Served with the 590th from Oct 67 to Oct 68. Barbed wire and the beauty of blooming flowers on the berm, 63) I worked for LTC Foley in hq hotch. Please contact: Ray Swan Mailing address: 289 Prospect Ave City, State, Zip: East Aurora, NY 14052 The division was under the operational control of the Commanding General, Headquarters U.S. Army II Field Force (Long Binh Post). The company streets, HQ & A Co. 31 is looking. seconds.). Also, did you earn your dragon pin for eating with the Thai Regiment? Commanding General. Welcome to the discussion. Have been searching for an active Vietnam Veterans website/forum/blog. Well, God bless you and remember that life is for the living. At 2028 Hours, the escort unit finally made it to the safety of the base and its hospital. Though Gaynor admits that his expectations for the results were low, he went along with the idea. The ancient language with which it was named is now extinct. Primary aircraft were the C7A Caribou with an occasional C-130, as when we airlifted units of the 3/5 Cav up north. Our barracks were not to far from the PX. Thanks for the blog. I had voluntarily extended my duty in Vietnam after having served as Combat Motion Picture Team Leader the previous 12 months in various interesting locations throughout the country, to include Dong Tam.. As a preteen, my mother used to hide her homemade chocolate chip cookies. I was at Bearcat during the Tet Offensive in 1968 and recall how tough it was. My father, a veteran of USA undeclared anti Japan war in China (1932), World War 2, and Korea was not inclined to share his terrors in mortal combat, though his photos do tell the story sufficiently for my education and expectations. 660429: The main body of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, Manchus, arrive in Vung Tau, Vietnam. shot along highways just showing, 23) America On 23 June 1968 the 3rd Brigade moved their operations south of Saigon into the newly constructed Dong Tam Camp in the Mekong Delta region CTZ/MR IV. On a visit to USA I promised his mother I would one day visit Vietnam and try to go to the place he served (he was in Vietnam for only 20 days) and to the place he was killed (Ben Cat). No chain of command issues there. These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles. I spent my time on the bunker pulling guard duty at night. I believe this was a SF camp in an old French I was in country from 67 to 68. He was in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967. I arrived with the 9th Div in early Jan 67.I was assigned to the 9th Admin Co and of in Finance. bark was worse than his bite. Agency, Mac Gordon, the House of Representative's Public Information Director The US had stayed out of this area until 1967 when they had to sent in a division. Love to hear from anyone that remembers him during that time. material. resting place of two brave mice who invaded someone's, hooch one night. Hq & A Co. and the 709th Bn. The 9th Infantry Division arrived in Vietnam on 16 December 1966 from Ft Riley, KS and departed Vietnam for Ft Lewis, WA on 27 August 1969. Bearcat was a favorite target for enemy harassment and it occurred on almost a daily routine. There are no words to describe how it affected me. Maybe I found it. By early February 1968, at the first sign of the Tet Offensive, the unit was on the move with A Troop . This was a Special Forces outpost northeast of Saigon. Two battalions of the Mobile Riverine Force, working with the Vietnamese Marines, eliminated 250 VC in day-long fighting along the Rach Ruong Canal 6 miles southwest of Saigon. I came over on the Barrett with the 9th Signal Bn. Calling artillery, Dust-offs, Locsats (location status), Sit-reps (Situation Reports) and in many cases operating in a Liaison situation between the ARVN, U.S. Military, Thai's, Kiwis (New Zealand) and Australian's in the battlefield. 41) This is the Bn HQ TOC. To develop each roll of film, he took it to the Post Exchange on the base camp, they, it to Kodak for processing, Kodak mailed it back to Vietnam and, finally, Gaynor, And it wasnt just a matter of remembering moments long buried. GENERAL 1964-73 MAC-V Tour 365 . The camp was located on Route 15, 16 km southeast of Bin Ha. water. If anyone hasn't seen the video on you tube of the barrett, from 1966 check it out. Got February The remaining half of the Thai Black Panther Regiment stood down and was returned to Thailand. More insight. 