“Tropic Lightning Troopers”

	PFC JOE HETTERMAN of HHC, 2d Bn, 12th Inf, wades through a creek.  (PHOTO BY SP4 JACK MRAZ)
INFANTRYMEN of the 3d Bn, 22d Inf, remove rice from a room under a hut.  The cache was found on a sweep near Dau Tieng.  (PHOTO BY SP4 JACK MRAZ)
	A SOLDIER from the 2d Bn, 14th Inf, stops to give a buddy a hand.  (PHOTO BY SP4 BILL WERMINE)
SSG ANDREW ABERNATHY holds a Russian RPG-7 launcher captured by 4th Cav.  (PHOTO BY SP5 TERRY RICHARD)

USING an armored personnel carrier as an altar, Chap. (Cpt.) James A. Tobin holds mass for men of the 2d Bn, 22d Inf.  (PHOTO BY SP4 JAMES FRIAR)

TRACKS of the 3d Bde, 25th Inf Div, use their combined strength to pull a M-48 tank from a mud hole near Tay Ninh.  (PHOTO BY SP4 JACK MRAZ)

No LZ Needed Here
            The ‘Forest Penetrator’

   The seven-man patrol quietly wound through the thick jungle.  Suddenly the silence was shattered by the burst of a booby-trapped grenade.  Ten miles from the nearest outpost, the men were faced with evacuation of two wounded.
   However, neither that patrol nor any other Allied unit in Vietnam will be faced with the problem of carrying men to medical facilities, or even carving out helicopter landing zones in the middle of the jungle.
   A new device, recently demonstrated at the 25th Inf Div’s 2d Bde, will allow evacuation of wounded in a matter of minutes from the deepest jungle.
   The “forest penetrator” combines a two-hundred foot cable and personnel sling, with an electrically driven take-up reel.
   Once the rescue team is contacted by radio, they fly by helicopter directly to the pickup site.  Hovering over the jungle canopy, they lower the forest penetrator through the tangled growth to the jungle floor.
   On the ground, the wounded man is strapped into the carrying sling and hoisted up to the evacuation helicopter.  In a matter of seconds he is headed toward field hospital treatment.
   During the demonstration of the recovery system, 1LT Derry Gallagher of Fair Haven, N.J. and Chap (CPT) Carter Tucker of Monticello, Ark., rode the skyhook the full two hundred feet.
   “It’s a fabulous ride as well as a very practical medical device,” said Tucker after climbing out of the recovery ship.
   Gallagher recalled his earlier experiences as a platoon leader on Operation ‘Junction City’.  “I wish we had one of these then,” he said, “after I was hit during a firefight, they had to carry me a thousand meters to the nearest clearing.”
   For soldiers wounded too badly to ride the sling, the rescue helicopter is equipped with a special litter.  Both can be used successfully in the thickest jungle.
   “The recover sling can also be used in mountainous areas where choppers cannot land,” explained demonstrator CPT Barry Fitzgerald of North Albany, N.Y. “With it, we can litterally pick up wounded soldiers anywhere in Vietnam” he said.
 

	BY THE SEAT OF HIS PANTS - 1LT Derry Gallagher rides the recovery sling skyward as the helicopter crew chief prepares to pull him aboard.  (Photo by SP4 Bruce Dapprich)
HOOKUP – 1LT Derry Gallagher is strapped into a rescue lift before being hoisted 200 feet to a MEDEVAC Helicopter during a demonstration at the 25th Inf Div’s 2d Bde.  (Photo by SP4 Bruce Dapprich)

PSYOPs Plan Double Drop

   It was just another mission for the Air Force crews, but for the men of the 25th Div’s 1st Bde civil affairs office, it was the birth of a new concept in psychological warfare.
   According to 1LT Marvin Sessions, psychological operations officer at division headquarters and originator of the idea, air strike targets are hit twice - first with bombs and then with a new series of Chieu Hoi leaflets.
   “You have witnessed only a small part of the death and destruction that awaits you” the leaflet states, “rally at once to the GVN.”
   After each air strike some 3000 leaflets are dropped followed by an equal number of safe conduct passes.
  

