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Contact Info
Home Town Kanawha County
Date of Passing Nov 03, 1995
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Kilburn, Infantry, distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services during the period September 1970 to November 1970, while serving as Support Detachment Commander, Army Component, Joint Contingency Task Group, JCS Project Ivory Coast. During this period Colonel Kilburn was directly responsible for supervision of the complex training, administrative and logistical support of the Army component while maintaining stringent security for the force in an isolated and restricted training area. Colonel Kilburn clearly demonstrated his exemplary leadership ability in maintaining discipline and morale of the Army component under the most difficult conditions. His ability to recognize problem areas and take the necessary action prior to their becoming critical was a major factor in the preparation of the Joint Task Force for successful execution of its JCS directed mission to rescue and extract United States military personnel held as prisoners of war in SON TAY, North Vietnam. Colonel Kilburn's brilliant and effective planning and execution of all assigned missions made a significant contribution to the overall success of the mission. His outstanding performance of meritorious services are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him and the United States Army.
Corporal Gerald Kilburn (ASN: RA-15264065), United States Army, was held as a Prisoner of War after he was captured during the Korean War on 29 November 1950 and was held until his release on 24 August 1953 after the signing of the Armistice.
General Orders: NARA Database: Repatriated Korean Conflict Prisoners of War, 7/5/1950 - 10/6/1954
Description This campaign was from 30 January to 1 April 1968. On 29 January 1968 the Allies began the Tet-lunar new year expecting the usual 36-hour peaceful holiday truce. Because of the threat of a large-scale attack and communist buildup around Khe Sanh, the cease fire order was issued in all areas over which the Allies were responsible with the exception of the I CTZ, south of the Demilitarized Zone.
Determined enemy assaults began in the northern and Central provinces before daylight on 30 January and in Saigon and the Mekong Delta regions that night. Some 84,000 VC and North Vietnamese attacked or fired upon 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 5 of 6 autonomous cities, 64 of 242 district capitals and 50 hamlets. In addition, the enemy raided a number of military installations including almost every airfield. The actual fighting lasted three days; however Saigon and Hue were under more intense and sustained attack.
The attack in Saigon began with a sapper assault against the U.S. Embassy. Other assaults were directed against the Presidential Palace, the compound of the Vietnamese Joint General Staff, and nearby Ton San Nhut air base.
At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated the city and fought the three U.S. Marine Corps, three U.S. Army and eleven South Vietnamese battalions defending it. The fight to expel the enemy lasted a month. American and South Vietnamese units lost over 500 killed, while VC and North Vietnamese battle deaths may have been somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.
Heavy fighting also occurred in two remote regions: around the Special Forces camp at Dak To in the central highlands and around the U.S. Marines Corps base at Khe Sanh. In both areas, the allies defeated attempts to dislodge them. Finally, with the arrival of more U.S. Army troops under the new XXIV Corps headquarters to reinforce the marines in the northern province, Khe Sanh was abandoned.
Tet proved a major military defeat for the communists. It had failed to spawn either an uprising or appreciable support among the South Vietnamese. On the other hand, the U.S. public became discouraged and support for the war was seriously eroded. U.S. strength in South Vietnam totaled more than 500,000 by early 1968. In addition, there were 61,000 other allied troops and 600,000 South Vietnamese.
The Tet Offensive also dealt a visibly severe setback to the pacification program, as a result of the intense fighting needed to root out VC elements that clung to fortified positions inside the towns. For example, in the densely populated delta there had been approximately 14,000 refugees in January; after Tet some 170,000 were homeless. The requirement to assist these persons seriously inhibited national recovery efforts.
