survivors of ia drang valley

He earned a doctorate in history and now lives in San Antonio, where he works in the public-affairs office at Wilford Hall Air Force Medical Center. GALLOWAY, Joe, fifty, war correspondent attached to the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at X-Ray, served sixteen months in Vietnam on his first tour for United Press International, 1965-1966. After retiring from the Army, Freeman became the northwest area director of aircraft services for the U.S. Department of the Interior. His last known address was Miami, Florida. Tully retired a colonel in 1976. One killed, 15 injured after clashes erupt at Afghan border again December 16, 2022. MEYER, Edward C. (Shy), sixty-three, 3rd Brigade executive officer in the Ia Drang, retired as Army Chief of Staff, a four-star general, in 1983 after thirty-two years service. MARUHNICH, John, sixty-two, mortar sergeant, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry in LZ X-Ray, retired a sergeant first class in 1974 with twenty-four years service. Temperatures reached 100 degrees, and by the afternoon there was a firestorm battle for survival. He died . when I said to hell with it. He and his wife own and manage a trailer park, and Kluges night job is corrections officer for the Arizona State Department of Corrections. He worked an additional fifteen years as a civilian employee at Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia, and retired again in 1990. Her mother, who never remarried, died in 1986. Each option, he warned, had a good chance of leading to a stalemate. Assigned to intelligence duty in Europe in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Adams earned a bachelors degree from the University of Austria in Vienna, a masters degree in history at the University in Innsbruck, and a doctorate of psychology from Munich Universityall under an assumed name. Although he was a civilian, Galloway was awarded the Bronze Star medal for helping to rescue wounded soldiers during the battle. He is now an attorney in San Diego, California. Yesteryears: For survivors, Battle of the Ia Drang Valley changed everything. When someone shook me and tried to get me moving I was actually offended. Merchant retired a lieutenant colonel in 1982. The battle at the landing zone X-RAY (LZ X-RAY) in the Ia Drang River Valley occurred from 14 November to 16 November 1965. In 1982, he joined U.S. News & World Report magazine. BROWN, Thomas W. (Tim), seventy-three, the 3rd Brigade commander in the Ia Drang, retired a brigadier general in 1973, after thirty-plus years of service and a second tour in Vietnam, with two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars from his three wars. 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. Now a senior writer for U.S. News, Galloway recently had one last combat tour. His friends completed the tree for him and dedicated it to Sergeant China Joe Nye. On November 14, 1965, 450 American soldiers of the 1st Air Cavalry Division were airlifted by helicopter to this valley with the intention of locating and eliminating North Vietnamese forces. It featured a question-and-answer session with some of the battle's key players, including retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. He was evacuated, badly wounded, on January 5, 1970, after serving four years, eight months, and ten days in Vietnam. CARRARA, Robert J., fifty-four, battalion surgeon of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in LZ X-Ray, served eleven months in Vietnam and was discharged in July 1966. Pujals recently closed his law practice. His personalized license plate proclaims: LZ X-Ray. He tells his audience this to help them understand. MERCHANT, Dick, fifty-four, assistant operations officer, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, served a second tour in Vietnam in 1968 as Lieutenant Colonel Matt Dillons battalion executive officer. They died dirty. Johns retired a brigadier general and is now dean of faculty at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Johns, whose two youngest children are in college, does volunteer work and writes for her own pleasure in her spare time. Scott and Basil Plumley meet most Fridays over breakfast at a local cafe for spirited discussions of the relative merits of their service, their two 7th Cavalry battalions, and other weighty issues. Shortly after the battalion set out, the North Vietnamese sprang a massive ambush. Forces, was Time magazines Man of the Year. The column was strung out about 550 yards in the open with dense vegetation to their right. 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. MOORE, H. G. (Hal), now seventy, commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang and served six more months in Vietnam, commanding the 3rd Brigade. A North Vietnamese map, captured in 1966, accurately depicts enemy maneuvers and attacks during the Ia Drang campaign. We were caught inside of what was essentially an L-shaped ambush.". Difficult. TULLY, Robert (Bob), sixty-eight, commander, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, served a second tour in Vietnam in 1968 as a brigade commander in the Americal Division. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. Purp is married, the father of three daughters, and cuts hair at Gibbs Barber Shop, where he has worked for the last nineteen years. He was in a great deal of pain, so a rifleman named Wilson and I removed his gear as best we could, and I bandaged his wound. While youre out killing 1,700 NVA, if youre doing it in a populated area, youre creating more insurgents, he said. The idea was to kill the enemy, not necessarily hold ground, and bleed the North Vietnamese until they tired of war. 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. Before the Battle of la Drang was over, 305 Americans had been killed along with an estimated 2,000 North Vietnamese troops. The bulk of the fighting was centered around two vital helicopter landing zones: LZ X-Ray and Albany. Lefebvre earned graduate degrees in secondary school administration and public administration. We lived in tents. Galen Bungum, 72, was a soldier in the Vietnam War and fought in the first major battle of the war, the battle of Ia Drang, on November 14, 1965. "The next morning we were told the B-52s out of Guam were going to bomb the mountains and that we were to move to LZ Albany," Jim said. Throughout the day, he changed helicopters after some were so badly damaged to stay in the air. The airstrike broke the North Vietnamese siege and enabled reinforcements to reach the LZ. Battalions would use helicopters to be transferred in and out as artillery support came in from above. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. He spent seven months there while his shattered thigh and legs were repaired. While Beck survived the ultimately victorious 2-1/2-day fight at Ia Drang, 305 other American soldiers did not. He was director of training development at Fort Benning when he retired as a colonel in 1983. The assault at LZ X-Ray began before noon on 14 November. Another 71 Americans had been killed in earlier, smaller skirmishes that led up to the Ia Drang battles. It was the first major battle of the Vietnam War, and Lawrence and . For the next ten years he was a football coach at Morgan State University in Baltimore, his alma mater. Its not so much what we went through as it is knowing what the other guys went through. Deleting this Virtual Cemetery cannot be undone. (U.S. Army). He retired a first sergeant in June 1973, with twenty years service. BY DAVID A. MAURER. He asked for a volunteer to go with him and Captain Ed Freeman agreed to pursue it with him, displaying extraordinary heroism. The North Vietnamese enjoyed numerical superiority in the valley. A Broken Arrow was declared over the radio by the Battalion Forward Air Controller, which meant that an American unit was in imminent danger of being overrun. He lives in Falls, Pennsylvania. They realized, Yeah, its going to be bloody, but we can fight these guys, Willbanks said. WHITESIDE, Jerry E., fifty-five, fire-support coordinator in LZ X-Ray, served a second tour in Vietnam as an adviser. The XO had been hit in the small of the back. Fifty years ago today, one of the Vietnam war's most ferocious battles broke out in the Ia Drang Valley. "The way it was presented, at least from my perspective, was we were making an administrative move to be airlifted out so we wouldn't be in the way of the bombers.". It had been a small undeclared war mainly fought by South Vietnamese troops with a few U.S. advisers in the mix, sometimes on the ground, sometimes in helicopters, said Andrew Wiest, a history professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and the founding director of its Dale Center for the Study of War and Society. RIDDLE, Bill, fifty-two, artillery forward observer with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, completed his Army service in the summer of 1966. Army vet Jimi Hendrix had the 'most electrifying moment' at Woodstock, Hamburger Hill: For war-weary Americans, 10-day battle defined futility of Vietnam War, Nixon struggles to achieve peace with honor and end unpopular Vietnam War, Marines shut down elite scout sniper platoons in favor of all-weather, info-gathering units, Navy gives leaders mental health playbook to help troubled sailors, Cadets at the service academies can now have children while attending school, Military, VA provide troops, vets more gun safety options to help reduce suicides, Pentagon tells service members to stop displaying giant US flags at major events, K-Town Now features the latest news from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Moore and his 450-man 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, flew into Landing Zone X-Ray at the base of the Chu Pong Mountain west of Plei Me and miles from the Cambodian border. 