Category: Soldiering
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Gold Lace has a Charm for the Fair’
On this day in U.S. Army SF history………06 August 1967, eight Green Berets held off 4,000 North Vietnamese Army soldiers in a hamlet and box canyon known as Tong Le Chong near the Cambodian/Vietnamese border, with help from air support.
This battle occurred over two days, responding to the urgent call for help, the pilot, Kenneth P. Miles, responded by flying his F-100 into that box canyon in the dark of night, below 500 feet, firing at the North Vietnamese Army soldiers. When he ran out of bombs and bullets, he returned to his base in Thailand, reloaded and returned for a second time. The NVA finally retreated, leaving behind 2,000 dead and/or injured. At the time, this was the largest battle in South Vietnam.
The US administration did not want the public to know that there were Green Berets working with South Vietnamese villagers in this area, so the incident was never fully reported. Three Bronze Stars were awarded to the Green Beret soldiers on the ground, and a Silver Star to Pilot Commander Kenneth P. Miles, who attained the rank of Major General later in his service career.
—Mud
P.S. The photo is a representation of the team.