Vietnam - What They Carried

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[SAMWolf]

The Things They Carried...

They carried P-38 can openers and heat tabs, watches and dog tags, insect repellent, gum, cigarettes, Zippo lighters, salt tablets, compress bandages, ponchos, Kool-Aid, two or three canteens of water, iodine tablets, sterno, LRRP- rations, and C-rations stuffed in socks.

They carried standard fatigues, jungle boots, bush hats, flak jackets and steel pots.

They carried the M-16 assault rifle. They carried trip flares and Claymore mines, M-60 machine guns, the M-70 grenade launcher, M-14's, CAR-15's, Stoners, Swedish K's, 66mm Laws, shotguns,45 caliber pistols, silencers, the sound of bullets, rockets, and choppers, and sometimes the sound of silence.

They carried C-4 plastic explosives, an assortment of hand grenades, PRC-25 radios, knives and machetes. Some carried napalm, CBU's and large bombs; some risked their lives to rescue others. Some escaped the fear, but dealt with the death and damage. Some made very hard decisions, and some just tried to survive. They carried malaria, dysentery, ringworms and leaches.

They carried the land itself as it hardened on their boots.

They carried stationery, pencils, and pictures of their loved ones - real and imagined. They carried love for people in the real world and love for one another.
And sometimes they disguised that love: "Don't Mean Nothin'!"

They carried Memories for the most part, they carried themselves with poise and a kind of dignity. Now and then, there were times when panic set in, and people squealed or wanted to, but couldn't; when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said "Dear God" and hugged the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and God and their parents, hoping not to die.

They carried the Traditions of the United States military, and memories and images of those who served before them.

They carried Grief, Terror, Longing and their Reputations.

They carried the soldier's greatest fear: The Embarrassment of Dishonor.

They crawled into tunnels, walked point, and advanced under fire, so as not to die of embarrassment.

They were afraid of dying, but too afraid to show it.

They carried the emotional baggage of men and women who might die at any moment.

They carried the weight of the world.



THEY CARRIED EACH OTHER

[SpookBrat]

Always good to see you. :) Good night!

[Victoria Delsoul]

Great thread Sam. Thank you for posting it.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Kids are so sweet and compassionate. I can't wait to get my pictures developed and posted here.

You're right Spooky, children are sweet and honest too.

Good to see you my friend.

[VOA]

Souris, your pictures were wonderful.

Same for yours SpookBrat...
Although I was a kid during the "conflict", I'll never forget one photo from (IIRC)
Life Magazine of two soldiers basically propping each other up...one was obviously
heavily wounded and the other one was consoling/helping him.
One was black, one white.
I'm not making any sort of statement...just recollecting what a powerful
photo it was and how back home so much strife was (in contrast) going on over
the issue of desegregation.
And how it was a non-issue for the military.

[SAMWolf]

Thank you, Victoria. Good to see some old faces. Thanks for the bump.

[Johnny Gage]

Here's a few more photos for folks to see:

The First one is for 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub!

The U.S. Marines salute the U.S. Coast Guard after the fury of battle had subsided and the Japanese on Guam had been defeated. "They (the Coast Guard) Put Us Here and We Intend to Stay" is the way the Marines felt about it.

U.S. Marines of the First Marine Division Reconnaissance Company make the first helicopter invasion on Hill 812, to relieve the Republic of Korea 8th Division, during the renewed fighting in Korea.

Marine Private First Class Douglas Lightheart (right) cradles has 30-calibur machine gun in his lap, while he and his buddy Private First Class Gerald Churchby take time out for a cigarette, while mopping up the enemy on Peleliu Islands.
National Archives photo

UH-1D helicopters airlift members of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment from the Filhol Rubber Plantation area to a new staging area, during Operation "Wahiawa," a search and destroy mission conducted by the 25th Infantry Division, northeast of Cu Chi, Vietnam.
National Archives photo

OPERATION "MACARTHUR Members of Co. C, 1st Bn, 8th Inf, 1st Bde, 4th Inf Div, descend the side of Hill 742, located five miles northwest of Dak To. 14-17 November 1967
Photo courtesy of the US Army Center for Military History

[SAMWolf]

Great set of pictures, Johnny. Thanks

[Psycho Francis]

Great pics, thanks. Love the Peace symbol that Spec 4 Richard Champion is wearing as he takes sniper fire.

[irish guard]

save for later

[rockfish59]

My brother at Cu-Chi, (Feb. 1966)
'Wolfhound'

[SAMWolf]

I salute for your brother's service.

[rockfish59]

There's a guy in town who was an artilleryman at Cu-Chi the same time that my brother was there.
He said the 'Wolfhounds' were some kind of badasses!
Small world!

