Troops of the 9th Infantry Division, nicknamed “The OLD RELIABLES,” have scored many major triumphs since launching combat operations in Vietnam during December, 1966.

The most significant achievements include numerous victories over Main Force Viet Cong and North Vietnamese units from the Demilitarized Zone to the Mekong Delta, formation of a Mobile Riverine Force, suppression of the VC terror campaign during Tet, 1968 , and of a follow up attempt to invade Saigon 1n May and a record number of enemy killed during intense fighting in the first months of 1969.

Since February of 1968, the Division has killed more than 22,000 Viet Cong and NVA soldiers with more than 7,000 being eliminated since the present commander Major General Harris W. Hollis took command April 2, 1969.

The latest chapter of 9th Division history opened Feb. 1, 1966 when the OLD RELIABLES became the first division since World War II to be organized, equipped and trained for deployment to an overseas combat theater.

At Fort Riley, Kan., the 9th was prepared for a new kind of war, where U.S. helicopters dominated the airlines and armored assault boats pursued the enemy in his remote ground and water hideaways. “

Early in May, a warning order from I Department of the Army alerted the Division for movement to Southeast Asia during December.

Organized under the ROAD (Reorganization Objective Army Division) concept, the Division includes 10 maneuver battalions (three each assigned to the 39th, 47th and 60th Infantries, plus the 6th Battalion, 31st Infantry), the 3d Squadron, 5th Cavalry, 15th Engineer Battalion and Division Artillery boasting four organic artillery battalions. Further- more, it has three brigade headquarters, the 9th Aviation Battalion,

9th Signal Battalion and the typical support command unit with Headquarter Company and Band, 9th Administration Company, 9th Medical Battalion, 9th. Supply and Transport Battalion and the 709th Maintenance Battalion. There are also a Division Headquarters and Headquarters Company and the 9th Military Police Company. Supporting the Division are two additional engineer battalions and an aviation battalion.

On Oct 19 the 15th Engineers became the first echelon to arrive in Vietnam and immediately began developing a Division-size base camp, called Bearcat, located near Long Thanh, about 20 miles northeast of Saigon.

Other advance parties of the Division were deployed to Vietnam by air, with the first group landing Dec. 8. The rest traveled aboard Naval, transport ships and arrived between Dec. 19, 1966- Feb 2, 1967.

The official entry of the Division to Vietnam was recorded Dec. 19 when Major General George S. Eckhardt led an increment of 5,000 Old Reliables onto the beaches of Vung Tau, where they were welcomed by General Wiiliam C. Westmoreland, the Commander of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam.

In mid-January, the 9th Division became the first American infantry unit to establish a permanent camp in the VC-infested Mekong Delta. The Division’s 3d Brigade headquarters and the 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry occupied Camp Dong Tam, five miles west of My Tho on a branch of the My Tho River.

In the Division’s first significant contact with the enemy on Jan 20, 1st and 3d Brigade units, along with the 3d Squadron, 5th Cavalry, cut down 14 Viet Cong during Operation COLBY.

A month later, the 3d Battalion, 34th Artillery, supporting the 3d Battalion. 47th Infantry. mounted 105mm howitzers on floating barges and began to navigate the Delta waterways.

In March, the lst, Brigade and the 3d/5th Cav joined Operation JUNCTION CITY, then the largest operation of the war. During this multi-division operation, the OLD RELIABLES encountered their first important battle. In the pre-dawn hours of March 20. Troop A, 3/5th Cav was attacked by element of the 273d VC Regiment near Bau Bang, about 34 miles north of Saigon. A furious six hour firefight left 230 enemy dead, while friendly losses were four killed and 67 wounded.

A few weeks later, another lopsided engagement near Rach Kien in Long A Province produced 207 VC killed. against one American dead and 15 wounded. A pre-planned air strike exposed underground VC positions and forced the enemy to flee their damaged hideouts. Immediately the 3d Battalion, 39th Infantry, together with the 2d, 3d and 5th Battalions, 60th Infantry, boxed in the disorganized enemy and took a heavy toll.

