What "Almost" happened in late 1970

Members may post in this forum, but anyone may read posts.

Moderators: Jim Sheppard, RJ_Smith

What "Almost" happened in late 1970

Postby Jim Sheppard » Sun Dec 25, 2022 4:46 pm

An Interesting note on our history...and what “might have been” in late 1970. - Christmas Day, 2022.

I communicated with Dr. Kevin Boylan this past week about sharing documentation on the 1/50th for the period in 1970 leading up to our withdrawal from South Vietnam in December of 1970.

Dr. Boylan is working on a new book covering Combat Operations from 1970 to 1973 in the “United States Army in Vietnam” series published by the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
He shared with me the following information that I had not previously known about our unit history:

“I've found some message traffic in General Abrams' collection which indicates that the original plan was to keep the 1/50th in Vietnam to guard Cam Ranh Bay and Qui Nhon. I Field Force argued that a leg infantry unit (Rather than a Mechanized Infantry unit) would be more useful in that role, so the 1/50 went home and the 1/22 was selected instead - and stayed in the region until 1972.”

Further research taken from the Vietnam Order of Battle by Shelby Stanton shows that the 1/22 left the 4th ID at about the time the 1/50 left Vietnam and operated under IFFV from a base in Tuy Hoa... which is the capital city of Phú Yên Province in south-central Vietnam.. located on the South China Sea coast about half way between Qui Nhon and Nha Trang. That transfer was pretty much on paper...as the 1/22 continued to operate as needed in both the highway 19 AO at least through may of 1971 as well as being used as a reactionary force for Military Region 2 thereafter. Elements were moved from the Central Highlands to Tuy Hoa sometime in the Spring/Summer of 1971 and left Vietnam in January of 1972.

(Tuy Hoa was the site of vicious fighting during the TET Offensive of 1968, in which former Company C 1/50 Commander Lawrence Greene was KIA after leaving the 1/50th and joining the 4/503rd of the 173rd Airborne.)

So, since General Abrams was convinced by IFFV that a dismounted Infantry unit was more desirable for the mission from 1971-1972...the 1/50th was spared an extra year in South Vietnam!

On a final note: It would seem the 1/22 saw little combat action during the period. Only 3 men were killed during 1971 from the 1/22...and all three were “accidental” and did not involved enemy contact. One man (Paul Withrow) was hit by “Friendly Fire”, another man (William Murphy) was killed when an M79 round he was handling exploded at his guard duty position, and the third man (Randall Bernard) was killed when struck by a mortar illumination shell while on guard duty on the northeast perimeter of the Tuy Hoa Air Base Complex.

“There, But For The Grace Of God...”
User avatar
Jim Sheppard
Moderator
 
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 5:24 am

Return to Public Forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests

cron