This song is a moving tribute to the 173 Airborne who fought
valiantly while suffering many wounded and fallen in a battle during the Vietnam
War on November 8, 1965.
Here is the actual story...
At
about 0600 on the morning of 8 November C Company
began a move northwest toward Hill 65, while B
Company moved northeast toward Hill 78. Shortly
before 0800, C Company was engaged by a sizable
enemy force well dug in to the southern face of Hill
65. At 0845, B Company was directed to wheel in
place and proceed toward Hill 65 with the intention
of relieving C Company.
B Company reached the foot of Hill 65 at about 0930
and moved up the hill. It became obvious that there
was a very large enemy force in place on the hill,C
Company was getting hammered, and by chance, B
Company was forcing the enemy's right flank.
Under pressure from B Company's flanking attack the
enemy force—most of a Viet Cong regiment—moved to
the northwest, whereupon the B Company commander
called in air and artillery fires on the retreating
troops. B Company halted in place in an effort to
locate and consolidate with C Company's platoons,
managing to establish a coherent defensive line
running around the hilltop from southeast to
northwest, but with little cover on the southern
side.
Meanwhile, the VC commander realized that his best
chance was to close with the US soldiers so that the
173rd's air and artillery fire could not be
effectively employed. He attempted to out-flank the
US position atop the hill from both the east and the
southwest, moving his troops closer to the
Americans. The result was shoulder-to-shoulder
attacks up the hillside, hand-to-hand fighting, and
isolation of parts of B and C Companies but the
Americans held against two such attacks. Although
the fighting continued after the second massed
attack, it reduced in intensity as the VC commander
again attempted to disengage and withdraw. By late
afternoon it seemed that contact had been broken
off, allowing the two companies to prepare a night
defensive position while collecting their dead and
wounded in the center of the position. Although a
few of the most seriously wounded were extracted by
USAF helicopters using Stokes litters, the
triple-canopy jungle prevented the majority from
being evacuated until the morning of 9 November.
The result of the battle was heavy losses on both
sides—48 Paratroopers dead, many more wounded, and
403 dead VC troops. (from
Blackfive)
8th Of November
