|
|
‘The Most Brilliant Commander’: Ngo Quang TruongBy James H. Willbanks | Vietnam | 9 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post Ngo Quang Truong died of cancer on January 22, 2007, in Fairfax, Virginia. Shortly after his death, the Virginia Legislature passed a Joint Resolution “Celebrating the Life of Ngo Quang Truong.” This singular honor for a man who came to this country in 1975 was clearly justified by the sacrifices that Truong made in defense of his South Vietnamese homeland and the exemplary life that he lived both before and after coming to his adopted country. He was considered one of the most honest and capable generals of the South Vietnamese army during the long war in Southeast Asia. General Bruce Palmer described him in his book The 25-Year War as a “tough, seasoned, fighting leader” and “probably the best field commander in South Vietnam.” General Creighton Abrams, who commanded American military operations in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972, told subordinates that he thought General Truong was capable of commanding an American division. Subscribe Today
Truong was born on December 19, 1929, to a well-to-do family in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Hoa. After graduating from My Tho College, he attended the reserve officer school at Thu Duc, then received his commission as an infantry officer in the South Vietnamese Army in 1954. Truong went immediately to airborne school and spent the next 12 years in the elite airborne brigade, first assigned as commander of 1st Company, 5th Airborne Battalion. He soon saw action in a 1955 operation to eliminate the Binh Xuyen river pirates who were vying with President Ngo Dinh Diem’s government for control of Saigon and the surrounding area. For his role in this operation, he was awarded a battlefield promotion to first lieutenant. In 1964, promoted to major and appointed commander of the 5th Airborne Battalion, he led a heliborne assault into the Do Xa Secret Zone in Minh Long district, Quang Ngai province, shattering the base area of the Viet Cong’s B-1 Front Headquarters. Meanwhile, Truong built a reputation as a charismatic leader who led from the front and took care of his soldiers. The 5th Airborne Battalion, still under his command, conducted a helicopter assault in 1965 into the Hac Dich Secret Zone in the area of Ong Trinh Mountain in Phuoc Tuy (Ba Ria) province, the base area of the VC’s 7th Division. After two days of fighting during which his battalion inflicted heavy losses on two enemy regiments, Truong received a battlefield promotion to lieutenant colonel and was also awarded the National Defense Medal, Fourth Class. After the Hac Dich battle, Truong was assigned as chief of staff of the Airborne Brigade and then became chief of staff of the Airborne Division in late 1965. As historian Dale Andradé points out, this noncombat position might have stagnated his career, but his reputation for bravery and fairness got him noticed by the top brass in Saigon. General Cao Van Vien, chief of the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff from 1965 to 1975, later described Truong as “one of the best commanders at every echelon the Airborne Division ever had.” In 1966, when violent civil disorders broke out in central Vietnam, he was appointed acting commander of the 1st Infantry Division in Hue. Although Truong, a Buddhist, was uncomfortable commanding a unit charged with quelling demonstrations by Buddhists protesting military control of the government, he carried out his duties with professionalism, and Saigon made the appointment permanent. With his hands-on leadership, Truong quickly molded the division, which had a poor reputation prior to his arrival, into one of the best units in the South Vietnamese army. Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman, commander of III Marine Amphibious Force in I Corps Tactical Zone, and his principal subordinate, Lt. Gen. Richard G. Stilwell, commander of XXIV Corps, both felt that because of Truong’s efforts, the ARVN 1st Division was “equal to any American unit.” His American adviser at the time wrote that Truong was “dedicated, humble, imaginative and tactically sound.” And General William C. Westmoreland, commander of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, said that Truong “would rate high on any list of capable South Vietnamese leaders.” Pages: 1 2 3 4 5Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: Historical Figures, 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 “‘The Most Brilliant Commander’: Ngo Quang Truong”
Very good example of a true soldier and leader.
Led from the front taking risks the same as his subordinates. Wish Vietnam had had more like him, it would probably be like Korea today, independent and self sufficient.