43) . The Division incurred 2,624 causalities and was inactivated in 1969, then reactivated in 1972 and served as an equipment testing Division at Ft. Lewis, Washington . More battle damage awaiting repair, 15) (He is the only openly gay officer of the American Legion of whom he knows, he said.) I arrived at Vong Tau in Sep 1967. Additionally, includes a substantial number from the French War as well. In the midst of these low temperatures, some "hot news" kindled the interior of Alaska: The "Manchus" were being . Thank you. These guys would live off of the black market and often had Vietnamese women living with them." Glad you made it back. Later i volunteered for permanent berm nightly guard duty, got me out of working during the day. Bearcat was originally a French airfield, later used by the Japanese during World War II. Let us know in the comment section below. Humor 1 talking about this. I still fell the pain for all those who never made it home. We had to take this picture from the van. History. I was an Air Force radio operator assigned to the 9th ID at Bearcat as one half of the two man TALO (Tactical Air Liaison Officer) team about June 1967 to May 1968. The Vietnamese make very low wages, Nike sells Only worried about how good (or lucky) the guys slinging the mortars might be. JOURNEY TO VIETNAM 31 May 68 Oakland, Ca. If you stared at the tree line long enough you'd think it moved. Rod - I thank you for preparing the base for the rest of us guys that arrive on the 19th of Dec.. My buddy Norm Faught with the 9th Signal Bn arrived with you guys to set up early commo. (May '70 -Dec'71 ext). 1) We never did that because that would only give you 4 hours if you could go to sleep immediately. I will be adding pages dedicated to the distinguished service of the men who served with the 2/47th Infantry, Vietnam. The CO had Medical clear them and they had free run of the Hootches. I introduced mtpyselfcas former Company Commander of US Army unit stationed at Bearcat July 69 to Jan 1970. Park, including a High Tech Park. The explosions and fires lasted for days. More information. He started to talk about his experiences and began to get more involved in the VFW and the American Legion. I lost nearly 30 lbs. That would have been very nice in the night. Army 1969-70 11th ACR in Vietnam . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Glad you are still around to share the memory. 65 series for the 9th Infantry Division ; Cavalry Unit Records, ca. I recognized the outline of thatvrubber plantation immediately. Sge also became a test platform for the new Phalanx CIWS hyperfast minigun in 1977, installed aft of the aft radar gun director. Redesignated 1 February 1966 as the 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry; concurrently assigned to the 9th Infantry Division and activated at Fort Riley, Kansas. If memory serves me correctly, the 2/60th was part of the 3rd Brigade, commanded by Col Murray while I was there. The Thai Black Panther Regiment also contained a Military Police Company of one-hundred and twenty men, thirty of them who are to be assigned to the combined MP patrol operations with A Company. and choppers - very tricky landing when you can't see the ground, 35) Well, no. Next assignment was STRATCOM, Okinawa where I determined a long marriage was not to be. I felt pretty useless at times doing busy work and wondering what was the point of me being there. I remember all that you posted. 40 years ago. 4/39th Inf. AAORLL's 1968. Once upon a time, when I was still working and somewhat "flush", I used to treat myself to an occasional manicure. GENERAL 1965-1980 A. ORANGE ON JOHNSON ATOLL . of Army's issues. The U.S. MPs were praised by their Thai counterpart, LT Prasit, from Bangkok, Thailand, the MP Duty Officer. Gaynor notes that most of his photos, some of which can be seen above, arent of the dramatic scenes familiar from war photography. Three nights I guarded the Water Point. 22 August Discipline, law and order patrol and convoy escort activities were curtailed at the detachment due to the assignment of forty Battalion enlisted men and one officer in support of the Drug Abuse Treatment/Holding Center (DAHC) on Long Binh Post. What I have found in North Vietnam and South Vietnam is that Vietnamese people are not only not Communist, but are just good folks. US base camp from air, possibly Long Binh. Army Vehicles. We turned onto the dirt road from the hiway and headed for the edge of the rubber plantation and the area our Signal Company had existed 30 years before. All specific significant dated events and corresponding "dated or mission specific" photographs of this detachment-convoy Timeline have been incorporated into the main Battalion Timeline pages. 