101st Abn operations A Shau Valley

[Bill Farnie]

Pack .. If James or Dan were with these units of the 101st in the time frames of the Ops, then there is a good chance they were in the A Shau

Deleware --- 1st Brigade ( in support of the 1st Cav) Apr-May 1968

Somerset Plain --- 1st Brigade
(more of an extended raid then a full scale operation. Lasted 17 days) August 1968

Massachusetts Striker ---2nd Brigade Mar-May 1969

Apache Snow --- 3rd Brigade May-June 1969

Montgomery Rendezvous --- 3rd Brigade Jun-July 1969


Lam Son 719 ---Jan – Mar 1971

1st Bde, (Res)
3d Bde, (D+30 to D+67)

1/501st (D+25 to D+67)

2/502 (OPCON 3d Bde) (D+26 to D+67)

1/506th (D+47 to D+67)

2/327th (D+29 to D+48)

(and of course, my Homies unit)



Lam Son 810 --- 1st Brigade September 1971

[Packo]

Hopfully James will pop in and let us know. He and Dan were together before James left for the Lrrps....Not sure which brigade they were in...just know 327th.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend. I've been elected Commander of my Purple Heart Chapter and will be laying the wreath at the National Cemetary in a couple of hours. You take care my brother....and to all my brothers and sisters....have a nice Memorial Day.

Pack

[frisco-kid]

Originally Posted by Packo

Hopfully James will pop in and let us know. He and Dan were together before James left for the Lrrps....Not sure which brigade they were in...just know 327th.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend. I've been elected Commander of my Purple Heart Chapter and will be laying the wreath at the National Cemetary in a couple of hours. You take care my brother....and to all my brothers and sisters....have a nice Memorial Day.

Pack

Packo and Bill: They were in the 1st Bde. [Seperate], as was I. When the 101st arrived in RVN in JUL65, it was just the 1st BDE. It consisted of 3 rifle battalions, 1/327 [James and Dan], 2/327, and 2/502 [me, JUN66-JUN67]. It remained so until late '67, when the rest of the division began to show up from Ft. Campbell, KY. I don't know the order that the other 2 brigades and various PIR's arrived in-country, or the length of time that it took to get the whole division over there.

He told me in April, but I don't remember Dan's tour dates. I know James got there in APR67, but was headed to the LRRP's by OCT or NOV67. We were in Duc Pho when he joined us. I don't know if they were still there, or up around Chu Lai when Dan got there. I was gone by then.

By the time the rest of the division came over, the transition from "Airborne" to "Airmobile," and eventually "Air Assault," had already begun back at Campbell. As replacements began to show up, more and more of them were Straight Legs [troopers not parachute qualified]. I, and I know James and Dan, also, have always been proud of the fact that we were members of the 101st AIRBORNE Division the last time they fought a foreign foe as an all-paratrooper outfit.

"Airborne" or "Airmobile," the 101st Airborne Division was one of the most decorated units in the VN War. 17 of the 245 Medals Of Honor recipients of the VN War were Screaming Eagles. 4,022 Screaming Eagles died in VN. Paratrooper or Leg, we fought with valor. Bill, James, Dan, and any other VN Screaming Eagles that reads this, always be PROUD of who we were and what we did, Brothers.


RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY!!


To anyone else that reads this: No matter what their job was, ALL VN Veterans are Heroes. It takes alot of balls just to SHOW UP for a gunfight. Less than 10% of our generation did. We were the BEST of our generation.

[VIETNAM 1968]

Thanks for your last comment Frisco Kid. You made an Old and Decrepit REMF Vietnam Veteran feel just a little bit more proud of the fact that I also did my Tour Of Duty in Nam the best that I could. Bless all of you Combat Vets though. You were the guys that put it all on the line every day in the HELL called Vietnam.

To all of my Vietnam Veteran Brothers and Sisters I again wish each and every one of you a MOST SINCERE and HEART FELT:

WELCOME HOME


VIETNAM 1968

[Packo]

to be decorated more than the 101st....was, of course, the First Air Cav! It was the most decorated division of the war. Also ditto what you said about everybody.

Pack

[frisco-kid]

Originally Posted by Packo

to be decorated more than the 101st....was, of course, the First Air Cav! It was the most decorated division of the war. Also ditto what you said about everybody.

Pack

Yep. 26 Medals Of Honor were awarded to 1st Cav troopers. But remember, the 101st was only one brigade for the first two and a half years in-country.

Per capita, the 173rd Abn. Bde. was probably the most decorated unit in the war. It remained a brigade sized unit the whole war. They arrived in, I think, MAY65 as the first Army unit in-country. It consisted of 3 rifle battalions. About the middle of '67, they received a 4th battalion. 13 Sky Soldiers were MOH recipients. 137 received DSC's. 1758 were killed. A tour with The Third Herd was hard time.