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. 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.
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