The Activities of The Marine Task Force “A” In 1968

                                                                                                                   Written by: Captain Do Phu Ngoc

Compared to the in depth information provided by my superiors, my view is of course a limited one, as I was a low-ranked officer in the Task Force. Nearly thirty years have passed, and my memory is somewhat blunted. Thus times and dates have been omitted whenever I'm not certain. But all facts are completely true, if they are not so abundant.

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The big C-130 aircrafts carrying us landed at Phu Cat airbase (Binh Dinh) in Military Zone 2, one monsoon day. Everyone, with rucksacks on their backs, alighted under the noise of the aircraft engines, and raced toward waiting trucks. The convoy lead by the Marine Military Police 202 drove along the National Route 1 to the north, passed the Phu Cu Pass, the Nhong Pass and then stopped at Duong Lieu. We were to replace Task Force B, which was due for R & R back in Saigon. As I was a signal officer, I always had a jeep equipped with communication apparatus. That was why I always got to sit in the jeep and drive from the belly of the aircraft, down the runway, to join the rest of the convoy.

At that time, a Marine Task Force reinforced II Corps. Every Corps commander liked to use the Marines because they were elite troops with mighty firepower behind them, and had great mobility. In addition, the NVA always avoided the Marines if possible. The Corps commanders really didn't have to worry about replacement of manpower, re-supplies or care of the wounded.

Lake Tra O, was an NVA supply point situated in our area of responsibility. The area was between the Highlands and the Delta. Occasionally, the NVA would cut the National Route 1. The terrain around Lake Tra O was very suitable for guerilla activities. There were mountains, lakes, forests of coconut palms, and many civilian families living in the region had relatives or connections who were Communists.

In the days before the Lunar New Year, it was cold and drizzly - routes and roads were slippery and muddy. Task Force A was organizing operations for the battalion to jeopardize the NVA positions. In an operation close to Mieu Ong, the 6th Marine Battalion fought so hard that the NVA ran away, leaving several bodies and ten personal weapons, among which was a M18. The M-18 was a new version of the AR-15 and the M-16 - with a foldable butt. It was only available to US troops in Vietnam. The Marine Corps used M-16's.

The seized weapons were brought to the Task Force headquarters. Looking at them, I said to the Chief of Staff, Major Nguyen The Luong:

“It is likely that the NVA unit we confronted yesterday was an very important one - such a sophisticated weapon, when found would have certainly been transferred to a high-level unit.”

The Chief of Staff nodded: “They were probably the escort element of a provincial-ranked communist party member or a division commander...we'll investigate this further later.”

Thanks to our regular operations, all enemy activities were paralyzed. The proof was that on the 1st of New Year - Tet Mau Than - some of us were able to drive a jeep to Bong Son for breakfast and to Nhong Pass to visit friends. As scheduled, we had to keep in contact with Marine Headquarters back in Saigon every hour on the AN/GRC 106 radio. On my way to breakfast, my signal man used the AN/VRC 46 to contact me:

“Authority, please come back urgently. We have to move.”

Returning to headquarters, I ran to my bunker where the AN/GRC 106 was, and made contact with Saigon. I had been told that the NVA had attacked at several places. The Joint Chief of Staff headquarters, the US Embassy, Thu Duc ... were all targeted. The 22nd Infantry Division told us to prepare to move when orders came. Developments of the NVA attack on II Corps reached the Task Force continuously. However, within the area of responsibility of the Task Force, all was silent. That meant that the NVA were avoiding us. We had been warned that the NVA was preparing a full scale attack, but the informer had not known the timing.

The Task Force received orders to dislodge the enemy from positions around the city of Qui Nhon. Another order told us to break the enemy pressure in Lien Khuong Airbase in Da Lat. The 6th Marine Battalion commanded by Major Pham Van Chung was airlifted first to Lien Khuong by C-130 aircraft. But as they approached the Da Lat sky, the enemy's anti-aircraft activity was so strong that they could not land. The Joint General Staff then decided to bring in the Marine Task Force A to Saigon. By that time, Chinook helicopters from Cai Lay to the Joint General Staff Headquarters had airlifted Marine Task Force B. So my dream of “traveling” to Da Lat free of charge did not come true! I had really wanted to visit the peach blossom countryside.

Task Force A suddenly left II Corps. The civilians living around the national Route 1 missed the security the troops had offered. For several months, the two Marine Task Forces had rotated between themselves to protect the area - thus the civilians missed them sorely.

