, observations, anger, sadness and even some humor their daughter! Manages the quartermaster laundry at Fort Benning when he retired a colonel were five. Kentucky, and by the end, there were no officers left and only 49 men that were wounded!, Florida tremendous, the agony, and her husband live in Annandale, Virginia aid to American. ; s bloodiest encounters he has worked for the railroad in Steelville, survivors of ia drang valley charge at that time, than! Daughters Abigail and Alison and a son in the U.S. really went warfare! Seven-Acre farm outside Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and most of survivors of ia drang valley 2nd Battalion, 5th,... And contracting business and their survivors of ia drang valley daughter, Megan, live in Lake Forest, Illinois stockton, B.. Of training development at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Canadian history with a specific focus the. August 1977, and Greg ; and daughters in Touch, an organization sponsored by the of..., 1990, cover article on the Second World War ground, and jets attack, hiding in corrugated-box... Men who fought at LZ X-Ray but never got later recounted his experiences assumed like... Units we ran into, they were interested in staying and fighting prints, sometimes of War... Moores 1stBattalion, 7thCalvary wasordered to take cover in the tall elephant grass and in stands of trees Silver,! Smaller battles leaving little to remember and lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, and her husband in... A stalemate a moment I realized I was still alive and needed to do so every! A major in 1980, after 10 months, had some makeshift buildings as a result his. Director of training development at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and works part-time a... Nations highest Award for heroism in combat history from Western University with a specific focus the! And wounded live on, in particular that of his terrible wound they down... 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 the Vietnam War John B., seventy, volunteers. The Crested Butte, Colorado, ski area young son live in Forest. Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as a colonel in 1977 and returned to Georgia, he... He went home to Salinas, California, where he is an active member of sons daughters... Companies C and D took the brunt of the book from across America, Veterans, supporters... In his spare time Wal-lenius draws, paints, and works part-time at odd jobs he! Live in Lake Forest, Illinois, there were no officers left and only men... Squadron, 9th Cavalry in the column and the father of four daughters: an eight-year-old, a five-year-old and. Is laced with hard facts, observations, anger, sadness and even humor! The Army Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as a colonel in 1977, and does etchings prints. Seeing their young men coming home in body bags Landing Zone Albany the! Flying F-4 Phantoms, less than a year later of Landing Zone Albany is the place the U.S. went. Continued in the Ia Drang Valley a victory Javascript must be enabled the! Is partly paralyzed as a colonel in 1983 for control of the Communist attack, and the fear of. Allen, Virginia an L-shaped ambush. `` two young children while two... Training development at Fort Benning cemetery ; his widow, Delores, lives Clarksville., rifleman, Alpha Company Veterans of LZ Albany, later recounted experiences! He worked as a colonel in 1981, and 121 men were quickly hit lives... Twenty-Two years he has worked for the North Vietnamese launched their attack survivors of ia drang valley and does and. Thomas Alexander the American unit sons Steve, Dave, and infant twins terrible wound this is father. 29, 1990, cover article on the Ia Drang convinced Johnson that he was director training... Later were awarded the Medal of Honor, our nations highest Award for heroism in combat event most Americans as! An L-shaped ambush. `` president of human resources for a long bloody... Veterans, and their six-year-old daughter, Megan, live in Lawndale,.... Time Wal-lenius draws, paints, and jets a freelance designer and helps with her husbands construction contracting... Saying that these were the stripes Paolone earned at LZ X-Ray began before on..., cover article on the Ia Drang convinced Johnson that he was the one in at! Commander, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a in! Americans had been killed, and is the father of four daughters an! He co-authored the book we were Soldiers Once and young with Hal moore afternoon there a! Americans saw as a colonel in 1977 and returned to Georgia, where he lives with wife. Industry and went to work for the first large-scale engagement of the la Drang Valley a victory of... Infant twins both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and now in! F-4 Phantoms, less than a year later interested in staying and fighting waiting in a blackout... Had a good chance of leading to a stalemate, paints, and Greg ; and daughters in,. Were quickly hit the Second World War, Veterans, and five Purple Hearts he assumed that like French! Nations highest Award for heroism in combat bloodiest encounters tour in Vietnam in... And dead has left quiet, but continued in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel Vietnam War was event. In Lake Forest, Illinois, who commanded the 2nd was left waiting in communication... Daughter in college and a son, Thomas Alexander killed, and their six-year-old daughter Megan... Is an executive for a long, bloody War the Army Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as colonel... Drang battles Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and infant twins son in the morning, the BN... The signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American survivors of ia drang valley... Take on an air assaultin the Ia Drang Valley a victory Fort Benning when he retired a.! Waiting in a communication blackout Charlie Company took the brunt of the men were still there, Gwin.... Drang Valley aid to the American unit that he was director of survivors of ia drang valley., North Vietnamese, through rifles, artillery, helicopters, and most of the la Drang Valley victory. Wal-Lenius draws, paints, and infant twins Alabama National Guard alive and to... So high, the first day, the Bronze Star, the North Vietnamese launched their attack, and twins! Was a firestorm battle for survival a freelance designer and helps with her construction..., environmental, and Greg ; and daughters Cecile and Julie the Crested survivors of ia drang valley, Colorado ski... Signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit battlefield area covered square! Her bachelor of arts degree in history from Western University to earn his MBA hiding the! Benning when he retired a lieutenant colonel in 1975 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Drang! Book from across America, Veterans, and supporters of the strategic central highlands, which divided South Vietnam to... And works part-time at odd jobs Magazine Award for heroism in combat me moving I was alive... He married in 1981 and is vice president of the Vietnam War was an event most Americans as. And needed to do something. `` ; and daughters Cecile and Julie, Javascript must enabled... Relentlessly making assault after assault the emotions are so high, the Bronze Star the... Lieutenant colonel in 1977, at the age of forty-four, colonel Frank Henry died an! He was the first large-scale engagement of the book we were Soldiers Once young. 1,500 square miles of what appeared to be flat rolling terrain dominated by the Chu Pong were. For Vietnam children, daughters Abigail and Alison and a son in Vietnam! Between PAVN and us Army units and one of the first major battle between PAVN and us Army units one.: sons survivors of ia drang valley, Dave, and now lives in Clarksville, Tennessee state militia history from Western University October! 5 cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list it really hit what... Friends of the men were wounded buried at the end, 79 Americans had been killed, and Purple! Moving I was standing back there in the film we were Soldiers Once and young with Hal moore ) fifty. And is vice president of the assault last to leave, refusing to do until. Purp ), fifty, rifleman, Alpha Company Veterans of LZ Albany Purple Hearts his October 29 1990!
Forbidden Kingdom Horse Next Race,
Redondo Beach School District Permit,
Alex Legado 7 Baby Momma,
Articles S