The Cambodian campaign (also known as the Cambodian Incursion and the Cambodian Invasion) was a series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia, a neutral country, during 1970 by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) as an extension of the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War.

April was the deadliest month of 1970 for U.S. troops in Vietnam with 730 deaths. On the first day alone, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units shelled some 115 targets throughout the country and launched 13 ground assaults. April 1 turned out to be the single deadliest day of the year when 70 GIs perished. At the center of that day’s carnage stood Fire Support Base (FSB) Illingworth, where 36 percent of the Americans killed died in a matter of two hours. FSB Illingworth was a hastily constructed firebase built in a dry pond bed only five miles from the Cambodian border in Tay Ninh province. Its 219-yardwide perimeter was protected by Claymore mines dug into a low earthen berm surrounding the base and a few bunkers. No concertina or barbed wire was in place.

The Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord was a 23-day battle between elements of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and two reinforced divisions of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) that took place from 1 to 23 July 1970. It was the last major confrontation between United States ground forces and the PAVN during the Vietnam War. Three Medals of Honor and six Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded to participants for actions during the operations.

Operation Ivory Coast was a joint special operations mission executed on November 21, 1970, to liberate American prisoners of war (POW) held at Son Tay, near Hanoi, North Vietnam. The rescue effort, launched from allied air bases in Thailand, was a “mission of mercy,” according to President Richard M. Nixon. If the plan succeeded, Nixon planned to possibly have the freed POWs at the White House for Thanksgiving dinner. A successful raid might also bring hope to the other POWs in North Vietnam and their families back in the U.S. Operation Ivory Coast did not succeed; however, the raid demonstrated that well-trained and rehearsed joint special operations forces could conduct missions deep inside denied areas. American POWs continued to languish in inhumane conditions until the last prisoner was released in April of 1973.

Operation Jefferson Glenn was the last major operation in which U.S. ground forces participated in Vietnam. This was a joint military operation combining forces of the US 101st Airborne and the 1st Infantry Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). The purpose of this operation was to shield critical installations in Huế and Da Nang by patrolling communist rocket belts along the edge of the mountains. During the 399 days of operations the Allied troops established multiple firebases throughout Thừa Thiên Province and regularly encountered People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) troops.

This operation exploited the success of Operation Randolph Glen by incorporating the lessons learned during that operation and continuing the cooperation development among all allied elements in the province. The significant difference between the operations was that only one brigade of the 101st ABN DIV had the responsibility for pacification and development support throughout the province, while the other two brigades conducted offensive operations against enemy units in the western portions of Quang Tri and Thua Thien. The division made a smooth transfer of pacification and development tasks to the 2d BDE while the 1st BDE and 3d BDE increased combat support and assistance in combined operations with the 1st INF DIV (ARVN) in locating and defeating the enemy and his logistical support. A large number of casualties during the operation were caused from booby traps and a failure to maintain proper dispersion. The enemy also frequently established ambush positions 20-100 meters from US defensive positions and attacked the units as they were departing night defensive positions.

At 9:00 p.m. EST on April 13, Apollo 13 was over 200,000 miles from Earth. The crew had just completed a television broadcast and was inspecting Aquarius, the Landing Module (LM). The next day, Apollo 13 was to enter the moon’s orbit. Lovell and Haise were set to become the fifth and sixth men to walk on the moon. It was not to be. At 9:08 p.m.—about 56 hours into the flight—an explosion rocked the spacecraft. Oxygen tank No. 2 had blown up, disabling the regular supply of oxygen, electricity, light and water. Lovell reported to mission control: “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” The Command Module (CM) was leaking oxygen and rapidly losing fuel cells. The moon landing mission was aborted.

Garry Trudeau’s iconic comic strip, Doonesbury, was born in 1968, during the height of the Vietnam War, when Trudeau was a student at Yale. From the start, that war and its legacy was a part of the comic strip, mainly in the form of two of the main characters, B.D., the Yale football player who had fought in Vietnam, and Mark Slackmeyer, one-time campus radical. The strip, which began in the Yale student newspaper and then was syndicated in 1970, still appears in tons of newspapers, and Trudeau contributes daily to his web site, www.doonesbury.com.

Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems, was celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 22, 1970. Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches and educational programs across the country. Earth Day was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist who hoped to provide unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase ecological awareness. “The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy,” Senator Nelson said, “and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda.”

Four Kent State University students were killed and nine were injured on May 4, 1970, when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam War. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Southeast Asia. In its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced the temporary closure of colleges and universities across the country. Some political observers believe the events of that day in northeast Ohio tilted public opinion against the war.

Lance Corporal Miguel Hernandez Keith, a Mexican-American, was born on June 2, 1951, in San Antonio, TX. He attended Omaha’s North High School until December 1968, leaving to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve in January 1969. Discharged from the Reserves in April, he enlisted in the regular Marine Corps in May. Following recruit training at MCRD San Diego, he was assigned to the Third Marine Amphibious Force operating in Vietnam. Here on April 1, 1970, he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.

Killed in Action - During the early morning of 8 May 1970, Lance Corporal Keith was seriously wounded when his platoon was subjected to a heavy ground attack by a greatly outnumbering enemy force. Despite painful wounds he ran across the fire-swept terrain to check the security of vital defensive positions and then, while completely exposed to view, proceeded to deliver a hail of devastating machine gun fire against the enemy. Determined to stop five of the enemy approaching the command post, he rushed forward, firing as he advanced. He succeeded in disposing of three of the attackers and in dispersing the remaining two. At this point, a grenade detonated near Lance Corporal Keith, knocking him to the ground and inflicting further severe wounds. Fighting pain and weakness from loss of blood, he again braved the concentrated hostile fire to charge an estimated twenty-five enemy soldiers who were massing to attack. The vigor of his assault and his well-placed fire eliminated four of the enemy while the remainder fled for cover. During this valiant effort he was mortally wounded by an enemy soldier. By his courageous and inspiring performance in the face of almost overwhelming odds, Lance Corporal Keith contributed in large measure to the success of his platoon in routing a numerically superior enemy force, and upheld the finest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.

For his heroic actions that day Lance Corporal Keith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, presented to his family by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew at a White House ceremony September 1971.

Keith’s additional military medals include: Purple Heart with 2 Gold Stars, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Other Recognition and memorials honoring Lance Corporal Keith include
- 1983, Keith Hall, barracks at Headquarters Marine Corps, Arlington, VA
- Name inscription on the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Panel 11W, Line 132
- 1994, Miguel Keith Park dedicated, south Omaha, NE
- 2019, a life size bronze statue dedicated at Miguel Keith Park, south Omaha, NE
- The USS Miguel Keith, US Navy ship, commissioned May 10, 2021.

Lance Corporal Miguel Hernandez Keith was interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Omaha, NE on June 1, 1970. He was survived by his parents, 2 brothers, 2 sisters and his grandparents.

~ Researcher/Content Author: Diane K. Moore

REFERENCES
• https://navylog.navymemorial.org/keith-miguel
• https://www.ops.org/Page/1885
• Newspapers.com – Omaha World-Herald, Sat, May 16, 1970, Page 30