Delta Company 3/21st 196th Light Infantry Brigade AMERICAL DIVISION Vietnam

[White Oak]

I was assigned to Delta Co in late Sept 1969 after two weeks of in- country training at the AMERICAL's Combat Center. The AMERICAL or 23rd INFANTRY DIVISION was the largest Infantry Division in Vietnam.It was formed in 1969 by combining the 3 seperate Infantry Brigades they had been using.The 196th,198th and the 11th Brigades.The 196th had been working with the 101st Airborne Div and the 3rd Marine Div at Chu Lai.I was assigned to the 3rd/21 196th.3/21st had 5 Companys.Alpha Annihilators,Bravo Bushmasters,Charlie Tigers,Delta Black Death and Echo Assassins(Recon Company)and Headquarters Company.All companies had patches made up and had them sewn over our right pocket.This is the patch of Delta"Black Death", and may be the last surviving one.All my personal belonging was locked in my duffle Bag and stored in the supply room.I was given pack with enough stuff for 5 days and weapon.Early next morning about 5 of us NEW GUYS got on a 2 1/2 ton truck and went to the chopper pad.I can remember the guy at the pad telling us to lock a magazine in our weapons but not to chamber a round.I clearly remember thinking,for the first time since I have been in the Army this is the first time they have told me to without being on a firing range and having to do all kinds of safety checks to, load my weapon.Hey,this is it,this is where it gets serious.We were told we heading to Firebase Hawk Hill,home of headquarters 196th.After waiting most of morning we were told we would be going straight to Landing Zone Center

[White Oak]

Landing Zone Center was about 40 miles west of Chu Lai.It was a Landing Zone built on top of the highest mountain around.It had a stunning view of the whole area(the enemy also had a stunning view of us).One rifle company stayed on the LZ at all times.Every nine days Delta Co got back to LZ Center and stayed 3 days,then off 9 more days.Center had a messhall with hot food.Headquarters Co,mortar crews,ammo dump,Battalion Aid station and large communication bunker were stationed on Center.The 4 rifle companies patrolled the valley around the LZ and the small villages surrounding the area.

[White Oak]

Delta Company was broke into 3 platoons,1st,2nd,3rd but to keep so many numbers from being transmitted over our radio's we were given names instead,we had Kelso,Killer and Gladiator.I was assigned to Kelso platoon.A regular day in Kelso Platoon was be like this,daylight everybody up and ready to move,first hump of the day would be hour or maybe two.A day perimeter would be set up and everyone would drop their packs.One platoon would stay back and cover around the whole perimeter and the other two platoons would go out and patrol or hump the boonies.Kelso Platoon would have about 30 men in a patrol.The medic was the only one on patrol who job was to save lives,the rest of us was trained to take them.We were trained to take them alive and get them to tell us all the plans,times,dates,troop locations,etc.The problem was THEY didn't want to give up to us and give out that kinda information.The enemy that we ran into were young,skilled,smart.Fresh, young troops just coming out of their basic training, heading south and looking for a fight.All of us met up in the valley and hills surrounding LZ Center in 69-70.Photo is of a platoon moving onto a perimeter,we always set up on the high ground and dug mortar fighting positions.After patrolling all day we would come back to where we dropped our packs,at the day perimeter.One of the patrol would find a good night position while out and we would saddle up our packs and move to a night position.(the longer you stay the closer their mortars comes).Next morning do it all again.Somedays good days and some days bad or as we said over a cold can of C-rations while hulked down beside the trail in the pouring rain in the middle of the jungle"it don't mean nothin"I was wrong,It means everything to me.

[White Oak]

Before night falls we would move to our night defensive position,first thing every night,dig hole,no matter what, dig hole.It doesn't take but one mortar attack and you can plainly see the importance in digging a mortar hole.Some guys will get together and dig a large hole to share and some like to dig their on to the proper safe depth and width.Myself I liked a one man hole,one that was plenty deep enough.You can't fight mortar rounds,you can sweat it out,you can think every one that is fired is coming straight down to you.Thats all you can do is stay exactly where you are and hope it will end soon.Kelso Platoon would take up 1/3 of the perimeter at night.We would set up our M-60 machine gun at the best position to cover the Company and before it got dark we would go out in front of our positions and put up trip flares and claymore mines.At the fighting position two shelter half's/rain poncho would be snapped together and made into a shelter by use of bamboo found everywhere.Three people inside sleeping and one up on guard,with the guard changing about every two hours.No smoking,no talking,no moving,no nothing but watching out front and seeing who is out there.In front of you about 20 to 40 feet is 3 or 4 claymores, and 3 or 4 trip flares. At the fighting position itself you have clicker for the claymore mines,a pile of grenades and your weapon.If you need help behind you is three guys sleeping with their weapons,ready to move as moments notice.You would be surprised how fast you can wake up from a deep sleep if you know the man that you are hunting is hunting you.

