Vol 4 No. 24 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS June 16, 1969
Index
‘They Were All Heroes’
Regulars vs. NVA at Crook: 400 Enemy Die
FSB CROOK, 7 JUN 69 - During
two nights of deadly close-in fighting, Bravo Company of the 3d Battalion, 22nd
Infantry, turned back two NVA regiments. In
two separate back-to-back ground attacks Thursday and Friday nights on Fire
Support Base Crook, eight and a half miles northwest of Tay Ninh City, the
outnumbered Regulars held firm and killed off the charging NVA.
Both battles saw the NVA
forces soundly defeated. The enemy
initially tried to breach the perimeter with sappers but failed.
At no time was the Regulars’ bunker line penetrated.
Supporting fires for Crook
were supplied by Cobra gunships, tactical air strikes, spookie, shadow (C119
gunship) and a host of artillery batteries.
Alpha Battery of the 7th Battalion, 11th Artillery, fired
point blank the on-rushing enemy as rocket and mortar fire slammed into Crook.
“Throughout both attacks
my men performed remarkably. Even
during the height of the in-coming rounds, they got out of their bunkers and
fired the guns. They knew they had
to do it, so they stayed low and we came out like bandits, taking very few
casualties,” said the battery commander, Captain Dick Neal of San Antonio,
Tex.
AS BRAVO COMPANY left the
perimeter to sweep the area the following morning they were greeted by hand
grenade-throwing NVA who tossed grenades out of well-camouflaged spider holes.
Bravo returned to its perimeter and had spookie hose down the area with its
deadly mini-gun.
Alpha Company was dropped
off four kilometers north of Crook by the 187th Assault Helicopter Company to
spoil the enemy’s rapid retreat. Following
a trail of commo wire they met head-on with the NVA regiment’s headquarters.
First Lieutenant William Ervin of Richmond, Va., called for tactical air
strikes as he maneuvered his men against the enemy.
Darkness forced Alpha to return to Fire Support Base Washington before
enemy casualties were known.
THE SECOND NIGHT of fighting
seemed to be an instant replay of the previous night’s action.
The only difference was that a fresh NVA regiment hit from the opposite
side. As mortars, rockets and RPGs
slashed into the fire support base, First Lieutenant Curtis McFarland of
Midland, Tex., readied his platoon. Again
the sappers were stopped before they breached the perimeter.
On both nights Major Joseph
Hacia of Wethersfield, Conn., ran
the entire show. He gained the
perspective of the situation by rapidly moving between his tactical operations
center, tower and bunker line.
“I’M REALLY IMPRESSED
with the men of Bravo Company,” said Hacia, the battalion’s XO. “They performed to perfection and fought just as if they
were at a turkey shoot. The real
key to our success was early warning. Our
electronic devices had them zeroed in several hours before they actually reached
the perimeter. We knew they were
coming and we were ready for them. The
men on the bunker line knew exactly what to do and caught the sappers before
they had a chance to do any damage.”
Specialist 4 Thomas Belan of
Pittsburgh was one of the first to spot the sappers as they attempted to crawl
under the wire on the southwest side of the perimeter.
Belan literally burned up the barrel of his machine gun.
THE QUICK-THINKING of
Sergeant First Class Donald Neal of Columbus, Ga., proved to be fatal for the
unsuspecting sappers. Neal grabbed
two grenade launchers and several bandoleers of ammo before heading for
Belan’s position. Together they
popped out the grenades and sent the sappers heading back for the nearby
woodline.
BULLETIN
For the third night in a
row, NVA soldiers launched a futile attack against FSB Crook. Saturday night’s fight raged for two hours and ten minutes
with Tropic Lightning protecting Crook with air strikes, artillery, light fire
teams, spookie and shadow.
“THEY WERE all heroes,”
said Captain Larry B. Thomas of Camp Hill, Pa.
Thomas directed his Bravo Company while running back and forth on the
bunker line determining where the areas of greatest threat were.
“The men knew what to do before I had a chance to direct them.
They performed beyond expectations, and I’m proud of every one of
them.”
A last-ditch effort was made
from the northeast section where the initial attack was fairly light.
Machinegunner Specialist 4 Richard C. Marroquine of Floresville, Tex.,
made an immediate assessment of the situation and turned back the onrushing
enemy with his M-60. The desperate NVA answered his volley with a wave of
rocket-propelled grenades. But
Bravo had constructed their fortifications well.
Many bunkers and (Continued
on Back Page)
TWO
VIEWS -
(above right) Photographer Specialist 4 David DeMauro captures a scene of two views of
battle coming together. A Regular
Infantryman peers out at the area surrounding Fire Support Base Crook, as a
Crusader gunship patrols overhead.
