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View Full Version : 45 Years since Hue



Captain Kirk
01-31-13, 11:17 AM
To all of America's Vietnam veterans, thank you for your military service and thank you for the great sacrifices that you have made.

Forty five years ago today in the early morning hours of 31 January 1968, a division-sized force of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) soldiers launched a well coordinated multi-pronged attack on the city of Hué City Vietnam.

This was the beginning of one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War, The Battle for Hue City.
...
The North Vietnamese forces occupied most of the city. Over the next month they were driven out during intense house-to-house fighting led by the U.S. Marines. The Marine battalions, 1/1 and 2/5 consisting of fewer than 2,500 men, attacked and courageously and heroically defeated more than 10,000 entrenched enemy troops, liberating the City.

On February 21 the 1st ARVN Division linked up with elements of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), which had launched a coordinated assault on the city from blocking positions to the west.

March 2, 1968, the battle for Hue was officially at an end. U.S. Marines suffered 142 KIA and 857 wounded and the U.S. Army 74 KIA and 507 wounded.

Please watch this video :

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Mongoose
01-31-13, 01:42 PM
Doug, no one has more respect and Honor for the Marines that fought at Hue, than I do. You and Russ and all the others that was there, will never be forgotten by me. God Bless, brother.

Captain Kirk
01-31-13, 02:43 PM
Thanks Billy. C​ coming from you it means a lot. Tough month.

advanced
01-31-13, 08:00 PM
Doug, I think you may have forgotten to mention the 1/5 in that little walk in the park. After all, that's where I lost my cherry and became a Marine. Just saying.

Captain Kirk
02-01-13, 05:17 AM
​Russ, I didn't write it. I just copied it. Thank you for surviving the Police Action. LOL

advanced
02-01-13, 06:43 AM
advanced

02-14-12, 07:35 AM

I believe today is the 44th anniversary of my going into Hue City with the 1/5. I went in as a green fng and after about 2+ weeks I emerged as a Marine. I had no idea at the time of how my life had been totally transformed forever. To my brothers that were also there S/F.

m14ed

02-14-12, 07:48 AM

some dates are remembered forever,,, some of them we have"Generalized" somewhere in memory............................................ .................

you can't swear in Court to the date,,, but you can swear to doing the deed

SemperFidelis Marine,, thanks for letting us hang around with you.

FistFu68

02-14-12, 07:58 AM

:beer: Heres too Yah Russ...Maybe as tha' Years Roll by~~~ You can have more Peace in Your Life~~~Go Easy My Friend,:iwo: Semper Fidelis

Mongoose

02-14-12, 09:23 AM

You know what those days mean to me Russ.You know what I carry in my heart for Marine Grunts that fought in Nam. I regret that I wasn't there to cover your back, brother. I have the greatest respect for all Marines that served in Nam. However, I have a special place of Honor those grunts I served with directly. When I think about what Marines are all about, You and Jack come to mind. I'll never forget what you did there. God Bless.

Captain Kirk

02-14-12, 09:49 AM

Russ, We who survived our freshman year at the University of Hue Salute you! What an education we got!

advanced

02-14-12, 11:54 AM

Yes those days were quite a blur to me. Being a ng I was scared ****less, all the scuttlebutt we were hearing about how the 2/5 was being torn a new a$$hole and were they going to send us in. We actually went in yesterday afternoon, the **** for me started today, early this morning.

Within a couple of days I realized that I wasn't afraid anymore, I had learned to hang it up like everybody around me. We were getting ng's every day almost even our battalion support people were put on line with us. Some ng's were still wearing stateside utilities and boots, they must have just arrived in country from Freedom Hill. Poor sonofa*****es.

The constant rain, freezing my asss off every night and the smells that would gag a maggot and in the beginning make you puke, and the flies. Yes Doug, I received one hell of an education, and a pretty good case of PTSD out of that one.

The next month my reward was promotion to Cpl, and then too many walks in the park out in the Arizona to remember. I do remember Meade River and the Hook though, I didn't think I was going to come out of that one either.

After that when I realized that I had lived, I went back to the world and lived happily ever after. More or less.

P.S. Thank you everyone for the kind words.

advanced
02-01-13, 07:08 AM
THE BATTLE FOR THE HUE CITADEL, DURING THE 1968 TET OFFENSIVE, WAS ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY. PRIMARILY FOR IT'S SETTING IN THE ANCIENT IMPERIAL CITY, SURROUNDED BY HIGH WALLS COMPLETE WITH MOAT.

