Journeys III

Archie Stanley

Description

In 1971, as the Vietnam War was winding down for US troops, Lieutenant Stanley was 24 years old and in charge of soldiers even younger than he. Leadership, courage, and presence of mind under combat conditions were paramount. Stanley was thrust into a command position at a remote former Special Forces Border Camp situated at Ben Het on a major infiltration corridor known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where he became the Officer in Charge of a new, high-tech (for 1971) instrument-the Integrated Observation System (IOS). Within a few days he was proficient on the IOS and calling in heavy artillery fire to support several joint US Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam combat operations all over the Central Highlands. On March 31st, Fire Base Six came under heavy attack and was captured by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) with 4,000 to 5,000 troops-considerably more than US intelligence had estimated at 400 soldiers. Stanley's gripping biography chronicles the courageous international intervention between the Soviet Union and the USA that prevented the NVA troops from also capturing Ben Het and advancing all the way down Rocket Ridge, through Kontum City, and effectively splitting South Vietnam at the Central Highlands-a strategy that succeeded the following year.

Sujets

• History
• Military
• Histoire

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 23 janvier 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781478785774
• Langue: English

Extrait

Journeys III
A Pictorial Essay of Artillery Hill and Ben Het, Vietnam
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2017 Archie Stanley
v3.0

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc.
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ISBN: 978-1-4787-8577-4

Map Images from Google Earth. All rights reserved - used with permission.

