Battle of Ia Drang, first major clash between U.S. soldiers and North Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. Luckily for him, not a single shot he received hit any vital organs. They successfully hit many of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops, while also shooting some of the Americans with friendly fire. Joseph Galloway was a civilian reporter at the Battle of Ia Drang. Despite their efforts, the North Vietnamese retake the position soon after. based on information from your browser. The airstrike broke the North Vietnamese siege and enabled reinforcements to reach the LZ. His helicopter came under intense enemy fire, but they continued to carry out the wounded, even though that wasnt their mission. He works at Fort Benning, Georgia, evaluating Army Reserve training. Why I wasn't killed, I couldn't say.". The late Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, author of We Were Soldiers Onceand Young, is said to have closed every speech with the phrase, "Hate the war, love the American warrior." WINTER, Pete, fifty-one, rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, was discharged in December 1965. Yesteryears: For survivors, Battle of the Ia Drang Valley changed everything. Florence County, In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book. Both were present at the Battle of Ia Drang, the first large-scale engagement of the Vietnam War. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. We saved so many more people because of that helicopter.. He is brutally honest, even with his actions as a leader. I have one very vivid memory of the second morning in X-Ray. They had this Learning to be a Teacher program; I tried it and loved it. Alley is general manager of a box factory in Dayton, Tennessee. He now lives in Dublin, New Hampshire, and works for a firm that sells office supplies. Knowles retired from the Army in 1974 as a lieutenant general. It was the longest day I ever experienced in any aircraft, Crandall recalled. The conflict is divided into two engagements: the Battle at Landing Zone (LZ) X-Ray and. Since retiring he serves on the boards of half a dozen major corporations and also works as a consultant to defense industries. Freeman won a battlefield commission in the Korean War. Book Sources: The Battle of Ia Drang Valley We were soldiers once -and young : Ia Drang, the battle that changed the war in Vietnam by Ha Moore; Joseph Galloway Call Number: Boca Raton General Collection DS557.8.I18 M66 1992 ISBN: 0679411585 Publication Date: 1992-10-20 Everyman in Vietnam by Michael Adas; Joseph J. Gilch When I go to the wall, I see Don Cornett's name 58,000 times.'. He has written a book about his experiences and has spoken more than 20 times to veterans organizations, junior high and high school students, and civic groups. About 40 minutes later, North Vietnamese launched their attack, hiding in the tall elephant grass and in stands of trees. He moved back to his hometown of Tucson, Arizona. These men survived the fighting in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam from Oct 23, 1965 to Nov 1965. That headquarters type turned up and he returned my old helmet, bullet hole and all. I think of all those guys killed in action, wounded in action, and their friends, their relatives and all those altered lives. Bun-gum operated a 161-acre dairy farm until 1988, when he sold his cows and took a job in town. We . Galen Bungum, 72, was a soldier in the Vietnam War and fought in the first major battle of the war, the battle of Ia Drang, on November 14, 1965. He was first sergeant of Bravo Company, 36th Engineer Battalion and one of 14 men in his 257-man company who survived the opening stages of the fight for Pork Chop Hill. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Mindful of the effects of propaganda, each side declared victory. 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. They never did. At 4:00 AM this morning, Command Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley of the U.S. Army's 1 st Battalion, 7 th Cavalry Regiment, died. 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. When someone shook me and tried to get me moving I was actually offended. Rate the pronunciation difficulty of Ia Drang. He was evacuated, badly wounded, on January 5, 1970, after serving four years, eight months, and ten days in Vietnam. He lives in Pleasant Valley, Connecticut, and works in real estate sales and development. This is the tale of the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in 1965. He was presented with the Medal of Honor on December 19, 1966, and three years later volunteered for a second tour of duty in Vietnam. The survivors of Landing Zone X-Ray have always had an aura of fame about them. I felt a flash of panic. They are stories that not only serve to maintain our connection with history, but also educate us and force us to confront the good and the bad and learn from it. Nonetheless, this allows a reprieve for Moore and his men to secure the area. Returning home, he single-handedly raised his two young children while earning two masters degrees. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Survivors described savage, close-range combat, sometimes hand-to-hand, over several hours. Resend Activation Email. Although each survivor's story is unique, they all carry the same lessons. Assigned to intelligence duty in Europe in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Adams earned a bachelors degree from the University of Austria in Vienna, a masters degree in history at the University in Innsbruck, and a doctorate of psychology from Munich Universityall under an assumed name. CANTU, Vincent, fifty-one, mortarman, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, left the Ia Drang battlefield and immediately rotated home for discharge, two weeks late, in December 1965. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. He left the Army in October 1966, and went home to his native Ohio, where he works as a carpenter. They resupplied ammunition, water, and supplies, while evacuating the wounded. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and owns and operates a real estate brokerage firm. The following is a partial accounting, prepared in 1992, of where some of them are and what they have done with their lives: ADAMS, Russell, fifty-one, machine gunner, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, helps run the family dairy farm on five hundred acres outside Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. About 80 U.S. soldiers were killed, 124 wounded, in the first two days of the fight. BEAN, Roger, fifty-two, Huey pilot who was wounded in LZ X-Ray, was wounded again in early 1966 in the Bong Son campaign. Hear Bruces story. He was in a great deal of pain, so a rifleman named Wilson and I removed his gear as best we could, and I bandaged his wound. Combat operations at Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam, November 1965. The problem was it had to be applied by a country that was much more willing for it to be applied for the long haul. It was the most successful ambush against U.S. forces during the course of the entire war. "I always end my talk with telling my audience 'When people go to the wall [Vietnam Veterans Memorial], they see 58,000 names. Mississippi, Battle of Ia Drang American troops in the Ia Drang Valley, November 1965. The battle of Ia Drang was an engagement of the Vietnam War. Jeanette spent the better part of a year in a military hospital while his shattered leg was repaired. He completed 22 flights: Rescuing Wounded in Ia Drang Valley from 2015: https://vvmf.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/he-spent-14-hours-in-the-air-rescuing-wounded-in-the-ia-drang-valley/, Stars and Stripes Article: https://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/vietnam-stories/1965/ia-drang-valley-where-the-us-truly-went-to-war-1.376662, Larry Gwin | VVMF: https://youtu.be/_PDBgEu4cx4, Jon Wallenius | VVMF: https://youtu.be/Qb9a1L4rc2g, Bruce Crandall | VVMF: https://youtu.be/SSNTph4QQ2g, Joe Galloway | VVMF: https://youtu.be/N6XXcDATAgE, Faces Never Forgotten with Joe Galloway: https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund/videos/2239219906358006/, National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLyBazkpUFQ, 1965 CBS Special News Report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx1rzDNcFmE, AARP Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKtWX9TDFYc, Military.com In Depth Look: https://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/vietnam-war/the-battle-of-la-drang/2071462322001, Medal of Honor Recipient Bruce Crandall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIAEcZ29aG4, Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDYNI7V0co, Medal of Honor Recipient Walter Marm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7-U0FBiYUU, Docs Teach (National Archives): https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/battle-la-drang-valley, PBS Clip (Plei Me and la Drang): https://whut.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/c27a31b7-14fc-4c5f-804e-168fbb24f5ed/plei-mei-and-the-ia-drang-valley-clip-the-vietnam-war/, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 RACKSTRAW, Jim, forty-nine, recon-platoon leader, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at X-Ray, served a second tour in Vietnam as a rifle-company commander in the 25th Infantry Division. Of the 500 men, 150 were killed and only 84 were able to return to immediate duty. By Trevor Arendall, July 9 . His twelve-year-old granddaughter recently interviewed Ray about his experiences in Vietnam and wrote a school essay she titled: My Grandfather: An American Hero.. His dissertation is on the LZ Albany battle. Outnumbered when they arrive, the men are forced to fight for their lives while eliminating the 4,000-strong North Vietnamese force. During a 14-hour period, Major Bruce Crandall and Captain Ed Freeman, repeatedly landed their helicopter under intense enemy fire at Landing Zone X-Ray. 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. It was fifty-five years ago on November 14, 1965, the First Cavalry Division commanded by Lt. Col. Hal Moore landed in the Ia (pronounced Eye) Drang Valley, South Vietnam. In the first major engagement of the war between regular U.S. and North Vietnamese forces, elements of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) fight a pitched battle with Communist main . USA, Fort Benning, Since I cant have that, I would like a job working as closely with the Army as possible. He is married and the father of four children. Easy. (Black Bart), Charlie Battery aerial rocket artillery commander in the Ia Drang, returned to Vietnam for a second tour in 1968. 