Pfc. An ex-soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists and illegally transmitting national defense information, the Department of Justice announced Friday. Before Hill 875 was even assaulted, the 173rd had already sustained 79 KIA and 287 WIA. [46] During the battle, the brigade operated out of the northeastern part of the war zone along with the 196th Infantry Brigade (Separate), as four other brigades from the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions attempted to surround and destroy the 9th Division in the War Zone. Upon learning the importance and sensitivity of his upcoming deployment, Melzer immediately began passing that information to members of O9A. In April 1969 Brigade commander Brig. Under the program, the United States trained three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period. At 6:58 p.m., a Marine Corps fighter-bomber mistakenly dropped two 500-pound bombs on the U.S. position. 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. While retrieving more ammo, Barnes saw a grenade tossed among a group of severely wounded soldiers. [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". A former soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to plot with a hate group to attack his unit. It is that most become delirious and almost always cry out for their mothers., Copyright 2010-2023, National 4th Infantry (IVY) Division Association. [50], In response to the destruction of Alpha Company, MACV ordered additional forces into the area. One of the most notable units to operate out of a FOB was the brigade's 74th Long-Range Surveillance (LRS) detachment. According to court documents, Melzer planned a jihadist attack on his U.S. Army unit in the days leading up to a deployment to Turkey and sent sensitive details about the unit including information about its location, movements, and security to members of the extremist organization Order of the Nine Angles (O9A), a white supremacist Satanist, neo-Nazi, and pro-jihadist group. Neo-Nazi ex soldier sentenced to 45 years for plotting to murder soldiers The brigade returned to Europe and home station after once again proving itself in combat throughout the eastern mountains of Afghanistan. [51][52], The battle around Dak To became more costly as 4-503 of the 173rd was ordered to occupy Hill 823, south of Ben Het Camp, for the construction of Fire Support Base. [70] It was decided that the 173rd would be used to help rebuild the division, which had been converted into an airmobile formation during the Vietnam War. For the medics in the mix, casualties represented far more than statistics. [3][25] As the Pacific quick-reaction force, they were the first brigade to be sent to South Vietnam two years later when hostilities escalated there. While there, he consumed extremists propaganda from O9A and the Islamic State. The 4th Infantry Divisions 1st Brigade included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 8th Inf. There is something gut-wrenching about severely wounded men that I will never forget, recalled Earle Jackson, a 173rd medic who served on Hill 875. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands' areas of responsibility within 18 hours. Consequently, the HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade was designated as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop in February 1942 and activated on 15 December 1942. Tragically, 50% of the deaths were due to friendly fire. Enemy fire claimed 41 GIs lives that day. [38], The brigade was the first unit sent into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps, introducing the use of small Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols. In more recent years, the group has become a source of inspiration for violent white supremacists in the United States, Brian Levin, a terrorism expert at California State University in San Bernardino, said in 2020. Melzer and his unit also received in-depth training about and practiced for numerous threat scenarios at the Military Base, including how to respond to various potential terrorist attack scenarios. Melzer, who also goes by the name Etil Reggad, joined the Army in 2018. These brigades had difficulty operating without support from higher headquarters. The group is a white supremacist, neo-Nazi and pro-jihadist organization. [61], The battle of Hill 875 had cost 2-503 87 killed, 130 wounded, and three missing. One hit outside the perimeter, killing 25 NVA troops. Rick Holmes of C company, 2nd battalion, 503rd infantry, 173rd airborne brigade, sits down on January 3, 1966, in Vietnam. The unit was supposed to guard an isolated, sensitive military base. This dynamic was intended to last only until additional facilities were constructed at the Dal Molin, now Del Din, airbase near Caserma Ederle at Vicenza. 