He had . The Air Mobile Division was a new concept. He retired a colonel in 1983. For the Ia Drang Valley survivors, October 10, 2012 will be a day they will remember for the rest of their days. He retired a lieutenant colonel in 1977, and lives with his wife in Arlington, Texas. The fighting continued for three hours. Cash retired from active duty as a colonel in September of 1992 and lives in the Washington, D.C., area. Throughout the day, he changed helicopters after some were so badly damaged to stay in the air. The North Vietnamese regulars and Viet Cong guerrillas absorbed even higher casualties from better-equipped American troops on the ground as well as helicopter gunships and B-52s raining bombs, bullets and napalm. James Lawrence, a 77 year-old Vietnam veteran from Alabama, tells people about his best friend and the battle he died in whenever he gets the chance. Florence County, . After years of advising the South Vietnamese against the communist North, and months of chasing black-clad guerrillas, a large. He and his wife live in Lake Forest, Illinois. But I remember thinking that I'm just a lieutenant. I've also included soldiers who survived and died later and the wife of the commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, Julia Moore for her role in supporting the grieving widows of the men slain. 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. Forces, was Time magazines Man of the Year. 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PARISH, Willard, fifty-one, mortarman in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, who won the Silver Star for his work as a machine gunner in LZ X-Ray, was among the draftees who rotated home in December 1965 for discharge. Each option, he warned, had a good chance of leading to a stalemate. He went home to Anderson County, South Carolina, where he is a deputy sheriff. And it all began early one fall day. Pronunciation of Ia Drang with 6 audio pronunciations. I think of all those guys killed in action, wounded in action, and their friends, their relatives and all those altered lives. Meyer and his wife, Carol, live in Arlington, Virginia. Luckily for him, not a single shot he received hit any vital organs. Major Bruce Crandalls UH-1D helicopter climbs skyward after discharging a load of infantrymen on a search and destroy mission in Ia Drang. He lives in Olympia, Washington, and works for the state government. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. USA, Mendenhall, In his spare time he camps, climbs, skis, and fishes for trout in the Rockies. Freeman won a battlefield commission in the Korean War. MCDONALD, George J., fifty-two, mortarman, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, left the Army in 1966 and went home to Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he is a commercial fisherman. He and his wife, Pat, live in Avon Park, Florida. These are survivors of an ambush against U.S. 1st Cavalry Battalion three miles north of the Ia Drang Valley the previous day, with intense firefights throughout the day and night. The location of the battle, far into the jungle from any roads, meant troops had to be airlifted in. JAKES, Jimmie, Sr., forty-nine, a fire-team leader of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, was wounded in LZ X-Ray, but recovered and returned to complete his tour. He died. (Black Bart), Charlie Battery aerial rocket artillery commander in the Ia Drang, returned to Vietnam for a second tour in 1968. God rest you, George. He is senior Army adviser to the 79th Army Reserve Command in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. We saved so many more people because of that helicopter.. 5 cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. LOSE, Charles R., the medic of the Lost Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, has dropped out of sight. Carrara says, I dont dwell on Vietnam, but now and then I hear something or smell something and flash back to those days. One killed, 15 injured after clashes erupt at Afghan border again December 16, 2022. Shucart says, It was interesting; they just figured I was another grunt and I didnt tell them different. In Vietnam, it never got any worse than it did in the Ia Drang, a distant valley in the Central Highlands, tangled in elephant grass and simmering in heat. His widow, Emma Lee, lives in Austin, Texas. When he retired, Howard moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he works as a consultant in emergency-management planning. A native of Mendenhall, Mississippi, Kennedy was thirty-one years old at the time of his death. They resupplied ammunition, water, and supplies, while evacuating the wounded. After a second career as a consultant to defense industries on the West Coast, he retired again and lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife, Libby. 1/7 Cavalry lands at LZ X-Ray. That same month, the United States began bombing North Vietnam in Operation Rolling Thunder. He would recover after some physical therapy and return to duty in 1966 to finish his tour. 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 problem was it had to be applied by a country that was much more willing for it to be applied for the long haul. In 1974 he transferred from the infantry to the military police. TIFFT, Richard P., Pathfinder team leader in LZ X-Ray, later served as commander of the Golden Knights, the Armys parachute team. They have a son and two daughters. JEKEL, Alex (Pop), seventy, Huey pilot in X-Ray and Albany, retired in the late 1960s as a chief warrant officer-4. The airstrike broke the North Vietnamese siege and enabled reinforcements to reach the LZ. He retired in August 1990, and now lives in Peekskill, New York. He went home to Murphysboro, Illinois. South Carolina, You can always change this later in your Account settings. Why I wasn't killed, I couldn't say.". 