Good morning RallyPoint on this, 23 May 2021, thank you for your service. Here is your history for the Vietnam War on this day, 23 May through the years of the war. Welcome home all Veterans… and to those that gave their all, …may you rest in peace...!

Today, 23 May in Vietnam War History;


23 May 1961, Vice-President Johnson reports to President Kennedy on his visit to Asia. Giving Thailand and Vietnam pivotal significance, he reports that the United States must either aid these countries or ‘pull back our defenses to San Francisco and a “Fortress America” concept.’ he feels Asian leaders would welcome US troops if openly attacked.

23 May 1964, Western sources estimated the PAVN to number 16 divisions totaling 280,000 men, plus militias with 180,000 men, and a border force of 20,000 men. A reserve militia force numbered 400,000. North Vietnam had not yet infiltrated any elements of the PAVN into South Vietnam.

23 May 1964, Assistant Secretary of State William Bundy directs the drawing up of a three-day scenario that, while publicly pretending that the US and South Vietnam are trying to avoid widening the war, assumes that the US will begin full-scale bombing against the North.

23 May 1966, The arrival of the 103 Fld Bty in Vietnam.

23 May 1966, Da Nang restored to GVN control as the main struggle-force pagoda surrenders without opposition, followed by the final pockets of resistance. Struggle forces in Hue vow to defend that city against a GVN takeover.

23 May 1966 – 25 June 1966, Operation Athens, 3rd Battalion 4th Marines search and destroy operation, 25 km south of Huế in Thừa Thiên Province. Execution: 3/4 Marines kept Route 1 opened between Phu Bai and Phu Loc.

23 May 1966 – 18 June 1966, Operation 77-66, 5th SFGA.. Det B-52 Project DELTA, 91st Abn Rgr Bn., Execution: reconnaissance from FOB OASIS in support of Operation PAUL REVERE.

23 May 1967, the arrival of HMH-463 (Detachment serving with MAG-16 since 23 Dec 66.)

23 May 1967, 24-hour Allied stand-down for Buddha's Birthday. No incidents.

23 May 1967 – 31 May 1967, Operation: MUITNAMAH, TF OREGON, 39th Eng C Bn., Execution: The 39thEng C Bn upgraded Route 1 between Duc Pho and Mo Duc. Results: (no info).

23 May 1967 - 31 May 1967, Operation: WINCHESTER II, 173d Abn Bde., 1-503 Inf, 2-503 Inf, 4-503 Inf, 3-319 Art,E/17 Cav, D/16 Arm, 173d Eng Co., Type: movement. Bien Hoa, Pleiku, Catecka Plantation, Pleiku Province. Execution: On 23 May, IIFFORCEV instructed the brigade to prepare for immediate deployment to II CTZ in the vicinity of Pleiku. The brigade's mission was to establish a base camp and act as a reserve force for at least three months. At 0500 on 24 May an advance party flew from Bien Hoa to New Pleiku AF. At 1220, the first C-130 aircraft departed Bien Hoa carrying the brigade's main elements. Air movement continued through 27 May with a total of 2,239 personnel and 2,700 tons of equipment being transported utilizing a total of 208 sorties. A base camp was established at Catecka on Route 19 and the brigade was placed under opcon to 4th Inf Div to join Operation FRANCIS MARION. Results: none.

23 May 1967, A public controversy over the M-16, the basic combat rifle in Vietnam, begins after Representative James J. Howard (D-New Jersey) reads a letter to the House of Representatives in which a Marine in Vietnam claims that almost all Americans killed in the battle for Hill 881 died as a result of their new M-16 rifles jamming. The Defense Department acknowledged on August 28 that there had been a “serious increase in frequency of malfunctions in the M-16.” The M-16 had become the standard U.S. infantry rifle in Vietnam earlier in 1967, replacing the M-14. Almost two pounds lighter and five inches shorter than the M-14, but with the same effective range of over 500 yards, it fired a smaller, lighter 5.56-mm cartridge. The M-16 could be fired fully automatic (like a machine gun) or one shot at a time. Because the M-16 was rushed into mass production, early models were plagued by stoppages that caused some units to request a reissue of the M-14. Technical investigation revealed a variety of causes for the defect, in both the weapon and ammunition design, and in care and cleaning in the field. With these deficiencies corrected, the M-16 became a popular infantry rifle that was able to hold its own against the Soviet-made AK-47 assault rifle used by the enemy.

23 May 1968, The U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Long Beach CGN-9, operating off of the coast of North Vietnam shot down a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) jet fighter with a RIM-8 Talos missile fired from a distance of 65 nautical miles (120 km; 75 mi) making it the first combat kill by a naval surface to air missile.

23 May 1968, At the conclusion of an experimental civic affairs program in Longan province, John Paul Vann and other US advisors issue a report recommending widespread changes in the pacification effort. The report states that Saigon has little understanding of its people’s needs and has consistently failed to provide adequate funds and services for grass-roots programs. As a result, the Vietcong continue to collect taxes and recruit troops from many hamlets that the government claims it has pacified.