3d Bde Helps Build School Classrooms

   DAU TIENG - Two thousand students and only seven classrooms equal a very over-crowded school and overtaxed teachers in any country.  Four additional classrooms to ease the load have recently been added to the Dau Tieng elementary school with the help of the 3d Bde, 25th Inf Div.
   Beginning several months ago, the program to refurbish the existing school building and to build four new classrooms started with the Vietnamese providing all the labor and the Civil Affairs Office of the 3d Bde providing the materials and technical assistance.
   All the classrooms received a new coat of paint, had existing roofs fixed, and new screening and doors were added.  The desks, which had seen the pranks of little children who just can’t resist the temptation to write their name in the wood, were systematically refinished or replaced.  Outside in the playground, new swings and see-saws were constructed.  Finally, the four new classrooms which were started from scratch, were completed.
   In the ceremony which dedicated the new classrooms, the principal of the school was awarded a new bell which he will use to call the children to school.  An artillery shell casing had been serving in the capacity of school bell.
   Attending the ceremony were representatives of the 3d Bde, Vietnamese district officials, and the 2000 students who will benefit from the new classrooms.
 

269th Launches Huge Operation

   A classic example of an Air Mobile operation at brigade level and one of the largest air mobile operations to date was recently launched by the 269th Cbt Avn Bn in conjunction with the 25th Inf Div.
   All three battalions of the 2d Bde, 25th Inf Div were airlifted into a heavily wooded area five miles west of Go Da Ha near the Cambodian border to begin a massive search and seal operation.  The entire foree was moved in less than one and one half hours.  The highly synchronized operation included the many Pickup Zones (PZ’s) being operated expertly by the 269th “Black Barons” Pathfinder Detachment “Caveliers”, who readied both troops and cargo for their airmobile delivery.  Due to the close proximity of the Cambodian border, the area was extensively prepped by heavy artillery strikes which preceded the numerous gunships’ prep of the Landing Zones (LZ’s) prior to the slicks entering.  Timely co-ordination between the Ground Commander and the Air Mission Commander was essential to the success of the operation due to the enormous size of the Air Mobile force and the limited weather conditions which prevailed throughout the entire operation.  Despite a ceiling of less than l,000 feet, the multi-lift missions continued on schedule.
   The 1st Bn (Mech) 5th Inf the 1st Bn 27th Inf, and the 2d Bn, 27th Inf of the 2d Bde, 25th Inf Div were airlifted from three field locations near Trang Bang and Go Da Ha into six separate landing zones.  The operation which called for precise, well-planned and executed flights by the five assault helicopter companies involved, was conducted in five two-company flights and one single company flight.  On one occasion as many as forty troop carrying helicopters made simultaneous landings in two different LZ’s.
   The Air Armada included the 116th “Hornets”, the 187th “Black Hawks”, the 188th “Black Widow”, all from the 269th Combat Aviation Battalion “Black Barons”.  The 173d Aslt Hel Co “Robin Hoods” and the 162d AHC “Vultures” from the 11th Cbt Avn Bn also participated in the action under the operational control of the “Black Barons”.
   Twenty gunships from the respective companies involved, besides prepping the many LZ’s, helped seal the eastern and western boundaries of the large area with machine gun and rocket fire.  The gun teams involved included the 116th AHC “Stingers”, the 187th AHC “Rat Pack”, the 188th AHC “Spiders”, the 173d AHC “Cross Bows” and the 16th AHC “Copperheads”.
   The 269th Cbt Avn Bn smoke ship “Smoky Baron” covered for the approaching slicks; laying dense smoke screens in six of the Landing Zones.  The heavier Infantry equipment was later carried in by Chinook helicopters from the 205th Aslt Spt Hel Co “Geronimos” under the operational control of the “Black Barons.”
 

