L/Cpl. Robert E. Filice 
 May 1967   

Robert E. Filice, HQ CO/5th Marines Served with HQ Co. 5th Marines in Vietnam from 6/67-7/68. Operations participated in include Union II, Cochise, Swift, Houston, Hue City, Baxter Gardens, Houston II, III and IV, Auburn, and Mameluke Thrust. 

On Jan. 30, 1968, North Vietnam and the Viet Cong opened a new phase of the war, when they attacked major cities of South Vietnam. The fighting was especially savage in Saigon, South Vietnam's capital at the time, and in Hue City. 

This campaign began at the start of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year celebration. It will always be known in history as, "The Tet Offensive."

I was in the Da Nang area when Da Nang was hit with a hail of rocket fire. It was very early in the morning of Jan. 30. I was asleep in my tent when myself, and every one else in my tent was awakened by the rocket fire, and the sirens. The rest of that day, we had to stay at our assigned bunkers on a red alert status.

 I was in and out of Hue until April, when I was sent to the Quang Tri Province. All that I got to see of Hue was a bombed-up city that at one time was a beautiful, and majestic city that also had a beautiful college, "Hue University."

I got to Khe Sanh in the second week of June. I had less then 30 days left incountry. At first I and a few other guys were told that we were just going to be at Khe Sanh a few days, but we could not get any transportation in or out of the valley. Finally on July 6, myself and nine other guys got out of Khe Sanh by helicopter, and for me it wasn't soon enough.

On July 17, I got on a KC-130 to Da Nang. I spent two days in Da Nang getting processed, and on July 19, I left Vietnam, and went to Okinawa for more processing, and finally on to Travis A.F.B., and home.

It was a year in my young life, that I will never forget.

Semper Fi, Robert E. Filice

 
Bob Filice, 1998

 
2001

Nov.-Dec. 1967, A bunch of us just sitting around. We were south of Da Nang, a place name Hoi An, approx. 5 miles south of Da Nang, and approx. 15 miles north of Tam Ky.

 

Nov.-Dec. 1967, We were doing a lot of mine sweeps between Hoi An, and Tam Ky, also from Hoi An to the city limits of south Da Nang.

 

 

 

One of the many Rocket attacks on the Phu Bai Base. I remember right before this attack, we had Tear Gas thrown at us. The fire, and smoke is one of our Ammunition Dumps on fire. Bottom pic is a Rocket Crater.

Bob Filice's HQ 5th Marines Website

Tet Offensive 1968

(Background by Redeye)