The 173rd Airborne Brigade

`Bout OurCompany

The Company “C” 1/503rd Boys

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The Boys of { Charlie Company..

3/503d To LTC Berke

    Lieutenant Colonel Henry H. Berke Jr, has assumed Command of the 503d Infantry. The 37 year old Colonel replaced LTC George E. Fisher Jr during ceremonies at Bao Loc, where the 3rd Battalion has been located since July with Task Force South. A 1952 graduate of Virginia Military Institute in Lexington Va, Colonel Berke is a native of Southampton, Bermuda. He currently makes his home in Fairfax Va, with his wife Irene and 7 children. Prior to coming to Vietnam, Colonel Berke worked in the Office of the Chief of Research and Development in Washington DC. He was previously assigned to the Alaskan Command (UJARAL) as an Operations Officer. In accepting his new command, Colonel Berke noted that it was a considerable privilege to receive a command in a unit with the outstanding reputation of the 173d Airborne Brigade.

3/503d Kill 45 Enemy

   BAO LOC— Mortar-men and Infantrymen from the 3d Battalion, 503d Infantry aided by Dusters and 155m Howitzers from supporting Artillery units recently killed 45 enemy in repulsing a Battalion-sized attack on a Fire Support Base near Di Lihn about 21 miles southwest of DaLat.

   A fierce rocket and mortar barrage began the four-hour early morning battle and was followed by repeated ground attacks. One Platoon of Alpha Company and the Dusters on the perimeter plus the husky Howitzers firing direct fire stopped the enemy from over-running the perimeter.

   Accurate counter-mortar fire from the two 4.2 inch and the one 81mm Mortar crews of Echo Company prevented enemy gun crews from knocking out their desired targets, the Howitzers.

   All three crews continued humping ammunition and firing their guns even when incoming rounds were exploding all around and the enemy broke through part of the perimeter said Sergeant Mark Migliore of Wilmington, Delaware.

      "After some initial shots, we began exchanging heavy fire," said Smith. "A grenade landed right in front of me. I yelled, rolled over, got a bead on the guy who threw it and zapped him with my M16." Savage fire continued from the entrenched enemy position, and Echo moved back to call in helicopter gunships.
    The NVA attempted to confuse the Chopper Pilots by dropping smoke grenades. The airstrikes nevertheless scattered the ambush platoon. "After the strikes, we moved in and took the positions," said Smith.

                   TUY HOA, RVN- Operation Bolling claimed 368 enemy dead in four and a half months of fighting here as the Sky Soldiers maintained the momentum of their attack into areas controlled by the Viet Cong and NVA.
  Fifty-five enemy were killed in a major battle December 27 to help push the body count over the 300 mark.
  Another of the largest actions of the operation occurred during the 'Tet Holidays' when Paratroopers of the 4th Battalion, 503d Infantry reacted to a request to assist C Battery, 6th Battalion Artillery in defending their fire support base early on January 30. Elements of the Battalion were lifted into the area where they made contact with an unknown size NVA unit. As the battle progressed, air strikes and artillery hammered the communist soldiers. The enemy broke contact late in the night.
  The next morning elements of the Battalion moved to Tuy Hoa Airfield. Shortly after, a gunship located an NVA Platoon in a nearby village. The Paratroopers swept the area, making heavy contact several times during the day.
  During the bitter fighting Sky Soldiers reported killing 77 communist soldiers and capturing 7 small arms. The Airborne Infantrymen suffered 16 killed.
  In addition to destroying the enemy on the battlefields the Sky Soldiers also denied them large stores of food. Twenty three thousand pounds of rice and 2,600 pounds of salt have been captured during Operation Bolling.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade became the first U.S Army

 Ground combat unit committed to the defense of

South Vietnam… Under The 4^th Infantry Command.

There, further organizational changes took place.

     Attached to the Brigade in Vietnam were:

The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, the Prince of Wales Light Horse Troop, a battery of the Royal Australian, Artillery, the 161st Royal New Zealand Artillery Battery, and Company “A” of the 82d Aviation Battalion.

  In addition, the necessary intelligence, transportation, chemical and signal detachments were added to round the Brigade into a full-fledged fighting Airborne Force!

                       The Brigade and attached units have continually distinguished themselves as fierce fighters on the battlefields of Vietnam, and just as importantly, they have assisted in the extensive civic action programs which have aided the South Vietnamese people to gain a better life and to bolster their confidence for a future of peace and progress. Their assistance programs included medical assistance, support of orphanages, distribution of food and clothing, construction and repair of churches, schools, roads, and even the constructor of wells.

My year, 1969 marked the beginning of the end

for the Vietnam War, at least for most  U.S. troops.

President Nixon announced the first withdrawals of

American combat units as enemy effectiveness dwindled

and Vietnamese forces grew increasingly pro?ficient at

handling the fighting alone. Appropriately, the year also

brought a significantly new mission for the 173rd Airborne

Brigade, which arrived in Vietnam in May 1965 as the first

           U.S. Army combat unit in the war.

