PRIVATE
FIRST CLASS EDWARD STEVEN DANIELS was born to Mattie Daniels in
Pennsylvania on January 16, 1943. His mother married a Warren R. after
he was born.
Edward Daniels had been in the service for three years, during which
time he had attained the rank of Private First Class. It appears that up
until July 3, 1965 he had been serving with the 127th Engineering Battalion, Support
Command, 11th Air Assault Division (Test).
The 1st Cavalry
Division had been serving in Korea, headquartered at Camp Howze until July
1, 1965. At that time the 1st Cavalry Division was redesignated the 2nd Infantry
Division. The 1st Cavalry Division went home, but only long enough to be reorganized and
be prepared for a new mission. On
July 3, 1965, in Doughboy Stadium at Fort Benning, Georgia the colors of the 11th Air
Assault Division (Test) were cased and retired. As the band played the rousing strains
of Garryowen, the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division were moved onto the field. As part
of the reorganization, the 127th Engineering Battalion, Support Command, 11th Air
Assault Division (Test) was redesignated as the 8th Engineering Battalion, Support
Command, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Within 90 days of becoming the Army's first air mobile division, the First
Cavalry Division was back in combat as the first fully committed division of the Vietnam
War. An advance party of "C" Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, on board C-130s, arrived
at Nha Trang on
August 6. By August 21 the remainder of the advance party arrived. They joined with
advance liaison forces and established a temporary base camp near An Khe, 36 miles
inland from the coastal city of Qui Nhon. On
September 12, the remainder of the battalion, on board the USNS Darby arrived at Qui
Nhon.
For the 8th Engineers, Vietnam was another conflict fought in a distant underdeveloped
region. With the commitment of ground troops in 1965, Engineers had the dual
responsibilities of supporting combat operations and of constructing support facilities
for the Army, its sister services, and allied nations.
One of the first assignments given to the 8th Engineer Battalion was the construction of
a signal complex on the top of a nearby mountain. Access to the construction site was
made possible by the use of CH-54, Flying Cranes to move the heavy earth moving
equipment. All this was done while construction and upgrading of Camp Radcliff
continued. On
October 10, 1965, the 8th Engineers engaged in their first tactical operation in
"Operation Shiny Bayonet", the First
Cavalry Division had initiated a first brigade-size airmobile action against the enemy.
The air assault task force consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Cavalry, 1st
Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry and the 1st Battalion, 21st
Artillery. Rather than standing and fighting, the Viet Cong chose to disperse and slip
away.
In late January 1966, the 8th Engineer Battalion launched an extensive airfield
construction program which resulted in new airfields and access roads at Hammond, Plai
Mrong, Oasis, Polai Kleng, Dong Tre and Plateau
Gi.
Private First Class Daniels died on June 16, 1966 as the result of lacerations and
internal injuries when the vehicle he was driving hit a curb and overturned.
He was survived by his wife and his mother.
He was brought back to the United States and buried at Mount Lawn
Cemetery in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania
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