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2010-02-20 -Obits-

Alexander Haig, former secretary of state, dies

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Posted by 2010-02-20 11:21|| || Front Page|| [10 views ] Top

#1 He was probably safer in Vietnam and Korea then in Europe in the 70's...

On June 25, 1979, Haig was the victim of an assassination attempt in Mons, Belgium. A land mine blew up under the bridge on which Haig's car was traveling, narrowly missing Haig's car but wounding three of his bodyguards in a following car. Authorities later attributed responsibility for the attack to the Red Army Faction (RAF). In 1993 a German Court sentenced Rolf Clemens Wagner, a former RAF member, to life imprisonment for the assassination attempt.

Posted by tu3031 2010-02-20 12:40|| 2010-02-20 12:40|| Front Page Top

#2 ..Haig could be charitably described as intense and very forward..but he served his country with all the determination God could give a man.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2010-02-20 14:02|| 2010-02-20 14:02|| Front Page Top

#3 Background on his DSC...

On May 22, 1967, Lieutenant Colonel Haig was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the US Army's second highest medal for valor, by General William Westmoreland as a result of his actions during the battle of Ap Gu in March 1967. During the battle, Haig's troops (of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division (United States) became pinned down by a Viet Cong force that outnumbered U.S. forces by a three to one margin. In an attempt to survey the battlefield, Haig boarded a helicopter and flew to the point of contact. His helicopter was subsequently shot down. Two days of bloody hand-to-hand combat ensued. An excerpt from Haig's official Army citation follows:

When two of his companies were engaged by a large hostile force, Colonel Haig landed amid a hail of fire, personally took charge of the units, called for artillery and air fire support and succeeded in soundly defeating the insurgent force...the next day a barrage of 400 rounds was fired by the Viet Cong, but it was ineffective because of the warning and preparations by Colonel Haig. As the barrage subsided, a force three times larger than his began a series of human wave assaults on the camp. Heedless of the danger himself, Colonel Haig repeatedly braved intense hostile fire to survey the battlefield. His personal courage and determination, and his skillful employment of every defense and support tactic possible, inspired his men to fight with previously unimagined power. Although his force was outnumbered three to one, Colonel Haig succeeded in inflicting 592 casualties on the Viet Cong...
(HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 2318 (May 22, 1967)

Haig was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart during his tour in Vietnam. He was eventually promoted to Colonel, and became a brigade commander of the 1st Infantry Division (United States) in Vietnam.

Posted by tu3031 2010-02-20 14:12|| 2010-02-20 14:12|| Front Page Top

#4 IIRC Haig was the NATO commander at the time. His relationship with the Carter Administration was sort of 'strained'. He made comment to the effect that while he knew it wasn't the work of the WH that it had been so incompetently executed he couldn't help thinking about them.

Posted by Procopius2k 2010-02-20 15:26|| 2010-02-20 15:26|| Front Page Top

#5 ...of the assassination attempt.

Posted by Procopius2k 2010-02-20 15:26|| 2010-02-20 15:26|| Front Page Top

#6 Of him, it can be said, "Rest now, thou good and faithful servant."

Posted by trailing wife 2010-02-20 22:08|| 2010-02-20 22:08|| Front Page Top

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