On the plane, most of the Marines leant against rucksack, napping. Others played cards for cigarettes instead of money. The aircraft flew low above Saigon, waiting to land. Looking through the window, we saw several huge fires. We knew that they were fighting in those areas. Next to the Joint General Staff, the sound of gunfire could clearly be heard. It was where the Marine Task Force B, led by Lieutenant Colonel Ton That Soan, was repelling the enemy.

Hearing the screech of the aircraft tires on the runway, we knew that we had landed safely. Now it was time to worry about the enemy shelling. When the aircraft stopped completely, we rushed out of the open doors to the waiting convoy. We urged the drivers on, to avoid the enemy shells. Task Force A was assigned to dislodge the enemy out of Thu Duc district. After only a few days, the Task Force succeeded in routing the enemy.

The headquarters of Lieutenant General Ngo Quang Truong in Hue, was under immense pressure. His assistant Colonel Pham Van Phu, urged him to request reinforcements - he was determined to commit suicide if he were to be captured by the Communists a second time. The first had been at Dien Bien Phu. He even suggested the Lieutenant General do the same if such hapless circumstances came to pass.

The Task Force Staff and Battalion Commanders were summoned to the Marine Division Headquarters. The Task Force was to perform operations in Hue. We were to bring clothes for the cold weather, ammunition and batteries to last the 15 days. Supplies would come from I Corps. The situation in Hue was very serious. An Airborne Brigade was up against an NVA force four times it size. Several NVA regiments and regional guerilla forces in the city were applying the pressure on the Airborne Brigade, which had suffered a great loss during the prolonged fighting. So severe was the situation that the fighting had reduced the Brigade's manpower to a battalion.

C-130 aircrafts airlifted Major Hoang Tich Thong and the Marine Task Force to Hue. The Task Force was composed of the 1st, 4th, and 5th Marine Battalions, which were led by Major Phan Van Thang, Major Do Dinh Vuong, and Major Pham Nha respectively. Also accompanying them were a Marine Artillery Company, and many supporting units e.g. medical, signal, amphibious personnel.

We landed at Phu Bai Airbase in the cold of Central Vietnam. The runway had many potholes, created by the enemy artillery. A quick meeting with the Airborne was organized so that we were acquainted with the situation. They stressed the importance of flak jackets and helmets because of the heavy shelling. On the map, the red spots representing enemy positions were frighteningly numerous. The roads from the airbase to Hue were under enemy hands. All Marine Battalions had to be moved by boat to Bao Vinh. The Task Force Staff and Artillery were to move by airlifts. When two H34 helicopters came, one was hit by anti-aircraft guns, and so was out of action. Only one of the two Artillery 105mm Howitzers could be airlifted. Only smoke ammunition were available - as other types had not been supplied.

After attending a briefing at the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters, Marine Task Force A was given an Area of Responsibility. It was a difficult task that had to be carried out with insufficient fire support. Some areas that had been liberated by the Airborne, but were then handed over to the Regional forces to man, had been retaken by the enemy.

The Marine Task Force Staff moved to the position of the 1st Ordnance Company.

Major General Ngo Quang Truong's unspoken intention was to reinforce this company, which had a large stock of new M-16 rifles, waiting to be redistributed to the ARVN infantry regiments. It was lucky that the Communists did not know of this, otherwise they would have tried to attack at all costs.

The Task Force contacted the inhabitants of the area to milk information about the terrain and the distribution of civilian properties so as to limit the destruction to the City.

Task Force A was to advance in three prongs. The 4th Marine Battalion was to move to the west gate; the 5th to Nha Do Gate. The 1^st.  to the Flagpole.

That was the first time the urban warfare was applied, and was also the first time the Marines were hammered with so many mortars and artillery shells. Later on, the Task Force received help from the US Marine Corps and the Black Panther of the 1st Infantry Division. We wore flak jackets and steel helmets, which helped to partly reduce the number of casualties.

The Imperial Citadel's walls, the deep moat, and the lotus ponds acted as great obstacles to the advance.

Marines had to fight street-to-street, house-to-house, and tree-to-tree. When unsuccessful during the day, the Marines would switch to nocturnal attacks. In this battle, the distance between the enemy and us was very close, and there were so many units that the radio messages of both sides were easily intercepted. Realizing the fallacy of communication by radio, I suggested to the Chief of Staff to use telephones instead. At the level of platoons and companies the use of the radio was unavoidable, as these units had to move quickly and frequently. But I insisted that all conversations were to be carried out in code language.

