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1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
"Hell for Leather"
Republic of VietNam

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1st Cav From Ft. Benning, Ga to RVN 11 Sep 65,
return to Ft. Hood 29 Apr 71
Commanders

MG Harry W.B. Kinnard July 65
MG John Norton May 66
MG John J. Tolson III Apr 67
MG George I. Forsythe Jul 68
MG Elvy B. Roberts May 69
MG George W. Casey* May 70
BG Jonathan R. Burton** Jul 70
MG George W. Putnam, Jr. Jul 70

* Killed in chopper crash 7 Jul 70
**Acting


Div HQ's Locations:
An Khe Sep 65 - Jun 67
An Khe/Bong Son Jul 67 - Jan 68
An Khe/Hue Feb 68
An Khe/Phong Dien Mar 68 - Apr 68
An Khe/Quang Tri May 68
An Khe/Phong Dien Jun 68 - Oct 68
An Khe/Phuoc Vinh Nov 68 - Apr 69
Bien Hoa/Phuoc Vinh May 69 - Apr 71


3rd Bde, 1st Cav Div remained in Vietnam after bulk of Division departed on 29 Apr 71. The 3rd Bde remained in Vietnam until 26 June 72. It served in III CTZ. In July 72, TASK FORCE GARRY OWEN was formed from the 3rd Bde. It was built around 1st Bn, 7th Cav. No date for TASK FORCE GARRY OWEN departure from Vietnam.
3rd Bde Commanders:
BG Jonathan R. Burton Apr 71
BG James F. Hamlet Dec 71

1st Cavalry Divison (Airmobile)
Operations
Republic of Vietnam

The 1st Cavalry Division went home in 1965, but only long enough to be reorganized and be prepared for a new mission. On 3 July 1965, in Doughboy Stadium at Fort Benning, Georgia the colors of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) were cased and retired. As the band played the rousing strains of GarryOwen, the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division were moved onto the field. Within 90 days of becoming the Army's first air mobile division, the First Team was back in combat as the first fully committed division of the Vietnam War. An advance party, on board C-124s and C-130s, arrived at Nha Trang between the 19th and 27th of August 1965. They joined with advance liaison forces and established a temporary base camp near An Khe, 36 miles inland from the costal city of Qui Nhon. The remainder of the 1st Cavalry Division arrived by ship, landing at the harbor of Qui Nhon on the 12th and 13th of September, the 44th anniversary of the 1st Cavalry Division.


In the Oriental calendar year of the "Horse", mounted soldiers had returned to war wearing the famous and feared patch of the First Cavalry Division. The First Team had entered its third war - and the longest tour of duty in combat history.

On 10 October 1965, in "Operation Shiny Bayonet",the First Team initiated their first brigade-size airmobile action against the enemy. The air assault task force consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battalions 7th Cavalry, 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry, 1st Battalion 12th Cavalry and the 1st Battalion 21st Artillery. Rather than standing and fighting, the Viet Cong chose to disperse and slip away. Only light contact was achieved. The troopers had but a short wait before they faced a tougher test of their fighting skills; the 35-day Pleiku Campaign.

On 23 October 1965, the first real combat test came at the historic order of General Westmoreland to send the First Team into an air assault mission to pursue and fight the enemy across 2,500 square miles of jungle. Troopers of the 1st Brigade and 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry swooped down on the NVA 33rd regiment before it could get away from Plei Me. The enemy regiment was scattered in the confusion and was quickly smashed. The 3rd Brigade joined the fighting on 09 November. Five days later, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry air assaulted into the Ia Drang Valley near the Chu Pong Massif. Landing Zone X-Ray was "hot" from the start. At Landing Zone X-Ray, the Division's first medal of honor in the Vietnam War was awarded to 2nd Lt. Walter J. Marm of the 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry. The fighting, the most intensive combat in the history of the division, raged for three days. When the Pleiku Campaign ended on 25 November, troopers of the First Team had killed 3,561 North Vietnamese soldiers and captured 157 more. The troopers destroyed two of three regiments of a North Vietnamese Division, earning the first Presidential Unit Citation given to a division in Vietnam. The enemy had been given their first major defeat and their carefully laid plans for conquest had been torn apart.

25 January 1966 began "Masher/White Wing" which were code names for the missions of the 3rd Brigade in Binh Dinh Province. The mission ended 06 March 1966, with the enemy losing its grip on the Binh Dinh Province; however, its name would be heard again and again during the next six years.