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.". He retired a colonel in 1981, and is vice president of human resources for a large corporation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The battle of LZ Albany began after the battle of LZ X-ray made famous in the Mel Gibson movie "We Were Soldiers." For the last twenty-two years he has worked for the North Bergen, N.J., fire department. Too Tall Ed retired from that job on January 3, 1991. Each side realized it was fighting a war of attrition. STOCKTON, John B., seventy, commander, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel in 1967. I think McNamara knew, deep down; I think Johnson knew, Wiest said. The communist threat to the central highlands subsided. Moore is the last to leave, refusing to do so until every man living and dead has left. Photo extracted from U.S. Army motion picture footage from November 1965. He and his wife live in Lake Forest, Illinois. He joined IBM as a salesman in Austin, Texas, and spent twenty years with them, rising to the post of Midwestern regional manager. Another 71 Americans had been killed in earlier, smaller skirmishes that led up to the Ia Drang battles. They were unaware that two battalions of fresh PAVN soldiers had been camped out along the Ia Drang River on the other side of the landing zone. His hands were burned in the escape from the wreckage, and it was doubted that he would ever fly again. (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. Karen works part-time as a freelance designer and helps with her husbands construction and contracting business. Gwin left the Army at the end of his ROTC commitment and went home to his native Boston, where he teaches and writes. The men were still in an administrative maneuver, so when the word to halt came they plopped down where they were. SELLECK, Pat, fifty-one, radio operator, recon platoon, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at X-Ray, was discharged from the Army on November 29, 1965, and returned to his old job at the telephone company. Among the survivors of the ambush was 1st Lt. Rick Rescorla, a platoon leader who died Sept. 11, 2001, rescuing people from the World Trade Centers south tower until it crashed around him. Background. MCDADE, Robert, seventy, who commanded the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel in 1975. Difficult. Shocked and wounded U.S. troops gather at a jungle clearing of South Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley in mid-November 1965, as they wait for an ambulance helicopter. JEANETTE, Robert J., fifty, Ghost 4-6, weapons-platoon leader, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, lives in Monsey, New York, a suburb of New York City. It was the signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit. A young United Press International reporter, Joseph Galloway, became the only civilian decorated for gallantry during the war, awarded a Bronze Star with V device for valor for carrying a wounded soldier off the battlefield under intense fire. 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. Assigned as the operations officer of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, Diduryk was killed in action on April 24, 1970, in a Huey helicopter at an abandoned fire base near the Cambodian border. Lt. Don Cornett along with 154 Troopers from 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment were killed in the Ia Drang Valley, Nov. 17, 1965, at a small clearing known as Landing Zone Albany. They have four children and five grandchildren. "I'm just as guilty. Freeman reconstituted the unit and led it back up Pork Chop. 5 memorials LTC Roger Jay Bartholomew 2 Nov 1932 - 27 Nov 1968 Westlawn-Hillcrest Memorial Park MOORE, H. G. (Hal), now seventy, commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang and served six more months in Vietnam, commanding the 3rd Brigade. Five years ago he attended a reunion of Alpha Company veterans of LZ Albany. His personalized license plate proclaims: LZ X-Ray. He holds two masters degrees, is employed in the defense industry, and lives in Alexandria, Virginia. 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. The losses at Ia Drang prompted the North Vietnamese to rethink their plan to confront U.S. forces with large, conventional formations, reverting to hit-and-run attacks where U.S. air and artillery power was less effective. He added a masters degree in Latin American studies to his M.A. He is senior Army adviser to the 79th Army Reserve Command in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. In November, troops would take on North Vietnamese regulars for the first time in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley. He lives in Falls, Pennsylvania. The four day battle in the Ia Drang Valley began on the morning of November 14, 1965 when the 1st battalion of the 7th Cavalry, my sister battalion, landed in a clearing at the foot of Chu Pong Mountain. 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. 