For the first time, I promised WD1/TT wires would be supplied to all three Marine Battalions. I had noticed that there were several roles of MX 306 wires in the 1st Ordnance Company Warehouse. I told them that I had the material, but did not have the manpower to lay down the telephone wires from the Task Force to each battalion - thus they would have to do those themselves.

Telephone lines form the 1st Infantry Division headquarters to the Marine Task Force were also to be repaired. Whilst repairing the lines, enemy 122mm rockets killed two signalmen from the 1st Infantry Division.

When I asked the 1st Infantry Division to try again, they said they couldn't spare any more personnel. Knowing that the lines would greatly benefit the Marines, I suggested to the Chief of Staff that we ought to do it ourselves, and lay down not one, but three lines in case. If enemy rockets should destroy one, we would at least have backups. MX 306 lines were easy to set - it was not necessary to walk to lay them. The US had designed them to be establishing by aircraft if necessary. Major Luong agreed. He also agreed to my going with the signalmen, to make sure they did their job, rather than quail in the face of adversity.

I tied the ends of the MX 306 wires to the appropriate points at headquarters, then placed the rolls of wires into my jeep. We drove to Mang Ca, where the 1st Infantry division had been. Two Marines sat beside me with their rifles pointing to either side of the road, ready to fire when necessary. At Hoa Binh Gate, we heard the sound of AK bullets. I ordered the driver to speed up and the Marines to fire back at the NVA.

The rolls continued to unspoiled. At that stage, no one had been hurt, but I was anxious about the return trip. Once, one of the rolls finished. I ordered the driver to stop. As the Marines stood guard, we connected three other pairs of wires.

When we reached the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters, everybody was very happy to see us. After the lines had been established. I telephoned the Task Force's Chief of Staff, telling him that it was too dangerous to return. “What do you mean?” he asked.

I explained the problem we had at Hoa Binh Gate, and he promised to provide cover.  On the way back, I ordered the driver to slow down as we approached to gate. A figure came into view. “It's one of ours, sir,” one of the Marines assured me on seeing the flak jacket and steel helmet. The platoon leader told me that the two of the rats had been killed. An AK rifle was seized. One Marine had been killed, and had just been evacuated. If I hadn't asked for help, we would surely have been killed.

I tried to use an AN/PRC 25 to catch the NVA frequencies. Finding one, I wrote down the frequency, and turned up the volume to follow them. The Executive Officer and Chief of Staff enjoyed listening to the interception immensely. It was the first time I heard the NVA radio alphabet. Once I caught a short message:

“Thang, Nam is calling.”

” Nam, Thang is listening...”

“Please send three white hares urgently...” This was repeated three times.

I deduced that they were sending for mortars and artillery shells. We reported it to the 1st Infantry Division. And indeed, a few minutes later, their headquarters was on the receiving end of 122mm rockets. The Task Force Headquarters suggested that the 1st Infantry Division bring the Brigadiers General's flag down to deprive the enemy of a useful reference point. The Marine Artillery counter-shelled and muted the rocket launchers.

After that success, I received a new assignment: to intercept all enemy radio communication. That was the task of G7 in the  Joint General Staff Headquarters. Only much later (in 1972) did the Marine Division have a Special Technical Group which detected important information. The prongs of the Task Force advanced very slowly as the NVA had had enough time to build fortified bunkers. Also, we had to limit our bombardment and shelling to protect the inhabitants and the historical city. There were no big battles as the NVA knew that they were isolated. So they applied the delaying tactic. The were forced to retreat slowly under the burden of several thousands of military prisoners, government officials and civilians, whom they had held hostage from the day they seized the city.

Every day, the Sea Tigers had to use ponchos to wrap up enemy bodies, and bury them in the cemetery of the 1st Infantry Division. There was a shortage of land in Hue, so we couldn't bury them there - and we couldn't bury them in situ, as the stench of the rotting bodies would repel us from our positions. What was more, we didn't want to pollute the lawns and gardens of the civilians with their corpses. Occasionally, we did encounter new graves, which had been dug by the enemy to bury their comrades. There were days where S4 had to supply up to 100 ponchos to pack the enemy.

A great number of weapons were seized, and they were transferred to Task Force Headquarters. There were many machine guns with chains fixed on them, NVA machine gunners were usually chained to their guns by members of the Communist party in their units. The Marines had to cut the legs of the NVA bodies to separate the guns from the gunners.

On the advance axis of the 5th Battalion, we heard that a private 1st class had carried out a great act of audacity. At dusk, the Marines used to set up mines around their positions. While waiting for a friend to finish washing. 1st Class Private Hoang said to Private 1st Class Tan, who was on guard duty:

“I can't wait for Nam any longer... I'm going to set the mines and grenades now.”

