Alpha Company managed to survive repeated attacks throughout the day and night, but the cost was heavy. He arrived in Italy in October 2019 and subscribed to encrypted online forums in which he downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks on U.S. troops and facilities and jihadist executions of civilians and soldiers, in addition to far-right, neo-Nazi, and other white supremacist propaganda. These warnings, however, made little impression on the paratroopers, who were about to become victims of their own overconfidence. The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the FBIs Legal Attach Office in Rome; the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; U.S. Army Counterintelligence; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command; and the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service. In essence, Washington Green was a second Operation Fairfax, but without the presence of ARVN regulars. Melzers sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods. [99] The brigade returned to Italy in March 2006. However, in the long run the operation appeared no more successful than Fairfax's efforts to clean up Gia Dinh Province around Saigon prior to the Tet Offensive. Gen. John W. Barnes officially ended the unit's pair-off program and replaced it with Operation Washington Green, an intensive area security effort with territorial and paramilitary forces in Bnh nh Province. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Pre-deployment workups in the weeks that followed provided Melzer with terrorist threat training and access to numerous classified briefings, information that he immediately funneled via encrypted messaging applications to members of the Order of the Nine Angles. The jungle is laced with vines and thorns, and in it live diverse snakes, a million leeches and about half the mosquitoes in the world. Another historian called the terrain probably the wildest in South Vietnam if not all Southeast Asia., CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY PHOTOS. [3][25] As the Pacific quick-reaction force, they were the first brigade to be sent to South Vietnam two years later when hostilities escalated there. Email: wambicook@aol.com Read the full press release at the DOJ's website. The Order of the Nine Angles, a U.K.-based anarchist operation that espouses antisemitic and satanic beliefs, is known for encouraging its membership to infiltrate the military, among other organizations, with the goal of dismantling from within, according to court documents. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Prior to its deployment to the highlands, Peer's operations officer, Colonel William J. Livsey, attempted to warn the Airborne officers of the hazards of campaigning in the highlands. [46] During the battle, the brigade operated out of the northeastern part of the war zone along with the 196th Infantry Brigade (Separate), as four other brigades from the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions attempted to surround and destroy the 9th Division in the War Zone. The SSI would be given to them in May 1963. I would've died successfully cause another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark," authorities said. [96] These operations, though successful, would have been more effective if the 4th Infantry Division's four heavy brigades were able to enter Iraq through Turkey as originally planned. Task Force Black consisted of Charlie Company supported by two platoons of Dog Company and Task Force Blue which was composed of Alpha Company and the remaining platoon of Dog Company. Carlos Lozada, after receiving orders to retreat back up the hill, provided covering fire, at times walking backward up the hill spraying M-60 machine-gun fire into the brush on either side of the trail. According to court documents, Melzer is a member of O9A. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets [73], In 2002, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (2-503rd) activated, providing a second infantry battalion. Specifically, they sought to destroy Special Forces camps at Ben Het, about five miles east of the Cambodian border, and at Dak To, some 10 miles east of Ben Het. Melzer was listed Friday as an inmate at Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn in New York, according to the Bureau of Prisons. The acrid odor of decaying and rotting flesh combined with the smells of vomit, feces, urine, blood, gunpowder and napalm etched itself permanently into the memories of those who were on Hill 875, Murphy wrote. This legislation sends a strong message that Florida is a safe place to raise children. [15] Four months later, the brigade returned to the United States, and was demobilized with the rest of the division in January 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey. Members of O9A have openly expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden, among others. By unlawfully disclosing his units location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect. As part of his plot, he planned on sharing additional security details of the base once in Turkey in order to maximize damage done in an attack. [citation needed]. The next morning the three companies of 4-503 were chosen to set out and relieve the men on Hill 875. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Ethan Melzer, 24, of Kentucky, pleaded guilty last year to attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information. Copyright 2023 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | The 173rd had been operating near Bien Hoa Air Base outside Saigon and had been in combat only against NLF guerrillas. In 2019, he deployed to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, prosecutors said. For the medics in the mix, casualties represented far more than statistics. 4-503 suffered 28 killed 123 wounded, and four missing. The 173rd secured these areas with company sized detachments, often patrolling the 4th ID's sectors with two unarmored M998 cargo Humvees at any given time. The changing face of the 173d Airborne Brigade now offers opportunies for both Female and Male individuals. You didnt know where to go, you did not know where to hide. All rights reserved. