The Battle of Ia Drang Valley (Day 2)
What do you know about the
Battle of Ia Drang Valley? Try this U.S. History Made Easy: the Vietnam War
Trivia quiz.
 1.
Just before dawn at 06:20, Lt. Col. Harold G. Moore ordered his
companies to put out reconnaissance patrols to probe for Vietnamese
forces. Patrols from Charlie Company's 1st Platoon (under Lieutenant
Neil Kroger) and 2nd Platoon (under Lieutenant John Geoghegan) had
advanced 150 yards from the perimeter before coming into contact with
PAVN troops. A firefight broke out, and the patrols quickly withdrew to
the perimeter. When did the firefight begin?
2. Under heavy attack on three sides, the battalion fought off
repeated waves of PAVN infantry. It was during this battle that
Specialist Willard Parish of Charlie Company, situated on Delta's lines,
earned a medal for suppressing an intense Vietnamese assault in his
sector. After expending his M-60 ammunition, Parish resorted to his .45
sidearm to repel PAVN forces that advanced within 20 yards of his
foxhole. After the battle, over 100 dead North Vietnamese troops were
discovered around Parish's position. What was the medal he earned?
- Medal of Honor
- Army Cross
- Silver Star
3. As the battle along the southern line intensified, Moore ordered
the battalion's forward air controller, Lieutenant Charlie Hastings, to
transmit the code phrase, which relayed that an American combat unit was
in danger of being overrun. In so doing, Hastings was calling on all
available support aircraft in the country to come to the battalion's
defense, drawing on a significant arsenal of heavy ordnance support.
What was the code phrase?
- "Broken Arrow"
- "Tombstone"
- "Maverick"
4. On Charlie Company's broken lines, PAVN troops walked the lines
for several minutes, killing wounded Americans and stripping their
bodies of weapons and other items. It was around this time, at 07:55,
that Moore ordered his lines to throw colored smoke grenades over the
lines to identify the battalion's perimeter. Aerial fire support was
then called in on the PAVN at close range, including those along
Charlie's lines.
5. Shortly after, Lt. Col. Moore's command post was subjected to what
could have been a catastrophic friendly fire incident. Two jets
approached X-Ray, the first dropping napalm inadvertently on American
lines, the second approaching the command post in a similar manner. The
command post was only saved when, at Moore's urging, Hastings
frantically radioed for the second jet to change course. Despite
Hastings' best efforts, several Americans were wounded and killed by
this airstrike. What were the jets?
- F-100 Super Sabre
- F-102 Delta Daggers
- A-10 Skyraider
6. At 09:10, the first elements of Alpha Company of the 2nd Battalion
of the 7th Cavalry under Captain Joel Sugdinis arrived at X-Ray.
Sugdinis' forces reinforced the remains of Charlie Company's lines. The
North Vietnamese had begun to withdraw from the battle — although
occasional fire continued to harass the battalion. When did the PAVN
begin to withdraw?
7. Lieutenant Rick Rescorla of Diduryk's Bravo Company later remarked
after having policed up the battlefield in Charlie Company's sector
following the assaults: “There were American and NVA bodies
everywhere. My area was where Lieutenant Geoghegan's platoon had been.
There were several dead NVA around his platoon command post. One dead
trooper was locked in contact with a dead NVA, hands around the enemy's
throat. There were two troopers — one black, one Hispanic - linked
tight together. It looked like they had died trying to help each
other." Where did Rick Rescorla die?
- World Trade Center on 9/11
- Tet Offensive
- Pirate Attack off Somali, Africa
8. The 2nd Battalion of the 5th Cavalry was to be flown into a
landing zone, about 3.5 kilometers east-southeast of LZ X-Ray. What was
the name of the LZ?
- LZ Able
- LZ Baker
- LZ Victor
9. Using a plan devised by Lt. Col. Moore, Bravo/1st/7th,
Alpha/2nd/5th and Charlie/2nd/5th companies in a third major effort to
relieve the lost platoon under Sergeant Ernie Savage. Making use of fire
support, the relief force slowly but successfully made its way to the
knoll without encountering PAVN elements. 2nd Platoon had survived but
at a significant cost; nine KIA's and 13 WIA's of 29 men. At around
15:30, the relief force began to encounter sniper fire and began the
process of carrying the wounded and dead of the lost platoon back to
X-Ray.
10. While the American lines at X-Ray were harassed at various times
during the night by PAVN probes, grenade booby traps and trip flares set
by Captain Diduryk's Bravo Company began to erupt. The PAVN launched a
fierce assault against Diduryk's men. When did Bravo Company begin to
hear the traps go off?
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