Deeper in the Mekong Delta on May 2, elements of the 2d Brigade collided with a force from the 514th VC Battalion. Displaying exceptional resourcefulness, the 3rd Battalion. 60th Infantry and 3d Battalion, 47th Infantry encircled the enemy as helicopter gun ships and fighter bombers rained deadly streams of fire. A search of the Ap Bac battlefield, near Dong Tam, accounted for 195 enemy bodies.

During mid-May, the Cam Son Secret Zone, 20 miles west of Dong Tam, became the target of a combined recon in force operation. In this sweep, the 3d and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry, joined by elements of the 7th ARVN Division and several Naval river assault teams, killed 11 enemy.

Emphasized during the Delta fighting was the need for a mobile strike force capable of navigating the Mekong waterways. In June the solution came with the formation of the Mobile Riverine Force. composed of two 2d Brigade battalions and Naval Task Force 117. Operating from a fleet of 100 Naval vessels, the MRF initiated extensive combat operations in the Mekong marshlands.

In their first major contact June 19-22, MRF units netted 256 VC kills at Rach Nui Canal, west of Rach Kien.

The focus of action shifted north to Phuoc Tuy Province on July 10, as the 1st Brigade teamed with the 1st Australian Task Force and two battalions of Vietnamese Marines to begin Operation PADDINGTON. The six-day mission, designed to open VC-dominated jungle, resulted in 93 enemy killed.

Another heated engagement came two weeks later as elements of the 11th Armored Cavalry conducted a major jungle clearing operation along Highway 20 in Long Thanh Province. Suddenly besieged by an estimated battalion of the 275th VC Regiment, the cavalrymen mounted a savage counterattack which felled 90 enemy.

Early in August, a joint American and Vietnamese force tightened the noose around a suspected enemy stronghold in the Cam Son Secret Zone durin8 Operation CORONADO II. After eight days the Allies from the 2d Brigade, Naval Task Force 117 and ARVN Rangers, Marines and infantrymen counted 285 dead VC.

Encouraged by the success of CORONADO II, soldiers of the 2d Brigade, combined with two battalions of the 3d Brigade and ARVN units, continued combat probes into the enemy haven of Cam Son. Totals for the 27-day Operation CORONOADO V in September were 330 enemy killed and one crew served and 11 individual weapons with 11,200 rounds of small arms ammo seized from enemy supply caches.

On Sept. 21, after months of preparation by the 9th Division, the 2,200 man Royal Thai Army Volunteer Regiment landed in Vietnam as the fifth free world force to join the South Vietnamese in their struggle. Operating out of Bearcat, the Queen’s Cobras began combat and civic action operations in the Nhon Trach jungles, 20 miles southeast of Saigon.

In October, elements of the 1st Brigade, 3d/5th Cav and supporting units turned up a massive system of tunnels and bunkers 13 miles southeast of Bearcat which was at the time the largest arms cache ever found in Vietnam. Nearly two weeks of extensive digging and counting yielded 1,140 weapons, 95.000 rounds of small arms ammo, 3,634 grenades, 2,273 recoilless rifle shells and 452 mortar rounds. The haul included four 75mm howitzers, the first artillery pieces taken from the VC by U.S. forces.

After a month of scattered contact, action exploded again during Operation CORONADO IX on Dec. 4. Two battalions of the Mobile Riverine Force, working with the Vietnamese Marines, eliminated 250 VC in day-long fighting along the Rach Ruong Canal 6 miles southwest of Saigon.

Combat activity slackened the first month of 1968. The only major engagement during the first 30 days came on Jan. 10th, when the 2d Brigade counted 47 enemy bodies after bitter fighting in Dinh Tuong Province. The action marked the first contact with the 261st VC Battalion.

Then on Jan. 31, during the Tet truce, massive guerrilla attacks broke out from the DMZ to the Delta. The 9th Division swiftly grabbed the initiative and turned the tables on the brazen insurgents. Once the VC and North Vietnamese Army units exposed themselves, they immediately were shoved on the defensive by the Divisions inexorable counterthrust. Before the Viet Cong tidal wave subsided, Division infantrymen found themselves engaged on many unaccustomed fronts and unrehearsed missions. Units of the 1st Brigade were summoned from their jungle environment into the Mekong Delta. Armored vehicles from the 3d/5th Cav helped to crush an enemy uprising at Bien Hoa airport, first and last stop for many servicemen in Vietnam. Troops of the 2d and 3d Brigades, who normally slosh through the Mekong mire, tracked down marauding bands of invaders in World War II style street fighting at Ben Tre and My Tho. Other Delta oriented units flushed Viet Cong terrorists out of the Saigon-Cholon area.