31 August Battalion convoy destinations in Military Region III were: Tay Ninh, Phu Loi, Xuan Loc, Long Binh, Bearcat, Long Than, Nui Dat, Vung Tau and Tan An. According to unverified information, the Bearcat base was renamed on 4 July 1966 to Camp Martin Cox for SFC Martin Cox who was killed in action on 7 April 1966. How did it feel to be aCherry inVietnam? My rifle was a National Match M-14, using 168 gr. Capitialism forces are strong and are being hugely successful. We spelt on the ground always concerned about the stories of your buddies falling asleep on their watch and having your throat slashed by charlie sneaking past the wire. Early in the Vietnam War, the 1st Special Forces established a base there. I lived on a boat moored in Marina Del Rey when I first moved to California. The Water Point was overrun the night before what was to be my fourth night there. Monsoon Best time to draw was 8-10 and 2-4. Sign our 2-47th Infantry Guestbook View our 2-47th Infantry Guestbook. Bearcat was the base camp . I agree Jack good job. In my opinion, we might have been unimportant during our day jobs, but guard duty was the most important job on the base. I wish I were exaggerating, but The First Home of the 9th Inf. Wow, I can tell you, you never had my section. 590th maintenance group (He is the only openly gay officer of the American Legion of whom he knows, he said.) Hookers came into our hooches at night after they left the thai soldier massage parlor, that was off limits to the americans. The division operated primarily in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, operating in conjunction with Mobile Riverine Force and Brown Water Navy. Early in the Vietnam War, the 1st Special Forces established a base there. Bearcat -- the 709th area was in the upper left, My name is Christopher hill I landed Danang July 1 1968 I Corp area First Marine Division. There wasa strip for. The guys and I ran Bearcat Arty. ARMY 1969 1-9th Cav Ops Report Apr . More dust In keeping with the large U.S. Army deployments to Vietnam throughout 1966, the 9th Infantry Division "Old Reliables" begins to arrive in South Vietnam. 37) I could not see ten feet into the rubber. Gen. Donald A. Stroh [Assumed command of 8th Infantry Division on 12 July 1944] Assistant Division Commander. Div. There the 9th fought with distinction in 8 campaigns as part of the Riverine Force. (LogOut/ It sure grew a lot in 1967.I spent my time in those guard bunkers too. To work with the U.S. Military Police is a great honor. Through cooperation and working together we have established a good relationship with the troops.. Have a look! The division would be critical in reshaping the U.S. Army in the 1970s and 1980s as it was transformed into a voluntary force and reshaped to fight a new type of war. He told me a story about guard duty. We were considered the soldiers with the least important day time jobs. Tan An and then Tan Tru, home for my platoon supporting the 2nd/60th Inf, Bearcat was originally a French Colonial Forces airfield, later used by the Japanese during World War II. Television Mike Williams, HQ & A Co Commander. Abstract. Long Binh was the home of the largest supply and administrative post in the Not long after because of the rotational hump I was transferred to Long Binh. Ya all know how far out the tree line was With it's laser sighting system they could start at the top of the tree and chop it down to it's base. The division stayed in German as an occupational force until 1947 when it was returned to the United States. Bearcat was the base camp. We did take some mortars or rockets one night but nothing heavy. We felt this was the berm because there were some fairly old Untrained but inspired by combat photographers, he brought one of the eras ubiquitous Brownie camerasbefore investing $94 in an Asahi Pentax SLRto record his experience. Updated: 11/24/18 Alpha, Bravo & Charlie Company KIA Pages Updated - input by Al Brown & Frank Lewanovich David L. Thornton moved . Only about ten percent of us did guard duty. Maintenance This article was originally written byLily Rothman @lilyrothmanand published on the TIME History website on April 27, 2015. Ive also created a poll to help identify my website audience before leaving, can you please click HERE and choose the one item best describing you. You almost never hear of them. 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