Good morning RallyPoint on this, 25 May 2021, thank you for your service. Here is your history for the Vietnam War on this day, 25 May through the years of the war. Also today I have the honor of introducing RP members to one (1) US Army Major Medal Of Honor recipient due to actions taken on this day 25 May in Vietnam History. Welcome home all Veterans… and to those that gave their all, …may you rest in peace...!

Today, 25 May in Vietnam War History;

25 May 1959, American advisers to the ARVN were authorized to accompany units on operational missions, "provided they do not become involved in actual combat." Previously American advisers had been prohibited from accompanying the ARVN on combat missions.

25 May 1962, A report of the International Control Commission (ICC) for Vietnam charges North Vietnam with subversion and aggression into South Vietnam. It also charges that the United States is violating the Geneva Agreements with its military buildup in South Vietnam, and accuses South Vietnam of violating the 1954 Geneva Accords by accepting US military aid and establishing ‘a factual military alliance’ with the US. The report is adopted by the Indian and Canadian members of the ICC but is opposed by the Polish member.

25 May 1965, The arrival of H&MS-12, 1RAR in Vietnam.

25 May 1966, The Cultural Revolution begins in China starting a period of prolonged political instability within one of North Vietnam's major allies.

25 May 1966, The arrival of HQ 1st Avn Bde, 222d Avn Bn in Vietnam.

25 May 1966 – 8 February 1967, Operation Lam son II, Div Arty, 1st Inf Div; 5th ARVN Div., Phu Loi Pacification Task Force: 1-26 Inf (25 May-16Jul); 2-2 Inf (16 Jul-?), 2-13 Art (one bty), 1st Eng Bn (elts), 5th ARVN Div (elts)., saturation patrolling, cordon and search, pacification, Phu Loi, Binh Duong Province. Execution: the operation was aimed at clearing the area around Phu Loi followed by progressive pacification activities in selected areas.

25 May 1966 – 28 May 1966, Operation Mobile, 17th Marines, ARVN 5th Regiment and VNMC 5th Battalion search and destroy operation, Tam Ky, Thang Binh, Vinh Huy, Que Son Basin, Nui Loc Son, LZ EAGLE, LZ ROBIN, LZ BLUE JAY, Quảng Ngãi Province.

25 May 1967 The following units arrive in VietNam; 191st Avn Co,240th Avn Co, 137th Eng Co.

25 May 1967 – 5 June 1967, Operation Union II/Lien Ket 106, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1/5 Marines, 2/5 Marines (-), 3/5 Marines; 2nd ARVN Div:6th ARVN Rgt (two bns), 1st ARVN Rgr Grp (21st, 37th and 39th Rgr Bns). and ARVN 6th Regiment search and destroy operation to entrap the NVA 3rd and 21st Regiments, north of Tam Kỳ, Quảng Nam Province.

Execution: At the conclusion of UNION I, intel reports indicated that the 3rd and21st PAVN Rgts were moving back into the Que Son Basin, prompting III MAF to launch another joint operation in the Val-ley. The three ARVN Rgr Bns were to attack southwest from Thang Binh while two units from the 6th ARVN Rgt were to attack northwest from a position near Tam Ky. 1/5 Marines at Nui Loc Son would establish blocking positions in the western portion of the Valley while 3/5 Marines would move by helicopters into the southern portion and sweep northeast. On 26 May, 3/5 Marines met heavy resistance while it landed on LZ EAGLE 5 km east of Nui Loc Son. Fighting continued throughout the afternoon, the Marines counting 118 dead NVA scattered across the battlefield. US losses had been high too with 38 KIA and 82 WIA. In the next few days, all four forces swept the area, meeting only light resistance. Convinced that the NVA had escaped, the ARVN ended their operations, but the 5th Marines decided to change the direction of attack toward the hills along the southern rim of the basin. Landing on LZs ROBIN and BLUE JAY on 30 May, both battalions moved abreast to the northwest. On 2 Jun, the two lead companies of 3/5 met an entrenched NVA battalions in the village of Vinh Huy, 3 km east of the 26 May contact. Reinforced by 2/5, the Marines forced the enemy to disengage, withdrawing hastily to the southwest where they were caught in the open by devastating support fires. This action marked the last significant battle of UNION II. Results: 701 enemy killed, 40 detained, 110 US KIA, 473 US WIA, 18 ARVN KIA, 111 ARVN WIA.


25 May 1967, Fighting resumes in the southeastern section of the DMZ when two Marine battalions assault a North Vietnamese position on Hill 117, three miles west of the base at Conthien. They withdraw after blowing up enemy bunkers there on the 27th.

25 May 1968, The communists launch their third major assault of the year on Saigon. The heaviest fighting occurred during the first three days of June, and again centered on Cholon, the Chinese section of Saigon, where U.S. and South Vietnamese forces used helicopters, fighter-bombers, and tanks to dislodge deeply entrenched Viet Cong infiltrators. A captured enemy directive, which the U.S. command made public on May 28, indicated that the Viet Cong saw the offensive as a means of influencing the Paris peace talks in their favor.