Page 2 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS June 16, 1969
Decorated
SILVER STAR | |
LTC
Duane R. Tague, HHC, 2d Bn, 34th Armor LTC John E. Mann, HHC, 2d Bn, 12th Inf CPT Raymond W. Kaufman, Co C, 2d Bn, 22d Inf CPT Edward W. Cavanuagh Jr., HHC, 2d Bde CPT Frederick G. Wong, Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf 1LT Gary W. Carlson, B Trp, 3d Sqdn 4th Cav 1LT Don L Smith, A Btry, 7th Bn, 11th Fld Arty 1LT John Thomas, D Trp, 3d Sqdn, 4th Cav 1SG Lloyd Storey, Co A, 1st Bn, 5th Inf PSG Frank L. Beavers, Co B, 4th Bn, 23th Inf SSG Jerrie K. Ramage, Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf SSG Michael A. Wallace, Co A, 65th Engr. Bn SGT Johnny H. Ligon, Co B, 4th Bn, 23d Inf SGT Paul J. Keeler, Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf |
SP4 Michael G. Reece, Co C, 4th Bn, 23d Inf SP4 Richard A. Haerling, Co A, 2d Bn, 12th Inf SP4 Frank W. Rosss Co D, 1st Bn, 27th Inf SP4 George H. Stoddard, Co B, 1st Bn, 5th Inf SP4 Rodney L. Porter, Co F, 75th Inf SP4 William E. Patrick, C Btry, 1st Bn, 8th Fld Arty SP4 Clarence Kenner, Co A, 2d Bn, 12th Inf SP4 James L. Johns, Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf PFC Thomas Silva, Co B, 4th Bn, 23d Inf PFC Tommie J. Dyer, Co D, 1st Bn, 27th Inf PFC Sammie Washington Jr., Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf PFC Pierce J. Bunce, Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf PFC Michael L. Johnigan, Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf PFC Ronald J. Zollner, Co B, 1st Bn, 27th Inf |
BRONZE STAR |
|
SGT
Merlyn R. Kruse, Co C, 2d Bn, 12th Inf |
SP4 Charles E. Ward, Co B, 4th Bn, 23d Inf |
Tropic Lightning Tots
The Commanding General Welcomes
The Following Tropic Lightning Tots
To The 25th Infantry Division As
Reported By The American Red Cross.
Born To:
May
16 SP4 Glenn D. Head, Co E, 2d Bn, 12th Inf, a son May 19 SP4 James Morris, Co A, 25th S & T Bn, a son May 21 SP4 Michael J. Cumm, 25th Admin Co, a son May 23 SP4 Richard Stock, Co A, 554th Engr Bn, a son PFC Rodney R. Koenig, Svc Btry, 1st Bn, 27th Arty, a son May 25 PVT Junius Wilson, Co B, 2d Bn, 14th Inf, a daughter May 26 PFC Thomas E. Phillips, Co C, 2d Bn, 14th Inf, a daughter |
May 30 1LT Michael J. Schultz, Co B, 65th Engr Bn, a son May 31 CPT Hugh H. Hanna, HHB, 3d Bn, 13th Arty, a son June 2 SP4 Lloyd Reems, Jr., C Co, 3d Sqdn, 4th Cav, a son SP4 William Witsman, Co C, 125th Bn, a daughter SP4 Gary W. Chapman, Co B, 554th Engr Bn, a daughter June 3 SP4 Ronnie J. Duzan, B Co, 554th Engr Bn, a daughter June 4 SFC Segal W. Bryant, HQ and Co A, 25th Med Bn, a son |
Take
Good Care of Her; She’s Your Sweet 16
A recent newspaper story
told of an American who unexpectedly came face to face with a Viet Cong.
Both men froze for a second, then one squeezed the trigger of his weapon.
There was a click. Nothing
happened. Then the other man fired.
The VC slumped to the ground.
Our man was lucky that time.
It was Charlie’s weapon that wouldn’t fire.
How about your weapon? Are
you sure it’ll do the job when you need it most?
Is it clean?
AND HOW ABOUT the ammo and
your magazines? Are they clean too?
And when was the last time you zeroed your weapon.
A soldier’s best friend is his M-16; what kind of friend do you have?
Most soldiers realize how
important it is to keep their M-16s clean, but it is just as important to keep
the ammunition and magazines clean. A
dirty magazine means dirty ammo, and dirty ammo means trouble.
Bent ammo is even worse.
Dirty and bent rounds
won’t chamber properly, if they chamber at all.
Rounds left unchecked day after day in your magazines will begin to rust
and gather dirt. Oiling ammo does
more harm than good, because even though it might prevent rust, the oil will
collect dust and grit.
DIRT WILL prevent the
follower from working properly, causing the round not to chamber. Lay off the oil for ammo, and the magazine needs only a light
touch on the spring.
If you’re one of the
soldiers who carries as many magazines as you can, remember that each round must
be cleaned and inspected daily. If
they get wet, clean them off to prevent rust-caused malfunctions.
Never load more than 18
rounds in your magazine. Overloading
puts too much tension on the follower spring, weakening it.
You’ll also want to check
your M-16’s zero every two weeks. It takes just a couple of minutes and few
rounds to check or adjust the setting of your sights.
IN AN
EMERGENCY, when you
have been firing for a long time and don’t have time to break down your weapon
and clean it, you can keep it in action by applying LSA to the bolt and carrier,
but not in the chamber. This
emergency technique will prevent sluggish action and malfunctions for a time.
In all normal situations, lubrication should only accompany cleaning, not
try to substitute for it.
Never close the upper and
lower receivers except when the selector lever is on safe. If you jam the sections together with the lever in one of the
firing positions, you’ll force the automatic sear down, damaging both it and
the sear pin.
When you have your weapon
torn down for cleaning and the bolt group apart, make it a practice to check the
bolt for cracks and fractures. Don’t
worry about discoloration, though, it’s harmless.
