SYNEPUXENT POST 166
VIETNAM WAR 50th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

TET 46 JANUARY 31, 2014 

 Friday January 31, 2014 will be the 46th anniversary of the TET Offense in Vietnam. This year will be the 6th year Synepuxent Post #166 has recognized this major victory for the US. In 1968 we had the TET 40 and each year since then. This year will be TET 46 and the newly formed Vietnam Veterans of America of Ocean City has been invited to be a partner in this event. 
 The Wreath will be placed at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial to recognize the 46th year since the TET. It will also honor those who served and those who did not return. A moment is also taken for the families of the TET Veterans. The started at 10:00 A.M.

                        
  This is the group that turned out for TET 46

VIETNAM TET 52
January 31, 2020

On Jan 31st 2008 the 40th anniversary of the TET Offense of the Vietnam War was recognized and those who fought in this victory were honored at Post #166 American Legion. The TET 40 Wreath made by Rosie Garlitz was placed at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial by Leroy Hohman and Dennis Bowers Each year since then, a wreath has been placed at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial on
January 31st. This year the TET 52 Wreath will be placed at NOON at the Memorial recognizing the 52nd Anniversary and to honor those who fought in the TET Offense of 1968. Also, a moment will be taken for those who did not return from this victory. The past 12 years, in good weather or bad weather the program went on and the same will apply for this years program. Each year the attendance increases and this year the participation should be outstanding.

When the TET took place, it was printed and aired wrong by the press and many others. There is no doubt this was a victory and yes, it did make a difference. The following shows some data of other battles of the US. You may have heard of them from school and it is a fact the TET Offense has not been placed in school books. The following is some data regarding some military battles. Gettysburg 1-3 July 1863 23,000 federal soldiers and 28,000 Confederate KIA. The Gettysburg Battle was not decisive and Lee was able to retreat with his force mostly intact back into Virginia. Had Gettysburg ended with a severe defeat of the Confederacy as suffered by the communist in TET, the American Civil War would have ended in 1863. In the TET Offense, the Viet Cong insurgents in the south were shattered as a fighting structure, and until the American Portion of the war ended they had no more major role to play.

Guadalcanal (WWII 1942) was the first major allied land victory over the Japanese in WWII. Japan post 25,000 military KIA. American losses
were 1,500 dead and 4,800 wounded. The number of Americans killed in action during TET was about the same of those killed in action (KIA) on Guadalcanal. In Vietnam at the TET, more than 7,000 were wounded…a figure more than two thousand higher than the number would on
Guadalcanal. Fighting on Guadalcanal in 1942 and early 1943 marked a turning point in the Pacific for our air, naval and ground forces. All
battles after that campaign focused on taking terrain away from the enemy, and resulted in defeat after defeat for the Japanese. The same
can be said of what happened in Vietnam. From the TET, until the political decision was made in the US to disengage, never again was the enemy able to control the flow of battlefield events.

TET Offense Facts 1968:
**There was fighting in 36 of 44 provincial capitals, five of six autonomous cities, 64 of 242district capitals, and 50 hamlets. Every allied
airfield was hit as were many different kinds of military installations and government facilities.
** About 70,000 enemy troops actually participated the first day. There was a total of 84,000enemy finally committed in the course of the
campaign and 40,000 plus of these were lost.
**The enemy’s attack against Tan Son Nhut Air Base, just outside Saigon, was a strike against theheart of the American effort in-country. MACV Headquarters was located on part of the installation. Beginning at 0320hrs, 31 January, 1968, four reinforced enemy battalions came against the west perimeter, while elements of two battalions attacked MACV itself. The defending force consisted of USAF personnel, mostly assigned to the base combat defense force, US Army soldiers, some from Allied nations, and Republic of Vietnam armed forces members.
The allied side, in the initial few hours of battle, suffered 55 KIA and 163 wounded. There were 157 enemy bodies on the air base and another
267 were counted just outside the fence line. In all, it is estimated that 962 or more enemy died in the attack against Tan Son Nhut and facilities in its immediate area. The number of wounded are not known. As of 23 February 1968, 5,519 enemy were KIA in the greater Saigon area.

**Allied losses were great throughout the country. South Vietnamese lost 3,000 KIA and 8,000 wounded. US losses were 1,500 KIA and
7,764 wounded. About 800,000 people became refugees and the communists are believed to have committed at least 6,000 murders.
**The 77 day siege at Khe Sanh of the 6,000 US Marines and handful of personnel from other services may have really been intended as a
feint, with Hue being the true object. About 500 Americans were KIA at Khe Sanh. About 10,000 enemy are believed to have been KIA at Khe
Sanh, and it is suspected that more than 5,000 native Bru people of the region also died in the fighting. The siege began in January and was
lifted in April of 68. There is no question, the US Marines holding Khe Sanh as well as hilltop outposts and support by elements of the all branches of the our services, completely defeated the enemy offensive.
**The ancient imperial city of Hue was attacked 31 January and the enemy held parts of it for 26 days. In the fighting, 142 US Marines were
killed and 857 were wounded. The US Army lost 74 KIA and 507 WIA. South Vietnam military lost 384 KIA and 1,830 WIA. The enemy lost over 5,000 KIA and 89 taken prisoner. More than 50% of the city was destroyed and more than 11,600 were made homeless.

January 31, 2020 marks the 52nd Anniversary of this huge victory of the Vietnam War. At this time the anniversary should be recognized and the US Military who served should be honored as should those hero’s who never returned. To the Vietnam Veterans of Worcester County and the area it would be an honor to have you join us at Noon for the TET 52 at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial on Friday January 31st .

Other groups that will be participating again this year are as follows: Boggs-Disharoon/American Legion Post #123, Duncan-Showell American Legion Post #231, First State US Marine Corp League, the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #1091 of OCMD and the Ocean City Elks Lodge #2645 Veterans Group. To all Vietnam Era Veterans, “Welcome Home”. Following this years TET 52 program there will be social time
at Synepuxent Post #166 American Legion with lunch being served.