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. Moore and his 450-man 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, flew into Landing Zone X-Ray at the base of the Chu Pong Mountain west of Plei Me and miles from the Cambodian border. SAVAGE, Ernie, forty-eight, the fourth man to inherit command of Lieutenant Henry Herricks 2nd Platoon, the Lost Platoon of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at LZ X-Ray, retired a sergeant first class in 1982 after twenty years active duty. I ask that question every day. This is the tale of the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in 1965. Moore considered the outcome a draw. He and his wife, Nell, now are retired and living in Shoal Creek, Alabama. Enlisted men may scoff at officers back in the billets but when the fighting begins, the men automatically become dependent upon them. Some of the men who hadn't slept for close to 48 hours closed their eyes, others smoked or ate. He was made famous by the account of his actions during the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in November 1965, the Americans' first major battle of the Vietnam War. ), provided the authors with a copy of Diduryks journal and maps for this book. He and his wife, Arlene, have three sonsa banker in Sao Paulo, Brazil; a lawyer in Connecticut; and a divinity student in college. His friend, James Lawrence, speaks with organizations and Soldiers about the lessons learned from the Army engineer recognized for exemplary work in obsolescence management, Norway adds top-tier military experience to State Partnership Program, Army's Environmental Restoration Program revitalizes contaminated lands, Army Lt. Col. Adams: A pioneer worthy of commemoration, US and UAE soldiers train together at Joint Readiness Training Center, Unified network operations underpins Army's digital transformation, SMA plans to reward Soldiers who meet rising standards. 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. 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. CASH, John, fifty-six, assistant operations officer in 3rd Brigade Headquarters, later commanded a rifle company in the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry for more than six months in 1966. KINNARD, Harry W. O., seventy-seven, former commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division, retired from the Army as a lieutenant general in 1969. He is working on a book on Alpha Companys year in Vietnam. Ernie had gone back to his native Chicago and drove a truck for the city. She is an active member of Sons and Daughters in Touch, an organization sponsored by the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He worked as a sales executive in the corrugated-box industry and went to school nights to earn his MBA. Sandpoint, ID 83864 After several routine lifts into the area, https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/857/ELIAS-ALVAREZ-BUZO/, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK63b6Cn53unPuhknan6Y4fJwl-F5v14o, https://www.vvmf.org/The-Wall-That-Heals/, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK63b6Cn53unMMj-yZYEch0RuYy1YN1zl, https://vvmf.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/he-spent-14-hours-in-the-air-rescuing-wounded-in-the-ia-drang-valley/, https://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/vietnam-stories/1965/ia-drang-valley-where-the-us-truly-went-to-war-1.376662, https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund/videos/2239219906358006/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLyBazkpUFQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx1rzDNcFmE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKtWX9TDFYc, https://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/vietnam-war/the-battle-of-la-drang/2071462322001, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIAEcZ29aG4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDYNI7V0co, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7-U0FBiYUU, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/battle-la-drang-valley, https://whut.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/c27a31b7-14fc-4c5f-804e-168fbb24f5ed/plei-mei-and-the-ia-drang-valley-clip-the-vietnam-war/, VVMF Battle of the Ia Drang Valley Interviews , VVMF Daily Virtual Reading of the Names and Information about the In Person Reading of the Names . We Were Soldiers (2002) is considered by many to be one of the best Vietnam War films ever made. Moore and his battalion were evacuated the next day, Nov. 17. November 14, 1965 marked a pivotal moment in U.S. involvement in Vietnam. His widow, Emma Lee, lives in Austin, Texas. ADAMS, Warren, sixty-two, first sergeant, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, retired in 1968 as the best-educated command sergeant major in the Army. 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. I pulled the muscles in that leg so badly yanking it free that I couldnt walk for three months, he said. He now manages the quartermaster laundry at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and lives in Clarksville, Tennessee. Of Mrs. Mapsons five brothers, three served in the Army, one made a career in the Air Force, and one is a lawyer. Later, after he was evacuated the doctors thought his spine was severed, but discovered later that he had a severely bruised spine from the force of the bullets whipping his head back. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets In his spare time he camps, climbs, skis, and fishes for trout in the Rockies. The American death toll was a shock to President Lyndon Johnson, who immediately dispatched Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to Saigon to find out what was going on. , Illinois and took a job working as closely with the Army at the Battle at Landing Zone ( ). Signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the 79th Army Reserve training 9th Cavalry the! With his actions as a carpenter outnumbered when they arrive, the men are forced fight... General manager of a box factory in Dayton, Tennessee was an of... Employed in the Ia Drang Valley, Connecticut, and lives in Pleasant Valley, 1965! 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