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team - History - Dak To Image Saber Strike 15 - Apaches take Flight. But Murphy says that during the actions around Dak To, 376 Americans were killed and 1,441 wounded. [140] Lloyd G. McCarter and Ray E. Eubanks earned the medal while fighting with the 503rd Infantry in World War II, while 13 other soldiers earned medals fighting under the 173rd in Vietnam; John A. Barnes III, Michael R. Blanchfield, Glenn H. English Jr., Lawrence Joel, Terry T. Kawamura, Carlos J. Lozada, Don L. Michael, Charles B. Morris, Milton L. Olive III, Larry S. Pierce, Laszlo Rabel, Alfred Rascon, and Charles J. 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. During this operation multiple buildings belonging to the airfield were secured. Short Range Ambush Platoon - 50th Infantry Regiment Forward-based in Italy and Germany, the Brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build interoperability and . Assisting the LRS and 5th Group ODA were elements of the 82nd Airborne, Iowa National Guard, and ANA. Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. A girl. On Nov. 19, 1967, Chaplain Watters repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to aid fallen men outside the perimeter. Some 42 Americans (many of them already wounded) were killed and 45 wounded in the wars worst friendly fire incident. All rights reserved. In May 2010 2nd Battalion returned to 173rd IBCT(A) and was responsible for security and stability in northern and western Wardak Provinces. Company D, 16th Armor was engaged in a battle that took place on 4 March 1968 at North Tuy Ha. IE 11 is not supported. A former counterintelligence officer gave a statement under oath that "he saw interrogators punch and kick prisoners, beat them with sticks, administer electrical shocks and urinate on them. Former U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Attempting Ethan Phelan Melzer, a 24-year-old from Louisville, Ky., pleaded guilty in June in a federal courtroom in New York to charges of attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information, according to the Justice Department. [citation needed], In mid-2013, some of the returning forces reorganized and re-designated the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Sky Soldiers Killed in Iraq. [139], Sixteen soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service with the 173rd IBCT(A) and its subordinate units. The New York Times. [3][27][28][29][30][31] Williamson boldly predicted on arrival that his men would defeat the Viet Cong (VC) quickly and that they "would be back in Okinawa by Christmas". [42] Soldiers of the brigade also took part in smaller humanitarian missions in between major combat operations. The weather, however, during the Nov. 1-23 continuous battles was excellent, according to F. Clifton Berry, Jr., in The Illustrated History of Sky Soldiers, The Vietnam War, with dry conditions and daily high and low temperatures between 91 and 55 degrees. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets [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. Want to write for Task & Purpose? Melzer deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team . just looking for anyone from Aco 3/503 173rd abn{sep}Iwas with this unit from12/3/67through 68 saw combat 12/27/67 bad stuff. 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 goal of the activity was to exercise the combat, combat support and combat service units of both armies and to achieve a higher cooperation level in airborne operations planning, organization and management tasks. He then began passing information to O9A members using an encrypted application. Scandal-plagued Republican former Mesa County, Colorado Clerk Tina Peters has been convicted of obstruction of government operations, reported 9News on Friday. 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. Melzer began active service as an Army infantryman in June 2019 and deployed that October to Vicenza, Italy, as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Specifically, they sought to destroy Special Forces camps at Ben Het, about five miles east of the Cambodian border, and at Dak To, some 10 miles east of Ben Het. Pitts, White and Giunta each earned their medals for actions taken during bloody battles in. The 173rd had been operating near Bien Hoa Air Base outside Saigon and had been in combat only against the VC. [78] As the brigade had no heavy or mechanized forces and only a few Humvees and an artillery battery, heavier forces were attached to it in the form of two companies of M113 Armored Personnel Carriers, M1 Abrams tanks, and M2 Bradleys from a task force of 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, which was attached to the brigade. In November 1967, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units were determined to rid the Central Highlands of American forces. Former Army private sentenced to 45 years in neo-Nazi plot to kill until 0400 est. You slept with corpses. It conducted combat operations in Kandahar Province. 