Posted on Jun 22, 2016
New troops sent to An Loc - Jun 22, 1972 - HISTORY.com
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South Vietnam’s 21st Division, decimated by repeated attempts to relieve An Loc, is replaced by the 25th Division. At the same time, U.S. helicopters flew 18th Division troops to positions south of An Loc to replace badly battered 9th Division troops that had also been trying to get to the city.
The 21st Division and attached units had been trying to reach the besieged city since April 9, when the group had been moved from its normal station in the Mekong Delta and ordered to attack up Highway 13 from Lai Khe to open the route to An Loc. The South Vietnamese forces had been locked in a desperate battle with a North Vietnamese division blocking the highway since the very beginning of the siege. As the 21st Division tried to open the road, the defenders inside An Loc fought off repeated attacks by two North Vietnamese divisions that had surrounded the city early in April. This was the southernmost thrust of the North Vietnamese invasion that had begun on March 30; the other main objectives were Quang Tri in the north and Kontum in the Central Highlands.
The arrival of the fresh South Vietnamese soldiers would eventually result in the lifting of the siege at An Loc. The 18th Division troops successfully attacked the North Vietnamese forces surrounding the city and most of the communist troops within An Loc had been eliminated by the end of the month. The 25th Division was less successful and the North Vietnamese forces continued to block Route 13 south of the city.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell
The 21st Division and attached units had been trying to reach the besieged city since April 9, when the group had been moved from its normal station in the Mekong Delta and ordered to attack up Highway 13 from Lai Khe to open the route to An Loc. The South Vietnamese forces had been locked in a desperate battle with a North Vietnamese division blocking the highway since the very beginning of the siege. As the 21st Division tried to open the road, the defenders inside An Loc fought off repeated attacks by two North Vietnamese divisions that had surrounded the city early in April. This was the southernmost thrust of the North Vietnamese invasion that had begun on March 30; the other main objectives were Quang Tri in the north and Kontum in the Central Highlands.
The arrival of the fresh South Vietnamese soldiers would eventually result in the lifting of the siege at An Loc. The 18th Division troops successfully attacked the North Vietnamese forces surrounding the city and most of the communist troops within An Loc had been eliminated by the end of the month. The 25th Division was less successful and the North Vietnamese forces continued to block Route 13 south of the city.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell
New troops sent to An Loc - Jun 22, 1972 - HISTORY.com
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American History Vietnam War
Posted >1 y ago
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Did you military history buffs know that five black Mariens earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam and they were all killed shielding fellow Marines from exploding enemy grenades:
Pfc James Anderson, Pfc Oscar Austin, Sgt Rodney Davis, Pfc Robert Jenkins, & Pfc Ralph Johnson
Marine COs would often tell their commands " There are no white or black Marines ..we are all just Green Marines"..41,000 Black Marines served in Vietnam and I was privileged to know some of these guys before they were sent to Vietnam. But we had our share of ugly incidents in the '50s & '60s at Camp Lejeune and in Vietnam.
Source: "Black Americans - Green Marines" by J. Robert Moskin pages : 681- 682.
Pfc James Anderson, Pfc Oscar Austin, Sgt Rodney Davis, Pfc Robert Jenkins, & Pfc Ralph Johnson
Marine COs would often tell their commands " There are no white or black Marines ..we are all just Green Marines"..41,000 Black Marines served in Vietnam and I was privileged to know some of these guys before they were sent to Vietnam. But we had our share of ugly incidents in the '50s & '60s at Camp Lejeune and in Vietnam.
Source: "Black Americans - Green Marines" by J. Robert Moskin pages : 681- 682.
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
SP5 Mark Kuzinski - I got along fine with all of the black marines in my Company and a few told me they respected anyone who was really into physical fitness, especially running & competing doing situps, pullups and pushups. I noticed the black marines wanted to be the best at PT and most of the time they were.
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SP5 Mark Kuzinski
There was a lot of crap going on back home (Detroit Area) when I served but the guys I served with maintained our unity.
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
SP5 Mark Kuzinski - It was different in the '50s & '60s because there still was segregation in the South. We had a few incidents on weekends and it was usually over playing music .. I had to break up a few fights between blacks and guys from the south because the black guys got sick or listening to the Grand Ole Opry every Saturday night on the radio and wanted to listen to Louie Armstrong , Sarah Vaughan or the Platters on their record players and I agreed with them. So we had some issues that led to words and punches. And I must admit I would rather listen to Sarah Vaughan instead of Kitty Wells so fights broke out because of these differences.
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Thanks for reminding us about what was just a name to those of us who were in the USA; but, was at times a bitter fight for those who fought at An Loc SP5 Mark Kuzinski.
For perspective I am including three images: Large scale map; Propaganda image of announce victory of US and ARVN forces; and a Vietnamese language picture with arrows indicating VC lines of attack from April 13 to June 22.
FYI SrA Christopher Wright SGT John " Mac " McConnell SGT (Join to see) LTC Stephen C.
For perspective I am including three images: Large scale map; Propaganda image of announce victory of US and ARVN forces; and a Vietnamese language picture with arrows indicating VC lines of attack from April 13 to June 22.
FYI SrA Christopher Wright SGT John " Mac " McConnell SGT (Join to see) LTC Stephen C.
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Thanks for posting this SP5 Mark Kuzinski. I had been back to the states four years before this happened. Glad that war finally was over. Too many American losses, before the NVA took over. I was in Nam in 1967. There were no problems between the blacks and whites. The NVA tried to cause problems by distributing leaflets that the blacks didn't need to be there and that the whites hated blacks, and they should go home. I don't know if the blacks began think about that, but I doubt it. Everyone just wanted to go home alive. Here are some samples of the leaflets.
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