Operations

[frisco-kid]

At the end of your tour with the 101st, they gave us a certificate stating how many operations that you participated in and how many days you spent in the field.

While I served with the 101st from JUN66-JUN67, I took part in 11 combat operations. These were Search and Destroy-type operations. During this time, the 101st consisted of just 1 brigade, the 1st Brigade, which was made up of 3 infantry battalions; 1/327, 2/327, and 2/502. During this time the brigade was used as a Reactionary Force by Westmoreland, moving us all over the country. Most of the time we were in II Corps, but we were also near Phan Thiet in NE III Corps, and in the Duc Pho area in southern I Corps. Sometimes the brigade was split up, fighting in different AOs at the same time.

The operations that I participated in were:

Operation Beauregard in Dak To. I got there at the end of the operation, but soon enough to see my first KIA in my company.

Operations John Paul Jones, Seward, and Geronimo in the Tuy Hoa area from late JUL66-1DEC66. Tuy Hoa is about half way between Qui Nhon and Nha Trang on the Coastal Plains.

Operation Pickett W/NW of Kontum. When we were moved from Tuy Hoa to Kontum, it was the first time in the war that an entire brigade had been moved from one place to another in less than 48hrs.. We were in the Kontum area from 2DEC66-late JAN67.

Operation Farragut in the mountains west of Phan Rang. Phan Rang was the HQ for the 101st. This was the first time since I'd been with them, that we returned to Phan Rang. The operation lasted 6 days.

Operations Gataling I and Gataling II ran from 1FEB67-end of MAR67. During this time we were sent to Bao-Loc in the southern Central Highlands; Phan Thiet about 100mi. due east of Saigon near the coast in III Corps; Di Linh about 60mi. due west of Phan Rang in the Highlands; and Song Mao between Phan Rang and Phan Thiet near the coast. We were in these AOs for only 10-14 days. During this time, 2/327 spent most of MAR67 back in the Tuy Hoa area.

Operation Summerall was from the end of MAR67-the end of APR67 in the mountains NW of Nha Trang, about half way to Ban Me Thuot.

Operations Malheur I and Malheur II were held in the mountains west of Duc Pho in southern I Corps, and later down in the Song Ve and the Crow's Foot Valleys in the Duc Pho area. This was the first operation after we were combined with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade and the 3rd Brigade of the 25 ID [later redesignated as 3rd Bde. of 4th ID] to form Task Force Oregon. Malheur I ran from the end of APR67-first part of JUN67; Malheur II from first part of JUN67-first part of AUG67 [?]. I DEROS'd the end of JUN67. Malheur I was, once again, all three battalions doing a CA into the mountains in a 2 day period. The first day the 1/327 [James] and 2/502 [me] CA'd into the mountains, with the 2/327 coming in the next day as a blocking force.

So what operations were you involved in during your tour?

[Bill Farnie]

Funny.. I was with the 101st and I didn't get a certificate stating how many operations I participated in and how many days I spent in the field.

Anyway...here are the Ops I remember or know from AAR's I have

When I first got to my company they were already a part of Operation Toan Thang Phase II which lasted, for us until September 26th 1968 when we went back to Phouc Vinh for Operation Golden Sword which was the move up to I Corp to join the 1st and 2nd Brigades.

When we got to Camp Eagle on October 2nd we immediately became involved in Operation Nevada Eagle which had been going on in I Corp since May 17th 1968 and lasted until February 28th 1969. We moved again the first week of November to Camp Evans to replace the 1st Cav. We did RIF's and ambushes run out of Evans until mid December when all of the men who DEROS'ed had left and we got replacements.
We were in Operations Rawlings Valley ? December 16th to the 23 and Operation Todd Forest ? December 31st to January 13 which were both sub- operations of Nevada Eagle.

On March 1st 1969 Operation Kentucky Jumper started and was still going on when I left VN at the end of August. We were in Operations Bristol Boots in the Ruong Ruong Valley ? April 25th to May 8th, Apache Snow in the A Shau Valley ? May 10th to June 7th and Montgomery Rendezvous also in the A Shau ? June 8th until my DEROS which were all sub-operations of Kentucky Jumper.

I'm sure that I'm missing some others......

[DMZ-LT]

Same as Homie. I just knew I was there and hoping I would get home.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

I left Camp Evans in Oct 68. Sorry about not making the bed. We were in a hurry. Later we went to Bien Hoa to an area where the 101st guys checked out to go home. The ground had all these medals everywhere, thrown away. Strange. "Ain't no need of looking down, ain't no discharge on the ground." Except there, they were everywhere.

[39mto39g]

I would like to say I remember the operations I was on but I can only remember them saying something about operation Oregon when I first got there, I was all over I-corps and a lot of 2 corps. Worked with the 101st for awhile then the Cav then the 173 Then the 101st again, I would guess that we were doing some kind of operation.
I was told we were working with some Marine unit on some operation west of Danang , but I never seen any Marines durring the operation. Maybe nobody told them we were working togeather.