[SAMWolf]

The Wolfhounds in Vietnam

The Wolfhounds are blood brothers baptized in blood and ordained in fire and steel!...."Nec Aspera Terrent"...."No Fear On Earth"

On 18 January, 1966, the 1st Battalion waded ashore in the Republic of Vietnam as part of the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. The Battalion was immediately assigned to the Viet Cong dominated Cu Chi district, in the II Field Force Area (equivalent to a current corps.) The Wolfhound's mission was two fold: first, defeat the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces in the area and second, to restore security and help establish government control in the area. This was a new kind of war, one which initially focused on small units. Again the Wolfhounds excelled. Under MAJ Guy Meloy, the Battalion quickly gained the confidence of the local villagers. This was evidenced by the relationship which existed between the local Popular Force Unit and the Battalion. So close was this relationship that the PF unit actually began carrying a guidon into its operations identifying it as D/1-27.


The Battalion remained in the Cu Chi area for over three years, seeing action in such famous Viet Cong strongholds as the Iron Triangle, the Filhol Plantation, the Ho Bo Woods, the Boi Loi Woods, and War Zone C. The Battalion also participated in large scale operations such as Attleboro, Cedar Falls, Junction City, Waialua, Makalapa II, Manhattan, Kolekole, Atlanta, and Saratoga. The Battalion's stay in the Cu Chi area was highly successful in driving the enemy from his sanctuaries and destroying his equipment and supplies. For its success the Battalion was awarded the Valorous Unit Citation in 1967.


In Operation Attleboro in November, 1966, The first battalion was attached to the 196th Infantry Brigade to help secure and remove a large cache of enemy supplies. Almost immediately the battalion's operation grew to involve 11 companies from various Battalions under the command of MAJ (later General) Meloy. Although wounded early in the operation, MAJ Meloy refused evacuation, continuing to orchestrate the movements of all eleven companies. After a tough fight against a determined enemy, Meloy's troops carried the day and drove off the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. When the operation was over the enemy had lost over 1000 dead or captured. For his actions, Major Meloy was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.


On the night of 30 January, 1968 a series of enemy attacks hit the towns and installations in the Battalion's area - the famous Tet Offensive of 1968 was under way. The goal of the communist forces in the region was to tie U.S. forces down at their forward bases and prevent them from reinforcing the larger, more important cities and installations under attack. Although this initially succeeded, soon the staggering losses inflicted on the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forced them to withdraw from fight. As a result of the Tet Offensive the Viet Cong were virtually destroyed in the II FFA.


In 1970, as the role of U.S. combat forces diminished, the Battalion continued to see small unit action against the enemy as they moved from fire base to fire base. During this period the Battalion would also be involved in the last major U.S. offensive of the War - The Cambodian Raid. This operation's aim was to locate and destroy the Communist's theater headquarters known to the Americans as the Central Office of South Vietnam or COSVN. The 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry was given the main effort for the operation, an air assault into the area intelligence believed to be the Headquarters of COSVN. When the operation kicked off on 9 May all the Landing Zones Proved to be Cold but the one Assigned to A company. Taking only one Casualty, A company captured a supply depot over four hundred meters in circumference. After the air assault, the 2nd Brigade continued to pursue the illusive enemy by forming heavy/light task forces. Relatively small engagements continued and although many more caches of supplies and equipment were captured or destroyed COSVN was never Located and by late June the Battalion had returned to bases in Tay Ninh Province.


The Battalion's final action in Vietnam was to secure the 25th Infantry Division's base at Cu Chi while the Division prepared to redeploy to Hawaii. After the Division's main body departed the 1st Battalion moved to Camp Frenzell Jones and prepared for redeployment to Hawaii.

[rockfish59]

Thanks very much for posting that!

My brother (on the left) discussing which direction 'Operation Attleboro' was.

[MistyCA]

Thanks spook. Kids are so special. The picture you posted says it all. I am so numb by all of the emotion lately, but Sam knows how to strum the strings of my heart that I didn't know were there. You all do with the magnificent posts. Sam, I hope you will continue focusing on Vietnam. There is so much to ponder and learn from that era.

[MistyCA]

Oh, now you did it Victoria. The last bit of energy was just expended on this photo. I wish President Reagan were able to continue to express himself and help the healing that this nation needs. No one was as good at that as he was. thanks for the reminder and the memory.

[SAMWolf]

It's hard to believe we were ever that young.

[SAMWolf]

I have one for tomorrow, not sure what I'll do after that one.

[MistyCA]

My husband went to Vietnam and served with the Air Police in Bien Hoa. He came back to the states and joined the Police Department. Not too long after that he was injured in the riots at UCSB when the Bank of America was burned by protestors. The violence that erupted across the nation at campuses of Universities was something that is hard to forget, but especially for those of us who saw our guys wounded on both fronts....in Vietnam and then here. Some were spat upon and humiliated. Authority was challenged and the Fonda ilk was there to litter our landscape with their filth and condemnation. To think that these people are being voted into office by supposedly "thinking" human beings is a joke. We must never forget Vietnam. We must never forget the Fonda's and the Clinton's and all of those who have brought such strife to our society. Sam! Please keep this up. Do Kent State. Do Bank of America. The Chicago 7. Hayden. Fonda. People need to remember and understand. And no one can highlight this stuff like you do. :)