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. Omaha, Mississippi, "When things started it just erupted," Lawrence said. Ia Drang Valley, Battle of the (1965). He died . P.O. It was the first major battle between PAVN and US Army units and one of the war's bloodiest encounters. He is partly paralyzed as a result of his terrible wound. He retired a colonel in 1981, and is vice president of human resources for a large corporation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He spent seven months there while his shattered thigh and legs were repaired. The Tragedy of LZ Albany: Teaching the lessons of a battle lost. U.S. intelligence knew that North Vietnamese regulars probably a single regiment were in the area. He returned for a second Vietnam tour as an adviser in IV Corps in August 1968; in the 1970s he earned bachelors and masters degrees. Photo Credit: Wikipedia; Henry Toro Herrick was red-haired, five foot ten, twenty-four years old, and the son of an astronomy professor at UCLA. FORREST, George, fifty-four, who commanded Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cav in the Ia Drang, retired a lieutenant colonel in 1980 after twenty-one years service. He retired from the battlefield only after all possible service had been rendered to the infantry battalion. How could I forget? Lawrence and Cornett were roommates at Infantry Officer Basic School, roommates in jump school and on the ship together that brought them to Vietnam. In the spring of 1992, Frank Henry was posthumously inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. 2023 Stars and Stripes. 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. The plane hit several tombstones and flipped over. Since then he has taught industrial arts, electronics, and mathematics, has flown for the U.S. Forest Service, and for a time was a crop duster pilot. Today he is president of a major chemical-waste management corporation in Oak Brook, Illinois. The battalion commander had ordered his command helicopter to land and check out a North Vietnamese soldier killed by the door gunner. 1965, just after the start of the U.S. campaign that led to the Ia Drang Valley. He and his wife, Ann, live in Lilburn, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. It was his positive decision to do something that reinforced my own will to go on.". MICELI, Carmen, forty-eight, rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at LZ X-Ray, completed a full tour in Vietnam and left the Army in September 1966. After retiring from the Army, Freeman became the northwest area director of aircraft services for the U.S. Department of the Interior. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book. SCOTT, James A., sixty-nine, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalrys sergeant major, served a second Vietnam tour in 1970-71 as command sergeant major, USARV Scott retired as a command sergeant major on May 1, 1973, after thirty years, ten months, and twenty days of service, wearing the Combat Infantrymans Badge with one star; six Bronze Stars; three Purple Hearts; a European Campaign ribbon with four battle stars and one invasion arrow; a Korean Service ribbon with two battle stars; a Vietnam Service ribbon with four battle stars; and the Presidential Unit Citation badge. He retired from the Army as a master sergeant and, in 1988, became the pastor of a church in Fort Mitchell, Alabama. In addition, they were exhausted from the fight at X-Ray, so it was easy for hundreds of NVA troops to sneak up and launch an attack. LAVENDER, David A. One infantry company began the day of Nov. 14 with 110 men. Although each survivor's story is unique, they all carry the same lessons. He is a master gunsmith and runs his own business repairing and selling weapons. BECK, Bill, forty-nine, assistant machine gunner, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, left the Army in 1966 and went home to his native Steelton, Pennsylvania. Fighting was so intense that a battalion commander, Lt. Col. Hal Moore, reported finding a dead American with his hands at the throat of a dead North Vietnamese soldier. He was judged seventy percent disabled due to wounds suffered in LZ X-Ray. On Nov. 14, 1965, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, loaded onto helicopters and flew to a remote patch of ground in the Ia Drang Valley of South Vietnams central highlands. He retired from the Army as a staff sergeant in 1976, and now serves in the Alabama National Guard. Lawrence dropped to the ground to take cover in the tall elephant grass and began to return fire like any other rifleman. KENNEDY, Glenn F., first sergeant, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, was killed in action on May 6, 1966, during Operation Davy Crockett in the Bong Son plain. His primary job is helping communities located near Army chemical-weapons depots write their emergency-response plans. Two men - Sgt. He and his wife live in Sag Harbor, New York, where they operate a summer season shop that deals in contemporary original art. On November 18, 1965, the US forces were able to gather their dead. He served as city manager of Dunsmuir, California, from 1977 to 1980, when he moved to Mesa, Arizona, where he is the citys manager of public works. The "Lost Platoon," led by Lt. Henry T. Herrick, became separated from the rest of Lt. Col. Harold G. "Hal" Moore's battalion at the start of the battle of Ia Drang on Nov. 14, 1965. He teaches physical and earth sciences at Venice High School, Los Angeles, California. . 208-263-9534. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. The last time he talked to Herren, Lose said, Nobody out here understands what we went through.. He and his wife, Kornelia, live in Columbus, Georgia, where for several years Scott taught military subjects to Junior ROTC in the high schools. He and his wife live in Alexandria, Virginia. ), provided the authors with a copy of Diduryks journal and maps for this book. Crandall and Freeman successfully rescued some 70 wounded men. He died less than 100 yards from where his best friend lay wounded. Lawrence's story is one that he has told so often to so many people that it is fluid and impactful without being rehearsed. CRANDALL, Bruce, fifty-nine, who commanded the helicopters in the Ia Drang Valley, returned to Vietnam for a second tour in 1967. The communist threat to the central highlands subsided. Postal Service in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was 92 years old. I have it here with me today. He lives with his wife and family in Steelville. In November, troops would take on North Vietnamese regulars for the first time in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley. The Troopers of 2/7 Cav relieved their sister unit, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, on Nov. 16, following 1/7 Cav's three day battle with the People's Army of Vietnam near the base of the Chu Pong Massif. WINKEL, Paul Patton, Jr., sixty, Orange 1 flight leader, Bravo Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion in the Ia Drang, served a second combat tour in Vietnam. Most of the planes touched down between midnight and six A.M., but George Nye was always there, rain or shine. He tells his audience this to help them understand. (Tony), fifty-six, commander of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, later earned a masters degree in psychology and taught at West Point and at the Army War College. It was the most successful ambush against U.S. forces during the course of the entire war. I think McNamara knew, deep down; I think Johnson knew, Wiest said. They were promoted to first lieutenants at the same time and both became executive officers on the same day, Lawrence with Delta Company and Cornett with Charlie. He is a colonel and the provost marshal of the U.S. Army Forces Command (Forscom) in Atlanta, Georgia. He personally shook the hands of at least fifty thousand returning soldiers. He now lives in Stamford, Connecticut. 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. The conflict is divided into two engagements: the Battle at Landing Zone (LZ) X-Ray and. EDWARDS, Robert, fifty-four, commander of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, served a second tour in Vietnam as an adviser. While Beck survived the ultimately victorious 2-1/2-day fight at Ia Drang, 305 other American soldiers did not. I think it also speaks to the depths these guys were into the Cold War reality at the time. It was the first major battle of the Vietnam War, and Lawrence and . The bulk of the fighting lasted about 6 hours and in that time 2/7 Cav lost 155 killed and 124 wounded. Simpson County, Mindful of the effects of propaganda, each side declared victory. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. He added a masters degree in Latin American studies to his M.A. Moderate. He plays volleyball two nights a week to keep trim and has devoted much of his spare time over the past two years to a detailed study of the part played in the Ia Drang battles by his fellow aviators of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, our beloved Huey slick drivers. He worked an additional fifteen years as a civilian employee at Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia, and retired again in 1990. Hear Walters story. He spent that night among the dead and wounded. In 1982, he joined U.S. News & World Report magazine. . He retired a colonel in December 1981, after twenty-four years service. When someone shook me and tried to get me moving I was actually offended. He and his wife live in St. Charles, a suburb of Chicago. The battle of Ia Drang was an engagement of the Vietnam War. LOMBARDO, Riccardo, sixty-one, Huey pilot in X-Ray and Albany and Pop Jekels good buddy, was retired on one hundred percent disability after a serious back injury in 1967, when he was thirty-six. They and their buddies fought off hundreds of North Vietnamese with the help of artillery. His lieutenants bars were pinned on by General James Van Fleet and, at Freemans request, his first assignment was as commander of Bravo Company. This was the first and last battle between NVA forces and U.S forces of similar size. For the next agonizing 26 hours, that small band of Americans was trapped by a ring of hundreds of enemy fighters determined to kill them all. (Skip), fifty-three, commander of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, is still on active duty. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The battlefield area covered 1,500 square miles of what appeared to be flat rolling terrain dominated by the Chu Pong . Ernie had gone back to his native Chicago and drove a truck for the city. Her mother, who never remarried, died in 1986. 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. He is now a financial officer with the U.S. I couldn't grasp it.". 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. He and his wife and their four Saint Bernard dogs live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Deleting this Virtual Cemetery cannot be undone. He then formed a computer-software company. The XO had been hit in the small of the back. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1985; on November 26, 1987, he was killed in the crash of a private plane in Bakersfield, California. 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. 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. Battalions would use helicopters to be transferred in and out as artillery support came in from above. I ask that question every day. After Vietnam, Hazen maintained a correspondence with the mother of the young lieutenant who died in his arms. 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. I attended every one of those funerals., LEFEBVRE, L. R. (Ray), fifty-nine, commander of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, spent eighteen months at Martin Army Hospital, Fort Benning, recovering from the wounds he suffered at X-Ray. 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 He retired a major in 1980, after twenty years service. On February 26, 2007, President George W. Bush presented Crandall with the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Ia Drang Valley. Lawrence, even in his paralyzed state, was able to give some direction to his company. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 'The torture stopped': 1969 brought temporary changes to infamous Hanoi Hilton, Patriotism or protest?

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