The North Vietnamese Army starts with the most flags but to combat this the 7th Cavalry Regiment has superior airpower meaning that the USA can quickly insert and extract players into and out of flags. Today he lives in Riverside, Rhode Island, is in the photo business, and is active in veterans affairs. SMITH, Jack P., forty-seven, returned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry after his wounds healed, and completed his tour. In the fall of 1965 the Vietnam War was an event most Americans saw as a series of smaller battles leaving little to remember. He teaches physical and earth sciences at Venice High School, Los Angeles, California. ADAMS, Russell, fifty-one, machine gunner, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, helps run the family dairy farm on five hundred acres outside Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania. He worked an additional fifteen years as a civilian employee at Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia, and retired again in 1990. . PARKER, Neal G., a Naval Academy graduate who transferred to the U.S. Army and was a Huey pilot in Bravo Company 229th in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel after thirty years service. TANNER, Ray, forty-nine, radio operator, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, returned home to South Carolina in April 1966 and went to work for a utility company in Charleston. On February 26, 2007, President George W. Bush presented Crandall with the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Ia Drang Valley. He would recover after some physical therapy and return to duty in 1966 to finish his tour. He added a masters degree in Latin American studies to his M.A. WINTER, Pete, fifty-one, rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, was discharged in December 1965. 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. He lives in Columbus, Georgia, and is a serious collector of firearms and active in a local shooting club. Search above to list available cemeteries. (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. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Roswell, New Mexico, where they run an antiques shop. The North Vietnamese regulars, young men who had been drafted into the military much as the young American men had been, had paid a much higher price to test the newcomers to an old fight: an estimated 3,561 of them had been killed, and thousands more wounded, in the 34-day Ia Drang campaign. JOHNS, Barbara Geoghegan, fifty, widow of Lieutenant John Lance (Jack) Geoghegan of the 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, killed in action in X-Ray, married Lieutenant Colonel John Johns in 1969. USA, Mendenhall, Lt. Don Cornett along with 154 Troopers from 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment were killed in the Ia Drang Valley, Nov. 17, 1965, at a small clearing known as Landing Zone Albany. About 80 U.S. soldiers were killed, 124 wounded, in the first two days of the fight. On March 2, 1969, thirty-two-year-old Buse Tully was killed in action. McNamara told Johnson that the U.S. could continue with its limited engagement or massively escalate the war with hundreds of thousands more troops. (U.S. Army). It was a battle between one US division and three NVA regiments. He retired a colonel in 1983. This praise is largely due to the heavy emphasis director Randall Wallace put on ensuring what he created was as accurate to the real events of the Battle of Ia Drang as possible. The survivors of Landing Zone X-Ray have always had an aura of fame about them. He is married and the father of two daughters. They have a son and two daughters. Although the fighting had ended, the Battle of Ia Drang didnt officially conclude until the next day, as it took two days to collect the bodies. Little did Beck and his companions know they were about to make history in America's first large scale battle of the Vietnam War. You can always change this later in your Account settings. FREEMAN, Ed (Too Tall to Fly), sixty-five, Bruce Crandalls wingman, retired a major in 1967 after twenty-one years Army service. He earned a doctorate in education and is personnel director for the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Georgia in Athens. He went home to Murphysboro, Illinois. These men survived the fighting in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam from Oct 23, 1965 to Nov 1965. He won a National Magazine Award for his October 29, 1990, cover article on the Ia Drang battles. Their mission was to find and kill the enemy. In 2016, he joined a panel of Ia Drang survivors at the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, Ga., to share their experiences with both young and seasoned officers and noncommissioned officers. Now a senior writer for U.S. News, Galloway recently had one last combat tour. LOSE, Charles R., the medic of the Lost Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, has dropped out of sight. A battalion of the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division was ambushed while marching from the jungle clearing where the Ia Drang Valley fighting started on November 14, 1965. His old company commander, John Herren, and all the survivors of the Lost Platoon believe that Charles Lose should have been awarded the Medal of Honor that they recommended for him. They saved some 70 soldiers. I fought for this country and now I own and farm 120 acres of my country. For the last twenty-two years he has worked for the North Bergen, N.J., fire department. The battle of Ia Drang was an engagement of the Vietnam War. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. Alpha Company arrived in Vietnam with 146 officers and men. He and his wife, Theresa, live on a farm in northern Virginia with their sons Lee, fifteen, and Joshua, twelve. Every night I rub a towel over all my scars and see them in the mirror. EDWARDS, Robert, fifty-four, commander of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, served a second tour in Vietnam as an adviser. Moderate. 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. He assumed that like the French, the Americans would tire of seeing their young men coming home in body bags. 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. It was the signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit. Lt. Don Cornett, along with 154 troopers from 2/7 Cav, were killed in the Ia Drang Valley at a small clearing known as Landing Zone Albany. MORENO, Frank, copilot in Ed Too Tall Freemans Huey in X-Ray, retired a chief warrant officer-4 after more than twenty years service. Enlisted men may scoff at officers back in the billets but when the fighting begins, the men automatically become dependent upon them. Initially, Lawrence's thoughts and feelings after he was safe were just moments captured in his mind. A young United Press International reporter, Joseph Galloway, became the only civilian decorated for gallantry during the war, awarded a Bronze Star with V device for valor for carrying a wounded soldier off the battlefield under intense fire. It was the first major combat action between U.S. ground forces and the North Vietnamese Army. He was evacuated, via Clark Field, to Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley, fought November 14th-18th, 1965, was the first major engagement between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (abbreviated as PAVN). When he retired, Howard moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he works as a consultant in emergency-management planning. 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. Bob Edwards saying that these were the stripes Paolone earned at LZ X-Ray but never got. He retired in 1990. 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. Douglas County, Her research focused on military, environmental, and Canadian history with a specific focus on the Second World War. He is a consultant to industries seeking defense business. ), provided the authors with a copy of Diduryks journal and maps for this book. CANTU, Vincent, fifty-one, mortarman, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, left the Ia Drang battlefield and immediately rotated home for discharge, two weeks late, in December 1965. He lives in Washington, D.C. SPIRES, James W., operations officer, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a lieutenant colonel in 1976 and owns and operates his own industrial representational firm. He didn't know that he was the one in charge at that time. LZ Albany is essentially two clearings with a large copse of trees in the middle. Scott says: On the boat going to Vietnam I bet Plumley a case of beer I would be wounded first, and that I would be home for Christmas. I think this battle pushes Johnson further into Westmorelands corner. I think of all those guys killed in action, wounded in action, and their friends, their relatives and all those altered lives. His lieutenants bars were pinned on by General James Van Fleet and, at Freemans request, his first assignment was as commander of Bravo Company. The Ia Drang Valley is where the U.S. truly went to war. "Survivor's guilt is something that most people who have seen combat, seen friends die, deal with almost daily," Lawrence said. He and his wife, Arlene, have three sonsa banker in Sao Paulo, Brazil; a lawyer in Connecticut; and a divinity student in college. He single-handedly raised five young children and earned a doctorate, retiring a lieutenant colonel after twenty years service. He and his wife, Louise, live in San Antonio, Texas, and Brown plays a round of golf most days. Deleting this Virtual Cemetery cannot be undone. Although he was a civilian, Galloway was awarded the Bronze Star medal for helping to rescue wounded soldiers during the battle. He and his wife have two teenage children. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. Of Mrs. Mapsons five brothers, three served in the Army, one made a career in the Air Force, and one is a lawyer. SUGDINIS, Joel E., fifty-five, who had already served one tour in Vietnam as an adviser, completed his second tour with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Companies C and D took the brunt of the Communist attack, and most of the men were quickly hit. U.S. airpower lifted the siege and drove back the North Vietnamese. Difficult. 