Hamburger Hill Veterans return to Fort Campbell

Fort Campbell, KY – Dozens of Vietnam-era, 101st Airborne Division Veterans will return to Fort Campbell May 8th-9th to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the Battle of Hamburger Hill.

The 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, “Iron Rakkasans” will welcome the Veterans back to Fort Campbell and will host several events in their honor.

On May 8th, two generations of Rakkasan warfighters will watch a screening of the movie Hamburger Hill together on Fort Campbell followed by a private tour and capabilities demonstration for the Vietnam-era “Iron Rakkasans.”

On May 9th, a memorial ceremony will be held in honor of the “Iron Rakkasans” who gave their lives assaulting up Hill 937 and will include a parachute jump by the 101st Airborne Division Parachute Demonstration Team and the presentation of Presidential Unit Citation medals by the team as well as a certificate presentation to the assembled Veterans by retired Major General Weldon Honeycutt, (then a Lieutenant Colonel) former commander of the 3-187th during the Battle of Hamburger Hill.

The Battle of Hamburger Hill, also known as the Battle of Dong Ap Bia Mountain, occurred from May 10th-21st, 1969. The 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division commenced Operation Apache Snow by striking at the enemy on his ground. For four days the enemy harassed the men of the brigade with mortar, rocket-propelled grenades, and small arms fire. Undaunted by this enemy action, the units of 3rd

Brigade continued to uncover huge amounts of enemy stores and equipment and to destroy enemy forces. After pinpointing a stronghold on Dong Ap Bia Mountain, the Brigade launched a series of determined attacks during the ensuing eight days to drive the well trained and equipped enemy from his entrenched positions.

Each day, the enemy continued to infiltrate reinforcements to help repel the determined American and Vietnamese forces. After eight days of intense combat, units of the Brigade broke through the enemy defenses and overran their bunker complexes. The battle continued for another 36 hours while the “Iron Rakkasans” searched for and destroyed all remaining pockets of enemy resistance.

During the 12 days of battle the 3rd Brigade and attached units eliminated more than 500 enemy troops, seized large quantities of weapons, explosives, and other military equipment. Throughout their history, the “Iron Rakkasans” have lived by the motto “Ne Desit Virtus – Let Valor Not Fail” and continue to do so today.