Memories of Ia Drang and the wishes of soldiers

Veterans of the 1st Heroic Division burn incense to commemorate their comrades at the Gia Lai Province Martyrs' Cemetery.

The life and death battle at the foot of Chu Prong mountain

Colonel Dinh Quoc Ky, former soldier of Company 3, Battalion 1, Regiment 33, still clearly remembers every sound that opened the Plei Me Campaign: "At exactly 10:55 p.m. on October 19, 1965, the opening gunshots of the campaign rang out, hitting the Chu Ho high point and the Plei Me commando camp."

Just 5 minutes later, Battalion 3 captured the high point. Battalions 1 and 2 dug trenches to tighten the siege of the commando camp. The enemy organized many counter-attacks, trying to break the siege but all failed.

Under the pressure of the Liberation Army's siege, on October 23, 1965, the puppet army was forced to send rescue forces. They did not detect the 320th Regiment hiding only about 4km from Route 21. The rescue force was destroyed by the 320th Regiment after 10 hours of fierce fighting.

This defeat forced the US to send the 1st Airborne Cavalry Division directly into the battle at Ia Drang. Seven days later, at the foot of Chu Prong Mountain, the battle of wills began.

Veteran, writer Nguyen Van Lung, former soldier of Company 7, Battalion 8, Regiment 66 still remembers every moment of the fierce battle in Ia Drang Valley. From a teacher, in 1964, he volunteered to join the army, in the midst of the fierce war.

“After more than 2 months of marching, in mid-November 1965, my unit reached the Ia Drang River and encountered American troops landing at the foot of Chu Prong Mountain. Without trenches, we clung to the dipterocarp forest and termite mounds to hide and fight. Bombs, artillery shells, and rockets rained down, plowing up the entire area; smoke, fire, the smell of gunpowder, and toxic chemicals filled the air,” he said.

In that battle, his unit killed many American soldiers but suffered heavy losses. The entire company of more than 100 men, after the battle, only 12 remained. He witnessed many comrades sacrificed, including Battalion Commander Le Xuan Phoi, who was later posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.

He was also the one who ran to the rescue and closed the eyes of Deputy Company Commander Y Xieng and machine gunner Nguyen Van Dich, when they were hit by a bomb, seriously injured and sacrificed. Five days after the battle, while returning to the battlefield to do the work of the martyrs, he was suddenly hit by the pressure of a bomb exploding nearby, blood oozing from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He fainted, and his comrades had to rush him to the rear for treatment.

Recalling that memory, Mr. Lung remembered his comrade Pham Van Dac, of Company 6, Battalion 8, Regiment 66: "Comrade Dac and I participated in the battle at Ia Drang together, were both wounded and had to be hospitalized, and were both awarded the Medal of Honor and the title of Brave American Destroyer."

Talking about the life-and-death battle, Mr. Dac said: “On November 17, while on the way to Tung village, we were ordered to deploy for battle. The whole unit formed an ambush formation. As soon as the first platoon of the US 1st Airborne Cavalry Division appeared, we opened fire simultaneously, completely destroying them…”

General Pham Van Tra, former Minister of National Defense (standing in the middle) and veterans of the Heroic 1st Division at the Plei Me Victory Scientific Conference.

It was during this battle that Mr. Dac was hit by a napalm bomb and was captured by the enemy and taken onto a helicopter with two others. Still carrying a grenade, when the helicopter began to take off, he quickly pushed his two teammates towards the door of the helicopter, shouted “jump”, pulled the pin and threw the grenade into the cockpit, then threw himself to the ground.

The next morning, the Political Commissar of Regiment 66, La Ngoc Chau, discovered him in a state of exhaustion and took him to Hospital 2 for treatment. His wounds healed, he returned to his unit and continued fighting. Not long after, in another battle, Mr. Dac was seriously injured, captured by the enemy and detained in Phu Quoc Prison. The unit thought he had died so they performed procedures to posthumously award him the title of martyr. It was not until March 10, 1973, that he was returned on the south bank of Thach Han River.

From the life and death moments of the soldiers, the Plei Me-Ia Drang battlefield still returns in the memories of the young commanders of that time. Among them is Major General Lo Khac Tam, former Deputy Director of the Operations Department, General Staff.

In 1964, when he was only 22 years old, a student at the Army Officer School, he wrote a volunteer application, gave blood and asked to go to the battlefield. A year later, he was appointed as Platoon Leader of Platoon 3, Company 2, Battalion 7, Regiment 66.