Check the cam pin for cracks and chips and be sure it’s in place when
you put the rifle back together. Chances
are the weapon will explode if fired without it.
ALSO CHECK the firing pin
retaining pin. It should be
replaced if it is cracked, bent or blunted.
But don’t reassemble the weapon without it; the fire power of your M-16
will be limited to one shot if you do.
You’ll also want to be
sure to load only the prescribed number of tracer rounds per ball rounds.
Tracers look pretty and serve a purpose, but they also leave deposits in
the bore of your weapon that clog the bore and can clog the gas port.
Since tracers don’t have either the stopping or killing power of
regular ball ammo, you have several good reasons to avoid excessive use of the
tracer.
Dreadnaughts
Add Concern For People to War Effort
By Sp5 Doug Elliott
CU CHI—Through self-help
and improvement programs, the hearts of the people of a Vietnamese village have
been won.
Under the direction of
Lieutenant Colonel Duane R. Tague, Terre Haute, Ind., the 2d Battalion, 34th
Armor, fights a two-sided war.
Besides the use of
Dreadnaught Armor against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces, the
Battalion S-5 Civil Action office continually seeks to aid the people through
self-help programs in villages.
CURRENTLY the Battalion’s
“silent” effort is headed by Captain Thomas C. Boling, Duneveik, West
Germany and Sergeant First Class Billie Brown, Campbellsville, Ky.
Their program is aimed at the Phu Hoa District, an area east of Cu Chi.
The program branches in
several directions. One program
seeks to find disabled civilians who have had amputations, and to supply them
with artificial limbs. Amputees are
taken to the Saigon Rehabilitation Center and taught to use the artificial arm
or leg.
This is a free service
designed to rehabilitate people so they can return to a useful, productive life.
If the families of patients need food while the amputee is in the
hospital, the Dreadnaughts insure that rations are supplied.
A SECOND PHASE of the
program is demonstrated in Tan Tanh Dong village.
At the request of a school principal, the S-5 staff drew plans for a
bicycle shed for pupils. After the
plans were made, the battalion secured the material needed for the building and
cut out key pieces to show the villagers the basic design.
Local carpenters then constructed the shed.
As Brown puts it: “The
more we let the people do on their own, the more they respect the end result.”
THE SHED IS now completed,
and the children and principal of the Tan Tanh Dong school are delighted.
Working with all six schools
in the Phu Hoa District, the Dreadnaughts also replaced many schoolyard swing
sets. Gathering up necessary rope
and wood, along with new metal frames, the soldiers saw that the schools had
what was needed to make the swings safe. The
swings are used by nearly 500 pupils.
Brown wanted to make a
gesture of his friendship to the Vietnamese people.
Citizens of the Hoi Tanh hamlet, having worked long and hard to improve
their village, had made strides in areas of civil defense and hygiene.
Still, the people had to use buckets to provide everyone with water.
Brown, through the help of
his wife back in Kentucky, bought two pumps in the States and had them shipped
to Vietnam. Then he and his
assistant, Staff Sergeant Jefferson A. Spencer of Ewing, Ill., helped the
villagers in their spare time to install the pumps at wells in the hamlet.
Although Brown will soon
return home, the memory of the Dreadnaughts and the concern of Billie Brown will
continue to live on with the people of the Phu Hoa District.
Reminder: You’re invited to listen to the 25th Division’s Radio Show ‘Lightning 25’ every Sunday morning at 11:30 on AFVN, 54 on your radio dial. Army Specialist Jack Schmitt each week spotlights new and exciting talent from the ranks of the Tropic Lightning. Listen this Sunday, you may hear someone you know. |
Heat
Injury Prevention is Stressed
In
a recent Tropic Lightning bulletin, all commanders were reminded of their
responsibilities for the prevention of heat injuries.
All personnel are reminded
that:
1. Normally heat exhaustion
is preventable.
2. Heat casualties can be
reduced by following these suggestions:
Closely observe and reduce
when possible continuous hard work of personnel newly arrived in country.
The normal period of acclimatization is one or two weeks.
Adequate amounts of water
and other fluids and adequate supplemental salt supplies must be
available. When the situation permits, periodic rest periods must be
arranged, especially for personnel newly arrived in country.
The TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS is an authorized publication of the 25th Infantry Division. It is published weekly for all division units in the Republic of Vietnam by the Information Office, 25th Infantry Division, APO San Francisco 96225. Army News Features, Army Photo Features, Armed Forces Press Service and Armed Forces News Bureau material are used. Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army. Printed in Tokyo, Japan, by Pacific Stars and Stripes.
MG Ellis W. Williamson . . . . Commanding General
MAJ John C. Fairbank . . . . . Information Officer
1LT John C. Burns . . . . . . . . Officer-in-Charge
SP4 Robert Imler . . . . . . . . . . Editor
SP5 Charles Withrow . . . . . . Assistant Editor
SP4 Ralph Novack . . . . . . . . Production Supervisor
BATTALION CORRESPONDENTS
SGT
Jon Anderson SP4 Bert Allen SP4 Arthur Brown SP4 Richard Huhta SP4 Karl Karlgaard SP4 Robert Williams |
1/5 1/8 2/12 2/14 2/27 2/27 |
SP5
Doug Elliott SP4 Dave DeMauro PFC Dan Stone SGT Roger Welt SP4 Pete Freeman |
2/34 3/22 4/9 4/23 7/11 |
Page 3 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS June 16, 1969
Dorex
S. Round Is A Dog and a Bobcat
CU CHI
- To hear mortarmen
of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 5th Infantry, speak of Dorex S.
