(Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images), Black Vietnam veteran receives long-awaited Medal of Honor. Image Saber Strike 15 - Apaches take Flight. Kirkuk. The paratroopers attempted to continue the advance, but the PAVN, well concealed in interconnected bunkers and trenches, opened fire with small arms and grenades. Former Army soldier Ethan Melzer was sentenced to more than four decades in prison for an attempted plot to ambush and kill his comrades in a jihadi attack while deployed abroad. Following on the heels of TF Blacks ordeal, A and B companies from the 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf., fought for more than four hours near Fire Support Base 16, located about five miles south of Hill 823. Barnes manned a machine gun after its crew had been killed. 1st Cavalry Division units1st Bn., 12th Cav Regt., and 2nd Bn., 8th Cavalryalso played a part in the campaign. Former Army private Ethan Melzer planned to ambush soldiers and cause a "mass casualty" attack in the service of a Neo-Nazi group. He was arrested in May 2020 while in Italy, before he could carry it out. "Operation Rapid Guardian III 10 Years Ago", "U.S. forces find suspected gold cache in Iraq", "Enemy, Arms Captured During Operation Bayonet Lightning", "TIOH Heraldry Special Troops Battalion, 173 Airborne Brigade", Infantry Training Reinforces Combat Skills, Commander: Media reports on Afghanistan outpost battle were exaggerated, "ABC News: Even 500Lbs Bombs Couldn't Stop Taliban", "U.S. troops quit remote Afghan base after attack", "Army Prepares for Next Rotations in OEF", "DOD Announces U.S. Army In Europe Force Structure Changes", Ukraine crisis: France suspends delivery of Russian warship; US to send 200 troops as Putin talks of ceasefire, "Nagyszabs amerikai-magyar hadgyakorlat lesz", USAREUR to increase Baltic presence ahead of Russian war game, 173rd Airborne Brigade to head north and south, Russia's Zapad war games unnerve the West, "United States of America vs. Ethan Phelan Melzer", "U.S. Army Soldier Charged in Neo-Nazi Plot to Attack Fellow Troops", "Soldier Used Upcoming Deployment to Plan Deadly Attack on Unit, Indictment States", "US Army soldier accused of trying to help Satanic neo-Nazi group attack his own unit", "U.S. Prior to its deployment to the highlands, Peers' operations officer, Colonel William J. Livsey, attempted to warn the Airborne officers of the hazards of campaigning in the Central Highlands. Div., at Dak To. 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. "In approximately October 2019, Melzer deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. 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. [26], The brigade arrived in South Vietnam on 7 May 1965, the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to serve in the country. [75], In 2003, as preparations were being made for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was assigned to be a part of an assault from the north of Iraq. Seventeen soldiers from the brigade died during this deployment. In May 2020, the Army told Melzer he would be assigned to another unit slated for deployment where they would be guarding a military base. $13.98 $ 13. The New York Times. We were ambushed by the NVA a short distance from where we landed. In fact, the first significant contacts were made by its elements on Nov. 3-4 around Hill 1338. Last year a former member of an Air Force security team was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a police officer in the name of sparking a second civil war. Conetto, Al, "In the Beginning, there was the Hump,". While several of its units, including the 2-503rd and A/3-319th were ordered to Tuy Ha to repair and refit,[64][65] the 173rd was transferred to Camp Radcliff in An Kh and Bong Son areas during 1968, seeing very little action while the combat ineffective elements of the brigade were rebuilt. A former member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Friday for plotting with a white supremacist group to attack his fellow soldiers, officials . On 23 April 2014, four paratrooper companies of the 173rd were deployed to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to reassure America's NATO allies threatened by Russian military maneuvers along the borders of eastern Ukraine during the 201415 Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Melzer, who is from Louisville, Ky., joined the Army in 2018. Forty-eight American soldiers lost their lives that day. Neither Fox nor the Trump campaign could be immediately reached for comment by Raw Story. [15] The troop entered combat in 1944 and fought in three European campaigns; central Europe, the Rhineland and Ardennes-Alsace operations. These formations were termed "brigade combat teams". | Unknown to the Americans, they had walked into a carefully prepared ambush by the 2nd Battalion of the 174th PAVN Regiment. [3][30] The brigade, organized as Task Force Bayonet, assumed control of Regional Command-South (RC South). Deadly Prelude The Battle of Dak To was actually a series of intense clashes culminating in the decisive battle for Hill 875. Neo-Nazi Soldier Who Plotted 