I enjoy Joseph Galloway's work, but I was disappointed that he repeated in his December article on Ia Drang the North Vietnamese claim that they neutralized U.S. firepower by a policy of"hug them by the belt buckle."
I served in the infantry in III Corps and a year in southern I Corps, facing the tactical challenge of driving the NVA from their spider holes. Much of the close fighting resulted from us trying to flush the enemy out. The NVA and VC showed bravery in these fights, but, in most cases, only left their holes in order to withdraw from battle. I know of occasions where the NVA attacked with the intent of overrunning outnumbered American units, but these were not instances of "hugging our belts." I don't question that the leaders in Hanoi wanted their troops to use the tactic, but in my experience, that rarely happened in the field.
Robert Dyson
Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Dyson, Robert
Source Citation
Dyson, Robert. "Who was hugging whose belt?" Vietnam June 2011: 7. World History Collection. Web. 9 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA255968279&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPWH&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A255968279
I enjoy Joseph Galloway's work, but I was disappointed that he repeated in his December article on Ia Drang the North Vietnamese claim that they neutralized U.S. firepower by a policy of"hug them by the belt buckle."
I served in the infantry in III Corps and a year in southern I Corps, facing the tactical challenge of driving the NVA from their spider holes. Much of the close fighting resulted from us trying to flush the enemy out. The NVA and VC showed bravery in these fights, but, in most cases, only left their holes in order to withdraw from battle. I know of occasions where the NVA attacked with the intent of overrunning outnumbered American units, but these were not instances of "hugging our belts." I don't question that the leaders in Hanoi wanted their troops to use the tactic, but in my experience, that rarely happened in the field.
Robert Dyson
Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Dyson, Robert
Source Citation
Dyson, Robert. "Who was hugging whose belt?" Vietnam June 2011: 7. World History Collection. Web. 9 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA255968279&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPWH&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A255968279
United States Judo Association - USJA
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