Marines in Citadel Push

Seek 3d Matawan Post Office Burglar Suspect SEE STORY BELOW Weather HOME Mostly sunny and not so cold THEDAHY today, high near 40. Fair tonight, low 25-30. Fair again tomorrow, FINAL high «-45. Outlook Wednesday, partly cloudy and mild. MONMOUTH COUNTY'S HOME NEWSPAPER FOR 89 YEARS DIAL 7410010 VOL. 90, NO. 162 RED BANK, N. J., MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1968 10c PER COPY PAGE ONE A Special Vietnam Report on 'Father Joe' (Editor's Note: Edward Hy- and obscene and the Fourth In- terback swivel'- hipping through moff of Atlantic Highlands is in fantry Division's senior chaplain the line. He slid to safety behind Vietnam compiling information had heard it all before. It was the trunk of a shrapnel-shredded for two books he is writing part of the combat soldier's life ee, on the war. A war correspon- — raw, to the core. The civilized "Hey Father, come over to this dent, Mr. Hymoff is filing niceties somehow are left behind lere bunker!" a soldier called stories especially for The Daily by those Americans sent into nit. Register about Monmouth Coun- combat and who face death in a "I'll stay here," he hollered ty servicemen in Vietnam. The primitive jungle environment, >ack. "This tree is thick enough Rev. Joseph F. Sheehan, about 'ombat changes men, as it al- o cover me." whdm this article is written, is ways has in other wars. In bat- The fire base came under a brother of Mrs. Marion tle, their only link with a more leavy enemy fire. A soldier Kearney of 16 Parker Place, peaceful time of their young icrambled up to Father Joe Shrewsbury. She said she last lives is their belief in and prayers clutching an extra M-16. "Father, heard from him on Valentine's to God and the battlefield chap- want a rifle to protect yourself?" Day when a message was re- lains who are always present he asked. layed to her through Ft. Mon- when faith and prayer is re- Father Joe shook his head. "No, mouth. He regularly communi- quired. son. I can't and I'll be recog- cates with her by mailing tapes It was at the battle of Dak To nized as a priest in these vest- of his conversations.) that the bespectacled craggy ments. You do the shooting. God By EDWARD HYMOFF faced chaplain, who dislikes bless you." DAK TO, Vietnam - "Hey, spending time behind a desk, So it was during those hectic Father, look at my helmet," the served men of all faiths — the 23 days during the battle of Dak excited young soldier asked the living and the dying, the wounded To. The Ivy Division's 1st Bri- husky, grey-haired chaplain. The in body as well as the wounded gade chaplain, Father Joe Wald- camouflage cloth - covered steel in spirit. They were dirty and un- ron, an American Maryknoll kempt, these young American sol- pot was rent and dented where WAR SCENE — The Rev. Joseph F. Sheehan, Army MASS IS OFFERED by the Rev. Joseph F. Sheehan, lieutenant colonel in the Army priest, welcomed his boss, Chap- an enemy bullet had torrt into diers of the Ivy Division, the lain Sheehan, who teamed up to the protective headpiece. chaplain in Vietnam, with soldier watching an air strike 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Corps of Chaplains, during lull in fighting in Dak To, Vietnam. The former Red Bank assist the younger brigade chap- "See, Father," the dusty, un- a+ Dak To. \ 1st Brigade of the Air Cavalry priest is wearing camouflaged vestments. (Photos by Edward Hymoff) lain in serving the infantrymen kempt infantryman explained as Division. Those who shaved ap- embroiled in one of the greatest he turned the inside of his hel- greatest and most significant bat smack of exploding incoming en- peared even more unkempt no ward the crest of an enemy-held Mass! Troops of all faiths crowd- savvy infantrymen scattered to- battles of the Vietnam conflict. met up to meet the chaplain's ties of the Vietnam conflict. emy mortar rounds not too far thanks to dirt-flecked stubble on hill. ed close. They set their steel pots ward their foxholes and bunkers On one day alone, Father Joe eyes. "My grandmother sent me "Jesus saved my life," the away attested to the severity of their faces. Father Joe was as The choppers landed and took on the ground to sit on and lay to seek cover and prepare for a comforted more than 160 wound- this picture of Jesus and I put young soldier blurted out and in what had become the greatest dirty as the rest of the troopers off in an endless chain and Fath- down their rifles. possible enemy attack. ed troopers at