BMT (RIP)
02-06-2008, 10:07
Forty years ago, in violation of an international truce, the North
Vietnamese Army attacked throughout the Republic of Vietnam. The 18B NVA Regiment,
supported by local Viet Cong guerillas attacked the city of Nha Trang, Vietnam,
and occupied the Sector & Province Headquarters, and a signal site. The Mike
Force and other units responded, and for about 48 hours, fought a series of
hard-fought battles to regain the city and largely destroyed (with help from
the USAF), the 18B NVA Regiment.
There were so many heroic acts performed by my teammates and others that
night and the following days that I still wake up sometimes and wonder at how I
had the good fortune to be cast among these great Soldiers. Some of the
memories of that night and the next day are haunting, bittersweet memories,
because of the sacrifices of good men in defeating our enemy.
With Jim Musgrove leading his alert company, we immediately deployed into
the city to attempt to rescue three Americans trapped in Sector HQ. As we
attempted get to the entrance to the compound, our youngest teammate, Specialist
Gary Swanson, was badly wounded in the hand. It was then that I saw Bud
McBroom take an M-60 machine gun and fight a duel to the death with an NVA machine
gunner, as they fired burst after burst at each other, Bud lying in the
street behind the gun. Bud won, and we were able to free two of the three
Americans from the compound. The other American, a Lieutenant Ross, had been killed.
Joe Zamiara, who had recently volunteered to extend his tour of duty, was
killed in the effort to regain Province HQ. Roger Norman, who exposed himself to
enemy fire to attempt to locate the source from which Joe was shot, was
himself wounded by gunfire. Captain Larry O'Neil, our team leader, was badly
wounded when almost single-handedly assaulting the building. A bullet shattered
his femur - a wound from which he never fully recovered - but in the process
of his assault, he killed the sniper who had probably killed Joe. O,Neil's
Vietnamese Special Forces counterpart, Captain Tran Hu Hung, was wounded by a
gunshot to the arm. Meanwhile, our medic, Bob Bunnell (I think he was the medic
with us that night, but it might have been Walt Hetzler as well) were
exposing themselves to enemy fire to retrieve and treat the increasing number of US
and Montagnard casualties.
Just behind me as we arrived at Province HQ, the group Commander's driver,
who had volunteered to drive a truckload of reinforcements to us, was shot in
the head and killed immediately.
We finally regained control of the building when one of our Forward Air
Controllers flew his little 0-1 Birddog right up to the window of the building
and launched a white phosphorous rocket into the window, burning the NVA out.
One of our senior NCO's, Nick LaNotte, was supposed to have gone home to the US
the previous day, but instead bravely made sortie after sortie in a 2 1/2
ton truck to haul civilian women and children out of the battle area, somehow
badly injuring his hand in the process.
The tireless and skilled medical personnel, especially the young female
nurses, who cared for the wounded under such trying and mind-numbing
circumstances, also showed remarkable courage and devotion, even though the hospital was
being attacked by the enemy with rockets and mortars.
Sam Coutts, with Ken Roberts and his company of Cham strikers, with
assistance from some members of A-502, was meanwhile driving the enemy out of the
signal compound back to the edge of the city in house to house fighting. Early
in that fight, Sam had come upon five NVA leaders apparently conferring about
their next move, and quickly dispatched all five.
Time after time, and place after place, all over Vietnam, the bravery of men
like those turned the enemy's surprise offensive into an almost total
defeat. But, much as they seem to be doing today, most news media -- instead of
accentuating the stunning victory accomplished by America's young Soldiers and
their allies --chose instead to emphasize the fact that the communists were
able to begin their ill-fated, truce-violating offensive, thus, with their
negative "journalism", snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
But I know what I saw; I saw uncommon courage among my teammates, and I saw
a resounding defeat of the communists in every instance, and I will never
forget it, nor will I ever cease to thank God that I was there among those men,
and I thank Him that we continue to produce such valiant and selfless men and
women from among our youth to fight for the ideal of freedom from oppression
for all of Mankind.