COMBAT IN URBAN AREAS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL TYPES OF WARFARE AND THE CONDITIONS AT THE BATTLE FOR THE CITADEL DOUBLY COMPLICATED THE TASK. FIRST AND FOREMOST THE BATTLE AREA WAS NEVER ISOLATED, THIS IS THE PRIMARY PREREQUISITE FOR COMBAT IN URBAN AREAS, AS A RESULT WE WERE ESSENTIALLY SURROUNDED. THE NVA WAS FREE TO REINFORCE AND RESUPPLY AT WILL. THAT PLUS THE MONSOON RAINS AND LOW CLOUD COVER GREATLY REDUCED AIR SUPPORT. THE NAVY WAS ALSO RELUCTANT TO SEND LCUS UP THE PERFUME RIVER TO SUPPORT US. CONSEQUENTLY, WE WERE PERIODICALLY SHORT OF FOOD AND AMMUNITION AND THE ABILITY TO EVACUATE DEAD AND WOUNDED. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAD NO CLOSE SUPPORT ARTILLERY. NEITHER WERE WE EVER RESUPPLIED WITH HAND GRENADES AND NO FLAME THROWERS WERE AVAILABLE--BOTH EXTREMELY USEFUL IN HOUSE TO HOUSE FIGHTING.

THE BATTLE AREA ITSELF WAS TO THE ADVANTAGE OF THE NVA DEFENDERS. ONE LEVEL MASONRY HOUSES AND FENCES AND HEAVY VEGETATION PROVIDED EXCELLENT COVER. AND CONCEALMENT, MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SPOT WHERE ENEMY FIRE WAS COMING FROM. THE COMBAT WAS CLOSE, PERSONAL, VIOLENT AND ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING. DEATH LURKED BEHIND EVERY CORNER OR FENCE, FROM EVERY ROOM, TREE AND BUSH.

FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER CROSSING THE LINE OF DEPARTURE FOR OUR INITIAL ATTACK, ALPHA COMPANY WAS HIT HARD IN THE VICINITY OF THE DONG BA GATE/TOWER. EVERY OFFICER AND STAFF NCO WAS KILLED OR WOUNDED PLUS A GOOD NUMBER OF OTHER MARINES. THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY WAS SPENT IN DISENGAGING, COLLECTING OUR CASUALTIES AND WITHDRAWING ALPHA COMPANY TO BATTALION RESERVE. BRAVO AND CHARLIE COMPANY WERE DEPLOYED TO CONTINUE THE ATTACK THE NEXT DAY. I REQUESTED THAT DELTA COMPANY BE DETACHED FROM 2/5 AND SENT TO ME ASAP. I ALSO INFORMED GENERAL TROUNG THAT HIS RULES OF ENGAGEMENT WERE BS AND THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO CONTINUE UNTIL THEY THEY WERE RELAXED. HE AGREED, EXCEPT THAT WE COULD NOT FIRE HEAVY ARTY INSIDE THE INTER PALACE WALL.

THE SECOND DAY, THE ATTACK WAS CONTINUED WITH LITTLE SUCCESS. AGAIN WE HAD DIFFICULTY WITH THE DONG BA TOWER.

DELTA COMPANY ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY AND I GAVE THEM THE ZONE OF ACTION NEXT TO THE EAST WALL WITH THE MISSION OF SECURING THE DONG BA TOWER. DELTA ACCOMPLISHED IT WITH ONE HELL OF A BATTLE THAT RAGED THROUGH THE DAY AND NIGHT. THAT GAVE US THE IMPETUS NEEDED TO MOVE. DELTA COMPANY'S ASSAULT ON THE TOWER WAS ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT. IT WILL JOIN OTHER GREAT SMALL UNIT ASSAULTS IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY.

THERE AFTER OUR MOVEMENT WAS INCH BY INCH, YARD BY YARD, HOUSE BY HOUSE. ONE CORRESPONDENT WITH US WROTE THAT WE SUFFERED A CASUALTY FOR EVERY YARD THAT WE TOOK. THERE WAS SOME TRUTH TO THAT. TWICE THE ATTACK WAS STOPPED BECAUSE WE RAN OUT OF 90,106 AND 81 MM AMMO. THREE OR FOUR DAYS WE WERE WITHOUT FOOD AND FRESH WATER. RESUPPLY AND EVACUATION OF OUR DEAD AND WOUNDED WAS A CHRONIC PROBLEM THROUGH-OUT.

IN SPITE OF THE DIFFICULTIES WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE WITHIN A COUPLE HUNDRED METERS OF THE SOUTHERN WALL WHEN OUT ATTACK CAME TO A GRINDING HALT. ONE PARTICULAR BUILDING WAS GIVING US FITS. IT WAS THE ONLY MULTI STORY STRUCTURE IN THE CITADEL. LATER WE WERE TO LEARN THAT IT WAS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE NVA FORCE COMMANDER.`AT THAT POINT I GAVE THE COMPANY COMMANDERS AN ATTACK ORDER FOR THE NEXT MORNING. WHEN I HAD FINISHED CAPTAIN HARRINGTON SAID, " WE WILL DO OUR BEST MAJOR BUT IF WE GO WE WILL NOT HAVE ANYTHING LEFT AT DAY'S END. THE OTHER COMPANY COMMANDERS HARDILY AGREED. THEY WERE RIGHT. WE WERE DOWN TO THE REMNANTS. PLATOON LOOKED LIKE SQUADS, COMPANIES LOOKED LIKE PLATOONS, COMPANIES HAD ONLY ONE OR TWO OFFICERS OR STAFF NCOS.

