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SSGT Patterson And The Battle For The Loc Ninh Compound

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     Kenneth L Patterson Jr, was a native of Cleveland Ohio. He had enlisted in the Army back in December of 1962, and by 1967, he found himself (probably not for the first time either) in Vietnam. At the time he was a member of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (or MACV),  “Light Weapons Advisor” to Reconnaissance Company, 5th Division, of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly abbreviated ARVN).      On the night of October 29, 1967, at roughly 0100 hours, the enemy soldiers of the 9th Viet Cong Division started to attack both the South Vietnamese District Headquarters and the U.S. Special Forces Camp, both located in the Loc Ninh compound. They started off their attack with a barrage of 82mm and 120mm mortar rounds as well as 122mm rockets. Roughly an hour later VC sappers rushed the northern premier of the district headquarters and attached satchel charges on the wire perimeter, this blew a hole big enough for 2 battalion sized enem...
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Edward T Arnold 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company G  “But the boys from the two companies of the 20th Ohio that were attached stayed strong and moved none. As the soldiers clashed they instantly became engaged in fierce, bloody, hand to hand combat. Without hesitation the two small companies fought gallantry against an enemy that outnumbered them now nearly 50 to 1.”                                         Edward Thomas Arnold was born sometime in 1844 in Delaware County, Ohio. Prior to entering the service, his occupation was a tinner. A tinner was described as a person who made things out of or made repairs with thin metals like tin.  Deciding he wanted a little more excitement than working with tin, on September 10, 1861, at only 20 years old, Edward would travel to Mount Vernon, Ohio and sign up to become a soldier in the Union Army. His description w...

Edward Borell - Letters From A Killed In Action Solider

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 Edward F Borell, of Massillon, Ohio, would be killed in action, while fighting against the communist enemies on April 25, 1951, while fighting with Company I of the 17th Infantry Regiment. These letters were written in February and March of that same year, by far the most heartbreaking wartime letters I have ever read. I’m doing a write up for the man, but wanted to share these in the meantime Monday February 19, 1951 Chungjut, Korea Hi Morry, Well I finally found a little time in which to drop you a line. As you can see I am now in Korea. I got here on the 3rd of February. And boy I’m telling you this is sure one hell of a place. All there is in this damn country is mountains and more mountains. And it is by far the dirtiest, most filthy place I have ever been in my life. But the weather here is worst than anything. The only way you can keep warm is around a fire. And being in a “line company” I have to practically live in a fox-hole all the time. And boy, at times I really freez...