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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-05990 to 363-06005.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-05990 to 363-06005
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Title
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Article about American troops being officially used in an offensive
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Description
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Original title: "PARATROOPER", Keever's title: "In First Offensive Since Korean Conflict, U.S. 'Teenage Brigade" Nets 1 Viet Cong KIA and 300 tons of Rice in U.S. Food Surplus Bags", article about American troops being officially used in an offensive operation against Việt Cộng forces
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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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- Page 1
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DEEPE
PARATROOPER--1
page 1
july 2, 1965
(This week, for the first time since the end of the Korean
police action, American combat troops were officially used in an
offensive operation against Communist forces. It marked an official
beginning to a new phase in the "dirty, little war" in Viet Nam, which
may be more important in terms of history rather than in terms of news.
The official communique read: "General William C. Westmoreland, COMUSMACV,
under the authority previously granted him, approved the commitment of the
U.S. combat forces at the request of the Government of Viet Nam."
The operation, described officially as a "search and destroy operation,"
was also the first in history of this Vietnamese war which
forces from three nations--Vietnam, America and Australia--joined
together in a combined offensive action. For the first time in the
history of the war, Western correspondents were barred from reporting
specific units or total number of troops involved--but it was one of
the largest ground operations yet to be conducted in Viet Nam; it was
one of the largest helicopter operations in the history of the war--
with between 12 0 120 and 150 helicopters involved.
The boxscore of results read: one American killed; 22 wounded;
4 Australians wounded. One Viet Cong Communist confirmed dead;
seventeen estimated dead; 300 tons of rice --sacked in American surplus food bags-- and miscellaneous products
(deleted) seized.
This is a vignette of part of the action:
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deepe
paratrooper--2
page 2
july 2, 1965
WITH THE U. S. 173d AIRBORNE BRIGADE,
VIETNAM-The company
of American airborne troops dumped their packs in the short bushes
or perched them on the stumps of chopped of rubber plantation trees
and waited in front of the long line of military troops that would
carry them to Bien Hoa airbase.
(deleted)
They waited in groups or "chalks"
of five--the five who would
ride together in the same helicopter which would carry them into
the south central area of the infamous Viet Cong stronghold known
for decades a s "D-Zone."2
Not far away, an American enlisted man was welding together
pieces of pierced steel planking that would soon beomce another
helicopter pad in the area.
"I hope he burns his finger on the welder," one of the privates
chirped as the noon-day sun zenithed.
"We're off on a little hike today," another said.
Suddenly, down the brickish-colored road, a little slippery
from a recent rain, came a battered truck. In the back, was one
rubber planatio plantation worker.
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deepe
paratrooper-3
page 3
The entire company of paratroopers gave a hoot.
"He's making a fast count," one of the privates explained, referring
to the plantation worker. "Them he goes behind a bush and calls
Charley."
Charley is the paratrooper word for the enemy-the Communists,
traditionally called the Viet Cong, abbreviated by the American advisor
to V. C., translated by American pilots into Victor Charley, and now
obviously to the paratroopers, simply Charlie Charley.
As the rubber planation worker turned around to watch curiously
the American troops, one U. S. sergeant shrugged, "What a helluva way
to fight a war. Even Korea was easier than this. I said after Korea,
they'd never get me back to Asia ag again-now look. But at least
in Korea we knew who the enemy was. I'm a professional soldier, not a
politician, but now we ask why?"
The paratroopers clearly sensed the rubber planation workers were
simply Viet Cong spies and with some justification. One previous
patrols, the (deleted) workers simply walked through the paratroopers
ambushes--even before they were to be allowed in the area. Some wore
their proper identification tags; some did not; but the paratroopers
had no (deleted) political authority--or responsibility--to stop them.
It is common knowledge in Saigon that the rubber planay plantation workers
are heavily sympathetic to the Viet Cong.
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deepe
paratrooper--4
It was now 11:30, and as the (deleted) sun steamed through the
black rain clouds onto the red road and the green-fatigued paratroopers,
the atmosphere was one of excited apprehension and tempered impatience.
The young paratroopers had been told they were to be dropped into
the middle of a Communist stronghold, where two regiments could be
collected against them within eight hours. The estimated Viet Cong
strength--by conservative estimates--was at least 2000 somewhere
within the jungle called D-Zone, which covered parts of six provinces.
The intelligence reports of the exact strength within their precise
landing zones was not known; aerial photographs taken some weeks
ago showed Viet Cong foxholes and .81 mm. mortar positions, but they
were unoccupied. There were no government agents in the area to report
a ct exactly what was in the area.
More discomforting, however, American intelligence sources had
discovered that the Viet Cong already knew about the paratrooper's
operation, a nd so last-minute changes had been made in the plan.
