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Battle of Nam Dong
	Part of the Vietnam War
Date	July 5–6, 1964
Location	Nam Đông, Quảng Nam Province, South Vietnam16°07′03″N 107°40′41″E / 16.1175°N 107.678°E
Result	South Vietnam and United States victory
Belligerents
South Vietnam; United States; Australia	Viet Cong; North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
Roger H. C. Donlon	Unknown
Strength
360 ARVN/CIDG; 12 Green Berets; 1 Advisor	~800–900 guerrillas
Casualties and losses
57 killed; 2 killed; 1 killed	62 killed

The battle of Nam Đông took place from July 5–6, 1964 during the Vietnam War, when the Viet Cong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) attacked the Nam Đông CIDG camp in an attempt to overrun it. During the battle, 57 South Vietnamese defenders, two Americans, an Australian Military advisor, and at least 62 attackers were killed.

Battle

Nam Đông is situated 32 miles (51 km) west of Da Nang in a valley near the Laotian border; it was manned by South Vietnamese personnel with American and Australian advisers, and served as a major thorn in the side of local VC militants.

The PAVN/VC struck at the camp at 02:30 on 5 July to achieve the element of surprise, and reached the outer perimeter where CIDG forces managed to hold out. At 04:00 the senior officer, Captain Roger Donlon, radioed for support and two hours later six HMM-162 helicopters carrying reinforcements escorted by two U.S. Army UH-1B helicopter gunships left Da Nang Air Base for Nam Dong, but on arriving over the camp they were unable to land due to intense fire and had to return to Da Nang.^[4]^: 157

A U.S. Army CV-2 Caribou managed to drop ammunition into the camp and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) A-1 Skyraiders carried out airstrikes on the PAVN/VC around the camp.^[4]^: 158

At 09:45 18 HMM-162 UH-34Ds escorted by four UH-1Bs and two RVNAF A-1s began landing a 93 man relief force and extracting the wounded. At 15:45 a further flight of 10 UH-34s delivered ammunition and equipment to the camp but by this time the battle was over.^[4]^: 158

Allied losses were two U.S., one Australian and 50 CIDG killed, while the PAVN/VC left 62 dead around the camp.^[4]^: 158

Aftermath

Captain Donlon became the first American to be awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam for killing two VC sappers and thereby preventing them from breaching the Nam Dong base, while sustaining shrapnel wounds in the process.^[5]

Warrant Officer Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) was killed in the assault. He was the first Australian to be killed in action in the Vietnam War. Master Sergeant Gabriel Alamo and Sergeant John L. Houston were also killed during the action on July 6, 1964. Alamo and Houston were posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Sergeant Terrance D. Terrin, U.S. Army Green Beret medic, was awarded the Silver Star for his gallantry in the battle.