 Elements of the 25th Infantry Division prepare to launch Operation Longfellow on the 17th of April. From this jumping-off point at Dock Toe in Contum Province, 480 kilometers north-northeast of Saigon, the troops head for LZ, Ohio, 32 kilometers to the north. One of the primary missions of this operation is to relocate Montagnard tribesmen from this area to the resettlement cap at Dock Toe. The men move up through some of the most rugged country of the Central Highlands. A short way from the LZ, a CP is established as some of the traffic-lighting troops secure the area. This wilderness area has never before been penetrated by American troops, and reports indicate the Viet Cong are literally holding the Montagnard villagers in bondage, seizing their livestock and crops. More than 1500 Montagnards will be rescued from the enemy before Operation Longfellow is concluded. Two days after the start of Operation Longfellow, Medevac choppers bring the wounded to the field hospital at Dock Toe. Emergency treatment is given the patients here only minutes after a wound is received in battle. The medical team at this forward area facility quickly completes its job, and the patient is then carried back to the waiting helicopter to be airlifted to the base hospital. This swift, efficient method of moving the wounded from battlefield to hospital has resulted in the saving of many thousands of lives since the beginning of American participation in the fighting in Vietnam. These troopers of the 1st Infantry Division are commencing Phase 1 of Tactical Exercise Lexington. The operation is taking place in the Long Tan area from 64 kilometers east of Saigon. It will continue from 17 to 28 April. This phase of the operation is a hunt and kill mission to dislodge any Viet Cong entrenched in the area. For one week, the camera recorded the activities of a rifle platoon engaged in operations against the Vietnamese communist forces. Most of the first day was spent in a route march, which would carry the men deep into Viet Cong dominated territory. To reach a remote village, the men spend hours moving through jungles. Until finally, the platoon leader orders a bivouac area set up for the night. While some of the men start digging in, others are sent out on security patrols to make sure the area is safe for overnight encampments. Direct flares will be set up around the camp perimeter as an added precaution against any surprise attack during the night. Anyone stumbling over these wires in the darkness will set off the armed flares lighting the night. But the precaution proved unnecessary. The flares were never fired, and the night passed without incident. The following morning, the 18th of April, the riflemen moved out, sentry dog and all, through the heavy underbrush. Once again they were headed for the nameless collection of batched huts in the forest ahead. Sometime around midday, they reached the edge of a large cocoa palm grove on the perimeter of the objective village. Quietly taking up positions in the surrounding cover, the men observed the village for a long time. Failing to spot any armed enemy, the foot soldiers entered the hamlet and interpreters questioned the residents and examined their papers. During a house-to-house search, the troopers settled back for a badly needed rest. During the course of the morning, they had covered more than 6,000 meters. Most of it was dense undergrowth. Finally satisfied that no vietcong were to be found here, the platoon began moving back toward the LZ. The day-long march on April 19th culminates with all members of the platoon reaching the appointed landing zone without mishap. At the end of three days, there has been no contact with the enemy. The choppers come in for the pick-up and the perspiring troopers are mighty glad to get aboard. Soldering in the humid jungles of Vietnam is physically demanding even for our well-conditioned infantrymen. At home base, the men hasten toward their tents. The next day, the platoon is ordered into the rung sot area along the Saigon River. It is called the Mangrove Swamp. This too of Lexington gets underway as the same weapons platoon boards LCVPs less than 72 kilometers from Saigon. Mission in this phase is to probe the swamp for any vietcong infiltrators or smugglers and the landing point is reached. The mud here creates a suction that threatens to remove a man's boot. Coffee-colored streams are crossed with the aid of a stout rope and in the interior are snake-infested sickets and quicksand bogs. One man is felled by the 100-degree heat. After four hours of hunting the enemy, the platoon discovers a trail on high ground and it is decided to set up an ambush. The infantryman in Vietnam spends most of his time searching for the VC. A radio check is made with other first division units once the trap has been set. Then the watching and waiting begin. The hours are filled with insects and heat and swamp noises. But there are no vietcong. The troops start back for the boat and again have to ford rain, swollen creeks. With the deep holes encountered in crossing, the rope is absolutely necessary. Reaching their forward camp, the men are thirsty and exhausted. Their water supply had been depleted during the long trip back and they settled down for the night. The coming of daylight, the platoon moves out and by mid-morning they are aboard the waiting boats and sailing up the placid waters of the Song Saigon. The men begin two days of rest. Most of the first day is spent sleeping and airing their clothes. Their weapons are meticulously clean. In a moment of complete relaxation, the members of the platoon have a cookout as one of the sergeants turns out charcoal hamburgers. The day is made complete as the mail arrives and the men munch while getting the word from home. All part of the life of a foot soldier