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Old 07-06-2006, 01:32 PM
39mto39g 39mto39g is offline
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Default Task force Oregon

Elements of the task force engaged an unknown number of enemy in bunkers last Saturday night in an area five kilometers northwest of Duc Pho.

Fire was returned and artillery and a flareship were requested.

Twenty enemy were confirmed killed and five weapons captured. One U.S soldier was wounded.

Light to moderate contact was reported Sunday by units of Task Force Oregon.

One significant contact occurred when elements of the 25th?s 3rd Brigade, supported by air strikes and Task Force Oregon artillery, accounted for 50 enemy killed.

A 3rd Brigade, 25th Division company, killed 21 enemy Wednesday in an engagement with an unknown size force seven kilometers north west of Duc Pho.
Ron
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  #2  
Old 07-07-2006, 10:10 PM
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frisco-kid frisco-kid is offline
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Default We were in the same unit for awhile, Ron.

Task Force Oregon

Duc Pho is in Quang Ngai Province which was the southern-most end of I Corps, a mostly Marine AO. With Marines being this far south, they were spread pretty thin. That's why the 1st Cav was in the Duc Pho area, also.

In early '67 most of the heavy fighting was taking place in III Corps around Saigon. The Army had most of their units there mounting 2 very successful operations back to back; Operations Cedar Falls and Junction City. To make up for the losses in III Corps, Charlie started to put more pressure on the ARVN and US forces in I Corps.

We were operating in II Corps as a reactionary force. I think the only full division in II Corps at the time was the 4th ID. At this time, we were still only 1 brigade. They bounced us all over the place from Kontum to Phan Thiet in NE III Corps. At times, all 3 rifle battalions would be in different AOs. From the end of JAN67 to the end of APR67, the 101st had conducted 4 operations in various parts of II Corps.

Not wanting to pull any divisions out of II and III Corps, losing their momentum, to contend with the pressure being put on in I Corps, MACV came up with Task Force Oregon instead. This would allow the Marines in Quang Ngai Province to move back north with the rest of the Marine units, and the 1st Cav to extend north, opening up Hwy. 1 all the way to Danang.

To make up TF Oregon, basically a division-sized unit, MACV brought together 3 seperate and independent brigades-the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, the 3rd brigade of the 25th ID, and us, the 1st brigade of the 101st Abn. Div.. We were all put under 1 command, commanded by MG Wm. Rosson. Later, and I don't know exactly when, the 3rd brigade of the 25th would become part of the 4th ID.

We started to arrive in the Duc Pho area the end of APR/first of MAY67. At the time, 2/327 had been back down around Tuy Hoa on the Coastal Plains. They were transported by boat [LSTs ?], and landed on the beach like a bunch of freakin' Marines. Our AO was going to be the rugged mountains to the west of Duc Pho.

The whole place was a bastion of VC, with most of the villes under their control. Most of the population, at minimum, sympathized with, if not joined them. A dangerous place. The mountains and valleys to the west were home to several VC units, most notably the 2nd VC Regiment. They knew the area like the back of their hands and were some tough SOBs, often bringing the fight to us. Also, the place was loaded with booby traps.

On 11MAY67 the 101st kicked off Operation Malheur I with 1/327 and 2/502 [me] doing a CA into the mountains. The 2/327 CA'd in the next day. We were to do Search and Destroy operations to locate and destroy the base camps that were in the mountains. We started taking casualties almost immediately, mostly to booby traps. We would have our first KIA 2 days after we got there. We stayed in the mountains for about a month.

When we came down, it was to kick off Operation Malheur II. We were to round up every civilian, dog, pig, water buffalo, and chicken in the Song Ve and the Crow's Foot Valleys. They were going to be moved to government villages in other parts of the country. The whole area was going to be a Free-Fire Zone. ANYBODY seen in the area after the move was to be considered enemy, and SHAME ON THEM. This was still going on when I rotated out the end of JUN67. Was glad to get the Hell out of there, and not just because I was going back to The World.

TF Oregon would stay in existence until the 199th LIB and the 11th Inf. got in-country later in the year to form the Americal Division. This area would become part of their AO, with their basecamp in Chu Lai.
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Old 07-09-2006, 05:30 PM
rotorwash rotorwash is offline
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Ron,

I was crewchief on the first slick Huey from our company (174th) that went into Duc Pho. We were flying C and C for the 2/35th and had gradually moved up from LZ Two Bits. On 15 April the 2/35 and B Troop 1/9th Cav got into a firefight north of Duc Pho. My aircraft got pretty shot up and we ended up grounded at Duc Pho with a 12.7 hit through the tail rotor.

I don't remember exactly when the 3 Bde of the 25th became the 3rd of the 4th, but it seemed to happen overnight. One day all of the 25th stuff was gone and the 4th was in its place.

Every village in the area was really well fortified. It seemed that we had to dig the buggers out with a pitchfork and a crowbar.

Rotorwash
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Old 07-09-2006, 05:42 PM
39mto39g 39mto39g is offline
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Default Roto

In Aug 1967 the switch was made from the 25th to the 4th.

There were 3 brg of 4th inf and 3 brg of 25th inf.
2 brg of the 4th were in northern II corps and one brg of 4th was in southern II corps,
2 brg of 25th were in sothern II corps and one Brg was in northern II corps.
The Army wanted to get all brgs togeather. so instead of moving all of one brg of the 25th south and one brg of the 4th north they just left the units in place and switched patches.
The ONLY smart thing I seen the Army do while I was there.
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Old 07-09-2006, 09:12 PM
MontanaKid MontanaKid is offline
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One small correction Frisco. The 198th is the one that deployed to the TFO area from Fort Hood TX. The 199th remained independent and stayed in III Corps, near Long Binh, I believe.
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Old 07-12-2006, 01:19 PM
A.B A.B is offline
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Frisco-Kid, Sir!

I assume you wrote "199th LIB" by "typo-misstake", really meaning the 198th LIB.

Regarding the 199th LIB (Sep) though...

The 199th LIB (Sep) arrived with an 280 men "advance party" to Viet Nam, on November 28, 1966. The main body of the Bde arrived on and shortly after December 10, 1966, setting up main base NE parts of Long Binh. The 199th LIB was an independent Bde, of which some subordinate units took part in the so called "Cambodian incursion" also, during spring of 1970. (For example its subordinate unit, the 5/12th Inf Rgt and the 2/40th Artillery Rgt. Also see "FSB Myron" and "FSB Brown" in Cambodia).

The 199th LIB's main base was officially named "Camp Frenzell-Jones", after its 2 first KIA of the Bde.

The 199th LIB (Sep) returned home in autum of 1970, and was deactivated at Fort Benning GA (considered to be the "home" for the 199th LIB), on October 15, 1970.

The 199th LIB assn of today, is a very "active" assn. Numerous reunions for its subordinate units is held yearly, aswell as a Bde-reunion each year, during the Memorial Weekend. Same timeperiod every year, for the Bde-reunion by the way. Most years, the reunion is held in Washington D.C. But generally, as for example this year, the yearly reunion for the Bde, was held at Fort Benning instead.

In the year of 2004, I had the indeed great Honor, to be personally invite to attend the 199th LIB's yearly reunion in Washington D.C. The memories of the days I spent in company of the men of the 199th LIB, during the 2004-reunion, I will treassure for the rest of my life!

T G C! (=Take Good Care!)

Sincerely
A.B
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Old 07-13-2006, 04:24 AM
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colmurph colmurph is offline
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My old unit out of the 11th Bde has just been re-activated after 35 years, The 4th BN of the 3d Inf Regt.
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