Firebase Veghel: Echoes of War in Vietnam

Firebase Veghel. The name itself evokes images of the Vietnam War, of intense battles fought in a distant, unforgiving land. While it may not be as widely recognized as names like Khe Sanh or Hamburger Hill, Firebase Veghel holds its own place in the history of that conflict, and in the stories of the men who fought there.

A Fire Support Base in the Jungle

Nestled southwest of Huế, along Route 547, Firebase Veghel served a crucial purpose: it was a fire support base. From this strategically important location, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces could bring the weight of artillery – 105mm, 155mm, and 175mm guns – to bear in support of operations.

The firebase's story began in April 1968, established by the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, during Operation Delaware. It's a name that might resonate with history buffs, for it was named after the Dutch town of Veghel, a key location in the WWII Operation Market Garden. That operation, an ambitious Allied airborne assault, saw the 101st Airborne Division play a vital role in capturing crucial bridges.

Veghel in Vietnam, however, was a far cry from the fields of Holland. This firebase was a place of repeated establishment and abandonment, a testament to the ebb and flow of the war. It supported operations like Massachusetts Striker and Dewey Canyon II, becoming a familiar, if temporary, home to elements of the 101st Airborne. ARVN forces would also occupy it, and it would even fall to the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) during the Easter Offensive, only to be retaken by the ARVN.

Tiger Force and the Shadow of Controversy

The 101st Airborne Division's presence near Firebase Veghel brings another name into the story: Tiger Force. This reconnaissance unit, part of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, operated in the same area. It's almost certain that their missions took them in and around Firebase Veghel.

Tiger Force is a name that, for many, is associated with bravery and skill. But it's also a name shrouded in controversy. Investigations, decades after the war, revealed disturbing allegations of war crimes committed by some members of the unit. These allegations, detailed in reports and corroborated by veterans and Vietnamese civilians, paint a grim picture: routine torture and execution of prisoners, the killing of unarmed villagers, and the gruesome collection of body parts.

The Battle for Firebase Veghel itself is a stark reminder of the brutal nature of the conflict. Division-level reports deemed the site unsuitable due to the heavy forestation, stating that extensive clearing would be needed. That assessment proved tragically accurate. Taking the base from entrenched VC and PAVN soldiers was a costly and protracted affair, resulting in heavy casualties. 

The battle involved soldiers like Lt. James A. Gardner, who was killed in action, and others who would later be named in connection to the war crimes investigations. Men like Lt. Donald Wood, Sgt. Gerald Bruner, and Spc. William Carpenter, who would be listed as whistleblowers. And Jeff Paige, remembered as a "consummate warrior" who went on to serve with LRRPs and Rangers.

The defenders held a significant advantage, utilizing an extensive tunnel system, some of which was built into the mountain itself. American Soldiers Known as Tunnel Rats and had to go in and flesh them out using a stub nosed 44 Magnum with a suppresser (Silencer) or use there combat knife/bayinnet in close quarters fighting.

After the battle, in 1969, Tiger Force was reformed under LT Dennis Hamblin. He recounted how the unit was rebuilt, with a few remaining veterans and many new draftees, "country boys" with little time in-country. Under strong leadership, this new Tiger Force became a tight-knit group, with men like John Gertsch, who saved LT Hamblin's life, becoming central figures.

Echoes of the Past

Firebase Veghel, then, is more than just a place on a map. It's a place where the echoes of war resonate. It speaks of the strategic importance of fire support, the brutal realities of combat, and the complex legacy of a unit like Tiger Force. It's a reminder that even in the midst of a conventional war, the lines between right and wrong can become blurred, and that the consequences of those actions can linger for decades.

Firebase Veghel: Combined Historical and Fictional Context

Firebase Veghel was a U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) firebase in central Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It is historically connected to the 101st Airborne Division, and potentially to the Tiger Force unit within that division. It is named after the WWII Battle of Veghel.