in Vietnam. At Banh Binh, near the end of March, four vietcong are taken prisoner by a recon platoon of the US 25th Infantry Division. They are turned over to a brigade military intelligence team who will put them through an intensive interrogation. So at Banh Binh, an attempt is made to recover a crashed aircraft. This downed sky raider is to be picked up by a flying crane. Preparations by the crew for the aerial pickup are underway. The flying crane stands by for the signal to begin. Straps are placed at carrying points on the plane to form the harness for the lift. In a cloud of dust, the CH-54 flying crane struggles with its load, but the sky raider proves to be unmanageable and crashes back to earth. At the conjunction of the Song Bay and Song Dong Nai rivers stands the Khai Khai Special Forces Camp. Although fully operational, it is being strengthened in depth by Vietnamese civilian workers, some of whom are shown here making bricks for fortification. Located 45 kilometers northeast of Benoit, Khai Khai is the early warning outpost of a larger U.S. Special Forces Camp, Xom Kup. This plaque is being erected in honor of Xom Kup's former commander. In memory of Captain Leo Michael Donker, killed in action, 3 April 1966. Khai Khai, established in February in a Viet Cong controlled area, is manned by Vietnamese personnel called strikers. They are shown here lined up foreverly as their company commander selects a patrol. This observation tower symbolizes Khai Khai's defenses. Living quarters adjoin the defense bunkers. Another observation tower atop a concrete emplacement is manned by a striker who keeps a watchful eye beyond the perimeter. Emplaced mortars are ready for the V.C. Barbed wire lines of ditch in which claymore mines are laid. Constantine wire adds to the perimeter defense. Houses of gasoline connected to explosive charges are designed to create a wall of fire around the camp. Khai Khai's defenses are strong and getting stronger. With V.C. reported in the area, U.S. Special Forces fire a 75-millimeter recoilless rifle at an enemy concentration and are supported by an air strike. U.S. and Vietnamese camp personnel watch the strike. A Vietnamese sandpan paddles by in the foreground while sky raiders continue the air attack. As the air strike lifts, a U.S. Special Forces advisor joins a striker patrol which will proceed down river by boat to determine the effectiveness of the attack. On the banks of the Songba River just outside the town of An Khai is located the only pure water point serving the 1st Air Cavalry Division and its supporting unit. Unmounted water purification systems are operated by the Army engineers. Troops are supplied from gravity feed storage tanks after river water has been processed and pumped into the tank. Up to 6,000 gallons of water per minute can be supplied. The wash point, a short distance below the water supply point on the river, is constantly busy. The division vehicles and a host of other items like these cot are scrubbed down here. Washing from 5-ton trucks to jeeps and trailers gets washed in the waters of the Songba. Sometimes, even those who do the washing take advantage of the cool water. In mid-April, the An Khai base of the 1st Air Cavalry Division is a busy installation. The great heliport, known throughout all Vietnam as the golf course, is the center of continuous night and day activities. The helicopters of this Air Mobile Division are in constant operation, carrying out troop list schedules, logistic support missions, combat assaults or reconnaissance flights. Ground control teams and maintenance crews are on duty around the clock. Big cargo carriers like the Chinook keep troops in the forward areas resupplied with everything they need. Small observation choppers are also part of the division TO&E. Maintenance on this one calls for inspection of the airframe and control linkage. In a land of undeveloped jungle country and limited supply lines, helicopter wrecks are carefully salvaged for whatever parts may still be safely used. Nothing is wasted here. Vietnam Highway 70, running through the division camp, is one of the main traffic arteries in the area. With the rapid growth of the camp, it has become necessary to add on more roadway to handle the increased traffic. The combat engineers are carrying out the task. The construction of this standard daily bridge is part of the highway improvement plan. The bridge comes completely packaged and, like an erector set, is put together on the spot. As each section is assembled, it is joined to the next and projected across the gully on rollers. Traditionally, the monsoon season will soon be here and the dust will turn to mud. When it does, the men of the first-air cab will be ready. Camron Bay is the setting in late April for the first stage in the construction of a convalescent center. The foundations are set by men of an engineer unit. Medics join in on the construction, located in the Baker Beach area on the northern end of the peninsula. This new medical complex is designed to take some of the pressure off the overworked hospital at Natron, some 30 kilometers along the coast to the north. Construction for the entire project is to be 50% complete in June. An advanced training test for radar men, known as the Ground Surveillance Qualification Course, is given in Wielflaken, Germany in late April. Devised last year by members of the 3rd Armored Division, the GSQC is given to all its maneuver battalions, plus Division Artillery headquarters. It consists of a day and a night test. Ames of the GSQC include information on the combat readiness of surveillance teams, individual recognition of proficient radar crewmen, and it adds competition to training, inspiring both pride and skill. They are tested on their ability to spot artillery, APCs, trucks, jeeps, tanks, and