The Freeper Foxhole Remembers Con Thien/Operation Buffalo - Dec. 27th, 2002

http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:c105wD0DycIC:www.1stbattalion9thmarinesfirebase.net/documents/Story%2520-%2520A%2520Place%2520of%2520Angels.pdf+%22operation+buffalo%22+vietnam&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 ^ | Al Hemingway

[SAMWolf]

Charlie was walking his barrage right in upon us. The second salvo erupted 50 meters dead ahead of our bunker. No one spoke, no one moved. There was no place else to go. It was too late. Salvo number three was already coming. We just waited. We all knew, by now, that the enemy gunner was shortening his range by 50 meters each salvo. We were Target Zero. Then eardrums and hearts and dreams burst. My camera shuddered (left photo). Three shells exploded against our bunker's outer flank, 15 feet away and I was deaf and alive, with muddy Marine boots in my face. Not deaf! Another salvo echoed far away, 50 meters behind us which seemed quite beautiful until we heard the worst sound of all.

Con Thien
Inside the Cone of Fire
Mike Company, Third Battalion, Ninth Marines



Photographs and Writing by David Douglas Duncan

[ValerieUSA]

[SAMWolf]

Beautiful Rose, Valerie. Thanks you.

You take excellent shots.

[Light Speed]

Early in September, 1967 the North Vietnamese intensified both artillery fire and ground attacks, and the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, under strength of perhaps 1,000 men; relieved its beleaguered colleagues of the 1/9 on the "Hill of Angels." At best a dismal outpost. Con Thien soon became a very public hell, and the isolation of the base and the combination of infantry and artillery tactics evoked the specter of Dien Bien Phu. Through the lenses of television cameras and in print, the world followed the marines predicament. "I hated every day, and every hour, and every moment of breath," said one marine.

In time..Con Thien would become a memory for 3/9...their world turned upside down again..in a place known as the A Shau Valley
3rd Marine on "Tiger Mountain"...20 Feb 1969...in the A Shau

[Vic3O3]

Sam, thank you for posting this one. I have a good friend who served in D 1/9 during this. As I understand it, he was one of 6 in his plt to make it out of an ambush. He was point and got mg'd in the chest. If not for the courage & fortitude of the other men in his plt, he would not be here today. He was also at Con Thien when a 500lb'er was misdropped on their command/short-timer bunker...lucky for him, he wasn't short then. (Cav, you know John)

[SAMWolf]

I thank your friend for his service. Tell him "Welcome Home" from me.

[Vic3O3]

Finally dug this up on google...

http://www.vietvet.org/jmindex.htm

[The Real Deal]

I was part of I Corp(I'm not sure of this spelling)out of Danang. Then later I was at Pistol Pete's on the Tan My river.

[dcwusmc]

You were there when it started? Did you know Dave "Beetle" Bailey? I am not sure which co. he was with... He passed away as the result of a brain tumor Thanksgiving week of '98. I was honored to be at his funeral, well attended by 1/9 personnel. Gunny Lee Burns (SSgt Burns at the time and Plt Sgt for 2/b/1/9) was also there. And last year November (2001) my wife got to meet "Uncle Lee" when we went to Pendleton for the H&S Bn Birthday Ball. He told her to "Picture me 150 pounds lighter with a cigar in my mouth, .45 on my hip and a 12 ga. shotgun cradled in my arms." That was the Lee Burns of Operation Buffalo. A true hero in anyone's book... but there were a LOT of heroes made in those first few days of Buffalo, as the NVA ambushes took their dreadful toll of Marines. The DMZ was not referred to as the Dead Marine Zone without cause. 1/9's blood shed those first dreadful days of July, 1967, was quickly avenged, first by Charlie Co and Delta Co elements, then by the SLF (3/3, IIRC)

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the link to John's page. I especially liked his "Operation Buffalo" poem.

[The Real Deal]

Thanks Light Speed. Another great post.

[The Real Deal]

A 12 Gage, with bee hive rounds makes you one bad dude.

[dcwusmc]

Yeah, it would. Also make you a T A R G E T big time... 'cause you were an officer or Plt Sgt, both of whom needed to become gone before the gomers could effectively destroy a unit.

Lee Burns is one of the VERY few who was awarded the Navy Cross without at least ONE Purple Heart to go along with it...

[facedown]

G-d bless you and yours and thank you for your service to our country.

[Aura Of The Blade]

God bless you and I enjoyed reading your posts. That surreal image of the VW hurling around in the air is a real trip.

[sarasmom]

I am, most gratefully,I assure all,slightly too young to be a VietNam Vet.All my mentors and NCOICs had that distinction, however.

Little known fact: USAF Tactical Ops Intell was actually not a designated AFSC during the majority of that war.It was an additional duty for Admin.

Damn...just damn.

[MistyCA]

This is an outstanding thread and the photos are really something! I am sorry that I couldn't participate more today. :( Thanks for the work that went into this thread.

[MistyCA]

Thanks for the history post, Valin.

[MistyCA]

Thanks for your posts. You participation on the threads is very much appreciated and we thank you for your support.

[MistyCA]

Thanks, Aomagrat. We appreciate your posts very much.