Thread by @18airbornecorps

1 of XVIII: At the time, #HamburgerHill (51 years ago this week), was a flashpoint moment in the Vietnam War. It was witness to some of the most heroic fighting in this Corps' history.

2 of XVIII: Covered by national reporters and discussed on the Senate floor, the battle was an immediate source of attention within the US. The hill came to serve as a symbol for the perceived futility of American strategy in Vietnam. We'll stay out of the controversy here.

3 of XVIII: Within days of securing Hamburger Hill, American forces abandoned it.

4 of XVIII: The primary question asked in the wake of the fight: Why did we commit so fiercely Hill 937 ("Hamburger Hill" in the Au Shau Valley) to begin with?
To answer it's important to understand the history.

5 of XVIII: From '65 (when Pres. LBJ commits US ground forces) to '68 (Tet Offensive, big turning point), the war was fought to a stalemate. The North used the Ho Chi Minh trail to its great advantage. This allowed it to freely move people+supplies to the insurgency in the South

6 of XVIII: Many areas along the Ho Chi Min trail (such as the Au Shau Valley) served as transfer stations for NVA forces / supplies coming to attack the South. Such areas were built up & controlled by the North and used as transfer points from N. to S.

7 of XVIII: These routes are on the Ho Chi Minh trail, but they are not "trails" in the traditional sense. These are colonial roads built by the French when they occupied Vietnam.

8 of XVIII: During the surprise Tet Offensive, January 1968, the North used those trails to shocking effect. Many of these transfer points (such as Au Shau Valley) were built up by the North throughout the war.

9 of XVIII: After Tet, with the war still at a stalemate, MAC-V determines it must aggressively take back all such NVA supply transfer routes to break the stalemate.

10 of XVIII: Among those routes: Au Shau Valley, just 2 miles from Laos. (Laos is a safe-haven for North Vietnamese fighters because LBJ refused to escalate American involvement into the sovereign nation)

11 of XVIII: By late 1968, the entire @101STAASLTDIV
is operating together in Vietnam. For months, the paratroopers patrol aggressively in the North part of S. Vietnam, denying many areas to the NVA.

12 of XVIII: The 101st, @1stCavDiv
& the @3_Mar_div
are hammering NVA infiltration routes. US forces build firebases in the Au Shau Valley. By early 1969, it is challenging for the NVA to operate in the Valley.

13 of XVIII: By this time, the 29th PAVN [People's Army of Vietnam; North Vietnamese regulars] Regiment, a ruthless, efficient force which had been fighting in the city of Hue, was pushed all the way back to North Vietnam. They are desperate to punch through the Valley.

14 of XVIII: The 29th had been resting, stocking up on supplies, & were now ready and spoiling for a fight. They want to stand and fight on Hill 937 (pictured here in 2018).

15 of XVIII: The resulting fight at Hamburger Hill was part of a 5-battalion operation with ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam; the South Vietnamese Army) force supporting the 101st and the 9th @USMC
regiment.

16 of XVIII: The plan was to aggressively seek contact with the enemy while blocking their escape routes back into Laos (where we could not pursue them). During the 10-day operation, Soldiers gave Hill 937 its sobriquet "Hamburger Hill."

17 of XVIII: On May 20, the day the hill was captured, Sen. Edward Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat, took to the Senate floor and denounced the battle. Other politicians and activists joined a chorus of voices who believed American blood had been needlessly shed.

FINAL TWEET: The fighting was brutal and costly. And yet, just days after taking the hill, US forces withdrew from it. The North Vietnamese soon reoccupied it.

For 10 days, our Soldiers fought with courage, compassion, and love. Their story must not be forgotten.