This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History. The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives, Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Originally planned as a U.S. search and destroy mission intended to lure out the "crack" Viet Cong (VC) D800 Battalion, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment soon found itself fighting for survival in the rubber plantations of Cam My village, approximately 42 miles (68 km) east of Saigon. Pictures from the Battle of Xa Cam My Easter weekend April11, 1966
The Battle of Xa Cam My was fought over two days from April 11–12, 1966, 10 miles (16 km) south of the village of Cam My in Phuoc Tuy Province, during the Vietnam War. 10. By 14:00, VC officers were spotted around the positions of Charlie Company, directing the encirclement of U.S. positions. ABILENE was designed to be a spoiling attack to destroy the supplies and base camp areas supporting the 5th Division’s attack. Pitsenbarger receives Medal of Honor posthumously-courtesy of AFNM The 3rd Brigade’s portion of that mission was to operate in AO OREGON located in the southern half of the 1st Division’s mission area.
Learn more on our privacy and legal page. Claims were made by Americans the VC left 41 dead on the battlefield and removed another 80 dead. Learn how and when to remove this template message, 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery, United States Army Center of Military History, https://16thinfassn.org/history/regimental-maps/vietnam-cold-war-ii-1965-1990/battle-of-courtenay-plantation-11-12-april-1966/, Men of the 1st Division, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, Rangers, Charlie Company Vietnam, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Xa_Cam_My&oldid=980753154, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1966, Battles of the Vietnam War involving the United States, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War, Articles needing additional references from January 2013, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Vietnam articles missing geocoordinate data, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 September 2020, at 07:29. EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT BY SSGT. Operation Abilene (2003) - a US military operation in Al Anbar province in 2003 during the Iraq War. The following day, the 1st Battalion was airlifted into LZ PENDLETON, four kilometers northeast of the Núi Dinh—Núi Bao Quon mountain complex. Artillary Support for April 11, 1966 during the Battle of Xa Cam My--Operation Abilene PJ in Vietnam--Pits Story In response to this build-up, Gen. After five hours of brutal fighting, what was left of Charlie Company formed a tight perimeter, protected by a barrage of artillery fire which came down at a rate of five or six rounds per minute. The Vietnam War; 1970s America ; World War I; The Civil War ... near Xa Cam My, during Operation "Abilene," a search and destroy mission.
FRED C. NAVARRO--courtesy AFNM In response to this build-up, Gen. Medal of Honor to be awarded to Piqua, Ohio, native -courtesy of AFNM Seaman ordered the II Field Force to develop plans for a large-scale ground operation in the suspected areas. Operation Abilene, launched on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1966, was one of the U.S. Army’s first large combat operations during the Vietnam War.
Witnesses at the event say Pitsenbarger was responsible for saving sixty 1st Division soldiers from C Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry. She is currently a graduate at Liberty University studying Professional Writing. That day Sgt. Sgt James W. Robinson, Jr. and A1C William H. Pitsenbarger. They discuss Operation Abilene, being stranded in battle against the Viet Cong, and seeing the line and basket dropped down from a helicopter with a descending Pitsenbarger coming to evacuate them and the other wounded. 'PJ' community remembers fallen hero, friend-courtesy of AFNM Required fields are marked *. On 11 April, the battalion moved to LZ BUTTE and performed S&D sweeps near Núi Hôt for the next three days with minimal results.
Since the 2nd Brigade’s arrival the previous June, most of the 1st Infantry Division’s large scale efforts had been largely focused to the northwest of Saigon.
Additionally, during the operation, II Field Force engineers would clear a new supply route to ports om the South China Sea. To minimize casualties and break the ambush, Charlie Company formed a circular perimeter with interlocking fire.
The Featured piece appeared in Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia that was titled: Battle of Xa Cam My, Operation Abilene. Enemy contact the sweeps was almost non-existent. Add all page(s) of this document to activity: The original caption for this photograph reads: Troops of C Co., 2nd Brigade, 1 Inf (Airmobile), move through an area that had been previously cleared by supporting artillery, near Xa Cam My, during Operation "Abilene," a search and destroy mission. For the next two days, the battalion swept westward, just north of the twin mountains of Núi Toc Tiên and Núi Thi Vai, until it reached Highway 15, four kilometers south of Phú My. Soldiers who bravely go into the Vietcong tunnels are called “tunnel rat”.
Seaman ordered the II Field Force to develop plans for a large-scale ground operation in the suspected areas.