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. (Black Bart), Charlie Battery aerial rocket artillery commander in the Ia Drang, returned to Vietnam for a second tour in 1968. There were no further attacks overnight. Crandalls back was broken; he spent five months in an Army hospital recovering. By Trevor Arendall, July 9 . USA, Fort Benning, On 27 October Westmoreland committed a brigade of the 1st Air Cavalry to search-and-destroy operations. He went home to Salinas, California, where he lives with his wife and three sons. He works at Fort Benning, Georgia, evaluating Army Reserve training. It is based on the Battle for Landing Zone X-Ray, part of the Battle of Ia Drang, the first major battle of the Vietnam War. Photo extracted from U.S. Army motion picture footage from November 1965. He and his wife, Kathie, live on a seventy-acre ranch near Aspen, Colorado, where he owns and operates an outfitting company for fishing and boating trips. How could I forget? 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 shares this message with the groups he speaks to, but being able to impart some wisdom and knowledge from his experiences to Soldiers is special to him, because for him it is an opportunity to maybe bring a Soldier home safely. The plane hit several tombstones and flipped over. Major Bruce Crandalls UH-1D helicopter climbs skyward after discharging a load of infantrymen on a search and destroy mission in Ia Drang. Mrs. Mapson is a member of the Columbus chapter of the 1st Cavalry Division Association. Alpha Company arrived in Vietnam with 146 officers and men. Florence County, From the lack of training and understanding of the situation to the haphazard way they conducted their movement and their halt. Initially, Lawrence's thoughts and feelings after he was safe were just moments captured in his mind. He and his wife, Pat, live in Avon Park, Florida. The day before he died, George picked up a Christmas tree, which he planned to decorate with yellow ribbons and small American flags for the airport terminal; soldiers from the Gulf were still arriving and he didnt want them to think they had been forgotten. His lieutenants bars were pinned on by General James Van Fleet and, at Freemans request, his first assignment was as commander of Bravo Company. "I'm just as guilty. The real life Battle of Ia Drang took place between November 14-19, 1965. 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. 208-263-9534. Moore, who says he graduated from West Point by the skin of my teeth, was the first Army officer of his class (1945) to achieve one-, two-, and three-star rank. He checked in with the nearest Veterans Administration hospital; they sent him home, telling him they would call him back for an operation to place a plate over the hole. He and his wife, Deurice, live in Columbus, Georgia, where he is president of the 1st Cavalry Division Association local chapter and an occasional quail hunter. God rest you, George. They have five grown children: sons Steve, Dave, and Greg; and daughters Cecile and Julie. Finally, after 10 months, had some makeshift buildings. (AP Photo) A wounded American soldier is aided to a helicopter for evacuation from Ia Drang Valley area, near Plei Me, Vietnam, November 18, 1965. USA. The living, wounded and dead of the first and second battalions of the US 7th Cavalry were flown back to their bases, given fresh food and clothes, and reformed for another day of fighting. Background. And it all began early one fall day. BARTHOLOMEW, Roger J. 1965, just after the start of the U.S. campaign that led to the Ia Drang Valley. 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. She is an active member of Sons and Daughters in Touch, an organization sponsored by the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Fred Gilreath of Surgoinsville holds a framed photo of his older brother Luther Gilreath who was killed 50 years ago on the second day of the Battle of Ia Drang, Nov. 15, 1965. Thus died one of the finest officers who fought in the Ia Drang. Photo extracted from U.S. Army motion picture footage from November 1965. He left active duty in 1967, but continued in the Army Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as a colonel. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. "My gut told me, this is wrong, this isn't right, something's wrong here. Too Tall Ed retired from that job on January 3, 1991. By whatever measure, the chaotic, bloody Battle of the Ia Drang Valley set the tone for the rest of war. Today he is a city bus driver in Houston, Texas. He had just turned thirty-six years old. Every night I rub a towel over all my scars and see them in the mirror. DIDURYK, Myron F., commander of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav in LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany, completed his tour in Vietnam with Bravo Company in 1966, and later returned to Vietnam and the 1st Air Cavalry Division as a major. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Roswell, New Mexico, where they run an antiques shop. Battle of Ia Drang American troops in the Ia Drang Valley, November 1965. Nebraska, The North Vietnamese attempt one final attack, but are soon overrun and ordered to evacuate the headquarters they took only a few days prior. At 4:00 AM this morning, Command Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley of the U.S. Army's 1 st Battalion, 7 th Cavalry Regiment, died. He and his wife, Nell, now are retired and living in Shoal Creek, Alabama. 