On 16 May, Operation Crazy Horse, another search and destroy mission began in the jungle hills between Suoi Ca and Vinh Thanah valleys. Initial contact was made by Company "B", 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry. Soon the entire 1st Brigade was involved in bitter engagements in tall elephant grass and heavily canopied jungle. Once the enemy was surrounded, all available firepower was concentrated on the area. The Viet Cong regiment was hit with artillery, aerial rockets, tactical air strikes by F-4s and bombs from high flying B-52s. Many of the enemy soldiers, trying to flee the devastation, were cut down in Cavalry ambushes. Many important military documents, detailing the Viet Cong infrastructure in Binh Dinh, were discovered.

In August 1966, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry was sent to the southernmost end of II Corps to bring the long months of "Operation Byrd" to a productive finish. In 16 months the 2nd Brigade fanned out from Phan Thiet, the capital city of Binh Thaun Province, and cleared the enemy from the area.

On October 25, Operation Thayer II continued the drive to pacify the Binh Dinh Province. On 01 November troopers of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry became engaged in a sharp fight with the 93rd Battalion and the 2nd Viet Cong Regiment. The action took place in the vicinity of National Route 1 and Dam Tra-O Lake south of the Gay Giep mountains. In Thayer II the enemy suffered a punishing loss of 1,757 killed.

On 13 February 1967, Operation Pershing began in a territory which was familiar to many skytroopers, the Bong Son Plain in northern Binh Dinh Province. For the first time, the First Cavalry Division committed all three of its divisions to the same battle area. ARVN soldiers familiar with the methods of the Viet Cong operations in the Bong Son Plain helped the skytroopers locate and eliminate the numerous caves and tunnels infiltrated by the enemy. For nearly a year the division scoured the Bong Son Plain, An Lo valley and the hills of costal II Corps, seeking out enemy units and their sanctuaries. Pershing became a tedious, unglamorous mission that produced 18 major engagements and numerous minor skirmishes in the 11 month campaign.

The division began 1968 by terminating Operation Pershing, the longest of the 1st Cavalry's Vietnam actions. When the operation ended on 21 January, the enemy had lost 5,401 soldiers and 2,400 enemy soldiers had been captured. In addition, some 1,300 individual and 137 crew weapons had been captured or destroyed.

Moving to I Corps, Vietnam's northern most tactical zone, the division set up Camp Evans for their base camp. On January 31 1968, amid the celebration of the Vietnamese New Year, the enemy launched the Tet Offensive, a major effort to overrun South Vietnam. Some 7,000 enemy, well equipped, crack NVA regulars blasted their way into the imperial city of Hue, overpowering all but a few pockets of resistance held by ARVN troops and the U.S. Marines. Within 24 hours, the invaders were joined by 7,000 NVA reinforcements.

Almost simultaneously to the North of Hue, five battalions of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacked Quang Tri City, the capital of Vietnam's northern province. The Cavalry went on the move with four companies of skytroopers from the 1st Battalions of the 5th and 12th Cavalry who arrived at the village of Thorn An Thai, just east of Quang Tri. Under heavy aerial rocket attack, the enemy quickly broke off the Quang Tri attack, dispersed into small groups and attempted to escape. Quang Tri was liberated within 10 days.

Following fierce fighting at Thorn La Chu, the 3rd Brigade moved toward embattled city of Hue. The southwest wall of the city was soon taken after the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry overcame severe resistance and linked up with the 5th Battalion. At this point, the NVA and Viet Cong invaders were driven from Hue by late February. The Tet offensive was over. The NVA and Viet Cong had suffered a massive defeat, with 32,000 killed and 5,800 captured.

After shattering the enemy's dreams of a Tet victory, the 1st Cavalry Division "Sky-Troopers" initiated Operation Pegasus to relieve the 3,500 U.S. Marines and 2,100 ARVN soldiers besieged by nearly 20,000 enemy soldiers. On 01 April 1968, the 3rd Brigade, making a massive air assault within 5 miles of Khe Sanh, were soon followed by the 1st and 2nd Brigades and three ARVN Battalions. Company "A", 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry led the way, followed by Company "C", 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry. After four days of tough fighting, they marched into Khe Sanh to take over the defense of the battered base. Pursuing the retreating North Vietnamese, the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry recaptured the Special Forces camp at Lang Vei uncovering large stockpiles of supplies and ammunition. The final statistics of Operation Pegasus were 1,259 enemy killed and more than 750 weapons captured.

On April 19 1968, Operation Delaware was launched into the cloud-shrouded A Shau Valley, near the Laotian border and 45 kilometers west of Hue. None of the Free World Forces had been in the valley since 1966, which was now being used as a way station on the supply route known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The first engagement was made by the 1st and 3rd Brigades. Under fire from mobile, 37 mm cannon and 0.50 caliber machine guns, they secured several landing zones. For the next month the brigades scoured the valley floor, clashing with enemy units and uncovering huge enemy caches of food, arms, ammunition, rockets, and Russian made tanks and bulldozers. By the time that Operation Delaware was ended on 17 May, the favorite Viet Cong sanctuary had been thoroughly disrupted.