SSG Gets $9,907 Re-up Bonus

   When SSG Kenneth L. Latta raised his hand the other day not very much happened.  He was presented a piece of paper; received hearty congratulations; blinked when a flashbulb went off;  and . . . oh, yes, was given a check for $9,907.00, the largest Variable Reenlistment Bonus ever awarded in the 25th Inf Div.
   Latta took the six-year path of enlistment from LTC James H. Merryman, commanding officer of the 269th Cbt Av Bn.  Ten crew chiefs and ten gunners are responsible to Latta in his present position as a maintenance supervisor with the 116th Aslt Hel Co.  He and they assure that aircraft will be available for flight whenever they are needed.
   Having served three years in the Army as an infantryman (1955-1958) and four years in the Navy (l959-1963), Latta decided he wanted to make a career of the Army.  After completing basic training in 1965 he was assigned to Ft. Lewis, Wash., as a fixed wing aircraft mechanic.
   When asked for his reaction to the unusually large bonus, he said, “Well, its only money, but that wasn’t why I re-enlisted anyway.”  With a wife and five children waiting for him in Seattle, he does expect to be able to find something to do with the money.
   Latta will soon complete eighteen months in Vietnam.
 

Heart Operation Saves Girl From Early Death

   Suffering from a heart defect since birth, 13-year-old Nguyen Thi Nam has had the operation that will save her from an early death.
   The defect was discovered last September when Nguyen was examined by CPT Jerry Crooks, a doctor from the 25th Med Bn, during a 25th Div Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP).  Through an interpreter, Crooks learned that the child became very tired after the least amount of exertion.  Noticing the defect, Crooks sent her to the 7th Surg Hosp at Cu Chi for a complete examination.
     Death Possible
   Medical officials pinpointed the defect and found that it had to be corrected or the child would suffer gradual deterioration and death would occur before she reached the age of 25.
   Crooks made immediate plans for the operation.  Delayed because the 7th Surg Hosp had moved, a re-evaluation made in November 1966 revealed that the operation had to be postponed.
     Specialist Needed
   In April 1967 another evaluation revealed her condition was favorable for the operation.  The following months were spent in locating a specialist to perform the delicate operation and getting permission from the Vietnamese government.
   Crooks completed arrangements just before his return to the States, Surgery was performed on Sept. 5 by CPT Daniel Cunningham, surgeon with the 3d Field Hospital in Saigon.
     Home Soon
   CPT Anthony Caprio, a doctor with the 25th Med Bn, has taken over Crooks’ interest in the case and reports, “Nguyen is coming along fine.  Her blood pressure is up and so is her spirit, and should be going home in a few days.”
 

2 Children Receive Aid

   DAU TIENG - Two children in a family found by 3d Bde, 25th Inf Div, troops in a search and clear operation southeast of here recently were saved from permanent physical damage when they were “dusted off” for medical treatment.
   While searching the area southeast of the Michelin Rubber Plantation a patrol of the 2d Bn (Mech) 22d Inf, found a family in which the little boy had fallen off a bicycle and injured his foot.  Through inattention the scrape on his leg had become infected and was spreading over his leg rapidly.
   The boy, seven-year-old Dinh Van Ho was evacuated by an OH-23G observation helicopter along with his sister, two-year-old Dinh Tri Han, who had an infection in her ear, to the battalion aid station where both were treated.
   While the medics worked on Ho’s foot, they received a baleful look and a few tears.  After the cleaning was complete some candy from a C-ration can brought a cheerful smile.
 

Minefield Secrets

   A twelve year old Vietnamese boy recently teamed up with 25th Inf Div soldiers to help in the fight against Viet Cong terrorists.
   It was early in the morning at the 1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf, base camp when a small boy approached the barbed wire perimeter.
   Before the soldiers could chase him away, the boy had spotted one of the unit’s Vietnamese scouts and called him over to the wire.
   He told the scout that he knew where the Viet Cong had planted a mine, and would lead me men to it.
   “With the aid of armored personnel carriers, SP4 Walter Hunt of Rocky Mountain, N.C, the unit’s intelligence clerk, and the boy were taken to the spot the mine was supposed to be buried.
   “The boy was scared to go near the mine,” said Hunt, “so he told us all about it from a distance.”
 

