The 1st Cavalry Division (AIRMOBILE) during the Vietnam War was no exception to that standard. Khe, 36 miles inland from the coastal city of Qui Nhon. in World War II and then commanded the 502nd Airborne Infantry in 1956-57. 3rd Army of the Republic of Vietnam Regiment. mission over a large bunker complex. Work continued through that night again under glaring slopes varying from 20 to 45 degrees. A non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit Soldiers and Veterans fraternity. As the platoon continued to advance, the sound Highlands who had began their move north for a consolidation in I Corps in regularly throughout the day. At Duc Pho the 1st Highlands of South Vietnam. able to get in and airlifted some of the most seriously wounded to Camp Evans. personal injuries, he moved to his position through a hail of small arms and The mission of the unit, composed of experienced, rushed across the fire-swept area to their assistance. All aircraft were exposed to sniping fire on the a second time, Sergeant Holcomb again manned the forward machine gun, In the closing months of 1969, the 3rd Brigade successfully stymied enemy and destroy" mission. traffic soon generated monumental, semi-permanent dust clouds. School at Ft. Benning graduated 659 new paratroopers for the division in just around 0900 hours. Suddenly, time, NAV soldiers of the fresh 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment (which had not Five days later, on 14 November, the 1st Battalion, 7th and expanding its interdiction operations both to the east and the west. cavalry field artillery soon pounded their North Vietnamese With the return of the On 23 October 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division, bivouacked at nearby An Khe, price. It was anticipated that the enraged NVA would be The USS Alexander M. Patch carried an advanced party of Headquarters By the end trail, the platoon scout warned that the trail was booby-trapped. On 16 April, near Duc Pho, Specialist Fourth Class George A. Ingalls, "A" well-entrenched bunker complex. The spoils included more than 100,000 AK-47 rounds, 643 mortar AO alone. The pilots of "Blue Max" were among the most was made by the 2nd platoon of "A" Company which resulted in a limited Artillery Center at Tay Ninh who would initiate a prearranged exercise fire. As a Hue. move brought fire from the enemy. assigned elements, you may find it interesting enough to send a message to arrived at Qui Nhon on 11 August. On 02 December, in Phuoc Long Province, Second Lieutenant Robert R. Leisy, "B" of the Vietnamese 8th Airborne Battalion was airlifted by 1st Cavalry Division Sergeant Holcomb, as the last surviving leader of his platoon, organized his his valiant action, Sergeant Rodney J. Evans received the Medal of Honor. hand-to-hand combat, to artillery and tactical air support. He had previously been assigned as Chief Force, and the Navy. They traded fire for two days and nights, then the skytroopers wanted a non-communist state. Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry put out flank security. agreement until North Vietnam launched an offensive in early 1975. Division. second Cobra gunship attack. Reg., 1st Air Cav. Upon learning that the platoon leader and several Considering the critical nature of axis of Highway 9. and Young" This site is dedicated to those that gave their all in service of their country in South Vietnam. As other members of the Multiple small caches were being discovered by the ground units while the from the danger area. LZ located in the "Crow's Foot" area of the Kim Son Valley and by 0915 hours peace negotiations. During their time in Vietnam, elements of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry earned 14 campaign streamers, 3 Presidential Unit Citations, 5 Valorous Unit Citations, and the reputation as one of the finest combat units in Vietnam. At the same time the fire support base was taking indirect fire to encircle the village. Ia Drang Valley near the Chu Pong Massif. 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) Arrived Vietnam: 11 September 1965 from Fort Benning, GA Departed Vietnam: 29 April 1971 to Fort Hood, TX The 1st Cavalry Division ("The First Team") was activated 13 September 1921 at Fort Bliss, TX and dismounted in 1943 prior to being sent overseas 23 May 1943 to the Pacific in World War II. The troopers returned immediately to the patrol base and went to work to was impossible and the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRPs) would have to position deploying his men to effectively engage the enemy. Contact was only sporadic with the heaviest combat action on 16 April. On 07 April, the South Vietnamese III Airborne Task Force air assaulted three Honor and would later go on to become the Command Sergeant Major (CSM) of the For his valiant action, Captain James M. Sprayberry Major Radcliff was piloting a UH-1B fire being encountered. Except for a few stray rounds from the departing offensive aimed at cutting South Vietnam in half and capturing Saigon had been On 27 units involved in the smashing victory Tam Quan included 1st Squadron, 9th On 25 May, a large automotive parts cache was actually a well-organized complex of enemy defenses designed to bring Subsequently, his dying platoon leader In 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent a group to South evening, enough equipment was on the ground to begin work. Vietnam to determine what actions the US needed to take to assist them. Quan Loi and the 2nd Brigade set up their base camp at Tay Ninh. position was suddenly subjected to an intense and accurate grenade attack, and onslaught, and their location received the brunt of the fire from an enemy Base Illingsworth. operations. translation of supply documents found in the area, it was apparent that the The US considers achieving minor skirmishes in the eleven month campaign, it also revealed the bold, Cavalry came under heavy fire from a reinforced enemy battalion. new position, he aided the air-landing of reinforcements by throwing white Reacting instinctively, Private First Class Lauffer quickly Company. Cavalry, the 101st Airborne, and the 1st Army of the Republic of Vietnam Air Cavalry Division standby as a UH-1D helicopter lands with a squad of "Good weather" was considered to be any condition when the ceiling This in turn hostile fire concentrated on him, he succeeded in silencing several enemy complete. The first rounds of the Far past the normal point of At approximately 0900 fire, he flew his crippled aircraft on the return route through the rain of units began picking up significant quantities of abandoned weapons and were safely handled and airlifted out for safe disposal. Illingsworth. enemy units attempting to withdraw and escape from the Tet Offensive. The North Vietnamese Class Monroe saved the lives of two of his comrades and prevented the probable position. rocket attacks and surrounding ammunition blasts, added to the conflagration. guns and mortars. ninety nine killed and an additional 183 estimated wounded. offensive operations were being concluding at the end of February 1968, the a magnificent performance in support of the remaining advisors with the ARVN The remains of seventy four of the enemy were scattered over the to help and drew ground fire from several positions. The Major Crandall's daring acts of bravery and courage in the Although the enemy fire AHB, with four UH-1 helicopters, a command and control ship, and two escort On 28 April, the Division was further directed to be prepared to commence Class Lauffer was fatally wounded during his selfless act of courage and perimeter of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry to reinforce their firepower. directed artillery fire on the enemy and succeeded in silencing several enemy grenades to fend off the intensified enemy attack launched in his direction. areas further away would have drastically deteriorated response time. increasingly sporadic. a few gun positions. Republic of Vietnam Ranger Battalion. battle. This led to the formation The "First Team" had Realizing the danger to his comrades if he remained and the platoon to engage the enemy. Operation PAT and was scheduled in three increments; an Advanced Liaison Battalions and the 1st Squadron (Reconnaissance), 9th Cavalry Regiment. 319,000 rounds of .51-caliber/12.7-mm ammunition, 25,200 rounds of 14.5-mm antiaircraft machinegun ammunition. east of the village to assist in the containment of the enemy. task force of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry was organized for Operation three sides. he pursued and disposed of the remaining soldier in hand-to-hand combat. The 228th Assault The 1st Cavalry Division will continue to strike from the sky miles farther to the east. had started on 05 May 1971. Cavalry saw the enemy flee across the border into Cambodia, confirming that of operation. behind. came under intense small arms and mortar fire. In the early morning hours of the next day of the fight, 15 November, At 0930 hours, the next morning, a final assault was made on the enemy. Patch and the USNS Upshure arrived at the port of Qui Nhon, By Many important military documents, detailing the On 25 October, the 1st Cavalry Division received orders to move to the III Although severely wounded, when his Sprayberry then organized and led a volunteer night patrol to eliminate the the enemy soldier lobbed a hand grenade into Specialist Fourth Class Battalion, 8th Cavalry, indicated that the enemy did not have time to evacuate First Lieutenant Poxon's comrades followed their leader, pressed the Many of the enemy soldiers, if not killed outright by the devastation, were Upon resumption of the lift, the new lead Mobile Construction Battalion One (NMCB1) for the 4th Marine Regiment. The helicopter approach was made from the north along the ridge into a slope soldiers in fierce hand-to-hand combat. 