To overcome the biggest push of the war, the OLD RELIABLES gained momentum early and never failed to carry the battle to the VC. Division soldiers achieved decisive victories at Long Binh, Bien Hoa, Saigon-Cholon, Ben Tre, Xuan Lac, My Tho, Vinh Long, Ap Bac, Can Tho and Tan An.

By Feb. 22 more than l,625 VC and NVA bodies were credited to Division troops. A stunning blow had been dealt the terrorists.

Nevertheless, on Feb. 25, the daring enemy attempted an early-morning assault on Fire Support Base Jaeger, 10 miles west of Dong Tam. More than 500 VC were repelled by members of the 5th/60th reinforced by artillery batteries. After four hours of fierce fighting. More than 100 enemy bodies were counted and over 45 weapons were captured.

For weeks after squelching the Tet terrorist outbreak, Allied forces ringed Saigon, sealing off the city to would-be-infiltrators. At the beginning of May, the upcoming Paris peace talks reinforced expectations of another enemy show 0f strength.

When the long-awaited second wave of Viet Cong thrust finally began May 7, it proved a pale replica of its predecessor. Only at the southern edge of the capital, where the Y-Bridge crossed the Kinh Doi Canal, did the enemy follow up his mortaring with a ground assault.

The OLD RELIABLES, seasoned by their February conquests in urban operations, dashed to the scene and repeatedly smothered enemy jabs at the entrance of Cholon, the Chinese community of Saigon.

As action spilled over into the suburbs, thousands of men, women and children poured into the city seeking refuge. Many were cut down by the enemy, who honor no distinction between Allied soldiers and innocent civilians.

Five battalions of Division infantrymen, closely supported by armored personnel carriers, helicopter gun ships, artillery and Air Force warplanes killed almost 1.000 VC and NVA in eight days of sharp fighting. Over 200 enemy bodies were counted the first day, when ground forces choked off the intruders in a factory complex where Huey gun ships sprayed their lethal rockets and mini-guns on the frenzied invaders.

Later, U.S. and ARVN commanders credited the Division with achieving one of the biggest victories of the war.

Yet the OLD RELIABLES did not let up in their pursuit of enemy forces throughout the Mekong Delta.

From June 1-4, elements of the lst Brigade, led by the legendary “Gunfighter” Colonel Henry Emerson, relentlessly tracked two VC battalions through the treacherous Plain of Reeds and joined with artillery and air strikes to kill over 225 enemy.

Resuming combat sorties in the Mekong Delta late in July, the MRF, bolstered by the 5th Vietnamese Marine Battalion, killed over 130 VC and captured over 75 weapons and an arms factory near Vi Thanh, about 20 miles southwest of Can Tho.

Early in August, the water-borne infantrymen plunged into the previously secure enemy lair of U-Minh Forest.

After months of being pounded by the OLD RELIABLES, the enemy began to change his tactics breaking into smaller groups making larger contacts fewer in the final months of 1968.

The 3d Brigade was involved in the heaviest fighting in October.

The largest contact came when elements of the 6th Battalion, 31st Infantry and 1st Battalion, l6th Infantry (later re-designated 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry) killed 138 Viet Cong during fierce fighting 12 miles west of My Phuoc Tay Oct. 4-5.

The enemy was dug in along a heavily wooded and bunkered area along a canal and air and artillery were called in. A sweep of the battlefield turned up 89 AK-47 rifles, 12 RPD Machine guns, two 82mm mortars and sights, 110 mortar rounds. 62 RPG launchers, two heavy machine guns. 58 VC gas masks, 97 B-40 rockets, 46 B-41 rockets, 82,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and various other equipment.

Later in the month the Go Devil Brigade killed 59 VC when they fought an estimated battalion for two days 10 miles west of Cai Lay, Oct. 18. Again the 6th/31st and 1st/16th were involved. The fight began when helicopter gun ships of Troop D, 3d/5th Cav made contact with the enemy.

