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  #11  
Old 10-29-2003, 06:23 PM
chilidog chilidog is offline
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White Oak,
Thanks for posting this thread. It really goes a long way to help people like me understand better.


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  #12  
Old 10-29-2003, 06:29 PM
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Default Crossing over

We could never keep our feet dry.Sometime during the day you will get your feet wet,rice paddy,swamp,creek or monsoon rain(Forrest Gump was right about the rain).Photo is of SP/4 Michael Walsh(NY) crossing one of the many creeks and small rivers in our area of operations.He is carrying a M-79 Grenade launcher and is the only man I know of who wore a steel pot the entire time he was there.The major problem with creeks were the leeches.Some creeks you could get 5 or more on you at one time.they were also bad in dark,heavy jungle,where no sun light gets.On main trails where you have to cross are good places to rig booby traps,best to go up or down stream and make your on crossing.Taken early 1970.
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Old 10-29-2003, 07:12 PM
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Default Resupply bird or freedom bird

Chopper is just taking off from giving us our resupply(looks like C-Rations and a new pack)We would always have two guys on each side of the chopper and when it landed they job was to pull it off as fast as they can,as soon as the last box is cleared the bird the pilot will apply full power and get his butt back in the sky where he thinks it safer.After chopper has left the detail has to move the stuff to the middle of the perimeter to where the Captain is at.It all gets divided up there.Everybody looks for the red nylon bag more than anything else,it holds the mail and mail is everything.Resupply would come in about every 4 days(weather permitting)Food and ammo and clothes if space allowed.New guys came in and old timers left,it was the freedom bird to us,the bird that come and got you and took you to the rear and never brought you back.If you were not an old timer or had a large serious wound or were zipped up in a body bag the closest you were going to get to it was when you are unloading it.
The choppers were from the 127th Aviation Brigade"The Rattlers" based at Firebase Hawk Hill(I believe that they have a web site)
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Old 10-29-2003, 07:38 PM
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Default Vietnam countryside

I took this one day on patrol and to me it shows me the Vietnam I remember.It was a beautiful place.Our LZ was located on top of the hill in the top right side of the photo.This was outside a little village of Nui Loc Son,at the foothill of our base.This was the only village of any size around our area.We were in a free fire zone which means we don't have to wait til they fire on us,if they packing a weapons they were enemy.Most of the village people that we run into were very good to us.
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Old 10-29-2003, 07:46 PM
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Danny :

Excellent photos and commentary. Thanks for sharing.

Welcome Home !!

Larry
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Old 10-29-2003, 08:23 PM
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Danny: great photos thanks also for the excellant commentary also Welcome Home again. And get some dry socks on I know because mine got wet here in SE Georgia from that rainstorm yesterday
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Old 10-30-2003, 11:02 AM
lcpd24 lcpd24 is offline
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Great photo's-Have a good bud that was with the 196th-here's web site I found for him

http://www.americal.org/units.shtml
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  #18  
Old 10-30-2003, 11:46 AM
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Default "Saddle up" and all that could be hear were 90 men grunting ,trying to stand up.

This photo is of Paul Foster(CA) he carried the Battalion Radio to always keep us in touch with our headquarters at LZ Center.The green towels were to keep the straps from cutting into your shoulders and the two ends were used to keep wiping the sweat out of your eyes.Wrapped up in the poncho were batteries,they were wrapped up and easy to get to and most important they balanced good there.Everybody carried the same weight,Everybody.Instead of a radio the rest of us had to carry claymore mines,trip flares,grenades,20 fully loaded magazines,extra M-60 ammo,some carried M-72 LAW,or carried ropes, machetes
.Now that was some of the stuff we had to carry to fight.We also had to carry two canteens of water,C-Rations for 4 days,air mattress,poncho liner and I'm sure I'm leaving something off.Most of the guys with me carried a personal box,it was a m-16 ammo box that was waterproof.At night you could open your box and read your letter again,keep your camera and film dry and writing paper and even above dry socks,dry Toilet Paper!This we would all get in a pack and try to stand up.Before we straighten up or try to we pick up our last item,our weapon.I would guess the weight at 60 pounds.Several of our medic's didn't carry weapons but made up for it with extra supplies.Paul was in our squad and carried the radio,when a old timer went home he got the battalion radio.I have mentioned that we make a perimeter every night.In the middle of this perimeter the Company Commander(Captain) and his CP(Command Post) dig their hole and sleep,It's the Captain,the Head Medic,the captain's radio operator and his(Paul) Battalion Radio operator.The forward artillery officer and his radio operator also sleep here.Paul was loyal to his platoon and always filled us in on what was going on,he listened to the Battalion move.
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Old 10-30-2003, 12:15 PM
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Default Error in credit

On my post regarding the Resupply bird or freedom bird,I made a mistake.Helicopters that supported us were A 501st Aviation Battalion Americal Division,The"RATTLERS"They have their on web page.
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  #20  
Old 10-30-2003, 12:41 PM
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Danny what a great primer on light infantry in 69-70 in VietNam. Wish there was a way you could get this in front of more people , especially young people . Riding up to a HS on your Harley , dressed as you were back then with a full ruck with a slide projector and notes to tell your story to Mr. Ruperts 3rd period History class would be to cool. Thanks for this post , bro.
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