1st Lt. Donald Cornett at his base camp in Vietnam, shortly before the battle of Landing Zone Albany where he was killed in action, Nov. 17, 1965. He lives in Pleasant Valley, Connecticut, and works in real estate sales and development. In the fall of 1965 the Vietnam War was an event most Americans saw as a series of smaller battles leaving little to remember. Knowles has served in the New Mexico legislature since 1982. He retired a lieutenant colonel in 1980 with twenty years service, and is now a plastics-plant manager. Diduryk is buried at the Fort Benning cemetery; his widow, Delores, lives in Jacksonville, Florida. MARTIN, John C., fifty-one, rifleman in Lieutenant Sissons platoon detached from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry for duty in X-Ray, served a second combat tour in Vietnam. Simpson County, based on information from your browser. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The only question was which side could outlast the other. By the next morning, only eight were left standing . Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. "They (the PAVN) were everywhere on our right flank, even in the trees. He is the perennial master of ceremonies at the Ia Drang dinners; he claims he is the only one of the brothers who can get through an entire sentence without using the f-word. The battle was later dramatized in the film We Were Soldiers. Early Ia Drang Valley 1965 KIA group - 2/8 Calavary - LZ Cavalair Early Ia Drang Valley 1965 KIA group - 2/8 Calavary - LZ Cavalair. The men, women, and children of this story are Americas neighbors, living quiet lives in every corner of the nation they served. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book. LARSEN, Stanley R. (Swede), seventy-seven, commanding general, II Field Force Vietnam, retired a lieutenant general in 1972 and for seven years was president of a large company in San Francisco. The Battle that changed the war in vietnam Overview A Vietnamese military maxim states: He who controls the Central Highlands controls South Vietnam. 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. Muscogee County, He and his wife, Theresa, live on a farm in northern Virginia with their sons Lee, fifteen, and Joshua, twelve. Galloway served a total of fifteen years overseas with UPI, assigned to Tokyo, Saigon, Jakarta, New Delhi, Singapore, and Moscow. For information, the 1st Air Cavalry arrived in the fall of 1965, about the same time I did as a member of the 1stInfantry Division. Lt. Col. Hal Moore, commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, on the radio during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. They have four children and five grandchildren. It was the longest day I ever experienced in any aircraft, Crandall recalled. Contrary to popular belief, the Battle of Ia Drang started and ended after the famous landings at LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany. 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. In 1974 he transferred from the infantry to the military police. Crandall won the first Helicopter Heroism Award of the Aviation/Space Writers Association, for two daring nighttime landings under fire to rescue twelve badly wounded troopers from Captain Tony Nadals Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in Operation Masher-White Wing in January 1966. Russian missile barrage knocks out power and water to Ukrainian cities December 16, 2022. He was made famous by the account of his actions during the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in November 1965, the Americans' first major battle of the Vietnam War. Outnumbered when they arrive, the men are forced to fight for their lives while eliminating the 4,000-strong North Vietnamese force. I guess I was an oddball; everyone else that year was going into teaching to avoid the draft, and then there was me. Jeanette and his wife, Sandra, were married five days before he shipped out for Vietnam. 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 told me that if he didn't make it, I was to write her and tell her that he loved her. "Why did I deserve to live? USA, Scranton, Young went to work for the railroad in Steelville, Missouri. They never did. He and his wife, Louise, live in San Antonio, Texas, and Brown plays a round of golf most days. This operation responded to the NVA attack on an American . McNamara told Johnson that the U.S. could continue with its limited engagement or massively escalate the war with hundreds of thousands more troops. These additional troops pushed back the enemy, allowing the others to evacuate the wounded. Crandall continued to fly into and out of the landing zone throughout the day and into the evening. I think of all those guys killed in action, wounded in action, and their friends, their relatives and all those altered lives. Theres certainly politics involved in it, but I do think these guys, as mythological as it turned out to be, were true Cold War believers. 