[DMZ-LT]

Great pictures and narative Danny. Thank you. Welcome home.

[BLUEHAWK]

WhiteOak -
Damn near every time I stick my non-combatant airmanly nose into a warrior conversation I find all batteries open fire at it and I learn the meaning of a bunker, which I dug for myself with my fingernails...

However, while it may be impossible to say that a man could "enjoy" all these recent threads and posts about VN from you, LT and exlrrp and others, I can say that I'm learning important things from what you all have been sharing, explaining, confessing, describing... and that I just wish to God the ones who fail to see that once troops have been committed and war declared, it is time to do everything possible to come to the aid of the commander-in-chief, if nobody else and if nothing else is felt can be done to bring people home safe in one piece and halt the carnage... and just for one damn period of time stop thinking about themselves and their little special needs and ideas, pitch the fuck IN and help somebody for once! Suit up, fall in, salute, and do their duty instead of their whims first and until the damn thing gets finished.

I'm goin' on about this for a reason, and this may not be the best spot to be doing this, but for sure it'll get ignored (or shot at weapons free) if so.

Militarily I describe myself as a Standard Bearer, in the old timey traditional sense. I know, or believe, that anymore a unit does not follow a flag into battle... and I regret that evolution, frankly. Nevertheless, in 1963 when your war was heating up seriously I was 17 years old and an airman basic. First chance I was given I volunteered for permanent party in VN, twice. They chose not to send me, even though I was on 123 Providers and we had begun receiving some NCOs back from Da Nang... with stories that blew our eyes wide open. Turned out, what we were doing in Air Training Command was teaching air crews how to handle the 123 on their way west, to move stuff around and do some AO spraying. We thought we were just clearing the canopy for you guys, to better see on land and in the air, what you were shooting and where they were shooting from. Turned out we poisoned a few thousand of our own. I am ashamed of myself, to you all, for that personal negligence. I was desparate to get there, but not because I felt the urge to kill anything... I just wanted to DO something to help out, such as (in my imagination) carry the flag. In those days there was NO option when our country called, you just did it.

So I now need to say something about what it means to be a pacifist, that does not get said, or is presumed. I am one. My father served as a volunteer in the US Army during WW II, as a Conscientious Objector, played in the band at Fort Leonard Wood, Camp Crowder, Los Alamos and West Point... that was his service. He became an "Atomic Vet" from White Sands, and died as a result many years later from the effects... just as some of our men are today from AO.

Yet, I chose to be a Standard Bearer. I would have been a medic if they'd have let me, or a sapper, and would have carried or picked up a weapon in the hour of need... because I would have been angry that the men around me were in peril and had no choice but to hope their flag carrier survived long enough to care. Like exlrrp, I have a hard time with knowing that sometimes warfare entails murderous acts... and I think this is one reason it is best not to have too many warriors in the field over the age of 50. However, I have zero problem with self-defense, which is what it is... and maybe it was Humper or Seatjerker or Pho or somebody who said awhile back...something like, when it all comes down to it, you fight to save your buddy's ass and your own.

This is probably coming out very confused. I know what I'm trying to say to you guys, so tried to say it.

I WANTED to be with you.

[White Oak]

We built these little shelters every night to keep rain and heavy dew off us.We would blow up air mattress's and 4 could sleep here,one on guard and three sleeping.Everybody slept with their weapon except the M-60 machinegun operator.The guy is trying to dry his feet,every chance is a chance to dry your feet.Skin breaks after so long in the water.A friend with a dry pair of socks is a friend indeed.The fighting position and mortars holes are nearby.We were guarding the perimeter while 2 platoons were out patrolling.Helmet laying outside of was rare,most of us thought it was to hot to wear.We wore bush caps or baseball caps.

[Arrow]

What LT said...

And the picture quality is awesome.

Thank you Danny....

[White Oak]

Photo is of a North Vietnamese Soldier captured by our unit.All prisoners were sent to the rear.We could not speak to them and they couldn't speak to us.All of the troops we went up against were like this one,well fed and well equipped.All carried AK-47 assault rifles.

[White Oak]

Sp/4 Lopez providing full medical coverage to Paul Mulcany.Medics, we loved them.I have seen medics do some amazing things.Some of the bravest guys I have ever met.