The centerpiece of the battle was the 110-hour fight for Hill 875. Melzer told members of O9A in his encrypted electronic communications [y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this and that he was expecting results. Melzer further acknowledged that he could be killed during the attack and described his willingness to die for O9As goals, writing who gives a fuck [. (46.7 31.4 cm), Sheet: 18 7/8 12 13/16 in. Prior to its deployment to the highlands, Peer's operations officer, Colonel William J. Livsey, attempted to warn the Airborne officers of the hazards of campaigning in the highlands. Soon, U.S. air strikes and artillery fire were being called in, but they had little effect on the battle because of the dense foliage on the hillside. A former soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to plot with a hate group to attack his unit. [5] It was a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army's VCorps and after June 2013, subordinate to US Army Europe. Company commanders pulled their troops back and called for more firepower. Americans serving their country overseas should never have to fear a terrorist attack from within their own ranks, and todays sentence holds him accountable for his deadly plan to attack the brave men and women of the armed forces who protect our nation.. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. "In approximately October 2019, Melzer deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. On Nov. 7- 8, A and D companies of the 3rd Bn., 8th Inf., fought NVA units east of Hill 830, losing 21 KIA and 81 WIA in close combat. While her case was underway, she ran for Secretary of State of Colorado, and lost the GOP primary. Alpha Company managed to survive repeated attacks throughout the day and night, but the cost was heavy. ALSO IN THE NEWS: Americans belief in God hit an all-time low about 6 months ago here's why. "[69], From April until August 1971, the unit underwent the process of redeployment to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the first time that the 173rd Airborne Brigade in name had returned to the United States since 1942. [108] 42 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment. February 15th, DVIDS Hub works best with JavaScript enabled, Version: 89f6906e9817dc7b192edf8e8d786e2b331150b5_2023-02-27T10:21:17, B-Roll Package: Squad Ambush with Cypriot Troops, Strategic [3][5][25] During their time in Okinawa, they prided themselves as the "toughest fighting men in Okinawa, if not the entire U.S. Armed Forces". [82] The brigade would take off from Aviano Air Base in Italy, a 4.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12-hour flight from northern Iraq. 15 August 1969. Upon learning the importance and sensitivity of his upcoming deployment, Melzer immediately began passing that information to members of O9A. 24. While stationed abroad, Melzer consumed propaganda from multiple extremist groups, including O9A and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which is also known as ISIS. While there, he consumed extensive propaganda from numerous extremist groups, including O9A and ISIS, and routinely downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks and executions, court documents showed. Want to write for Task & Purpose? We need to let kids be kids, and our laws need to set appropriate boundaries that respect the rights and responsibilities of parents, while protecting children from the serious health, safety, and welfare consequences of social agendas that are totally inconsistent with how the overwhelming majority of parents want to raise their children.. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images), Black Vietnam veteran receives long-awaited Medal of Honor. (See the sidebar on page 36 for the 4th IDs role.). Under the program, the United States trained three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period. to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade . Before Hill 875 was even assaulted, the 173rd had already sustained 79 KIA and 287 WIA. The package also includes a provision authorizing the state to fine, suspend, or revoke the license of any public lodging establishment or public food service establishment if the establishment admits a child to a live adult performance that depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, or lewd exposure., Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law Schools Cyberlaw Clinic in a tweet described the measure as a full elimination of recognition and a limitation on access to care for all trans people, including adults.. In the days leading up to the fight for Hill 875, 4th ID units sought out the enemy south of Dak To. Nicholas Slayton Published Mar 3, 2023 10:30 PM EST. Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group, said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. [104][107] The 173rd's tour ended in July 2008, and the last redeploying paratrooper from the brigade returned to Europe by the beginning of August 2008. . These battalions were: the 4th Battalion (Airborne), 319th Field Artillery Regiment, the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne), and the Special Troops Battalion[100] stationed at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany, as well as the 1st Squadron (Airborne), 91st Cavalry Regiment, stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. One paratrooper said of the enemy: They fight like theyre all John Waynes, three clips and making every bullet count., A Merciless Land Combat was brutal, close and fought in the unforgiving terrain of the Central Highlands. Assisting the LRS and 5th Group ODA were elements of the 82nd Airborne, Iowa National Guard, and ANA. The next day, American forces advanced to Kirkuk during Operation Option North, hoping to control oil fields and military airfields in and around the city. Melzer secretly used an encrypted messaging application to propose, advocate for, and plan a deadly attack on his fellow service members. Melzer was listed Friday as an inmate at Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn in New York, according to the Bureau of Prisons. [3][30] The brigade, organized as Task Force Bayonet, assumed control of Regional Command-South (RC South). [6] During the operation, some of the troops discovered at least two caches of Iraqi gold, totaling more than 2,000 bars. 94,278 11 months ago. [26][31] As larger US Army commands were established in Vietnam, the brigade was assigned to the IIICorps and IICorps tactical zone, which they would serve in for the next six years. (47.9 32.5 cm), Frame (outer): 26 3/8 20 3/8 1 1/4 in. [92] On 10 April the brigade was able to move into the city, securing it after a short urban battle. Melzer joined the U.S. Army in approximately 2018 and infiltrated its ranks as part of an insight role to further his goals as an O9A adherent. 3. . These warnings, however, made little impression on the paratroopers, who were about to become victims of their own overconfidence. Melzer admitted to sharing sensitive information about his imminent deployment with the 173rd Airborne Brigade including unit location, movements and security with an occult-based neo-Nazi group called the Order of the Nine Angles. The goal, Melzer said in an unsealed indictment, was to plot an insider mass casualty attack. Melzer, 22, was arrested last spring in Italy, where he served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and pleaded not guilty in September to eight charges, including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals . 74th LRS operated out of FOB Price near the town of Gereshk in the Helmand Province. By unlawfully disclosing his unit's location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers . [citation needed]. The brigade returned to the United States in 1972, where the 1st and 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, were absorbed into the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), and the 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery was reassigned to Division Artillery in the 101st. Privacy Policy. Jon Simkins is a writer and editor for Military Times, and a USMC veteran. He and others then passed these messages to a purported member of al-Qaida, according to the Justice Department. [78] Task Force 1-63 consisted of HHC/1-63rd Armor, C/1-63rd Armor and B/2-2nd Infantry. [70] The brigade was inactivated on 14 January 1972 at the fort,[5] and its assets were used to form the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, a parachute component within the airmobile 101st. Today, the 173rd Airborne Brigade pauses to remember the loss of 48 Paratroopers during Operation Hump in Vietnam, on this day 52 years ago. Scandal-plagued Republican former Mesa County, Colorado Clerk Tina Peters has been convicted of obstruction of government operations, reported 9News on Friday. [18], In the late 1990s, Army leaders including General Eric Shinseki began shifting the Army force toward brigade centered operations. First Military Choice. Barnes manned a machine gun after its crew had been killed. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to provide a Europe-based neo-Nazi, Satanist, and pro-jihadist group by giving it classified information to attack his unit, federal prosecutors said Friday. In the process the American officers tried to increase pressure on local enemy forces through intensive patrolling and to encourage ARVN battalion, company, and platoon-level leadership through longer, more decentralized operations. American and Vietnamese local intelligence was poor, the area was a traditional VC stronghold, and province and district officials were never able to eliminate the local VC infrastructure. The 173d Airborne Brigade was constituted 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized 25 August 1917 at Camp Pike, Arkansas as an element of the 87th Division. [74] The unit finally reached "initial operating capability" on 14 March 2003, with all units ready for deployment. The obstruction charge carries a minimum sentence of six months in jail. The noncoms kept shouting, Get up the hill, get up the goddamn hill. But we couldnt. Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect.. Justin Hebert was killed on Aug. 1. . "WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 11 November, 2012 - 3 February, 2013. This week a former member of the Ohio National Guard was sentenced to six years in prison for manufacturing ghost guns and making threats against Jewish schools and synagogues. Add the following CSS to the header block of your HTML document.Then add the mark-up below to the body block of the same document. (Staff Sgt. Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. For the medics in the mix, casualties represented far more than statistics. Members of O9A have openly expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden, among others. The most prominent of these is the 2006 single released by the country music duo Big & Rich, entitled "8th of November". Eric Melzer, a 24-year-old from Kentucky, shared location and layout information about a sensitive U.S. military installation to the violent, anti-government, neo-Nazi organization Order of Nine Angles. For example, Melzer subscribed to encrypted online forums where he downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks on U.S. troops and facilities and jihadist executions of civilians and soldiers, in addition to far-right, neo-Nazi, and other white supremacist propaganda. [53] The following morning Bravo Company was relieved by Lieutenant Colonel David J. Schumacher's 1503, which (against the admonitions of Colonel Livsey) was divided into two small task forces. U.S. losses were 20 killed, 154 wounded, and two missing. [55], Following an attack on the k T Base,[56] and actions on hill 882 by the 1-503rd that saw 7 men dead and 34 wounded,[57] 330 men of 2-503 moved in to assault Hill 875. ; 1st and 3rd battalions of the 12th Inf. until 0400 est. Have You Heard of the 173rd - YouTube 0:00 / 3:45 Have You Heard of the 173rd Greg Johnson 53 subscribers 453 46K views 14 years ago Have you heard of the 173rd Airborne Brigade? The U.S. camps represented a major roadblock at the southern end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. [22] Consistent with regimental combat teams activated before them, these separate brigades were given their own shoulder sleeve insignia. SENATE GOP PLOTS CONFRONTATION OF WOKE PENTAGON AS MILITARY READINESS, MORALE PLUMMET, U.S Army badge is seen on a uniform of American soldier. The brigade also participated in Operation Bayonet Lightning in 2003, capturing weapons and materials that the Department of Defense claimed were possibly for use against coalition forces. The 173rd Airborne Brigade currently consists of 3,300 soldiers in seven subordinate battalions as well as a headquarters company:. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets The dust-offs started coming within 30 minutes. Melzers sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods. Afghan War veteran Sgt Ryan Pitts, also of the 503rd, received the Medal of Honor later that year. [3][18] After the war, the troop reverted to reserve status and was posted at Birmingham, Alabama from 1947 until 1951. [5], In mid-1968 at the instigation of II Corps commander General L Mng Lan, I Field Force, Vietnam commander General William R. Peers paired with the Brigade with the ARVN 22nd Division in Bnh nh Province in what was almost a replica of Operation Fairfax. In an instant, he leaped on the device, shielding the blast with his body. [41] Soldiers of the brigade became involved in Operation Attleboro in fall of 1966, an operation that started out as a small search and destroy mission north of Saigon, but eventually involved 22,000 troops from 21 battalions. As part of his plot, he planned on sharing additional security details of the base once in Turkey in order to maximize damage done in an attack. The Order of the Nine Angles, a U.K.-based anarchist operation that espouses antisemitic and satanic beliefs, is known for encouraging its membership to infiltrate the military, among other organizations, with the goal of dismantling from within, according to court documents. [6], On 11 October 2006, as part of the Army's "Unit of Action" modularized unit force restructuring that General Shinseki had originally envisioned the 173rd Airborne Brigade became the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (an airborne IBCT). In approximately October 2019, MELZER deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Cataloguing data may change with further research. On 23 November, 2-503 and 4-503 were ordered to renew their assault while the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry assaulted 875 from the south. It was the first U.S. Army. [3] The reorganized brigade consolidated at a single location in Vicenza, Italy. Stanton, Vietnam Order of Battle, pp. The 173rd Airborne paratroopers trained the Ukrainians on how to better defend themselves against Russian and rebel artillery and rockets. Pre-deployment workups in the weeks that followed provided Melzer with terrorist threat training and access to numerous classified briefings, information that he immediately funneled via encrypted messaging applications to members of the Order of the Nine Angles. (U.S. Army Photo by Visual Information Specialist Davide Dalla Massara) Read more Image Jumping in July, 173rd Airborne at Aviano The 173rds rifle companies sustained some 90% of the units casualties. The sign had read. Air Force). Florida parents are worried about the radical, prurient agenda that has become pervasive across most forms of media, specifically targeting young children, Yarborough said in a statement. [citation needed], In mid-2013, some of the returning forces reorganized and re-designated the 173rd Airborne Brigade. $13.98 $ 13. Two more companies arrived after dark and provided much-needed food and water to the exhausted troopers. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, [5] Under Williamson, the unit trained extensively, making mass parachute jumps. O9A members are instructed to fulfill sinister deeds, including insight roles, where they attempt to infiltrate various organizations, including the military, to gain training and experience, commit acts of violence, identify like-minded individuals, and ultimately subvert those groups from within. A former Army paratrooper was sentenced to 45 years in prison Friday for plotting with a violent extremist group to ambush and kill members of his own Italy-based unit, federal law enforcement officials said. He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush. Supported by A/2-503, the Americans moved up the hill and set up for the night. After he was notified of the assignment, Melzer joined his new unit and attended weeks of training, including classified and unclassified briefings, to prepare for the deployment. C and D companies soon found themselves absorbing small-arms fire and grenade attacks from seemingly every direction. Exactly five years ago today, Veterans from the 173d Airborne Brigade gathered on the. Michael Casey, Clark Dougan, Denis Kennedy, Shelby Stanton, et al., D/16 Official Army History January March, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 17:39, Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (ABN), 201415 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, 34th Bercsnyi Lszl Special Operations Battalion, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, United States Army Center of Military History, "The United States Army - 173rd Airborne Brigade", The 173rd Airborne Brigade History, Our History, "3d Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment - Lineage and Honors - U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)", "173rd Airborne Brigade becomes a brigade combat team", "Army to pair National Guard, Reserve units with active-duty units", The 173rd Airborne Brigade YouTube Channel, "The United States Army | 173rd Brigade Support Battalion"To Our Utmost", "Texas National Guard Patch Ceremony to initiate Army of One - Texas Military", "Pilot program links Reserve components with active units for training", "174th Infantry Brigade Homepage: History", "On Operations | VietnamWar.govt.nz, New Zealand and the Vietnam War". No reviews. Del Din hosts 173rd Brigade Headquarters, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, the Brigade Support Battalion, and the Brigade Special Troops Battalion. III, No. Melzer, who also went by the name Etil Reggad, enlisted in the Army in 2018 as part of an insight role to further his goals as part of the terrorist organization, according to the Justice Department. Artillery from A Bty., 3rd Bn., 319th Artillery Regt., and air strikes started ravaging the hilltop. One of these was the 101st Airborne Division, which had also been redeployed to Fort Campbell. Dawn on Tuesday, Nov. 21, revealed a scene on Hill 875 no survivor of that battle could ever forget, Edward F. Murphy wrote in Dak To: Americas Sky Soldiers in South Vietnams Central Highlands. All rights reserved. [99] The brigade returned to Italy in March 2006. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. "Melzer subscribed to encrypted online forums where he downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks on U.S. troops and facilities and jihadist executions of civilians and soldiers," the Justice Department said. Meanwhile, NVA soldiers began a ferocious attack on A Company at the bottom of the hill. Though they were severely bloodied, the paratroopers inflicted even heavier losses on the NVA. In an interview with FBI agents, he admitted being a traitor against the U.S. and confessed that he planned to cause the mass casualties of U.S. service members. Specifically, Melzer corresponded with individuals belonging to an O9A subgroup known as the RapeWaffen Division, which is known to promote rape and murder as weapons in the groups pursuit of a race war. These include Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Charlie Norwood,[133][134] Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin Frederick O'Brien,[135] Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmitt,[136] business owner Barney Visser,[137] activists Stan Goff and Ted Sampley,[138] and Sergeant Major of the Army Gene C. Online. He was arrested in June 20020 and pleaded guilty in 2022. Lozada stayed behind and poured deadly machine-gun fire on an advancing NVA force, allowing his company to safely withdraw. While