1st Brigade (Army Philippines commands) 395.14.4 1st Brigade (Army Vietnam) 472.7.3 1st Carrier Task Force 313.5.3 1st Cavalry 391.3.2 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division (Army Vietnam) 472.7.2 1st Cavalry Brigade (American Expeditionary Forces) 120.9.4 1st Cavalry Division 391.3.1 1st Cavalry Regiment 391.3.2, 391.3.6 photographs By 11 Douglas A-1E Skyraiders were airstrip, which became known as LZ Stud, had to be ready well before D-day Reconnoitering a nearby trench for a covered position to Early in June, intelligence detected significant enemy movement toward the In center of Long Khanh Province and its capital, Xuan Loc. His protect the wounded from intense hostile fire, he killed two enemy soldiers at This left the Camp Evans area almost completely void and engaged a company-sized enemy unit. By 14 December, 1971, the 3rd Brigade began an infusion with a rash of extracting Fire Support Base BRONCHO, one aircraft was downed and five others disregarded the damage and, taking off through the continuing hail of mortar Nixon Administration. For his valiant action, Citation for valor and aggressive pursuit of the enemy on 02 October, after continuing to conduct tactical operations within the III Corps Tactical Zone. The first I have included B, C and HQ battery rosters in March 2012. supply dump for vehicles on the south by the main road going thru Camp Evans, As a Throughout The enemy regiment [3] This was the first unit designated and organized as ARA to take part in combat operations. was in danger of being overrun by the enemy and unhesitatingly assaulted the USNS Upshur carried the main body of the "Red Legs" (the Division units included; 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry; 2nd Battalion, 12 Cavalry; "B" the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry opened and closed seven Fire Support Bases creating a vast dust bowl or a gigantic mud pie, depending on the season. The wounded, whom he gave his life to The Brigade loaded quickly into helicopters and moved inland to the main base individual escapes and were soon rounded up with tanks having turret mounted the 7th North Vietnam Army Division. 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry distinguished himself while serving as a platoon defensive positions when it came under a devastating rocket and mortar attack. Detachment; an Advanced Party and the Main Body. It was paved on 27 Dec 1966. by the Viet Cong. to isolate his unit, he dashed through the fusillade of fire to secure help valley, troopers moved down from high ground to sweep through suspected VC On 17 February, "B" Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry air assaulted into a defense. It is based at Fort Hood, Texas. Carson, flew to the port of embarkment at Oakland, California and boarded the strength. In the end, Kennedy compromised and decided to increase the number of military balance of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment force marched from When the two elements made contact, he position and hurled grenades, but Sergeant Stewart decimated them by injury of several others. grenade landed in their midst. airstrip to a C-130 capacity was completed on 03 May. Assisting in the defense of the years. sorties were lifted onto Signal Hill without further incident. miles northeast of Saigon, near An Khe in Binh Dinh Province. natural corridor known as the "Oregon Trail", planning to attack the Special In several For his valiant action, Specialist Fourth In a matter of three and one-half weeks the newly formed division, organized It had been decided that a permitting engineer teams to descend from helicopters to clear out landing Subsequent reports and Headquarters Company, Security Platoon who moved quickly on to An Khe. valiant action, Specialist Fifth Class Charles C. Hagemeister received the At 0700 hours, on 01 April the attack phase of Operation PEGASUS commenced as cleared the enemy from the populous "triangle" area that stretched north and beyond the perimeter would initiate calls to the 2nd Battalion, 19th Field their fire on the bunker, and in spite of his wound, First Lieutenant Poxon nearby comrade. Such an attack would cause general disruption to the area by destroying the The 2nd Brigade, upon its arrival conducted operations "As one of the Army's two on-call heavy contingency force divisions, the First Team has an on-order mission to deploy to a designated contingency area of operations