Troop F, 9th Cavalry became the brigade reconnaissance troop for 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division on 20 April 1999. Of all the military assignments in Vietnam, perhaps none was more challenging than the defense of the Mekong River Delta region. The 1st Brigade 1st Infantry Division comprising of: 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry, 2nd Battalion 2nd Infantry, 1st Battalion 26th Infantry, and was based at Dau Tieng from July-November 1969, and January-February 1970. Their area of operations was the Mekong Delta, located south of Saigon. The 3rd Brigade remained in Vietnam, under the control of the 25th Infantry Division, until October 1970 when it came home and the division was inactivated. During the war the division's units often served with the Mobile Riverine Force and other US Navy units that made up the Brown Water Navy. The 3rd Brigade 4th Infantry Division comprising of: 2nd Battalion 25th Infantry, 3rd Battalion 22nd Infantry. I was part of the Mobile Riverine Force that worked in the Mekong Delta area south of Saigon. A wealth of illustrative material, including photos, maps, charts, and tables, deepens understanding of the region's hazardous environment and clarifies the circumstances of the division's failures and successes. 13 April The following members of the 483rd MP Platoon, 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, were awarded the Army Commendation Medal under General Orders 1561, Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam, for meritorious achievement in connection with military operations against a hostile force as indicated.. SP/4 James H. Hall, 9 November1969 through 9 March 1970, Based on Hunt's experience as colonel and division chief of staff, the volume documents how the 9th Division's combat effectiveness peaked in 1969. A welcome addition to scholarship on the Vietnam War,The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnamwill find an audience with enthusiasts and scholars of military history. Consequently, the division had a dual focus—combat operations and pacification. Hq and Hq CO, 9th Inf … In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, the eponymous main character was a member of the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, notably: 4th platoon, A Company, 2nd Bn/47INF. On deployment the division was assigned to the III Corps Tactical Zone of Vietnam where it commenced operations in the Dinh Tuong and Long An provinces (6 January-31 May 1967) in Operation Palm Beach. JSTOR®, the JSTOR logo, JPASS®, Artstor®, Reveal Digital™ and ITHAKA® are registered trademarks of ITHAKA. 1913), Coy E/50th Inf reflagged Co. E/75th Inf (Ranger) 2 Dec 1967 – Aug 1969, 2nd Bn/4th Art (105mm How) Jan 1967 – Oct 1970, 1st Bn/11th Art (105mm How) Jan 1967 – Aug 1969, 3rd Bn/34th Art (105mm How) (Riverine) Dec 1966 – Jul 1969, 1st Bn/84th Art (155mm How/8" How) Feb 1967 – Aug 1969, 9th Supply and Transport Bn 16 Dec 1966 – 23 Aug 1969, 335th Army Security Agency Co. (a.k.a. My name is Bob Pries and I served with Bravo Company, 2/47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Vietnam. In June, the 9th Division received word that it was to rotate to the United States, and units began to prepare to stand down. Its objectives were to annihilate 60 percent of the enemy troops and destroy 50 percent of the enemy outposts; liberate the rural areas and attack the enemy lines of communication; and liberate half of the district seats and provincial capitals and destroy the remaining half so that they could eventually control them all. During the drawdown of the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis in 1991–1992, a residual brigade, based around the division's 3rd Brigade, was briefly active as the 199th Infantry Brigade (Motorized) from 16 February 1991 before being reflagged on 16 July 1992 as the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.. 1st Lt. Lynn J. The Mekong Delta was the most populated and richest agrarian area of South Vietnam, and consequently it was the primary target of Communist aggression. The 9th Division was reactivated on 1 February 1966, and arrived in South Vietnam on 16 December 1966 from Fort Riley, Kansas. The division has done much to assist the innocent victims of the war. Not long after the 9th Infantry Division arrived in Vietnam, it moved to Dong Tam and was given the difficult assignment of securing the Mekong Delta region south of Saigon. This discussion has focused primarily on the combat capabilities of infantrymen and their direct support organizations: the artillery, air cavalry, assault helicopters, Air Force, and Navy. You do not have access to this Operating deep within the Viet Cong--controlled Delta, the 9th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army was charged with protecting the area and its population against Communist insurgents and ensuring the success of the South Vietnamese government's pacification program. The research for this After Action Report included OPERATIONAL REPORTS, DAILY STAFF JOURNALS and DUTY OFFICER S LOGS at the Battalion, Brigade and Division levels located in the National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. 