In late 1968, the Division moved and set up operations in III Corps at the west end of South Vietnam. The First Team established Division Headquarters at Phouc Vinh, assuming control and mission responsibility in four provinces; Phouc Long, Binh Long, Tay Ninh and Binh Duong. The beginning of 1969 found the First Cavalry Division and the ARVN forces engaged in Operation Toan Thhang II. The first three weeks of operation netted the skytroopers one of the largest caches of munitions found in the Vietnam War.

In February 1969, Operation Cheyenne Sabre with the mission to straddle and cut enemy infiltration routes began in areas northeast of Bien Hoa. The rest of the summer was relative calm - until the night of 12 August. The VC threw simultaneous attacks against Quan Lai, LZBecky, LZJon, LZKelly and LZCaldwell. The VC were thrown back, experiencing heavy losses as they fled in retreat. In the final months of 1969, the First Team stymied enemy infiltration along the roads, trails and narrow paths of the "Serges Jungle Highway" which was hidden beneath the canopy of heavy jungle growth. The year 1969 ended in a high note for the 1st Cavalry Division. The enemy's domination of the northern areas of III Corps had been smashed - thoroughly.

On 01 May 1970, the First Team was "First into Cambodia" hitting what was previously a Communist sanctuary. President Nixon has given the go-ahead for the surprise mission. Pushing into the "Fish Hook" region of the border and occupying the towns of Mimot and Snoul, troopers scattered the enemy forces, depriving them of much needed supplies and ammunition. On 08 May, the troopers of the 2nd Brigade found an enemy munitions base that they dubbed "Rock Island East". Ending on 30 June, the mission to Cambodia far exceeded all expectations and proved to be one of the most successful operations of the First Team. All aspects of ground and air combat had been utilized. The enemy had lost enough men to field three NVA divisions and enough weapons to equip two divisions. A years supply of rice and corn had been seized. The troopers and the ARVN soldiers had found uncommonly large quantities of ammunition, including 1.5 millions rounds for small arms, 200,000 antiaircraft rounds and 143,000 rockets, mortar rounds and recoilless rifle rounds. The sweeps turned up 300 trucks, a Porsche sports car and a plush Mercedes-Benz sedan.

The campaign had severe political repercussions in the United States for the Nixon Administration. Pressure was mounting to remove America's fighting men from the Vietnam War. Although there would be further assault operations, the war was beginning to wind down for many troopers.

In July 1970, the 1st Cavalry Division continued the task of clearing the remaining NVA combat elements from the area of III Corps north, east and west of Saigon. Much of this action was supported from firebases which were able to provide field combat units a self directed protective coverage of firepower to their identified targets over a wide area of remote operations. In addition, most firebases were located close enough so that they could direct protective fire support on each other's perimeter if necessary. Typical artillery support was performed by the "B" Battery, 1st Battalion, 30th Artillery out of Firebase "Moe", a one battalion sized firebase, located in Song Be Province northwest of Saigon approximately two kilometers from the Cambodian border. In addition to other elements, the firebase was equipped with the medium artillery platoon consisting of three 155 Howitzers and staffed by a platoon leader, an XO, a fire control officer, and 50 troopers. The 155 Howitzer, although not state-of-the-art, was a useful heavy weapon in the Vietnam jungle because it could be easily airlifted by a Chinook helicopter and dropped into a new clearing to easily setup a new firebase.

The efforts of the 1st Cavalry Division were not limited to direct enemy engagements but also, using the experiences gained during the occupation of Japan and Korea, encompassed the essential rebuilding of the war torn country of South Vietnam. As a result of its' gallant performance, the regiment was awarded two presidential Unit Citations and the Valorous Unit Citation.

Although 26 March 1971 officially marked the end of duties in Vietnam for the 1st Cavalry Division, President Nixon's program of "Vietnamization" required the continued presence of a strong U.S. fighting force. The 2nd Battalion of the 5th Regiment, 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment, 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment and 1st Battalion of the 12th Regiment along with specialized support units as "F" Troop, 9th Cavalry and Delta Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion helped establish the 3rd Brigade headquarters at Bien Hoa. Its primary mission was to interdict enemy infiltration and supply routes in War Zone D.

The 3rd Brigade was well equipped with helicopters from the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion and later, a battery of "Blue Max", aerial field units and two air cavalry troops. A QRF (Quick Reaction Force) - known as "Blue Platoons", was maintained in support of any air assault action. The "Blues" traveled light, fought hard and had three primary missions; 1) to form a "field force" around any helicopter downed by enemy fire or mechanical failure; 2) to give quick backup to Ranger Patrols who made enemy contact; and 3) to search for enemy trails, caches and bunker complexes.