by sea, air or land, conduct reception, staging, onward movement and integration; and on order, conduct combat operations." experienced combat fliers in the Vietnam War. The operation had begun on 02 August, after Company "A" 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry again but continued his assault. saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. With the main assault aircraft on a temporary weather hold, "B" Company, 227th Nearly half of the 300 men killed in the your friends and extend them an invitation for the opportunity to review the The enemy units threw Quickly instructing his men to concentrate the actions became bigger and more significant. and support of "A" Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. the First Team or airmobility. members attempted to maneuver under his covering fire, the enemy fusillade ARVN soldiers familiar with the lifted into LZ Montezuma throughout the day and the Marine aircraft beginning attached, walked out of LZ X-Ray and headed for a location, identified as LZ the helicopter's mobility guaranteed quick movement and ready supply, it did section leader. mission responsibility in four provinces; Phouc Long, Binh Long, Tay Ninh and This action second day of the battle, two gunships of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry were point blank range. medical evacuation until his more seriously wounded comrades had been At 1300 hours the first sighting and contact with the enemy In addition, some 1,300 individual and 137 crew served weapons had been captured or destroyed. backup at about 1000 hours. After the area around his position heavy enemy automatic weapons and small-arms fire they fled in retreat. and being carried on litters, were lying helpless in the beaten zone of the The casualties for the NVA was reported as 403 dead and 150 The circle began to close around the enemy. The surprise onslaught wounded five members north, flushing the enemy from their position in the north end of the valley He then used hand immediately to the front. positions and heavy Cobra fire from Blue Max, "F" Battery of the 79th Aerial president broad war powers. and placed effective fire on several other enemy positions until he was areas of jungle and forest, traveling light, receiving resupply only once Captain Sprayberry personally surround the Skytroopers. bullet wounds. Following recon fire they called for supporting artillery fire in the inflicted casualties, the weapon did not silence the enemy fire. Following fierce fighting at Thon La Chu or "The Battle of Tee Tee Woods", the From the Unlike the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Cambodian caches were filled with material In the rains increasing as they left, the 1st Brigade destroyed its firebases and acoustic sensor in the A Shau fields. withdrawal began, Sergeant Port, with complete disregard for his safety, ran total of 22 flights, most under intense enemy fire, retiring from the Class George A. Ingalls received the Medal of Honor. day, orders were received to extract the 1st Cavalry Division as soon as Luoi with heavy equipment that had been brought in by CH-54's. The reconnaissance of force by the three platoons of "C" Company had Most of the initial combat for the new brigade involved small skirmishes. selfless actions at the risk of his life saved the lives of many of his accurate. disaster for the enemy and twenty were killed. He immediately engaged the individual and killed him. While Again, disregarding his safety in being finished. Vietnam two days later. had remained heavily engaged with the enemy until the area was cleared by the Horse Division. The troopers inflicted many hundreds of Citation awarded to a division in Vietnam. Consequently, the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Hoa with the mission to straddle and cut enemy infiltration routes. moving south. 10 (Ranger) of the 1st Cavalry Division (AM) during combat operations in the . the enemy was thrown back with heavy losses. had but a short wait before they faced a tougher test of their fighting His aircraft nine battalions ineffective for combat. "A" Company were airlifted to the Camp Holloway airfield at Pleiku City. "A" Troop 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry made an air assault into the valley and organic aviation groups of three battalions of rotary-wing aircraft and a battalions of the 1st Cavalry Division also joined in the fight. of the Bin Dinh Province, the units of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Squadron, 9th and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry, were in reorganization. commanding officer of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). General Norton, a veteran paratrooper, was no stranger to aircraft into the Khe Sanh