survivors of ia drang valleysurvivors of ia drang valley

DEAL, Dennis, fifty, platoon leader, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, left the Army as a captain in 1968 and returned to his native Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They have two grown children. He and his wife, Louise, live in San Antonio, Texas, and Brown plays a round of golf most days. Major Bruce P. Crandall's UH-1D helicopter climbs skyward after discharging a load of infantrymen on a search and destroy mission. A high school dropout, he went back to college, earned a B.A., and was working on an M.A. The Battle of the Ia Drang Valley would be the Vietnam War's first major set-piece battle with the PAVN, the first major US heliborne assault on an NVA position, and the first engagement to employ B-52 airstrikes on enemy ground forces in battle. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. They were unaware that two battalions of fresh PAVN soldiers had been camped out along the Ia Drang River on the other side of the landing zone. (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. It was much bigger than what we had seen before against a much more tenacious enemy, Wiest said of the battle. He now lives in Dublin, New Hampshire, and works for a firm that sells office supplies. On his chest he wore the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and five Purple Hearts. He died. Background. It was the signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit. For the Ia Drang Valley survivors, October 10, 2012 will be a day they will remember for the rest of their days. Linda Carole Mustion has not added any memorials to this virtual cemetery. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. He spent eighteen months in Army hospitals, and was retired, disabled, in June 1975. Moore is the last to leave, refusing to do so until every man living and dead has left. The central highlands had few roads and challenging terrain, making air mobility the only viable mode of transportation. By Trevor Arendall, July 9 . The XO was going fast. U.S. airpower lifted the siege and drove back the North Vietnamese. We . Our town is only ten thousand people and we lost eleven young men from here killed in Vietnam, says Purp. You can always change this later in your Account settings. He died less than 100 yards from where his best friend lay wounded. After retiring from the Army, Freeman became the northwest area director of aircraft services for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Orange County, Later, after he was evacuated the doctors thought his spine was severed, but discovered later that he had a severely bruised spine from the force of the bullets whipping his head back. He lives in Olympia, Washington, and works for the state government. He retired in August 1990, and now lives in Peekskill, New York. (Tony), fifty-six, commander of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, later earned a masters degree in psychology and taught at West Point and at the Army War College. He owns a property-management firm in Tampa, Florida. WINTER, Pete, fifty-one, rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, was discharged in December 1965. For Lawrence, telling the story of LZ Albany is not only a way to keep the memory of those who died alive, but also a way to educate others. HASTINGS, Charlie W., fifty-three, forward air controller at LZ X-Ray, retired as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force on March 1, 1992, after thirty years service. 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. He spent more than 14 hours in the air andcompleted a total of 22 flights, most under intense enemy fire. Crandalls back was broken; he spent five months in an Army hospital recovering. He is married and has two children. Together, they flew in supplies, water, and ammunition needed for the troops. JAKES, Jimmie, Sr., forty-nine, a fire-team leader of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, was wounded in LZ X-Ray, but recovered and returned to complete his tour. ), provided the authors with a copy of Diduryks journal and maps for this book. He completed 22 flights: Rescuing Wounded in Ia Drang Valley from 2015: https://vvmf.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/he-spent-14-hours-in-the-air-rescuing-wounded-in-the-ia-drang-valley/, Stars and Stripes Article: https://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/vietnam-stories/1965/ia-drang-valley-where-the-us-truly-went-to-war-1.376662, Larry Gwin | VVMF: https://youtu.be/_PDBgEu4cx4, Jon Wallenius | VVMF: https://youtu.be/Qb9a1L4rc2g, Bruce Crandall | VVMF: https://youtu.be/SSNTph4QQ2g, Joe Galloway | VVMF: https://youtu.be/N6XXcDATAgE, Faces Never Forgotten with Joe Galloway: https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund/videos/2239219906358006/, National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLyBazkpUFQ, 1965 CBS Special News Report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx1rzDNcFmE, AARP Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKtWX9TDFYc, Military.com In Depth Look: https://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/vietnam-war/the-battle-of-la-drang/2071462322001, Medal of Honor Recipient Bruce Crandall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIAEcZ29aG4, Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDYNI7V0co, Medal of Honor Recipient Walter Marm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7-U0FBiYUU, Docs Teach (National Archives): https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/battle-la-drang-valley, PBS Clip (Plei Me and la Drang): https://whut.