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Archie Stanley Canal Winchester 2016
Chinese proverb: “One picture is worth ten thousand words.” (Wikipedia)
Vietnam 1971
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter One: Fly-by Photos of Artillery Hill from the Air
Chapter Two: Rotation of Photos from the top of Artillery Hill
Chapter Three: Walk-Through Photosof Artillery Hill
Chapter Four: Narrative Plei Trap Valley Escape and Evasion
Chapter Five: Photos Along the Roads from Artillery Hill
Chapter Six: Fly-By Photos from Artillery Hill to Ben Het
Chapter Seven: To the War ZoneBen Het Photos
Chapter Eight: Photos and NarrativeIntegrated Observation System (IOS)
Chapter Nine: Photos and Narrative Battle of Fire Support Base 6
Chapter Ten: Photos and Narrative Relocating the IOS
Chapter Eleven" Reunion OneThirty Three Years Later
Chapter Twelve: Soviet Intervention /USA Counter Intervention
Chapter Thirteen: Reunion TwoThirty Three Years LaterJohnny James Basso
Closing
Google Earth Image Southeast Asia
Foreword
I continue to write for you, my beautiful grandsons, Canyon, Cole, and Cooper. I want you to see where PopPop was at in Vietnam in more detail than I provided in Journeys. “One picture is worth ten thousand words”, so here is a collection of most every detail of the main areas that I was stationed in 1971. Some of the photos were taken as many as two years before I was there, but not a lot had changed, so a near realistic view of the locations of my experience is depicted.
Special thanks to my fellow soldiers who kindly traded photos with me over the years and graciously gave permission for me to publish many of their photos: Neal Fagan, Terry Carlson, Larry Greksa, Mike Swasta, David Powell, and Dave Lair.
The 1971 USA military personnel presence in Vietnam was 157,000 compared to the 1968 peak deployment of 536,000. Vietnamization of the war was proceeding and U.S. troop direct combat was ending. For every ten soldiers in Vietnam in 1968, there were only three there in 1971.
I was 24 years old and in charge of soldiers that were even younger than I, so leadership, courage, and calmness under combat conditions were paramount. Initially, I was assigned to the First Field Force and stationed at Artillery Hill in the Central Highlands, with the 52nd Artillery Group, 7th/15th Field Artillery Battalion, as Battalion Maintenance Officer.
On March 1st, 1971 a Lieutenant, “W” from our Battery B, Firebase Oasis, assigned as a Forward Observer with an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Infantry Battalion, was reported as missing-in-action, and was forced to revert to Escape and Evasion (E&E) tactics to avoid the enemy as his only available option. I had met Lieutenant “W” and felt a deep concern for his welfare. I followed his heroic courage from my relatively safe place on Artillery Hill, and later I was very glad to see him back and safe at Artillery Hill.
Later, I was thrust into a command position at a remote former Special Forces Border Camp situated at Ben Het on a major infiltration corridor known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. I became the Officer in Charge (OIC) of a very new high-tech instrument made by RCA called an Integrated Observation System (IOS). Within a few days I was proficient on the IOS and calling in heavy artillery fire supporting several joint American and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) combat operations all over that region of the Central Highlands.
On March 31st, 1971, Fire Base Six, about four miles to the Southeast of Ben Het, came under heavy attack and was captured by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) with 4,000 to 5,000 troops; considerably more than our intelligence had estimated at 400 soldiers. Had international intervention between the Soviet Union and USA not occurred, the NVA troops would have also taken Ben Het and advanced all the way down Rocket Ridge, through Kontum City and effectively split South Vietnam at the Central Highlands—a strategy that succeeded the following year.
Google Earth Image South Vietnam
Introduction
As we approached Vietnam, the pilot banked the plane to one side, and the stewardess said, “Gentlemen, I believe we are now at Vietnam”. As we looked out, there were flares going off and smoke was everywhere. Our nervousness subsided once we were told it was the Vietnamese Tet Celebration (fireworks), and we would not have to fight our way off the plane. We landed at 5:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m. at home) Friday, January 22, 1971 Vietnam Time, at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. I was the last person to exit the plane. The tropical heat immediately immersed and saturated me. The air was heavy with humidity and smelled like sour, wet charcoal still smoldering. As I got off the plane with no one left behind me, a cheer went up from the guys in the hanger who’s “Freedom Bird” I had just exited. Once refueled, the plane would soon be flying them home to “The World”.
A few days later I had travelled upcountry just north of Pleiku City in the Central Highlands of Vietnam to a sprawling US Army Artillery base known as Artillery Hill. Originally a French stronghold in earlier years, the actual name of Artillery Hill was Camp Saint Barbara. A French statue of Saint Barbara was situated at the very top of the hill. Saint Barbara is the patron saint of artillerymen and others because of her association with lightening and mathematics. I was assigned to the 52 nd Group within the First Field Force, and placed into the 7 th Battalion of the 15 th Field Artillery. The 7/15 was a self-propelled, tracked Unit consisting of three remote firebase batteries each with two 8-inch howitzers and two 175 mm guns, and the usual HQ Batteries of Personnel (S-1), Intelligence (S-2), Operations (S-3), and Supply (S-4).
Artillery Hill was a rear area as far as any close-in combat was concerned. I became the Battalion Maintenance Officer, also tasked with reorganizing the Battalion Prescribed Parts Inventory System and various other Junior Officer duties including guard duty, accident investigation, and Pay Officer for military personnel and civilian on-base workers. These duties; involved frequently traveling by convoy or helicopter among three 7/15th Fire Batteries at Oasis, Black Hawk, and Schullar, and other more temporary field deployments to other fire support bases and “Hip Shoots” (short duration direct support missions). These duties were mine from January through late March when I was notified that I would assume the duties of Battalion Survey Officer to accurately layout our gun and howitzer positions as well as targets to be acquired.
More immediate however given my engineering, math, and surveying education and experience, was a pressing need to travel north and west to the Tri-border area and a former Special Forces Border Camp Outpost called Ben Het. Situated on a major enemy infiltration corridor known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the outpost was a strategic base to observe enemy infiltration activity and coordinate regional American and ARVN artillery fire missions. A 7/15th contingent of four soldiers manning an Integrated Observation System (IOS), a few MACV advisors, two searchlight operators and about one hundred Montagnard (the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam) native families whose interconnected perimeter homes offered a symbiotic, synergistic security relationship with the military personnel stationed there.