National Yellow Bat Day:

The National Yellow Bat Day comes on the 21^st of April every year, commemorating the same day in 1967 when the army activated the 265^th Army Security Agency Company (Airborne) with the 101^st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

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Why National Yellow Bat Day?

Set to celebrate the day the Army activated the 265th Army Security Agency Company (Airborne) with the 101st Airborne Division, the national day is truly special. A bat with outstretched wings on a full moon rising is the official insignia or logo of the 265^th Army Security Agency Company. The motto of this company is “Through the Night Below”. This bat is a representation of the mystery as well as the secrecy of this company, taking after the nocturnal nature of a bat. Moreover, the bat is a perfect description of the intelligence support the Army Security Agency Battalion provides.

Prior to deployment, the personnel painted every military vehicle as well as requisite equipment with a yellow bat, a symbol that made individual equipment visible even from a distance. This was helpful in the identification of equipment of individual units.

On 19^th November 1967, the 265th Army Security Agency Company was deployed to Vietnam with the designation 265^th Radio Research Company (Airborne). The deployment was targeted at providing intelligence support to the 101^st Airborne Division. The unit arrived a few weeks before the Viet Cong Tet Offensive and eventually discovered the North Vietnamese campaign. Nonetheless, only a handful of the commanders actually believed in the intelligence.

31st January on Tet (Vietnamese calendar) is celebrated as the lunar New Year marking a very special day. In the course of the North vs. South Vietnam conflict, there existed a truce that served for a very long time. In this truce, General VO Nguyen Giap who was at the time the commander of North Vietnamese prepared to use the lunar New Year as an opening for a series of coordinated attacks, an action that violated the terms of the truce. Fortunately, personnel of the 265th RRC (ABN) was talking watch over their region’s defensive perimeter of Bien Hoa Air Base, along with the very few small units that believed their intelligence reports, some 12 hours before the launching of the Tet Offensive.

How we can celebrate National Yellow Bat Day:

There are multiple ways through which we can observe this mazing national day. Among them includes:-

• Learning about the Vietnam War

One of the ways to celebrate or observe this national holiday is by taking the time to learn about the Vietnam War, with a view to understand its causes and the units that served during this war.

• Read about the Tet Offensive about the 265th.

You can also observe this day by reading about the Tet Offensive and the 265^th. This information will give you a clearer understanding of what the day represents, while at the same way opening your eyes to many things you did not know about that particular unit. Some of the books that provide detailed information about the Tet Offensive and the 265t include “The Sentinel and the Shooter” by Douglas W. Bonnot and, ”The Tet Offensive 1968 Battle Story” by Andrew Rawson.

• Honor those who served during a contentious time in our country

Another key way of observing this day is honoring the soldiers that served during this exceptionally contentious day. This can be done by touring the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and volunteering for a veteran’s organization among other noble gestures.

Interesting facts about National Yellow Bat Day:

Some of the most interesting facts about this auspicious day include:-

• January 31st on the Vietnamese calendar, Tet, is the celebration of the lunar New Year and is considered the most important holiday.
• On 21^st April 1967, the 265th Army Security Agency Company (Airborne) with the 101st Airborne Division was activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
• The official insignia of the 265th is a bat with outstretched wings on a full moon rising with the motto Through the Night below.

History of National Yellow Bat Day:

The history of this national holiday traces back to 2016, when the President of the Sentinel Chapter of the 101^st Airborne Association, Doug Bonnot, first submitted the National Yellow Bat Day and declared the National Yellow Bat Day to be observed annually on 21^st April.