On April 15, the Brigade stopped chasing the Viet Cong

and NorthVietnamese Army troops in large scale search

and clear Combat operations and began the support of

the Vietnamese Government’s “Pacification program” in

the four districts of northern Binh Dinh Province.

The goal:

 Help bring all of the area’s 300,000 people under  government control. 

 And the Brigade prepared to stay.

Battle hardened Paratroopers

seemed un?likely soldiers for the pacification mission.

In four years of fighting in Vietnam, 173rd Sky Soldiers

had shed a lot of blood and sweat as they fought the

Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army in the jungles

near Bien Hoa, in The Iron Triangle, on the bloody

slopes at Dak To in the highlands, near rice-rich Tuy Hoa

and on the fertile Bong Son coastal plains.

By Spring 1969, the time seemed ripe for a

Large scale pacification effort in northern Binh Dinh

Province where the Brigade had been operating for a

year.   In February, Brigadier General John W. Barnes,

173rd Commanding General, had observed, “It’s no

longer a big unit war.   We’ve forced the enemy to

fragment his forces to avoid detection.  And in turn,

we have done like?wise and gone after him, saturating

the areas he once could call his own, meeting him on his

own terms, ferreting him out and destroying him.  Of

course, this has put a great responsibility on the small

unit leader.    It has become a

squad and platoon leader’s war, and they are

doing a fine job.”

Early in February, the Brigade ended three long-term

operations in Binh Dinh Province.   Besides accounting for

nearly 2,000 enemy killed, one result of these operations

was security of highway QL-19 between An Khe and the

important port of Qui Nhon, paving the way for the

eventual move of the Brigade’s 4th Bat?talion, 503d

Infantry and 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry (Mechanized)

from An Khe area to the coastal plains Area Bong Son.

Three other operations, characterized by successful

small unit Hawk operations, began im?mediately and

continued until the begin?ning of Operation Washington-Green,

the Pacification mission, on April 15.

In May, the 173rd Support Battalion moved from An Khe

to the Phu Tai and Cha Rang Valleys near Qui Nhon.

At the outset of Washington-Green, General Barnes

emphasized that the Brigade would no longer be pre-

occupied with chasing and killing enemy troops in

unpopulated jungle and mountain areas.

Security was the name of the game.   Combined

Vietnamese and 173rd forces moved into key hamlets or set up nearby, providing a protective screen behind which government agencies initiated pacification programs to improve local economies, standards of living, and most important, to develop awareness of the Saigon government among the villagers.

The four districts that made up the Brigade’s

area of operation lie about 280 miles northeast of Saigon.

In the coastal lowlands, bordered on the east by white

sandy beaches and rocky cliffs, shallow water fishing

supports the economy.   Further inland, just beyond the

first range of low forested mountains, rice farming is the

basic occupation.    Still farther west, toward the Cambodian

border, lie thickly forested and sparsely populated mountains,

where the enemy has located his largest base areas.

Members of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Salkehatchie Chapter 828, in Barnwell, SC, which, includes several Nam Alumni of

“ Contact Charlie “, 1^st Battalion 503^rd Infantry, Headhunter Platoon, 1968-1969,

have mounted a UH-1H Huey on a pod, suspended 12 feet in the air.

The chopper tail number 17338, served with The Herd in 1968-69.

      The chopper is located at the newly designed Veterans Memorial Park in Barnwell, SC. VVA chapter 828 is developing the Veterans Memorial Park. The Helicopter Project, the centerpiece of the park, is being led by Members of C/1/503^rd.

     This is the first UH-1H Huey mounted in SC and The Veterans Memorial Park will be one of the largest in the state.

Chopper17338 was named “ The Jefferson Airplane “ by members of “ The 92^nd Assault Helicopter Company”, one of the aviation groups that supported The Herd in Nam.

Presently the Landing Zone is being developed and will be completed during 2004 with dedication of tail number 17338 on Memorial Day 2005. The Landing Zone will be made of Brick Pavers over a concrete slab area 30 feet by 30 feet. The walkways approaching The Landing Zone will have Engraved brick pavers in Memory and Honor of Veterans. 

       Chopper #17338 also supported The 101^st Airborne, 5^th Special Forces, 199^th Light Infantry Brigade, and The 4^th Infantry Division.

Herd Members have challenged Veterans of Other Units supported by #17338 that we will position more Herd Bricks at the landing Zone than any other Unit. We need ALL HERD MEMBERS to help support us in this effort! Many Herd Bricks have already been bought for Alumni of Our Units, Living and In Memory of Our Deceased and KIA in Vietnam.

       Members of C/1/503^rd Headhunter Platoon, C/2/503^rd, and C/4/503^rd will also purchase one of over 200 Palmetto (Palm) Trees in the Veterans Memorial Park , and A Plaque that will read:

“In Memory of Our KIA/MIA, 173^rd Airborne Brigade, Vietnam.”

The cost of the Palmetto trees are $500.00 each. The cost of The Brick pavers in Honor of Memory of Veterans is $75.00 each. For those Herd Alumini and family that would like to support our Herd efforts, please keep the number of letters to around 35 or less!

