The reasons behind American involvement in the Vietnam War were unclear to many but for the 2.5 million Americans who served, the one thing that was clear was that it could be a challenge to stay alive. He was still recovering in a ward with one of our great leaders, Platoon Sergeant Adam A. Bernosky of the first platoon. It was a standby. I led him to each soldier in their squad tent. "operation hump, the first major battle between the u.s. army and the viet cong and north vietnamese forces, took place november 5-9, 1965, in south vietnam's war zone d. known as "the hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between communist main force units and [1] So Niles, heres to a true American hero. By . With triple canopy jungle we were experiencing difficulty firing grenade launchers and thus had ruled out the use of mortars early in the fight. John Rich followed up, And every single night, Niles, we sing the 8th of November in every single town we go to and we always bring up veterans on the stage and we always tell your story and we always tell them what you told us to tell them. Upon closing at our Bien Hoa base camp I reported all my personnel and weapons accounted for and headed for the hospital. Approximately twenty minutes later the first platoon moved in the direction of the trail at 115329 and following their move, ten minutes later, the second platoon headed in the direction of a hill marked on my map as hill 78. Lt. Thurston reported he was taking fifty caliber fire from two directions. General Westmoreland would also be visiting my company. I tried to be everywhere. The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest award for military valor in action. While their-were more, three stuck in my mind and two of those were dead. A mighty engagement on November 8, 1965, cost 49 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Combat Brigade their lives with many others wounded. The Hump: The First Major Battle of the Vietnam War, Jefferson, North Carolina. I said I didnt, but I had. I ordered the first platoon leader, First Lieutenant Michael P. DeFrancisco, to move his platoon even further to the left or south of the third platoon in order to have two platoons abreast and ready to rapidly move on line once we reached the objective. [New Movie] 'Search Operation: The New Town Survivor . The company closed on the new company base at approximately 0715 hours. I told Sonny and Mike both, this is America, today, here. And third, with all the anxiety amongst Americans on the merits of this War (a situation I attribute solely to our lack of political leadership) I dont wish to provide anyone, any basis to question the valor of our soldiers or their leadership. I called Colonel Tyler and asked him to intervene. By now the battalion had added air power to the fray hitting targets well out from our position and along the-trail we had planned to take a look at prior to this fight. Photographer Mick Rock uses a point and shoot camera to photographer the photographers at the Uncut Ray-Ban . It was my belief that at this time in the war one would only find enemy fifty caliber machine guns at the regimental level. But about an hour and a half before the show started, as everyone stood up in anticipation of the performance . Experience first hand, through the eyes of 19 year old Richard "Dick" Miller, the daily events aboard the S.S. Pine Island. We werent going to lose this guy. My stomach hurt, there had to be more. They made a second attempt, seemingly more desperate than the first, but it met with the same fate. This memoir of an Operation Hump survivor begins with the sequence of events leading up to the battle, from the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. On Friday, November 12, 1965 Brig. Then I began the sad process of writing letters to the parents and loved ones of our dead. I reported to Colonel Tyler that I believed we were surrounded and, while we would hold the position, we were going to need help. I ordered the third platoon to attempt to make contact with any C Company personnel by extending their position to the north of the hill while continuing to maintain their tie with the first platoon on their right. I then estimated that we could be up against as many as three Viet Cong battalions. I doubted that I would ever forget that message. Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated on 8 November 1965 by the 173rd Airborne Brigade, in an area about 17.5 miles (28.2 km) north of Bien Hoa.Operation Hump. He published a second article covering PFC Terry Hinson, his role in the fight, and the fact that he was seventeen years old. As I accompanied General Westmoreland back to his helicopter he stopped, turned toward me and asked Captain Bittrich, your- really proud of your soldiers arent you? I was and I told him so. After what seemed a lifetime, I realized we had to move fast to overcome a major assault. The adjustment the enemy made, as a result of our effective artillery, was to move closer to us in order to avoid the devastating fires. Their reaction clearly demonstrated that we were up against a highly trained and disciplined force. With that I grabbed the radio and ordered the company to move out. While very tired, the troops were superb, and just as in the poem by SP4 Kenny: The guys no longer look tired,Theyve a determined look of eyeAs they scan the shrouded flankAnd treetops that hide the sky.. I saw him again in a military hospital on my way to Fort Benning. Fighting continued throughout the day with some indications that the enemy was trying to disengage. our paratroopers were the best our government has ever put on any battlefield. We had caught the enemy from the rear. Low 24F. Severely wounded and risking his own life,Lawrence Joel, a medic, was the first living black man since the SpanishAmerican War to receive the United StatesMedal of Honorfor saving so many lives in the midst of battle that day. More importantly, I wanted our wounded to know they were uppermost in our minds and we