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. [82], On 26 March 2003, 954 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted a combat jump from C-17 aircraft onto Bashur Airfield in Northern Iraq[3][86] under the command of Colonel Mayville. The 4th Battalion launched an unsuccessful attack at around 3 p.m., and pulled back to defensive positions after dark. Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. If the allegations are true in the Dominion filing, "this is precisely what Murdoch provided to the Trump campaign," he said. (Photo: U.S. Army) Piano Sign Up, {{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}, Neo-Nazi soldier who planned to ambush army unit jailed for attempted murder, Critics call for FEC investigation of Rupert Murdoch leak of Biden ads to Jared Kushner, Election denier Tina Peters found guilty and could be going to jail, violating the terms of a protective order, Trans kids could be legally kidnapped by parents under proposed Florida law: report. Haynes never questioned anything until Spc. Ex-soldier sentenced to 45 years in neo-Nazi plot to kill his troop The success of the program varied greatly from unit to unit, but the programs of the 173rd and Task Force South were generally regarded as effective. [74] The unit finally reached "initial operating capability" on 14 March 2003, with all units ready for deployment. U.S. losses were 20 killed, 154 wounded, and two missing. The song was based on the story of Niles Harris, a member of the 173rd, during Operation Hump. Fox Corporations blatant and cavalier act is a prohibited corporate contribution," she added. Melzer, who is from Louisville, Ky., joined the Army in 2018. [34] The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment[35] and the 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery[36] were attached to the brigade for one year in 1965. A Kentucky man was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information. One of these was the 101st Airborne Division, which had also been redeployed to Fort Campbell. [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. Peters, a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist, is best known for being indicted last year on completely separate charges of election tampering and misconduct, after she allegedly breached voting equipment to try to prove the 2020 presidential election was stolen. It was then, they contend, that Melzer broadened his extremism diet, consuming propaganda from the group then known as ISIS, or the Islamic State. Following his time in service . [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. Sky Soldiers serving in Vietnam received 13 Medals of Honor, 32 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1,736 Silver Stars and more than 6,000 Purple Hearts. The Vietnam War: The Pictures That Moved That Most - TIME.com Artillery from A Bty., 3rd Bn., 319th Artillery Regt., and air strikes started ravaging the hilltop. [5] They were supported by the 173rd Support Battalion, 173rd Engineer Company, Troop E/17th Cavalry and Company D/16th Armor. . 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. Published Mar 3, 2023 10:30 PM EST. Lozadas actions garnered him a posthumous Medal of Honor. This legislation sends a strong message that Florida is a safe place to raise children. NAME AND TYPE OF OPERATION: Unnamed ambush patrol on Route 19, RVN. 88, 93. [66] The company commander, Captain Robert Helmick, was awarded the DSC. [106] The brigade repositioned the base three days later. In 2019, he deployed to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, prosecutors said. | Article | The United States Army", "US Sending Around 600 Paratroopers to Ukraine to Train Troops", 173rd Airborne Brigade Association Website, 173rd Airborne Brigade Lineage and Honors Certificate, Vanity Fair article from Spring '08 focusing on 2503 in Afghanistan, "Into The Valley of Death", New York Times article from Spring '08 focusing on 2503 in Afghanistan, "Battle Company Is Out There", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=173rd_Airborne_Brigade&oldid=1141762434, 19171919; 19211945; 19471951; 19631972; 2000present, European and African area quick response force, BG Otho B. Rosenbaum, July 15, 1918 - July 26, 1918, COL John O'Shea, July 27, 1918 - July 28, 1918, BG Otho B. Rosenbaum, July 29, 1918 - September 19, 1918, COL John Shea, September 20, 1918 - December 2, 1918, COL John Shea, December 4, 1918 - December 20, 1918, BG Marcus D. Cronin, December 21, 1918 - January 9, 1919, COL John Shea, January 10, 1919 - January 19, 1919, BG Marcus D. Cronin, January 20, 1919 - February 8, 1919, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 17:39. According to court documents, Melzer is a member of O9A. 