Fore one thing, a second B-52 Strategic Air Command bombing had been
(deleted) which had been planned as part of the
operation, had been cancelled, (deleted)
Now, it was 11:30--and the operation, which had been planned to
kick off at 8:30 was already three hours delayed. The artillery units
had moved east of the objective the night before and were prepared to
pre-strike the area the paratroopers would be dropped in; but the heavy
cloud cover prevented the prestrike by B-57 jet-bombers and A-1 Skyraiders
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deepe
paratrooper--5
The paratroopers had taken all the textbook precautions for
battle. Their two dogtags around (deleted) each of their necks
had been taped together to avoid clanking as they walked; green
tape had been (deleted) slapped across the white airborne insignia
on their shirts; officers had torn off their ranks to avoid becoming a
special target for sniperscopes, "but it doesn't help much," one of them
explained. "The Viet Cong know that the officers walk beside the radio
operator and they always aim to get those two."
Clearly the most distinguishing quality about the troops was their
youth--most of them had not reached their twentieth birthdays, and one
of them recalled that Hanoi Radio labelled them the "teenage brigade."
Even the officers who would lead the operation on the ground--the
captains and lieutenants were in their late twenties or early thirties.
Clearly, also, the combat experience of the units rested with the
non-commissioned officers,--the senior sergeants--almost all of whom had
been in Korean police action and several had even been in World War II.
It was their job to keep the teenagers in line; like irritated mothers,
they nagged at the privates incessantly throughout the operation, as
though they wanted to transmit through their combat experience the
science of staying alive in this game in which the stakes were death.
(More)
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deepe
paratrooper-6
One of the young paratroopers, age 19, astonished to see a woman
going into the operation, asked this correspondent if she would
remain with them throughout the three days. The reply was it depended
on how many rice paddies had to be waded through; the waist-deep mud
soon made one tired.
"Oh, yes," he replied "the first one I saw, it fell into--face
first. You know, until we came to Viet Nam I had never even ridden
in a helicopter before; we never even had seen them before."
High above, however, the sky became dotted with helicopters.
One flight of twelve were hovered far above, then a second flight
and then a third flight, like angry swarms of giant metallic
dragonflies, they scissored through the air. The first heli-lifts
of the two Vietnamese airborne battalions had been placed into
position; now the American paratroopers loaded into the trucks
which followed the red clay road to the airbase. Five Vietnamese
rubber plantation workers curiously watched as they drove by.
At the airbase, the helicopters swarmed in, were parked into
three meticiou meticulous lines, each parked only inches from one
another. Never, in three years of reporting in Viet Nam, had this
correspondent seen so many helicopters in one place at the same time.
An American helicopter pilot was asked how many were involvted in the
operation; he guessed about 150 but even he wasn't sure.
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deepe
paratrooper--7
During the thirty minute break for refueling,
the helicopter
pilots drove down the runway to a neat white wooden shed for a drink
coffee. In the middle of the runway, two American generals from
Saigon reviewed the operation and talked with the pilots. The pilots reported
receiving heavy ground fire on the Vietnamese heli-lifts.
The pilot driving the jeep commented, "Chris', the number of
generals involved in this operation is staggering." He automatically
hummed an old-time favorite Saigon tune;
Oh, dear, what can the matter be;
Nineteen generals and no strategy.
"That's one of our clean songs. We don't have many of them those."
1:30 p.m. The paratroops picked up their packs and gear--some of
them carried 90-100 pounds on their backs and around their necks--
and loaded onto the helicopters, which one-by-one in precision took
off. Within minutes, the sky was filled with helicopters, which appeared
to be an invasion of huge steel locusts. The American platoon leader
followed the ground and river markings and inched his finder along his
plastic-covered map. A sheet of fog and rain engulfed the choppers,
the stormy turbulence of air bounced them around in the air like
bucking bronchos at a rodeo.
2:00 p.m. The helicopters slowly paddling down into the landing zone,
a rather large grassy plain filled with waist-high elephant grass, which was
rimmed on one side by a handful of houses--or the charred skeletons
of houses--that had once been a government fortified hamlet, but that had
months ago been deserted.
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deepe
paratrooper--8
The northernmost paratrooper units immediately encountered Viet Cong
mortar and small arms fire; they countered with M-6 machinegun fire;
the exchange of bullets lasted about five mintues minutes with no
casualties reported. In the middle of the landing zone, the American
paratroopers set up a mortar position; each paratrooper rushed by and
dropped his one round of mortar ammunition and then fanned out which
his respective units to establish a defensive perimeter for the oncoming
waves of heliborne troops.
