Jump That Didn’t Happen

 Actual Targeted Drop Zone, Courtesy Ron Ford

The 3/506th Parachute Infantry Task Force was conceived for a special jump in Vietnam. We carried all things airborne onboard the ship Weigel for this task. True to our Currahee name, We Stood Alone.  The rest of the 1st Brigade resented our mission. They had the combat experience, but we were jump qualified, equipped, and reinforced with over 900 personnel. To remain on active jump status meant parachuting at least every 90 days. Most 1st Brigade members hadn’t seen a jump for several months. Paratroopers returning to the States went through a refresher course, to regain active jump status.

 

As I heard, we were to land at a mountain pass, to block the retreat of a major enemy force. Apparently this enemy unit regularly attacked and then escaped routinely into Cambodia, by way of this pass. They were using the shield of the American policy, of not crossing the international border. Our mission was to jump behind them and hold this escape route. Other American units could then engage the trapped enemy, from multiple directions, in even greater force. We would stand directly in the way of our enemy’s survival. Even with tactical surprise, we would be fighting a desperate superior force.

The plan came down to the wire. We returned to the 101st base camp, awaiting the early morning jump. The Air Force flew one final reconnaissance mission for intelligence pictures.  This was the first full night’s sleep in a while. Although we were pumped for this special mission, it was pure luxury to sleep in relative safety.

Awakened the next morning, our leadership announced the jump had been scratched. The intelligence pictures confirmed the enemy had been alerted of our plan. They had littered our drop zone with punji stakes, setting their own trap against us. A jump without surprise is at best ineffective; a jump without surprise usually spells disaster. The news was bittersweet; we had invested nine months into this very operation. It is good to be alive. It was disappointing not to make history. In truth, these stories and author may not have survived that jump.

The scratched jump provided a whole new mandate. We would head to the provincial capital of Phan Thiet, to maintain the security of this city. My break into the line companies came rapidly. I served consistently by the first of January to the end of September in the field. Medics were required six months on line, with a 50% probability of being wounded or killed. I felt much better in the field. There are many things worse than death…the 3/506th rear area was one of them.

Currahees…It remains my hope, that those of rank, might recount more details of why this airborne drop was cancelled.