9th Brigade Machine Gun Company: formed on 8 February 1916 left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918: 13th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) joined from 8th Bde 4 April 1916: 9th Trench Mortar Battery: joined by 1 May 1916: 76th Brigade This Brigade was transferred from 25th Division on 18 October 1915 in exchange for 7th Brigade. The Americal was reactivated in 1967 in Vietnam from elements already in Vietnam and newly-arrived units. Initially raised in 1903 as part of the post-Federation Australian Army, it was removed from the order … Division headquarters was at Bear Cat Dec 1966 – Jul 1968 and Dong Tam Aug 1968 – Aug 1969. Try logging in through your institution for access. InThe 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam: Unparalleled and Unequaled,Ira A. I reported for the draft on Oct. 12,1967 in Des Plaines, Illinois. The endgame was pacification, and the success of the 9th Division can be measured by not only its combat results but also the improvements of the GVN pacification program. Operating deep within the Viet Cong(VC)–controlled Delta, the Division was charged with prote… Casualties: Not included in source documents. The structure of 199th Infantry Brigade at that time was: Operating deep within the Viet Cong–controlled Delta, the 9th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army was charged with protecting the area and its population against Communist insurgents and ensuring the success of the South Vietnamese government’s pacification program. Viet Cong activities in the Delta were appreciably reducing the cultivation of the important rice crop and were isolating the Delta from Saigon. Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, U.S. Army hold their weapons and supplies high as they cross a deep stream on a search-and-destroy mission in the delta near Rach Kien, south of Saigon, during the Vietnam War, April 20, 1967. You may contact me at the E-Mail address below. Read more about this topic:  9th Infantry Division (United States), “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. (For EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager, Zotero, Mendeley...), Chapter 2 The General Offensive and General Uprising, Chapter 5 Third Phase of the VC/NVA General Offensive, Chapter 6 Fourth Phase of the VC/NVA General Offensive, Appendix A. In mid-May 1968, the 9th Division found itself still responsible for a huge tactical area of responsibility that included all or parts of eight Vietnamese provinces. Thus, the Communists changed their tactics from company- and platoon-sized or smaller operations to battles conducted with multibattalion attacks. The 9th Infantry Division fought in Vietnam from 1967 to the summer of 1969, when the 1st and 2nd Brigades were withdrawn. Please view and sign my guestbook - - - The 9th Infantry Division Guestbook! The division headquarters was split between Bearcat and Dong Tam, with the majority of divisional support troops and several combat battalions located at Bearcat, which was several hours by road from Dong Tam and required traveling through the built-up areas of Saigon. In 1969, the division also operated throughout the IV Corps Tactical Zone. Recent history. 9th Infantry Division and Assigned and Attached Units, 1969, Appendix B. I took basic training at Fort Lenard Wood and infantry training at Fort Polk. Of great importance was that the GVN won the “rice war.” The improved security prevented the Viet Cong from appropriating appreciable supplies, and, after the major disruption of the Communist General Offensive in 1968, agricultural production improved from a low point of 84 percent of the index based upon the 1961–1965 period to 94 percent in 1969 and 103 percent in 1970. The infantry units that eventually served with the 9th Infantry Division were: One of the more unique units serving with the division was the experimental 39th Cavalry Platoon Air Cushion Vehicle (Air Cushion Vehicles) which used 3 of the specially designed hovercraft to patrol marshy terrain like the Plain of Reeds along the south Vietnamese/Cambodian border. Captain Rollo R. Larson - C Company Commander . Its area of operations was in the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta from 1967 to 1972. The tactics of avoiding... At the beginning of August 1968, enemy operations were characterized by a general evasion of contact while maintaining large battalion-sized units in anticipation of a third offensive, with Saigon as the primary objective. The 9th Infantry Division was introduced in the Delta for one purpose only, to improve the security. Following the Tet offensive in 1968, General Westmoreland stated that the 9th Infantry Division and the Mobile Riverine Force saved the Delta region from falling to the North Vietnamese Army forces. 