Posted on Jun 21, 2016
Communists storm U.S. base near Tay Ninh - Jun 21, 1969 - HISTORY.com
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Also on this date in 1969 in Vietnam Tom Kelley one of my high school grads was recommended for the Medal of Honor by his Command in South Vietnam for the following actions:
Tom Kelley was a Navy lieutenant commanding a river assault division of eight boats June 15, 1969, during a mission to rescue a company of Army infantrymen on the east bank of the Ong Muong canal in Vietnam’s Kien Hoa province when a boat broke down under enemy fire. Kelley moved his boat into the line of fire to buy time for repairs, and a grenade barely missed his head and shattered a pipe instead, spraying him with shrapnel.
Kelley couldn’t stand up and could barely speak, but he kept command and got all 250 soldiers and sailors to safety.
“I still had two radios, one in each hand,” he said. “We stopped the ambush, and the boat got out
Tom Kelley was a Navy lieutenant commanding a river assault division of eight boats June 15, 1969, during a mission to rescue a company of Army infantrymen on the east bank of the Ong Muong canal in Vietnam’s Kien Hoa province when a boat broke down under enemy fire. Kelley moved his boat into the line of fire to buy time for repairs, and a grenade barely missed his head and shattered a pipe instead, spraying him with shrapnel.
Kelley couldn’t stand up and could barely speak, but he kept command and got all 250 soldiers and sailors to safety.
“I still had two radios, one in each hand,” he said. “We stopped the ambush, and the boat got out
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
SP5 Mark Kuzinski - He graduated from my high school 3 yrs after I did so I don't think I knew him back then. We have Tons of Kelley's among the Boston Irish..But he has been back to our high school a few times recently and the students love to hear his stories about Vietnam because they don't really study it very much in their American History classes in grade of high school.
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I tried to find reliable information about this battle and it was pretty difficult SP5 Mark Kuzinski. I was able to confirm "On 21 June 1969 after two days of shelling the [NVA] attacked the Tây Ninh Combat Base [also known as Tây Ninh Base Camp and Tây Ninh West] and Tây Ninh City but were repulsed suffering 194 dead for the loss of 10 Americans."
This seems to have been a sprawling base which was located near Cambodia and the bases was used as a staging area during the invasion of Cambodia in April, 1970.
Units stationed at Tây Ninh [in June 1969] included:
7th Battalion, 9th Artillery (August 1969-April 1970)
2nd Battalion, 32nd Artillery (April 1967-October 1969)
1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (March–May 1968, July 1968-April 1970) comprising: 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment; 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment; and 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment
2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (April 1968, July 1968-April 1970) comprising: 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment; and 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment
3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (August 1967-February 1968, February–April 1970) comprising: 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment; 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment; and 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry (November 1968-May 1970) comprising: 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry; 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry and 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry; 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry; 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry; 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry; 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry; 187th Assault Helicopter Company and 229th Aviation Battalion
588th Engineer Battalion (April 1967-May 1970)
45th Surgical Hospital (October 1966-October 1970
This seems to have been a sprawling base which was located near Cambodia and the bases was used as a staging area during the invasion of Cambodia in April, 1970.
Units stationed at Tây Ninh [in June 1969] included:
7th Battalion, 9th Artillery (August 1969-April 1970)
2nd Battalion, 32nd Artillery (April 1967-October 1969)
1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (March–May 1968, July 1968-April 1970) comprising: 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment; 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment; and 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment
2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (April 1968, July 1968-April 1970) comprising: 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment; and 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment
3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (August 1967-February 1968, February–April 1970) comprising: 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment; 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment; and 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry (November 1968-May 1970) comprising: 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry; 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry and 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry; 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry; 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry; 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry; 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry; 187th Assault Helicopter Company and 229th Aviation Battalion
588th Engineer Battalion (April 1967-May 1970)
45th Surgical Hospital (October 1966-October 1970
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
LTC Stephen F. - We also had Pentagon Planners who wanted to bomb North Vietnam back into the stone age. But not sure that would have made a difference because the North Vietnamese were putting up both missiles and AA gunfire.
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LTC Stephen F.
Sgt Tom Cunnally - Bombing North Vietnam back into the stone age would have probably drawn China nd the USSR into the war so I never thought that made any sense.
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
LTC Stephen F. - I remember an old WWII veteran tell a group of us younger veterans at a Marine Birthday Party "At least we never lost a war"...& one of the guys in our group who had done 3 tours in Vietnam said "Yes but we never lost a battle but I disagree with you the Politicians in Washington lost the war, not us"....I've often thought about that incident and I bet many Vietnam Vets would agree with this ..I never served in Vietnam but it was always on my mind even after it ended. And I have only received just a few emails from guys in my unit who did serve, these days..
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