I retired from 3M-Co., with my last assignment being Portland, Or. After a year of retirement living in Portland, my wife and I relocated to Montana, my home state. I enjoy hunting and fishing, and Montana memories of how it used to be drew me back.My family is the most important thing to me, so I look forward to all my visits with my grandkids and kids.
Other Comments:
My 3 years and 9 months of active duty in the Marines and Navy introduced me to some of the best people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I have rubbed shoulders with some very high powered, educated, well informed people from all walks of life. To be sure, my relationships and friendships with people in the military are number # 1 in my book !
Description This campaign was from 30 January to 1 April 1968. On 29 January 1968 the Allies began the Tet-lunar new year expecting the usual 36-hour peaceful holiday truce. Because of the threat of a large-scale attack and communist buildup around Khe Sanh, the cease fire order was issued in all areas over which the Allies were responsible with the exception of the I CTZ, south of the Demilitarized Zone.
Determined enemy assaults began in the northern and Central provinces before daylight on 30 January and in Saigon and the Mekong Delta regions that night. Some 84,000 VC and North Vietnamese attacked or fired upon 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 5 of 6 autonomous cities, 64 of 242 district capitals and 50 hamlets. In addition, the enemy raided a number of military installations including almost every airfield. The actual fighting lasted three days; however Saigon and Hue were under more intense and sustained attack.
The attack in Saigon began with a sapper assault against the U.S. Embassy. Other assaults were directed against the Presidential Palace, the compound of the Vietnamese Joint General Staff, and nearby Ton San Nhut air base.
At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated the city and fought the three U.S. Marine Corps, three U.S. Army and eleven South Vietnamese battalions defending it. The fight to expel the enemy lasted a month. American and South Vietnamese units lost over 500 killed, while VC and North Vietnamese battle deaths may have been somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.
Heavy fighting also occurred in two remote regions: around the Special Forces camp at Dak To in the central highlands and around the U.S. Marines Corps base at Khe Sanh. In both areas, the allies defeated attempts to dislodge them. Finally, with the arrival of more U.S. Army troops under the new XXIV Corps headquarters to reinforce the marines in the northern province, Khe Sanh was abandoned.
Tet proved a major military defeat for the communists. It had failed to spawn either an uprising or appreciable support among the South Vietnamese. On the other hand, the U.S. public became discouraged and support for the war was seriously eroded. U.S. strength in South Vietnam totaled more than 500,000 by early 1968. In addition, there were 61,000 other allied troops and 600,000 South Vietnamese.
The Tet Offensive also dealt a visibly severe setback to the pacification program, as a result of the intense fighting needed to root out VC elements that clung to fortified positions inside the towns. For example, in the densely populated delta there had been approximately 14,000 refugees in January; after Tet some 170,000 were homeless. The requirement to assist these persons seriously inhibited national recovery efforts.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
People You Remember 2nd Lt Burns, Sgt Jones, Cpl Phil Frigm L/Cpl Murphy, Paul Bresino,Doc Mercer, Gunny Phringer
Memories Tet Offensive 1968 started early for 3/4, as on Jan. 24, 1968 we received word the Battalion Minus K-Co.was to be helo-lifted from the jungle by the "Trace" to Camp Carroll to break up a convoy ambush on Route # 9.The NVA's 1968 Tet attack plans for their 64th Regiment was to overrun Camp Carroll and capture the huge 175 MM guns the U.S. Army had at Camp Carroll. The period of Jan. 13th thru the end of the month cost the Marine Corp 65 KIA's and 180 WIA's(evaced) in their effort to protect the strategic postion at Camp Carroll.
