Southern Cross information
for 196 BDE 23 INF

For date 700619


196 BDE 23 INF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Barrier Island
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "COMBINED EFFORT IN CLEARING BARRIER IS." by SP5 Richard Merritt 196th INF BDE IO. LZ HAWK HILL - Barrier Island is a 30 mile finger of sand, swamps and glistening beaches. About halfway down its length, the island is cut by a district border line. Here, in the 1950's the French battled Viet Cong hordes that ranged out from a series of ridges rippling along either side of the Troung Giang, a broad half-salt river that sets the Island off from the mainland. In recent months, infantrymen, cavalrymen and engineer units of the 196th Infantry Brigade, in conjunction with Vietnamese ARVN elements, have totaled over 1,000 kills in hard-fought clearing operations moving up the island. As a result, the enemy's capability to strike American and Vietnamese forces and to harass local villagers has been crippled. "They have been avoiding direct contact," said CPT James E. Adams, Bridgeville, Pa., "and have used bombs, mines and booby traps." CPT Adam is assistant intelligence officer for the 196th Inf. Bde. The clearing operations began in February. With an infantry company providing security, bulldozers from the 9th Marine Engineers initiated the attack. The giant machines leveled the tree-shrouded dykes from which enemy forces fought for so long. Although some of the dozers hit booby traps, the tracks took all the impact and the drivers were not hurt. "Along with the systematic clearing, we are continually assisting the Vietnamese Government in setting up refugee areas and Popular Force outposts on the island," CPT Loren Hohman, Topeka, Kans., assistant operations officer for the 196th. By late April most enemy forces had retreated farther into the island in an attempt to escape the Allied juggernaut. The Vietnamese Air Force pounded the VC retreats with air strikes and the bulldozers continued to clear the Troung Giang. The strangulation hold the Viet Cong once held on the scattered farming and fishing communities was broken. "Barrier Island should never again be the threat it once was." said CPT Adams. "Our combined efforts have made enemy movement in the area much more hazardous." Army commanders feel certain the extensive clearing project will effectively subdue the enemy that sniped at the French and harassed the Americans. This time the Allies plan to evict the VC permanently.

The source for this information was 7006_322_scr supplied by Les Hines 12/17/2000


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023