(South Vietnam was divided, for military purposes, into four "corps": I (eye) Corps, II Corps, III Corps, and IV Corps.)
I served in the northern sector of II Corps, at two strategic air bases that supported our troops in the field with uncountable sorties (strikes) from our fighter-bombers located at Tuy Hoa and Cam Ranh Bay.
What became known as the Siege of Khe Sanh, lasted for nearly 77 days, that is, just before, during and after the major 1968 Tet Offensive that I saw unfold right before my eyes from an observation tower that was given the designation: Oscar Six. It was manned by a "short-timer," in other words, by an Air Force Security Police Buck Sergeant with 27 days to go in-country. I was assigned to stand watch with him that night. I had a mere 10 1/2 months to go before I could return to "the world" -- the U.S...
Oscar Six overlooked the entire valley to our south and west. The tower was equipped with an enormous "star-light" scope that could see the light from a cigarette miles away in the bitch blackness of a moonless night.
Years later (2010), I would write and publish a story entitled: The Battle For Oscar Six (available on Amazon).
As Tet unfolded, we were informed of a major battle taking place at the Khe Sanh Marine base. It turned out that those Marines were in a world of hurt! They were surrounded by an estimated 20,000+ force of North Vietnamese Regular army troops as well as numerous Viet Cong forces determined to overrun and take the Marine base.
But the Marines were just as determined to defend their base and destroy the enemy forces that wanted to destroy them!
From the videos that I have seen of the Khe Sanh battle, it is a miracle that those Marines survived to tell about it, notwithstanding the substantial KIA and WIA suffered by those valiant grunts.
What is lesser known is that the Air Force played a major role is helping the Marines, not only survive, but also achieve a major victory over the enemy forces. It is estimated that about 10+ thousand NVA and Viet Cong were destroyed by the artillery as well as the bombing and strafing from our fighters and B-52 heavy bombers. In fact, some NVA soldiers that either surrendered or were captured, told their interpreters how dazed, devastated and demoralized they were after each massive bombing raid from the B-52s.
The Battle of Khe Sanh was a Marine battle, but the efforts of the other services, mainly the death reigned down from the sky by Air Force fighters and bombers, helped to save the nearly 6,000 Marines from almost certain death. What is even lesser known, is that Air Force C-130s brought in supplies and took out wounded during the ongoing attack, but with heavy losses to some of the planes and crews. It is said that those C-130s were "mortar magnets" with some hit while landing or taking off the battered and pot-holed runway.
The siege of Khe Sanh is filled with many harrowing stories from the Marines that lived to tell about it, but it must also be said that their survival was a multi-branch effort, with Air Force, as well as Army (artillery) that pounded the enemy into submission and eventual defeat. Sure, I've read accounts from various media that the battle was a draw with both sides claiming victory, but facts and statistics don't lie; the media does, and that is one reason why the American people back home turned against, not only the Vietnam war, but to their shame, also the soldiers that fought in that winnable war.
I think of, and pray for my fellow brothers that didn't make it home, and are now engraved on the Wall in D.C...
Gene DeLalla
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