Historical Context (Vietnam War)

• Location and Purpose: Firebase Veghel was located southwest of Huế, on Route 547, between Huế city and the A Shau Valley. It served as a fire support base, housing artillery batteries (105mm, 155mm, and 175mm).

• Establishment and Operations:

  • Established in April 1968 by the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, during Operation Delaware.

  • Named after the Dutch town of Veghel, a key location in Operation Market Garden (WWII).

  • It was abandoned and reopened multiple times (1968-1971), supporting operations like Massachusetts Striker and Dewey Canyon II.

  • Used by the ARVN, captured by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) during the Easter Offensive, and later recaptured by the ARVN.

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  • Units stationed there included elements of the 101st Airborne Division.

• Tiger Force Connection:

  • Tiger Force was a reconnaissance unit of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

  • The 101st Airborne Division operated in the same general area as Firebase Veghel.

  • It is historically plausible that Tiger Force was involved in operations in and around Firebase Veghel during the years of 1968 and 1969.

Account of the Battle for Fire Base Veghel

This document details the events surrounding the battle for Fire Base Veghel during the Vietnam War, and the soldiers involved.

• Background:

  • Lt. James Hawkins was a battlefield-commissioned second lieutenant implicated in controversial events.

  • Hawkins' unit was tasked with taking a new fire base from the VC.

  • Lt. Hawkins attributed the lack of charges against him to the timing of the investigation (after My Lai and the Bumgarner case) and the potential for further negative publicity.

  • This unit gained notoriety after investigations during the course of the war and decades afterwards revealed extensive war crimes against civilians, which numbered into the hundreds.

• The Battle for Fire Base Veghel:

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  • Division-level reports indicated that the Veghel site was deemed unsuitable for a fire base due to the heavy forestation.

  • The reports stated that excessive defoliation, blasting, and clearing would be required.

  • Despite these concerns, the decision was made to proceed, resulting in a costly and protracted assault with heavy casualties.

  • The firebase was taken from VC/PAVN soldiers. The terrain and fortifications, including an extensive tunnel system, made the assault difficult. The tunnel system was a network of underground passages and bunkers, some of which had been built into the mountain itself, providing the defenders with a significant advantage.

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• Soldiers Involved:

  • The following soldiers fought in the conflict. Some were involved in alleged war crimes, while others are listed as whistleblowers:

    • Lt. James A. Gardner (awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously): Killed in action before any of the controversial events.

    • Lt. William F. Kernan

    • Lt. Donald Wood (whistleblower)

    • Lt. Skip Franks (whistleblower)

    • Ssg. John G. Gertsch (awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously): Killed in action

    • Sgt. Gerald Bruner (whistleblower)

    • Spc. William Carpenter (whistleblower)

    • Spc. Kenneth Leon Green, killed in action

    • Pvt. Rion Causey (whistleblower)

    • Pvt. Kenneth Kerney (whistleblower)

    • Pvt. Sam Ybarra (whistleblower)

    • Jeff Paige: A "consummate warrior" who later served with LRRPs and Rangers.

• Reformation of Tiger Force:

  • After the battle for Fire Base Veghel in 1969, Tiger Force was reformed under LT Dennis Hamblin.

  • LT Hamblin's account:

    • In February 1969, almost the entire Tiger Force was reformed.

    • A few soldiers were selected from each company of the 1/327th.

    • Remaining Tigers included Sergeants Field, Paige, and Gertsch, and a couple of "short-timers" (including "Lurch").

    • Many new members were draftees, "country boys" with about 4 months in-country, and many had not attended jump school.

    • Under strong leadership, the reformed Tiger Force became a tight-knit group.

    • John Gertsch saved LT Hamblin's life on multiple occasions.

    • LT Hamblin carried Gertsch's body to the LZ the day he was killed, which deeply affected him.

    • LT Hamblin left Tiger Force two months later.

• Previous Tiger Force operations (June 1968 - January 1969):

  • Tiger Force operated by "invitation only," comprising highly experienced and qualified men.