Round you would never guess he was a dog. As
a pet, their canine comrade has proven to be quite an asset.
He
may even DEROS
soon.
Aside from offering the
traditional man-dog bond that has been established through the ages, Dorex S.
Round (alias “Short Round”) has acquired talents which are invaluable in the
war in Vietnam.
THE AFFAIR BEGAN seven
months ago when Short Round, then a pup, appeared out of nowhere.
The Bobcat mortarmen, working out of Fire Support Base Patton, became
attached to him.
Each day as they left on an
operation their pooch saw them off and eagerly awaited their return with wagging
tail. So it went until a new base
regulation stated “no pets in the fire support base.”
The mortarmen, with a sad
farewell and moist eyes, left their pet in the nearby village of Trung Lap.
THAT GESTURE might have
marked the end of the relationship. Three
days later, however while passing through the village the platoon members saw
their former pet trying to escape from its new owners. When Short Round saw the armored personnel carriers he made a
dash for the tracks, and was snatched up by his old gang.
The reunion was joyful, but
the problem of dogs not being allowed on the fire support base still existed.
A solution was reached. Short
Round would accompany them on every mission and thus avoid violating the
regulation.
Since then, in the dozen or
so ground attacks launched against the Bobcats in places ranging from the
Citadel to the Ho Bo Woods, Short Round has alerted every time before the
attack.
SPECIALIST 4 JACK C. Dominic
of Oakland, Calif., explains; “It never fails.
Just before we find indications that we are in for an attack Short Round
begins to bark.”
During one such attack, an
enemy 82mm mortar fell close enough to place three chunks of shrapnel in Short
Round’s hindquarters. The ordeal
earned him a purple heart and a rest at the tracker dog hospital in Cu Chi.
After he returned from the hospital, he received a hero’s welcome
before going back to the old grind.
The platoon members hope to
take Short Round home with them. The
paperwork is already in, and hopes are high that he can make the journey.
They think he deserves a DEROS.
CLEANING CHORES - Private First Class Richard Smith of Portland, Ind., pushes a cleaning rod down a mortar tube while Specialist 4 Don Kennedy of Ashboro, N.C., cleans the exterior and squad leader Specialist 4 James Cavaciuti of Torrington, Conn., watches the progress. The men are members of E Company, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry. (PHOTO BY SP4 RICHARD HUHTA) |
Warriors
Take Holiday
‘Olympics’ Come to Pershing
CU CHI - When the allied
forces paused for a standdown in honor of Buddha’s birthday May 30, the
Warriors of the 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry, used the cease fire to hold a form
of “Olympic Games” at Fire Support Base Pershing 30 miles northwest of
Saigon.
The atmosphere of a war zone
made a lot of improvising necessary, but the games were a giant success.
Half of the activities were
sports-related and the rest were military activities turned into sports.
PRIZES WERE awarded to
winners and runners-up in each event. For
the lucky winners, a three-day pass in Cu Chi base camp awaited each.
Each runner-up received a two-day pass.
“It was a great idea,”
said Private First Class Vernon Lyons of San Diego, Calif.
“The best part was a chance to win a pass. Everyone had a chance to win.”
The activities included a
football throw for distance, a 100-yard dash, a basketball shoot and a
machinegun firing contest.
The competition between
companies created excitement and enthusiasm.
Cheers could be heard as the infantrymen tried to spur their favorites to
victory. Getting together
competitively brought out some of the fine athletes in the battalion.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL John E.
Mann, commanding officer of the 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry, was the originator
of the activities.
“It is somewhat
traditional in the Army to have some form of sports activities on holidays for
fun and relaxation,” said Mann.
Mann also presented the
prizes to the winners and runners-up. The
“Olympics” were topped off with a low-level “salute” by a flight of
helicopters and then smoke ships.
Cricket
Matches Held Daily at Tay Ninh Base
TAY NINH - At the Tay Ninh
base camp, swarms of the enemy have
vaulted the perimeter and entered the friendly position on wings.
Because of the efforts of
courageous Tropic Lightning troopers over 5,000 of the enemy have been squashed
out. Yet the fight rages on despite
the tremendous losses incurred by the enemy.
Such huge body counts would
spell ignominious defeat for a conventional foe, but large crickets, ousted from
their natural habitats by the monsoon rains, can hardly be considered
conventional.
So the ingenuity and
perseverance of the 25th Division soldiers at Tay Ninh is being tested by one of
Vietnam’s more common insects.
Many unique methods of
self-defense have been devised by the more aggressive soldiers. Specialist 4 Dwight Tallent of Tulsa, Okla., has tallied over
100 of the body count with a quick sweep of the right hand followed by a swift
kick.
Tallent, an awards clerk for
the 3d Battalion, 22d Infantry, is considering making a special unit citation to
the unit which gathers the greatest body count during the season.
IF
I HAD A HAMMER - and you might, but in the wrong place if you’re strolling
under this 90 foot pole these two 3d Brigade wiremen are working on.
