2 Apr 68
Civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King is assassinated
in Memphis. Racial unrest then erupts in over 100 American cities.
1/50 (M) Infantry finishes operations
under operational control of the 4th Infantry Division.
5 Apr 68
5 Apr 68
Operation Cochise Green begins in
the Bong Son Plains, Vinh Than Mountains, Central Coastal Plains, Binh
Dinh Province. It lasts until 17 August 1968. 150(M) Infantry is attached
to the 173rd Airborne Bde (SEP) and joins ongoing Operation Cochise Green.
5 Apr 68
5 Apr 68
7 Apr 68
7 Apr 68
NVA troops withdraw from the siege of Khe Sanh having
suffered some 15,000 casualties. U.S. Marines losses are 199 killed and
830 wounded. The U.S. command then secretly shuts down Khe Sanh and withdraws
the Marines. A North Vietnamese official labels the closing of Khe Sanh
air base as America's "gravest defeat" so far.
1st Cavalry suffered 92 killed and 629 wounded reopening
Route 9.
Defense Secretary Clifford announces Gen. Westmoreland's
request for 206,000 additional soldiers will not be granted.
Anti-war activists at Columbia University seize five buildings.
200,000 New York students refuse to attend classes as
a protest.
The Battle of Dai Do occurs along the Demilitarized Zone
as a battalion of U.S. Marines nicknamed "the Magnificent Bastards", aided
by heavy artillery and air strikes, kill 1,568 NVA troops trying to open
an invasion corridor into South Vietnam. Marine losses are 81 killed and
297 wounded, as well as 29 U.S. Army killed and 130 wounded supporting
the Marines. The defeat postpones North Vietnam's next attempt to invade
the South for four years after most of the Americans have gone; that attempt
is also unsuccessful.
Viet Cong launch "Mini Tet," a series of rocket and mortar
attacks against Saigon and 119 cities and military installations throughout
South Vietnam. The U.S. responds with air strikes using Napalm and high
explosives.
5-7 May 68
Battle of An Bao, Operation Cochise,
Phu My District, Binh Dinh Province. Co. A(-) with 9 APCs is attacked
by two enemy battalions near the village of An Bao. The heavy enemy fire
destroyed 5 of the APCs in the initial contact. Counter attacked with
reinforcements from C 1/50 and B 1/69th Armor. Enemy lost 117 KIA. The
1/50 lost 18 KIA and 91 WIA.(Ref. 1/50th After Action Report on An Bao for casualty stats.)
5 May 68
5 May 68
An NVA battalion attacks the Special Forces camp at Kham
Duc established in 1963 along the border of Laos to monitor North Vietnamese
infiltration.
Peace talks begin in Paris but soon stall as the U.S.
insists that North Vietnamese troops withdraw from the South, while the
North Vietnamese insist on Viet Cong participation in a coalition government
in South Vietnam. This marks the beginning of five years of on-again off-again
official talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam in Paris.
Battle of Trung Hoi (2), Operation
Cochise, Phu My District, Binh Dinh Province.
15 May 68
15 May 68
15 May 68
15 May 68
24 May-1 Jun 68
The 1/50(M) Infantry activates the
Scout /Recon Plt. under HHC company and deactivates Delta Company (Provisional)
as a line company.
25 May 68
Battle of Trinh Van (1), Phu My
District, Binh Dinh Province. Co. B and C (-) halted to disarm an anti
tank mine. The companies while continuing on their march toward objective
were attacked from west, northwest and northeast. Company B command track
gets a direct hit with a mortar and the FO is wounded seriously. The Recon
Platoon (Scouts) and elements of the 1/69th Armor were sent to help. The
U.S. units counter attacked. The enemy lost 38 KIA. U.S. losses were 1
KIA and 20 wounded.
The 1/50 (M) Infantry officially
constitutes the Scout/Recon Plt. under HHC June 1, 1968.
Robert F. Kennedy is shot and mortally wounded in Los
Angeles just after winning the California Democratic presidential primary
election.
5 Jun 68
5 Jun 68
19 Jun 68
19 Jun 68
19 Jun 68
19 Jun 68
29 Jun 68
29 Jun 68
29 Jun 68