We all appreciate how much the veterans have done for us. AbeBooks.com: The Hump: The 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry, in the First Major Battle of the Vietnam War (9780786499250) by Conetto, Al and a great selection of similar New, Used and Collectible Books available now at great prices. Be Truthful. My excellent artillery team, from the 319 Artillery Battalion, brought a curtain of steel forward of us. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. operation hump survivors. Severely wounded and risking his own life, Lawrence Joel, a medic, was the first living black man since the Spanish-American War to receive the United States Medal of Honor for saving so many lives in the midst of battle that day. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Put differently, many owed credit for their bravery are not recognized because I fail to recall their names or the particulars. While there were signs of activity in and around the LZ on which we landed, the first three days of the operation turned out to be relatively uneventful with the exception of an enemy contact in the Australian sector. He further informed me that the situation was not clear on hill 65, and that while speed was of the essence, I was not to take any undo risks. VICENZA, Italy Operation Hump, in which 48 soldiers with the 173th Airborne Brigade were killed and many more wounded, was largely forgotten, just one of several horrific, unheralded battles. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Later, some would claim I lead the effort. While the firing continued, we quickly began the task of consolidating the position and recovering the dead and wounded. He had slipped and not been hit. Niles Harris, now retired from a lengthy career with the US Army.Harris got his first taste of combat in the mid-1960s in Vietnam, deploying as a Sky Soldier with the legendary 173rd Airborne Brigade's 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment. And third, we had to create ia hole in the jungle. The lst Infantry Division had been requested to deploy a battalion in support of the battle and the reported response was We are still training and not ready to fight! Upon receiving that message I made a number of crude comments and even thought worse. Fortunately, they were to get a new and great Division Commander shortly after this battle and many of those commanders who believed they had come to Vietnam to train lost their commands. At an 8th of November display set up in the lobby of Deadwood Mountain Grand to honor 173d Airborne Brigade Operation Hump, Hill 65 survivors, Niles Harris, Michael Lovelace and Sonny Bartow. IN THE HUMP'S EARLY DAYSfrom its inception in early 1942 through the spring of 1943the U.S.-run operation was what some likened to a civilian flying club run by its pilots. Second, we had to find the missing soldiers from c Company. The Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people. On day four of the search (Monday, November 8, 1965) Colonel Tyler, ordered his rifle companies to continue the search of the area some 35 miles northeast of Saigon and about 15 miles north of our Bien Hoa base camp. My eyes began to blur, we had paid a dear price. The Northern Hills Girl Scouts were in attendance, offering hand-crafted thank you cards and free girl scout cookies to all veterans. Experience first hand, through the eyes of 19 year old Richard "Dick" Miller, the daily events aboard the S.S. Pine Island. Leaders seemed to appear everywhere knowing what was about to happen. Jerry had been the lone survivor of his 12-man patrol during the deadly mission. For me, its an honor to be able to do this. Harris said what he remembers most is screaming for everybody to get down. Fifty-two years ago today, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was halfway through its year of service in Vietnam. Stage 1. Unless we made enemy contact earlier, the third platoon was to hold up just short of the creek at approximately grid coordinate- 108309, a creek bed just east of hill 65, at which time I intended for both the third and first platoons to go on line with the first platoon moving to the left of the third platoon and the second platoon following the third platoon onto hill 65. I approved the effort but stated I was going with him. My final instructions were to move to the sound of the firing in the general direction of hill 65. Fifty years ago, they survived the Nov. 8, 1965, Vietnam battle called Operation Hump. The Air Force had done a great job penetrating the jungle with their basket but we had too many wounded to count on that again. Shamblin was hurt so badly that he would be evacuated and subsequently die on November llth. They made it about halfway up the hill when we finally broke them and they backed down off the hill slowly. Japanese aircraft carriers under Admiral Chichi Nagumo struck Allied shipping and naval bases around Ceylon, but failed to locate and destroy the bulk of the British Eastern Fleet. Winds light and variable.. Having learned of the details of the failed A Company effort and the mortar attack on the battalion, a third even greater disappointment was yet to come. This memoir of an Operation Hump survivor begins with the sequence of events leading up to the battle, from the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The meeting took place in St. Petersburg. I ordered the third platoon to attempt to make contact with any C Company personnel by extending their position to the north of the hill while continuing to maintain their tie with the first platoon on their right. Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated on 8 November, 1965, by the 173rd Airborne Brigade, in an area about 17.5 miles (28.2km) north of Bien Hoa. The VC are estimated to have sustained 1200+ casualties in this battle, including over 400, dead. The movement to the planned company base was uneventful with no sign of activity in the area. He stripped his aircraft and started the decent. I hadnt anticipated this and quickly became concerned as did the troops around me. Post fulfilling mission to serve Latino community. Threats of harming another Our drill focused minds and energy on getting ready for the next operation, highlighted by my conduct of a stand by 100 percent inspection of everyone and everything we owned, and to whichever platoon fared the worse the honor of pulling all major details until we moved out on the next operation. Now this wasnt just a fight to help C Company, we lost one of our best and they were going to pay. I learned that C Company did not have radio contact with all of its forward elements but that they would make every attempt to cease its fires. Severely wounded and risking his own life, Lawrence Joll, a medic, was the first living black man since the Spanish-American War to receive the United States Medal of . Everyone helped, some to the point of exhaustion. And third, with all the anxiety amongst Americans on the merits of this War (a situation I attribute solely to our lack of political leadership) I dont wish to provide anyone, any basis to question the valor of our soldiers or their leadership. Trying to confirm that report I became convinced it was highly improbable because the A Company enemy contact occurred within about two hundred and fifty meters of the battalion base. Across its northern crest it is approximately four hundred meters wide and from north to south some 600 meters deep. General Williamson 3umped out of the aircraft and told me to load it up. While they were severe, we had found many more than twenty-one effective paratroopers at the top of the hill with which to make a fight. I then estimated that we could be up against as many as three Viet Cong battalions. A radio operator was holding the company radio and keying the hand mike for him. On each decent and as each lifted off we prayed. We would say our last goodbye at a memorial service on November 15. That last man straightened up and said, All the Way, Sir. I responded proudly, Airborne. B Company had done its job, we had C Company back; we were dirty, tired and proud! Etched within are the very values that each Recipient displayed in the moments that matteredbravery, courage, sacrifice, integrity. Each of them died shortly following their request for help. "In . or anything. We moved slowly, well spread out, followed by C Company. Tips to prevent thoracic kyphosis# There are a few ways to prevent the hump on the back of your neck from happening in the first place. Bartow has vivid memories he recalls from time to time, as well. Don't knowingly lie about anyone A UPI headline article appeared in the Saigon Daily News on November 9th and other headline articles appeared in the Pacific Stars and Stripes and The Saigon Post on Wednesday, November 10th. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. After what seemed a lifetime, I realized we had to move fast to overcome a major assault. From the article: "Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated by United States and Australian forces on 8 November 1965, during the Vietnamese War. Gunships were returning fire as we extracted. Over a short fifteen minute period, three desperate reports came from three different non-commissioned officers over the company net. After some brief exchange we moved out and at approximately 1625 hours an improvised squad of the third platoon, made up mostly of non-commissioned officers, lead by SSgt Wear, recovered the remains of their fallen leader. The artillery fire temporarily turned the tide by buying us much needed time to locate all elements of C Company with the exception of seventeen paratroopers. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Finally I heard him yelling to let go. At that time I made an estimate of C Companies casualties. With 21 survivors, it wasand remainsthe largest single aircraft parachute escape. Select from premium Operation Hump of the highest quality. "operation hump, the first major battle between the u.s. army and the viet cong and north vietnamese forces, took place november 5-9, 1965, in south vietnam's war zone d. known as "the hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between communist main force units and Theodore Shamblin. The Trail of Honor has hosted many veterans who have been Medal of Honor Recipients, Ex-POWs, Navy Cross Recipient and surviving members of previous wars such as the, Tuskegee Airman WWII and Pearl Harbor WWII. He cleared the trees and we began to breathe again. I called for more artillery and again reported that we needed help if we were to hold. How the first task played out would determine how difficult this day would be. While their-were more, three stuck in my mind and two of those were dead. Get the latest headlines on local sports! Low 24F. I alerted my platoons that if they suspected they were receiving friendly fires they were to hold their position until I could work it out. When we thought we had finally got the job done we called for a medical evacuation helicopter (Dust Off). Their reaction clearly demonstrated that we were up against a highly trained and disciplined force. My estimate up the point of the three major enemy attacks was that they had well over 110 killed with no idea of the number of their wounded. 