 Gallant American soldiers, these Ivymen of the 4th Infantry Division, were dealt a tough hand in the Vietnam War. It was their lot to draw the almost impenetrable jungle of the 2nd Corps area near the Cambodian border to face the elite regular North Vietnamese Army. Assigned to a narrow corridor, honeycombed with North Vietnamese units operating all the way from the Cambodian border to the coastal plain of South Vietnam. The courageous Ivymen carried the war to the enemy and based him toe-to-toe for a slugout that ended in triumph for the 4th Infantry Division at a greatly expanded area of influence for the 2nd Corps. This is the heroic story of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. During two earlier wars, the 4th Division had built a solid tradition of courage and the capacity to overcome the enemy. It was organized in 1917, the Ivy Division, so-called because of the Roman nobles and its name, earned campaign streamers at the Marne Chateau Theory. Two, they spearheaded the drive along the Siegfried Line and were heavily engaged in the battle of the both. First to smash ashore on Utah Beach, the first to set foot on German soil, and among the first to enter chaos. And now the 4th Division was in action again, this time in Vietnam. In the summer of 1966, more than 3,000 men of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division arrived in Quy Nhon on the coast of South Vietnam to continue the American build-up in that beleaguered country. As the advance contingent stepped ashore, they were welcomed by the Vietnamese and by their commander, General William C. Westmoreland. They then boarded buses to the airstrip for the last leg of the journey to their base camp near Pleiku, within the 2nd Corps area which was located between the Cambodian border to the west and the South China Sea. The 1st Cavalry was already established in a narrow corridor at An Kei, but seasoned North Vietnamese Army units in regimental size controlled the great bulk of the area. The Central Highlands, difficult terrain made up of jungle, mountains, and waterways with the highest incidence of malaria in Vietnam. This was the lot of the 4th Division. The Division base was established at Dragon Mountain, renamed Camp Inari after Lieutenant Mark S. Inari, the first Ivy officer to fall in Vietnam. The rainy season was just beginning and operations were severely hampered. But neither the weather nor the harassing enemy could deter the Ivymen who were determined to make the area their own. The engineers arrived with the Division's advance party and quickly began to carve at the base of Dragon Mountain in what would soon become a city in the jungle. With security details always on alert against sudden attack, the men of the 4th cleared the area and established their quarters. Mortar-proof bunkers and fortifications were built. Metal runways were set down for aircraft landing strips and roads were slashed through the jungle to keep convoys rolling and troops on the move. Within little more than a year, the Ivy Division base camp contained more than 900 buildings. The harsh countryside was peopled mostly by mountain yards. A nomadic people who slashed and burned clearings in the forest, farm it for a time, then move on. Harvest and terrorize by the Viet Cong, these simple folk fell victims of a time and circumstance they could not fathom. A need to evacuate the mountain yards to safer areas became apparent as enemy activity increased around their villages. A program was evolved for the resettlement and care of the mountain yards. In each move, the entire village was lifted bodily, huts, belongings, and all, and transported to a more secure location. The men of the 4th Division helped to create a tight bond between the mountain yards and their country. Ivy men swept through the steaming jungle near the Cambodian border, seeking to block North Vietnamese regiments who periodically dashed across the border in hopes of a quick victory. Often, small units of Ivy men would suddenly clash with overwhelming numbers of the enemy, who pounced with swift ferocity. When the big guns of the 4th were called in for the 4th, and the heavy lead began to fly, the North Vietnamese army, the NVA disengaged as quickly as they could appear. In that autumn and winter of 66, the enemy were often able to elude our pursuing fighters. We hit them from the air, stepped at camouflage, and could only be flushed on the ground. But if that's what it took, the Ivy men were ready. They embarked on a series of search and clear missions to locate the enemy and to rob him. Big mobile guns continued to do their share in dispersing the enemy. In operations like this and similar actions in early 67, the powerful partnership of heavy mobile guns and Ivy infantry combined to pin down large enemy units and methodically beat them into the ground. Operation San Houston grew out of an attempt by the Viet Cong to interrupt work on a vital road being built from Placou to a Special Forces camp near the Cambodian border. The road-building crew had been the target of numerous mortar