Marking 38 years since the battle for Hue

At the top left is Bob "Cajun" Thoms, the Platoon Commander, on his right is Selwyn "S-Man" Taitt. Cajun Bob is throwing grenades; S-Man is pulling the pins and handing the grenades to Bob; This is the Dong Ba Tower, which was the linch pin to the NVA defense of the Citadel. Cajun Bob and his men took the tower two separate times previously. After the third time Major Thompson ordered 1/5 to stand down and the Black Panther Company, an elite South Vietnamese unit entered the Citadel.

Vietnamese join Marines in memorial service at namesake ship

Outnumbered and under fire, the U.S. Marines and sailors fought their way into the imperial Vietnamese city of Hue in 1968. It was one of the most ferocious counterattacks to the Tet Offensive, claiming 5,700 lives before the Americans and South Vietnamese vanquished the North Vietnamese Army.

On Sunday, the only ship named for a battle from the Vietnam War hosted its 15th annual Battle of Hue Memorial Service. Veterans from across the nation reunited at Mayport, where the ship is stationed, with a delegation of Vietnamese from Atlanta . With the gray, hulking USS Hue City floating behind them, speakers reminisced about a terrifying clash between 2,500 Marines and 10,000 enemy troops.

"I remember being wet, cold, miserable and scared," said retired Marine Col. Myron Harrington Jr. . "I remember when I thought it couldn't get any worse. It did."

The Marines and sailors crossed over treacherous bridges on their way to the city, Marines recalled. They focused completely on the moment, trying to survive while friends and allies were killed by gunfire and explosives.

"They were resolute and determined men, brought to maturity quickly and violently," Harrington said.

He was company commander of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. Thirty-eight years ago, he was in charge of 120 men who entered the the 65-foot-high walls of the city built in 1832. Fourteen of those men were present on Sunday at a memorial service that had many holding back tears.

"It's very deeply emotional because I'm reconnecting with the Marines," Harrington said. "It's a meaningful moment. Being with them feeds your soul."

Ty Thai, president of the Hue Association and a lieutenant with the South Vietnamese Black Panthers during the battle of Hue , praised the U.S. forces that helped liberate the city. He condemned the North Vietnamese for killing 5,000 civilians before retreating. He recalled the "invincible" Americans arriving to help his soldiers.

"We'd rather die than to be slaves under the red devils," Thai said.

"The U.S. Marines had won the battle gloriously and opened a new chapter in the U.S. force history," Thai said, as the crowd broke out in applause.

The victory came at a steep cost to the Marines, with 142 dead and 857 injured.

Tony Cartlidge was a Marine lance corporal when he arrived at Hue, where Marines were outnumbered four to one and men were getting shot down off bridges.  A friend had his leg blown off on his first day in the field, Cartlidge said. The men had no idea they were involved in a battle of historic proportions.

"At the time, as a grunt, you're just doing your job," Cartlidge said. "You don't consider history. You don't even consider the following day."

Col. Myron Harrington Jr., (from left) Capt. Peter F. Grause, and Ty Thai cast a wreath into the water to commemorate the anniversary.

by Ken Lewis The  Florida Times Union
Photos by BOB MACK The Florida Times Union
April 10, 2006

Left to Right:  Steve DeWitt, Delta 1/5, Frank Satterfield, (Bravo 1/5, Charlie 1/5, Delta 1/5, H&S 1/5), Colonel Bob Thompson, (Formerly Major Thompson, CO 1/5 at Hue), Selwin Taitt (S-Man), Delta 1/5, Tony Ply, Delta 1/5, Melvin Beougeois, Delta 1/5.

Marine Color Guard and USS Hue City

Colonel Harrington and "Frenchy" Beougeois

S-Man (Selwyn Taitt) and Melvin "French" Beougeois