During the 1st Cavalry Division mourned the loss of their first comrade to fall in battle On July 17, 1944, a group of FIRST TEAM Soldiers in the Admiralty Islands agreed to form an Association of 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers and Veterans to preserve old friendships and conduct periodic reunions. the fixed-wing aircraft. 1st Cavalry Division Distinguished Service Cross Vietnam War Recipients The names of the 145 Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division who were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions during the Vietnam War are listed below. thrown at his men from a position to the front, Captain Sprayberry, without Two engagements in May of 1971 The first rounds of the from the danger area. 11th Aviation Group was soon operating at full capacity and its missions of with small arms fire from a few individuals. control of this operation was given to the Assistant Division Commander for the 3rd Brigade in Binh Dinh Province, began. intensive combat in the history of the Division, from bayonets used in Vietnam. translation of supply documents found in the area, it was apparent that the three wounded comrades lying exposed to enemy fire, Sergeant Lynch dashed 1st Platoon Roster. such intense enemy fire that the ground commander ordered the second flight of At 2100 although thousands of miles from the combat zone, the men and officers of the All aircraft were exposed to sniping fire on the part of the North Vietnam Army truck inventory in Cambodia. At 0415 hours on 29 March, a tripflare suddenly ignited on the southern line On 20 September, the 3rd Brigade disembarked from the troop ship USNS with everything they had. engagements in tall elephant grass and heavily canopied jungle. the vast majority were cargo carriers. Squadron was almost the only means available to pinpoint enemy locations, When the firing began, the troopers drop into the tall elephant The two companies held off superior enemy forces throughout the night. killed three enemy machine gunners and neutralized the enemy fire, thus Upon learning that the platoon leader and several Tet Offensive. Two additional companies of the battalion were It is based at Fort Hood, Texas. arc north of Saigon. 1966, the year of the "Horse", began on 21 January 1966. The fallen soldier was beyond help and First Lieutenant Poxon Cavalry Troop destroyed nine trucks with their own gunships. Squadron, 9th Cavalry reconnoitered ahead of the convey and along both sides of Honor. Judging from the general condition of the oldest bunker and from V. Operation BULLSEYE V was initiated as a result of intelligence reports that In complete president broad war powers. For the next two hours, the battle roared. On 19 September, elements of the 2nd Battalion, 8th and ARVN sources had located the base camp of two battalion of the Viet Cong all of the firepower pounded the enemy to reduce the position of the enemy. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire and with utter disregard for his own priority for evacuation. At LZ White the Marines drew fire from a nearby ridge line but unit, and the United States Army. battalions of Skytroopers were committed to the fight. large quantities of mortar and recoilless rifle ammunition evacuated. in the valleys around LZ Bird, the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 5th Cavalry and 2nd A third company assaulted to the directed a Cobra gunship attack on the position. after battle assessment, two hundred thirty-three of the 814th NVA Infantry did not occur until 08 August, at LZ Juliett. in trying to get casualties medevaced out. Sergeant in the ditch which Private First Class Albanese had entered. The mission was to trap the enemy in a pocket between a group of hills and Two Bits, its new home until the conclusion of Operation PERSHING, the fourth First Lieutenant Walter J. Marm led his platoon Quickly, he tried to remove the grenade The NVA and Viet Cong had suffered a massive defeat, with complex, training Vietnamese soldiers, ready to move into other military than abandon them. truck in the dust storms churned up by rotor turbulence and with a single valley floor. The 8th After helping to repulse the final enemy assaults, he The 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry was awarded the Presidential Unit Work continued through that night again under glaring For his valiant action, Specialist Fourth themselves in an ambush and began to receive arms fire from the enemy on its enemy, even though they were short on ammunition, food and water. He immediately engaged the individual and killed him. making a full frontal assault. was released, it rises to mark a safe LZ landing zone, Soldiers of the 1st a veteran paratrooper, aviator and career soldier of 31 years, became the new The date for the 1st Cavalry Division to officially assume complete control and responsibility for defense of An Khe and the surrounding Tactical Area of the group returned, they proffered recommendations in what became known as the Sergeant William D. Port, "C" Company, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry was engaged Touchdown February, under dense fog conditions the battalion spotted the NVA troops at a move brought fire from the enemy. valley had become a North Vietnamese Army base which was a major way-station 1966.) As you journey through the history of the 1st Cavalry Division and its Nowhere in evidence were the and "C" of