CHAPTER IV

The First Airmobile Division and the Buildup, 1965

Buildup of U. S. Ground Forces

General Westmoreland, Commander Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, in his report on the war in Vietnam, stated:

The year 1965 was one of momentous decisions and of commitment ... In making my recommendations in the spring and early summer of 1965, as indeed in the case of later recommendations, I was mindful of the stated U. S. objective with respect to Vietnam: 'To defeat aggression so that the people of South Vietnam will be free to shape their own destiny.' It was my judgment that this end could not be achieved without the deployment of U. S. forces. With the concurrence of Ambassador Taylor, I so recommended.

The United States had already made a large commitment of airmobility assets to Vietnam in support of Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces. Now U. S. ground forces would test the airmobility concept for the first time in combat. Propinquity dictated that the first major combat unit of the U. S. Army to be deployed would be the airborne brigade stationed in Okinawa. On 5 May 1965 the 173d Airborne Brigade, comprised of two battalions of infantry and one of artillery, arrived from Okinawa to provide security for the major air base at Bien Hoa and the airfield at Vung Tau. It would not be long before this brigade would be committed to major offensive action.1

Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson, the commander of the 173d, had taken immediate action to prepare his troops for the peculiar environment in Vietnam and especially highlighted their training in counter-ambush. By 10 May 1965, he noted:

We have started our airmobile training. At first we are just practicing 'getting in and getting out' techniques. As far as the individual is concerned, this is a critical operation. Get in quickly and get out

1. A Marine Expeditionary Brigade had arrived in Da Nang on 8 March with the primary mission of securing the large air base in the northern province.