25 May 1969, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu assumes personal leadership of the National Social Democratic Front at its inaugural meeting in Saigon. Thieu said the establishment of this coalition party was “the first concrete step in unifying the political factions in South Vietnam for the coming political struggle with the communists,” and emphasized that the new party would not be “totalitarian or despotic.” The six major parties comprising the NSDF coalition were: the Greater Union Force, composed largely of militant Roman Catholic refugees from North Vietnam; the Social Humanist Party, successor to the Can Lao party, which had held power under the Ngo Dinh Diem regime; the Revolutionary Dai Viet, created to fight the French; the Social Democratic Party, a faction of the Hoa Hao religious sect; the United Vietnam Kuomintang, formed as an anti-French party; and the People’s Alliance for Social Revolution, a pro-government bloc formed in 1968.

25 May 1970 – 30 June 1970, Operation Cuu Long III, ARVN 9th Division, 4th Armored Brigade, 4th Ranger Group and Chau Doc Regional Forces and Popular Forces and FANK operation to clear PAVN forces, Route 2 and Route 3 Cambodia.


Today is 25 May 2021
Vietnam War Memorial facts
123 Names on the wall were born on 25 May
251 Names on the wall died on 25 May
245 men earned the Medal Of Honor in the Vietnam war and 160 of those men are listed on the wall
As of 2021, there are 58,282 names on the wall
The number of Americans still listed as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War stands at 1,586 as of 2020

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

“How I wish you were here Robert. We have 4 Grandchildren now. The latest Ryder Anthony Denton was born 12/31/2015. He looks like Robbie only with Ginger color hair. Our oldest Granddaughter Avery is expecting her first baby, a boy in July. She set her wedding date on your birthday. You would be so proud of Robbie and his family. I stay in touch with Cathy & Sara. I miss your mother, Dad & my parents very much. I have wonderful memories of our school days & classmates like Mike Aston, Johnny Brumley, Joe Norwood & other friends like Bubba Hughes who didn't make it home. Gerald Veile passed after coming home & so did Tony Abilla & several others. Agent Orange has caused so many to suffer. MAY GOD BLESS ALL. I LOVE YOU SSGT. ROBERT ANTHONY DENTON FOREVER.” -Cindy 5 May 2016

Vietnam war quotes and other interesting items; None today


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;

“Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.”- Martin Fraquhar Tupper

“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.”- Plato, Dialogues, Phaedo

"A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."- U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt

"I like the noise of democracy." - James Buchanan

"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." - Jonas Salk



One (1) Congressional Medal of Honor Citation for actions taken in the Vietnam War on this day 25 May in Vietnam War history. Major William E. Adams, U.S. Army


William Edward Adams (June 16, 1939 – May 25, 1971) was a major in the United States Army who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War.
On May 25, 1971, Adams volunteered to fly a helicopter to rescue three wounded Americans encircled in a fort in Kontum Province. He did this knowing full well that the clear weather allowed North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gunners to easily see their targets. His aircraft was bombarded by anti-aircraft fire, but Adams still persevered and rescued the three men. As he was leaving, his aircraft was shot down, and Adams was killed. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1972.

Early life;
Adams was born in Casper, Wyoming. He attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, where he graduated in the junior college Class of 1959. Three years later, Adams graduated from Colorado State University as a member of the Class of 1962.
Military career;
Adams joined the United States Army in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1962. He began his tour in Vietnam on July 6, 1970. On May 25, 1971, Adams, a major, volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter mission to rescue three dead US advisors and a wounded crew chief from a previously shot down helicopter crew chief from a besieged firebase in Kontum Province, despite the clear weather which would provide the numerous enemy anti-aircraft around the location with clear visibility. Despite fire from machine gun emplacements and rockets, Adams succeeded in landing at the firebase while supporting helicopter gunships attacked the enemy positions. After take off, however, the helicopter was hit by fire. Adams momentarily regained control and attempted to land, however the helicopter exploded in mid air and crashed. Adams, who was 31 at the time, was killed.
Adams is buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. His grave can be found in plot P O, Grave 3831.
Memorials;
The Vietnam War Memorial formerly on the campus of Wentworth Military Academy, is the same make and model helicopter that Adams was flying when he was killed. He is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on panel 03W, row 054.
Medal of Honor;
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING Vietnam War
Service: Army
Battalion: 52d Aviation Battalion
Division: 1st Aviation Brigade
GENERAL ORDERS:
Department of the Army, General Orders No. 38 (September 6, 1974)
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Major William Edward Adams, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with A/227 Assault Helicopter Company, 52d Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 25 May 1971. On that date, Major Adams volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter in an attempt to evacuate three seriously wounded soldiers from a small fire base which was under attack by a large enemy force. He made the decision with full knowledge that numerous anti-aircraft weapons were positioned around the base and that the clear weather would afford the enemy gunners unobstructed view of all routes into the base. As he approached the base, the enemy gunners opened fire with heavy machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Undaunted by the fusillade, he continued his approach determined to accomplish the mission. Displaying tremendous courage under fire, he calmly directed the attacks of supporting gunships while maintaining absolute control of the helicopter he was flying. He landed the aircraft at the fire base despite the ever-increasing enemy fire and calmly waited until the wounded soldiers were placed on board. As his aircraft departed from the fire base, it was struck and seriously damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire and began descending. Flying with exceptional skill, he immediately regained control of the crippled aircraft and attempted a controlled landing. Despite his valiant efforts, the helicopter exploded, overturned, and plummeted to earth amid the hail of enemy fire. Major Adams' conspicuous gallantry, intrepidity, and humanitarian regard for his fellow man were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of the military service and reflected utmost credit on him and the United States Army.