April 21, 2009: the 42nd anniversary of the Battle of Binh Son I


A hearty Semper Fi! to all us of that dwindling band of survivors of Old Fox 2/1 a.k.a. THE BIG OUTFIT -- all of us 'ole clowns from so far, far away and so long, long ago!

Tom Singleton and Harry Morris and Tomás Hinojosa and Nolen and The Cook and Cooper and "Hank" Bradley and Boursa and Smitty and Ronnie Couture and James Moran and Cpl Forrest K. Dowdy and Sergeant Otis Lovejoy and Ernie Stemsgar and Christopher Dennis Olivia and Huedilla Cundiffe and Dale T - Bone Richardson, and Rosario Carmelo Busceme and Lance Corporal Pittman and Corporal Campbell and Brown and "Andy" Anderson and Corporal Fortune and USN Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Gesh plus our Canadian buddy, Woodie, from Prince Rupert, I think it was: all you fine fellows still more or less alive and breathing?

Ronnie, I'll never know why those Marine combat engineers who were tracking you guys with their M - 14s didn't just go ahead and and nail you and the other two -- or was it actually three? -- Marines plus your improvised Vietnamese civilian stretcher crew as you emerged from the scrub jungle that lay 150 to more than 200 meters or so to the east side of Hill 185, Nui Loc Son, with the wounded First Platoon machine gunner, Braddon, and that deceptively quiet Puerto Rican Lance Corporal from New York City's mean streets.

Like we told that book writer when he interviewed us by phone in December of 1992:

"Hell, I'll never know how I could have possibly known [at that distance] that it was Ronnie or who knows who?

"I just did!

"And I yelled out: Hey, don't shoot! That's Ronnie Couture!"

Ronnie, that's when you waved us forward and we were able to get your firsthand account of what had just transpired within the past hour or so in the battle proper...


Now, here's wiki:

"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:.Operation Union. Part of the Vietnam War. Date: April 21 - May 16, 1967. Location: Que Son Valley, South Vietnam. Result. U.S. victory. Belligerents. United States vs. North Vietnam.

"Operation Union was a military operation conducted by the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.

"It was a search and destroy mission in the Que Son Valley carried by the Ist Marine Regiment.

"The object of the operation was the 2nd Division of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN, often in U.S. sources North Vietnamese Army or NVA).

"Launched on April 21, 1967 the operation ended May 16."

"Background

"The Que Son Valley is located along the border of Quang Nam and Quang Tin provinces.

"Populous and rice - rich, the valley was viewed as one of the keys to controlling South Vietnam's five northern provinces by the communists and by early 1967 at least two regiments [like maybe the 3rd and the 21st?] of the 2nd Division of the PAVN had been infiltrated into the area...

"Since mid - January 1967 Foxtrot Company, a reinforced company of the 2nd Battalion 1st Marines (F/2/1), had manned an out post atop Nui Loc Son (Loc Son Mountain), which dominated the southern Que Son Valley.

"Although the Communist forces operating in the valley did not initially take much notice of the Marines, on April 15, 1967, the Foxtrot company commander advised Colonel Emil Radics, the commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, that the enemy units appeared to be preparing for an all - out assault on the outpost [Hill 185].

"Radics developed a plan for a multi - battalion assault and sweep aimed at clearing PAVN units from the vicinity of the mountain.

"The plan was approved as Operation Union by Major General Herman Nickerson, the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, on April 20 and was put into action the following morning..."

Boy and howdy!

It was indeed: put into action the following morning...:)

To Be Continued!

Here we go!

"Operation

"Acting as bait, Foxtrot Company was ordered to leave its outpost [on top Hill 185 -- Nui Loc Son a.k.a. Mount Michael Foxtrot. heh, heh, heh!] to sweep toward Binh Son, the nearest enemy - held village complex.

"Contact with PAVN elements began around 7 a.m., shortly developing into a full battle.

"The Marine company was soon pinned down in a tree line near Binh Son, thereby fixing the PAVN forces who were soon subjected to a withering air and artillery bombardment.

"This allowed Foxtrot Company to attack into Binh Son as the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines (3/1), arrived to support them via a helicopter assault.

"The main body of the 3/1 fought into the village to join Foxtrot in engaging the enemy while other elements of the battalion landed from helicopters east of the battlefield to block the enemy's most likely escape route.

"During the afternoon, United States Army 175 mm self - propelled artillery and Marine 105 mm howitzers established separate firebases near the battlefield, and that evening the 1st Battalion 1st Marines (1/1) landed atop Nui Loc Son.

"Outcome

"By the morning of April 22 the PAVN had been driven out of Binh Son and withdrew to the north.

"From that time until the end of Operation Union on May 14 the PAVN was hotly pursued by the Marines and the 1st ARVN Ranger Group in a series of bitter engagements that were costly to both sides.

"The PAVN 21st Regiment [Duh?! So, where does all this leave Fox 2/1's nemesis, the PAVN/NVA 3rd Regiment, then?] sustained hundreds of casualties and was left unfit for combat.

"It is believed that Operation Union, together with the succeeding Operation Union II, inflicted over three thousand casualties on the PAVN.

"Although the Communists had lost ground around Nui Loc Son they remained in firm control of much of the rest of the Que Son Valley and were steadily reinforced."The 5th Marine Regiment also sustained over 300 casualties and the entire regiment received the Presidential Unit Citation (USN) awarded by President Lyndon Johnson."On May 26, the 5th Marines, which had assumed control of the latter stages of Operation Union, kicked off Operation Union II."