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LTC Stephen F.
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Edited 5 y ago
Thank you, my friend SP5 Mark Kuzinski that on June 17, 1969 U.S. intelligence reports that an estimated 1,000 North Vietnamese troops have reoccupied Ap Bia Mountain (Hill 937), one mile east of the Laotian border.

Ultra Rare Vietnam War Footage | Assault on Hamburger Hill (CBS Archives 1969)
The battle took place between May 10 and May 20, 1969. The soldiers in this film are from 3/187th Inf. Regt. 101st Airborne Division.
https://youtu.be/r5iTw5g_KiA?t=42

"U.S. and South Vietnamese forces had fought a fierce battle with North Vietnamese troops there in May. The battle was part of a 2,800-man Allied sweep of the A Shau Valley called Operation Apache Snow. The purpose of the operation was to cut off the North Vietnamese and stop any infiltration from Laos that was menacing Hue to the northeast and Da Nang to the southeast. Paratroopers from the 101st Airborne had engaged a North Vietnamese regiment on the slopes of Hill 937, known to the Vietnamese as Ap Bia Mountain. Entrenched in prepared fighting positions, the North Vietnamese 29th Regiment repulsed the initial American assault and beat back another attempt by the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry on May 14. An intense battle raged for 10 days as the mountain came under heavy Allied air strikes, artillery barrages, and 10 infantry assaults."
On May 20, Maj. Gen. Melvin Zais, commanding general of the 101st, sent in two additional U.S. airborne battalions and a South Vietnamese battalion as reinforcements. The communist stronghold was finally captured in the 11th attack when the American and South Vietnamese soldiers fought their way to the summit of the mountain. In the face of the four-battalion attack, the North Vietnamese retreated to sanctuary areas in Laos.
During the intense fighting, 597 North Vietnamese were reported killed and U.S. casualties were 56 killed and 420 wounded. Due to the bitter fighting and the high loss of life, the battle for Ap Bia Mountain received widespread unfavorable publicity in the United States and was dubbed “Hamburger Hill” in the U.S. media (a name evidently derived from the fact that the battle turned into a “meat grinder”). Since the operation was not intended to hold territory but rather to keep the North Vietnamese Army off balance, the mountain was abandoned soon after the battle. The news of the battle and subsequent U.S. withdrawal from the area resulted in public outrage over what appeared to be a senseless loss of American lives. This furor only increased when it was revealed that the North Vietnamese had reoccupied their original positions after the American soldiers left. Gen. Creighton Abrams, who had succeeded Gen. William Westmoreland as commander of U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam, was ordered to avoid such battles in the future."
Thank you, my friend Maj Marty Hogan for mentioning me.

FYI LTC Orlando Illi Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. 'Bill' Price CPT Jack Durish Capt Tom Brown CMSgt (Join to see) MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) Sgt Albert Castro SSgt Boyd Herrst SGT Charles H. Hawes SSG Martin Byrne PO1 William "Chip" Nagel CPT Gabe SnellLTC Greg Henning SP5 Jeannie Carle SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
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GySgt Thomas Vick
GySgt Thomas Vick
5 y
During June of 69 I was up around Camp Carroll, near the Laos border.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
5 y
Thank you for letting us know. I am glad that you are still with us GySgt Thomas Vick.
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GySgt Thomas Vick
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One of the biggest problems with the Vietnam War was that we never took ground to hold it, we always walked away, never understood it then and still don't. I was one of Nine Marines to walk off Hill 881 January 20, 1969.
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Sgt Albert Castro
Sgt Albert Castro
5 y
Thank you for that GySgt Thomas Vick.
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