By Robert Valenzuela on Jul 5, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Great story, nice to see that some ARVN are given they praise they deserve
By Tru on Dec 31, 2008 at 1:49 pm
In an army that stood out for its incompetence, Gen. Truong was a giant among men. As Tru said above, it is refreshing to see an ARVN general who deserves praise receive it, albeit after his death.
Robert V., if you have read the news from Viet Nam lately, they are doing very well for themselves. You seem to have conflated North Korea and North Vietnam. Understandable, but the Viets are making great strides in modernizing their nation, and are both independent and self-sufficient.
By Jameel on Feb 10, 2009 at 3:43 pm
I had the privilege to serve as an Advisor in the 7th Cavalry Squadron of the 1st ARVN Division when MG Truong commanded it. He was a superb leader and took more interest in what the Advisors thought and did than our Senior American officers. I will always respect and honor his memory.
By Cav Advisor on Feb 11, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Robert Valenzuela, I’ll have to disagree with you on your account that Vietnam would be more like Korea today had we had more people like him.
Remember this, South Vietnam was always leading in the war, we were doing well during the Tet Offensive, the U.S. entered later, and it was at the U.S. command that we didn’t “win” during 1968, we had every power to take over North VN. There was also unconditional surrender of the North Communist in 1973. It was because of the U.S. betrayal, by not supplying us with any more military aid (ammunition and equipment) that we eventually lost. Obviously this happened in 1972 after they traded us in to China after the Paris Peace Accords, agreeing not to aid us anymore.
Please look up “Black April” in Google and click on the first link.
By Ann on Jun 6, 2009 at 10:00 pm
General Ngo Quang Truong was a real hero. I always admire him.
My father, as many other old Vietnamese people currently live in the U.S., was an officer in the Army of Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), stayed in Vietnam after 1975, and was forced to spend several years in communist prison. I, as many other Vietnamese Americans, am proud of our ARVN as much as Americans are proud of the U.S. Military Forces. ARVN is absolutely not incompetent, and many American soldiers are real heroes who were good men and fought well during Vietnam war. ARVN has many good, honest, capable men. They are generals (Nguyen Viet Thanh, Nguyen Khoa Nam, Nguyen Van Hieu, Le Van Hung, Tran Van Hai). Many honorable generals are still alive (Du Quoc Dong, Le Minh Dao, Tran Ba Di, Ly Tong Ba, Tran Quang Khoi). Many honorable officers are Ho Ngoc Can, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Nguyen Phuong Thanh, Nguyen Ba Thong, Nguyen Manh Tuong, and many more unknown heroes. ARVN was not lack of true heroes, and it was not incompetent as someone may think.
By Matthew Nguyen on Jun 24, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I had the distinct privilege to brief General Truong in KeSach District, BaXuyen Province. He was knowledgeable, attentive, and honest to a fault. More importantly, when politically possible, he held his officers and staff to the same standard. However, I disagree with Ann, above…in April ‘73 when I left VietNam, my counterpart, Nguyen Thanh Khoai, told me “it is a matter of time.” He knew that the hand writing was already on the wall and that it was not a so called sell out. Xin Loi.
By robert branson on Sep 24, 2009 at 3:56 am
Dear General Truong,
I wish that I could thank you while you were still here with us.
Thank you General Truong for giving credit to the Americans that were there assisting the ARVN in the Battles of Quang Tri during the Easter Offensive and calling them by name. It means so much to me – especially since it has been the only reference that I have found on the Internet doing so.
Our own American military have given them no public credit whatsoever. But you did. Thank you. May you rest in peace.
Ngo, Lieutenant General Quang Truong, The Easter offensive of 1972. Washington DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1980.
“In addition to support provided the U.S. Air Force, I Corps forces also received much assistance from the U.S. Army 11th Combat Aviation Group whose activities were closely coordinated with those of ARVN units. This group provided essential support with troop lift logistical support and gunships.”
By Lizzie on Oct 18, 2009 at 6:33 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ3LIqzR6-Q
Cut, paste, watch and make your own conclusions if there was a sell out or not.
sad, sick
War Criminals should be prosecuted, no matter how long ago they committed crimes and what awards they may of received in their lifetime. Period.
By Marilyn on Oct 18, 2009 at 6:41 am