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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-05221 to 363-05232.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-05221 to 363-05232
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Title
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Article about the reconquest of the Khe Sanh base
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Description
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Original title: "khesanh", Keever's title: "Return to Khe Sanh Sparks Mixed Emotions", Article draft about the feelings of American troops retaking the formerly evacuated Khe Sanh base, for the Christian Science Monitor, page 1-12
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AI Usage Disclosure
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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.
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Transcript
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zozo sag
y nnm
khesanh 1 (normass/deepe)
KHE SANH, SOUTH VIETNAM, OCTOBER 9The American Marines returned to
once-besieged Khe Sanh combat base with mixed emotions.
The generals were jubilant.
Commanding the return to the
Raymond
i base abandoned 92 days before, Maj. Gen. By Davis said the ground
operation into and around i Khe Sanh symbolized "the major shift in the
relative power between the Allies and the North Vietnamese" operating along
the demilitarized zone.
SAD
"The Marines have been squeezed into a smaller
area, " the
commander of the Third Marine Division--which now operates along the
western two-thirds of the 40-mile-line. "And this has increased our
combat power many fold." In addition, the general said the Marines
"have just thrown the last of their (North Vietnamese) elements back
across the Ben Hai". The Ben Hai river runs through the middle of the
six-mile-wide DMZ, which separates North and South Vietnam.
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8080 90€
Jy an
khesanh 2 (normass/doope)
Othor generals talked of how the new and successful Marine tactics
of increased mobility and flexibility had blooked Communist movements
around Khe Sanh with much more offcctiveness than whon 6,000 Maxines
were once besieged there for 77 days beginning January 21.
But, middle-echelong staff officers were cynical-and they may
have reflected in a nurture th nutshell the over-riding significance of the
"The Marines are being used as a political pawn to dramatize how good
the situation is up hore before the American election," one officez
Crumbled, "This whole Khe Sanh operation is political. "There's not
enough North NVA (North Vietnamese Army) ground troops around Kho
Sanh to worry about. They should let the Marines do what they're
designed to do-got the NVA. Stick around-things will be alot more
interesting after this goe-whis Khe Sanh deal 12 or is over."
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2020 CAC
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kho contr
khesanh 3 (normana/deepe)
Intelligence sources had assessed that a North Vietnamese battalion-
highly fragmented into smell units-was operating around Khe Sanh ag &
screening force to protect Communist trails and transhipment movements into
the arone
Other sources talked of more lucrative targets for operations
where up to five North Vietnamese battalions were thought to be man
concentrated..
There were not many of the "old hands" left who had ondured the
agonisingly electric 77-day alege of Khe Sanh that began on January 21.
Ono, however still along the DUZ, however, was the Navy doctor who had
helped treats the 2000 two thousand wounded and evacuate the 250 doad
sustained during the siege.
Sitting in a sunny, comfortable bunker
west of the Sanh, the doctor remini soods
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khesanh 4 (normass/deepe)
"There was a time durint during the siege when I wondered if I'd
get out alive. I still can't believe the whole thing. I kept a diary-
and now I wonder why I wrote down some of those things."
The younger troopers who had arrived in Vietnam after the harrowing
days of Khe Sanh had passed were either blase or else apprehensive about
returning to base.
Cpl. Bruce Miller, a 20-year-old native from of Dallas, explaineds
"Most of us have forgotten about Khe Sanh. Many feel the Marines so
should not have pulled out of it because it gives 'Charlie' (the Communists)
more ground to fight in."
Standing in a helicopter landing zone waiting to be lifted into the
operational area, he continued s
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Jy nmm
khesanh 5 (normass/deepe)
"I don't mind going into n-but I'm not happy about it. I'a
rather stay back I have 52 days loft (in Vietnam). The other troops
We're losing to many mon over here.
are worried too e
Our y unit hasn't
been hit too bad, but my brother-in-aw law is in another regiment and it
h has been hit pretty hard all the time."
2/
It. Jack Hart, a 26-tear-01 26-year-old platoon leador from
Atlanta, Ga., with a unit about to be helicopter into the Khe Sanh
area explained:
"Some people are looking forward to returning to the Khe Sanh arco-but
some aren't. They're afraid of incoming rounds from that artillery
the NVA might still have in Laos. Intelligence showed alot up there
(in the Co Rac mountains of leos) last month, but our GI made a visual
reconnaissance of the area and it showed nothing."
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Ichesanh 6 (normass/doope)
Evon senior commanders are mystified as to what has happened to tho
potent 130 nm millimoter field artillery the Communist had buried in the
sides of the Co Roo morts in Laos. Some officiers believe the artillery
pieces are now being shuttled around to unknown gunpositions in Laos
but others fear the bu tubes are being towed further south, even into
South Viotnem proper, where they would not be immune from Alliod ground
The last time the American officers know that the Communist
the last of the 6,000-
artillery in Laos has been fired was July on the day furio the Marines
"do-activated" or abandoned the Khe Sanh base.
foroos.
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khosanh 7 (normans/deepe)
The
The return to Khe Sanh began October 4, when in a well-coordinated,
45-minute helicopter shuttling oporation, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion of
the 4th Marines was landed several hundred yards from the northern ond of the
old Khe Sanh runway. Their landing zone had been--during the feg 77-day
siego period--the bunkering position of the 1st Battalion of the 9th
Marines on a fingor-like a knob directly overlooking the combat base.
troopers of this unit-responsible for securing and moving air-toppo
air-dropped supplies from the drop zone at the end of the runway-had
convinced themselves they had heard Communists tunnoling under thoir
hill-knob with shovels swaddled in burlap socks. The Communists never did
blow up the hill and Merino positions, but when Kilo Company landed their
there last wook, the know knob was hardly recognizable because of the
Marinos demolition and bulldozer work as they departed.