"Blue Max", "F" Battery, 79th Aerial Rocket Artillery, was another familiar aerial artillery unit. Greatly appreciated by troopers of the 1st Cavalry, its heavily armed Cobras flew a variety of fire missions in support of the operations of the 3rd Brigade. The pilots of "Blue Max" were among the most experienced combat fliers in the Vietnam War. Many had volunteered for the extra duty to cover the extended stay of the 1st Cavalry Division.

On 30 March 1972, General Giap of the North Vietnamese Army began an offensive across the DMZ in a final attempt to unify the North and South. By 03 April, these thrusts became a full scale attack. More than 48,000 NVA and VC troops hit Loc Ninh. Two days later, on 05 April, the North Vietnamese threw heavy assults against An Loc and announced that by 20 April, An Loc would be the new capital of the South for the North Vietnamese.

In April and May, stepped up bombings by B-52's helped blunt the North Vietnamese invasion. Large groups of enemy soldiers were caught in the open fields and entire NVA units were destroyed. Helicopters and gunships from the 3rd Brigade saw heavy action at An Loc and Loc Ninh, engaging heavy armor as well as ground troops. The intensity of the fighting took a heavy toll on them. For example, on 12 May, five Cobra Ships were destroyed in less than 30 minutes by Chinese Surface-to-Air (SA-7) Missiles.

On 15 May, relief units, moving down Highway 13, broke through and helped lift the bitter siege of An Loc. The North Vietnamese were reeling from huge losses and began to withdraw to their sanctuaries in Cambodia and Laos. Their spring offensive aimed at cutting South Vietnam in half and capturing Saigon had been decisively smashed. The helo air effort of the 3rd Brigade had turned in a magnificent performance in support of the remaining advisors with the ARVN units. During the period of 05 April through 15 May 1972, more than 100 T54 tanks, armored personnel carriers and anti-aircraft guns were knocked out in the area around An Loc.

By 31 March 1972, only 96,000 U.S. troops were involved in the Vietnam combat operations. In less than two months later, the last of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 3rd Brigade, began its "Stand Down" in a phased withdrawal and was bought back to the United States, completing the division recall on 26 June 1972, which had started over a year earlier on 05 May 1971. The 1st Cavalry Division had been the first army division to go to Vietnam and the last to leave.

"Firsts" had become the trademark of the First Team.

On 27 January 1973, a cease-fire was signed in Paris by the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the National Liberation Front (NLF), the civilian arm of the South Vietnam Communists. A Four-Party Joint Military Commission was set up to implement such provisions as the withdrawal of foreign troops and the release of prisoners. An International Commission of Control and Supervision was established to oversee the cease-fire.

Vietnam Campaigns

Defense
CounterOffensive
CounterOffensive, Phase II
CounterOffensive, Phase III
Tet CounterOffensive
CounterOffensive, Phase IV
CounterOffensive, Phase V
CounterOffensive, Phase VI
Tet/69 CounterOffensive
Summer-Fall 1969
Winter-Spring 1970
Sanctuary CounterOffensive
CounterOffensive VII
Consolidation I
Consolidation II
Cease-Fire

Honors

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
1st Cavalry Division
"The First Team"

Presidential Unit Citation (Army),
Streamer embroidered PLEIKU PROVINCE
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 40, 1967)

Valorous Unit Award,
Streamer embroidered FISH HOOK
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 43, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965-1969
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 59, 1969)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969-1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1970-1971
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
"Ironhorse"

Presidential Unit Citation (Army),
Streamer embroidered PLEIKU PROVINCE
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 40, 1967)

Valorous Unit Award,
Streamer embroidered FISH HOOK
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 43, 1970)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965 - 1969
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 59, 1969)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965 - 1969
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 59, 1969)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
"Blackjack"

Presidential Unit Citation (Army),
Streamer embroidered PLEIKU PROVINCE
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 40, 1967)

Valorous Unit Award,
Streamer embroidered FISH HOOK
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 43, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965-1969
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 59, 1969)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969-1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1970-1971
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Medal, First Class,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969-1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
"Greywolf"

Presidential Unit Citation (Army),
Streamer embroidered PLEIKU PROVINCE
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 40, 1967)

Valorous Unit Award,
Streamer embroidered QUANG TIN PROVINCE
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 39, 1970)

Valorous Unit Award,
Streamer embroidered FISH HOOK
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 43, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965 - 1969
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 59, 1969)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1970 - 1971
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971 - 1972
(3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 54, 1974)

Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class,
Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970
(Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,
cited; DA GO 42, 1972)

Headquarters and Headquarters Company
4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
"Warriors"


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