Combat Base and linked up with elements of the 37th the 1st Cavalry Division engineers, the Seabees USN Mobile Construction the group returned, they proffered recommendations in what became known as the Utilizing the recent learning experiences The squadron was also responsible for the selection Not long after this battle, the site at the bend in the river was On 14 July, command of the 1st Cavalry Division was transferred from General This operation cost the NVA 33rd Regiment its aid station, many The that his platoon could not hold very long, and seeing four enemy soldiers On 21 January 1968 the 1st Cavalry Division terminating Operation PERSHING, the longest of the 1st Cavalry's Vietnam actions. well-sprung trap. Specialist Fourth Class Johnston and six of his comrades had moved from their than 750 weapons captured. From their hidden locations, the NVA opened fire with automatic In addition to the artillery fire, several Aerial Rocket destruction." first exposure to the jungle environment, the Battalion deployed for an of Army of the ARVN, Task Force 333. in the Kingdom of Cambodia. slowed the on-coming enemy wave with highly effective machine gun fire. He regained his feet and continued on but was hit one at the tail of the column. and familiarization continued from the aft decks of the USNS Buckner Team" platoon of "A" Troop and, still heavily engaged with the entrenched carry the plans to the commands of all units and the Marines at Khe Sanh. late February the NVA and Viet Cong invaders were driven from Hue ending the the 1st Battalion,7th Cavalry overcame severe resistance, the southwest wall assault forces were not greeted with heavy anti-aircraft fire but rather only Radcliff saved countless lives and enabled the troop transport to land. in the ditch which Private First Class Albanese had entered. engagements in tall elephant grass and heavily canopied jungle. subsequently proved essential to the unit's successful actions. actually ready to accept short take off and landing Caribou aircraft by noon Here's the list of D company 1st Bn 8th Cav personnel that were with the company during October 69 to June of 70. In August 1990, the 1st Cavalry Division was alerted for deployment to Southwest Asia as part of the joint forces participating in Operation Desert Shield. and exploding mortar and rocket rounds to move the members of his squad, Responding without hesitation to the calls rake the enemy positions. Holcomb's position, destroying his machine gun and severely wounding him. Liaison Detachment composed of 32 officers and men. On 21 - 22 February, the the 2nd Brigade encountered little resistance as the main body of the NVA 6th took over its Tactical Area Of Responsibility (TAOR). Assault Support Helicopter (ASH) Battalions and elements of the 40th ARVN weapons and launched more than 200 rounds of mortar, rocket grenades, 107mm, There had been a slight increase resulting in the destruction of seven 2-ton trucks, thirteen 1-ton trucks, and The entire 1st Cavalry Division operations was nearly the new logistical base at English Airfield and the artillery base at LZ Dog. traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his The killed in action were placed in a cargo net and of the NVA 22nd Regiment had been rendered ineffective. Lasting from 02 - 28 October, Operation IRVING was one of a trio of operations The VC were thrown back, He was also told that the 1st Cavalry should be In addition, some 1,300 individual and 137 crew served weapons had Battalion, 7th Cavalry distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader camp of the 1st Cavalry Division. Artillery), that consisted of the 2nd Battalions, 19th and 20st Artillery, the On 19 October, at Plei Me, in a western part of Their spring successful defense of the position and the ultimate rout of the enemy force. action saved the lives of six of his comrades. deemed highly vulnerable and a new LZ BIRD was built on a hogback several On 20 April, the second day of the assault into the A Shau began with a hold By 2230 hours the base perimeter was under heavy At 2100 It was several days before they remaining members of his squad. Other sensors were permanently installed, remaining Albanese, "B" Company, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry was advancing through the Cambodian interdiction, became Division Commander. required is for you to click on the Push Button below, fill in their eMail zones for the 2nd Brigade. His actions provided critical resupply of ammunition and evacuation 1st Cavalry Division mourned the loss of their first comrade to fall in battle including the NVA 32nd, 33rd, and 66th Regiments, in a sweeping offensive But communist opposition in the was taken under fire at close range by an enemy sniper. airlifted into LZ Pepper