Last Ground Troops Depart Area
I was assigned as the Public Information Officer to the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV), operating in I Corps (My Lai to the DMZ) from September 1971 to Sep 1972. I conducted daily briefings to the press corps on operational activities and the troop drawdown. In that capacity, and also as an accredited MACV Armed Forces Combat Photographer (#0867), I escorted the U.S. and international media throughout the area of operations for that year, assisting their efforts while developing my own photojournalism stories.
My pockets were usually filled with 35mm film canisters. I wore a derby hat, which I could easily roll up and stick in my blouse pocket. The baseball hat's bill and front panels didn't allow for that. I carried most of my other gear in an American Tourister travel bag. This was pre-the backpacks, which are now standard issues. While the Army kept my fatigues in the country, I got out with my jungle boots, which I later wore when assigned to the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai some ten years later. Not the best application, but you go with the Army (and equipment) you have (a la Rummy's Statement).
Contrary to popular opinion, the U.S. Army's departure from RVN was orderly, as were other U.S. units before them.
The evacuation of troops in Saigon in 1973 and its later fall in April 1975 occurred long after the U.S. ended formal ground operations.
I mostly took B/W photos so I could develop them in my office's kitchen.
The MACV Observer was produced by the Command Information Division, Office of Information, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, in Saigon.
The MACV publication has been reconstructed in Word. I've added the caption associated with the photo in a column on the left. Notes and comments are provided as appropriate.
U.S. Army Photos by Captain G A Redding
THE COLORS are lowered at the final retreat ceremony on Hill 260 overlooking Da Nang This was the last flag to fly over a U.S. support base in the Republic of Vietnam The ceremony was one of the activities marking the stand down of the 21st Infantry, and attached units – the last of the U.S. forces maneuver battalions in RVN.
NOTE: This photo and caption were on the front page of the Observer. The rest of the photos and story were on pages 4 and 5 (the centerfold).
With the departure of the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, from the Da Nang area, August 11, 1972, U.S. forces officially ended participation in the ground war in Vietnam. At the peak of U.S. participation in the ground war three years ago, there was a total of 112 maneuver battalions engaged in the conflict.
Soldiers from the Battalion will either be reassigned to other units within the Republic of Vietnam or returned to the United States using usual returnee procedures.
Nicknamed "The" Gimlets," th" unit arrived in Vietnam August 14, 1966 Originally they operated in Tay Ninh Provence, Military Region III In April 1967 the Battalion along with its parent brigade was attached to Task Force Oregon and shifted to Chu Lai in Quang Tin and Quang Provence, Military Region I.
The task force was later organized into the U.S. 23rd Division (Americal) and participated in several large operations conducted in Quang Tin and Quang Ngai Provinces.
More recently, the Battalion was moved to Da Nang, providing security for the air base and other military units in the area. Lieutenant Colonel Rocco Negris of Springfield, VA, was the Battalion's commander. The South Vietnamese 3rd Infantry Division has assumed the duties of the Battalion.
FREEDOM BIRDS ARRIVE to pick up the last U.S. ground troops from the field, seven miles west of Da Nang. These four helicopters executed the entire extraction.
NOTE: In addition to the CBS Team and me, the helos were also bringing in the RVN replacements Th They'dp off the RVN soldiers and pick up the U.S. soldiers Why only four Well, by that time there wereweren't that many U.S. Hueys available By the time I left country a month later, there were less than six U.S. Army Hueys in I Corps sporting a U.S flag on their tail.
ARIEL VIEW OF HILL 260, occupied by B Battery 3/22nd Field Artillery. As part of Task Force Gimlet, they supported the 3rd Battalion until they were withdrawn from the field. Da Nang AB is in the distance to the right (This photo was in the story, but reversed L to R)
When riding around in U.S. Hueys I used to sit in the doorway (as shown) – dumb, eh Later, when I flew ARVN, I sat in the middle holding on to the pilopilot'st brace (as ARVN removed seats, medical kits and other black marketable items).
BACKGROUND COMMENTS – Photo with captions sent to MACV but not used: I was escorting Ken Wagner and his CBS news team (below), not published in the MACV Observer.
Ken Wagner and CBS News Crew Awaiting Setup CBS news crew's photographer is left of the flag
NOTE: This particular round had a brass casing, yes, brass. It was acquired and saved specifically for this last shot. Prior to this last shot, the battery fired a salvo on a distant ridge. The smoke plumes rising on the horizon were in the form of "flying the bird." We're done!
Last Artillery Round to be Fired!
EPILOG:
The CBS news crew and I stayed until the U.S. motorcade left the firebase and all others were extracted by Hueys. For us, there was a certain uneasiness. After what seemed an eternity, a lone helo returned that afternoon to retrieve us. In stepping onto the skid, I was (effectively) the last U.S. soldier to leave a U.S. firebase in RVN It was a long day.