AT THAT POINT THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF TO DO WAS TO CONDUCT A NIGHT ATTACK, I CALLED ON ALPHA COMPANY TO DO THE JOB. THEY HAD BEEN IN RESERVE SINCE TAKING SO MANY CASUALTIES THE FIRST DAY AND WAS IN RELATIVELY GOOD SHAPE, THE PLAN WAS TO MOVE IN QUIETLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CATCH THE NVA BY SURPRISE. THIS THEY DID. THEY WERE ABLE CATCH THE NVA GUARDS SLEEPING AND DISPOSED OF THEM WITHOUT A SOUND. AT FIRST LIGHT THE NVA STARTED TO MOVE BACK INTO THEIR POSITIONS. ALPHA COMPANY WAS READY FOR THEM--THEY HAD A DUCK SHOOT, THROWING THE NVA IN A STATE OF GREAT DISARRAY. I HAD ASK OUR OTHER COMPANIES TO MONITOR ALPHA'S TACTICAL NET. SO WHEN THEY HEARD ALPHA'S SUCCESS THEY CONTINUED THE ATTACK IMMEDIATELY AND DROVE DOWN WITHIN ASSAULT POSITION OF OUR FINAL OBJECTIVE OF SECURING THE SOUTHERN WALL, THE FLAG TOWER AND GATE.

AT THAT POINT BRAVO COMPANY WAS RELIEVED AND SENT BACK TO PHU BAI AND WAS REPLACED BY LIMA COMPANY, 5TH MARINES. LIMA CAME UP FROM THE DANANG AREA WHERE THEY HAD SEEN LIMITED ACTION. THEY WERE AT FULL STRENGTH AND READY TO GO. THEY WERE GIVEN THE TASK OF TAKING THE TOWER AND GATE. LIMA COMPANY'S ASSAULT WAS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD, THE SKY'S OPENED UP AND WE WERE ABLE TO RUN NAPALM AIR STRIKES ON THE TOWER. LIMA TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT ASSAULTING ACROSS AN OPEN AREA TO TAKE THE TOWER. THE REMAINDER OF THE BATTALION WAS ABLE TO TAKE THEIR PORTION OF THE WALL WITH EASE.

I WAS ORDERED TO ALLOW THE ARVN TO TAKE THE INNER PALACE AND LOWER THE COMMUNIST FLAG FROM THE TOWER AND HOISTING THE VIETNAM FLAG. REMNANTS OF THE BLACK PANTHER COMPANY AND 2ND BN, 3RD ARVN REGIMENT WERE GIVEN THE HONORS. THESE UNITS HAD BEEN WITH US FROM THE BEGINNING AND WERE USED FOR REAR AREA SECURITY AND CONTROLLING HUNDREDS OF REFUGEES WAITING TO RECLAIM THEIR HOMES. BUT BY THAT TIME THERE WAS NO RESISTANCE--THE BATTLE WAS OVER.

WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW COURAGEOUS OUR MARINES WERE DURING THIS BATTLE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF DELTA COMPANY.WHO LED ALL THE WAY. DELTA COMPANY WAS MY MAIN FORCE IN THE CITADEL, AS WELL AS FOR MY SEVEN MONTHS AS BATTALION COMMANDER OF 1/5. MARINES OF 1/5 CAN TAKE PRIDE IN THAT YOU WON ONE OF THE GREAT BATTLES IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY,

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU AND CONSIDER MYSELF FORTUNATE AND HONORED TO HAVE SERVED WITH YOU.

SEMPER FI FOREVER-- Col BOB THOMPSON

m14ed
02-01-13, 03:28 PM
I'd been back in the land of the BigPXover a year when Radio news of TET started to hit the airwaves,,,, ,
and the TV footage wasn't a day or so
behind the best i can remember from that time.
Still had friends who i knew were close to being rotated home still scattered here and there in RVN.

Many prayers were said by many people, for them who were in harms way...

Civilians were busy protesting our involvment as the news media was saying that the US Military was getting their a$$ kicked....
WE Marines stateside had all the faith in the world for our brothers who were "Carrying the Load"...

PS: THANKS BROTHERS !!! - - For Making us look good !!!

Captain Kirk
02-01-13, 04:41 PM
A tribute to all who served, both those who fell and those who's war will never end! God Bless Hue City survivors.

ridingcrops
02-01-13, 06:50 PM
Now that's one of the things that make Marines a legend!