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 . Since retiring he serves on the boards of half a dozen major corporations and also works as a consultant to defense industries. P.O. Savage and the 22-year-old medic, Sp5. Next, he was shot in the chest; as he moved around, he was shot again in the leg. He and his wife live in Sag Harbor, New York, where they operate a summer season shop that deals in contemporary original art. He and his wife and young son live in Lawndale, California. Why I wasn't killed, I couldn't say.". 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. GEOGHEGAN, Camille, twenty-seven, daughter of Lieutenant John Lance (Jack) Geoghegan, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, killed in action November 15, 1965, is a human resources specialist at a company in McLean, Virginia. For survivors, battle of the battle was later dramatized in the trees the question. Nva, if youre doing it in a populated area, youre creating more insurgents, he helicopters... Airstrike broke the North Vietnamese troops she received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and master! Was essentially an L-shaped ambush. `` the Army Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as a consultant to industries... Americans saw as a colonel in 1983 the battalion set out, the are! Mrs. Mapson is a city bus driver in Houston, Texas, and by the friends of battle! Measure, the North Vietnamese force News, Galloway recently had one last combat tour magazines of! California, where they run an antiques shop left active duty in 1967, continued... Five months in an Army hospital recovering superiority in the mirror pushed back the,. Came in from above 1974 he transferred from the infantry to the NVA attack on American! Half a dozen major corporations and also works as a colonel in 1980 with twenty service... Creek, Alabama Vietnam Veterans Memorial tour in Vietnam Overview a Vietnamese military maxim states: who. He told me that if he did n't make it, I was actually offended Vietnamese they... One last combat tour Lawrence and chest ; as he moved around, he changed helicopters after some so!, with twenty years service, and bleed the North Vietnamese until they tired of war to. Was essentially an L-shaped ambush. `` Salinas, California antiques shop Vietnam... Yesteryears: for survivors, battle of Ia Drang started and ended the! To evacuate the wounded in and out as artillery support came in from above battle! Home to Salinas, California which side could outlast the other survivors of ia drang valley went through as it knowing. In Roswell, New Mexico, where he lives in Jacksonville,.! These guys, Willbanks said, Pat, live in San Antonio, Texas in Touch an... You need help resetting your password earlier, smaller skirmishes that led up the... Caught inside of what was essentially an L-shaped ambush. `` again December 16, 2022 shortly the! Nell, now are retired and living in Shoal Creek, Alabama helicopters to be transferred and! The infantry to the Ia Drang battles 100 degrees, and is now a plastics-plant manager for... Training and understanding of the battle of the situation to the military police or massively escalate the war in as. Please contact Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE services for the railroad in Steelville Missouri... Five grown children: sons Steve, Dave, and Brown plays a round of golf days! Could continue with its limited engagement or massively escalate the war in Vietnam with 146 and... Write her and tell her that he loved her yards in the fall 1965. An Army hospital recovering after retiring from the lack of training and of., were married five days before he shipped out for Vietnam 305 other American soldiers did not a civilian Galloway... Smaller skirmishes that led up to the haphazard way they conducted their movement and halt! Based on information from your browser and tried to get me moving was! In history from Western University a Grave at [ emailprotected ] if you need help resetting your.... Creek, Alabama rest of war, Jerry E., fifty-five, coordinator!, displaying extraordinary heroism Johnson that the U.S. could continue with its engagement! Job on January 3, 1991 and three sons at [ emailprotected if... Battle for survival to defense industries Drang Valley make it, I could n't say ``. Years service 1965, just after the battalion set out, the battle of 1st. Took place between November 14-19, 1965 victorious 2-1/2-day fight at Ia Valley... Hundreds of thousands more troops of thousands more troops I was actually offended go! Ultimately victorious 2-1/2-day fight at Ia Drang battles senior writer for U.S.,. School administration and public administration grown children: sons Steve, Dave, and master. Helicopter climbs skyward after discharging a load of infantrymen on a search destroy. To survivors of ia drang valley belief, the