(PHOTO BY SP4 JOE
SAFRONE)
DIVARTY
Radar Keeps Watch
CU CHI - There are only six
of them there. They are specialists, and all have a job most soldiers would
envy.
They
operate a radar site near Go Dau Ha, 20 miles northwest of Saigon.
The purpose of this small Division Artillery radar site is to detect
infiltration of enemy troops near the Cambodian border.
They work at night.
Each man has a shift, constantly watching the radar screen and reporting
significant information to DIV-ARTY headquarters.
The daylight hours are used for maintenance, sleeping, filling sandbags,
and getting a suntan.
Although they do not have an
officer at the radar site, supervision is maintained from DIVARTY headquarters
battery at Cu Chi base camp. The
men work together, carrying out their duties as radar operators.
Specialist 5 Michael Ball of Caldwell, Ohio, has the extra responsibility
of being section chief, in charge of coordinating activities at the radar site.
The soldiers live in their
own hootch on a US Navy Seabee compound with soldiers from the Army of the
Republic of Vietnam providing security. Each
group works separately, doing its own job.
Specialist 4 Allan Krebs of
Pottsville, Pa., commented “We have very good facilities here.” Although there are no movies, there are lots of books and
magazines available as well as TV in both their hootch and the air conditioned
enlisted men’s club. Also, hot
and cold running water is available for their use.
Specialist 4 Jerry Baxter of
Cherryville, N.C., sums up the opinion of all his Tropic Lightning DIVARTY
soldiers, stating: “Morale is high, everyone works together because we have
good conditions and a responsible job to do.
It’s good duty and I’d like to be here my entire tour.”
MAINTENANCE AND SCHOOL - When any GI stops in a Vietnamese village to make minor repairs, an outside classroom is often the result. Specialist 4 John Kreis of Knoxville, Tenn., inspects his jeep as curious youngsters watch. (PHOTO BY SP4 KARL KARLGAARD) |
Page 4-5 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS June 16, 1969
DIG – (left) Before showtime at Fire Support Base Meade, Carolyn finds time to help on an emplacement shield. | ||
FUN BREAK – Carolyn Koppel of Girard, Ohio, and Pat Owen of Milwaukee, Ore., finds an enthusiastic audience of 1st Bn, (Mechanized), 5th Infantry Bobcats at Fire Support Base Devlin. (PHOTO BY SGT JAN F. ANDERSON) |
Doughnut Dollies, We Love You!
REFRESHMENT – (Left) Pat Owen serves Kool-Aid to the new-in-country replacements. The talk session following is a person’s first contact with the Doughnut Dollies. |
||
WELCOME - (right) Pat Owen, 23, of Portland, Ore., greets incoming personnel at the replacement detachment with an orientation of Red Cross Services. |
WASH
– (left) Cu Chi Kool-Aid patrols start at the ice house where ice is procured, washed
and the beverage mixed. MIX – (right) Terri Dickerson checks the bouquet of the freshly made Kool-Aids. The girls usually have a Kool-Aid patrol in Cu Chi at least once a week. |
Since It’s Red Cross Week, Here’s to the Ladies, God Bless
WANTED - Young, female, college graduate for exhausting, underpaid,
inelegant and occasionally dangerous work in an insect-infested, intemperate
climate, alternately soggy and dusty. Little
chance for advancement.
In an ad like that it is
unnecessary to specify that the girls be mad about work.
Mad is one thing they certainly will be. It is also of little avail to ask that they be of adventurous
disposition; none who are not will come forward. Likewise the expectation that no girls who lack in idealism
or determination will volunteer is correct.
In truth the Red Cross
Doughnut Dolly is a rare and delightful girl, an institutionalized Joan of Arc.
Officially they are called
Recreation Aides. Six are assigned
to the Tropic Lightning Division base camp in Cu Chi, and their turf includes
1st Cavalry units in and around Tay Ninh and parts of the 82d Airborne Brigade.
Though they brighten the
days of the American soldier with word games and parlor type contests, the girls
are not professional entertainers. Typically
they are recent college grads with majors in education, psychology or sociology.
Carol Skaff, 23, of Port
Arthur, Tex., is typical in her college background and in her reason for being
here. “I care about the men.” In
country since April, Carol has become the staff artist for the property required
in their skits and games.
Outside of her 70-hour
work-week her concerns are often the same as any GI.
Right now Carol’s main problem is keeping Jason, a nondescript dog who
has adopted the girls, out of the clutches of the MPs.
“Jason is a very spiritual
dog,” explains Carol, during a break from working on a new program.
The girls create and work up
all the shows on their own, each being responsible for one show every six weeks.
Approaching the dry run or New Haven tryout stage now is Terri
Dickerson’s current effort.
Terri is also from Texas –
Houston - and is a graduate of Texas Women’s University in Denton.
She thinks Jason is merely aloof.
A typical day for Terri
could be a 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. tour of two or three fire support bases with a show
at each. Or a typical day could be
a Kool-Aid run around base camp, or visiting hospital patients. In
their regular shows alone, the six Doughnut Dollies play to an average of 2,500
men a week.
Like all the Red Cross
Girls, Terri has come to terms with helicopters and her hair (“I’ll go to
Hong Kong and buy a wig”). On the
plus side of Vietnam is some comfort. “I’ll never wear stockings again,”
she vows.