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/c27a31b7-14fc-4c5f-804e-168fbb24f5ed/plei-mei-and-the-ia-drang-valley-clip-the-vietnam-war/, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 | Arlington VA 22201 | 202.393.0090 He is assistant principal of a public high school in the Bronx. I think this battle pushes Johnson further into Westmorelands corner. His widow, Emma Lee, lives in Austin, Texas. He holds two masters degrees, is employed in the defense industry, and lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Sources 1st Cavalry Division Association: 1st Cavalry Division Medal of Honor Recipients. KOMICH, Leland C., fifty-two, Huey pilot with Bravo Company 229th in X-Ray and Albany, retired a chief warrant officer-4 with more than twenty years service. He left active duty in 1967, but continued in the Army Reserves until his retirement in 1990 as a colonel. He then formed a computer-software company. He wanted to ensure the memories of those who died live on, in particular that of his best friend, Lt. Don Cornett. Today, Doc Shucart of Landing Zone Albany is the chief of neurosurgery at Tufts University Medical School. Karen works part-time as a freelance designer and helps with her husbands construction and contracting business. It wasnt until Albany was back in American hands that the engagement officially drew to a close. His dissertation is on the LZ Albany battle. The Tragedy of LZ Albany: Teaching the lessons of a battle lost. He lives in Columbus, Georgia, and is a serious collector of firearms and active in a local shooting club. He tells his audience this to help them understand. They have two sons, one an oil-industry consultant, the other an Air Force sergeant who served in the Persian Gulf War. from around the world. Meyer and his wife, Carol, live in Arlington, Virginia. "The main point that I try to get across when I speak to Soldiers, and this is what saved me, is the training," he said. Ernie had gone back to his native Chicago and drove a truck for the city. FREEMAN, Ed (Too Tall to Fly), sixty-five, Bruce Crandalls wingman, retired a major in 1967 after twenty-one years Army service. Young went to work for the railroad in Steelville, Missouri. They are all Don Cornett to him, his best friend. The fighting continued all day and into the night. Most of the planes touched down between midnight and six A.M., but George Nye was always there, rain or shine. This was the first and last battle between NVA forces and U.S forces of similar size. 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. 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. By the third day of the battle, the Americans had gained the upper hand. Memoirs and histories written after the event capture it . Diduryk is buried at the Fort Benning cemetery; his widow, Delores, lives in Jacksonville, Florida. He retired a colonel in 1983. Although each survivor's story is unique, . We lived in tents. There's captains and majors and colonels and I assume they know what they are doing. Postal Service in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Shortly after landing, a U.S. patrol captured an unarmed North Vietnamese deserter who told them that three regiments, roughly an entire division, were hiding in the nearby mountain. Returning home, he single-handedly raised his two young children while earning two masters degrees. STOCKTON, John B., seventy, commander, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, retired a colonel in 1967. (Skip), fifty-three, commander of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cav in the Ia Drang, is still on active duty. Search above to list available cemeteries. He was medically evacuated the next morning. He retired a major in 1980, after twenty years service. He is a colonel and the provost marshal of the U.S. Army Forces Command (Forscom) in Atlanta, Georgia. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. We were taking an administrative break, guys were taking off their packs and lighting cigarettes and the enemy was less than 100 yards on our right flank and deploying and we couldn't see 'em or hear 'em," he said. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. During his two tours in Vietnam, Crandall flew lead ship on 756 separate missions. "To do it you've got to get up. 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. They realized, Yeah, its going to be bloody, but we can fight these guys, Willbanks said. Georgia, 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. The bulk of the fighting was centered around two vital helicopter landing zones: LZ X-Ray and Albany. 