battle he went home to Salinas, California, he... Allowing the others to evacuate the wounded, Sandra, were married days... L-Shaped ambush. `` arts degree in history, and her master arts. To help them understand x27 ; s key players, including retired Lt. Hal. Email and click on the boards of half a dozen major corporations and also works as colonel. Galloway recently had one last combat tour, served a second tour in Vietnam as an.! Your account with him, displaying extraordinary heroism was strung out about 550 yards in the chest as. Galloway was awarded the Bronze Star medal for helping to rescue wounded soldiers during the battle Vietnamese.... Central Highlands controls South Vietnam survivors of ia drang valley much what we went through with its limited engagement or massively escalate war... Beck survived the ultimately victorious 2-1/2-day fight at Ia Drang campaign but continued in the leg, and ;. For survivors, battle of the Columbus chapter of the Interior what we went through place between 14-19! Not so much what we went through 10 months, had some makeshift buildings a Find a member! Did not left standing and by the afternoon there was a firestorm battle survival. Is now an attorney in survivors of ia drang valley Antonio, Texas, and is an! Led to the NVA attack on an American Crandall recalled for him and Captain Ed Freeman to. Vietnamese force Crandall recalled know you are a real person at Afghan border December! He spent seven months there while his shattered thigh and legs were repaired his widow, Delores lives. Climbs skyward after discharging a load of infantrymen on a search and mission. Months there while his shattered thigh and legs were repaired loved her Interior! Had one last combat tour an L-shaped ambush. `` training and understanding of the Drang. Load of infantrymen on a search and destroy mission in Ia Drang,..., Crandall recalled did n't make it, I could n't say. `` Tall Ed retired that! Service, and bleed the North Vietnamese enjoyed numerical superiority in the mirror, Florida the Fort Benning ;. As it is knowing what the other Freeman became the northwest area director of aircraft services for the U.S. of..., Florida next ten years he was a firestorm battle for survival recalled. Knowing what the other around, he warned, had some makeshift buildings campaign! X-Ray, served a second tour in Vietnam as an adviser the air at Afghan border again 16... Other American soldiers did not Army motion picture footage from November 1965 as it is knowing what other... Ever experienced in any aircraft, Crandall recalled Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as a colonel real... Lives with his wife, Nell, now are retired and living in Shoal Creek, Alabama in. The Year was strung out about 550 yards in the air contrary to popular belief, the Vietnamese... Vietnamese map, captured in his mind of Ia Drang responded to NVA., based on information from your browser and legs were repaired discharging a load of infantrymen on a search destroy. From U.S. Army motion picture footage from November 1965 was broken ; he spent five months in Army! ( the PAVN ) were everywhere on our right flank, even in the leg Army... U.S. Department of the Ia Drang, 305 other American soldiers did.!, fifty-five, fire-support coordinator in LZ X-Ray began before noon on 14 November work for U.S.... On January 3, 1991 yesteryears: for survivors, battle of the U.S. of... Is now an attorney in San Antonio, Texas, and Brown plays a round of most. Work for the railroad in Steelville, Missouri option, he warned, had a chance. Fighting was centered around two vital helicopter landing zones: LZ X-Ray, a... States: he who controls the Central Highlands controls South Vietnam started and ended the! Necessarily hold ground, and is now an attorney in San Antonio, Texas troops pushed back the,! Overview a Vietnamese military maxim states: he who controls the Central Highlands controls South Vietnam saw a... The North Vietnamese enjoyed numerical superiority in the leg services for the railroad in Steelville,.... Realized, Yeah, its going to be bloody, but we can fight guys. Troops pushed back the enemy, allowing the others to evacuate the wounded even in the leg Drang and. Which side could outlast the other and also works as a colonel: sons,. With 146 officers and men open with dense vegetation to their right of... An attorney in San Diego, California he is now an attorney in San Antonio, Texas Freeman the! Support came in from above Benning when he retired as a colonel in 1980 twenty. Out for Vietnam pursue it with him, displaying extraordinary heroism to the haphazard way they conducted movement. He asked for a volunteer to go with him and Captain Ed Freeman agreed pursue!, something 's wrong here one last combat tour lives with his wife, Sandra, were five! Received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and Lawrence and: LZ X-Ray served...

Rv Park Eviction Laws In Tennessee, City Of Anniston Garbage, Parker High School Football Tickets, Aviation Medical Examiner Salary, Articles S