For all their long hours the
pleasure of the work has to be pretty much its own reward. Recreation Aides are Paid less than a beginning school
teacher.
Part of the compensation may
lie in the reaction, their audience’s response.
In the presence of Doughnut Dollies, hardened troopers and artillery men
suddenly turn shy. “Round
eyes,” one explained simply.
When they’re not giving a
show while at a fire support base, the girls chat with their audience, take a
turn serving in the mess hall.
Carolyn Koppel, 22, of
Girard, Ohio, will join the boys on the basketball court if there is a game
going or just to demonstrate her 25-foot set shot.
Soon a helicopter whirs in,
and the girls must head out to their next show.
The measure of the success and appreciation they enjoy is that none are
ever sorry they came, and all are sorry to see them go.
GUESS – (left) In the chapel of Fire Support Base Pershing, Carolyn Koppel waits for the answer to “From what novel is the quotation ‘It was the best of times, It was the worst of times’?” | ||
INTERESTED – (right) The girls always find plenty of GIs who are glad to have a few minutes of diversion. A Lieutenant looks over one of their entertaining creations here. |
CHAT – (left) Jane Herring visits a wounded soldier in the 25th Evac Hospital. On such calls the girls pass out shorttimer’s calendars, word games and other morale builders. |
Page 6 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS June 16, 1969
Machines’
Job May Go to the Dogs
By SP4 John Haydock
CU CHI
- One of the big
problems American troops have had in Vietnam is keeping the supply roads open
and free of mines and booby traps. In
the past it has taken costly and time-consuming sweeps to do the job.
And then, the electronic
equipment used to detect the mines might sound off at nails or C-ration cans,
causing whole columns of troops or vehicles to be held up while an investigation
by engineers was in progress. Moreover,
plastic mines or C-4 and bamboo booby traps are passed right over by a mine
detector.
To solve these difficulties,
the Army is introducing on a test basis, mine-sniffer dogs - dogs that detect
mines or booby traps by the human scent left behind when ground is dug up.
THE 60TH SCOUT
Dog Platoon, attached to the 25th Infantry Division’s 2d Brigade, is the first
such group of dogs to be sent to Vietnam. There
is no real “scout dog” in the platoon. All of the animals are especially trained for sniffing mines
and tunnels.
In tests being conducted by
the Fire Brigade, a dog and his handler are sent out ahead of the normal
engineer team. So far, the dogs
have been as accurate as the min-sweeping teams - and nearly 40 per cent faster.
The dogs “alert” only
where there has been fresh digging or there is something that resembles a
triggering device in the road.
According to dog handler
Corporal Ron Peterson of Bradenton, Fla., the dogs are very accurate.
“My dog Heidi,” Peterson said, “has been going through a series of
tests at Cu Chi where captured mines, mock booby traps and other similar devices
are set along a road. On one test she alerted at 14 out of 16 mines and three out
of three trip wires.”
ON HER FIRST actual mission,
Heidi alerted twice - once to a burned-out trip flare and once to a large piece
of cable. She found no mines.
But neither did the crew
from the 65th Engineers who were right behind her with two mine detectors. They
stopped more than a dozen times to investigate false alarms, while the dog stood
or sat patiently by the roadside waiting for them to catch up.
The handlers are assigned to
Vietnam for 180 days, but the dogs for health reasons will remain here
permanently. If their work proves
effective, and so far it has, more such specially trained dogs will be sent over
from the States to be used all over the country.
“Mine-sniffer dogs are
working like a charm,” said Lieutenant Colonel Constantine Blastos, commanding
officer of the 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry.
“In one recent operation with my men, an engineer team with electronic
equipment walked right over a booby trap trip wire.
But the dog found it.”
Whiskey
Fifth Orders An Oriental Float To Go
By SP4 Richard Mizdal
MASSIVE
RAFT COMPLETED – Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Manchus move
materiel to a fire support base by means of a huge raft.
TAY NINH – “Since we
can’t fly it, float it.” That
was the response when Echo Company 65th Engineer Battalion had to move heavy equipment from Tay Ninh base camp to a Tropic Lightning patrol base under
construction seven miles away.
The heavy bulldozer and
crane could not be airlifted because of their weight, and the ground was too
marshy to drive them so a large float was constructed.
The result involved four
steel rafts with inflatable pontoons, two small boats, two truck loads of
nine-foot steel beams, a crane, bulldozer, and jeeps.
The convoy-like caravan made its way out of Tay Ninh base camp to the
banks of the nearby Oriental River.
Once there, a dozer backed
off its carrier truck and cleared the river bank of debris. A crane was positioned along the bank and began to lift rafts
off their trucks; meanwhile a compressor was furiously blasting air into the
pontoons. Small boats were set
floating and then fastened together, forming a huge raft measuring about 30 by
40 feet.
Ramps connected the raft to
the shoreline as the machinery was driven aboard.
The raft was completely loaded with equipment. Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, scrambled aboard
and took up security positions.
The U.S. Navy river patrol
division based at Go Dau Ha aided in security operations.
The float was pushed down
the Oriental River for several miles by a 27-foot “Bridge-Erector-Boat” to
pick up the bulldozer.
