Commanders History Corner Message, 14 NOV 2013: La Drang On November 14th, 1965 the first major US military engagement in Vietnam occurred near the Chu Pong Hill region of the La Drang Valley near the border of Cambodia. In preparing his Soldiers for what LTC Hal Moore knew were battle hardened Vietnamese combatants, fighting for their homes and ideals, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment (the same regiment massacred at the Battle of the Little Big Horne 99 years prior) trained vigorously for quick insertion and extraction via helicopter. This new tactical approach to warfare was termed “Airmobile”. Early in the morning on November 14th, LTC Moore and the first wave of Airmobile Cavalrymen landed at LZ X-Ray. Over the course of the next 48 hours, Soldiers of the 7th Cavalry engaged in bitter combat against a determined North Vietnamese (NVA) and Vietcong (VC) onslaught. After sending out probing patrols early in the engagement, a platoon from Charlie Company was separated and pinned down under intensive enemy fire. The company commander, CPT Herrick, was killed early in the engagement and command of the detached platoon fell to young Sergeant Ernie Savage. Savage’s tremendous leadership and poise, mixed with accurate and effective US artillery fire, helped save the detachment from complete annihilation. By the end of the first day of fighting, LTC Moore’s men were dug in, awaiting what they knew would be fierce fighting throughout the night. At 0620 the following morning, the Vietnamese struck in force. Wave upon wave NVA and VC poured at Moore’s beleaguered Soldiers. With his troops nearly overrun, LTC Moore made a fateful and unorthodox decision; he called for a “broken arrow”. This code name notified all available US air support in the area that US forces were being overrun. Immediately, air support arrived in force and banqueted the area with ordinance. The NVA and VC began to fall back, and my early the next morning, the 7th Cavalry had gained the upper hand in the battle. As US forces were extracted from LZ X-Ray on 16 November, 251 American Soldiers were dead and nearly 250 more wounded. Our first engagement against communist forces in Vietnam, although considered a US victory, was evident that any conflict against this determined foe would result in heavy loss of American lives. LTC Hal Moore was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership and bravery during La Drang. As indicated in the film “We Were Soldiers”, and demonstrative of his leadership, LTC Moore was the first of his Regiment to set foot on X-Ray, and he was the last to leave it. For his gallantry, which ultimately saved the “lost platoon” early in the battle, SGT Ernie Savage was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Pilots Major Bruce Crandall and Captain Ed Freeman were both awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their heroism during the three day battle. Despite intensive ground fire from the NVA, Crandall and Freeman continued to fly helos into the battle area and extract wounded Soldiers. Some considered their actions to be “suicidal”. When asked, MAJ Crandall simply stated, “American Soldiers were dying. We did what needed to be done.” La Drang was the first major, direct US engagement of a war that would last 8 more years. By the time the US withdrew in 1973, the Vietnam War had claimed more than 75,000 US lives and had changed the political and cultural landscape of America. On this, the 48th anniversary of La Drang, remember the actions of the 7th Cavalry and the Soldiers lost in defense of freedom. AMERICA!
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 12:27:37 +0000