HIGH AND DRY - With both hands full, this 3d Bde, 25th Inf Div, trooper keeps his cigarettes dry in his teeth while crossing a stream in War Zone C.  This member of the 3d Bn, 22d Inf, was participating in Operation “Diamondhead.”  (Photo by SP4 Richard Linnemann)

Fast GI Saves Old Man

   A fast moving 25th Inf Div soldier recently saved the life of an old Vietnamese man who had run in front of a U.S. night patrol.
   The patrol, from the 2d Bde’s 1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf, moved out just after midnight with the mission of detaining a known Viet Cong official.
   Blocking forces were set up behind the VC’s house with orders to detain anyone to their front and fire on anything behind them, since VC patrols had been reported in the area.
   On the patrol leader’s order illumination lit up the area and a raiding party swept toward the house.  An old man, frightened in his nearby house by the noise and light ran into a field to the rear of the blocking force.
   PFC John Phillips, a grenadier from Blackville, S.C., apparently the only one to see that it was just an old man ran for him, shouting to the others to hold their fire and pushed him to safety.
   The patrol leader gave Phillips credit for saving the old man’s life.  “The light was very poor,” he said, “one more second and the blocking force would have opened up.”
   The sweep continued, but the house was found empty.
 

15 COs Come And Go, But He Stays On

   SSG Jack Cassiba, a 25th Inf Div mess sergeant, claims a record for having served under fifteen company commanders in the same company.
   Cassiba, a native of Linden, N.J., was assigned to the 21st Inf in Hawaii in 1961.  There he served as first cook of Alpha Co for four years.
   In 1963, the 21st Inf became the 1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf, and in 1966 was deployed to Vietnam.  By this time Cassiba, still in Co A, had become mess sergeant.
   Since then he has extended his Vietnam tour twice.  “When my time runs out,” he says, “I’ll probably extend for a third time.  As long as Alpha Co is with them.”
 

Weak Well Walls

   The Viet Cong in Hau Nghia Province have invented some mighty nasty booby-traps, but there’s a 25th Inf Div soldier who will swear that natural booby-traps are just as dangerous.
   SP4 Larry Barnett, a team leader with the 2d Bde’s 1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf. was probing a hedgerow during the unit’s Operation “Kolekole.”
   Barnett said he was trying to keep a sharp lookout for booby-traps, “but the mosquitoes were so thick they distracted me,” he said.
   “All of a sudden the ground gave out from under me.”  Barnett had stepped into an old well perfectly camouflaged by a tangle of vines.
   “I caught the top edge as I went down,” he said, “but I knew I couldn’t hang on too long.”
   Loaded with heavy combat equipment, Barnett says he could hear clods of dirt hit the water far below as the sides began to cave in.
   Just as Barnett began to slip his squad leader, SGT James Hayden, heard his shouts and ran to help. They hooked arms just as Barnett was about to fall.
 

IT’S IN THE BAG – When infantrymen of the 1st Bn, 27th Inf, got word that several thousand sandbags had to be filled, they designed this special “Wolfhound Bagging Machine.”  By modifying the tail gate of the truck, the soldiers have cut the filling time by two thirds.  (Photo by SP4 Bruce Dapprich)

Husband, Wife Team

   CPT Wallace C. Christy, the 8th Arty’s Bn Surgeon, has been helping those in need long before donning the insignia of an army doctor.
   Born of missionary parents in what is now West Pakistan, Dr. Christy grew up in a land where East meets West.  His high school, situated in the lofty Himalaya Mountain range, was formerly for dependents of British army officers. This too reflected the changing scene where he spent his first twenty years.
   After two decades away from his unseen home Dr. Christy returned to the United States to study medicine.  While in medical school, he met his future wife, 2LT Barbara Christy.  LT Christy is currently assisting as a nurse at the 25th Div’s 12th Evac Hospital.
   This husband and wife medical team practice the “healing arts” of medicine to benefit those in need.
 

Recon By Fire Explodes Traps

   Infantrymen of the 1st Bn, 27th Inf, figure they know what they’re talking about when they say Hau Nghia Province is heavily booby-trapped.
   On as recent sweep 39 kms northwest of Saigon the 25th Div troopers fired their rifles at likely looking ambush points along the trail ahead, a common tactic known as reconnaissance by fire.
   Twice, the bullets snapping into the brush detonated heavy Viet Cong booby-traps.
 

Counter-Mortar Radar System ‘March Ordered’

   With little advance warning, the counter-mortar radar section of the 1st Bn, 8th Arty, “march ordered” their gear and radar system to participate in the first airlift of a counter-mortar radar set within the 25th Inf Div.
   As soon as the system was free home the chopper, the killer battalion’s five man crew put the set in operation in less than an hour.