True Faith and Allegiance: An American Paratrooper and the 1972 Battle for An Loc

Epilogue

Epilogue North Vietnam’s 1972 Easter Offensive presented an immediate and extremely serious threat to South Vietnam; it was also a harbinger of things to come. While the North Vietnamese enemy did not accomplish their primary objectives in the spring of 1972, they did go to school on a number of lessons that became operative three years later when they kicked off their next offensive and succeeded in overrunning the country. Perhaps the most important lesson they learned during the Easter Offensive was to wait until the Americans were well and truly out of the way. The brutally effective advisor/airpower team the North Vietnamese encountered in 1972 was a major factor in frustrating their Easter Offensive objectives, and without that American presence on the battlefield they were able to successfully steamroller the South Vietnamese in the spring of 1975. More germane to this story, the North Vietnamese attack to capture the provincial capital of An Loc arrived as a massive and shocking surprise. The scope and lethality of the battle presented a major test for both the South Vietnamese and the Americans engaged in the battle. The defenders of An Loc took on the enemy with magnificent courage and gritty perseverance, and I would like to provide a brief update concerning how life unfolded for a few of them following the battle. Major General James Hollingsworth continued to serve as the commanding general of the Third Regional Assistance Command throughout the course of the Easter Offensive and was subsequently promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. General Hollingsworth entered service during World War II, was retired in 1976, and passed away on 2 March 2010. He was one of the most highly decorated soldiers in the history of the United States Army. Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross three times during the course of his career, Epilogue 161 General Hollingsworth also earned four Silver Stars and six Purple Hearts as well as numerous other awards and decorations. Brigadier General Le Van Hung, who commanded the 5th ARVN Division during the battle, was promoted to major general and was the deputy commander of IV Corps in April 1975 when he was notified the SouthVietnamese military had been ordered to capitulate. After saying farewell to his wife, General Hung shot himself rather than surrender. His commander, Major General Nguyen Khoa Nam, also refused to put himself in the hands of his enemies and committed suicide in his office. Colonel Le Nguyen Vy, the 5th ARVN Division deputy commander during the battle, was promoted to brigadier general and assumed command of the division when General Hung was reassigned. General Vy was still in command of the division when Saigon fell. He committed suicide rather than surrender. Colonel Le Quang Luong, the 1st Airborne brigade commander throughout the Easter Offensive, was promoted to brigadier general and took command of the Airborne Division. He remained the division commander until Saigon fell and then immigrated to the United States, passing away in 2007. Colonel Ho Ngoc Can commanded the task force that, supported by the 6th Airborne Battalion, pushed up Highway 13 and made the first link-up with the An Loc garrison. In 1975 he was serving as a province chief in IV Corps. When Saigon fell he refused to surrender and continued to conduct combat operations until his units ran out of ammunition. When eventually captured, Colonel Can was taken to Can Tho, the province capital, where he was executed on the city’s soccer field. Colonel Walter Ulmer, senior advisor to the 5th ARVN Division, completed his tour in Vietnam and was subsequently assigned to West Point as the commandant of cadets. He later commanded the 3rd Armored Division and retired in 1985 as a lieutenant general. General Ulmer remains actively involved in a range of leadership projects as well as the West Point Association of Graduates. Lieutenant Colonel Art Taylor, senior advisor to the 1st Airborne Brigade, completed his tour in Vietnam and was promoted to the rank of colonel soon after returning to the United States.He retired several years later and has subsequently passed away. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Hieu, the 5th Airborne Battalion commander , was promoted to colonel after the battle and resettled in the United States following the surrender of South Vietnam. Major Pham Van Huan, the commander of the 81st Airborne Ranger Group 162 Epilogue during the battle, was a colonel in 1975. Following the...