Soon the American mortars began firing. An officer called out
the calibrations; a young private repeated them and adjusted the
sitings and positions; a Negro pfc. called out "Round on the way".
the mortar unit braced for the boom; minutes later the valley
reverberated as the shell hit the ground several hundred yards away
and a giant puff of white phosphorus smoke arose. Minutes later,
the American artillery, which had already pre-struck the landing zone
area, fired a five-shell volley, which also reverberated throughout
the valley, sounding like the slamming of a huge tin door.
2:35 p.m. The second wave of paratroops arrived; then the
third wave; within an hour the two American airborne
battalions had been ehl heli-lifted into the landing zones. Each
unit fanned out in their assigned positions. Occasionally, as the
helicopters departed the landing zone, they fired rockets at the
sniper fire fro m they were receiving from the ground.
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deepe
paratrooper 9
Evidently, there were some mix-ups, however. One company commander
said the helicopters had not placed the units in exactly the right
places, and sometimes landed in the wrong direction so that the troops
got out of the helicopters not knowing which direction was north.
He had raced through the landing zone--which was about half mile in
diameter--to pull together the platoons and squads belonging to his
company; his uniform was soaking wet when he successfully collected them
all.
A six-man reconnaissance unit also wandered about the defense
perimter. The sergeant explained, "we're the reconnaissance for
our platoon--half of the ears, eyes and nerves of the platoon. Now we're looking for the other half of the nerves and the platoon leader."
They wandered off to search in another direction.
The headquarters company for one of the two battalions was also
lost somewhere in the jungle, and was not to be located until almost
eighteen hours later.
5:00 p.m. Most of the units were proceeding in their assigned
directions, however, to the location where they would camp overnight.
One company moved south, where a vague red clay road--(deleted) marked
with ox cart tracks--lead. The company commander ordered the troops
off the road and into the jungle, (deleted)
"This is a real Hollywood war," one private chirped. "So far,
nothing serious has happened."
Suddenly, one sniper shot rang out.
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deepe
paratrooper--10
The private shut up and cocked his gun. Two more sniper shots were
fired; the paratroopers countered with three (deleted) bursts of
machinegun fire.
Three more sniper shots; the paratroopers again answered with
machinegun fire several hundred yards (deleted) to the front; the rear
artillery and mortar shells continued to reverberate.
After walking through the jungle for 12 00 meters, the company
set up itshe headquarters (deleted) around a caly clay igloo-shaped
mound that Vietnamese natives had once used to (deleted) make charcoal,
but had long since aba ndoned. Helicopters resupplied the troops
with food for the next day and water.
7:30 p.m. It was now dark; the (deleted) platoons of the
company fanned out into their assigned defensive perimeter positions;
all had eaten and re-filled their water canteens for the next day;
all had erected in some form or another a (deleted) miniature tent
by spreading their water-proof ponchos to tree limbs.
The paratroopers artillery was landing only 25 meters ahead of
the company's position--a little too close for comfort. The company
commander radioed "to advise of our location."
The soft hum of the radio mingled with the excited chatter or
of magpies and bluebirds. The radio operator reported that the
headquarters company of the battalion was still lost in the jungle.
"The old man (the colonel and battalion commander) asked if they
could fire smoke so that the helicopters above could locate them,"
the radio operator reported.
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deepe
paratrooper-11
The answer was no; the smoke could not be seen through the intense
jungle. The lost headquarters company was ordered to stay in their
position and set up a defense perimeter.
The first sergeant of the company, traditionally called "Top",
stayed away all night, though he was supposed to be (deleted) getting
rested for the next day, and listened to the mixture of sounds.
He was a tall husky Negro; he took "foo "goof-ball" bpills to keep
him awake all night "just to be sure someone's awake," he explained.
(deleted)
A week before, he had complained about carrying a (deleted) double
load of ammunition "and not firing a shot yet." on this operation,
a sniper had fired at him as he reconnaissanced the company's advance
position; he had answered the Viet Cong fire, but had seen nothing.
Throughout the night a mixture of noises permeated the jungle;
in the distance, near the artillery position, the .50 calibre (deleted)
machineguns of the M-113 armored prs personnell carriers echoed an
exchange with a light probing Viet Cong unit. At midnight, the
U.S. Air Force dropped red flares throughout the area, "bringing
daylight to the darkness," as one private explained.
"Sometimes, your imagination plays games on you," Top explained.
"You think the trees walk and the birds talk--but the next morning
there's no Viet Cong bodies to show what you shot at."
(More)
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deepe
paratrooper12
6:30 a.m. Before dawn, the entire company was swirming about,
rolling up ponchos, re-making their packs. They ate cold C-rations
of lima beans and ham, or cold beefsteak with sticky juices.
"That was excellent ham and egss," the company commander joked.
The company was (deleted) scheduled to be on the march by
8:30, but by 9:15 "we're still here and are going to behere for a long
time yet."
The headquarters company of the battalion was still lost (deleted) Three
American helicopters raced overhead to try to loccate it.
