MEMORIES VIETNAM 1969-1970
E COMPANY, TROOP COMMAND
1ST LOGISTICAL GROUP

JANUARY 1969 I CAME DOWN ON ORDERS WHILE ASSIGNED AS AN INSTRUCTOR TO THE AIRBORNE DEPT., AT FT LEE, VA. THIS WAS TO BE MY THIRD VENTURE TO THAT PART OF THE WORLD SINCE 1962.

I FLEW OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO TO SAIGON. NOTHING SEEMED TO HAVE CHANGED SINCE I LEFT IN JANUARY 1967. I WAS PROCESSED AT CAMP ALPHA AND HAD AN OPEN ASSIGNMENT TO THE 1ST LOGISTICS GROUP OUTSIDE OF QHIN NHON. I WAS PLACED IN TEMPORARY QUARTERS IN QHIN NHON WHERE I AWAITED FOR SOMEONE TO COME OUT FROM LONG MY DEPOT ON THE FAR END OF PHU TAI VALLEY TO PICK ME UP.
COL LANG, CO, TROOP COMMAND AND HIS XO MAJOR ASKEW KNOCKED ON MY DOOR AND THE STORY BEGINS.

MAJOR ASKEW AND I WERE CLASSMATES IN THE ADVANCE COURSE IN 68 AND HE KNEW ME AS THE ONLY INFANTRY OFFICER IN THE CLASS. THAT WAS WHY HE WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE ME, IT SEEMED THEY WERE HAVING SOME PROBLEMS WITH ONE OF THEIR COMPANIES AND NEEDED SOMEONE WITH MY BACKGROUND TO TAKE COMMAND AND GET THINGS GOING. THE COMPANY COMMANDER I WAS REPLACING DIDN’T SLEEP AT THE MAIN COMPANY SITE AND IT APPEARED THAT DRUGS AND RACIAL ISSUES WERE SERIOUS. THEY ALSO MENTIONED THAT THIS COMPANY HAD ALSO BEEN HIT HARD AND THEY WERE AFRAID THAT THE SITE WAS STILL VUNERABLE. AS THE S-1 AT TROOP COMMAND SIGNED ME IN, I WAS THEN TOLD, YOU’RE GOING TO E COMPANY. THEY HAVE TWO SEPARATE LOCATIONS IN THE VALLEY AND BOTH WERE MY RESPONSIBILITY. DURING MY TOUR IN 1966-67 WITH THE 1ST BDE. 101ST ABN WE DIDN’T HAVE THE DRUG AND RACIAL PROBLEMS THAT SEEMED TO BE AFFECTING E COMPANY. IT WAS JUST A DIFFERENT TIME OF THE WAR.

BESIDES ALL OF THE CONCERNS GIVEN ME AT TROOP COMMAND I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO TAKING COMMAND OF E COMPANY. IT WOULD BE MY COMPANY AND BEING WITH TROOPS HAD BEEN AND ALWAYS WAS MY AMBITION. THE 1ST LT WHO COMMANDED THE COMPANY CAME OUT TO TROOP COMMAND TO PICK ME UP. I THINK HIS NAME WAS BROWN FROM TEXAS,AND HE HAD A XO NAMED MCDONALD, WHO WAS AN ENGINEER OFFICER.

THE LT TOOK ME TO THE SMALL COMPOUND THE CLASS 11 AND 1V STORAGE JUST UP FROM THE ASP (AMMUNTION SUPPLY POINT). HE TOLD ME HE STAYED AT THIS LOCATION BECAUSE IT WAS CLOSER TO TROOP COMMAND, IT WAS CONVIENT. AFTER I DROPPED MY GEAR OFF WE THEN PROCEED TO THE MAIN AREA OF E COMPANY. I MET IST SGT JOHNSON AND LT MCDONALD. AND LATER I WOULD MEET MAJOR COY. I WAS SHOWN AROUND AND BECAME GENERALLY ORIENTED TO THE COMPOUND. THIS IS MID- MARCH 1969 AND WITH IN THAT SAME WEEK I ASSUMED COMMAND.

