• - •.••,.... .._ ••...• -.1.- " '_' '...... • _ "

ROUNDUP OF NESSAGES AND NHJS ITEMSON MCKEANIS F IRE SUPPORT MISS-ION ONTHE NIGHT OF 14 - 15 OECErBER 1965

The- following is a resume of the congratulatory messages received by the shipfollowing our bombardment of the Viet Cong at My Trang~ Viet Nam. The last item isthe contents of a broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Theinformation is now unclassified may be disclosed to your family and/or friends.

,

Message from Captain W. H. Pattillo, US~J~ Commander Destroyer Division 192, dated15 December 1965:

"SUBJECT; NAVAL GUNFIRE SUPPORT IN REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM. DURING THE NIGHT OF 14-15 DEC. 1965~ MCKEAN TOOK UNDER FIRE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AN AREA IN ~JHICH TWO VIETCJNG C::mPANTES WERE ATTEMPTH1G TJ DESTROY A FRIENDLY OUTPOST. MCI<EANIS W{WAL GUNSDENIED THE ENEfvlY THEIR GOAL, SAVED THE OUTPOST AND FRIENDLY LIVES~ AND ENABLEDFRIENDLY FORCES-TJ RETAIN PRIZE REAL ESTI\TE. YOUR GUNNERS WERE PRECISELY ON TARGETTHROUGHJUT THE- NIGHT USING I\LL MODES OF NAVAL GUNFIRE, I.E., FI\ULTLESS ILLUt-iINATION,HI CAP WHERE THE SPOTTER Wr~NTED DESTRUCT FII~E, AND J\N OCCASIONI\L WILLIE PETER, ALLHI A aosr TIMELY AND PRECISE I"lI'\NNER. THESE OUTSTr~NJING PERFORf>1f\NCESWERE EXECUTEDAGAINST DIFFJCULT TERR/UN {,NO CONCE/ILED TARGETS AT MAXIMUM GUN RI\NGE l-JITH FRIENDLYLINES tHTHIN SIX HUNDRED YARDS. 1:IE HILL PROBJ:,BLY NEVER KN~J THE DEFINITI'JE RESULTSOF YOUR EF!='ORTS. HCWEVER, ONE HAD ONLY TO LISTEN [\S I DID TO HIE BELEI\GURED SPOT-TER TO APPRECIATE FULLY THE RESULTS OF MCHAN EFFJRTS \-/HEN HE S/\10 ON SEVERAL OCCA-SIONS DURING THE MELEE~ "WE r-'\RE STILL HERE, ALIVE, AN:J T,HE TE~RITQ~Y IS OURS~ TI:IANKSTO RANCHER (MCKEAN).II FOR THE INITIf\TIVE, IMi\GIN/\TICN, f:,ND HIGHEST OR8ER OF PRO-FESSIONALISM IN THE ABOVE SITUATION~ A WELL DONE TO YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE CREW, CI\F-TAIN MITCHELL.II

Message from Senior Advi sor ~ l\dvi sory Team 2, QUANG NGAI RAF dated 17 December 1965;..

IISUBJECT: COMMENDATION. THE SENIOR ADVISOi( TO THE 2D VIETNN1ESE INFf\NTRY DIVISIONTAKES PLEASURE IN P{\SSING THE FOLLCWING I"lESS(,GE FOB MAJOR GENERAL HOANG XUAN LAM,COMMANDING GENERAL, 20 INFf-\NTRY DIVISION: ON 15 DECEMBER SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT PNEST I1"V\TEO FORCE OF 400 REGULAR NORTH VIETNAMESE (PAVN) INFANTRYNEN ATTACKED A TWOPLATOON REGIONAL FORCE OUTPOST AT MY TRA~!G IN QUANG NGAI PROVINCE. THE ENEMY WAS"JELL EQUIPPED AND HAD AN ABUND/\NCE OF SUPPORTIt:JG WEAPONS INCLUD ING MORTARS, MACHINE

