The Legendary Chinese Bandit Recon LRRP Team 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav 1965-66...Laying Down FIRST Tracks in the Central Highlands...the ONLY US Recon, LRRP, Ranger, Special Forces, Seal Team, MACV-SOG Team or other Special Operations Unit to Receive Two Presidential Unit Citations During a Single Year of Combat Duty in ANY US Conflict or War...the Presidential Unit Citation is the Nation's Highest Decoration for Extraordinary Heroism
We answered President John F. Kennedy's call to not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country ... and fought to free the oppressed.
Delta
Company "Spirit of Robert Rogers in the Footsteps of Lauri Torni and Tutelage of Frenchy Theriault...FIRST Wave...Chinese Bandits Led the Way!"
Reconnaissance & Combat Patrols, including Long Range Reconnaissance (LRRP)
"Chinese Bandits Penetrate Deeper...and where others FEARED to tread"
Parachute Operations at Pleiku December 1965
"The Chinese Bandit Recon LRRP Team 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav 1965-66 was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism for their participation in the Battles of the Ia Drang (November 1965) and Nathan Hale (June 1966); conducted the historic FIRST night combat rappel along the Cambodian border led by RANGER Lawson during the Battle of the Ia Drang; and performed DOD/MACV/OP-35 directed long range reconnaissance (LRRP) operations led by 101st RECONDO Grimes along the northern Cambodia and southern Laos borders in the spring of 1966."
1st Bn
(ABN) 8th Cav (1965-1966)...the MOST DECORATED Unit of the Vietnam War
1st Airborne Brigade, 1st Air
Cavalry Division
Updated 20 August 2009
D Co 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav was awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation for Heroic Actions at Pleiku
Province (November 1965) for actions during the now famous Battle
of Ia Drang where Recon was OPCON to the 1st Airborne Brigade and performed reconnaissance operations north of the Ia Drang river along the Cambodian border in search of the NVA units fleeing from the attack on the Special Forces camp at Plei Mei where RANGER Lawson captured the first NVA prisoner of the battle. This citation is awarded to units of the Armed
Forces for extraordinary heroism in action against an
enemy. The
unit must display such gallantry, determination, and
esprit de corps
in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult
and hazardous
conditions as to set it apart and above other units
participating in
the same campaign. The degree of heroism required is the
same as
that which would warrant award of a Distinguished Service
Cross to
an individual.
D Co 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav was awarded its second Presidential Unit Citation for Extraordinary Heroism during Operation Nathan Hale (June 1966) for actions in the vicinity of LZ Eagle embroidered TRUNG LUONG where the battalion was inserted to relieve the 2d Bn (ABN) 327th Inf, 101st Airborne Division. Both battalions encountered stiff NVA resistance resulting in hand to hand combat and three Chinese Bandit scouts were killed and many were wounded in three separate engagements west of Trung Luong while OPCON 1st Bn 9th Cav.
Delta Personnel
Roster
Headquarters
Anti-Tank
Platoon
Mortar
Platoon Personnel with Mortar Platoon History
Recon
Platoon and LRRP Team
(MOS 113/11F4P/V/S)
A Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) was formed from members of the 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav Recon platoon and attached to division headquarters
in the spring of 1966 as directed by the Department of Defense/MACV/OP-35 where LRRP teams from the US Army Special Forces, US Marine Corps,
Navy and other Army units were established to conduct simultaneous patrols within the Republic of Vietnam. LRRP operations had been suspended in Vietnam following the detection of the B-52 recon teams and the 1st Cav Division’s insertion of an infantry battalion adjacent to a previously undetected NVA regiment. This operation was intended to assess the capability of selected American intelligence units to conduct LRRP operations for the purpose of locating and observing large size NVA units and identify any changes warranted prior to the resumption of long range ground reconnaissance operations in SE Asia. The Chinese Bandit Recon LRRP Team performed their first DOD/MACV/Division LRRP Operations, including two week 75 km night movements, in Gai Lai, Kon Tum (Laos and Cambodia borders of Vietnam) and Binh Dinh Provinces during the Spring/Summer of 1966. The performance of the Chinese Bandit Team was largely responsible for General Westmoreland's decision to order the formation of Long Range Reconnaissance company size units to conduct LRRP operations in the SE Asia theater of operations.