Forty years. The fight goes on.
Vietnamese Army attacked throughout the Republic of Vietnam. The 18B NVA Regiment,
supported by local Viet Cong guerillas attacked the city of Nha Trang, Vietnam,
and occupied the Sector & Province Headquarters, and a signal site. The Mike
Force and other units responded, and for about 48 hours, fought a series of
hard-fought battles to regain the city and largely destroyed (with help from
the USAF), the 18B NVA Regiment.
There were so many heroic acts performed by my teammates and others that
night and the following days that I still wake up sometimes and wonder at how I
had the good fortune to be cast among these great Soldiers. Some of the
memories of that night and the next day are haunting, bittersweet memories,
because of the sacrifices of good men in defeating our enemy.
With Jim Musgrove leading his alert company, we immediately deployed into
the city to attempt to rescue three Americans trapped in Sector HQ. As we
attempted get to the entrance to the compound, our youngest teammate, Specialist
Gary Swanson, was badly wounded in the hand. It was then that I saw Bud
McBroom take an M-60 machine gun and fight a duel to the death with an NVA machine
gunner, as they fired burst after burst at each other, Bud lying in the
street behind the gun. Bud won, and we were able to free two of the three
Americans from the compound. The other American, a Lieutenant Ross, had been killed.
Joe Zamiara, who had recently volunteered to extend his tour of duty, was
killed in the effort to regain Province HQ. Roger Norman, who exposed himself to
enemy fire to attempt to locate the source from which Joe was shot, was
himself wounded by gunfire. Captain Larry O'Neil, our team leader, was badly
wounded when almost single-handedly assaulting the building. A bullet shattered
his femur - a wound from which he never fully recovered - but in the process
of his assault, he killed the sniper who had probably killed Joe. O,Neil's
Vietnamese Special Forces counterpart, Captain Tran Hu Hung, was wounded by a
gunshot to the arm. Meanwhile, our medic, Bob Bunnell (I think he was the medic
with us that night, but it might have been Walt Hetzler as well) were
exposing themselves to enemy fire to retrieve and treat the increasing number of US
and Montagnard casualties.
Just behind me as we arrived at Province HQ, the group Commander's driver,
who had volunteered to drive a truckload of reinforcements to us, was shot in
the head and killed immediately.
We finally regained control of the building when one of our Forward Air
Controllers flew his little 0-1 Birddog right up to the window of the building
and launched a white phosphorous rocket into the window, burning the NVA out.
One of our senior NCO's, Nick LaNotte, was supposed to have gone home to the US
the previous day, but instead bravely made sortie after sortie in a 2 1/2
ton truck to haul civilian women and children out of the battle area, somehow
badly injuring his hand in the process.
The tireless and skilled medical personnel, especially the young female
nurses, who cared for the wounded under such trying and mind-numbing
circumstances, also showed remarkable courage and devotion, even though the hospital was
being attacked by the enemy with rockets and mortars.
Sam Coutts, with Ken Roberts and his company of Cham strikers, with
assistance from some members of A-502, was meanwhile driving the enemy out of the
signal compound back to the edge of the city in house to house fighting. Early
in that fight, Sam had come upon five NVA leaders apparently conferring about
their next move, and quickly dispatched all five.
Time after time, and place after place, all over Vietnam, the bravery of men
like those turned the enemy's surprise offensive into an almost total
defeat. But, much as they seem to be doing today, most news media -- instead of
accentuating the stunning victory accomplished by America's young Soldiers and
their allies --chose instead to emphasize the fact that the communists were
able to begin their ill-fated, truce-violating offensive, thus, with their
negative "journalism", snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
But I know what I saw; I saw uncommon courage among my teammates, and I saw
a resounding defeat of the communists in every instance, and I will never
forget it, nor will I ever cease to thank God that I was there among those men,
and I thank Him that we continue to produce such valiant and selfless men and
women from among our youth to fight for the ideal of freedom from oppression
for all of Mankind.
Forty years. The fight goes on.