My grandfather Courtney Niles, a 10-year Army veteran, arrived in Vietnam in 1967. He was employed as an engineer for NBC International in Saigon, where he traveled around South Vietnam setting up communications at various American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN) radio and television stations.
When the Tet Offensive was launched, he was working with Detachment 5, AFVN in Hue. The station came under fire on January 31, 1968. My grandfather assisted the eight Army and Marine service members stationed there in holding off the enemy for nearly a week. A full-scale attack began on the night of February 4, and by the morning of February 5, they had run out of ammunition, food, and water. The station was shortly overtaken, but not before the servicemen made the station unusable to the NVA.
The men were forced to flee through rice paddies toward a compound over a mile away. Only one man escaped and found refuge with the aid of local Catholic priests. Six men were captured -- one executed and five held as POWs for over five years. Courtney Niles and one other man were killed from wounds sustained during the defense of and subsequent escape from the station. My grandfather was said to have fought with the bravery of the soldier he had once been.
SFC Harry Ettmueller, who was captured that day, later wrote that Courtney Niles "…nailed one [enemy soldier] just as he was trying to sneak into the bunker area. Too bad his name is not on The Wall, but he deserves to be recognized."
The men of Detachment 5, AFVN, along with my grandfather, were inducted into the U.S. Army Public Affairs Hall of Fame, class of 2007, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
PHOTO: Courtney Niles (in white, third from right) with service members of Detachment 5.
Los Angeles, CA
