|
|
Battle of Khe Sanh: Recounting the Battle’s CasualtiesBy Peter Brush | Vietnam | 9 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post Besieged, Khe Sanh could only be resupplied by air. MACV therefore initiated an operation to open Route 9 to vehicle traffic. Operation Pegasus, begun the day after Scotland ended, lasted until April 15. The Pegasus force consisted of the Army 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) plus the 1st Marine Regiment. 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. Operation Pegasus casualties included 59 U.S. Army and 51 Marine Corps dead. They too were left out of the official Khe Sanh casualty count. Subscribe Today
On April 15, Operation Pegasus ended and Operation Scotland II began. The Marines at Khe Sanh Combat Base broke out of their perimeter and began attacking the North Vietnamese in the surrounding area. The Army’s 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), with more than 400 helicopters under its control, conducted airmobile operations deeper into enemy-controlled areas. The fighting was heavy. An additional 413 Marines were killed during Scotland II as of the end of June 1968. Operation Scotland II continued until the end of the year, resulting in the deaths of 72 more Marines. None of the deaths associated with Scotland II are included in the official count. Historian Ronald Spector, in the book After Tet: The Bloodiest Year in Vietnam, noted that American casualties in the 10 weeks after the start of Operation Pegasus were more than twice those officially reported during the siege. The deaths of U.S. Air Force personnel, estimated between five and 20, are also omitted. The official figure of 205 KIA only represents Marine deaths in the Operation Scotland TAOR—that is, Marines killed in proximity to the Khe Sanh Combat Base during the period from November 1, 1967, to March 31, 1968. Scotland was a 26th Marine Regiment operation, so only the deaths of Marines assigned to the regiment, and attached supporting units, were counted. This time period does not particularly coincide with the fighting; rather, it dates from before the siege began and terminates before the siege (and the fighting) ended. The distinctions between Operations Scotland, Pegasus and Scotland II, while important from the command perspective, were not necessarily apparent to individual Marines. For them, the battle started when the North Vietnamese attacks began in January. Fighting around Khe Sanh was continuous. For example, I served with a Marine heavy mortar battery at Khe Sanh during the siege. But only by checking my service record while writing this article did it become evident that I had participated in all three operations. Upon closer analysis, the official figure does not accurately portray even what it purports to represent. According to Ray Stubbe, a U.S. Navy chaplain during the siege and since then the most significant Khe Sanh historian, the 205 figure is taken only from the records of the 26th Marine Regiment. Stubbe examined the command chronologies of the 1st and 2nd battalions, 26th Marines, plus the after-action reports of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines; 1st Battalion, 9th Marines; 1st Battalion, 13th Marines; and more than one dozen other units, all present at Khe Sanh under 26th Marine operational control. These combined sources report a total of 354 KIA. Unlike the official figures, Stubbe’s database of Khe Sanh casualties includes verifiable names and dates of death. On June 19, 1968, another operation began at Khe Sanh, Operation Charlie, the final evacuation and destruction of the Khe Sanh Combat Base. The Marines withdrew all salvageable material and destroyed everything else. The NVA continued shelling the base, and on July 1 launched a company-sized infantry attack against its perimeter. Two Marines died. NVA casualties were more than 200. The base was officially closed on July 5. Marines stayed in the area, conducting operations to recover the bodies of Marines killed previously. 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. Hernandez was killed. Ten more Marines and 89 NVA died during this period. They were not included in the official Khe Sanh counts. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: Historical Conflicts, Vietnam War
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
What is HistoryNet?The HistoryNet.com is brought to you by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines. If you are interested in a specific history subject, try searching our archives, you are bound to find something to pique your interest. |
From Our Magazines
|
Weider History Group |
Weider History Network: HistoryNet | Armchair General | Great History | Achtung Panzer! Terms of Use | Copyright © 2009 Weider History Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. |
||
Loading ...
9 Comments to “Battle of Khe Sanh: Recounting the Battle’s Casualties”
I believe my brother LCPL James A. Acosta was at Scotland II and Khe Sanh. He was would May 10, 1968 by mortar round in his thigh. He later was transferrd to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine 27th divsion lima company. On July 15, 1968, he was killed while on patrol.
