The battalion relocated to Phouc Long Province, near Song Be, in South Vietnam to operate and provide defense for FSB Buttons, the headquarters of the Cav's 2nd Brigade.īelow shows SGT Arlie Spencer with men from his unit date, location, and men unknown. Daily, they worked in extreme heat, heavy jungle, and monsoon rains, searching for the 274th Viet Cong Main Force Regiment and the 33rd NVA Regiment - with occasional success resulting in 2 to 3 enemy KIA:Ĭambodian events for the 5th Battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment, 199th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB) (Separate) began during the morning of 5 May, 1970 when the 5-12th Infantry was released by the 199th to the operational control of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, effective at 1840 hours. The 5th Battalion, 12th Infantry had for nearly six months operated around Firebase Libby and Gladys in Long Khanh Province. The parent 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters did not go to Vietnam therefore, the Division received no Battle Credit.The 1st Cavalry Division's Operational Report for that period gives a broad outline of the swift moving events, to include the datesĪnd events involving the 5th Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment who were under the operational control of the 1st Cavalry Division'sĢnd Brigade. The Battalion and the 7th Infantry Regiment received Campaign Participation Credit for eleven (11) campaigns during service in Vietnam. (Sources: Various Internet and book references-all public domain.) The Battalion returned to Fort Benning on Octoand was inactivated. In all that time, the Tet 1968 fighting in Saigon was the only time the unit fought a pitched urban battle-very unusual during the war. In total, the 7th Infantry spent four years in Vietnam. The 7th spent two more years in Vietnam fighting in the paddies and jungle around Saigon. The fight at Phu Tho lasted only minutes. The entire battalion loaded onto helicopters and flew to the landing zone at the racetrack, not knowing that the enemy had taken it. The Cotton Balers got the call to return. Quite the opposite, they had lost Cholon and the critical Phu Tho Racetrack. For seveal days, they resumed their patrol routine through the paddy county taking random fire from stray V.C.īy February 10th, the South Vietnamese Army had not retaken the capital. The tired, dirty, and red-eyed Cotton Balers loaded onto helicopters and returned to their base at Binh Chanh. It could have been that they wanted to show the world that they could take back their own capital city, without American help. The South Vietnamese, for some reason, requested that the American troops be withdrawn. Within days, the Americans and South Vietnamese had a dominating presence in Saigon. The battle had turned against the communists. For five days, the Cotton Balers fought and slowly cleared the enemy from this section of Saigon. Two additional rifle companies arrived after dark to reinforce their exhausted comrades and began to push to clear Cholon. The racetrack proved to be an ideal landing zone. Shortly after 1630, the Cotton Balers were in the racetrack. The unit could then clear the buildings without exposing themselves on the street, which was under heavy enemy fire. The Cotton Balers then started clearing the buildings using C-4 charges to open holes in the interior walls. A platoon of the 17th Cavalry, on tracked A.P.C.s and firing their 105mm gun, helped drive off the attackers. The men of Able Company sprang into action, dismounted, and opened up with all the firepower at their disposal. The American convoy was ambushed six blocks from the racetrack. slaughtered anything that moved, including innocent civilians. Prior to the Cotton Balers arrival, American losses were very high as the V.C. With a critical shortage of vehicles, only one company of the 3rd Battalion could be moved into the battle. The Cotton Balers were ordered to take it back. Cholon was located at the hub of many streets, and by holding the racetrack, could stop helicopters from landing with critical reinforcements and supplies. had captured Cholon, the western section of Saigon. With the Viet Cong 275th Regiment ranging deep into the south against light ARVN Forces, they quickly established a command post at Pau Tho Racetrack, inside Saigon. The unit was conducting operations in Dong Nai Province when the 1968 Tet Offensive began. The Battalion went to Vietnam on December 10, 1966, attached to the 199th Infantry Brigade. The 3rd Battalion of the 7th Regiment was formed at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1966.
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