a forward aid sta- it inside my helmet." Lt. Col. a mild slip of the tongue added, battle in the Vietnam central and just as weary as he offered er Joe, as he put it, "bummed" "In the name of the Father...," One trooper darted away, car- tion before they were evacuated Joseph F. Sheehan, well-known "but. ., that hunk of lead that highlands for U.S and Free Mass or spent time trooping a ride whenever he could to a intoned Father Joe when a sud- rying the tiny altar and leavin to a hospital 39 miles away at to Catholics in the Red just missed me nicked Him!" Ar- World troops. along a firebase perimeter, tak- hill-top fire base or landing zone. den burst of enemy machine gun- a trail of candlesticks, crucifix, Pleiku. "I never heard a single Bank-Long Branch area, nodded tillery thundered nearby and the Father Joe, a soldier's chaplain ing a few minutes to talk to the During one visit to a fire base, fire tore into the shredded tree- and altar cloth as he sped to- man concerned about himself," understandingly as the youngster ground from which had' been from way back, burst into laugh- fighting men who crouched in Father Joe had donned his vest- tops nearby. The dull thump of ward the safety of a bunker. he recalled. "Every last one of tried in his own way to explain hacked out a forward firebase ter when the young soldier fin- their foxholes and bunkers either ments while his enlisted assis- mortars spewing shells could be Father Joe, his vestments flap- these young soldiers was con- how his religious belief had taken shook and shivered. The chatter ished his story. Battlefield lan- awaiting an enemy attack or the tant, SP4 Mike Shea, set up the heard and suddenly Father Joe ping, moved his 51-year-old cerned about his buddies. There him safely through one of the of machine gun fire, the dull guage is often blunt and brutal order to move up and push to- portable altar. It was time for lost his congregation as battle- frame with the speed of a quar (See REPORT, Pg. 2, Col. 5) Marines in Citadel Push SAIGON (AP) - Battle-weary rocket hit a passenger terminal The Marines advanced about flagship of the 7th Fleet com- of the northern half of the city munist soldiers. More than 200 U.S. Marines moving behind a at Saigon's Tan Son Nhut Air- 400 yards and cleared the north- mander, Vice Adm. William F. and has been totally overrun by government troops have been ..protective umbrella of artillery port, killing one U.S; serviceman east wall of the old city. Bringle, turned her six-inch guns the Communists. They were ex- killed, and American losses are pushed 400 yards through the and wounding 21 as they waited South Vietnamese forces con- on suspected Communist com pected to put up stiff resistance rubbled ruins of Hue's Citadel with 180 other GIs for planes tinued to battle their way along mand posts, tunnel complexes even if the North Vietnamese reported to be heavy. today to the brink of one of the home after a year in Vietnam. the stone wall on the western and the 15-foot-high wall ring- were driven out of the Citadel. Capt. George W. Smith, 27, of last Communist strongholds in As the bloody battle for Hue side of the Citadel, but the rate ing the Citadel. Report 52 Reds Killed Meriden, Conn., an adviser to Vietnam's old capital. raged through its 20th day, the of their progress was not known. Allied guns also hammered a The U. S. Command said 52 the 1st South Vietnamese Divi- Elsewhere, the Viet Cong Marines pushed to the southeast Cong Flag StUl Flies Communist pocket just outside Communist troops have been sion, reported his men found the slammed more rockets and mor- corner of the old walled Citadel. The Viet Cong flag still flew on the northeast wall of the Cita- killed in Hue in the last 24 hours. bodies of three North Vietnam- tars into Saigon and a few oth- Then they turned right to begin towering radio' mast rising del, near the Dieu De Pagoda, U.S. casualties were not report- ese chained to machine guns on er cities today, but the Commu- a drive along the south wall to- from the inner Citadel. the last holdout during the 1966 ed. Since the battle began Jan. the west wall of the Citadel, pre- nists' "second wave" offensive ward the former Imperial Pal- Low clouds prevented air Buddhist uprising against the 31, South Vietnamese forces and sumably to keep them from flee- appeared to be easing off con- ace, where desperate North Viet- strikes today. South Vietnamese government.

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