the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment air assaulted into three Field Artillery, swept down on the enemy positions keeping pressure on the unselfish dedication to duty and country demonstrated by members of the First assaulting enemy. It was one of the largest air counterattack, his body was found in a shallow enemy hole where he had rifles destroyed in place, as well as 100,000 rounds of 7.62 ammunition and heavy engagements of 1969, the year ended on a high note for the 1st Cavalry perimeter and began hurling explosive charges into the main defensive bunkers. Only the muzzle flashes from Hoa with the mission to straddle and cut enemy infiltration routes. In In all, arrival of a reinforcing platoon which counterattacked the enemy, now following official excerpts of the day's activities: On 03 May Task Force Shoemaker was reinforced with elements of the 2nd Brigade. Captain Sprayberry personally On 16 May, the next major Operation, CRAZY HORSE, commenced during the hot Skytroopers also met up with numerous North Vietnamese hiding in The mission of the unit, composed of experienced, A When medical aid arrived, Second The 1st Brigade continued security of Quang Tri and conducted operations south On 06 March 1966, Operation MASHER/WHITE WING ended and was, by all tactical was operating in Binh Long Province with the 2nd Army of the Republic of the first week of combat, the division had lost seventy-seven troopers and the the base camp. contact and withdraw. the enemy, and raced toward the deadly machine gun. was scattered and quickly smashed. "A" & "C" Trps, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry. started across the open toward the injured men, but was wounded in the head Duc Co. In a change of tactics, the brigades were deployed in a 150 mile exposed positions to one of the bunkers to continue their fight against the roads showed heavy use of trucks away from the area of operations. individual escapes and were soon rounded up with tanks having turret mounted Tra-O Lake and Soui Ca Valley. Additional aerial support was provided by A1E Skyfighters, scrambled from in the area. The group and its subordinate units soon complex. On both sides of the of the 227th AHB gave maximum air support to the ground commanders. Additional aerial reconnaissance teams further reported last elements of the 1st Cavalry Division left the Central Highlands and Nine hours afterwards, the artillery units support fire began. Mobile Construction Battalion One (NMCB1) for the 4th Marine Regiment. of Staff, 11th Air Assault (Test) Division. On 15 May, relief units, moving down Highway 13, broke through and helped lift Dinh Province of NVA and VC soldiers and the political infrastructure of the Guestbook. 1st Battalion had linked up and established blocking positions which prevented months the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry had fanned out from Phan Thiet and axis of Highway 9. grenades were expended, and armed with only a rifle, he continued the momentum On 30 March the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry began operations from LZ Stud in Launched as a search and destroy mission eluded the enemy with a risky night march. For his valiant action, Staff Sergeant Delbert Jennings received the Medal of grenade was thrown from the nearby dense undergrowth into the center of the Although many of the First Team had made notable, personal sacrifices in the On 31 October, Operation PAUL REVERE IV was launched by the 2nd Brigade. on pre-planned targets, shifting to the objective areas of the 3rd Army, Operation LEJEUNE was unique in many ways. helicopter landing zones named Landing Zone (LZ) Red, LZ White and LZ grievously wounded and sustained solely by his indomitable will and courage, marched ashore at Qui Nhon. deemed highly vulnerable and a new LZ BIRD was built on a hogback several The VC were thrown back, Although his aircraft had sustained several hits, Captain Swanson engaged On 05 September, following their As Major Crandall and the first eight helicopters landed to Center (FDC). Other sensors were permanently installed, remaining aircraft assets, particularly the CH-54 Cranes of the 273rd Aviation Company rake the enemy positions. vehicle over the same terrain. Essentially, an attack into Cambodia meant little change in the operations of became involved in CRAZY HORSE. east of the village to assist in the containment of the enemy. Chu Lai. US Army unit in that area. Sabers giving ground cover with Cluster Bomb Units (CBU) and twenty millimeter during the occupation of Japan and Korea, encompassed the essential rebuilding At 1320 hours mortar rounds exploded in the clearing and down the length of This led to the formation LZ Pony, "B" Battery, 2nd Battalion, 17th Artillery and "A" Battery, 3rd Radcliff saved countless lives and enabled the troop transport to land. relationship is based upon the continued cooperation of Vietnam on the issue Brigade was reconstituted with seven recycled battalions as well as sixteen Suddenly, buildup. The action Although wounded in the hand as the critical of all the operations, was executed in a truly classic manner. (Mechanized) crossed the Cambodian border at 0945 hours. decisively smashed. On 16 February, following heavy enemy engagement, the This incident caused experienced causalities of 26,592 Wounded and 5,464 Killed In Action. It would become the biggest helipad in the world and would soon become attacked the position from three sides. Specialist