Background/Context on Phu Bai Combat Base, Vietnam - and what happened there June 1, 1969?

Question

I am researching an Army soldier's service record as much as possible (I am not family) for a book proposal and have the citation from a Bronze Star with "V" Device he was awarded. The citation contains some information about the soldier's heroics, but I want to step back and understand what was happening in that immediate area that day - June 1, 1969, Phu Bai Combat Base - and what led to the action he was involved in? What was he involved in? Was it a major offensive by the VC, or just a skirmish, harassment? Were there casualties on both sides? What were they? He was in the 31st Military History Detachment in XXIV Corps. What would his job have been? Was it unusual for someone in that unit to be on night guard duty? I will stop there, but as you can tell I have many questions....

Textual Reference Branch, Archives II · Answer

PatrickAustin 
 
 Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located a series titled Military History Detachment Unit Records, 1965 - ca. 1973 in the Records of the U.S. Forces in Southeast Asia (Record Group 472) that includes the records of the 31st Military History Detachment for 1969. Depending on what additional information exists in the narrative, additional unit records for the XXIV Corps may have to be researched. For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RR2R) at archives2reference@nara.gov .

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! 
 
 Sincerely, 
 Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR) 
 RR2RR 24-46286-LR

Textual Reference Branch, Archives II · Answer

PatrickAustin 
 Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! 
 U.S. Army unit records for the Vietnam War era in our custody do not include the record of training assignments for individuals. The public feedback provided to your response is the best information available for searching these records. 
 
 We suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) . Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) and individual medical reports for those who served in the U.S. Army after 1959 and before October 16, 1992 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file. Certain information in the records is not available to the general public without the written consent of the Veteran or the next of kin the deceased veteran. If you are the next of kin of a deceased veteran, you must provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary. For more information see Request Military Service Records . 
 We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! 
 Sincerely, 
 Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR) 
 RR2RR 24-51802-LR

Donald Hall · Answer

If you go to this page, 
 https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5713233 
 you'll find the digitized records of the Office of the Command Historian, MACV. There are several folders that contain information on the 31st--orders, officer rosters, etc.--as well as information (260 file folders worth, apparently largely digitized) relating to the rest of the MACV/USARV historical program, which would put the 31st's activities in perspective.