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XVIII Airborne Corps

@18airbornecorps

23 May

[1 of 11]

#TDIDCH: May 23, 1967 - A public controversy erupts over the M-16, the basic combat rifle in Vietnam, when Congress hears reports that Soldiers in Vietnam are killed in firefights as a result of their new M-16 rifles jamming.

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By this time, the M-16 had replaced the heavier M-14 as the standard rifle in Vietnam. The new rifle fired the lighter, faster, more destructive 5.56mm cartridge at the same effective range.

[3 of 11]

The M-16 was already a source of controversy in Vietnam. Troops were writing home with stories of Soldiers killed due to the inferior rifle. 54 years ago today, some of those letters were read on the House floor.

Read 11 tweets

XVIII Airborne Corps

@18airbornecorps

22 May

[1 of 48]

Today, we're continuing the story of Ralph Puckett, the legendary Ranger awarded the Nation's highest honor by President Biden in the White House yesterday.

[2 of 48]

Yesterday we told the story of his valorous action in the Korean War that earned him that ceremony.

But the 94-year-old has already lived many lives, more than we could tell in a single tweet thread.

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Ralph's story only begins with the fight for Hill 205 in November, 1950. Ralph was grievously wounded three times in that fight, ending his Korean War. He was evacuated to this US Army hospital in Japan the next day.

Read 48 tweets

XVIII Airborne Corps

@18airbornecorps

21 May

Ralph Puckett was alone, freezing, and wounded. His men – 51 Rangers and 9 Korean augmentation soldiers - were exhausted, shocked, surrounded.

He did the only thing he could fathom in that moment: exposed himself to the enemy to save his men.

[1 of 25]

It was November 1950 - the Army was mopping up the shattered remains of the North Korean Army. Since the shocking success of the Inchon landing, American forces were pushing the enemy back to China. The Korean War would be over by Christmas.

[2 of 25]

American’s dismay, Chinese intervention in the war changed all of that. By November 20, the Chinese had infiltrated hundreds of thousands of Chinese “volunteers” into North Korea, and had clandestinely positioned four armies in front of the still advancing US forces

[3 of 25]

Read 25 tweets

XVIII Airborne Corps

@18airbornecorps

15 May

[1 of 6]

WESTMORELAND'S LEGACY

In telling the 70 year history of the XVIII Airborne Corps, we've arrived at the period between 1962 and 1973. During this time, this man, William Westmoreland, was a large figure - perhaps the dominant figure - in our Army.

@Erikhistorian

[2 of 6]

Westy's reputation was darkened by the Vietnam War.

In this tweet thread, our friend, Dr. @Erikhistorian, historian for @USArmyCMH, reexamines the man and his controversies.

Regardless of what you think about Westmoreland, these four videos are worth your time.

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Let's start with Westmoreland's early life, education, and WWII service.

Read 6 tweets

XVIII Airborne Corps

@18airbornecorps

14 May

[1 of 7]

THE XVIII AIRBORNE CORPS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR

As we continue our journey through the past 70 years of XVIII Airborne Corps history, we find ourselves in the period between 1962 and 1973, a time in which the US became increasingly embroiled in the Vietnam War.

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As we've seen, during this time, the 101st Airborne Division deployed to the Vietnam War for virtually the entire US commitment there. The XVIII Airborne Corps HQ and all other Corps units, however, were kept out of Vietnam, just as they were kept out of the Korean War.

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SecDef Robert McNamara believed a showdown with the Soviets or other Communist friendly forces might occur at any time. Therefore, the XVIII Airborne Corps was kept back in the US as a ready reserve to deploy elsewhere if needed.

Read 7 tweets

XVIII Airborne Corps

@18airbornecorps

10 May

@Erikhistorian

1 of 12: #TDIDH - May 10, 1969

19-year-old Sergeant James Spears: “Have you ever been inside a hamburger machine? We just got cut to pieces by extremely accurate machine-gun fire.”

[images enhanced by @Erikhistorian]

@101stAASLTDIV

2/12: Military planners referred to the 3,000 foot tall highland as "Hill 937." North Vietnamese Army (NVA) fighters called it "The Mountain of the Crouching Beast." Members of the
@101stAASLTDIV
knew it as a version of hell on earth. We would come to know it as Hamburger Hill.

3 of 12: Over the coming 10 days, this hill would serve as a metaphor for war itself.

We're going deep into this story in the coming days.

Read 12 tweets

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