"My first battle with the unit was the confrontation with the American army in Ia Drang valley," he said.

On the morning of November 14, 1965, dozens of American helicopters circled the area at the foot of Chu Prong mountain range. Company 2, Regiment 66 was waiting on the battlefield. When the first helicopters landed to drop off troops, Company Commander Le Tam gave the order to open fire. The fighting was fierce.

Platoon leader Lo Khac Tam was commanding the battle when a machine gunner was hit by a bullet, blood gushing out and soaking his shirt. He quickly rushed to support his comrade. The young soldier only had time to say his last words: "I... probably won't live. You avenge me"!

He put the AK aside, took the machine gun from the soldier, and rushed to his fighting position. With clenched teeth, he aimed the gun at the American formation and pulled the trigger, completely forgetting about his left arm that was bleeding from shrapnel.

"In this battle, our company eliminated a paratrooper company and shot down four helicopters," he said.

But from that battle, the image of the gunner lying next to the termite mound and his last words "I will avenge you" entered his mind forever.

The 1st Air Cavalry Division, the pride of the US Army, which first entered Vietnam and was supported by B52 aircraft, was defeated by the brave and resilient Liberation Army soldiers. Immediately after the Plei Me Campaign, the 1st Division was awarded two First Class Military Exploit Medals at the same time.

General Nguyen Chi Thanh, Politburo member and Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, explained: Our army has no medal higher than the Military Exploit Order. To be worthy of this victory, the Ministry decided to award two First Class Military Exploit Orders.

Two years after the first battle against the US troops at Ia Drang, Major General Lo Khac Tam and his comrades entered the Dak To 1 Campaign - one of the fiercest campaigns in the resistance war against the US and "the final test of the strength of US soldiers in the Central Highlands". After 20 days and nights of fierce fighting, fighting for every hill and mountain, our army won, completely defeating the US's "search and destroy" strategy.

Craig McNamara, son of US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (standing 4th from right), returns the Liberation flag to veterans of the 1st Division who fought in the Ia Drang battle.

“There were many victories, but the losses were also enormous. Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers fell in the Central Highlands...”, Major General Lo Khac Tam said emotionally.

The wishes of soldiers and the journey of gratitude

In commemorative meetings, the veterans of Division 1 always remember their fallen comrades. Since 2017, Major General Lo Khac Tam and his comrades have returned to the old battlefield many times to find the remains of martyrs. Their biggest regret over the years has been that they have not yet built a memorial temple for martyrs and a symbol recording their achievements at the victory sites.

Since 2016, the Division 1 Veterans Liaison Committee has repeatedly sent documents to relevant agencies and local authorities, requesting the planning of historical sites. The Liaison Committee also proposed the construction of monuments and martyrs' temples at High Point 875-Dak To 1 and Plei Me-Ia Drang to pay tribute to heroic martyrs, honor their achievements and educate the revolutionary tradition to future generations.

These efforts gradually yielded results. In 2022, Dak To 1 Victory and Peak 875 were ranked as provincial-level relics. On May 9, 2025, the martyrs' temple at Peak 875 was started with a budget of 20 billion VND. On February 25, 2025, Gia Lai province ranked the "1965 Ia Drang Valley Victory" relic.

However, the memorial project in Ia Drang has not yet started due to planning and funding issues. Recently, Gia Lai province has proposed that the Ministry of Finance submit to the Government a proposal to build a martyrs' temple and provide funding for the project, or approve the use of local budget reserves and mobilize other sources of capital. The project to restore the Plei Me Victory Monument is included in the medium-term investment plan for 2026-2030 with a budget of 75 billion VND.

Returning to the old battlefield on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Plei Me-Ia Drang Victory, lighting incense on the red ground and calling the names of his comrades who remained, veteran Nguyen Van Lung silently hoped that the martyrs would soon have a "common home" to gather together, like 60 years ago when they fought side by side through thick and thin.

“It is also a solemn place for comrades, relatives and people to burn incense to remember and pay tribute to heroic martyrs and to educate traditions for present and future generations,” said Colonel Hoang Oanh, Deputy Head of the Liaison Committee of Veterans of Division 1.

ANH THO

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ky-uc-ia-drang-va-tam-nguyen-cua-nhung-nguoi-linh-post924676.html