The write-up here and on my website comes from my brother, who collects combat photographer and correspondent items but does not have an account on here.

 

 

In honor of Vietnam Veterans Day today, I decided to share the only items I have from a combat photographer in Vietnam, who paid the ultimate price at the Battle of Ong Thanh. Here’s a summary of his service, with his full story, more photos, and video testimony of survivors available in the link.

 

https://www.36thdivisionarchive.com/pa-oc-gilbertson

 

     This Purple Heart was given to the mother of Verland Ansel Gilbertson from Wausau, WI. His father was a veteran of WWI and, when his country called in WWII, Verland wanted to answer but was too young to enlist. He served in the ROTC at Pasadena Junior College, but by the time he was sent overseas the war was over. While in California, Gilbertson fell in love with photography and went back to the States to study it before he was sent to Korea with the 3rd ID.

Serving as a rifleman, he saw a lot of the early combat of the Korean War during the UN offensive. Verland also moved with the rest of the 3rd ID to defend the central part of Korea around the “Iron Triangle,” which served as a stronghold for the Soviet-backed People’s Volunteer Army (PVA). The triangle of cities consisted of Pyongyang, Cheorwon, and Kimhwa, and by the end of 1951, the division was able to take the latter two of these. However, armistice negotiations began shortly after and much of the fighting turned into holding defensive positions. In October, the division was placed in reserve and Verland was sent home.

 

      Upon returning to California, Gilbertson chose to reenlist as a photographer in the Signal Corps. He had some advanced training in New Jersey to hone in his skills with a camera and did some unique photography in this position, including a job using badges made of film to judge radiation intake during the Desert Rock atomic maneuvers. A few years later, Gilbertson saw his final reenlistment, with US troops touching down in Vietnam in 1965. Initially, he was assigned a desk job with Advisory Team 9 in Saigon but requested a transfer to be on the frontlines as a combat photographer. The request was granted, and Spec-5 Gilbertson spent 1967 photographing helicopter missions–earning himself an Air Medal–as well as search and destroy missions while assigned to the 121st Signal Battalion of the 1st ID. 
 

     On the morning of October 17, Verland moved out with some of the “Black Lions” of the 1st ID’s 28th Regiment to photograph them trying to attack a Viet Cong base camp they found the day before. The head of the line saw some trees move, heard some clicks, and then a three-sided ambush from an entire Vietnamese regiment opened fire on the roughly 150 Americans. Ignoring the incoming fire and bodies dropping around him, Gilbertson continuously ran through the battlefield without taking cover to photograph the GIs trying desperately to shoot what they could. These actions earned him a Bronze Star Medal with Valor, until he was unfortunately hit by the enemy fire, killing him instantly. It was nothing short of a massacre, with only about 10-20 GIs left uninjured from the engagement, and it was spun in a massive coverup in newspapers back in the States. The articles twisted death counts and made the battle seem like a successful defense of a Viet Cong attack. Regardless, Verland was sent home with 60 others from that day and buried in Covina, CA. In 1982 his name was permanently engraved onto black granite, on line 24 of panel 28E at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. On the wall, he is joined by over 58,000 of his brothers in arms, a few dozen of whom were fellow photographers, who lost their lives or went missing while serving in Vietnam.

Incredible story, thank you for sharing his service and sacrifice. 

Thank You, Old Soldier, for serving when others chose not to. God Bless You and Rest in Eternal Peace.

John

Nice to see that one again ! I tried for a long time to find the beret !

Hey everyone! I'm the poster's brother who has this heart. I finally made an account and website so the full article is now here, not the link originally posted: https://www.combatcameracollection.com/collection/beyond-wwii/spec5-gilbertson