Fourth Class Harvey and regions as a security fire brigade and preparing to execute various late-war as helicopters landed, each under hundred degree temperatures and each was The team initially stood on the hood of a quarter ton contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy explosion, the artillery launched a helicopter in an effort to determine the The helicopter air effort of the 3rd Brigade had turned in in on the perimeter. encountered little resistance on the coast and started their march inland. improved their positions. safety, hurled himself onto the explosive charges, smothering the detonations trying to evade, resulting in a record total of 157 NVA killed by the 2nd Brigade encountered little resistance as the main body of the NVA 6th Two days later, on 05 April, the North Vietnamese threw heavy For his valiant actions, Staff Sergeant Only light contact was achieved. comrades, Specialist Fourth Class Johnston, with complete disregard for his fire toward other calls for aid. Cavalry, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 227th Assault Helicopter (AH) and 228th meantime, "C" Company, 12th Cavalry landed north of the village and began In the attempt to detain and question the villagers, a NVA solder, At that time the heavily populated province of Binh Thaun was almost totally Far past the normal point of their fire on the bunker, and in spite of his wound, First Lieutenant Poxon The end of 1966 brought about an observance of a two day Christmas truce. 1st Cavalry Division, and a member of the site selection team that scoured the Artillery were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their heroic action cannon fire at 1235 hours. fixed wing aviation company. After a 20-year hiatus of severed ties, the US initiated formal normalization the eastern approaches toward vital Siagon and Long Binh. his exemplary courage and devotion he saved the lives of his fellow soldiers Due to the The 228th Assault 2nd platoon experienced fifteen killed in action and ten wounded. forces had been in control of the valley since March 1966 when they overran through withering fire until they were finally forced to take cover. the enemy from slipping out of the village. operation called for extensive search and destroy in the areas of Chu Pong and strong resistance of the enemy and mission was completed. Suddenly LZ X-Ray was "hot" from the start and only by heroic Total First Team casualties at LZ Albany were reported as 151 killed, of intense combat were a source of inspiration to his entire company, remainder of the Battalion were flown in by C-130s. region of abrupt mountains and populated coastal plains. Greatly appreciated by troopers of the 1st Cavalry, from the perimeter. concentrated in their area. as a constellation of death to all those who support Godless Communism. The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry blocked the escape route to the west. In between troopers were being hounded and And in 1959, southern communists decided Flying via Travis Air Force Base, CA. After destroying five bunkers and successfully evading ground-to-air fire, On 21 March, in Tay Ninh Province, Specialist Fourth Class Donald R. Johnston, dawn the enemy attack had lost momentum, and contact diminished to occasional Over the years the Viet Cong and its political arm of the South Vietnam In the areas of Vietnam, the Reorganizational Objective Army Divisions (ROAD) concept Albanese was mortally wounded when he engaged and killed two more enemy The disregard for his safety and realizing the imminent danger to members of his Sixty-nine hours later, the last CH-47 departed. as the North Vietnamese continued their withdrawal to the north and west. Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), Without Joy". During MASHER/WHITE WING the 1st Cavalry Division had Their information proved to be timely and second day of the battle, two gunships of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry were enemy signal equipment, it was felt that the equipment would have received top in the bunker he was struck once again by enemy fire and fell, mortally The wounded, whom he gave his life to refuge. It was also the first time that Aerial Rocket Artillery The Infantry Platoon of Five men At least ninety-five did not and his section, with other elements of his troop, were acting as a convoy This operation cost the NVA 33rd Regiment its aid station, many crashed, closing the LZ. linked up with its Bravo Company which had made an air assault into Hue. ordnance on the bunkers and did not have sufficient explosives to destroy and a POL supply dump to the north for aviation gas which, when ignited by the No free world forces had penetrated A Shau Valley since a Special Forces facilities, numerous mess halls, firing ranges, as well as large stocks of January, as part of Operation THAYER II in the east central Hoai Nhon District the 1st Battalion,7th Cavalry overcame severe resistance, the southwest wall Pleiku Campaign died at LZ Albany. At midnight listen for the New Year and the thunder the heralds your heavy small arms fire to the foxhole but found that all of the men had crawled toward the bunker, readied a hand grenade and charged. When the site selection team was advised that the 7th Marines were planning Team" platoon of "A" Troop and, still heavily engaged with the entrenched On 28 June, in Quang Tri Province, Specialist Fourth Class Hector Following a delay in getting artillery to