outpost-3

An Hoa Hung Village... Located in the north western portion of the Tactical Area Of Responsibility (TAOR), An Hoa Hung was the largest of the four primary villages, and the most progressive in civic activity and growth.

It was bordered on the west by Long Binh Tan Village and on the north by Highway 317, and the southern perimeter of Long Binh Military Post. To the south by the Rach Ben River, and the Village of Long Hung. A steel bridge over the Rach Bien connected the two village areas. The east side was bordered by forest then the Finger of Land.

Motorized transportation to and from Long Hung was readily accessible via a single lane dirt road connected to Highway 317 that looped in a U shape through the village along the buildings bordering the Rach Ben River then out to Highway 317 through Long Binh Tan.

The economy was largely agricultural, however there were numerous small village cottage industries, rice mills and brick manufacturing businesses. Many of the residents also worked on Long Binh Military Post and in the nearby city of Bien Hoa.

It boasted a very large school with a student population of over 700, and a governmental compound. In early 1967 the Viet Cong destroyed the government compound and the generators that powered the two villages, An Hoa Hung and Long Hung.

Through the Civic Action Program the compound was rebuilt and the villages power grids were connected to the more reliable Electric of Vietnam.

The village also had the only Canh Sat, National Police Force, (CS) Compound (police station) in the Tactical Area of Responsibility, staffed by five to eight members of the Uniformed Service Police and several Regular Force/Popular Force Village Militia (RF/PF).

On occasions when staffing permitted, after 26 June 1968, two B Company MP’s would be assigned to live at the compound as added security and to perform liaison services.

There was also a large Buddhist Temple and monastery located in the northeast corner of the village. The interior of the temple was very ornate and beautifully maintained. The vast majority of the villagers were of the Buddhist faith.

With the South Vietnamese President being Catholic religious tensions and sympathy for the Viet Cong among the Buddhist population ran high throughout much of the country.

On occasions the ambush teams would conduct searches of the Temple and grounds for VC contraband and activity. Although it was suspected at the time, there has yet to be any evidence uncovered of the local Buddhist within the Battalion TAOR taking sides with the local Viet Cong.

Of the four TAOR villages, An Hoa Hung was the third most sympathetic to the Viet Cong. Due to their close proximity to Long Binh Post, and after the 26 June 1968 consolidation under B Company, major hostile VC activity in the village dropped dramatically but there were still scattered incidents of harassment.

Outpost #3... was also spartan, primarily due to its size. It was the smallest in size and staff of the four battalion village outpost in the TAOR. Since it was located at the entrance to the village just off of Highway 317, water and supplies and staff could be transported in daily and access to Long Binh Post was easy. The outpost was a single wood and brick structured building about the size of a one car garage, but it did have a second floor observation area.

It was located on the west corner of the main entrance to the village from Highway 317, in view of the perimeter of Long Binh Post. The structure was covered in sandbags and barbed wire, and had a small perimeter and sandbag reinforced bunkers.

From 1967 to until the 26 June 1968 consolidation the outpost was manned by MP’s from C Company. The C Company staff didn’t reside at the outpost on a full time basis and worked it in 12 hour shifts. Their primary function was a combined MP and National Police motorized patrol in the village and surrounding highways. The outpost at that time was staffed by local Popular Force members.

The primary focus of the village VC was the frequent attacks on the C Company armored gun jeeps that would patrol the village and transport the shift changes at night during 1967 and early 1968. The goal of the VC ambushes were to seize the jeeps M60 machine gun, small arms, and ammunition. Unfortunately the VC were successful in this endeavor on several occasions in the 1967 and early 1968 time period.

After 26 June 1968 B Company assumed full control of the TAOR and the B Company MP’s physically lived at the outpost full time, and since there were no shift change runs, the ambushes stopped. Occasional small arms harassment sniper fire would still occur, but only at night.

The outpost was staffed by three MP’s with a Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) in command, when available.

The B Company MP’s were augmented by approximately 5 Regular Force/Popular Force (RF/PF) Vietnamese Village Militia. The US armament was similar to that at the other outpost, as was the RF/PF armament. In addition to the radio, the outpost was also connected to a telephone land line permitting communication with Outpost 1, 2, and 4, and Long Binh Post. The land line was much more reliable and less frequently interrupted by the VC due to it’s proximity to Long Binh Post.

Because of its physical size and small staff, the daily routine at Outpost #3 was primarily vehicle inspections and ID card checks that were aimed at preventing enemy infiltration, unauthorized U.S. personnel, and errant convoy trucks from unloading their supplies to the black marketer's in the village. Daytime duty there could be best described a similar to working a main gate on a busy military post.

