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Vietnam
This page will eventually contain a listing and descriptions of all operations participated in by the 39th.
Operations involving the 39th Scout Dog Platoon, in support of all elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, during 1966-67.
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Operation TOLEDO from 10 August to 7 September 1966 in Phuoc Tuy & Binh Tuy Provinces
The Sky Soldiers uncovered over 125,000 rounds of small arms ammunition, over 50
tons of rice, 10 base camps, 75 huts and 5 tunnel systems in the May Tao Secret
Zone.
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Operation ATLANTIC CITY from 13 to 22 September 1966 at the Dau Ting Airfield
The 4th Battalion and B Battery/ 319th Artillery provided airport security.
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Operation SIOUX CITY from 26 September to 9 October 1966 near Xom Cat
The 1st and 2nd Battalions along with artillery support deployed 23 kilometers
northeast of Bien Hoa. They discovered numerous food, weapons and vehicular
maintenance caches.
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Operation ROBIN from 10 to 17 October 1966 between Phu My and Bear Cat
Elements of the brigade provided highway security from Phu My north to Bear Cat
along Highway 15 for the newly arrived 3d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
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Operation ATTLEBORO from 7 to 20 November 1966 at Minh Thanh
The 2/503d Infantry and A/3/319th Artillery boarded planes for Minh Thanh in Tay Ninh
Province. They encountered several base camps, bivouac and training sites.
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Operation WACO from 25 November to 2 December 1966 in the Bien Hoa Area
The brigade reassumes responsibility for the Tactical Area of Responsibility for the
area surrounding Bien Hoa.
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Operation WINCHESTER from 8 October to 4 December 1966
The 4/503rd Infantry's mission was to relieve the 2d Battalion of the 26th Marine
Division and to occupy and maintain control of an assigned sector of the Da Nang
TAOR.
Throughout the 58 day period the paratroopers conducted numerous day and night
patrols in addition to providing security for the daily convoys of troops and supplies
moving through I Corps.
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Operation CANARY/ DUCK from 7 December 1966 to 5 January 1967 Phu My to Bear Cat
The 173rd conducted a two phase highway security operation along Highway 15 from
Phu My to Long Binh and from Phu My to Bear Cat for elements of the 199th Light
Infantry Brigade and the 9th Infantry Division.
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Operation NIAGARA/ CEDAR FALLS from 5 to 25 January 1967 in the Cau Dinh Jungle & The
Iron Triangle
With most of the other units occupying blocking positions, the 173rd's three infantry
battalions swept and cleared the Iron Triangle- locating and destroying small troop
concentrations and tunnel systems. The 51st Chemical Detachment, 173d Engineer
Company, as well as infantry volunteer "tunnel rat" teams, fearlessly explored the VC
tunnels, bringing out large caches of weapons and supplies and VC captives. The
combined effort resulted in over 1,000 tons of rice and 200 crew-served and individual
weapons captured. Sixty-five enemy were taken prisoner of war; many were routed out
of the extensive tunnel and bunker systems. The Brigade left 85 enemy dead in the
rice paddies and jungle of the Triangle-"E" Troop of the 17th Cavalry alone accounted
for 73 VC killed in action.
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Operation BIG SPRINGS from 30 January to 16 February 1967 in War Zone "D"
Twenty-six base camps were discovered in "D" Zone, and enemy troops were often
encountered during the search of these camps. Brigade elements located and
destroyed over 1,000 bunkers, 78 huts, more than 24 tons of rice and 24 weapons.
Brigade ground units with air support accounted for 79 Viet Cong dead.
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Operation JUNCTION CITY from 22 February to 15 March 1967 in Tay Ninh Province
At 0900 Hours the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry along with A Battery, 319th Artillery led
by Brigadier General John R. Deane, Jr. made the only combat parachute jump of the
war in War Zone "C".
The overall operation employed a large contingent of forces: The 1st and 25th
Divisions, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the 196th Light Infantry Brigade,
elements of the 4th and 9th Infantry Divisions, South Vietnamese units and the 173rd
Airborne Brigade.
Operation Junction City's objective was to locate and destroy the Central Office South
Vietnam (COSVN), the supreme headquarters of the Viet Cong in the Republic of
Vietnam. The accomplishments of Phase I were significant: 266 VC killed, 4 captured.
The complete destruction of the COSVN Public Information Office for Psychological
Propaganda and a COSVN Signal site dealt a heavy blow to the enemy propaganda
effort.