173rd Airborne on Nov 5 sent into war zone D to flush out VC. This group was doing very well; but were anxious to find out more on the fight. Finally, Specialist 4th Class Jerry W. Langston took over the radio, making one more effort to report. At about 0600 on the morning of 8 November C Company began a move northwest toward Hill 65, while B Company moved northeast toward Hill 78. OPERATION HUMP 08 November 1965 On 05 Nov 1965 the 173rd Airborne Brigade initiated "Operation Hump", a reconnaissance in force in an area about 15 miles north of Bien Hoa. Shortly before 0800, C Company was engaged by a sizable enemy force well dug in to the southern face of Hill 65, armed with machine guns and shotguns. Operation Hump, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, took place November 5-9, 1965, in South Vietnam's War Zone D. Known as "The Hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contes However, the position was cut off from the rest of the company and they were fighting hand-to-hand. Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated on 8 November 1965 by the 173rd Airborne Brigade, in an area about 17.5 miles (28.2 km) north of Bien Hoa.Operation Hump. I reported to the battalion that I had a very confusing situation on my hands, that while I was on the hill and had contact with a small element of C Company, it was difficult to determine exactly where all elements of the company were located. One of the guys in front of me being killed and the sound of the bugles and whistles from the Viet Cong, Bartow said. They were simple and prioritized; first, get a shave and a shower, get some chow, get to sleep, and tomorrow morning well start our six-hour drill. I saw a wall of smiles, we had a plan and they liked it. As I approached them they all yelled for me to get down. My early assessment was that we had a mess on our hands and must initially try to secure a position on the hill. This would be a spinal fusion operation. My instructions were to the effect that the third platoon would move on the most direct route toward hill 65 or the battalion base as the lead platoon, my headquarters element would intercept the first platoon as it moved to catch the third platoon and the second platoon would follow and secure the companies rear. My artillery team was monitoring that situation to preclude our walking into fires. I received a similar report from my third platoon. He said he always enjoyed the opportunity to talk with paratroopers and thanked me. Colonel Tyler acknowledged my response and ordered me to wait out. For roughly 12 hours, Diana Amira sat and waited to ensure she'd have the best spot to watch when Travis Scott took the stage at the sold-out Astroworld music festival Friday night in Houston. 760 likes. The second platoon quickly closed-up on us and secured the company rear. Share with Us. Serving on Admiral Byrd's team for the Antarctic Expedition at the end of WW II was a privilege that only a handful of sailors would enjoy. Moments later the report was updated with information that contact was lost with their lead platoon. He said no, he was walking out with us. He was in great pain but kept on helping. He was in pain but he smiled. Our contact appeared to have closed on the enemies left flank and with the element of surprise we were virtually unopposed in getting on the hill. This is the second year Ive chaired the event. Less than one hundred feet in front of them was a M60 machine gun being dragged backwards. In coding a resupply message I mistakenly called for one hundred trip flares when I had intended to order one hundred claymore mines. Amongst the last of the seventeen missing they found one alive. I felt we could better protect them from this position rather than place them at any further risk from another onslaught from the bottom of the hill. On November 8th, 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump, War Zone D in Vietnam were ambushed by over 1200 V.C. The US-Australian objective was to drive out Viet Cong (VC) unit who had taken up positions on several key hills in War Zone D in an area about 17.5 miles (28.2 km) north of Bien Hoa. We went back to work, blew out more trees. Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson, DEADWOOD Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his brother.. That they were able to hold that number to one was a tribute to the extraordinary efforts of our medics. The search for four people still missing after a major plane crash in Nepal resumed on Monday, as a video purportedly filmed by one of the passengers . I would learn why latter. With triple canopy jungle we were experiencing difficulty firing grenade launchers and thus had ruled out the use of mortars early in the fight. Moving initially with the first platoon my headquarters element crossed the creek and began climbing hill 65. The worst was yet to come. Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated by United States and Australian forces on 5 November 1965, during the Vietnam War . In between the Air Force flights, we were resupplied by an Army helicopter dropping their bundles through the jungle canopy with but one mishap. Survivor's memoir of the battle, the war's basis,. We continued our attempt to clear an area to get helicopters in to carry our wounded out. Here are the initial stages of recovery that survivors may experience during the first few weeks following traumatic brain injury. The company closed on the new company base at approximately 0715 hours. He published a third story covering PFC Edward C. Bable and his effort to save his wounded buddies. Through five decades they have remained close friends and even inspired the Big & Rich smash hit 8th of November, an ode to their struggles. I told Sonny and Mike both, this is America, today, here. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Sgt. I made sure everyone knew we had the General with us, we would move slowly and we would not be taking any chances. They werent sure about the rest of the company. None of the positions were occupied and a number of the enemy lay dead close to the positions. Approximately thirty five air strikes supported this effort. The 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War was no exception. While I attempted to get further information as to their situation they were having great difficulty even talking to me. I spoke briefly with Chaplain Hutchens, he still had that rare smile, looked good and was collecting visitors to the point that some wanted us out of there. We had caught the enemy from the rear. I was wrong and would learn it shortly. 1942 raid of Allied shipping by the Imperial Japanese Navy Flying in perfect weather, on the very cold night of Sunday, October 16, 1944 an Army Air Force bomber barely nicked the western . Sylvester Bryant, SSgt. Dynamite did the job but created a hell of a mess that had to be cleared. I reported that we were loosing contact and felt that the enemy was trying to escape. It also caused me to wonder as to their situation. We had three tasks -to accomplish: First, we had to probe forward of the perimeter and determine if the enemy was there. When were able to host community events on any level, it is special for us, but hosting this Veterans Day event every year is extra special, even more so this year because were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 173d Airborne and our buddy Niles Harris, said Marc Oswald, co-owner of the Grand. 18. I alerted all three platoons of the situation and cautioned them to move slowly as planned. A lot of guys were in shock and this one guy that was hurt, they leaned him up against a tree, and I said, Hey, that isnt going to work. I was just screaming, Get down! That was too high I was making myself real skinny. The second platoon, led by First Lieutenant Robert A. Frakes, would extend to the right of the first platoon further winding around the hill. Warden and Sgt. Bernosky was seriously wounded on March 16, 1966 during an operation near Phuoc Vinh where B Company was the lead company of the First Battalion 503D Infantry going to the aid of another unit, this time the Second Battalion 503D Infantry. Shortly after 0815 hours I took three actions; first, ordering all platoons to halt their movements and to hold their current positions; second, to get prepared to move in the direction of the firing; and third, notified the battalion we had stopped our search pending any instructions to continue, return to the battalion base or to move in the general direction of hill 65. If we could find the remainder of C Company we could consolidate the position and hold under almost any condition. Five times, over five trips we put a critically wounded paratrooper in a basket they lowered through the canopy, and five times the Air Force wenched our troopers through that triple canopy jungle in an attempt to save each of them. Caught in the action of kill or be killed, greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his brother. On Friday, November 12, 1965 Brig. American Legion Post Commander Oz Enderbee was master of ceremonies, while Deadwood Mayor Chuck Turbivlle, a Vietnam veteran, and members of the Deadwood Business Club, offered opening remarks. I told him we had to get him but I would need help. Secondly, I found myself using I all too often. We needed him, but others need him more. I told him we were ready now! You had to. Im very honored. Throughout the night I paced the area, tried several times to rest on an enemy crafted log table, and listened, and listened. Its the 50th for us, Harris said just prior to the event. Until I had a better feel for the C Company situation I would be defending. who was severly wounded himself but continued to care for . This paper would have more than met that request. The combined American/Australian troops seriously underestimated the number of enemy fighters and the desire to which they would fight to hold their ground. Overall, Operation HUMP proved to be one of the deadliest days in the 173rd's long and storied history. My mom's tongue now has a white patch. That is what Lovelace remembers most vividly from the day of the battle. Rather than meeting the same fate Ive prepared this paper knowing that it may still suffer errors caused by recounting experience solely from my perspective. "On November 8th, 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump, War Zone D in Vietnam, were ambushed by over 1200 V.C. The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest award for military valor in action. Battle On Hill 65 (ORIGINAL HERE)(Operation HUMP 5 to 9 November 1965)by: Lowell D. Bittrich. It was slow, we could feel the helicopter vibrate, we watched WO Smith thread the needle, descending some 200 to 250 feet with little room to clear the blades, he put the helicopter on the ground. operation hump survivors. He reported that he had spotted an enemy machine gun and was going to take it. As light broke through the jungle on Tuesday, November 9, 1965 all our leaders knew what to do and were moving. Once organized, I asked General Williamson to follow my command element. He published a third story covering PFC Edward C. Bable and his effort to save his wounded buddies. When you get knocked down by a machine gun, you stay down.. The sad result was troops feeling sorry for themselves, second guessing each other and even blaming each other for some of their casualties. By . Soft-close at 4 a.m. and hard-close at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, November 20 and Sunday . [1] That was not the case. That article caused a reaction in the states that would lead to us sending Terry and all seventeen year old soldiers home. I ordered the first platoon leader, First Lieutenant Michael P. DeFrancisco, to move his platoon even further to the left or south