In November the 1st Recondo Brigade found large groups of enemy. The Recondos combined with helicopter gun ships, artillery and air strikes to kill 52 members of two enemy local force platoons just north of Cai Lay Nov. 23. The enemy was found in a heavily bunkered area and surrounded by the infantry while air and artillery units destroyed them.

The Recondos came into heavy contact again Nov. 30 when they reacted to intelligence provided by a Long Range Patrol and elements of the 2d Battalion, 39th Infantry and supporting gun ships from D Troop, 3d/5th killed 86 Viet Cong between Cai Lay and Cat Be.

The Cav helicopters scouted the area and found the VC near where the patrol had spotted them. Infantrymen were air inserted and pressed from two sides while artillery pounded at each end of the enemy position and gun ships sought out individuals and small groups of enemy soldiers. Each element protected the others as they closed in on the VC.

The first five months of 1969 saw the OLD RELIABLES involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the war as they slammed the offensive-minded enemy time and again killing more then 10,000 NVA and Viet Cong.

In January over 1,000 of the enemy were killed by the 9th Division as Old Reliable infantrymen and supporting units pounded the already badly battered indigenous VC and newly arrived NVA infiltrators.

The largest contact was made when the 3d Brigade killed 78 enemy northwest of Tan An on Jan. 26. The 1st Recondo Brigade had four contacts each totaling near 50 during the month, but most of the other contacts were with squad size units as the enemy remained in small groups avoiding contact.

For the second time in less than a year, OLD RELIABLES were honored with the Vietnamese Valorous Unit Citation, Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Armed Forces Level, in a ceremony held Jan. 14 in front of Division Headquarters.

Recipient of the award was the First Recondo Brigade, who played havoc with enemy forces in Long An Province during the period June 23, 1968, to November 13, 1968.

With February came the awaited Tet offensive. The enemy did not get their offensive off the ground in the Delta as the Division units killed almost 2,000, topping last year’s Tet total. The enemy never managed a major attack on Delta cities or Allied bases.

Operating in the desolate Plain of Reeds, the 3d Brigade started off the month by killing 55 enemy on Feb. 1. The contact was begun when radio monitors of the 2d Battalion, 4th Artillery picked up a strange signal and followed it to its source.

The largest enemy contact of the month occurred one Feb. 20 when three companies of the 2d Brigade Mobile Riverine Force with supporting air cav, jets, and artillery killed 90 VC 10 miles east of Ben Tre.

The 1st Brigade, under Colonel John P. Geraci and Colonel Ira A. Hunt, killed 814 of the enemy while sustaining only 12 U.S. killed. Making maximum use of their Night Hunter operations, the Recondos accounted for almost half of their kills after dark as they denied the enemy his old sanctuary, the night.

The divisions 2d Brigade MRF accounted for 704 of the enemy kills in February as they tracked the enemy relentlessly through watery Kien Hoa Province. The MRF combined several major contacts with heavy, scattered actions to rack up their record total. Fighting reached its peak in March as the Division killed 3,350 of the enemy, the Division largest total of the war.

Concentrating on extremely successful Night Hunter operations, the 1st Recondo Brigade accounted for 1639 enemy dead. The most significant contact came during a three day battle March 22-24 in which “Hard Core” Recondo’s of the 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry and supporting elements killed 143 VC 15 miles west of Cai Be.

The 2d Brigade Mobile Riverine Force found increasing night operations were successful in netting 1,084 dead VC. Again the contacts throughout Kien Hoa Province were scattered, but averaged nearly 40 enemy dead per day.

The 3d Brigade Go Devils accounted for 502 enemy dead in Long An Province and the infamous Plain of Reeds. Like the rest of the Division, the brigade contacts were for the most part small and scattered. One significant encounter came when elements of the 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry killed 40 VC near the Bo Bo Canal in the Plain of Reeds.

Fighting continued heavy in April as the Old Reliables again tapped 3,000 kills registering 3,117 Viet Cong and NVA killed. The fighting in the areas of the 1st and 2d Brigades came mostly in scattered contacts, with night operations and ambushes being particularly successful. In Long An Province, the enemy was not caught as often, but in larger groups.