The mission became known as Operation ABILENE. Pictured here was Melvin Sherrell, killed in action [KIA] (December 13, 1966) 11. MISSION CHRONOLOGY AND MAPS-courtesy of AFNM The results of the Operation were 36 Americans killed and 71 wounded. PJ in Vietnam--Pits Story Document Another picture that was taken on April 12, 1966 after the Battle of Xa Cam My --Operation ABilene that was in the newspaper--Provided by Jimmy Robinson's father. AIRMAN 1ST CLASS WILLIAM H. PITSENBARGER -courtesy of AFNM He was well known from receiving awards often. This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
A medevac off Mutters Ridge, 2nd Bn 3rd Marines . Summary of Operation Abilene DePuy followed Operation Abilene with other operations designed to find enemy forces and bring them to battle. James W. “Jim” Robinson Jr.’s Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, began hacking its way through dense jungle near Xa Cam My in the coastal regions of Phuoc Tuy province east of Saigon . Medal of Honor Recipients from Operation Abilene (Robinson/Pitsenbarger)--MOH ceremony pages Listen to episode 1627 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a piece on Operation Abilene. Listen to episode 1627 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a piece on Operation Abilene. Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. American losses numbered 36 killed and 71 wounded, while claiming the VC left 41 dead left on field, more than 80 dead and wounded removed. The purpose of this look at Operation Abilene is to provide background when interested people go to see the movie “The Last Full Measure.” That is the movie that was featured in episodes 1624 and 1626 of this podcast. Major General William E. DePuy, as commander of the US 1st Infantry Division, subsequently planned to lure out the VC by using Charlie Company, 2/16th Infantry as a bait. I remember many times I watched that chopper take off, it all ways returned and that was a good thing.
DETACHMENT 6, 38TH ARRS MISSION NARRATIVE FOR APRIL 11, 1966-courtesy of AFNM Your email address will not be published. The only thing of note was the discovery and destruction of a VC base camp on 12 April. Copyright ©2020 16th Infantry Regiment Association - All rights reserved. In this episode of Borne the Battle, Hall and Navarro recall their experiences during the Vietnam War. On 30 March, the brigade, including the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, was airlifted by C-130s from Lai Khe to the airfield at Vung Tau to stage for further operations. August: Operation Passage to Freedom. While they only knew him for one day, Hall and Navarro remember the man who sacrificed his life for them and their fellow brothers in Vietnam. FRED C. NAVARRO--courtesy AFNM, Document Another picture that was taken on April 12, 1966 after the Battle of Xa Cam My --Operation ABilene that was in the newspaper--Provided by Jimmy Robinson's father, Artillary Support for April 11, 1966 during the Battle of Xa Cam My--Operation Abilene, The Distiguished Service Cross Award that George Steinburg received after participating in Operation Abilene---April 11, 1966--provided by John Libs, Article about Jimmy Robison--Medal of Honor recipient from Operation Abilene in the Battle of Xa CAm My, April 11, 1966---provided by Lew Farmer, Xa Cam My--April 66--article from Danger Forward--Vietnam Battles, Xa Cam My--April 66--page 2--Danger Forward, Xa Cam My--April 66--page 3--Danger Forward, Xa Cam My--April 66--page 4- Danger Forward. The next phase of the operation began on April 10, 1966, with soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division moving into positions between Saigon and Vung Tau in search of the elusive VC D800 Battalion. The concept was to have the company walk around the jungle and rubber plantations and draw out the VC. They believed that Pitsenbarger’s actions deserved the Medal of Honor, and it was a fight they took from the battlefield in Vietnam to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Rare picture of an HH-43 Pedro evacuating casualties during operation Abilene. During this battle 134 men of Charlie Company, 2/16th Infantry were ambushed by the VC and 80 percent became casualties.
Their experience in Vietnam and Washington, D.C., is the basis for the film, The Last Full Measure, that tells the story of Operation Abilene and the battle for Pitsenbarger’s Medal of Honor. Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives. The fighting continued well into the night with the desperate Charlie Company throwing all it had at the aggressive VC using tear gas grenades. This was made worse when misdirected artillery fired upon Charlie Company instead of the aggressive VC forces. Additionally, during the operation, II Field Force engineers would clear a new supply … In addition to the lack of numbers, the company was also cut off from Alpha and Bravo Companies. The Featured piece appeared in Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia that was titled: Battle of Xa Cam My, Operation Abilene.
7. Operation Abilene (1966) - a joint US-Australian military operation in 1966 during the Vietnam War. Pitsenbarger was aboard one of the two Air Force rescue helicopters engaged in picking up wounded soldiers during the battle.
8. The next large one, Birmingham, was launched on April 24 northwest of Saigon in Tay Ninh province.
DAVID E. MILSTEN-courtesy of AFNM 12.
DePuy followed Operation Abilene with other operations designed to find enemy forces and bring them to battle.