10-21-68 ) CharlieCompany 43rd Infantry Platoon (Scout Dog) 45th Infantry Platoon (Scout Dog) 65th Infantry Platoon (Combat Tracker) Units: USA - 1st Infantry Division: 3d Bde (2/28th Inf), 9th Infantry Division: 1st Bde (2/39th Inf, 4/39th Inf), 3d Bde (2/60th Inf). Hunt Jr. details the innovative strategies of the 9th Division in their fight to overcome the Viet Cong. 25th Infantry Division and 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division search and destroy operations: Bình Dương, Gia Dinh, Hậu Nghĩa, Long An and Tây Ninh Provinces: Feb 17 – Apr 2: Operation Federal: 9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment/Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment security operation Yet, the dispersed and elusive Viet Cong and NVA units that remained in the Upper Delta still had a limited capability to attack population centers and military installations if they were permitted to concentrate forces. Viet Cong (VC) insurgents were severely disrupting the commerce and welfare of this vital region. It was a joint Army/Navy operation. The 9th Infantry Division, the only U.S. Army division activated and trained in the United States for active duty in South Vietnam, was specifically designated to operate from a base deep within the Communist-controlled Delta with the mission to improve the security of the area so that the Government of South Vietnam’s (GVN) pacification program could be successful. The "Wandering" segment of the brigade nickname was beginning to form. Log in to your personal account or through your institution. The mobile riverine force was often anchored near the South Vietnamese city of My Tho, or near Dong Tam, the Division base camp, and they conducted operations in coordination with the Navy Seal teams, the South Vietnamese Marines, units of the ARVN 7th Division and River Assault Groups. The 9th Division soldiers... JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.”—Richard M. Nixon (b. 49% of the population were Viet Cong. COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT, VIETNAM 1969. He served with Recon Platoon, 2nd/60th, 9th Infantry Division in 1968-69. Tom was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with honors. In May, the brigade moved to Dak To in the Central Highlands of II Corps to join the 4th Infantry Division. The 9th Infantry Division began withdrawing in summer 1969, leaving its 3rd Brigade behind as a separate unit (under command of 25th Infantry Division) until Oct 1970. This was the birthplace of the People Liberation Front who rose up against the French in 1954 and later in the 60's against the South Vietnamese. The 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry was transferred to the 3rd Brigade as its third battalion and the 2nd Battalion, 9th Artillery was attached as the direct support artillery battalion as well as Troop C, 3/4th Cavalry as the brigade’s reconnaissance element. 30 January 1967: The 2/47th Infantry (M), 3/47th Infantry and the 4/47th Infantry of the 9th Infantry Division arrive in South Vietnam. Pacification then was the endgame, and the most discernable pattern in it was that programs depended entirely upon security. It is with sadness that we must convey the news that Tom Veit passed away on March 31, 2006. Dedicated to those who were there. During the period January to July 1969 …the 9th US Infantry Division has closely cooperated with the RVN Armed Forces to continuously launching operations destroying communist forces in the borders between the 3rd and 4th Tactical Zones covering the Provinces of Long-An, Dinh- Tuong, Kien-Hoa and Go-Cong. on JSTOR. Arrived Vietnam: 20 Dec 1966 designed to open VC-dominated jungle. I was a grunt in the 9th Infantry from April 8, 1968, to May 18, 1969. ©2000-2021 ITHAKA. Almost all of the contacts were minor skirmishes, keeping a constant pressure on the evading enemy. Hunt - 1st Platoon Leader . It was redesignated on 30 June 1971 as Troop F, 9th Cavalry, assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, and activated in Vietnam. Relieved 16 February 1991 from assignment to the 9th Infantry Division and assigned to the 199th Infantry Brigade. Its precursor, a division-sized task force known as Task Force Oregon was created in Quang Ngai and Quang Tin provinces from the 3rd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, and the 196th Light Infantry Brigade (all separate brigades that deployed to Vietnam in 1966). In 1967, the Communists assumed that the RVNAF and Allied Forces were weak and could be defeated so they abandoned their limited offensive tactics and adopted the concept of large battles, generally conducted by main force units. From 1967 on, one of the division's brigades (the 2nd Brigade) was the Army contingent of the Mobile Riverine Force. 