       Checks can be made payable To: The Vietnam Veterans of America-Chapter 828 and mailed to the following Address: 1520 Reedy Branch Road, Barnwell, South Carolina- 29812, C/O Eddie Hair.

 Additional information is available by contacting Eddie Hair @ 803-259-2224 or by E-mail to Eddiehair@bellsouth.net, Or Richard Geer @ 603-357-2741 or E-mail to rgeer@ne.rr.com.

       Chopper #17338 can be viewed Here or on a Brother Web-site:

The 92^nd Assault Helicopter Co. @ http:www.stallion505.homestead.com/home.html  

“Stallions and Sidekicks.”

STALLION 67-17338 Stallion 338 served with the 92nd Assault Helicopter Company from July 1968 until January 1969.  During those 6 months, it flew 539 hours with the unit. Chapter 828, Vietnam Veterans of America acquired the aircraft in 2002 and members have been diligently restoring it to prime condition. 338, Named " Jefferson Airplane," was mounted in its final resting place in Barnwell, SC on May 17, 2003.  A formal dedication ceremony is planned for Memorial Day 2005.

 

 

DEDICATION OF SIDEKICK # 741

UH-1C, 65-12741, logged 1,261 combat flight hours as a Sidekick from November 1968 thru September 1970.  The picture`s below were taken by Chapter 798, Vietnam Veterans of America when they accepted ownership from the US Army.

 741 has landed at LZ LIBERTY !!!!!!!

Sidekick 65-12741 was dedicated as a memorial to the Vietnam War at 10:00 AM, Saturday, May 24, 2003.   The aircraft is on permanent display in front of the Museum at Ft. Stewart, Georgia.

Chapter 789, Vietnam Veterans of America, restored 741

and painted it with markings that were used by the unit in 1968.

“ The 92^nd Assault Helicopter Company”

To more Joe Kline Paintings!

Combat Operations:

  During the years

1968 t0 1969,

            The 173rd Airborne Battalion,

1st of The 503rd Infantry

Participated in

Many Major Combat Operations

and numerous missions, deserving them

courage, commitment and The Character

that each Sky Soldier from The Herd represented,

and With that, the   Respect  We

All Earned.

These are some of Those

“ Sky Soldiers”

~The HeadHunters~

      Wayne Barnet  April 28, 2oo3   /   Donahue, March, 2oo3

 Superb Sky Soldier`s,  courageous leader`s. For this They have our utmost respect and admiration.   When your time`s came, Paratrooper`s You were, both stood up, Hooked up, Stood in The Door and when the green light came on you jumped to the greatest LZ of All, God`s Landing Zone.

 May God Bless You and KeeP You.

“ ContactCharlie “

spent plenty of Time in The Vietnam Jungles. Accordingly, we would spend sixty to ninety days out on Hawk Patrols or Village sweeps and then we would get about a week of stand down time in our secure area`s, where we rested up and partied… if we had no duty`s to report to. Then it was Back to the seriousness of The Jungles and death again for another ninty days!

I Am the Flag of the Unites States of America

                                 My name is Old Glory.
                                 I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
                                I stand watch in America's halls of justice.
                                 I fly majestically over institutions of
learning.
                                 I stand guard with power in the  world.
                                 Look up and see me.
                                
                                I stand for peace, honor, truth and  justice.
                                I stand for freedom.
                                I am confident.
                                I am arrogant.
                                I am   proud.
                                
                                When I am flown with my fellow banners,
                                My head is a little  higher,
                                My colors a little truer.
                                
                                I bow to no one!
                                I am recognized  all over the world.
                                I am worshipped - I am saluted.
                                I am loved - I am  revered.
                                I am respected - and I am feared.
                                
                                I have fought in every battle

                                of every war

                                for more then 200 years.


                                I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg,
Shiloh anAppamatox.
                               I was there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France,

                                in the Argonne Forest,

                                Anzio, Rome and the beaches of  Normandy.
                               Guam, Okinawa, Korea and
                               KheSan, Saigon, Vietnam know me.
                                I was  there.
                               
                                 I led my troops, I was dirty, battleworn and tired,

                                But my soldiers  cheered me and I was proud.
                                
                                I have been burned, torn and trampled on the
                               streets of countries I have helped set free.
                                It does not hurt for I am  invincible.
                               
                                I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and
                                trampled in the streets of my own country.
                                And when it's done by those
                                whom I've served in battle - it  hurts.
                               
                                 But I shall overcome - for I am strong.
                                
                               I have slipped the  bonds of Earth and
                              stood watch over the  uncharted frontiers of
space from my  vantage point on the moon.           
                               
                               
                                 I have borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours.

                                But my finest hours are yet to come.
                                
                                When I am torn  into strips and used as bandages for my
           
                               wounded    comrades on the   battlefield,
                                When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier,

                                Or when I  lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent

                               at the grave of their fallen son or daughter,
                                I am proud.

I Am the Flag of the Unites States Of America.

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