Ron

[Berk]

Hi guys, new to the PF so just pokin around seeing whats being posted by the Nam types. When I DEROD/ETS in 6/70 I got 2 yearbooks covering 69&70. These are excellant photo albums that cover all the major operations. Hope you guys all got one. If you did, know that they are very rare now and are real hot collector items. So hang on to them. I was recently given a Curahee year book from WWII, by the owner, an aging vet with no family. It is a real treasure. Welcome home brothers, we've been home a long time, but it's been a long time coming home hasn't it. God knows the pain we've endured, so take comfort in knowing that. God bless you all.

[frisco-kid]

Bill: Maybe they didn't give 'em to just the Legs . Maybe they quit passing them out when the rest of the division came over; I don't know, Bro.

Ron: I wouldn't have remembered them all if I hadn't seen them written down. Hell, we were lucky if we knew what part of the country we were in when we un-assed the choppers. Marines......well what can ya say :re: .

John: I THOUGHT the officers looked as confused as everybody else .

Berk: They weren't giving out the yearbooks when I DEROS'd; or at least I didn't get one. But then, they pulled me out of Duc Pho with barely enough time to proccess out of the country and catch my plane. I left on the EXACT day I was supposed to. Met guys that were leaving days,....many days early . Welcome to the site, Bro.

[Andy]

I know we were on a number of different operations, for some reason the only one I can think of is ?Resolve to Win?, that was right ofter Tet. First nine months it was always, do road convoys between Cu Chi and Tay Ninh, or go into the Hobo?s or go into the Triangle. Last three months it was always, see that big mountain, go north west of there. It would be nice to have that sort of thing written down.

Some units issued CIB awards, no only the pin but a certificate. Some units had year books. Our Division had a steam and cream at each of the 3 base camps. A list of operations, or a steam and cream? OK Tom, I don?t covet your paperwork.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[phuloi]

As engineers we were always in a support mode it seems.Cedar Falls/Junction City come to mind.Hey Andy,didn`t you have a bunch of operations with some Hawiian sounding names like Big Kahuna and the like?

[MORTARDUDE]

Having some problems finding the operations I was involved in. I did find this at http://blackwidows.net/Operat.htm

the home of the 188Th Assault helicopter Company


Operations


Operation Corps Date Major Unit Supported
Great Bend III 13 June - 26 June 1967 3rd Brigade 9th Infantry Division
Can Givoc III 19 June - 20 June 1967 3rd Brigade 9th Infantry Division
Enterprise III 13 Feb '67 - 11 March '68 3rd Brigade 9th Infantry Division
Manhattan III 23 April - 7 June 1967 25th I.D.
Northern IV Corps IV June 1967 Royal Australian Task Force
Kole Kole III 15 May - 17 December 1967 2nd Brigade 25th I.D.
Barking Sands III 15 May - 17 December 1967 1st Brigade 25th I.D.
Diamond Head III 15 May - 17 December 1967 3rd Brigade 25th I.D.
Kil Tong Hong II 7 July - 21 August 1967 9th Republic of Korea White Horse Division & Capital Rok Tiger Div.
Song Be III - Cambodia Sept - October 1967 B-34 5th Special Forces
Ranch Hand I, III 1967 - 1968 Close in air support for 7th Air Force Agent Orange Spraying
Shenandoah II III 27 Sept - 19 Nov 1967 1st Infantry Division
Game Warden III Nov - Dec 1967 Seal Team One
Yellowstone III Phase 1 - 1 Dec '67 - 17 Dec '67
Phase 2 - 26 Dec '67 - 24 Feb '68 25th Infantry Division
Saratoga III 8 Dec 1967 - 11 March 1968 25th Infantry Division
TET '68 III 31 Jan - 18 Feb 1968 25th I.D.
Resolved to Win III Jan - Feb '68 25th I.D.
Toan-Thang - Phase 1 III 1 Feb - 10 March 1968 25th I.D.
Rapid Fire V III - Cambodia Dec '67 - Jan '68 5th Special Forces B-36, A-361, A-362 and Free Cambodians
Atlanta III Feb - March '68
Carentan I I 8 March - 31 March '68 3rd Brigade 82nd Airborne 101st Airborne Division
Carentan II I 1 April - 17 May 1968 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division
Prairie Fire I - Laos April - June 1968 CCN-MACV
Delaware I 19 April - 17 May 1968 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division
Nevada Eagle I 17 May '68 - 28 Feb '69 1st and 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division
Allen Brook I 4 May - 24 Aug 1968 1st Marine Division
Mameluke Thrust I 4 May - 24 Aug 1968 1st Marine Division
Swift Saber I 4 May - 24 Aug 1968 1st Marine Division
Eager Yankee I May - June 1968 3rd Marine Division