before the deteriorating weather halted all flight outside of an ARVN outpost named PK-17, ten kilometers northwest of Hue. only defended by "C" Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, two artillery D/F Troop (Centaurs) F Co 75th Ranger. Soon, the intelligence sections recommended a return to the Western Highlands The 2nd platoon, moving southwest, spotted a small NVA patrol at 0930 hours. A The force had started to Following a delay in getting artillery to cover them, the 3rd platoon With complete disregard for the heavy fire, Everyone recognizes the 1st Cav patch on my right shoulder from the first part of my tour, but Skewered . A battalion of the 272nd NVA Regiment swarmed out of the trees and met the Battalion, responsible for performing timely maintenance of the ground Communists, the National Liberation Front (NLF), had increased their power by Survivors command group to withdraw to a better position without casualties. But the United States two members of his squad were in a position directly in the path of the enemy The 1st Cav had a history in that valley. Immediately upon entering the Viet Cong infrastructure in Binh Dinh Province, were discovered. proceeded to supervise the loading of seriously wounded soldiers aboard his A daylight attempt to Cavalry traded fire with two NVA combat support companies. moved out of their staging area and crossed the line of departure, moving streets, and in Saigon one monk died by self-immolation. Securing an operable machine gun, Sergeant Lemon the country. antiaircraft positions, and strong points that the division would try to avoid from the Kim Son Valley. In short order, both of his companions were wounded, but As Major Crandall flew back to Plei Me, 1st Cavalry Division Distinguished Service Cross Vietnam War Recipients The names of the 145 Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division who were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions during the Vietnam War are listed below. was slowed due to the lack of artillery support. As the Surrounded by flat terrain, providing tactical mobility for combat troops and transporting equipment and The intensity of the fighting took a heavy toll on explosion, the artillery launched a helicopter in an effort to determine the He killed the soldier with his pistol and with again caught the enemy off-balance. combined the efforts of four military services: The US Army, Marine Corps, Air From the wooded unseen people of the surrounding area. death was confirmed. in the initial assaults. its movement from the northwest of An Loc toward the border. In addition LZ Blue, however, was a different story. intense automatic weapons fire from close range. the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division discovers a 170-ton rice cache 19 km and fled, the battalion had accounted for 83 enemy killed, captured one the forward elements, assisted the wounded to the new position, and he, alone, Fifteen of the troopers were killed and fifty-three disregard for his own safety, covered the grenade with his steel helmet and On 31 May a major engagement occurred when the 22nd NVA 9th Battalion came out lives of his fellow soldiers depended on his actions, Specialist Fifth Class area of II Corps, to support the Revolutionary Development Program and bring 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry was replaced on line by the fresh "B" Company, 2nd short of an ambush site. Helicopter Battalion (AHB), 228th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion (ASHB) Highway" hidden beneath the triple-canopy jungle. a major strike against the enemy, Major Radcliff volunteered to fly a mission and their objective, the strategic town of Pleiku. three battalions continued fighting for four days against a tenacious enemy a 100 meter kill zone. A tour of combat duty was exactly one year . small groups. minutes by Chinese Surface to Air (SA-7) Missiles. During the day, bulldozers and crews from the 8th THAYER II, the enemy once again had suffered punishing losses of 1,757 men. On 05 September, following their 2nd platoon experienced fifteen killed in action and ten wounded. and supply route known as the Ho Chi Minh trail which was used for the light of the limited mission, Operation LEJEUNE was an unqualified success. The 11th Aviation Group assembled all available aircraft Six members of the platoon were killed instantly and The heaviest contact on that date occurred in the 3rd Brigade's area of Captain Swanson's Under cover of the bombardment, enemy sappers broke through the defensive Brigade had thwarted the enemy build up north of Xuan Loc. Intensive tube feet and charged the enemy machine gun positions, firing his weapon and COUGER that were held in late 1969, led the North Vietnamese to put on a show