1967 Operation CORRAL and STABILIZE Begin

September At the start of Operation STABILIZE the 720th MP Battalion combined ambush platoon lead by 1LT Wilkerson of B Company evaluated the four Popular Forces outpost within the Tactical Area of Responsibility. It is still unknown exactly when the first MP's were stationed at each.

1968 The Tet New Years and Mini-Tet Communist Offensives

February, Exact date unknown

The Youth Was Struggling To Breath SGT William A. Sword, and PFC’s Daniel B. Chaplin and Calvin E. Burton, C Company, were on a mobile Civic Action Program (CAP) Patrol in An Hoa Hung Village in the Battalion Tactical Area Of Responsibility in the late afternoon. At 1700 hours [5:00PM] PVT Vo Van Bien, an off-duty members of the local Vietnamese Popular Forces (PF) Platoon from the village ran up to the patrol jeep. Unable to speak english he indicated excitedly that the MP’s should follow him. PFC Chaplin got out of the jeep and followed PVT Bien.

Approximately 200 yards down a winding path that took them to the edge of the village they came to a crown of villagers. PVT Binh directed PFC Chaplin to a hooch where he found a 19 year old village boy lying on a wooden table struggling to breath. The villagers were able to inform PFC Chaplin that the boy had fallen in a rice paddy. Chaplin send PVT Binh to summon SGT Sword then began artificial respiration. The youth was soon breathing faintly. SGT Sword seeing what had happened ran back to the patrol jeep and radioed Battalion Tactical Operations Center (TOC) for a ambulance. SGT Sword then returned back to the hooch to assist PFC Chaplin. Twice before the ambulance arrived the youth stopped breathing. Each time PFC Chaplin revived him with mouth to nose respiration.

Once the medics arrived, the MP’s helped get the youth into the ambulance, then escorted it to the 93rd Evacuation Hospital on Long Binh Post. Investigating the incident later, the MP’s learned that the youth was an epileptic and had a seizure while working alone in the rice paddy. The convulsions caused him to fall face down where he nearly drowned before being found by his grandfather, who pulled him from the water and carried him into the hooch.

The exact date, further details or photographs of the MPs involved in the CAP Patrol, please contact the History Project Manager via the Email Link at the top of this page.

30 May SGT Apimenio "Api" Lara, C Company, died as a result of wounds received from smallarms and Rocket Propelled Grenade fire when his gun jeep was ambushed during a night patrol in An Hoa Hung Village, 720th MP Battalion, Tactical Area Of Responsibility.

15 September The Rural Development (RDC) Cadre in An Hoa Hung were conducting a practice alert from 1400 hours (2:00PM) this date until 1600 hours (4:00PM) 16 September.

1969 After Post Tet 1969 The Vietnamization of the Outpost Begins

23 February The 274th Viet Cong Main Force Regiment of the 5 NVA Division attacked the southern perimeter of Long Binh Post. The thrust came right through the eastern sector of the Tactical Area of Responsibility avoiding the more populated western sector where the four B Company outpost were located.

After the 23 February Post Tet attack on Long Binh Post the security priority shifts from the villages and outpost to the unpopulated eastern sector of the TAOR. By the end of the summer most of the MP's on outpost duty are reassigned to other assignments and the local Popular Forces units take primary responsibility at the outposts.

2 August All outpost missions in the TAOR were terminated. B Company abandoned the two fortified command post, Outpost #5 on Hill-15 and #6 on the Finger of Land, built in the spring of 1969. The fortifications at both locations were destroyed.

The Village Outpost staffed from late 1967, OP#1 An Xuan, OP#2 Long Hung, OP#3 An Hoa Hung and OP#4 Long Binh Tan, were turned over to the local Popular Forces units. All B Company personnel withdrawn from the facilities were committed to increased reconnaissance and ambush missions within the Tactical Area of Responsibility.

1970 Operation STABILIZE Comes To An End

25 July A result of the Vietnamization Program, Operation STABILIZE came to an end when all B Company missions in the Tactical Area of Responsibility were turned over to the Army of The Republic of South Vietnam (ARVN) and the 25th Infantry Division.

25th

June Members of the 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog) utilized the village for new handler orientation training.

1995 & 2006 The changes are evident

June 1995, PFC James R. Brunotte, B Company, 1968, was one of 13 members of the Point Man Ministries group to visit Vietnam on a missionary mission to Saigon and Song Be. The ministry is a non denominational organization comprised of civilians and veterans.

The village area is very developed and the current highway (former Highway 317) has been moved closer to the village area. The location marked as the former Outpost-3 area was determined based on best estimates from war era photographs compared to the current satellite overview. For additional details on Jim's visit go to Outpost-1 1995 History Page