23 May 1971, North Vietnamese demolition experts infiltrate the major U.S. air base at Cam Ranh Bay, blowing up six tanks of aviation fuel, which resulted in the loss of about 1.5 million gallons. U.S. commander Creighton Abrams criticized the inadequate security.

23 May 1972, The U.S. aerial campaign was expanded to include more industrial and non-military sites. (Operation Linebacker). In 190 strikes, the United States lost one plane but shot down four. The new strikes were part of the ongoing Operation Linebacker, an effort launched in response to the massive North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam on March 30. The purpose of the raids were to interdict supplies from outside sources and the movement of equipment and supplies to the North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam. The strikes concentrated on rail lines around Hanoi and Haiphong, bridges, pipelines, power plants, troops and troop training facilities, and rail lines to China.

23 May 1975, Most American employees of the U.S. Embassy in Laos were ordered to evacuate the country. Most were evacuated by air to Bangkok, Thailand. A skeleton staff remained at the Embassy.

23 May 2016, U.S. President Obama announced that the United States would end its ban of lethal military equipment sales to Vietnam. The restrictions had been in place since the end of the Vietnam War.

Today is 23 May 2021
Vietnam War Memorial facts
159 Names on the wall were born on 23 May
170 Names on the wall died on 23 May
245 men earned the Medal Of Honor in the Vietnam war and 160 of those men are listed on the wall

Other wall information/stories/quotes & Notes in the guest book left at the wall;

“It has been a long time since we played as neighbor hood kids. Fighting one day and playing the next. Our favorite game was bicycle soccer in the street. Scuffing our legs with bicycle pedals. Little did we know what life was going to deal us. Your two brothers and mine just lived the moment. I had one brother go to Vietnam and one flunked his induction exam. Neither of your brothers were drafted. Myself I joined the Air Force and was put in the Air Police. I came through at the time the Air force was opening some Airbases in France, this was three years after the Cuban missile thing. When we the US backed the Russian down. It was a three year posting so when we pulled out was sent to 81st TAC Fighter Wing at RAF Woodbridge. There we had plans load with Nukes to meet any Russian attack. The world is still here minus you brave souls who gave your all to this country. You guys sure made cowards out of those who ran of to Canada. They got to crying years later that they wanted to come back to the US to see Moma and one of ours presidents gave them a pardon instead of jail time or the rope. They all commented treason. I'm sure all you guys that died would have liked coming home and seeing your Mothers and family. I was lucky going to Europe, but you know the military you go where your ordered to go and not where you want to go. I pray that you have peace because I know where you are at, your with God. Rest in peace my bother in arms.” -Larry 2 September 2017


Vietnam war quotes and other interesting items;

“The aims of the enemy have been put out of reach by the skill and the bravery of Americans and their allies – and by the enduring courage of the South Vietnamese who, I can tell you, last year lost eight men for every one of ours. The enemy is no longer close to victory. Time is no longer on his side. There is no cause to doubt the American commitment. Our decision to stand firm has been matched by our desire for peace.”-Lyndon Johnson, January 1966

“It remains a stubborn fact that the percentage of the countryside which is dominated or threatened by the Viet Cong continues to grow.”-McGeorge Bundy, White House security advisor, 1965


Links of interest?

Looking for a Brother or sister you served with? This might help you.
The Viet Nam Veterans Home Page to be quite useful in finding living veterans. They maintain a Lost and Found section http://www.vietvet.org/lostfnd.htm, with listings of people looking for people.

To find information on the availability of U.S. Navy deck logs during the Vietnam war era, check out this link. https://historyhub.history.gov/community/military-records/blog/2020/10/08/update-on-availability-of-vietnam-era-1956-1978-us-navy-deck-logs

Unit Reunions, Homecomings, Gatherings, Newsletters, Etc. can be found at http://www.vietvet.org/unitlist.htm
There are two replica versions of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial that tour the United States regularly. The first of them which is called The Moving Wall, has been traveling the country for almost twenty years. You can find their schedule at http://www.themovingwall.org/
Where can I find the latest information on the status of Prisoners of War and those listed as Missing in Action? A: The Library of Congress maintains POW/MIA information at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pow/powhome.html


Quotes;

“Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” -Attributed to Captain John Parker at Lexington, 1775

“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” -Attributed to William Prescott at the Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775

“Issue the orders, sir, and I will storm hell!” -American soldier Anthony Wayne, to George Washington

“[The US] recognizes that the threat of communist aggression against Indochina is only one phase of anticipated communist plans to seize all of Southeast Asia… A decision to contain communist expansion at the border of Indochina must be considered as a part of a wider study to prevent communist aggression into other parts of south-east Asia.”-US National Security Council report, February 1950


Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for actions taken in the Vietnam War on this day 23 May in Vietnam War history. None on this date through the years of the Vietnam war.