attacks and the scene of violent firefights. Despite intelligence reports of a large mass of NVA units, elements of the 4th division moved through difficult terrain to meet the elusive enemy. Few landing zones in the dense jungle and areas had to be cleared before resupply ships could bring in supplies and take out the sick or injured. This was the only physical link with the outside. Shoppers were called in for all types of assignments. Top priority went to combat assault missions. To spot enemy concentrations under the umbrella of dense jungle foliage, light observation helicopters were used. Once they located the enemy, the light spotters called for their big brothers, the heavily armed Huey gunships. An impressive resource of firepower. The gunships strike quickly with uncanny accuracy and formidable power. The presence on the scene was welcomed by the ground troops below, who moved in quickly to exploit the gunship attack. For the NVA, this technique was a costly experience, including a great loss of men, installations and equipment. While their buddies hacked and beat their way through the thick jungle in the north. The 3rd Brigade of the 4th Division, working with the Vietnamese Army, was assigned to Warzone C along the southern waterway. In the winter of 67, this task force spearheaded the action in Operation Cedar Falls. Positioned along the southern sector of the Saigon River, a mechanized battalion of Ivy men was charged with a two-fold mission. To engage in clear and hold operations along the river and to block the escape route of fleeing Viet Cong. As so often happened in the course of their mission, Ivy men uncovered a rich cache of rice left behind by the V.C., which was airlifted out for distribution to the south Vietnamese. Hard on the heels of Operation Cedar Falls came Operation Gatston, in which a battalion of Ivy men fought together with elements of the 25th Division. On one of their many sweeps deep in the jungle near Cambodia, they succeeded in taking a division-sized Viet Cong complex. At first, the Americans had met heavy resistance, but on the second day they moved in and found that overnight, the enemy had abandoned the area. The complex was there to be taken. At the same time, within the 2nd Corps area, the 4th Division concentrated on expanding its area of influence. With determination and tenacity, they hit the enemy with tremendous firepower. Between contacts with the enemy, the existence of the 4th Division was characterized by long periods of watchful waiting, with time for relaxation, and time to do the hard work that needed doing. Then, all at once, short but brutal pitched battles. That was the pattern until in April of 1967. The 1st and 2nd Brigade moved into operation Francis Merriam, while operating from bases nicknamed Jackson Hole and the Oasis. The objective was to screen and guard the strategic border west of Placoom. Throughout the extensive operation, units of the fighting 4th had clashed with the well-equipped North Vietnamese troops infiltrating into South Vietnam, moving men and equipment quickly into place to block enemy forces wherever they chose to cross the border. Massive artillery was employed. More than 400,000 rounds hit the enemy where it hurt. Sating firepower was a major factor in quelling the enemy offensives and in demoralizing the NVA forces. Most of the Division enjoyed the successes of Operation Francis Merriam. The Ivymen of the 3rd Brigade swung into Operation Cook. Convinced that most of the villages and hamlets in the area around Duc Phô were either Viet Cong or sympathetic to them, the 3rd Brigade undertook an intensive search operation. Countless tunnels and holes in the area turned up Viet Cong supplies and prisoners. But along with the spoils, the Ivymen had to pay a price for victory. In the fall of 67, a North Vietnamese Army regiment moved into the A Trang Valley from the sanctuary of the Cambodian Mountains to threaten the Special Forces camp at Plemer. An area sweep was undertaken. Contact was immediately established. NVA patrols were particularly active around roads, but around-the-clock Ivy operations effectively neutralized the threat. The men of the 4th succeeded in blocking the NVA thrust to destroy Plemer, while simultaneously blocking thrusts as far south as Banh Mi Tu. At the same time, Intelligence reported a heavy enemy buildup in the dusty, inhospitable valley near Duc Thô, 55 miles north of Pleiku. The Ivymen quickly responded to the challenge. Moving the infantry battalions of the 1st Brigade into the rugged mountains near the Cambodian and Laotian borders, from the enemy dug in along all major terrain features. True to their tradition of courage and daring, the men of the 4th worked their way up enemy-held hills. With an airstrip at Duc Thô under constant attack by 122-millimeter rockets, Ivymen slugged it out in the surrounding hills and sharp-pitched fights against a shrewd, well-trained, entrenched enemy. The final battle at Duc Thô occurred on the northern slopes of Hill 875. Thanksgiving Day in the 5th and final day of the