The 2d Brigade MRF killed 1,254 VC and had the largest single contact of the month when companies from the 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry and 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry teamed with supporting helicopter gun ships to kill 102 enemy in Vinh Binh Province.

Again using night tactics with great success, the 1st Recondo Brigade killed 1,208 VC in their operations in Dinh Tuong Province. In the most successful night operation of the month, five Recondo troopers from the 2d Battalion, 39th Infantry combined with helicopter gun ships from the 9th Aviation Battalion to kill 52, April 25.

Action in the 3d Brigades area of operation came with fewer, but more sizeable contacts as the Go Devils killed 641 of the enemy.

The Division’s only mechanized battalion, the 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry, had a busy month as they fought NVA units killing 20 or more four times. In the largest of contacts, two companies worked with artil1ery and air strike support to kill 61 of the enemy in a bunker complex northeast of Binh Phuoc April 26.

During May, the Division continued to seek out and destroy the enemy in small groups. The units also caught and pounded large Viet Cong and NVA units in several major actions while killing almost 3,000.

In two periods, May 11-12 and May 22-24, fighting reached its heights as all three infantry Brigades were in heavy contact with enemy units grouped for a possible spring offensive in the Delta.

The Recondos of the 1st Brigade killed 1,138 VC and had the largest single contact in May when four companies of the 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry teamed with helicopter gun ships of the 191st Assault Helicopter Company to kill 112 VC May 22 in Dinh Tuong Province. Using the highly successful tactic of preplanned blocking positions to support airmobile insertions, the battalion surprised and surrounded an estimated main force VC battalion.

In Kien Hoa Province, in many successful ambushes and night operations, the Riverine men smashed the enemy in two heavy actions and killed 984 VC in May. The largest kills came late in the month when two companies of the 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry killed 94 VC while suffering only four wounded in an action two miles south of the Division base camp.

Go Devils of the 3d Brigade, like the rest of the Division, had no trouble finding the enemy in May as they killed 550 VC and NVA.

The most intense fighting came during the peak of enemy activity May 11-12 when companies of the 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry and 2d and 5th Battalions, 60th Infantry rushed to support Vietnamese units and together killed 91 NVA.

A single reconnaissance platoon of the 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry killed 32 of the enemy in two days of fighting around the village of Thu Thua, west of Tan An.

As the 9th Infantry Division nears the completion of 51 years of service to the United States, a new chapter is beginning to unfold. The Secretary of Defense has announced the redeployment of the Division Headquarters and 1st Recondo Brigade to Hawaii and the inactivation of the 2nd Brigade, while the 3rd brigade Go Devils will continue the mission in Long An to inflict heavy casualties on the Viet Cong.

A well known biblical passage does much to sum up the Division’s esprit-de-corps. It states, “Here am I, Send me. The OLD RELIABLES will continue to serve their country Whenever and Wherever they are needed. This is the 9th Infantry Division.

OLD RELIABLES of the 9th Infantry Division were presented the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm, the highest unit valor award, and the Civic Action Honor Medal with Oak Leaf on 5 July 1969. The awards are in recognition of the division’s exceptional valor and extraordinary performance in combat from 1 January to 31 May 1969, and significant accomplishments in civic action since its arrival in Vietnam in December 1966 to 30 June 1969.

The 9th Infantry Division is the only division to receive a second Gallantry Cross with Palm.

Through its aggressive combat operations from January through May 1969, the Division contributed to the destruction of the enemy Winter- Spring Offensive plans and prevented attacks on Saigon and other cities, thus preserving the security of the countryside and providing a favorable environment for an active pacification program. The OLD RELIABLES were involved in 22 major combat engagements with North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong main force units as well as thousands of small contacts during this period. More than 12,000 enemy were killed while 550 were taken prisoner and 248 rallied under the Chieu Hoi program. Under the leadership of Major General Harris W. Hollis, the 9th Division eliminated 6,157 enemy during April and May 1969.

Pacification is the second part of the division’s two-fold mission in Vietnam. While keeping constant pressure on the enemy, OLD RELIABLES have been very active in civil affairs making friends and helping the people.

Civil Affairs is many things to many people. To the Vietnamese, it may be badly needed medical attention, material to build and improve their facilities, a new market place or a road leading to it.