of the third platoon in order to have two platoons abreast and ready to rapidly move on line once we reached the objective. He pleaded to return to the unit. In that contact A Company lost a platoon leader, Second Lieutenant David L. Ugland, a classmate of Lt. Thurston. Finally he asked how long it would take us to be ready for another mission. our paratroopers were the best our government has ever put on any battlefield. one Medal of honor being awarded to Combat medic of the 173rd. Colonel Tyler kindly intervened in the heated discussion and brought it to a halt. You can read a potted backstory of . My recall of those wounded on hill 65 may include some wounded from the New Years Day fight. It was a painful decision but I called them off. Operation Hump, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, took place November 5-9, 1965, in South Vietnam's War Zone D. Known as "The Hump," it would change the nature of the war, escalating it from a hit-and-run guerrilla conflict to a bloody contest between Communist main force units and American commands of battalion size or larger. This time I had a change of heart. But about an hour and a half before the show started, as everyone stood up in anticipation of the performance . With the recovery of Lt. Thurston, we had accounted for all members of my command. And they know that. Release date . We needed to be able to hear what might be going on around us. The Chin Chillars then helped Dick Tracy and the police to invade Piggy's farm, and Piggy was successfully taken into custody . Gen. Williamson, Capt. I am totally blown away by its nature and force. It got larger after incisional biopsy. Ever so gradually fires were falling off. Tucker, Sgt. Colonel Tyler provided encouragement and said he was working on it. With the sun not penetrating the treetops, the jungle floor was generally clear. Finally, telling him I would be back to see him, went outside to get some air. November 8, 1965 Operation Hump Outnumbered in some places six to one, it was a desperate fight for survival as parts of B and C companies were isolated in the shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand battle. I got the message. General Westmoreland would never know he was the inspector on this one. With that I grabbed the radio and ordered the company to move out. While very tired, the troops were superb, and just as in the poem by SP4 Kenny: The guys no longer look tired,Theyve a determined look of eyeAs they scan the shrouded flankAnd treetops that hide the sky.. As we were honoring our dead the ist Air Cavalry Division would lay claim to that record as they fought North Vietnam regulars from November 14 to 19 in a battle for the Ia Drang Valley. Tucker reported, They began charging in human waves with bugles blaring. I reported, We killed about 90 Viet Cong as we busted through one of their encirclements. Homeworld: Unknown. I believe both platoons had in fact monitored my conversations with Colonel Tyler, anticipated the order to move and actually began to execute their movements prior to my call. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. November 8, 1965 Operation Hump Outnumbered in some places six to one, it was a desperate fight for survival as parts of B and C companies were isolated in the shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand battle. They succeeded and were willing to continue to try and save more as it began to get dark. Some of the wounded just couldnt make that trip. My mind just didnt want to accept it. A mighty engagement on November 8, 1965, cost 49 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Combat Brigade their lives with many others wounded. It was all about staying low that day.. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Dezember 2021. On November 8, 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Operation Hump in War Zone D in Vietnam, were ambushed by over 1,200 Viet Cong. Halfway up the hill one of my radio operators appeared to fall. Choose wisely! Thankfully it didnt last long. I responded that we were prepared to move now and felt we could reorganize safely on the move rather than having my platoons close on my position. 200 paratroopers faced this overwhelming force and stood their ground. We would call for chain saws and explosives. A daily e-mail to let you know when the new e-edition has been posted. In available hunting leases. Operation HUMP is considered the first major battle of significance in the Vietnam War by most historian-types. The third platoon was in the lead followed by my headquarters and a small element of the weapons platoon, the first platoon and then the second platoon. General Westmoreland talked with each of my soldiers. You have permission to edit this article. To read all of today's stories, Click here or call 642-2761 to subscribe to our e-edition or home delivery. Operation Hump was a search and destroy operation initiated by United States and Australian forces on 5 November 1965, during the Vietnam War. Demonstrated that we could consolidate the position and recovering the dead and wounded assessment was that we could the. Is screaming for everybody to get down prior to the e-mail address will be displayed next to your photo comments! No sign of activity in the States that would lead to us sending Terry and all year... ( Dust off ) lives with many others wounded hill slowly leaders seemed to appear everywhere knowing was... Research Group, which validates details of people our e-edition or home.! The Way, Sir recovering the dead and wounded were the best our government has ever put any. What was about to happen, courage, sacrifice, integrity do.!, from the day of the firing continued, we had to probe forward us! 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