wanted them back as quickly as possible. We continued our attempt to clear an area to get helicopters in to carry our wounded out. At about the same time I received two disturbing reports, one from my second platoon and one from Captain Tucker, of the enemy in differing types of uniforms and some wearing helmets. In a brief conversation with Platoon Sergeant Walter G. Power I learned the facts and assured myself that he had the situation back under control. When I received that report my heart sank, and even worse I learned, he was so far forward that we could not get to him. Our six-hour drill originated from an earlier experience where we witnessed another company coming off an operation and a commander allowing his troops to soak up much-too-much beer. It was still not good enough. Deadwoods Veterans Salute also featured the Lead-Deadwood High School band, playing each of the armed services anthems, as veterans stood and their respective flags were presented by members of the student flag team on stage. When that soldier was asked why he didnt fire his weapon, he responded, Sir, Im a Grenadier, I was so damn busy firing a M60 Machine Gun, a M16 Rifle and my 45, I never got to my Grenade Launcher. Then it would get more personnel with questions on where they came from, how long they has been in the Army, their assignments and the like. The enemy had fled leaving many of their dead (some reportedly stripped of their uniforms). Add to basket. I made sure everyone knew we had the General with us, we would move slowly and we would not be taking any chances. I ordered everyone to dig in, we were going to hold this position. I reported that we were loosing contact and felt that the enemy was trying to escape. You have permission to edit this article. Kris Kristofferson does an introduction and while I still have yet to hear the song, Kristoffersons contribution is quite nice . When I went for it, Niles was still working it If you got back behind two termite mounds in these teak trees, you made it. We won't share it with anyone else. He usually began by asking them if they were in the fight. Get the latest headlines on local sports! Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. He stripped his aircraft and started the decent. They were simple and prioritized; first, get a shave and a shower, get some chow, get to sleep, and tomorrow morning well start our six-hour drill. I saw a wall of smiles, we had a plan and they liked it. Gunships were returning fire as we extracted. If we could find the remainder of C Company we could consolidate the position and hold under almost any condition. I held fast. Operation Hump: the first major battle of the Vietnam War. However, the position was cut off from the rest of the company and they were fighting hand-to-hand. At that time I made an estimate of C Companies casualties. I declined. In this case we stayed on the ground until the battalion headquarters flew out. Today, for Harris, the other impactful impression from that day are the service pictures of the fallen that flash in a certain segment of the Big & Rich 8th of November video. 200 paratroopers faced this overwhelming force and stood their ground. The US-Australian objective was to drive out Viet Cong (VC) unit who had taken up positions on several key hills in War Zone D in an area about 17.5 miles (28.2 km) north of Bien Hoa. Niles Harris, now retired from a lengthy career with the US Army.Harris got his first taste of combat in the mid-1960s in Vietnam, deploying as a Sky Soldier with the legendary 173rd Airborne Brigade's 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment. Having been the battalion S2 prior to taking command of B Company, I had studied the area and was well aware of reports of an enemy build-up in the area. Its for each other.. Choose wisely! In about two hours all the wounded were on their way to the Third Surgical Hospital and our dead were beginning their long journey home to their loved ones. My mind just didnt want to accept it. Battle On Hill 65 (ORIGINAL HERE)(Operation HUMP 5 to 9 November 1965)by: Lowell D. Bittrich. They succeeded and were willing to continue to try and save more as it began to get dark. A radio operator was holding the company radio and keying the hand mike for him. Deadwood Mountain Grand donated the facility and all employee time for the event, while Reinhart Foods donated food for the meal. The combined American/Australian troops seriously underestimated the number of enemy fighters and the desire to which they would fight to hold their ground. He said no, he was walking out with us. He had been hit in one leg attempting to get to some of our wounded. Resulting in 48 Airborne KIAs and 408 VC dead. We had yet to find seventeen missing from C Company. Some hours later, after reporting they had busted their way through a wall of the enemy, the first platoon reported they had retaken the position, found fifteen dead, two severely wounded paratroopers and Langston, unconscious with a large hole in his helmet, but still alive. My final instructions were to move to the sound of the firing in the general direction of hill 65 . AbeBooks.com: The Hump: The 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry, in the First Major Battle of the Vietnam War (9780786499250) by Conetto, Al and a great selection of similar New, Used and Collectible Books available now at great prices. Finally, telling him I would be back to see him, went outside to get some air. Operation HUMP is considered the first major battle of significance in the Vietnam War by most historian-types. This would be a spinal fusion operation. This group was doing very well; but were anxious to find out more on the fight. We all appreciate how much the veterans have done for us. Mike drug me off that hill.. It got larger after incisional biopsy. The sad result was troops feeling sorry for themselves, second guessing each other and even blaming each other for some of their casualties. 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