  • The team often had only 12 to 15 members, despite being nominally platoon-sized.

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  • The team was usually led by a Lieutenant, with two medics, and sometimes a Forward Observer (FO).

  • At the time of this account, the speaker had been in-country for about 6 months and with Tiger Force for about 3 months.

• Investigations of war crimes

  • On October 19, 2003, Michael D. Sallah, a reporter for The Toledo Blade newspaper, obtained unreleased, confidential records of U.S. Army commander Henry Tufts. One file in these records referred to a previously unpublished war crimes investigation known as the Coy Allegation. To investigate this further, Sallah gained access to a large collection of documents produced by the investigation held at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.

  • Sallah found that between 1971 and 1975, the Army's Criminal Investigation Command had investigated the Tiger Force unit for alleged war crimes committed between May and November 1967.

  • The documents included sworn statements from many Tiger Force veterans, which detailed war crimes allegedly committed by Tiger Force members during the Song Ve Valley and Operation Wheeler military campaigns. The statements, from both individuals who allegedly participated in the war crimes and those that did not, described war crimes such as the following:

    • the routine torture and execution of prisoners

    • the routine practice of intentionally killing unarmed Vietnamese villagers including men, women, children, and elderly people

    • the routine practice of cutting off and collecting the ears of victims

    • the practice of wearing necklaces composed of human ears

    • the practice of cutting off and collecting the scalps of victims

    • incidents where soldiers planted weapons on murdered Vietnamese villagers

    • an incident where a young mother was drugged, raped, and then executed

    • an incident where a soldier killed a baby and cut off the baby's head after the baby's mother was killed

  • The investigators concluded that many of the war crimes took place. This included the murder of former ARVN personnel, the murder of two blind brothers, and the routine murder of women, children, and disabled or elderly civilians. Despite these conclusions, the Army decided not to pursue any prosecutions.

  • High body counts were recognized and encouraged by military officials. Colonel Morse ordered troops of the 327th Infantry Regiment, of which Tiger Force was part of, to rack up a body count of 327 during Operation Wheeler in order to match the battalion's infantry designation, 327th. Those killed were all listed as enemy combatants. Tiger Force's Sam Ybarra was congratulated in the Stars and Stripes military newspaper for the 1,000th kill of Operation Wheeler.

  • After studying the documents, Sallah and fellow reporter, Mitch Weiss, located and interviewed dozens of veterans who served in Tiger Force during the period in question as well as the CID investigators who later carried out the Army's inquiry. The reporters also traveled to Vietnam and tracked down numerous residents of Song Ve Valley who identified themselves as witnesses. Sallah and Weiss reported that the war crimes were corroborated by both veterans and Song Ve Valley residents. The reporters also managed to track down dozens of additional investigative records not included in the National Archives.

  • The reporters published their findings in a series of articles in The Toledo Blade in October 2003. The New York Times subsequently performed their own investigation, contacting a few Tiger Force veterans and corroborating The Toledo Blade's findings.

  • Since The Blade's story, the United States Army has opened a review of the former Tiger Force investigation but has not yet provided much additional information. On May 11, 2004, Lt. Col. Pamela Hart informed The Blade reporters that she had been too busy responding to prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers in Iraq to check on the status of the Tiger Force case. The Blade has not reported on any more recent updates from the U.S. Army.

• Awards and Recognition

  • Reporters Michael D. Sallah, Mitch Weiss, and Joe Mahr received a number of awards for their series:

    • In 2003, the reporters won the IRE Medal.

    • In 2003, the reporters won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for investigative reporting, for publications with a circulation of 100,000 or greater.

    • In 2004, the reporters won the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Newspapers.

    • In 2004, the reporters won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.

    • In 2006, Sallah, now an investigative reporter with The Washington Post, and Weiss, an investigative reporter with the Associated Press, co-authored a book chronicling their findings: Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War (2006).