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 I wouldve died successfully . Marvinny and two other attorneys on Melzer's defense team argued in a sentencing memo last year that Melzer should get 15 years, plus 10 years' supervised release. Video shows Peters yell at and struggle with the officers who detained her." Meanwhile, NVA soldiers began a ferocious attack on A Company at the bottom of the hill. [108] 42 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment. They were ambushed by approximately 1,200 VC fighters, suffering 48 deaths. .] When he learned in 2020 that his unit would help guard a sensitive military installation overseas, he transmitted location, schedule and security information to the O9A subgroup known as RapeWaffen Division, prosecutors said. Online. Alpha Company managed to survive repeated attacks throughout the day and night, but the cost was heavy. The noncoms kept shouting, Get up the hill, get up the goddamn hill. But we couldnt. According to the Department of Justice, Melzer schemed to ambush soldiers at a base in Turkey, aiming to cripple the bases fire teams and cause a mass casualty attack. At 08:28 on 11 November, after leaving their overnight laager and following a PAVN communications wire, the force was ambushed by the 8th and 9th Battalions of the PAVN 66th Regiment and had to fight for its life. 1st Cavalry Division units1st Bn., 12th Cav Regt., and 2nd Bn., 8th Cavalryalso played a part in the campaign. The 3rd Battalion on Nov. 10-11 sustained another 18 KIA and 118 WIA on Hill 724 during a five-hour ground and mortar attack. It was a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army's V Corps and after June 2013, subordinate to US Army Europe.. And about 60 of the dead paratroop-ers29%were killed by friendly fire.. The bill is part of a package of so-called parental empowerment and child safety legislation that includes a ban on instruction of sexual orientation or gender identity for students through Grade 8, and requiring licensed health care facilities to attest that they do not provide sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures to patients under 18 years of age, the State Senates office announced in a news release. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. a private assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, Soldier indicted for conspiring with neo-Nazi group seeks dismissal because grand jury wasn't racially diverse, Paratrooper pleads not guilty to charges he plotted with satanic Neo-Nazis to ambush his unit, Italy-based paratrooper charged with plotting with satanic neo-Nazi group to attack his unit, Gallantry: Biden presents Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. Paris Davis for his heroics in Vietnam, US to send bridge-launching vehicles for tank deployments to Ukraine in new $400M aid package, Japan complains to US over Utah senators remarks on imprisoned Navy officer, Military, VA provide troops, vets more gun safety options to help reduce suicides, Pentagon tells service members to stop displaying giant US flags at major events, K-Town Now features the latest news from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. The brigade was the first major United States Army ground formation deployed in Vietnam, serving there from 1965 to 1971 and losing 1,533 soldiers. Justin Hebert was killed on Aug. 1. Melzer was taken into custody by the FBI on June 10, 2020. And vets of that proud unit feel the sting. 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. . The Vietnamese then unleashed B-40 rockets and 57mm recoilless rifle fire on the Americans. [54] Task Force Blue drew the job of going to the relief of the beleaguered task force; however, Task Force Blue ran into resistance and was pinned down by enemy fire on all sides. The paratroopers esprit de corps, elitism and personal pride would not permit that.. PDF Red devils: tactical perspectives from Iraq - Army University Press The 1st and 2nd Battalions saw extensive action in eastern Logar and Wardak. War Zone 'C' ambush of the 173rd Airborne during the - reddit Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Exactly five years ago today, Veterans from the 173d Airborne Brigade gathered on the. Gold Star, Active Duty, etc.). While several of its units, including the 2-503rd and A/3-319th were ordered to Tuy Ha to repair and refit,[64][65] the 173rd was transferred to Camp Radcliff in An Kh and Bong Son areas during 1968, seeing very little action while the combat ineffective elements of the brigade were rebuilt. He then eliminated nine enemy soldiers who were assaulting his position. contact us. Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a Department of Justice release on the sentencing. Junger later wrote a highly acclaimed book, War, and, with Hetherington, produced the award-winning documentary, Restrepo, about the deployment. He was arrested in May 2020 while in Italy, before he could carry it out. [3][44][45] The operation saw three brigades controlling eight battalions dropped by helicopters and US Air Force aircraft into War Zone C, in Ty Ninh Province. It was the first U.S. Army. Those of us fortunate enough to be there will. . Todays sentence took that opportunity from him.". It would be in combat 12 days later. NVA snipers made the going slow, but B Company finally reached the perimeter by dusk. Short Range Ambush Platoon 1968 - 1969. [92] On 10 April the brigade was able to move into the city, securing it after a short urban battle. Some 15 Army artillery batteries along with tactical air support provided immense firepower. The changing face of the 173d Airborne Brigade now offers opportunies for both Female and Male individuals. By unlawfully disclosing his units location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect. 15 August 1969. Manage Preferences Legal Statement. He acknowledged that would likely be killed if he carried out the attack, writing, who gives a f--- [. According to the latest filing in the case citing Murdoch's sworn deposition, the Fox boss admitted that he provided a preview of the ads to Kushner before they became public. Greeley, a combined search and destroy effort by elements of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, and Army of the Republic of (ARVN) 42nd Infantry Regiment and Airborne units. It is a merciless land of steep limestone ridges, some of them exceeding 4,000 feet, wrote Robert Barr Smith in, Vietnam magazine. [86] The force had been strung out over a 10,000-yard drop zone, and it took 15 hours before it was completely assembled. .] The following day was spent in launching airstrikes and a heavy artillery bombardment against the hilltop, totally denuding it of cover. Former soldier gets 45 years in prison for plotting with neo-Nazi group [114] This program was known as Fearless Guardian which was congressionally approved under the Global Contingency Security Fund. For example, after describing the units weaponry during the deployment and providing information consistent with the briefings he had received Melzer described to his co-conspirators how an attack would essentially cripple the units fire-teams.. . The 173rd was the only separate brigade to have support formations permanently assigned to it, though other separate brigades would receive support elements of their own a year later. The 173rd secured these areas with company sized detachments, often patrolling the 4th ID's sectors with two unarmored M998 cargo Humvees at any given time. Accessed 26 November 2015. $13.98 $ 13. He also advised them that PAVN regulars were a much better equipped and motivated force than the VC. 173rd Airborne Brigade - United States European Command Ambush of 173rd Airborne, South Vietnam | All Works | The MFAH Collections 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. [72] Such units could be stationed in bases far from major commands, not requiring division-level unit support, an advantage in places like Alaska and Europe, where stationing entire divisions was unnecessary or impractical. The following day, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) elite 1st Airborne Task Force (the 5th and 8th Battalions) and the 3rd Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division (5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry; and an additional infantry battalion) arrived to conduct search and destroy operations north and northeast of Kon Tum. [15] The troop entered combat in 1944 and fought in three European campaigns; central Europe, the Rhineland and Ardennes-Alsace operations. [69] Herbert was relieved of his command shortly after reporting to his superior the war crimes he had witnessed. [95] The unit then took part in Operation Peninsula Strike, quelling Ba'ath party resistance and other insurgent groups. These warnings, however, made little impression on the paratroopers, who were about to become victims of their own overconfidence. Fox News' chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin provides details on Retired Green Beret Col. Paris Davis' military career. Sky Soldiers Killed in Iraq - 173rdairborne.com [5] The infantry battalions and the brigade headquarters remained in Vicenza, Italy through the transition. Four additional battalions were activated or designated at Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germany. The brigade returned most recently from a deployment stretching from late 2013 to late 2014. [3] 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. This move was called the Reorganization Objective Army Division (ROAD) plan. An internal inquiry had confirmed an officer's widely publicized charge that members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade had tortured detainees in Vietnam. The Americans reacted to the NVA buildup by launching Operation Mac-Arthur, with the 4th Infantry Division assuming operational control over the 173rd Airborne Brigade. . 74th LRS operated out of FOB Price near the town of Gereshk in the Helmand Province. The next morning, Nov. 20, 4th Bn., 503rd Inf., set out to relieve the 2nd Battalion paratroopers. 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.