1st Brigade 2nd Brigade 3rd Brigade Infantry: 1st Battalion, (Mechanized) 5th Infantry 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry 2nd Battalion, (Mech) 22nd Infantry 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry 4th Battalion, (Mech) 23rd Infantry 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry 25th Division Artillery: HQ & HQ Battery 1st Battalion, 8th Artillery 2nd Battalion, 9th Artillery 7th Battalion, 11th Artiller… Tom was the founder of this website. In that capacity, company-sized elements fought south of Saigon with the 9th Infantry Division in the IV Corps Delta region. VIETNAM The 3rd Brigade was the first 25th Division element alerted for Vietnam service. 9th Division (Army Vietnam) 472.7.2 9th Engineer Regiment 391.4 9th Field Artillery Battalion 391.2.2 9th Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (2d Army) 338.9.2 9th Infantry Regiment 98.3.2, 391.5.2, 391.5.3 9th Massachusetts Regiment 93.4.2 9th Military Department 393.2, 393.3 9th … In the mid-1960s, the security of the Delta, the densely populated rich rice bowl of agrarian South Vietnam, was poor and getting worse. Its area of operations was in the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta from 1967 to 1972. The 3rd Brigade is a combined arms brigade of the Australian Army, principally made up of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment (1 and 3 RAR). The units under II Field Force when Ewell took command included five divisions (1st Infantry, 1st Cavalry, 9th Infantry, 25th Infantry, 101st Airborne) and six separate brigades (3rd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and the 196th and 199th Light Infantry … All Rights Reserved. 1st Lt. John T. Hoskins - 3rd Platoon Leader . Charlie Company - 4th/47th Battalion, 2nd Brigade . Major, Infantry (USA Ret.) Many other units not specifically mentioned—such as the 45th Infantry Platoon (Scout Dog), the 65th Infantry Platoon (Combat Tracker), the Air Cushion Vehicle Platoon, the 1097th Transportation Company (Medium Boat), and the 15th Engineer Combat Battalion—also participated in ferreting out and destroying the enemy. I look forward to hearing from others who served with the 9th, especially those who served with the 2/47th. "335th Radio Research Unit") 12 Jan 1967 – 5 Apr 1971. In Long An Province—the underbelly of Saigon—enemy interdiction and guerrilla and terrorist activities were minimal, a good sign that offensive actions were imminent. 9th Infantry Division Task Organization, January–April 1969, Appendix C. The Story of a Booby-Trap Casualty, Appendix D. Prisoner Phan Xuan Quy: Biographical Information and Thanh Phu Battle Account. This brigade lived on the ships of Navy Task Force 117, and were transported on their infantry missions throughout the Mekong Delta on WW2 landing craft supported by various other armored boats some of which mounted flame-throwers (called zippo after the lighter); had mortars in their holds; and even 105mm cannons on their bows (called monitors). Jan 22, 2016 - Explore Jacky Parker's board "9TH infantry division" on Pinterest. The aggressive actions of the RVNAF and the 9th Division in the Delta and U.S. forces and our Allies elsewhere in South Vietnam forced the Communist leaders to abort their Winter-Spring Offensive. Strength: 818, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry (Infantry) Displaying exceptional resourcefulness, the 3rd Battalion. The 2nd Brigade terminated operations on 4 July; the 1st Brigade on 23 July; and on 26 July, the 3rd Brigade went under operational control of II Field Force, Vietnam. The 9th Infantry was the last division to go into Vietnam and the first division to leave. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division was first constituted on 19 November 1917 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 8th Infantry Brigade, an element of the 4th Division. Captain Herbert E. Lind - C Company Commander . Also in early August, the 1st Brigade captured a prisoner in Long An who identified his unit as the 520th Local Force Battalion from Kien Hoa Province. First Sergeant Lynn D. Crockett - C Company . 1st Lt. Jack R. Benedick - 2nd Platoon Leader . The brave soldiers of the division displayed extraordinary heroism in conducting more than one hundred offensive operations daily, half of which were at night, in the extremely difficult and treacherous booby-trapped terrain; this resulted in over thirty contacts per day, eliminating thousands of Viet Cong. We saw how, after the beating they took in the February 1968 Tet Offensive, the Viet Cong were able to mass and attack Saigon again in May. Operation Speedy Express was one significant operation in which the division took part during the war, while the Battle of Ap Bac was one of 22 major combat engagements with North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong main force units as well as thousands of small contacts during this period during division's presence in Vietnam. See more ideas about infantry, vietnam war, vietnam war photos. 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