Cal
 

After you went through P-Training what rifle company did you get sent to? How long were you with them before going to the Recondo Platoon? Just curious, Bro.

Tom

I went straight to HHC and RECONDOs - never went to a rifle co.
As a FNG, SMJ "SABO" gave me all of the "good" details until the Plt came back in......

Tom
 

3 days in Pleiku and then to 1/35 where I was put in Recon and stayed for 12 months, 39mike.

Ron

Really? I didn't know they were puting FNGs into the Recondo platoon. I knew a couple guys that went from rifle companies. I always thought that was SOP. I thought I'd heard that somewhere. But then,........I'm old ya' know. :D
SMJ "SABO": When I got sent up to Dak To to join C company after P-Training, Sabalauski was still the First Shirt and Cpt. Carpenter was still the CO. This was about a month after the big fight at Toumarong when C company got over-run and Carpenter called in the airstrike that just happened to be napalm. Carpenter and Sabo both got DSC's, plus Sabalauski got a Silver Star. When I got to the company, they were already known as "Carpenter's Crispy Critters." Sabalauski was the best FS I ever had. He spent most of the time in the field with us right up until they made him SMJ.

Ron: Same-same you? FNG to Recon?

Tom
 

They put the FNG where ever they were needed, I was glade, after I had been there awhile, to be in Recon. except a few times when they sent us with the 101 or 173 places that 50 guys shouldn't be .

Ron

Carpenters' RTO, Steven Kivette, was still there with the SMJ when I arrived.....Still have contact with Steven...

Ron...don't recall ever having contact with the 4th ID, but as Tom said, I'm old too.......

Cal,
In May 1968 ( before my time ) units of the 3rd Brigade of the 101st, under operational control of II Field Forces, were sent to Dak To and then Dak Pek and worked with the 4th ID in their AO until the end of June

That explains a lot Bill - I was already at E 20 LRP then- even though we were attached to the 4th ID for a while - never actually worked with or saw much of them - our contact was limited to the CC and higher. Mad Mike did not like being attached to the 4th at All. (Major Dandridge "Mad Mike " Malone our CO)

LRP
 

When I first arrived at my unit it wasn't the 4th, it was the 25th . after 3 months they changed sholder patches to the 4th. If your unit was attached to the 4th in northern 2 corps, it was probibly to the 1st or 2nd BRG of the 4th , The 3rd BRG was closer to sigon.

Ron

1/35 th inf 3rd Brg 25th inf Div