A wounded U.S. paratrooper grimaces in pain as he awaits medical evacuation at base camp in the A Shau Valley near the Laos border in South Vietnam on May 19, 1969, following the 10-day battle known as Hamburger Hill. (AP Photo/Hugh Van Es)
What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, May 13, 2019:
Fifty years ago this week, a bloody battle raged on a 3,000-foot-tall peak in Vietnam.
American Army forces, along with a South Vietnamese regiment, assaulted Ap Bia Mountain to destroy multiple battalions of dug-in North Vietnamese troops.
The fight occurred over nine days with the Americans and South Vietnamese eventually reaching the summit at great cost: 70 dead and 372 wounded.
The battle earned the nickname “Hamburger Hill,“ and marked the beginning of our nation’s slow and protracted exit from Vietnam.
Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss Operation Apache Snow and the Battle of Hamburger Hill is Dr. Conrad C. Crane, the Chief of Historical Services for the Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks.
Dr. Conrad C. Crane
Ho Khoa, 61 years old and a former major with North Vietnamese defenders, sits in the town of Aluoi, Vietnam, Tuesday, April 25, 2000. Ho, who fought with North Vietnamese Communist forces remembers the battle for what became known as “Hamburger Hill” as one of the most brutal battles of the Vietnam War. Ap Bia, as it is known locally, can be seen in the background. (AP Photo/David Longstreath)
A wounded U.S. paratrooper of the 101st Airborne Division is helped through a blinding rainstorm by two medics after being evacuated from Dong Ap Bia during the 10-day battle for Hamburger Hill, May 1969. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces eventually dislodged communist forces from Dong Ap Bia, but the action touched off further political controversy in the United States. (AP Photo/Hugh Van Es)
Operation Apache Snow (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Military History Institute)
Operation Apache Snow (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Military History Institute)
Operation Apache Snow (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Military History Institute)
Operation Apache Snow (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Military History Institute)
Also, Pennsylvania will hold a special election on May 21 for the 12th District position vacated by U.S. Congressional Representative Tom Marino. He announced in January his decision to leave following his re-election to a two-year term last November.
Joining Smart Talk to discuss his campaign is Marc Friedenberg, Congressional candidate for Pennsylvania’s 12th District.
The 12th Congressional District is located in central and northern Pennsylvania and includes Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, and Union Counties and parts of Northumberland and Montour Counties in the WITF listening area.
Marc Friedenberg
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