"That (deleted) headquarters commandant had better stay lost,"
a private mused. "I'd hate to be him if he's ever found."
Another chimed in: I wonder who the new headquarters commandant
will be. He's rprobably already assigned.
The radio operator reported that "the old man" (the colonel and
battalion commander) asked the lost (deleted) headquarters commandant
if he had smoke ready to fire.
"He'll be shot if he doesn't," (deleted) the private (deleted) laughed.
Another private explaine d, "This is just like a training
exercise--but in a training exercise we'd go off an leave them. We
can't do that here."
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deepe
paratrooper--13
"And the headquarters company is supposed to be the heart,
ears, nose and eyes of the whole battalion," one private laughed.
The radio operator reported to the company commander that the
Vietnamese airborne units were approaching his right flank.
In the meatime, meantime, a pfo, 18-year-old, married accidentally
shot himself in his right leg as he (deleted) picked up his .45 calibre
pistol this morning. A medical evacuation helicopter was called and he
was lifted out; his condition was not serious.
9:50 a.m. The radio operator reported that the headquarters
company had been located by the helicopters and that the Vietnamese
airborne unit had "made physical contact" with them.
"The colonel's telling the headquarters commander 'Will you please
go north with the Vien Vietnamese. Will you please do that'," the
radio operator laughed. The lost headquarters company "were guided"
to the re-supply food for food and water; an hour later the operation
continued--two hours behind schedule.
The company commander was order, and in turn ordered his platoons,
onward towards the next objective, called GOLF, which lay
6-700 meters southwest. Several helicopter overheard fired rockets
into the position that company would later move into.
As the company moved out through the dense jungle, the first sergeant
barked, "keep looking to the left and right. There's no sense going
out like we own this jungle."
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deepe
paratrooper-14
One of the privates whispered, "There ain't no tunnels here;
there ain't nothing except jungle."
1:00 Objective Golf was reached and secured while the
company awaited further orders. Twenty minutes later, the advance
company called in artillery fire on a suspected Viet Cong company;
no results were reported. Soon the company was ordered to move onto
the next objective, named India, which lay another 6-700 meters
to the southwest. At 3:20 that objective was reached and it
began to "rain cats, dogs, chickens and everything else you want,"
as a sergeant explained. The sergeants and privates caught the
rain water in their steel helmets and refilled their water canteens.
No one in the company put on their water-proof ponchos.
"We're very well conditioned and our bodies are used to getting
wet, so we won't get sick," one private explained.
As the rains poured down, another private explained, "This operation
is part of the big war here. I can't see it does much good. We
Americans should learn to send small three or four man teams into the
jungle to live there for three months, like the British did in
Malaya. I don't think the generals will ever do that though. They
think of the big war only."
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deepe
pa ratrooper-15
Two unfamiliar sergeants appeared. They had come from
the headquarters company and reported that once the company
had been located by the helicopters and the Vietnamese paratroopers,
it promptly proceeded to get lost again. The two sergeants had
joined this company instead.
"How did they get lost again?" one sergeant was asked.
The sergeant shrugged. "I could say something if there wasn't
a woman around," he growled.
3:45 p.m. The company commander was ordered, a nd in turn
ordered his units, to move onwards towards objective Lima,
about 1200 to 1500 meters ahead, The objective, which
lay on a hilltop, and across flooded, but abandoned rice paddies,
was formerly a government strategic hamlet that had long ago been
abandoned.
As the company moved forward, and was joined by other companies,
a mortar unit laid down a blanket of white phospor phosphorous
on top of the objective.
"That white phosphorous (deleted) kills any living thing that's up there," one private explained. "We always pre-strike the
area we're moving into with a mortar barrage."
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deepe
paratrooper-16
The troops moved laboriously through the waist-deep paddies
and then started up the slope of the hill. The first sergeant carried his rifle in his right hand; a machete in his left hand
and hacked (deleted) out a path. The troops followed single
file behind him. Other companies moved upwards on (deleted) other sides.
By five p.m. the objective was reached as the troops passed
by the wooden barricade fence that had one protected the government
strategic hamlet. The shells of four burned out thatch huts
loomed ahead.
"Okay, this is it," the first sergeant barked. "You have
two hours to get dry." The troops checked each other for leeches,
began to light fires. Other troops dropped a yellow smoke
signal, indica ting where the helic opters bringing in (deleted)
a resupply of food and water.
The helicopters hovered slowly, dropped the huge trays of
food and water flying under their bellies, and again escalated
leaving behind sopping wet (deleted) American paratroopers in the
jungle, which one of them called "the gree he green hell."
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Date
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1965, Jul. 2
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; United States. Army; Battle casualties; Enemy property
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B187, F5
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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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Collector
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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