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Jy nam
khesanh 8 (normans/deope)
Kilo Company had also been the last company out of the Khe Sanh
area during the evacuation last July in Julye Gunny Sorget Sergeant
Raymond Hatchell, 38, of Florence, S. C. remembered well their departure
from Hi11 471, 500 yards away from the garbage dump road of the Khe Sanh
combat base.
"Just as we were leaving, I was awfully busy," the senior sergeant in
the company explained.
"About 5 pame we got a rodio message that we were
to hold on Hill 471 that night. Then the helicopters came in and said that
we'd have to evacuate that-l on five minutes netiv notice.
in.
When the
NVA saw all the activity that we were getting ready to move out, they
started mortaring us. They threw in 40 or 50 mortars on us and I had to
move the company 400 meters away from there so the helicopters could come
Thon we were nammmhmm flown out. That's how we left Khe Sanh."
Last week, though, Kilo campeny landed unopposed on the position-w
"With not one shot being fired" and was followed by Marine engineers,
who with "back-hoe" machines dug out oiroular indentations for the
Marine and Vietnamese artillery that followed and trenchlines for the
andbunke bunkering positions for the Marine troopers.
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kthesanh 9 (normass/doepe)
This position he was codenamed "Nanking Fire Supports Base" and was
actually a prelude to the infantry operation the next day, with the artillor
I had been necessary to move the artillery forward in order that the ground
6200 troops would consistently during the operation be moving under the
umbrella of indirect fire supports Kilo company was tax nccessary to protect
the artillery position from/ground attacks. The ground operation that
followed the next day was called the "Nak "Nanking Action" because only
groun infantry units from the 49t 4th Marine Regiment were info involved--
and in the 1920s, the 4th Marines were based in China.
This bit of
historical nostalgia did not mean much to the young Marines,
howovers
10
on charts an official chart, one youngster had spelled it "Nan Kinge
"ile probably thought it was the name of some ono someone's girl friend,"
ant olderly ser warran off warrant officer explained.
what these young Marines think about."
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"You never cant tell
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2020 986
yy nam
kohsenh 10 (normass/deepe)
Through out the first day, Nanking had no contest with the Communistst
one Merine wessoriously wounded, however, by accidentally stepping on
a Morine land mine, anti-personnel mino.
Byon after leaving the Khe Sanh area in July, Kilo company had
roved around and con patrolled around the Kho sai abandoned remains of the
it bivouackod directly across the river from the base.
base at one time,
The company commander
ommandoz,
Capt. Sidney B, Thomas, 31, said, "There's no
problem for us roturing to Kire Stn. I don't feel I ever loft Khe Sanh..
We've been patrolling southeast of here. We've been in a mobile posture
and know the area well, so we have no fear in returning."
Khe Sanh
CompA
K10
in April
Capt. Thomas had assumed his/command of the company while it was in
and since thon,
had
after departing in July, tire company moved to other patrol
et Foxtrot Ridg
bases, had boon cent to assist a sister company in heavy contact, had found
Communist base camps, and had onye been assaulted on June 18th along hin
its frontlines on June 18 by the Communists att ta attacking uphill.
Kilo lost 20 killed end 20 wounded; the Communists left 70 dond behind.
Since April, the company has suffered 30 killed and 75 wounded.roughly
75 per cent battle casualties in six months. "Wo've had our share of
casualties," the captain said softly.
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khosanh 11 (normass/decpe)
at NANK NG
One trooper with artillery unit had also boon in Khe Sanh in Jube
June--after the siege was lifted on April 1, but before it was evacuated
on July 6. Ho was Sgt. Alan Bollings, 21, of Birminghal Birmingha
Birmingham, Ala, a soction chief for the 105 millimeter how howitzers.
"I Was glad to come bad up back up here again," he said. "I like
There's alot better weather, scenery and gunpositions up here.
I was a little suprised in a way. I thought the airstrip had been taken
up-but it still locks the same as a always.
it up here.
"When I was here in June we were still taking alot of incoming. I
remember we were positioned on the southern ond of the runway and we
were lowering our guns so wo could fire point blanks into a treeline 2500
meters away.
Sinc After we left Kho Sanh, we began moving from ono
fire support base to another.
Coming back to Khe Sanh is just like
another operation. We have to be over here for such a long time it's just
like moving into Lending one Hawk or Gates."
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khesanh 12 (normass/deepe)
The next day-the Marines called it D-Day--other elements of the
4th Marinos were holi-lifted gt 10 a.me into two landing sone areas
north and south of Highway 1, near the old Special Forces camp of
Long Vei-some 8000 meters to the west of Khe Sanh. Their missions
was to begin a swooping and es extensive searching action to towards
Khe Sanh and the Banking fire support bano. These elements lended without
opposition and have had only sporadio contact to dt date.
The Lang Voi Special Forces camp had boon overrun on February 7th-
LED down. N
when Khe Sanh was under siege and when Ame Allied units wore foouston
the battle of Huo during the Tot offensive.
introduction of Soviet-made PT-76 armored vehicle--the first used in the was
The camp was overrun with the
Intelligence reports had previously mentioned Communist armor in the
area-but the Special Forces had not laid out anti-tank mne mines on their
metal
perimeter, they were unable to stop the advance of the voli protestod
mp mobile pillboxes and the camp fell in a hootic battle.
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Date
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1968, Oct. 9
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Subject
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Khe Sanh, 2nd Battle of, Vietnam, 1968; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--United States; Morale; Military bases
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Location
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Khe Sanh, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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16.6193, 106.7305
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B10, F39
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
