Many Vietnam veterans honor this incredible bond that was forged so many years ago on the battlefields of South Vietnam by gathering and holding reunions to share the experiences they encountered during the dangers and hardships of war.  They also honor their fallen comrades who were killed in action by recognizing members of their families.

 

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Many Vietnam veterans honor this incredible bond that was forged so many years ago on the battlefields of South Vietnam by gathering and holding reunions to share the experiences they encountered during the dangers and hardships of war.  They also honor their fallen comrades who were killed in action by recognizing members of their families.

Thirty-five years ago this Veterans Day, our Nation was deeply involved in the Vietnam War, and young Americans were asked once again to serve their country as in past wars through the generations.  It was a difficult and confusing time in our Nation’s history, yet thousands of brave soldiers answered the call to duty, honor, and country and served our Nation with pride, dignity, and courage in Vietnam.

Among these brave Americans was a nineteen-year-old paratrooper with the 3^rd Battalion (Airborne), 506^th Infantry (Currahees), 101^st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles), named Sergeant Frank Vinales, from the Bronx, New York.  His newly activated unit trained extensively for combat in the jungles of South Vietnam and was ultimately deployed to Southeast Asia in October of 1967—just prior to the infamous Communist Tet Offensive of 1968.  History describes the Tet Offensive of 1968 as the height of the Vietnam War, marked by fierce aggression from the Communist forces of the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong guerillas fighting with them.

At the outbreak of the Tet Offensive, Sergeant Vinales and his unit were assigned the mission of protecting the four southernmost provinces of II Corps Tactical Zone—one of the four military regions in South Vietnam—and were stationed at the 3-506 base camp near the important coastal city of Phan Thiet, which was once home to the North Vietnamese Communist Leader, Ho Chi Minh.  In the early morning hours of January 31, 1968, Communist forces unleashed their long-planned, wide-scaled attack against U. S. and South Vietnamese Army forces throughout the country of South Vietnam.  Phan Thiet was one of the over 100 key cities and towns that were attacked on the first night of the Tet Lunar New Year.

As January turned into February, enemy forces continued their relentless attacks on Phan Thiet, the paratrooper base camp, and surrounding areas.  Fierce battles raged in and around the city, as U. S. and South Vietnamese Army forces thwarted the advances of enemy troops into Phan Thiet.

On February 6, 1968, a large enemy force was encountered just north of the city.  In response, the paratroopers of Company C, 3-506 were sent to find and destroy the enemy.  The paratroopers of 3^rd Platoon were the lead element as they neared the small village of Phu Bon Hamlet. On the outskirts of the hamlet, contact was made with a large enemy force in fortified positions.  A fierce battle ensued with the enemy force armed with automatic weapons, mortars, and B-40 rockets.  Third Platoon was immediately pinned down by intense enemy fire and began to sustain heavy casualties.  Any endeavor by the paratroopers to maneuver and gain fire superiority were met by intense barrages of deadly enemy fire.  Within seconds, several paratroopers lay wounded on the open battlefield, and their fellow paratroopers were rendered helpless in their attempts to rescue them.

Among the wounded was Sergeant Paul Cline, squad leader of 1^st Squad, who lay isolated and unprotected closest to the dug-in enemy bunkers.  Because of the close proximity of Sergeant Cline to the enemy positions, the enemy used him as bait in an attempt to draw other paratroopers into the open to rescue  the wounded sergeant.  When word reached Sergeant Vinales that his close friend, Sergeant Cline, was wounded and several unsuccessful, futile attempts to rescue him had failed, his immediate response was to go to the aid of his wounded friend.  Disregarding his own safety, he began to crawl through the heavy enemy fire, determined to reach and assist his friend.

Thoughts of putting his own life in jeopardy were secondary to the driving force behind Sergeant Vinales’ concern for his fallen comrade.  As he continued to move toward Sergeant Cline’s position, he collected an M72 (Light Anti-tank Weapon/LAW) from another paratrooper.  Moving further, he positioned himself and fired the LAW into one of the enemy bunkers in front of him.  After firing the M72 and destroying the enemy bunker, he continued to make his way to Sergeant Cline.  Enemy automatic weapons and rocket fire were constantly directed at him, but the enemy fire did not deter his resolve to rescue his fellow soldier.

After reaching his wounded friend, Sergeant Vinales rose to his knees and fired a second M72 into another enemy bunker.  Picking up his M-16 rifle, he then proceeded to fire on the enemy from his exposed position.  Twice, enemy bullets ripped into Sergeant Vinales, as the enemy concentrated a vigorous volley of fire on the two exposed paratroopers. 

Sergeant Vinales will never forget the poignant moments that followed. “After I fired the M72, says Sergeant Vinales, “there was a great deal of enemy fire directed towards Paul and me.  Suddenly, Paul, with what little strength he had left in him, grabbed hold of me and rolled over on top of me, shielding my body from the relentless enemy fire.  I could feel the enemy bullets hitting Paul, as he protected me from the enemy fire.”  Sergeant Cline unselfishly gave his own life to save his fellow soldier and close friend, Frank Vinales, by taking the brunt of the enemy fire with his own body, knowing that he could not survive the consequences of his decision.

Also seriously wounded, Sergeant Vinales lay beneath Paul Cline’s lifeless body and anguished over the cruel, yet fateful realities of war.  All he could do was lie perfectly still and wait until the cover of darkness that would enable him to crawl back to the security of his platoon’s position.  During the arduous escape from his precarious position on the battlefield, Sergeant Vinales was wounded twice more by the relentless enemy fire. 

The “Battle at Phu Bon Hamlet” resulted in the deaths of two paratroopers, and over thirty others were wounded before the battle subsided.  Sergeant Vinales survived the horrific ordeal with the enemy.  From a hospital in Japan, he returned to the United States for further treatment and extensive therapy to recover from his wounds.  He was ultimately discharged from the military after a seven-month recovery period.  He currently resides in Chandler, Arizona and is employed by Cox Cable Communications as a Field Team Coordinator.

Sergeant Frank Vinales was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his actions in battle on February 6, 1968.  Sergeant Paul Cline was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U. S. Army’s second highest medal awarded to a soldier in combat.  His body was eventually recovered from the battlefield in a daring rescue mission during the wee hours of the following day. 

The 6^th Annual 3-506 Currahee Reunion was held in July of this year in Reno, Nevada, with over a hundred members attending.  Unlike their World War II predecessors, the Vietnam Veterans were not welcomed as heroes when they returned from war on foreign soil.  Their fellow Americans were indifferent towards them and expressed a negative view of their service to their country during an unpopular war.  History has not been kind to them, yet they also fought, sacrificed, and died for the cause of freedom.  Fortunately for our Nation, there were young men in a time of war who loved their country and accepted the responsibility that accompanies citizenship.  Those young men are now Vietnam Veterans, and unequivocally worthy of their American heritage.  Our country owes its freedom to these ordinary citizens with extraordinary ideals.

Jerry Berry served with Frank Vinales in Vietnam as both a rifleman and as the Battalion Combat Photographer and Reporter (PIO).  After completing his tour of duty in Vietnam, he began his thirty-year career with the U. S. Forest Service, retiring as a Staff Wildlife Biologist in 1997.  He is the author of several articles on the 3-506, as well as the books, “Psychological Warfare Leaflets of the Vietnam War” and “The Stand Alone Battalion”.  Berry currently resides in Libby, Montana and continues his dedication to the legacy of the 3-506 by maintaining an active Internet website (www.currahee.org) for his fellow Currahees.