small infantry patrols at distances from 1200 meters to 8 kilometers. For the test, any combination of targets is used to make up a total of 10 different targets. They move at varying speeds, ranges, and directions. According to their scores, successful teams are awarded patches. Teams placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the overall competition are awarded trophies. At the beginning of May, some of the units participating in Operation Southern Arrow meet in Mainz, Germany. The men and equipment are part of a joint operation of the U.S. Army and Air Force in Europe. In a preliminary step, troops assemble at the Robert E. Lee Barracks. There, they form a convoy to drive to one of the airlift points of departure, which has been established at the Rhine Main Air Force Base. Over the 1900 tons of equipment, over 4,000 men and hundreds of vehicles reach air bases including Erding and Neubeberg. Rows of C-130s fill all available parking places. A C-124 cargo plane is being unloaded so that it can be used to carry equipment for the operation. An O-1 is guided down the ramp. Airmaster troops prepare a jeep for airdrop. All loose gear must be tied down and cushioned. Using two assembly lines, the men buckle down vehicles and howitzers, padding contact points with honeycomb insulation. They complete this job four hours ahead of schedule. The vast quantity of supplies and equipment are placed aboard the aircraft on schedule. However, bad weather delays the start of the operation one day. Every available space at the airfield is utilized. Officers and men check over every detail of the massive operation in which 2,000 men will hit the cell. On 8 May, the word is go, and the combat-loaded troops line up to board the Air Armada. Over their objective, about 8 kilometers northeast of Leipheim, the jump signal is given. In rapid order, the men clear the jump door. With the C-130s flying at spaced intervals, each air crew is, in effect, a lead crew. Must find the drop zone and figure its own releasing point. The intricate schedule of operations is performed with remarkable accuracy. Parachute low altitude delivery is demonstrated in Europe for the first time. Exercise director Brigadier General Charles M. Gettys, 8th Infantry Division Assistant Commanding General, said of the air operation, the best I've ever seen. In New York City on 15 May, the University Heights campus of New York University is the scene of a special ceremony. Within the university's renowned Hall of Fame will be installed a bust of Brigadier General Sylvainas Sayer, known as the father of the United States Military Academy. The ceremonies begin as General Omar Bradley troops the line of Military Academy cadets and their color guards. General Bradley is among the many dignitaries present to honor General Sayer as the superintendent who drastically reorganized the Academy's educational system, thereby becoming the founder of technical education in the United States. The assembled guests enter the library auditorium for the formal unveiling of the bust. Nearby the Hall of Fame stands silent, ready to add its newest military member to the 93 great Americans whose bronze portrait busts line the colonnades. Among them is Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman and General Robert E. Lee, authors, artists, scientists and statesmen, and a single empty pedestal await State General and Educator Sylvainas Sayer, Academy superintendent from 1817 to 1833. Inside the library auditorium, Dr. Ralph W. Sockman, director of the Hall of Fame introduces General Bradley and presides over the unveiling of the bust. Director General Donald V. Bennett, present superintendent of the Military Academy, delivers the major tribute to General Sayer. He became known as the father of the Military Academy. He became known as the father of the technological schools in the country, engineering schools. And he's become known as a great American. You are celebrating that here today, his election to the Hall of Fame. The keynote address is delivered by General Bradley, representing former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, absent for reasons of health. We know, of course, that General Eisenhower is very disappointed that he was unable to be here today in person because he had been looking forward to this occasion for many weeks. The Fair Educational System was triangular in plan, with equal sides of education and discipline arising from an equally solid base of integrity. His methodology of rigid entrance requirements to eliminate the unqualified candidates for admission to the Academy, the division of classes into small sections with daily recitations on the part of each cadet and the grades thereon posted weekly, the advancement by merit with a minimum standard below which no cadet could remain, the application of learn by doing, these were entirely new principles in American education at that time. Dr. Sarkiman makes a special presentation to General Bradley. I have a gift to make to General Bradley. General Bradley, you may think this is a boulevard watch, but it's not. This, this is the first medal of Sylvain Astaire. I think as you know, we are Hall of Fame producing medals for the those in the Hall of Fame. About half have been already honored in that way. And now this is the issue of Sylvain Astaire and I take my pleasure in giving the first copy to you. A tape of President Eisenhower's address is played for the audience. In it, he states that General Sayer's ideals of duty, honor and country can serve Americans today. The ceremonies are climaxed by Dr. James M. Hester, President of New York University, who accepts the bust in behalf of the Hall of Fame and the University. We have all been privileged this afternoon to participate in a moment of American history.