By Isabel Berrigan on Aug 9, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I have been looking for a hooch friend of mine at Khe Sanh since I was wounded for the second time after I left Khe Sanh and left country. His name is Henry L. Davenport. I was a radio operator (2531) and he was a (2511), wireman. A great guy from New York. If anyone knows anything about him or where he went please contact me.
By darrell hill on Feb 28, 2009 at 10:11 pm
My youngest brother, Marine Sgt. James H. Masters, was at Khe Sanh and at one time went out on patrol and was the only one to return. I don’t think anyone really knows how many valiant American troops we lost, but I know that thanks to brave men like my baby brother, who, incidentally, returned home after two tours and was tragically killed in an auto accident after surviving all of that could never get Khe Sanh out of his mind up till the day he died. He took all his friends KIA to heaven with him.
By Jerry Masters on Apr 11, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I was looking to find a pic that i remember of Marines burying scorched ammo from the first explosion of the ammo dump, i was only yards from it and in the pic and thought it was in TIME mag but can;t find it. I spent July67-Mar68 at Khe Sanh and wounded by mortar fire on Mar 8th and medevaced. It was Hell for weeks and lost a great(home town) friend there with me and fellow great Marine Rich Healey.
B. Co. 3rd. Recon 3rd. Marine Div.
By Larry Price on Apr 24, 2009 at 10:21 pm
It has been 41 years since I was pulled out of Khe Sanh. Early Feburary 1968. I wanted to say thank you to all the men and women who served. To this day I don’t remember what unit I
served with all I can remember is that I was a marine in a rock quarry outside of the fire base. No names only hard times and
one lingering thought we stood our ground. A special thank you
to the US Army I saw only one small army unit in 6months.
Thank you to that special group of men who fired the 106 recoiless that help
save our bacon during an early morning fire fight in early February
God Bless you all
Marine Sgt Don Severson
By Donald Severson on May 12, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I too spent my youth at Khe Sanh, and in 4 long forever months I became an old man. I was an 8541 mos a scout/marines know the other part of the mos. I was an enlisted Marine, became a Mustang after returning stateside. One of my thoughts about
Khe Sanh, as a scout in late Nov/Dec ‘67 we reported a large NVA build up with numbers and units over 10k. From personel experience it is a Hell of alot easier to bring support before you are engaged and under fire. I’ve long held that the powers from Gen. Westmoreland to LBJ administration in order to ralley the American People to support the War knew what was in the wind for Us. Marine Larry Price observed Time, Mag in his comments. They could get the press in, why not more Marines and supplies?
There is one memory that I believe speaks for all of Us that where at Kha Sanh and all the wars we have fought. It was written on a K-ration box up near the HQ
“There is a Love of Freedom for whose who fight and die, that the sheltered will Never know.” When the demons come I try to remember those words.
Semper Fi My Brothers
By Col_BradleyUSMC ret. on May 14, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Although I am viewing this on the on-line edition I do have the issue with this article. I am the radio operator pictured in the article. Arriving in-country during the first week of the Tet Offensive, this was my first major operation with the 2nd Bn 7th Cav. From our Bn LZ we could see Khe Sanh and the continuing supply drops, also we could hear and monitored the constant firefights as the Bn attempted a break through. My boss S-3 Don Monson pictured also, and my Bn CO LtCol Roscoe Robinson, were under daily stress from the amount of casualities we were taking as we progressed toward Khe Sanh. During this period LtCol Robinson was awarded the Silver Star for ordering his C&C helo into a very hot LZ to extract wounded, when the medavac refused. Trust me I was listening on the radio and then when his helo landed in our LZ I counted 28 different bullet holes in the bird
By Richard S. Churchill on Jun 11, 2009 at 2:26 pm
I was on Gun #4 in the 155 battery at the north end of the base. I had a friend , Steve Hellwig that was killed in the first week of the battle. I never really knew what happened to him. We went to the same high school in Seattle, WA. I think often of the ones I served with in my gun battery. I hope they are all doing fine. It was a lif time ago. And I’m still sad because it was all so useless. The damn politicans would’nt let us win. And that asshole Westmoreland was a Liar
By Tim Caiola on Jul 8, 2009 at 7:35 pm
khe sanh tet hill ,,,,,,,,,,,,,……………
HILL 861 MICHAEL BEAUGUARD OUR CAVE
By mike leibold on Sep 29, 2009 at 8:41 pm