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands' areas of responsibility within 18 hours. The group has expressed admiration both for Nazis, such as Adolf Hitler, and Islamic jihadists, such as Usama Bin Laden, the now-deceased former leader of al Qaeda. Neither battalion faced heavy resistance as the NVA had decamped during the night, denying the Americans a chance at some revenge. The 173rd Airborne Brigade currently consists of 3,300 soldiers in seven subordinate battalions as well as a headquarters company:. Air Force). $13.98 $ 13. [74] The unit finally reached "initial operating capability" on 14 March 2003, with all units ready for deployment. On 23 November, 2-503 and 4-503 were ordered to renew their assault while the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry assaulted 875 from the south. After he was notified of the assignment, Melzer joined his new unit and attended weeks of training, including classified and unclassified briefings, to prepare for the deployment. This dynamic was intended to last only until additional facilities were constructed at the Dal Molin, now Del Din, airbase near Caserma Ederle at Vicenza. Rick Holmes of C company, 2nd battalion, 503rd infantry, 173rd airborne brigade, sits down on January 3, 1966, in Vietnam. The training took place at the Yavoriv training center near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. Nva Kia, Dong Lach, After Unsuccessful Attempt to Free POWs. Vietnamization, as later conceived in 1969, was not an objective, and, in fact, the entire effort represented a return to the old strategy of pacification, with American combat operations now tied much closer to the overall task of local security. It. To further the attack plan, Melzer and his co-conspirators passed these messages to a purported member of al Qaeda. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison Friday after he plotted to ambush his unit and illegally shared classified information with a violent transnational extremist organization, of which he was a member. The unit fought in the Iron Triangle, a VC stronghold north of Saigon,[35][39] seeing many engagements with VC forces during that time. Reproduced from VFW Magazine, March 2006 issue, article by Tim Dyhouse. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS For the bravery and sacrifices of its paratroopers around Dak To, the 173rd earned the Presidential Unit Citation. [58] At 10:30, as the Americans moved to within 300 metres (984ft) of the crest, PAVN machine gunners opened fire on the advancing paratroopers. It is a merciless land of steep limestone ridges, some of them exceeding 4,000 feet, wrote Robert Barr Smith in, Vietnam magazine. The army apologized and promised to improve their procedures for defining training areas. Hebert's patrol was caught in a midnight ambush as it crossed what has become known the "Bridge of Death." The 1-508th (minus Company B) conducted combat operations in eastern Afghanistan, attached to 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. [I]t would be another war I wouldve died successfully cause another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.. [110] The brigade returned in early 2013. The NVA poured thousands of troops into an area where the borders of Cambodia, Laos and South Vietnam meet. He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush. General Deane sent his forces 20 kilometres (12mi) west and southwest of Dak To to search for the PAVN 24th Regiment. The 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in March 2005 under the command of Colonel Kevin Owens, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Regt. The 173rd participated in various operations with the objective of ensuring security and subduing Taliban insurgents in the mountainous regions along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, near the Hindu Kush. ", In messages to O9A, Melzer wrote, [y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this" -- in regards to the sensitive information he was sharing. US Army soldier gets 45 years for neo-Nazi plot to ambush his own paratrooper unit . Accessed 26 November 2015. Activated in 1915, as the 173rd Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War I, but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War . O9A has had active members in Britain, the United States, Italy, Brazil, and New Zealand for several decades and has promoted terrorism, sexual violence, polarization, separatism, and racial hatred, according to the U.K.-based Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. ", By .] "He is not the unrepentant monster the prosecutors and the Court portrayed him to be," defense attorney Jonathan Marvinny said by email. Washington Green proved to be the final American campaign in Bnh nh Province, and its greatest achievement may have been in training an impressive number of territorial and paramilitary forces. A class of prime youth shredded in seconds. On 1 July 2006, a documentary inspired by the song and based on the brigade's actions during the operation premiered on the GAC Channel. The 3rd Brigade went off jump status on 1 April 1974, the same date on which the Airmobile Badge (Air Assault Badge as of 4 October 1974) was introduced. [82] The brigade would take off from Aviano Air Base in Italy, a 4.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12-hour flight from northern Iraq. . Stanton, Vietnam Order of Battle, pp. "The defendant believed he could force the U.S. into prolonged armed conflict while causing the deaths of as many soldiers as possible," the Justice Department said in a previous statement. National 4th Infantry (IVY) Division Association. Greeley, a combined search and destroy effort by elements of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, and Army of the Republic of (ARVN) 42nd Infantry Regiment and Airborne units. The success of the program varied greatly from unit to unit, but the programs of the 173rd and Task Force South were generally regarded as effective. While stationed abroad, MELZER consumed propaganda from multiple extremist groups, including O9A and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which is also known as ISIS. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. no news. cause another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark. Melzer also acknowledged in his messages that he deleted some of the communications regarding the planning of the attack because the plot amounted to treason. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands' areas of responsibility within 18 hours. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. [6] Controlling the oil fields had been a specific operational goal of the Task Force[85] because they were viewed as the most valuable strategic asset in northern Iraq. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison, the maximum, for plotting what prosecutors described as a "murderous ambush" overseas on members of his own troop. Add the following CSS to the header block of your HTML document.Then add the mark-up below to the body block of the same document. Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect.. Close air support was impossible for the same reasons. [71], It was Shinseki's idea to reactivate a few separate brigades and assign them their own support and sustainment units, which would allow them to function independently of division-level headquarters. The LRS detachment and 5th Group ODA conducted many combined and individual operations to ensure the stability of the region. Also in the mix were six ARVN battalions. Under the program, the United States trained three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period. After the new units were integrated into the brigade, the preponderance of the forces within the brigade were stationed in Germany, apart from the brigade headquarters in Italy. A South Vietnamese Marine, severely wounded in a Viet Cong ambush, is comforted by a comrade in a sugar-cane field at Duc Hoa, about 12 miles from Saigon, on August 5, 1963. . Supporting the Veterans, Soldiers and Friends of the 4th Infantry Division Since 1919. [3][4] The remaining units of the 173rd were inactivated. The following day, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) elite 1st Airborne Task Force (the 5th and 8th Battalions) and the 3rd Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division (5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry; and an additional infantry battalion) arrived to conduct search and destroy operations north and northeast of Kon Tum. The next morning, Nov. 20, 4th Bn., 503rd Inf., set out to relieve the 2nd Battalion paratroopers. [139], Sixteen soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service with the 173rd IBCT(A) and its subordinate units. Engineers of 1st Air Cav at Chu Phong Mt. (the Red Warriors), participated in the final assault on Hill 875. Todays sentence makes clear that Melzers brazen actions backfired and that this office along with our partners in law enforcement and the military will work tirelessly to bring traitors like Melzer to justice and to protect the safety and integrity of our armed services.. The PAVN, in turn, had moved almost 6,000 troops in four infantry regiments and one artillery regiment. Neo-Nazi soldier who planned to ambush army unit jailed for attempted murder Sky Palma. In fact, the first significant contacts were made by its elements on Nov. 3-4 around Hill 1338. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The fighting was intense and lasted into the fall, when the North Vietnamese seemingly withdrew. Every Objective was Taken Throughout the day, U.S. airstrikes and artillery continued to pound the top of the hill, as the NVA lobbed mortars at the U.S. perimeter. Melzer, who also goes by the name Etil Reggad, joined the Army in 2018. The brigade returned to the United States in 1972, where the 1st and 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, were absorbed into the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), and the 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery was reassigned to Division Artillery in the 101st. [61], The battle of Hill 875 had cost 2-503 87 killed, 130 wounded, and three missing. Melzer sent messages to members and associates of O9A and, in particular, a sub-group of O9A known as the RapeWaffen Division, providing details about his units anticipated deployment including troop movements, relevant dates, locations, armaments, topography, and security, all in connection with the proposed attack on his unit and the Military Base. Forward-based in Italy and Germany, the Brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build interoperability and . In November 1967, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units were determined to rid the Central Highlands of American forces. Before this heroic act, according to his citation, Barnes dashed through the bullet-swept area, manned the machine gun [the team had been killed] and killed nine enemy soldiers as they assaulted his position.. The other hit C Companys command post and aid station. After. We were ambushed by the NVA a short distance from where we landed. [15] Though the brigade in name did not exist during the war, the redesignation meant that it carried the lineage of the 87th Reconnaissance Troop, and when the brigade was reactivated, it would include the troop's lineage and campaign streamers. The 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (3-319th) of the 82nd Airborne Division, was attached to the brigade and organized as a maneuver task force (Task Force Gun Devil). [48], On 20 June, Company C, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry (C/2-503) discovered the bodies of a Special Forces CIDG unit that had been missing for four days on Hill 1338, the dominant hill mass south of Dak To. In the days leading up to the fight for Hill 875, 4th ID units sought out the enemy south of Dak To. The New York Times. Story tips can be sent tolouis.casiano@fox.com. [32] The brigade was put under the command of IIField Force, Vietnam. It conducted combat operations in Kandahar Province. The following year, he deployed to Italy with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Resupply became a necessity, because of high ammunition expenditures and lack of water, but was impossible to accomplish: Six UH-1 helicopters were shot down or badly damaged that afternoon trying to get to 2503.[59]. Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group, said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. [82] This force was assisted by Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and tasked with attacking key airfield and oil production positions deep in northern Iraq. "Todays sentence holds Mr. Melzer accountable for an egregious and shameful act of betrayal against his own military unit and his country," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division. Within a week these units began to fall apart due to desertions. Forty-eight American soldiers lost their lives that day. The LRS detachment was also tasked at times for recon and intel gathering for other brigade assets, and target acquisition and designation for U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and RAF aircraft.
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ambush of the 173rd airborne