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. Since I cant have that, I would like a job working as closely with the Army as possible. He is married and the father of four children. Absent was an effective plan for winning over the civilian population caught in the crossfire, said James Willbanks, a Vietnam veteran who is the director of the Department of Military History at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Westmoreland, a veteran of World War II in Europe, declared Ia Drang a victory because the North Vietnamese were driven from the field after suffering major casualties. A bitter conclusion to the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley came soon afterward, when Gen. Westmoreland told the 2nd Battalion survivors that they had achieved "a great victory over the Communists from the North." (U.S. Army), This strategy, as flawed as it was, had some potentiality of working, Wiest, the historian, said. He was evacuated, badly wounded, on January 5, 1970, after serving four years, eight months, and ten days in Vietnam. He was paralyzed. The battle was part of a campaign for control of the strategic central highlands, which divided South Vietnam north to south. His twelve-year-old granddaughter recently interviewed Ray about his experiences in Vietnam and wrote a school essay she titled: My Grandfather: An American Hero.. It would remain the U.S. militarys single bloodiest day in Vietnam through the entire war. He did not know at the time that his friend, Don Cornett, had died. He died less than 100 yards from where his best friend lay wounded. They are representative of the more than three million Americans who served the United States of America in its long and bitter war in Vietnam, representative of those who loved one of the more than 58,000 Americans who died in that war. He and his wife, Pat, live in Avon Park, Florida. He and his wife live in Phoenix, Arizona. Freeman reconstituted the unit and led it back up Pork Chop. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. Two men - Sgt. At various times in recent years he has been reported to be either employed or a patient in VA hospitals in Mississippi and Alabama. The idea was to kill the enemy, not necessarily hold ground, and bleed the North Vietnamese until they tired of war. A miserly, ungrateful Veterans Administration ruled that Shadden was only thirty percent disabled. He asked for a volunteer to go with him and Captain Ed Freeman agreed to pursue it with him, displaying extraordinary heroism. Since August 1990, he has been the dean of students and basketball coach at St. Mary Rynken Catholic High School in Leonardtown, Maryland, his hometown. DUNCAN, Ken, fifty-three, executive officer of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, left the Army in August 1966, and returned to his hometown of Thomaston, Georgia, where he works with a textile-manufacturing company. Surprisingly, Adams, Beck's buddy who was shot in the head, was among the. The location of the battle, far into the jungle from any roads, meant troops had to be airlifted in. 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. Word reached the battalion traveling to Columbus, who sent Bravo Company back to Albany to serve as reinforcements. 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. 1965, just after the start of the U.S. campaign that led to the Ia Drang Valley. JEMISON, Robert, Jr., sixty-one, platoon sergeant, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, retired as a sergeant first class in 1976, after twenty-four years service. Spec. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Dillon is a scratch golfer who does his best to get in eighteen holes every day, even if it means a drive downslope to find a course that isnt closed on account of snow in the Colorado winter. SAVAGE, Ernie, forty-eight, the fourth man to inherit command of Lieutenant Henry Herricks 2nd Platoon, the Lost Platoon of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at LZ X-Ray, retired a sergeant first class in 1982 after twenty years active duty. The only question was which side could outlast the other. 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. 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. The Ia Drang Valley is the place the U.S. really went to warfare. The battle was later dramatized in the film We Were Soldiers. 'Can't you see I'm dying?' 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. Lt. Don Cornett along with 154 Troopers from 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment were killed in the Ia Drang Valley, Nov. 17, 1965, at a small clearing known as Landing Zone Albany. After years of advising the South Vietnamese against the communist North, and months of chasing black-clad guerrillas, a large formation of American troops faced well-trained, well-equipped regulars of the Peoples Army of Vietnam. With only 700 effective soldiers left of the original 2,200, the 33d Regiment needed help. The last time he talked to Herren, Lose said, Nobody out here understands what we went through.. Resend Activation Email. One killed, 15 injured after clashes erupt at Afghan border again December 16, 2022. Freeman and his wife, Barbara, live in Boise, Idaho. That all would change when the First Cavalry Air Mobile Division flew into the Ia Drang Valley in the central highlands of South Vietnam. The bulk of the fighting was centered around two vital helicopter landing zones: LZ X-Ray and Albany. 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. He and his wife live in Alexandria, Virginia. Poley, a bachelor, lives alone on his farm outside Ackley, Iowa, and in a 1990 letter explained himself far better than we could: Some might ask why havent I forgotten about Vietnam after all these years. They have four children and three grandchildren. Luckily for him, not a single shot he received hit any vital organs. I pulled the muscles in that leg so badly yanking it free that I couldnt walk for three months, he said. 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survivors of ia drang valley
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