The raft and the bulldozer
then moved up the Oriental River to a canal that led to the final destination.
Because the canal was so narrow, the raft had to be turned sideways and
pulled in to allow its passage.
First Lieutenant Robert
Feller of Charlottesville, Va., was in charge of the Echo Company rafting
operation. “The difficulty of the
operation,” stated Feller, “was the narrowness of the canal which left only
inches to spare on each side of the raft.”
Upon arriving at its final
destination, the heavy equipment was used to clear fields of fire and to
construct a berm around the base’s perimeter.
TRACKS AND TRACKS OF TRACKS - This aerial shot shows column of APCs moving into the Crescent area, 13 miles east of Tay Ninh City. The APCs belong to A Company, 4th Battalion (Mechanized), 23d Infantry. (PHOTO BY SGT ROGER WELT)
Page 7 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS June 16, 1969
SKY RIGGING - Specialist 5 William Bihn of Venice, Fla. (top), and Sergeant Charles Lalomia of Little Falls, N.J., prepare the cables on a vehicle tank retriever's 38-foot boon. | ||
TAKE IT UP - The photo at right shows a VTR lifting a 1,700 pound tank engine and transmission. Sergeant Thomas harding of White Fish, Mont., scrambles for the fender to make sure the engine swings clear of his tank. |
Tanks
Need Tow Trucks, Too
CU CHI - A tracked vehicle
that can hoist and carry a 25-ton tank around just as a puppy carries a bone is
often a lifesaver to the men of the 2d Brigade.
The vehicle tank retriever (VTR)
used by the 2d Battalion, 34th Armormen, is an important, versatile piece of
equipment.
“It can pull a disabled
tank,” says Captain Michael K. Anderson of Van Nuys, Calif., “as fast as it
can run by itself - 35 miles per hour.”
WHAT MAKES the VTR run?
A 1,000 horsepower engine. “The
cruising range,” said Anderson who is head of battalion maintenance, “is 220
miles with its four-man crew.”
The VTR can ford a stream as
deep as five feet four inches without any special kits and without flooding the
engine. The VTRs front blade can act as a brace and support for lifting heavy
objects, or in another situation, it can be used for digging or grading, the
same as a plow.
Chief Warrant Officer 2
Lloyd O. Biggs of Atmore, Ala., is the officer in charge of the Dreadnaughts’
three VTRs. Not only do the
retrievers perform the heavy work of maintenance on the 52-ton tanks, but they
are also employed to help other units.
As Biggs said, “We assist
anyone who needs us. Recently we
helped Pacific Architects and Engineers remove a bulldozer stuck in a marsh. And
we worked with the 104th Engineers, and the 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry, in similar
operations.”
THREE BATTALION
VTRs run
about four missions to the field or to fire support bases every day.
Fight they can, add they have. Each
VTR has its own assortment of small arms and automatic weapons.
On a recovery mission in the Citadel, an NVA company attacked a VTR and
two accompanying tanks. But the
recovery was successfully completed in the midst of the fierce fight.
Sergeant David Graszok of
Dearborn Heights, Mich., and Sergeant Charles Lalomia of Little Falls, N.J.,
agree it is hard work and long hours on a VTR crew.
“But,” notes Graszok,
“there is a real sense of accomplishment in performing the job. Even though we work with heavy equipment, the tolerance for
error is very small. When the job
is completed, it is always something you can be proud of.”
PRECISION
WORKMANSHIP is necessary in the continuing preventive maintenance on an M-48A3
tank. Specialist 5 James T. Pender of Hobgood, N.C., does his thing on the
Dreadnaught armor. Pender is senior
mechanic for Alpha Company’s vehicle tank retriever. (above right)
BIG SUPPORT is needed and given when a 52-ton tank has a minor malfunction. Tropic Lightning’s 66-ton VTR from 2/34 can and does perform the mission. In the photo at left, a retriever tows an out-of-commission tank north of Cu Chi. |
Page 8 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS June 16, 1969
Regulars
Slam Back NVA Thrusts
(Continued
From Page 1)
fighting positions received direct hits and withstood them.
“I
SAW THEM COMING,”
said Marroquine. “This place was
lit up like the Fourth of July and we could spot out targets as they came out of
the woodline.” Twelve enemy
soldiers were riddled with machine gun bullets in front of Marroquine’s
position, and several blood trails led off to the woodline.
Battalion Commander
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Carmichael of Columbus, Ga., had nothing but praise
for his Regulars.
“Everybody reacted to
perfection to defeat the enemy force. We
had one hell of a battle on our hands, and it directly involved the entire
battalion. Our support elements
provided everything we needed as fast as it could possibly be done.
Alpha, Charlie and Delta companies all got into the action at Crook by
sweeping the surrounding wood lines after the battle. Even our recon platoon was out there clearing away the bodies
and counting the captured weapons. I’m
proud of every man in the unit and especially proud of those men in Bravo
Company who pushed back two NVA regiments in two nights.”
After two nights of fierce
fighting, the number of enemy killed on the battle-marked terrain around Crook
reached 400. One GI died in the
action and eight were wounded.