To the men of the 9th Division, civil affairs has meant a chance to lend a helping hand to those who need it. It is a chance to get to know the people and make friends. The OLD RELIABLES have used every opportunity to help the Vietnamese people, making life a little easier in the midst of a war.

The civil affairs section fights a never-ending battle against disease, poverty and isolation. They conduct educational programs, distribute supplies to the needy, lend medical attention through Medical Civic Action Projects (MEDCAPS), rebuild and renovate buildings and facilities and conduct extensive psychological operations (PSYOPS) to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Since its arrival in Vietnam in December 1966, the division has treated more than 700,000 patients through its MEDCAP program. In the first five months of 1969, more than 200,000 Vietnamese were treated. In addition some 158 Vietnamese were trained as public health cadre in the war against disease.

People from the areas surrounding Dong Tam flock there at the rate of 1,000 a day to receive medical attention at the daily MEDCAP staged at the main gate by the Division Support Command.

Many battalions within the division have instituted what is known as the civilian hospital sponsorship program to supplement their MEDCAP work. Under the program, a battalion MEDCAP team will seek out area civilians with serious conditions or deformities and refer them to affiliated hospitals in Saigon.

The program has aided amputees and persons with cleft palates with the medical and hospital expenses covered by the Government of Vietnam. When a child is sponsored, the program stipulated that he or she must be accompanied by a parent. In this case, the sponsoring battalion pays the adults living expenses for the duration of the child’s stay.

As many as four or five civilians a month have been sponsored at Cho Ray Hospital and the National Rehabilitation Institute by battalions with ready access to the capital.

A new concept recently developed within the division is the DENTCAP . In this program an American dental team with an interpreter visits the remote areas where people have never seen a dentist and know little about oral hygiene. The teams do what they can to improve the dental health of the people and disseminate facts about dental care.

NIGHTCAPS are another relatively new concept in civil affairs. This is essentially a MEDCAP except the team moves into the area in the afternoon, treats those in need of attention and then spends the night with the people to win their confidence. Often a movie projector is taken on the NIGHTCAP and movies are shown to the people after dark.

The division has also sponsored an active program to repair and construct facilities in neighboring cities and hamlets. Many new schools, churches, orphanages, bridges and roads have been constructed through the joint effort of the Americans and Vietnamese. Using material and advice from the Americans, the Vietnamese demonstrate their energy and ingenuity in project after project throughout the Delta.

More than 300 schools have been reconstructed and equipped, 447 bridges, more than 700 miles of road and 27 pagodas have been repaired or replaced as a result of the division’s program.

Improving the educational level of the people is another important project of the civil affairs section. In addition to building and repairing schools the division has helped by operating a school for Vietnamese children in Dong Tam. In addition, OLD RELIABLE soldiers became teachers in four My Tho schools, teaching English two hours a week to 1,000 students.

The division has done much to assist the innocent victims of the war. Food, clothing, educational, medical and recreational items are distributed to the needy and the men of the 9th Division support 89 orphanages plus a variety of churches, hospitals, leper colonies and schools.

The OLD RELIABLES use every possible means of winning the hearts and minds of the people through an extensive psychological operations (PSYOPS). The division uses every available medium for getting the PSYOPS messages to the people. Loudspeakers, both aerial and ground, leaflet dissemination and face to face contact are used extensively.

Much valuable information is given voluntarily by the people who are reached through these operations and many enemy soldiers rally to the side of the government under the Chieu Hoi program because of PSYOPS.

The battle of civil affairs is fought daily, but success is not measured in body count. It is measured in the confidence and friendship that the Vietnamese people give to the Government of Vietnam and the Allied Forces and in this battle the 9th Infantry Division has proven a winner.

THE CHIEF OF JOINT GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF VN ARMED FORCES DECIDES
Republic of Vn, Department Department of Defense, Joint CHIEF OF STAFF/RVNAF Adjutant General

No I 44O/TTM/TQT/ QD/DVBT

Item 1 :
To award the Civil Actions Honor Medal, first class to, THE NINTH US ARMY INFANTRY DIVISION Serving in Viet-Nam from 19 Dec 1966 to the present, the 9th US Infantry Division has obtained many significant results in the spheres or Warfare and Civil Actions.

