[1] Meridian Card - from the trans-Pacific voyage
[2] At Trung Lap - C 2/32 2nd Section on barrel, [3] Inside the base, [4] Trung Lap bunkers
Bill Van Eck: One event I'll never forget - we were the first heavy artillery to go West of Saigon. In January 1966, C-2/32 was there, waiting for the arrival of 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi. We had NO dress code. Officers wore T-shirts. Steel pots ,NO shirts, and fatigue pants and shoes. One afternoon a 25th Inf Major stopped his jeep and decided to straighten our dress code out. We were in the middle of a fire mission, and our Battery commander walked out to salute and greet the Major. They talked, saluted again, then the Major returned to his jeep shaking his head. As soon as the Major was gone, we all started yelling and cheering for our commander - we remained in skin uniform.
[5] Sunset at Trung Lap, [6] 1/4th Cavalry tank, [7] M-110 at Trung Lap
[8] Guard Tower at Trung Lap
In January 1966, during Operation "CRIMP", the famed "Tunnels of Cu Chi" were discovered. Charlie company of the 1st Engineer Battalion had all their equipment destroyed, including their napalm mixing unit to burn out the tunnels.
Trung Lap was a hot spot in January, 1966. The ARVN's and Special Forces seemed to control the compound during the day, and the Viet Cong at night. It got so hot that MACV pulled our C-2/32 Battery back to Cu Chi, and from there we provided fire support for the 1st Infantry at Trung Lap. All this before the 25th Division arrived in Vietnam.
[9] Equipment destroyed by Viet Cong, [10] Outside the main gate at Cu Chi
Acknowledgements:
2/14th Infantry Vietnam Scrapbook: Trung Lap - January 1966
Copyright © 2008 Kirk S. Ramsey
Pictures Copyright © 2008 Lenny Salvo, C 2/32 Artillery,
with special thanks to Bill Van Eck, C 2/32 for making them available
Last modified: April 02, 2020