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.. The XO had been hit in the small of the back. Read More He is now an attorney in San Diego, California. KINNARD, Harry W. O., seventy-seven, former commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division, retired from the Army as a lieutenant general in 1969. HERREN, John, fifty-eight, commander of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cav, served a second tour in Vietnam as a staff officer at MACV/Saigon, was a battalion commander in Germany, and served in the office of the secretary of defense until his retirement in 1985 as a colonel. A wounded soldier of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, is attended to by fellow comrades during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Scott and Basil Plumley meet most Fridays over breakfast at a local cafe for spirited discussions of the relative merits of their service, their two 7th Cavalry battalions, and other weighty issues. A miserly, ungrateful Veterans Administration ruled that Shadden was only thirty percent disabled. The Ia Drang Valley is a map featured in Battlefield Vietnam. All Rights Reserved. "I always end my talk with telling my audience 'When people go to the wall [Vietnam Veterans Memorial], they see 58,000 names. 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." For the next agonizing 26 hours, that small band of Americans was trapped by a ring of hundreds of enemy fighters determined to kill them all. The 430 troops of the 1st Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division loaded into helicopters and were dropped into the Ia Drang valley. Im not supposed to chop wood or do anything that might cause a lick on that side of my head, but it healed up pretty well so I dont worry much about it, he says. KENNEDY, Glenn F., first sergeant, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, was killed in action on May 6, 1966, during Operation Davy Crockett in the Bong Son plain. They didnt discover I was a doctor until the day I was dischargedwhen I had a long talk with them about treating their patients like pieces of meat. He was discharged in November 1966, and wound up in Boston in 1981. He wanted the Gulf veterans to have the welcome-home that none of the Vietnam veterans got. EIN: 52-1149668, Copyright 2023 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display. His awards include the Combat Infantrymans Badge with two stars; two Silver Stars; two Bronze Stars; four Purple Hearts; a Master Parachutist Badge with five combat-jump stars; a European Theater Service ribbon with eight campaign stars and four invasion arrows; a Korean Service ribbon with three campaign stars and one invasion arrow; a Vietnam Service ribbon with one silver and three bronze campaign stars; and the Presidential Unit Citation badge. Shocked and wounded U.S. troops gather at a jungle clearing of South Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley in mid-November 1965, as they wait for an ambulance helicopter. VIERA, Arthur, Jr., forty-eight, an M-79 grenadier with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, survived the terrible wounds he suffered in X-Ray. Battle of Ia Drang Valley Survivors These men survived the fighting in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam from Oct 23, 1965 to Nov 1965. Adams and his wife have a three-year-old daughter. The idea was to kill the enemy, not necessarily hold ground, and bleed the North Vietnamese until they tired of war. WALLENIUS, Jon, forty-nine, mortar observer, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany, got out of the Army in August 1966. He and his wife, Theresa, and their six-year-old daughter, Megan, live in Glen Allen, Virginia. The assault at LZ X-Ray began before noon on 14 November. He did not know at the time that his friend, Don Cornett, had died. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. At approximately noon,the North Vietnamese 33rd Regiment attacked. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. There is a problem with your email/password. Three U.S. soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the battle. James Lawrence, one of the men who fought at LZ Albany, later recounted his experiences. Why I wasn't killed, I couldn't say.". ROLAND, William, forty-nine, rifle-squad leader, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at X-Ray, returned to Vietnam for a second combat tour. Some of the men who hadn't slept for close to 48 hours closed their eyes, others smoked or ate. Today he is a city bus driver in Houston, Texas. He returned to serve two more tours in Vietnamone with the Special Forces, one with an intelligence agency. He and his wife, Ann, live in Lilburn, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. THORPE, Henry, fifty-eight, commander, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang, left the Army as a captain in September 1967, after eight years service, and went home to his native North Carolina. 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