Two Marines died. Because of washed-out bridges and heavy enemy activity, however, the only way for Americans to get to Khe Sanh was by helicopter or airplane. Phil Ochs, singer, songwriter, producer; best known for his protest songs of the 1960s. This article was written by Peter Brush and originally published in the June 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine. Operation Pegasus, begun the day after Scotland ended, lasted until April 15. It was difficult to distinguish between civilians and military personnel in many instances as many individuals were part-time guerrillas or impressed laborer… The National Archives and Records Administration prepared these Vietnam War casualty lists by creating extracts from the military casualty data files in the Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Record Group 330). The Marine defense of Khe Sanh, Operation Scotland, officially ended on March 31. RG 319 Army Staff 3. Since the war's end in 1975, Burrows' pictures have been revered for their explicit depictions of both the humanity and the inhumanity of Vietnam as well as a brutal reminder of the true cost of war. Unlike the Marines killed in the same place in January, since Operation Scotland had ended, the four Lima Company Marines who died in this attack on Hill 881 North were excluded from the official statistics. 1,200 civilians were killed by South Korean forces in Tay Vinh massacre between February 12 – March 17, 1966. Indeed, had enemy forces not been at Khe Sanh, they could have joined the NVA and VC who occupied Hue, a much more important strategic target. And by the time U.S. planes began regular bombings of North Vietnam in February 1965, some critics had begun to question the government’s assertion that it was fighting a democratic war to liberate the South Vietnamese people from Com… The Marines withdrew all salvageable material and destroyed everything else. Its mission was to destroy the Special Forces and their Vietnamese allies and to ambush any reinforcements coming from Khe Sanh. Philip V, the first Bourbon King of Spain. They produced a body count ratio in the range between 50:1 and 75:1. For example, I served with a Marine heavy mortar battery at Khe Sanh during the siege. Name Rank & Service Date of Death Location of Name; John S. Alling Jr. Sp. Lima Company finally seized the hill after overcoming determined NVA resistance. Among the dead Marines was 18-year-old Pfc Curtis Bugger. When an enemy rocket-propelled grenade killed 2nd Lt. Randall Yeary and Corporal Richard John, although these Marines died before the beginning of the siege, their deaths were included in the official statistics. Beginning in October 1967, the Communists greatly increased their forces in the Khe Sanh area to total two infantry divisions, two artillery regiments and an armored regiment. American Veterans Center 75th D-Day Congressional Reception. This fighting was heavy, involving South Vietnamese militia as well as U.S. Army MACV advisers and Marines attached to a Combined Action Company platoon. Next, see what the Vietnam War looked like for those who fought it in this CBS News footage that captured a battle in action in the jungles of Vietnam near Cambodia in March 1970: After viewing the Vietnam War photos above, have a look at two of the era's most iconic images: "Napalm Girl" and the Saigon execution . The Vietnam-Era Military Personnel Records is a huge archive that holds as many as 4,638,952 records in its massive collection. These alphabetical indexes are for your convenience but do not represent the order of names on the Wall. On July 10, Pfc Robert Hernandez of Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, was manning an M-60 machine gun position when it took a direct hit from NVA mortars. Here are some of the most powerful pictures taken by Larry Burrows during his coverage of the Vietnam War. In 1967, as American casualties in the Vietnam War mounted, and no end to the conflict seemed to be in sight, anti-war demonstrations that had been escalating for several years took on a new size and tone. On Easter Sunday, April 14, the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines (3/26), assaulted Hill 881 North in order to clear the enemy firing positions. About two hours later, an NVA artillery barrage scored a hit on the main ammunition dump at Khe Sanh Combat Base, killing Lance Corp. Jerry Stenberg and other Marines. It was not sufficient to simply be an American military person killed in the fighting there during the winter and spring of 1967-68. Setting out from Ca Lu, 10 miles east of Khe Sanh, Pegasus opened the highway, linked up with the Marines at Khe Sanh, and engaged NVA in the surrounding area. Both sides have published official histories of the battle, and while these histories agree the fighting took place at Khe Sanh, they disagree on virtually every other aspect of it. 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