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I NOTICED WAS HOW EXPOSED WE WERE FROM THE SMALL HILLS BEHIND THE COMPOUND AND MORE CONCERNING WAS THAT MY TROOPS WERE STILED ARMED WITH M-14’S. FOR THE MOST PART EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMED NORMAL FOR THE KIND OF MISSION WE HAD TO PERFORM. SPIT AND POLISH WOULD NOT BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY, BUT GETTING ORGANIZED WOULD BE. IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE I FOUND OUT WHERE THE DRUG USERS HUNG OUT AND HOW AND WHERE THEY WERE GETTING THEIR STUFF. I ALSO STARTED TO GET THE FEEL FOR THE RACIAL TENSION THAT DID EXIST. I FELT IT EXISTED MOSTLY DUE TO THE BEHAVIOR OF THE PREVIOUS CO. THIS WAS ALSO WHY DRUGS WERE OPENLY BEING USED ON THE ROCK PILE BEHIND THE CLUB.
THESE WERE PROBLEMS BUT MY PRIORITY OF THINGS TO DO WAS TO BETTER ARM AND PREPARE FOR THE POSSIBILTY OF AN ATTACK ON THE COMPOUND. IT WAS IN MY FIRST WEEK, THAT I MOVED MY QUARTERS TO THE MAIN COMPOUND. I WAS THERE AND EVERYONE WAS GOING TO KNOW IT. WE WITH HELP FROM WO HEATH AND MAJOR COY PHASED OUT THE M-14’S AND EVERYONE WAS ARMED WITH M-16’S. WE ALSO STARTED REHAB OF THE TOWERS AND TO GET MORE M60 MG’S. WE STOLE, BORROWED AND BEGGED FOR EVERYTHING WE NEEDED. THE MORTARS, SEARCHLIGHTS AND APC’S WERE BROUGHT IN AND WE BEGAN TO ORGANIZE OPERATING SQUADS TO MAN THESE WEAPONS. THE M88’S AND DUSTERS WERE ALREADY IN THE YARD BUT HAD TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE OVERALL RESPONSE PLAN TO REPULSE AN ATTACK. DURING THIS PROCESS FROM THE END OF MARCH THRU 1ST OF JUNE WHILE WE WERE PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER, WHEN WE WERE ATTACKED ON 10 JUNE BY SAPPERS AND RPG’S. WE RESPONDED WELL AND DID HAVE SEVERAL WOUNDED. BUT IT WASN’T AS SEVERE AS THE ATTACK PREVIOUSLY. OUR RESPONSE WAS REALLY EXCELLENT. I WAS VERY PROUD OF E COMPANY. THE ATTACK STARTED AROUND MIDNIGHT OR JUST AFTER. IT STARTED WITH AN RPG ROUND INTO THE BARRACKS. THEN SEVERAL MORE WERE FIRED AS WE STARTED RETURNING FIRE. BOTH TOWERS 4 AND 5 TOOK HITS BECAUSE THEY WERE THE CLOSEST TO THE ROCKS. TOWER 5 WAS TAKEN OUT WHEN PITTMAN WAS SEVERELY WOUNDED. AFTER WE GOT PITTMAN OUT WE PUT TOWER 5 BACK INTO ACTION. EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN’T GET A BODY COUNT WE FOUND NUMEROUS BLOOD TRAILS IN THE WIRE AND BEYOND. AS THIS WAS ALL TAKING PLACE WE WERE MOVING OUR WOUNDED OUT AND PREPARED FOR MORE AS THE EARLY MORNING WORE ON. CHARLIE DIDN’T COME. AT FIRST LIGHT WE STARTED CLEANING UP AND TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS. SINCE I COULDN’T FIND MY XO DURING THIS ATTACK I RELIEVED HIM AND KEPT THE COMPANY WITHOUT AN XO FOR THE REST OF MY TOUR. I EXPECTED HIM TO MAKE SURE ALL THE TROOPS GOT RESUPPLIED WITH WATER AND AMMO, THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE.
I THINK WHEN I GOT READY TO DEROS WE HAD 5 PLAQUES HANGING IN MY OFFICE WITH RPG FRAGMENTS DISPLAYED FOR ALL THE ATTACKS THAT WERE MADE ON US. AFTER THE JUNE ATTACK WE DIDN’T SUFFER ANY CASUALTIES FROM ENEMY FIRE.


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