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Contact Info
Home Town Millsboro
Last Address Dunwoody, GA
Date of Passing Jan 04, 2009
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Hamblin was commissioned a second lieutenant upon completion of the ROTC program in 1943.
He served with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Europe in World War II and with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C., from 1948 to 1957. He completed 105 parachute jumps during his career.
Hamblin was an infantry company commander in Korea in 1952.
He served as an adviser to the Republic of Vietnam Joint General Staff in Saigon in 1964. For his service, he was the first member of the U.S. Armed Forces awarded the Republic of Vietnam Army Distinguished Service medal, second class.
In 1965, he was adviser to the II Vietnam Army corps. He was wounded during a Viet Cong attack on the military installation at Pleiku in February 1965.
After 28 years of service, he retired in 1971. He was a training and safety consultant to automotive and heavy vehicle fleets and was formerly a member of the board of directors of the Georgia Motor Truck Association and the Georgia Safety Council.
Other Comments:
Colonel Hamblin was born on May 23, 1922, in Millsboro, Delaware, where he grew up. His parents were Joshua and Flossie Hamblin. Colonel Hamblin and his wife, Sylvia, have been residents of Dunwoody, Georgia, since June 1972.
Paul graduated from the University of Delaware in 1943 and in September of that same year he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
He served his country with great distinction as a member of the U.S. Army for the next 28 years. Of particular note was his success in establishing standards par excellence in the area of military-civilian relationships.
His service included tours as an infantry officer during World War II in Europe, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.
Colonel Hamblin was a highly decorated officer. His military decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit (2d Award), the Bronze Star with "V" Device (2d Award), the Joint Services Commendation Medal, The Army Commendation Medal, The Air Medal, The Purple Heart with 4 Clusters, The Combat Infantryman's Badge, The Aircraft Crewman's Badge, The Master Parachutist's Badge, The Presidential Unit Citation and 7 Overseas bars, The American Campaign Medal, The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, The World War II Victory Medal, The Army of Occupation Medal (Germany), National Defense Service Medal, The Korean Service Medal, The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 20 years Device and The United Nations Service Medal.
His decorations from foreign governments include The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Badge, The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation Badge, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and The Republic of Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Medal.
In a letter accompanying this latter award, General Nguyen wrote, “this medal is the highest, medal after the National Order of RVNAF and Colonel Hamblin is the sole and first American to receive the Distinguished Honor."
Survivors include loving wife, Sylvia Dutton Hamblin; son, Paul W. Hamblin II and his wife, Kitty, of Hudson; a grandson, Paul W. Hamblin III; and a brother, John Lee Hamblin, and his wife, Josephine, of Georgetown, Delaware.
Interment was on February 11, 2009, at 9 a.m. in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Campaign (1965-66)
From Month/Year
December / 1965
To Month/Year
June / 1966
Description This campaign was from 25 December 1965 to 30 June 1966. United States operations after 1 July 1966 were a continuation of the earlier counteroffensive campaign. Recognizing the interdependence of political, economic, sociological, and military factors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared that American military objectives should be to cause North Vietnam to cease its control and support of the insurgency in South Vietnam and Laos, to assist South Vietnam in defeating Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces in South Vietnam, and to assist South Vietnam in pacification extending governmental control over its territory.
North Vietnam continued to build its own forces inside South Vietnam. At first this was done by continued infiltration by sea and along the Ho Chi Minh trail and then, in early 1966, through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). U.S. air elements received permission to conduct reconnaissance bombing raids, and tactical air strikes into North Vietnam just north of the DMZ, but ground forces were denied authority to conduct reconnaissance patrols in the northern portion of the DMZ and inside North Vietnam. Confined to South Vietnamese territory U.S. ground forces fought a war of attrition against the enemy, relying for a time on body counts as one standard indicator for measuring successful progress for winning the war.
During 1966 there were eighteen major operations, the most successful of these being Operation WHITE WING (MASHER). During this operation, the 1st Cavalry Division, Korean units, and ARVN forces cleared the northern half of Binh Dinh Province on the central coast. In the process they decimated a division, later designated the North Vietnamese 3d Division. The U.S. 3d Marine Division was moved into the area of the two northern provinces and in concert with South Vietnamese Army and other Marine Corps units, conducted Operation HASTINGS against enemy infiltrators across the DMZ.
The largest sweep of 1966 took place northwest of Saigon in Operation ATTLEBORO, involving 22,000 American and South Vietnamese troops pitted against the VC 9th Division and a NVA regiment. The Allies defeated the enemy and, in what became a frequent occurrence, forced him back to his havens in Cambodia or Laos.
By 31 December 1966, U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam numbered 385,300. Enemy forces also increased substantially, so that for the same period, total enemy strength was in excess of 282,000 in addition to an estimated 80,000 political cadres. By 30 June 1967, total U.S. forces in SVN had risen to 448,800, but enemy strength had increased as well.
On 8 January U.S. and South Vietnamese troops launched separate drives against two major VC strongholds in South Vietnam-in the so-called "Iron Triangle" about 25 miles northwest of Saigon. For years this area had been under development as a VC logistics base and headquarters to control enemy activity in and around Saigon. The Allies captured huge caches of rice and other foodstuffs, destroyed a mammoth system of tunnels, and seized documents of considerable intelligence value.
In February, the same U.S. forces that had cleared the "Iron Triangle", were committed with other units in the largest allied operation of the war to date, JUNCTION CITY. Over 22 U.S. and four ARVN battalions engaged the enemy, killing 2,728. After clearing this area, the Allies constructed three airfields; erected a bridge and fortified two camps in which CIDG garrisons remained as the other allied forces withdrew.