Especially in the area of Civil Actions, the 9th US Inf. Div. soldiers, in spite of hardship, carried out their activities in the remote hamlets in helping the Vietnamese People through their medical support, education and psywar assistance, repair and construction of pub11c facilities for the war victims.

-In the area of public health, the 9th US Inf Div has trained 158 public health cadres, given medical examinations and treated 708,588 persons.
-In the educational domain, the 9th US Inf Div has reconstructed and equipped 356 schools in Tien-Giang DTA, 1 school in the vicinity of Dong-Tam Base, opened many English courses in 4 high schools in My-Tho City for almost 30,000 students.
-In the psywar area, the 9th US Inf Div has carried out many loud speaker and leaflet dropping missions resulting in 8,949 VC Cadres rallied to the National Cause.

In addition, the 9th US If! Div provided 48,256 man powers to help the local people in repairing the destroyed houses, furnished 89 orphanages with construction materials, distributed 1,000 tons of food and 8 tons of clothes to the refugees of the Communist Danger, as well as provided active assistance in repairing 447 bridges, 1107 Km of roads, 27 pagodas and in repairing and defending the 4th Highway.

Through the above glorious achievements, the 9th US Inf Div has greatly contributed to the common struggle against Communism, as well as helped the Republic of Viet-Nam in its reconstruction.

Item 2:
This Awarding is enclosed with :

-Unit Citation Streamer in Civil Actions Honor Medal Color with Oak Leaf for the 9th US Inf Div Guidon and its Units mentioned in the list enclosed herewith,
-Civil Actions Honor Medal, First Class for Major General Harris w. Hollis, Division Commander ,
-Unit Citation Badge in Civil Actions Honor Medal Color with Oak Leaf for the 9th US Inf Div and attached units’ soldiers.

Item 3:
The Joint Chief of Staff has the mission of executing this Decision.
APO.4002;
28 June 1969
General CAO-VAN-VIEN Chief of JGS/RVNAF (s/s))

THE CHIEF OF JOINT GENERAL STAFF OF THE REPUBLIC OF VN ALLIED FORCES CITES AT ARMED FORCES LEVEL :

Republic of Viet-Nam Department or Defense Joint General Staff/RVNAF Adjutant General

No : 198 -D /TTM/CL
-The 9th US INFANTRY’ Division -US Army.

The 9th Infantry Division, an excellent unit, always raised the brave fighting spirit.

During the period January to July 1969 …the 9th US Infantry Division has closely cooperated with the RVN Armed Forces to continuously launching operations destroying communist forces in the borders between the 3rd and 4th Tactical Zones covering the Provinces of Long-An, Dinh- Tuong, Kien-Hoa and Go-Cong.

In the above-said operations, the 9th US Infantry Division, with a decisive intention to engage the enemy and win every battle, has applied new tactics obliging the communists to engage in battle throughout the Operation Area even their safety special area.

Throughout the 22 major engagements with North Vietnamese Army and Viet-Cong main force, as well as other thousand of small contacts, the 9th us Infantry Division and its attached units caused heavy casualties to the enemy with intense fire supports of artillery , armed helicopters and tactical air support. The engagements resulted in:

-12,458 North Regular Army soldiers and VC killed,
-550 others caught alive, -248 returnees,
-Many weapons of all kind, ammunition and important documents captured,
-Actively participating in the above glorious victories, the

9th US Infantry Division has greatly contributed to the destruction of the Winter-Spring Offensive Plan of the communists, Which attempted to launch devastating attack on Saigon and cities south of Saigon. This restored the security of the country-side and provided an environment in which a multitude of pacification activities of the Republic ft Vietnam Government were effectively developed and brought fine results.

This Citation is enclosed with :

-Unit Citation Streamer in Gallantry Cross Color with Palm for the 9th US Infantry Division Guidon and its Units mentioned in the list enclosed herewith,
-Cross of Gallantry with Palm for Major General Harris w. Hollis, Division Commander,
-Unit Citation Badge in Gallantry Cross Color with Palm for the 9th US Infantry Division and attached Unit soldiers.

APO.
4002, 27 June 1969
General CAO-V AN-VIEN Chief of JGSIRVNAF (sis)

Courtesy of John Sperry, MRFA Vice President