Carrying some, he approached the NVA positions and found two suitable places for Private 1st Class Tan to observe. He then went to the third position. As he was setting up the 3rd grenade, two NVA soldiers suddenly leapt out of the bushes and bear-hugged him. They held fast to the grenade on Hoang's hand. Tan raised his rifle to shoot, but thinking twice, he lowered the gun. He didn't want to shoot his friend by accident. Instead, he raised the alarm. Meanwhile, Hoang was struggling for his life, but the other two easily overpowered him. They took the grenade from his hand, and sandwiching him between them, began to edge towards their position. Hoang mumbled weakly, as if he was about to give up, but in reality, he was maneuvering towards the wire he had set up. When he saw the wire, he grasped the two NVA soldiers by the shoulders, and launched himself forwards to kick the wire. It exploded immediately, sending all three sprawling. The platoon sent mortars flying in the direction of the skirmish. The Marines charged forwards and found Hoang mortally wounded. Wincing in agony, he asked:” Did the two rats die? I'll kill them before I let them capture me...I'm so tired and thirsty...” His eyes closed slowly. Looking into his friend's face, Nam's tears began poured down. ” Sleep in peace...I hope there'll be no fighting in your next world.”

The fighting continued. There were casualties and wounded Marines every day. The stock of seized weapons from the enemy grew everyday. On the 25th day, the yellow flag with three red stripes was raised over the flagpole. All targets were successfully cleared. For 25 days, the Sea Tigers only knew rifles, ammunitions, stale rice, and canned meat. There was no such thing as showering. To clean their bodies, they had to dampen cloths.

The enemy fled in the direction of Kim Long after 25 days of confrontation. But the Task Force immediately organized a blitz. Troops were airlifted to the north west of Hue, hoping to liberate thousands of soldiers and government officials who had been captured by the enemy. But alas, the enemy massacred all of them before the Marines arrived, and it was only much later that the mass graves were discovered. That was the cruel reality of the Communists.

During the fighting, all the undercover Communists had all emerged, thinking that it was no longer necessary to hide. They all fled after we won, leaving behind them, a ravaged Imperial city, and the gruesome result of genocide.

After recovering Hue, General Cao Van Vien, the Joint General Chief of Staff flew from Saigon to Hue, to encourage and praise the Marines. He ordered the Task Force commander to allow the Marines who were from the surrounding areas to go on leave so that they could visit their families.

When I stood upright and saluted the general, he heard my Quang Nam accent, and asked:

“Are you from here? Have you heard from your family?”

He then ordered Brigadier General Ngo Quang Truong to promote the Marines. After that, we received telegrams from the 1st Infantry Division, stating that “all Marines who had participated in the battles and who had been in the same rank for more than six months, were eligible for a special promotion...”

The S1 of the Task Force filled all the forms and lodged them. But then, for some unknown reason, Colonel Bui The Lan, the Marine Brigade Chief of Staff rejected them all. Only the Task Force Commander was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

I only got permission to go to Hoi An to see my family.

After 1975, I was imprisoned in a communist concentration camp. I was released in 1981, and immediately moved my family to the new economic zone to try and make a living.

One day in 1988, twenty years after the Tet Offensive, an ex-Marine, on seeing a wound on the hand of a communist prison cadre, asked:

“You must of fought well in the war to get such a wound.”

The Communist, a native of Binh Dinh, boasted:

“It was my fate to always encounter the Marines. They gave me this wound in Tam Quan, this other one I got in Mieu Ong, where I nearly died. I was the body guard of the Provincial Party member. We were investigating the situation for the Mau Than General Offensive, when the Marines attacked. We emerged after they left, but unfortunately, they returned. We had to fire continuously for our commanders to flee. Then I was wounded - I had to leave behind a US rifle with a foldable butt. Such a pity! But thanks to that fight and this wound, I missed out on the General Offensive.”

It has been 21 years since the war ended to detriment of the ARVN. It was a war that was poorly documented. The truth was never presented in full - most of what people know of the

Vietnam war has come from reports and images produced by the anti-war or pro-communist media. The world never heard or cared of the heroism of the ARVN in recapturing Hue, KonTum, An Loc, and Quang Tri. They never heard of the heroism of the numerous high ranked officers who committed suicide, and they never knew of the thousands of ARVN fighters who fought until the end. Nor will they ever realize the true extent of the cruelty and barbarism of the Communists.
 

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