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SP4 Richard Bradley
to remember
Burns, Hugh (Mike), LTC USA(Ret).
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Ret. Lt. Col. Hugh (Mike) R. Burns, 92, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, passed away Wednesday, March 25, 2020. He was born May 4, 1927 in Steubenville, OH to Hugh and Altai (Bowman) Burns.
After graduating high school Mike enlisted with in the U.S. Army and served for twenty-two exemplary years with several of those being with the Special Forces Green Beret. He was stationed in many places and saw combat during World War II, Korea and Vietnam and eventually retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Mike loved his family and his country and will be dearly missed.
He leaves behind his wife, Myong Cho and their son, Tae S. Burns, both of the home in Fayetteville, NC.
Mike is preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Altai Burns and his sister, Margery J. Moran.
Description This campaign was 8 March to 24 December 1965. During this campaign the U.S. objective was to hold off the enemy while gaining time needed to build base camps and logistical facilities. The U.S. also attempted to consolidate its ground operations more efficiently. For this purpose, it organized the U.S. Army Vietnam (USARV). U.S. support in the I Corps tactical zone, composed of five northernmost provinces, was to be primarily a Marine Corps responsibility; the U.S. Army was to operate mainly in the II and III Corps tactical zones which comprised the Central highlands, adjacent coastal regions, and the area around Saigon; and ARVN troops were to retain primary responsibility for the Delta region of the IV Corps.
On 19 October 1965. three VC regiments totaling 6,000 men attacked a Civil Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) - U.S. Special Forces at Plei Me, near the entrance to the Ia Drang Valley, in what purported to be the start of a thrust to cut the country in half.
With the assistance of massive air strikes, elements of the newly arrived 1st Cavalry Division thwarted the enemy in a battle that lasted nearly a month and included several engagements. The Ia Drang Valley action was the costliest in terms of casualties to date. The successful defense of the region improved security in and around the Central Highlands and raised the morale of the soldiers involved.