Phase two began with the establishment of fire support bases along Route 13 from Lai
Khe to Quan Loi (east of An Loc). A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry came under
attack north of the village of Bau Bang. Massed troops of the VC 273rd Regiment
erupted out of the rubber plantation, swarming over the ACAVs and tanks on the
southeastern perimeter. Calling in artillery support from A/3/319th the VC were
destroyed leaving behind 227 killed while the Americans only suffered 3 casualties.
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Operation NEWARK from 18 to 30 April 1967 in War Zone "D"
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Operation FORT WAYNE from 1 to 4 May 1967 in War Zone "D"
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Operation DAYTON from 5 to 17 May 1967 in Phuoc Tay Province
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Operation CINCINNATI from 17 to 23 May 1967 in the Bien Hoa/ Long Binh Area
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Operation WINCHESTER from 23 to 31 May 1967 at Pleiku
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Operation FRANCIS MARION from 1 to 18 June 1967 at Pleiku
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Operation STILWELL from 18 to 22 June 1967 at Dak To / Kontum
The Battle of the Slopes began as a routine search and destroy mission involving the
2/503rd. A company began leaving its night auger when its point squad ran into
several NVA's. An intense firefight occurred preventing 2nd platoon from linking up
with its point squad. A company perimeter came under attack by the NVA cutting off
the 2nd and 3rd platoons. The 1st and 2nd platoons were down to fifteen effective men
when radio contact was lost. The 2nd platoon withdrew his remaining men to the
Company Command Post, which then moved back up the ridge to a more defensible
position. Two more enemy assaults were made on A company's CP before C
company would hook up with them.
The NVA's 24th Regiment was well dug in and prevented C company from linking up
with the lost platoon. That night, while anticipating an all out attack, the men heard
shots punctuated by screams as the NVA executed the wounded. 43 out of 76 slain
Sky Soldiers had fatal wounds in the back of their heads.
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Operation GREELEY from18 June to 14 October 1967 at Dak To / Kontum
The 4/503rd was rapidly deployed to the Central Highlands after the Battle of the
Slopes. On 10 July, moving up Hill 830, A company came under intense fire from the
NVA. On 12 July, after taking the hill, D Company discovered a single network
consisting of 60 bunkers with supporting foxholes. In short order, two more bunker
complexes were discovered.
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Operation BOLLING from 19 September 1967 to 31 January 1968 at Tuy Hoa / Phu Hiep
The 2/503rd along with A/3/319th returned to the coastal area to regroup and refit its
units with men and equipment while conducting patrols in their TAO.
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Operation MACARTHUR from 1 November to 14 December 1967 at Dak To / Kontum
On November 6th two companies from the 4th Battalion, 503d Infantry encountered
elements of the NVA 66th Regiment on the Ngok Kom Leat chain of hills south of Ben
Het. Seven Sky Soldiers fell from enemy bullets. On Veteran's Day Task Force Black
made up of elements of C/1/503 and two platoons from D/1/503 were ambushed.
American losses from the ambush were 20 killed, 154 wounded and 2 missing. PFC
Barnes was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor because of this action.
On November 19, the 2/503d Infantry began climbing Hill 875. Companies C and D
were hit with automatic weapons fire as they reached the first of two ridges. As the
men moved up and spread out on line they came under fire by recoilless rifle fire and
rifle grenades. A Company secured the rear when it came under intense attack by the
NVA. PFC Carlos Lozada received the Congressional Medal of Honor for holding off
the enemy while the remainder of the company made its way up the hill to join the rest
of the battalion.
The enemy had prepared the battlefield extremely well. Hill 875 was no less than a
fortress, with bunkers and trenches connected by tunnels. The underground bunkers
had as much as two meters of overhead cover to protect their occupants from
bombing and artillery, and slit gun ports opened onto excellent fields of fire. When the
NVA infantry went on the attack, the soldiers were camouflaged and had prepared
avenues of entry and withdrawal from the battlefield.
Chaplain Charles Watters was moving among the wounded men administering last
rites when a jet fighter diving at over 300 miles per hour dropped a 500-pound bomb
on the embattled battalion killing 42 troopers. He was also awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor for this engagement.
On Thanksgiving Day the 4th Battalion assaulted up the hill with the remainder of the
2nd Battalion, taking the peak at 1122. The capture of the Hill 875 marked the climax
of the battle of Dak To. The 2nd battalion lost 107 men killed and 282 wounded and 10
MIA.
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TO BE CONTINUED