This Military Service Page was created/owned by
MAJ Mark E Cooper
to remember
Havel, Vaclav, SFC.
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With great regret, the Bad Toelz Chapter of the Special Forces Association announced the passing of SFC(Ret) Vaclav Havel. He passed on 10 June 2014 from injuries he sustained from a fall while working on a ladder at his home in Bad Toelz.
Havel is best known to many as the artist behind the pen and ink drawing entitled "The Meeting" of a meeting of the resistance and SF Soldiers. (Havel is in this picture sitting to the left of Hoopy Qualls on the left side on the table in civilian clothing with a goatee.)
Havel was from Czechoslovakia and entered the U.S. Army under the Lodge Act. He served both in 10th SFG in Germany and 5th SFGH in Vietnam. Havel remained in Bad Toelz after retirement and ran the MOS Library in the early 1980s. Laster he taught German and Czech languages to the Soldiers of 1/10 as part of the unit language program in the 1990s.
His funeral services will most likely take place in Munich at the Perlacher Forst cemetery. The date has not been announced.
He will be greatly missed by all of us who knew him.
Other Comments:
Served on ODA-6 as Operations and Intelligence Sergeant in 70-71 at Bad Toelz. :German and French Jump wings, French awards of both Skier and Alpinist Militaire from the school at Bareges and Turkish Commando badge earned while attending and advising the Turkish Commando School at Egredeer, Turkey.
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase III Campaign (1967-68)
From Month/Year
June / 1967
To Month/Year
January / 1968
Description This campaign was from 1 June 1967 to 29 January 1968.The conflict in South Vietnam remains basically unchanged. As Operation JUNCTION CITY ended, elements of the U.S. 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and the forces of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam swung back toward Saigon to conduct another clearing operation, MANHATTAN. This took peace in the Long Nguyen base area just north of the previously cleared "Iron Triangle."
South Vietnamese Armed Forces became more active and capable under U.S. advisors. During the year the Vietnamese Special Forces assumed responsibility for several Special Forces camps and for the CIDG companies manning them. In each case all of the U.S. advisors withdrew, leaving the Vietnamese in full command.
With an increased delegation of responsibility to them, the South Vietnamese conducted major operations during 1967, and, in spite of VC attempts to avoid battle, achieved a number of contacts.
Despite the success of U.S. and South Vietnamese Army operations, there were indications in the fall of 1967 of another enemy build-up, particularly in areas close to Laos and Cambodia. In late October, the VC struck again at the Special Forces Camp at Loc Ninh. Fortunately Vietnamese reinforcements saved the camp. At the same time, approximately 12,000 VC troops converged on a Special Forces camp at Dak To. This camp was located in northern Kontum Province, where the borders of Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam meet. In response to this potential threat, the U.S. and South Vietnam committed a total of sixteen battalions to the region to counter a disturbing enemy resurgence at Kontum and Loc Ninh.
