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During the Vietnam War -- at least from 1
December 1965 to 30 April 1972, the period of its assignment to the
war zone -- the 1st Military
Intelligence Battalion (Air Reconnaissance Support), also known as the
1st MIBARS, served as a special unit of the 525th Military Intelligence
Group, U.S. Army, Republic of Vietnam (USARV). The battalion played a
unique role in the Vietnam War by performing its primary mission of working closely with the U.S. Air
Force (USAF) to produce tactical military intelligence for ground forces of
the Army of the
Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and its American advisors of the Military
Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). The Battalion's
assignment was to systematically examine, analyze and interpret film
photography and other types of aerial imagery acquired by
reconnaissance aircraft and to provide military commanders with
actionable informational summaries for use in offensive and
defensive operations, operational planning or situational
assessments. For further background information on 1st MIBARS,
as well as some sites on the World Wide
Web that have in the past provided overviews of the history of this unit, click here
for 1st MIBARS On
the Record.
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This site, 1st MIBARS In Vietnam!,
is a basic load of nostalgia that recalls the 1st MIBARS and one of
its field
organizations -- "B" Detachment -- for a one-year
period beginning in late 1966. Content has been drawn from a shoe box of mementos long
forgotten in a basement corner, supplemented by photos and narrative contributed by other MIBARS veterans -- connected
solely by the
World Wide Web -- whose tours of duty coincided, preceded, overlapped or followed. Perhaps
these sometimes muddy images and rambling recollections will
evoke memories of that extraordinary time for those
who
served with 1st MIBARS, as well as portray the battalion's operations
for students, scholars, historians and/or others interested in the conflict
in Vietnam. |
| Calm Before the Storm:
The Vietnam War In 1967 |
“Vietnam in early 1967 was still vastly
different from what it was to become at year’s end. There
was still a sense of patriotism that had not yet been eroded
by the bitterness of the Tet Offensive and casualties that
would soon turn most Americans against the war. Until now,
most of the conflict had been marked by skirmishes and, if
not wild optimism, at least a sense of inevitable triumph.” |
| Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss,
Tiger Force: A
True Story of Men and War, 2006, Little, Brown and Company,
New York, NY. |
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Veterans of "B" Detachment, which
was posted to the city of DaNang; or the HQ/HQ Company in Saigon; or Detachments "A" at Bien Hoa,
"C" at Can Tho, "D" at Nha Trang, "E,"
activated at Phu Bai in 1968, or colleagues from other
units or branches of the military who worked with the 1st MIBARS and
would like to see this site expanded to more fully document unit
activities, relevant personal experiences
and/or the intelligence-gathering
effort in Vietnam, are invited to make their wishes known.
1st MIBARS In Vietnam! is primarily a
shared memoir for MIBARS and other veterans of the Vietnam
War, but it's also intended for anyone having an interest in this
controversial chapter in America's history. So, if you'd like to visit with "B"
Detachment when it was on duty in the
Republic of South Vietnam, just listen to the First Sergeant's pep
talk at YO!
Listen Up!, read the Site Administrator's
Website
Disclaimer, and
follow the links of your choice.
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