For educational purposes<br /><br />One of the great battlefield innovations developed by the United States armed forces in its effort to defeat a skilled and often elusive enemy in Vietnam was air cavalry--light infantry deployed by helicopters. <br /><br />Always outnumbered, and fighting in a totally hostile environment, American soldiers had to rely on technology and new techniques to contain the enemy. <br /><br />The highly mobile helicopter troops who formed the Air Cavalry used quick-response techniques to counter the huge odds against which they fought daily. <br /><br />As a concept, air cavalry was innovative. As executed by air cavalry units, it was phenomenal, and the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam was the quintessential air cavalry organization. <br /><br />Its prominent and evolving role began in the Ia Drang Valley in 1965, and one of its greatest achievements came at Khe Sanh in 1968.
