"Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it." - Harry Truman
While no two situations are the same, the similarities are sometimes remarkable, from beehive bunkers to safe houses.
Today:
From the Associated Press:
“BAGHDAD, Iraq - In a well-publicized show of force, U.S. and Iraqi forces swept into the countryside north of the capital in 50 helicopters Thursday looking for insurgents in what the American military called its "largest air assault" in nearly three years.
There was no bombing or firing from the air in the offensive northeast of Samarra, a town 60 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. All 50 aircraft were helicopters — Black Hawks, Apaches and Chinooks — used to ferry in and provide cover for the 1,450 Iraqi and U.S. troops.
The military said the assault — Operation Swarmer — aimed to clear "a suspected insurgent operating area" and would continue over several days.
Residents in the area of the assault reported a heavy U.S. and Iraqi troop presence and said large explosions could be heard in the distance. American forces routinely blow up structures they suspect as insurgent safe-houses or weapons depots. It was not known if they met any resistance, but the military reported detaining 41 people.”
From the HistoryNet.com:
“The 173rd Airborne Brigade started out the new year on January 1, 1966, with a major strike into the Mekong Delta. Operation Marauder, as the mission was dubbed, soon found its quarry, the VC 267th Main Force Battalion, and a three-day battle ensued. An article in the January 14, 1966, issue of Time magazine aptly summarized the significance of Marauder: "Members of the 173rd Airborne swept out in Operation Marauder into the Plain of Reeds in the Mekong Delta. Penetrating an area so thoroughly held by the VC that government troops had not ventured in for six months, they killed 114 VC in their major contact, rooting the enemy out of beehive bunkers built into the ground along the canals."