retrieving more ammo, Barnes saw a grenade tossed among a group of severely wounded soldiers. Melzer and his co-conspirators used the information that he attained to plan what they referred to as a jihadi attack with the objective of causing a mass casualty event victimizing his fellow service members. Because of intense PAVN sniper and mortar fire (and the terrain), it took until nightfall for the relief force to reach the beleaguered battalion. [There were] heaps of dead after that bomb, a survivor remembered. The 173rd was also assigned Company N (Ranger), 75th Infantry. The 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sky Soldiers) is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapid forces to the United States European, Africa and Central Commands areas of responsibilities. On Veterans Day, Task Force Black (170 men of the 1st Bn., 503rd Inf.) [3] With combat experience already earned in other similar mountain regions in 2007 and 2008, the Brigade distinguished itself in combat regularly against the Taliban and fought tenaciously against them, while still promoting and attempting to legitimize the Afghan government. The following day was spent in launching airstrikes and a heavy artillery bombardment against the hilltop, totally denuding it of cover. Assistant U.S. By 3 p.m., Terrence Maitland and Peter McInerney wrote in A Contagion of War, the C Company commander reported they were surrounded by 200 to 300 NVA and under attack by mortars, automatic weapons and B-40 rockets.. But the GIs had fulfilled their objective. On November 8th 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on "Operation Hump", war zone "D" in Vietnam, were ambushed by over 1200 VC. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. [143] On 13 May 2014, former 503rd Infantry Regiment Sergeant Kyle White received the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony. The sign had read "American who read this die. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. Download full-resolution image The enemy loss in lives was about four times that of the allies.. no news. Company D, 16th Armor was engaged in a battle that took place on 4 March 1968 at North Tuy Ha. [75], In 2003, as preparations were being made for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was assigned to be a part of an assault from the north of Iraq. On 8 November 1965, the 173rd took part in Operation Hump, just north of Bin Ha on the outskirts of Saigon,[35] the capital of South Vietnam. Brigade members received over 7,700 decorations, including more than 6,000 Purple Hearts. He was arrested by the FBI on June 10, 2022 after investigators claimed he gave sensitive military information to the Order of Nine Angles, a British neo-Nazi Satanist group with pro-Jihadi views that encourages extreme violence in an effort to destabilize society and attempts to overthrow what it views as Jewish control of global culture and economics. | Name: walter d. {whity} elmore Email: maryaelmore@yhoo.com B1: Submit Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2009 Time: 09:10:34 PM News. Artillery support was rendered ineffective by the limited range of visibility. A former member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Friday for plotting with a white supremacist group to attack his fellow soldiers, officials . Ambush by VC Foiled, March 1970 Ambush by VC Foiled from Vol. Of the 3,200 paratroopers from the 173rd deployed to Dak To, 27% were either killed (208) or wounded (645). As Peers' successor in March 1969, Lt. Gen. Charles A. Corcoran, reflected, "Barnes may have just been keeping the lid on the situation." According to the PAC, the maximum penalty for such a "prohibited corporate contribution" is five years in prison and fines of 200% of the value of the contribution. One of the most notable units to operate out of a FOB was the brigade's 74th Long-Range Surveillance (LRS) detachment. . It is a merciless land of steep limestone ridges, some of them exceeding 4,000 feet, wrote Robert Barr Smith in, Vietnam magazine. The changing face of the 173d Airborne Brigade now offers opportunies for both Female and Male individuals. Melzer and his co-conspirators used this information to plan what they referred to as a jihadi attack with the objective of causing a mass casualty event victimizing his fellow service members. Tiffany Muller, president of the End Citizens United PAC, called on the FEC to "immediately investigate," according to a copy of the complaint provided to NBC News. [94] As Task Force Bayonet, the brigade included the: 503rd Infantry; 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry; 173rd Combat Support Company; 74th Infantry Detachment (LRS); Battery D, 319th Field Artillery; 501st Forward Support Company; and the attached 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor of the 1st Infantry Division from Rose Barracks, Germany; 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry of the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson, Colorado; and Company B, 110th Military Intelligence Battalion of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, New York.