-G-ONS-Ai\!D-1<ECJIlIESSinFt-cS. IHE FIHENDLY :~'£GT01ilADFvt crs f'rATvON, ~-ffiRAMrt1TARORGI\NIZ1\TION, NUMBERED LESS TH{lN 50 MEN. FRIENuLY ARTILLERY I--I[\S F1REO. IN SUPPORTOF THE OUTPOST. THIS ARTILLERY HI-\D {\ CRITICAL AMMUNITI':'N SHORTAGE. HITHIN nJENTYMINUTES r~TER THE ACTION BEGA!'-J~THE USS i"iCKEAN WAS IN POSITION AND DELIVERED ITSFIRST SUPPORTING FIRE~ FIRING ILLUMINATION~ WHITE PHOSPHORJUS~ AND HIGH EXPLOSIVESHELLS. THE TIMELINESS OF THE ILLUMINATION AlGEO THE DEFENDERS IN I\PPLYING AIMEDFIRE t.JITH EFFECTIVENESS. THE ~-1HITE PHOSPHOROUSSILENCED CASUALTIES~ /\S VERIFIED _BY EXAl'iINATION OF ENEMY DEAD~ ANC HAjlijPERED ENEMY MANEUVER AND REINFORCENENT. THECOf>10INATION JF POPUU-\R FORCE INFI\NTRY ~ N/W/\L GUNFIRE, f-l.IR AND ARTILLERY INFLIcTEDTHE FOLLGt"JING CASUALTIES ON THE ENH1Y: FIFTY-SEVEN KILLED AND NINE CAPTURED VERI-FIED OY ACTUAL BJDY COUNT, 35 INDIVIDUAL WEA~ONS~ 1 RECOILESS RIFLE~ 9 MACHINEGUNS~ 15 ANTI-TANK WEAPONS, NUMEROUS GRENi DES AND AN ABUNDANCE OF EQUIPMENT WERECAPTURED. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE ENEMY SUFFERED AT LEAST I\NOTHER 150 KILLED ANDWOUNDED. FRIENDLY FORCES SUFFERED THE INCREDIBLY LIGHT LJSS OF THO KILLED. NAVALGUNFIhE IN THIS ENGAGEMENTWAS A fvlAJOR Fi\CTJR IN DEFEATING THE ENENY AND MAKING THEBATTLEFIELD SO UNTENADLE THr\T HE {\OANO':;NED HIS DEAD J\ND WOUNDEDAS ~JELL I\S ARMS ANDEQUIPMENT. 'TO YJU AND THE -MEN OF THE tvlCkEAN PLEI-\SE ACCEPT THE THANKS OF THE ALLIESYOU SUPPORTED WITH SUCH AN J\DIVlIRfIDLE JCO- ~JELL DONE. SIGNED NAJOR GENERI\L HOANGXUA\tl lAM.II

The 0 oWlng message ce e 21 Oecemoer-r965 nr-ttre CCioRlialider in-GM~s..---_Pacific Fleet~ was addressed to the Co~nander Seventh Fleet, CommandGr Task ForceSeventy.Seven, and various other commands. MCKEAN was an information addressee.It contained information on various happenings in the area# including the followingpertaining to MCKEAN:

IlNAVAL GUNFIRE FROM THE USS MCKEAN \-JAS CREDITED BY AN AMEiHC/\N GROUND SPOTTER INHELPING STEM ENEMY ATTACKS. MCI(EAN WAS Cf,LLED IN eN AN EMERGENCY JUSS IeN. THEENEMY HAD SET UP A L::lUDS?EAKER UNIT OUTSIDE THE OUTPOST [-\Ni) HERE C,c,LLING FOR THEPOPULAR FORCE OEFENuERS TO U\Y DOWN THEm f-\RMS. THE FIKST St\LVO FRCM THE MCKEANSILENCED THE SPEAKERS. THE SPOTTER REPORTEG THE MORALE OF THE DEFENCERS IMMEDV\TEL',ROSE AND THEY WERE ABLE TO HOLD AG/\UlST THE SUi)EiHOR ENEMY FCRCE. THE Sj)OTTER LATEr(TOLD THE MCKEAN, 'lWE WOULDN'T DE HERE THIS MORNING IF IT VJERE NOT FOR YOUR GUNFIRESUPPORT. WE CAN 'T THANK YOU ENOUGH, YOU SAVED OUR LIV~S.u

(over )

ROUNDUP OF MESSAGES (cant 'd)'. J

The following message dated 22 December 1965 was fromi thee Commander in Chief, U.S.Pacific Fleet, and was addr-es s ed to Conmander Cru iser-Des tr oyer Force, U,.S. PacificFleet, USS MCKEAN, Commander Task Group 70.8, Commander Destroyer Squadron 19,Commander Destroyer Division 192, and Commander. in, Chief, Pacific·:

. IISubJ: . Nf\V(\L GUNFiR~ SUP~}ORT. REF A..: USS MCKU\N 141430Z. PASEr-. REf 0: USS MCKEANl4220'¢Z PASEP. ,REF C:.USSJ1CI<EAN 15·1625Z PASEP. REFS.A, O,t\NDC REPORT ·NAVf-\L GUN..,FIRE SUPPORT MISSIONS FIRED OY USS MCKEAN (00-784) ON 15-16 DEC 1965. THESE REPORTSREAFFIRM OUR TENETS CONCERN1NG THE. ACCURACYII TIMELINESSII W\NEWERf\OILITY, AND .EFFECT·rIVENESS·OF NAVAL GUNFIRE SUPPORT. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST, HOWEVE~~ WERE.THE WORPSOF ONE GROUND SPOTTER. QUOTE WE CANST THANK YOU ENJUGH_ YOU HAVE SAVED OUR LIVES.UNQUOTE. WE SOMETIMES 'FeRGEJ THAT IN PERFECTING THE TEAMWORK NECESSARY TO'DO OUR,JOGS WELL, WE GAIN THE AO~LITY TO SAVE LIVES AS WELL AS to OESTROY THEMe FL~SEEXTEND MY PERSONJJ,..WELL DONE TO THE OFFICERS AND MEN Of l!SS MCKEAN. ADMIRAL ROYL. JCHNSON.it

. . .

The next message rece lvedwas from CorrmanderCruiser-Destroyer Force and was dated~3 December 1965: ' .

I'THE RESULTS AND COMMENT CONCERNING THE EFFECT OF YOUR GUNFIRE SUPPORT MISSION ARENOTED WITH PLEASURE. THE "CAN_DOI SPIRIT OF MCKEAN PERSONNEL IS OOVIOUSLYINFECT-IOUS~ OCLSTERING' THE MORALE OF SOUTH \lIETNM~ESE FORCES DEFENDING OUTPOSTS A.GAINSTTHE ENEMY•. SURELY THEY FEEL MCKEAN'S PRESENCE AS DO THE VlET CONG•. WEL..L DONE AN~WAi~MEST PER.SJNAL REG~DS TO ALL HANDS.tl .

And here fs the text of the bro~dcast on 26 December 1~65 by the' Arme·d Forces ,Radioand Television Service:

liTHE USS MCKEAN, A SHIP Of THE SEVENtH flEET OPERATING OFt: TH~ COAST OF V lET NAM,HAs RECEIVED A COMMENDATION FROM THE COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE VIETNAMESE SECONDINFANTRY DIVISION. THE-.COMHENDt-\TIQN ~.JASPRESENTEDFQR ACTIONON.DECEMOER .FIFTEENTH.ON THAT DAY THE MCKEAN.FIRED, MORE TH!~N TEN TONS OF PROJECTILES OURING A ,SEVEN HI)UI~·PER100., THE COMMENDATION READ' IN PART, liON DECEMOER fIfTEENTH, SHORTLY AFTER M,iD~.NIGHT, AN ESTlMATEu FJRCE. OF FOI,JR HUNDRED REGULAR NORTH VIETN/\MESE INFANTRYMEN ....ATTACKED A TWO-PLATOON REGION{\L FORCE OUTPOST AT MY TRANG IN QUANG NGAI mcv INCE.THE ENEHY WAS WELL EQUIPPED AND HAD AN ABUNDANCE OF SUPPORTING 'V/EAPONS INCLUDIN?MORTARS, MACHINE .GUNS AND RECOILLESS RIFLES. THE FRIENDLY f'?EGIONAl,.,FORCES, A. PARI\-MILITARY ORGANIZATION .• NUMDERED LESS THAN FIFTY MEN. FRIENDLY ARTILLERY 'tt1f.\SFIREDIN SUPPORT OF THE.JUTPOST. THIS ARTILLERY HAD. A CRITICAL AMMUNITION SHORTAGE.'WITHIN TWENTY MINUTES AFTER THE ACTION STARTED, .THE USS MCKEAN W,S IN POSITION ANDDELIVERED ITS FIRST SUPPWTING FIRE" FIRING IlLtJHINATION WHITE PHOSPHOROUSAND HIGH-EXPLOSIVE SHELLS. THE TIMELINESS OF THE ILLUMINATION AIDED ,THE DEFENDERS IN l\PPLY ••ING AIMED FIRE WITH. EFFECTIVENESS. THE \lHITE PHOSPHOROUSAND HIGH-EXPLOSIVE SHELLSPRODUCED MANY ENEMY CASUALTIES" AS VERIFIED OY A OODY COUNT, AND HAMP~RED ENEMYMANEUVERS AND REINFORCEMENT. TO YOU, THE MEN OF THE MCKEAN" PLEASE ACCEPT THETHANI{S CF THE ALLIES YOU SUPPORTED HITH SUCH AN,ADMIRAOLE JOD. 'WELL DONE.I,! ...

'. * **