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nearly 400 enemy in a series of battles in
the mountainous terrain close to the border.
In late October the 1st Brigade, reacting to
intelligence reports of a heavy enemy buildup, moved to a dusty,
inhospitable valley near the village of Dak To, 55 miles
north of Pleiku.
After establishing a headquarters, the
brigade moved its infantry battalions into the rugged mountains
and valleys near the Cambodian and Laotian borders. Immediately,
contact was established with deeply entrenched and well-equipped
North Vietnamese Army troops. Units of the 1st Brigade,
supported by elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, the 1st Air
Cavalry Division and the 42nd ARVN Regiment, fought and clawed
their way up enemy-held hills, inflicting heavy casualties and
eventually defeating five NVA regiments in the Battle of Dak To.
The month-long battle, part of Operation
MacArthur, was termed "The largest and most significant
battle of the Vietnam war," by General William C.
Westmoreland, Commander of US forces in Vietnam.
As the vicious fighting waned toward the end
of November 1967, 1st Brigade Ivymen tallied more than 900 enemy
killed and tons of weapons, ammunition and supplies captured.
In past battles and the recent encounters at Dak To, the men
of the Fighting First Brigade have lived up to the proud motto
of their division: "Steadfast and Loyal." |
