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MAJ Mark E Cooper
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Reese, Benjamin Charles (Abn Test Plt), CW4.
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Contact Info
Last Address Columbus, GA
Date of Passing Mar 19, 2009
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CW4 (Ret) Benjamin Charles Reese
February 28, 1917 - March 19, 2009 COLUMBUS, GA Benjamin Charles Reese, 92, of Columbus, Georgia, beloved husband, father, and grandfather died on March 19, 2009. Mr. Reese died peacefully at Columbus Hospice after a short illness and was surrounded by family. Visitation will take place at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, Macon Road, on March 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A Memorial Service will be held at 10 a.m. March 25, 2009, at the Airborne Walk at Ft. Benning's Eubanks Field., followed by interment at the Main Post Cemetery. Mr. Reese was born on February 28, 1917 in Early County, Georgia to Charles and Genevieve Reese and grew up in Jakin, Georgia. He graduated from Jakin High School in 1934 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1939. Mr. Reese served proudly and with honor as a member of the original Airborne Test Platoon that pioneered U.S. Army airborne operations. His World War II service with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, included combat jumps into Normandy and Holland. Additionally, he served with the 65th Infantry Regiment in the Korean War. Mr. Reese continued serving his nation for more than 30 years, retiring in 1969 as a Chief Warrant Officer Four from the Infantry School at Ft. Benning. His awards include the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Combat Infantryman's Badge (2d Award) and Parachutist's Wings with Combat Stars. After retirement from the Army, Mr. Reese served as an instructor at the Military Occupational Specialty Supply/Logistics Course, Ft. Benning for an additional 13 years. He is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Verne Reese, two sons, Benjamin S. Reese (Yvonne) of Ft. Mitchell and Chaplain (Colonel) David Reese (Alice) currently of Washington, D.C., and three grandchildren, Bill Reese (Kelly) of Atlanta, Amy Dismukes (Derryl) of Columbus, and Caitlin Reese of Franklin Springs, GA. The family would like to give special thanks to Martin Army Community Hospital and the Columbus Hospice House for the extraordinary care given during his final days and to those who came alongside them in prayer. They would also like to thank the members of the 1/507 Parachute Infantry Regiment for providing military honors. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages those who desire to make a contribution in Mr. Reese's name to do so to the charity of their choice.
Vietnam War/Tet Counteroffensive Campaign (1968)
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
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.
