1965, April 29, “All-Out Campaign”
deepe
kill–1
april 29, 1965
SAIGON—United States field advisors believe the Communist Viet Cong have launched an all-out “kill-Americans-only” campaign in the provinces of Viet Nam.
This week, an American sergeant was seriously wounded by a mine while one a patrol in a province near Saigon and his friend, and American captain, lost his right arm and shoulder, right leg and hip. He later died in the Saigon Naval Hospital, being too critical to transport to the Philippines; the sergeant was moved to Manila, “but he’ll never come back here,” a friend explained.
(More)
deepe
kill–2
april 29, 1965
“The American sergeant and captain were on a patrol with 300 Vietnamese,” An American a friend of both explained. “But the mine went off right between them. No Vietnamese were wounded.
“The Viet Cong have been trying to pick off only Americans. At first they spotted us because of our uniforms; so we started wearing exactly what the Vietnamese government troops wore. They Then the Viet Cong picked us out by because we carried newer weapons than the Vietnamese; so we started using old weapons. My two sergeants are short and fit in with the size of yhe the Vietnamese soldiers–but I’m tall and they can spot me miles away. Besides–I wear glasses,” he explained, “and none of the Vietnamese do.”
(More0)
deepe
kill–3
april 29, 1965
ANOTHER American advisor explained that the Viet Cong was generally shootsshoot at American helicopters rather than approachingnearby Vietnamese ground pa trols units.
One American advisor recalled one serious action on February in a province northwest of Saigon in which Viet Cong guerrillas used a mkex megaphone to warn the Vietnamese regional forces company present to desert the district headquarters and theirits American advisors. The company deserted–for all except fourformountain tribesmen and f the four American advisors.
“The Viet company just walked out through the frontgate ,” one American advisor explained. “But the Viet Cong paid dearly for the attack–those nine held out a long time. We don’t know if all four Americans were killed in the attack or not–but some of their bodies were hacked to bits and scattered throughout the village. With the American captain, the Viet Cong hung him from the distrac district headquarters an gate and tied a piece of communications wire to his hand.
(More)
deepe
kill–4
april 29, 1965
“Pretty soon, an American-piloted L-19 reconnaissance plane swooped over and the Viet Cong pulled the commo-wire and waved the American captain’s hand. This was a signal for the plane to and–and sure enough it did. Then the got the pilot–an American major. We don’t know whether or not they killed him immediately or not–a nd the officials won’t say–but his body wi was found with barbed wire wrapped around his arms and all the meat torn off.
“I’ve told my sergeants never to get captured,” the American advisorcaptain continued. “I personally will never be captured–I’ll fight to the end or kill myself before I’ll be captured,” he vowed.
An exalt of the kill-Americans-only
One American advisor said that local intelligence indicated the Viet Cong in his district had placed the American headcaptain of the district team at the top of thetheirlist to kill, vo followed by the Vietnamese district chief, and then the two remaining members of the American district advisory team.
“We don’t know how much money we’ve got on our heads,” the American captain explained, “But we know the Viet Cong guerrilla who kills us could retire with the money.”
(More)
deepe
kill–5
april 29, 1965
As a result of the “kill-Americans-only” campaign, American advisors said they take a number of security measures. One district advisor said that every morning and evening, he checked to see whether the Viet Cong havehad put gunpower gunpowder in the gastank of his jeep or his electric generator, which would cause an explosion. He also checks for grenades and timebombs within the engine of his jeep before starting it.
Another advisor explained that every time he night he axx checked under his pillow and blankets for poisonous snakes. “That would be a very clever way to kill me,” he explained, “and the Viet Cong are very clever.”
One American captain s said that when driving on district roads in their sand-bagged jeep, the American advisors carried their machineguns in their laps and placed a withering pl blankets of gunfire along the sides of the road as they drove sixty miles per hour.
“It gives us a feeling of confidence to know that our machineguns are working while we drive,” he explained. “Of course, we don’t shoot as we go through villages, but we hold several grenades in our hands, knowing that if we’re fired outat in a village we den could throw out a grenade. We don’t know if we’ve ever il killed anyone on the roadsides–we never stop. That would be a trap for us and we’d be knocked off for sure.”
deepe
kill–6
april 29, 1965
One American advisor explained that he slept only four hours a night.
“I go to sleep about 2 a.m. each night, with my radio earplug in one ear,” he explained. “That ear is in my pillow. The other ear is listening for any noises outside. Of course, i I sleep with my pistol by my side and I always sleep with my glasses on. I’m stone blind without them.”
-30-
Read Previous Article: 1965, April 7, “Vietnamese Nationalism”
Read Next Article: 1965, July 8, “American Jet Aircraft”