Terry de la Mesa Allen Jr.
Terry de la Mesa Allen Jr. | |
|---|---|
 From left to right: Major James Shelton, Lieutenant Colonel Terry Allen Jr. and Command Sergeant Major Francis Dowling posed for a photograph. Both Allen and Dowling were killed on Tuesday 17 October 1967. | |
| Born | 1929 El Paso, Texas |
| Died | 17 October 1967 (aged 38) near Lai Khe, Chơn Thành District, Bình Dương Province, Vietnam |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1952-1967 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross (United States)[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Ponder |
Terry de la Mesa Allen Jr. (1929–1967), son of retired U.S. Army Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr., was a fourth-generation soldier. He achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. He served with the 1st Infantry Division, which his father had commanded with distinction during World War II. Allen was killed in an ambush in South Vietnam on Tuesday 17 October 1967 while leading his battalion against the Viet Cong near Lai Khe, northwest of Saigon at the Battle of Ong Thanh.
Military career[edit]
Under steady pressure from superiors to forcefully engage the enemy, Allen, in what has been called an "ill-advised action", took two rifle companies, "A" and "D" on an attempt to contact hostile Viet Cong forces.[2]
These two rifle companies ran into an ambush by two much larger Viet Cong battalions that lay in wait along the trail. The Viet Cong forces allowed the lead company, Bravo, to walk past the second of two enemy battalions lying alongside the road as close as 10 meters away. Bravo Company continued up the trail and walked along the 1st of the two battalions which opened fire on them, killing or wounding the entire force including LTC Allen and his CSM Francis Dowling, who was later found lying entirely over the top of his commander. After all but eliminating Alpha Company, the Viet Cong 2d battalion assaulted Delta Company, killing or wounding many of the remaining Americans.[3]
He posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross for this action.[4]
Personal life[edit]
Allen was married to Jean Ponder of El Paso and had 3 children: Consuelo, Alice ("Bebe"), and Mary Frances.
Legacy[edit]
An account of the Battle of Ong Thanh is detailed in the best-selling They Marched into Sunlight, a book by David Maraniss. The book was turned into the PBS documentary Two Days in October,[5] which was broadcast by the BBC as How Vietnam Was Lost.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Valor awards for Terry DeLaMesa Allen , Jr". Military Times.
- ↑ "Terry De La Mesa Allen, Jr". The Virtual Wall.
- ↑ Video - The battle of Ong Thanh on YouTube
- ↑ "Valor awards for Terry DeLaMesa Allen , Jr". Military Times.
- ↑ "American Experience - Two Days in October - PBS". PBS.org.
- ↑ Video - How Vietnam Was Lost on YouTube
External links[edit]
- They Marched Into Sunlight IMDB entry
- Video - The battle of Ong Thanh on YouTube
- One Morning in October
- A Brief History of The 28th Infantry Regiment
- 1st Infantry Division after action report for the Battle of Ong Thanh
- Two days in October (PBS documentary film)
- They Marched into Sunlight, a book covering, among other things, Allen's background, and the Battle of Ong Thanh
- Entry for Terry de la Mesa Allen on The Virtual Wall
- The War at Home
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