assault, they hit the hill continuously, would cast by whatever cover the NVA might have used in defense of their position. Ivymen air assaulted Hill 875, cutting off a vital supply and withdrawal route for the North Vietnamese. In doing so, the fighting force proved they could win a major confrontation with NVA records. The support of all units was vital to the success of the battle. The cry medics shouted on the battlefield, threw into operation the most sophisticated facilities known to man in wartime. Within moments of the call, medics were on hand to treat and evacuate the injured. During the battle of Duc Thô, the Ivymen fought against five North Vietnamese regiments. This involved three U.S. brigades by 17 batteries of artillery, resulting in more than 1,600 of the enemy killed in action. Throughout the rugged Central Highlands, the most significant battles were for the hilltops, since the force that controlled the hilltops controlled the valleys below. The 4th Division fought to seize the most strategic hilltops for fire bases. This meant several days of saturation airstrikes and artillery fire. After the infantry had forged its way to the top, a bunker-type perimeter defense was constructed, followed by a land clearing operation. When completed, the hilltop was a barren, dusty knob protruding from the valley floor. But even then, the area was by no means secure and had to be defended against enemy assaults. Combat patrols were sent to seek out and ambush the enemy. Over-observers pinpointed enemy positions for Ivy artillery. They continued. Contributing to the victory at Docto were the big tanks and tracked vehicles of the division's armor. These rumbling giants brought new dimensions of firepower, mobility, and shock action to the ground. A Viet Cong ambush on a convoy was abruptly turned into a rout when tanks and armored personnel carriers moved into action. In short order, they had the enemy on the run. In 2009, military leaders believed that the use of armor in the jungle of mountains was impractical. But a tank battalion, two tank-laden cavalry squadrons and a mechanized infantry battalion fulfilled a variety of successful missions with the Fourth Division. These included search and clear, convoy protection, and service as a mobile reaction force. Thanks to its impressive record, armor and mechanized infantry became an integral part of the military posture in the Central Highlands. The month-long battle of Docto, part of Operation MacArthur, was the turning point for the Fourth Division in the Second Corps area. But they continued to fight the enemy wherever they found him. At Linnlock, harassment of the evasive enemy was almost a daily occurrence. In the Antoni Valley, after lacerating enemy artillery fire, Ivy men were sent out to engage an NVA force of battalion strength. Again, the Phantom enemy evaporated when surprise and favorable odds were not his. Leaving behind considerable arms and equipment and numerous graves. In the Antoni Valley, too, a vital landing zone had to be secured so that needed communications equipment and supplies could be flown in. Units of Ivy men closed in on the NVA positions and met with heavy small arms fire. But in the end, the enemy was neutralized and the landing zone secured. As the struggle went on, a new enemy buildup in the Docto area was reported in the winter of 68. Troops of Ivy men were airlifted for an assault on Strategic Hill 1049. Wave after wave of helicopters lifted the fighting men into the assault. Moving with the precision of a well-integrated combat force, the seasoned Ivy men forged their way through enemy hill positions and took the hill in five sorties. From their newly won hilltop advantage, the men of the Fourth were then able to send out numerous short-range reconnaissance patrols to locate the enemy and report their position. Mortar fire was then poured into the positions to pin the enemy down. Huey Cobras swept in with rockets and raking machine gun fire. Prevented the North Vietnamese from mounting even one major offensive in the area. Thanks to the short-range reconnaissance patrols and their supporting units, threat after threat to the Fourth Division area was eliminated. The Fourth Division has been eminently successful in the Central Highlands. Within two years, their zone of influence increased tenfold, covering some 10,000 square miles of rugged terrain to the story. The success of the Fourth Division's mission was due to the dedication of young men working as a team. Each man was totally devoted to the job at hand and to his fellow soldier, dedicated to give the best that was in him, because that was the best way out for himself too. The Fourth Division, answering its third call to arms, saw its duty in Vietnam's Central Highlands and did it with dignity and distinction. The officers and men of the Season 4th Infantry Division stand fully prepared to defeat communist aggression and give the people of South Vietnam the opportunity to live in peace and in freedom. Throughout Vietnam, the IV patches worn proudly by IV men and feared by the enemy.