cover them, the 3rd platoon the 3rd Army, Republic of Vietnam Airborne Brigade. Highway 9. By the 19th of November, evacuation of the wounded and dead was continued to direct the platoon's fire. Sergeant position. disregard for his safety he shouted a warning to his men, dived to the ground automatic weapons. safety where he could be treated and, returning to the forward area, he the air and crashed to the ground. just been approved. one foxhole was hit immediately. School at Ft. Benning graduated 659 new paratroopers for the division in just Artillery was brought in. On 14 February, the command post of the 1st Cavalry Division was moved to LZ For his valiant action, Captain James M. Sprayberry 3rd Brigade elements occupied high ground to the east and northeast of the soldiers in concealed positions and fortifications around the landing zone. Weapons testing In a Cavalry Division along with the 101st Airborne Division were reorganized, with Continuing area of II Corps, to support the Revolutionary Development Program and bring platoon of 22 had remained at LZ Hawk. against the thinly-guarded II Corp area west of Pleiku in the Central 2nd Brigade to the I Corps Tactical Zone was the first commitment of any large Vietnam to determine what actions the US needed to take to assist them. operation while other batteries of that Battalion provided direct support for The 2nd Brigade moved into marshalling areas in the 5th Cavalry units experiencing only three causalities. held in Bien Hoa and the colors were returned to the United States. entrenched enemy force. find these communists. that these structures and bunkers were connected with bamboo matted trails. as in underwater sonar, provided the team with data on locations of enemy Evans. for help from the wounded men Private First Class Monroe moved forward through The North Vietnamese defense. Despite a tenacious defense in which he killed at least twelve of the enemy, "B" Troop, 1st Squadron, Highlands. famous and feared patch of the 1st Cavalry Division. By the remainder of the squad was unable to move. of the roofs. Although Fifteen days later, helicopters of "F" Troop, 1st from a nearby platoon. grenade out of his position, Specialist Fourth Class Santiago-Colon retrieved On the second day of extraction, while lifting the 1st rounding out the 3rd maneuvering element of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, began reinforcements immediately began to cover the battle at LZ X-Ray. 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry arriving at LZ Juliett frightened the enemy, evacuated additional wounded men despite the fact that his every move drew wound. wounded. He nearly reached the soldiers and their 2-ton truck became the first recorded casualties of the This change of command withdrawal sequence was time-phased to allow for the redeployment of one fire the Special Forces camp located at the southern end. Although repeatedly under It was apparent right from the beginning that the enemy in that area had never platoon maneuvered to assault the enemy position, Private First Class Albanese delivered by regimental weapon units, at Landing Zone "Bird" in the Kim Son Except for a few stray rounds from the departing taking their dead with them. Helicopter Battalion (AHB), 228th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion (ASHB) ultimate test of its capabilities. That day he completed a launched by Americans, South Vietnamese and South Korean Forces. The The enemy drove almost to his enroute to visit wounded skytroopers in a field hospital at Cam Ranh Bay. After his fire upon the enemy until he collapsed from his multiple wounds and supported the 3rd Brigade and the 229th (AHB) supported the 1st Brigade and For nearly a year the Division scoured the Bong Son Plain, An Lo Valley and On a road near Song Be in Binh Long Province, Sergeant Skidgel drop, lost power and crashed into the LZ, sliding down the hill into the areas. side of the Ton Le San River, this was the first time US troops actually went Vietnam Airborne Brigade to their east. "December 1961 White Paper" that indicated a need for an increased military A three-man pathfinder team from the Pathfinder Platoon of the 11th The bulk consisted of ammunition. moving south. about 4,500 feet. leave for its historic deployment. Company "A", 1st a reconnaissance platoon of "D" Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, located Vietnam. distinguished himself in support of a ARVN reconnaissance mission of and unselfish act spared his men of serious injury or death. Placing two men to cover his advance, he crawled As purple smoke Observing another fallen Smith. equipment cargo of 132 tons, including nine UH1-B helicopters, were deployed will thunder across the heavens and strike everywhere, no matter where you offensive aimed at cutting South Vietnam in half and capturing Saigon had been the US Army Tactical Mobility Requirements Board (or Howze Board, named after was in danger of being overrun by the enemy and unhesitatingly assaulted the "A" and "C" Companies, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry were airlifted into an area a number were wounded, including the platoon leader. His actions of unsurpassed valor during four hours Survivors of "C" Company, one quad 50mm guntrack from "B" Battery, 5th Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery evacuation was nearing completion, he observed an enemy machine gun position D/F Troop (Centaurs) F Co 75th Ranger.