The original scroll patch was designed, purchased and worn First by Combat Jones (AT) in the spring of 1966...the patch design was inspired by those worn by the WWII and Korean war RANGER units...YELLOW lettering was used on the first patch designs to denote the 1st Cavalry Division
Led by Jumpmaster-Ranger-101st RECONDO-Pathfinder-Special Forces-Jungle Expert Qualified NCOs and Specialists
Commander's Corner, Poems by Unit Personnel and Unit Chronology
"Pappy"
1SG's Corner...1SGTs Smith (1965-66) and "Pappy" Loughran, SGM USA Ret (1966-67)
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Delta
Company "Spirit of Robert Rogers in the Footsteps of Lauri Torni and Tutelage of Frenchy Theriault...FIRST Wave...Chinese Bandits Led the Way!" |
| |
| Parachute Operations at Pleiku December 1965 | "The Chinese Bandit Recon LRRP Team 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav 1965-66 was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism for their participation in the Battles of the Ia Drang (November 1965) and Nathan Hale (June 1966); conducted the historic FIRST night combat rappel along the Cambodian border led by RANGER Lawson during the Battle of the Ia Drang; and performed DOD/MACV/OP-35 directed long range reconnaissance (LRRP) operations led by 101st RECONDO Grimes along the northern Cambodia and southern Laos borders in the spring of 1966." |
| 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav (1965-1966)...the MOST DECORATED Unit of the Vietnam War |
| 1st Airborne Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division |
| Updated 20 August 2009
|
D Co 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav was awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation for Heroic Actions at Pleiku
Province (November 1965) for actions during the now famous Battle
of Ia Drang where Recon was OPCON to the 1st Airborne Brigade and performed reconnaissance operations north of the Ia Drang river along the Cambodian border in search of the NVA units fleeing from the attack on the Special Forces camp at Plei Mei where RANGER Lawson captured the first NVA prisoner of the battle. This citation is awarded to units of the Armed
Forces for extraordinary heroism in action against an
enemy. The
unit must display such gallantry, determination, and
esprit de corps
in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult
and hazardous
conditions as to set it apart and above other units
participating in
the same campaign. The degree of heroism required is the
same as
that which would warrant award of a Distinguished Service
Cross to
an individual.
D Co 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav was awarded its second Presidential Unit Citation for Extraordinary Heroism during Operation Nathan Hale (June 1966) for actions in the vicinity of LZ Eagle embroidered TRUNG LUONG where the battalion was inserted to relieve the 2d Bn (ABN) 327th Inf, 101st Airborne Division. Both battalions encountered stiff NVA resistance resulting in hand to hand combat and three Chinese Bandit scouts were killed and many were wounded in three separate engagements west of Trung Luong while OPCON 1st Bn 9th Cav.
Delta Personnel Roster
Anti-Tank Platoon
Mortar Platoon Personnel with Mortar Platoon History
Recon Platoon and LRRP Team
(MOS 113/11F4P/V/S)
A Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) was formed from members of the 1st Bn (ABN) 8th Cav Recon platoon and attached to division headquarters in the spring of 1966 as directed by the Department of Defense/MACV/OP-35 where LRRP teams from the US Army Special Forces, US Marine Corps, Navy and other Army units were established to conduct simultaneous patrols within the Republic of Vietnam. LRRP operations had been suspended in Vietnam following the detection of the B-52 recon teams and the 1st Cav Division’s insertion of an infantry battalion adjacent to a previously undetected NVA regiment. This operation was intended to assess the capability of selected American intelligence units to conduct LRRP operations for the purpose of locating and observing large size NVA units and identify any changes warranted prior to the resumption of long range ground reconnaissance operations in SE Asia. The Chinese Bandit Recon LRRP Team performed their first DOD/MACV/Division LRRP Operations, including two week 75 km night movements, in Gai Lai, Kon Tum (Laos and Cambodia borders of Vietnam) and Binh Dinh Provinces during the Spring/Summer of 1966. The performance of the Chinese Bandit Team was largely responsible for General Westmoreland's decision to order the formation of Long Range Reconnaissance company size units to conduct LRRP operations in the SE Asia theater of operations.
Led by Jumpmaster-Ranger-101st RECONDO-Pathfinder-Special Forces-Jungle Expert Qualified NCOs and Specialists
Commander's Corner, Poems by Unit Personnel and Unit Chronology
"Pappy"