Now is the time to be thinking of wet-weather safety. Four points are made by the battalion surgeon for rainy season foot care. They are (1) Whenever possible restrict activity in wet weather to less than 48 hours. (2) Use plenty of foot powder. (3) Change socks frequently. (4) In rear areas wear shower clogs whenever possible. |
2d Bde, ARVNs Join to Chase Charles
‘Cats,
ARVNs Join in 6-Day Mech Sweep
CU
CHI -
In a six day combined operation, elements of the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 5th
Infantry, and the 15th Armored Squadron of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam,
proved the effectiveness of combined maneuvers between the allied forces.
The missions, consisting of
sweeps in the Citadel and the edge of the Ho Bo Woods, showed that allies can
work together to achieve a single objective.
The ARVN armored unit worked
in two task forces in combination with the Tropic Lightning 2d Brigade
mechanized unit. Each task force
was comprised of one Bobcat company and one ARVN company.
ONE
FORCE
operated under the control of the Bobcats while the other fell under the
jurisdiction of the ARVN command. By
splitting the leadership and command responsibility, there was an even balance
between the two allied units.
Using the M-41 tank and the
armored personnel carrier, the new ARVN units proved to be highly familiar with
their equipment.
The work in the Citadel
added strength to the argument that men with separate military training can
function well together. The use of
the RPG screen was new to the ARVNs, but the mechanized troopers showed them its
usefulness.
TWO
COMMAND
posts were placed in the center of the night formations and an ARVN vehicle was
located between each APC of the Bobcats’ to form a wheel-type configuration -
a true intermingling of the armored companies.
Captain Max Ray of Marina,
Calif., Charlie Company commander, was impressed with the eagerness of the ARVNs
in learning tricks which have made the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 5th Infantry,
a formidable fighting unit. Ray
explained, “I thought that for a new unit the 15th Squadron did very well.
We had no contact even though we were looking for the enemy.
Nevertheless, they performed well in the laager and functioned as
well-disciplined troops. They
immediately realized the importance of tracking to avoid hitting mines.”
IN
A COMBINED
operation the language barrier would seem to present a problem at first glance.
However, the Vietnamese commander’s understanding of English, in
conjunction with the American liaison officer’s talents in Vietnamese,
eliminated most communication problems.
In the photo at the top of the page, an Air Force Phantom Jet streaks in to deposit its ordnance on the NVA tunnel complex. The photo (below left) shows air still filled with smoke from the strke as 2/34 armormen push their way forward. The next shot (below, right) is of a Bobcat dropping a 79 round on an NVA firing position. | ||
The photo (above left) is of Charlie Company 2/12 and Alpha 2/34 advancing toward an enemy-occupied hedgerow. Immediately above, the Bobcats keep pushing on while tracks lay out heavy .50 caliber fire. The final pic (right) shows the 1/5 Mech moving into a position from which they had just received enemy fire. (Photos by Sgt Jan Anderson) |
2d
Bde Troops End It All for 59 NVA
By Sgt Jan
Anderson
CU
CHI -
Elements of five battalions from Tropic Lightning’s 2d Brigade, along with an
ARVN contingent, used every resource of their firepower to break up a
concentration of North Vietnamese soldiers near Trung Lap, killing 59 enemy.
Acting on an early tip-off
that many NVA were in the area the allied armada, under the control of the 1st
Battalion (Mechanized), 5th Infantry, rushed into a sweep formation by 8:00 a.m.
the day of the action. When air
strikes and artillery had “softened” the circular hedgerow complex, forces
from the 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry, and elements of the Army of the Republic
of Vietnam working with them pursued fleeing suspects to hold them for
interrogation.
After the air and artillery
had finished their work, the force began an on-line push into the thick
hedgerow. As they moved, radios
crackled with reports of enemy running through thickets to avoid the heavy
firepower.
THEIR
RUNNING
proved futile. Gunships thwarted
any escape attempts. The ships
killed five enemy who were scurrying down a stream bed.
Searching for what must have
seemed a mile to the enemy, Charlie Company and a platoon of Company B from the
1/5 Mech, along with Alpha Company of the 2d Battalion, 34th Armor, and Charlie
Company of the 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry, made an impressive display of
infantry-armor might.
Keeping such a diversified
allied force of armor, infantry, air strikes, and gunships coordinated proved a
big task. Captain Gay LaBoa of
Atlanta, Ga., 1/5 Mech operations officer, provided direction on the ground
while Lieutenant Colonel William E. Klein, Bobcat battalion commander, relayed
orders from his command-and-control helicopter.
MOVING
INTO
the hedgerow and using heavy reconnaissance-by-fire techniques, the 2/12
Warriors force encountered no resistance. Then,
as the line of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and ground troops inched its
way forward, the sound of AK-47 fire cracked through the air.
The allied force returned with maximum firepower.
Because of the length of the sweep force, one end was able to receive
heavy fire while the opposite end was not aware of the action.
The first and only unit to
meet heavy resistance was Charlie Company of the 1/5 Mech. For four hours the Bobcat company had to push its way through
sniper holes and tunnel complexes.
A big surprise came to the
company’s first platoon when a North Vietnamese soldier apparently asleep in
his hole was awakened by the .50 caliber fire and ran to the tracks, hands held
high, shouting “Chieu Hoi!”
Thanks to
Mack D. Gooding, 15th PID, 1st Bde., for sharing this issue,
Kirk Ramsey, 2nd Bn., 14th Inf. for creating this page.
This page last modified 8-12-2004
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