'Jihadist Attack' on His Unit Gets 45 Melzer and his unit also received in-depth training about and practiced for numerous threat scenarios at the Military Base, including how to respond to various potential terrorist attack scenarios. [40], The attached helicopter unit became the Casper Aviation Platoon, befitting a separate infantry brigade as the only separate aviation platoon deployed in Vietnam. He learned details about the deployment, mission and location, and then passed the information to members of his terrorist group. Vietnam War: The Early Years through rare photographs, 1965-1967 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Michael Casey, Clark Dougan, Denis Kennedy, Shelby Stanton, et al., D/16 Official Army History January March, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 17:39, Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (ABN), 201415 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, 34th Bercsnyi Lszl Special Operations Battalion, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, United States Army Center of Military History, "The United States Army - 173rd Airborne Brigade", The 173rd Airborne Brigade History, Our History, "3d Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment - Lineage and Honors - U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)", "173rd Airborne Brigade becomes a brigade combat team", "Army to pair National Guard, Reserve units with active-duty units", The 173rd Airborne Brigade YouTube Channel, "The United States Army | 173rd Brigade Support Battalion"To Our Utmost", "Texas National Guard Patch Ceremony to initiate Army of One - Texas Military", "Pilot program links Reserve components with active units for training", "174th Infantry Brigade Homepage: History", "On Operations | VietnamWar.govt.nz, New Zealand and the Vietnam War". By integrating these support elements, the unit became able to maintain its fighting forces with all that is required to keep the ground soldiers supplied and moving. [49] Charlie Company was ordered to support, but heavy vegetation and difficult terrain made movement extremely difficult. The 173rd was also assigned Company N (Ranger), 75th Infantry. All told, the 1st Brigade lost 86 KIA during Dak To, with the 3rd Bn., 8th Inf., accounting for 46 KIA and 3rd Bn., 12th Inf., sacrificing 24 KIA. (46.7 31.4 cm), Sheet: 18 7/8 12 13/16 in. The Department of Justice described his enlistment as an infiltration. Published Mar 3, 2023 10:30 PM EST. Forward-based in Italy and Germany, the Brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build interoperability and . Although its roughly 4,000 soldiers . (47.9 32.5 cm), Frame (outer): 26 3/8 20 3/8 1 1/4 in. At that time, he consumed propaganda from several extremist groups. Amazon.com: 173rd Airborne Hat 173rd Airborne Brigade deploys to South Vietnam - HISTORY Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. [70] The brigade was inactivated on 14 January 1972 at the fort,[5] and its assets were used to form the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, a parachute component within the airmobile 101st. I wouldve died successfully . Melzer also shared the intelligence with someone claiming to be a member of al Qaida, and promised to leak more information, including photos and U.S. radio channel frequencies, upon arrival in-country. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "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.". 173rd - United States European Command [3][5][25] During their time in Okinawa, they prided themselves as the "toughest fighting men in Okinawa, if not the entire U.S. Armed Forces". [141][142], Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions as a rifle team leader in Company B, 2503 INF (Airborne) when his squad was caught in a near-ambush the night of 25 October 2007 during Operation Rock Avalanche in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. In approximately October 2019, MELZER deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He also allegedly said he shared Biden's debate strategy during the 2020 campaign with Kushner. Watters received a posthumous Medal of Honor. The 173rd Support Battalion and the 173rd Combat Support Company provided logistical support from Kandahar, while sending individual soldiers to assist at other forward operating bases. The 173d Airborne Brigade was constituted 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized 25 August 1917 at Camp Pike, Arkansas as an element of the 87th Division. The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team has received 21 campaign streamers and several unit awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of Dak To during the Vietnam War. [34] The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment[35] and the 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery[36] were attached to the brigade for one year in 1965. A soldier of D Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, takes a break from the heavy fighting during the battle for Dak To. [citation needed], In mid-2013, some of the returning forces reorganized and re-designated the 173rd Airborne Brigade.