Paul Hale Artillery Specialist..

Remembering our firing in support of the battle on Hill 467.

       I was in our advance party to Polei Kleng, prior to moving to FSB 20.  The place soon filled up with a lot of men and equipment. Most of the equipment was sitting there still in the slings. The choppers just piled men, howitzers, infantry and equipment all over the place. We were all just lying around with our gear in the tall grass.  The fire in the grass at Polei Kleng was started by someone cooking C-rations, and yes it did cause ammo to go off. We had to wear our gas masks to go into the smoke and try to put the fire out by beating the grass with our shirts. We started hearing small arms ammo going off so we lay down for a little while. That fire occurred when the place was full of men and equipment.  They finally hooked a lot of the men and stuff out. It was just a staging area and that day they took load after load up into the hills until just five of us were left. We became stranded there; I think they just forgot about us just sitting there with no food or water. The Green Berets told us they were going to walk out and get some help. We finally found a sling that had some apple juice in it, but that really didn't help.  The next day the chopper came for us.

When I did get up to FSB 20 it must have been about the 5th of March. On St. Patrick's Day Lt. Williams, the artillery liaison officer for 1st of the 8th, went out and flew into a hornets nest. He landed their aircraft back on our hill with plenty of hits and not running to good. He hurried up to our guns and wanted shoot. We got all six ready and shot one round apiece. I was on the gun that was right next to where he and our XO Tuttle were looking through scope. They wanted just one shot from our gun. I was the gunner and we fired just one shot. Then they went to adjusting, up and down, left and right; finally I walked over to where they were looking through the spotting scope and asked if they were shooting at rabbits running around in circles. Tuttle calmly said they had gooks in trucks and let me take a look. I said lets get them. We loaded up the gun again and I switched over to assistant gunner, so I could be the one that pulled the lanyard. I fired and went back to the scope just in time to see the shell hit and then stepped back and saw the flash as we got secondary explosions. Everybody on the hill went to cheering like we had just scored a touchdown. After that incident the gooks wanted us off that hill bad so they shot at us for days until they got us zeroed.

       I was loading the gun that took the direct hit on FB 20 March 26, 1969. That hit killed the gunner, ammo man, and RTO. The gun crew sergeant, assistant gunner, and myself, the loader were wounded. They had us zeroed in perfectly!


       Forty years later it hit me, that Lt. Williams gave our position away, when they were forced to land at our chopper pad. No wonder the enemy could hit us so accurately. My point is that Lt. Williams came and landed on our hill a couple times and they probably watched where he landed, which gave our position away. About Williams, he was a good guy, good officer, and good forward observer.
 

Bryan D Granger
 A Former Marine and Present Day Cop

Mr. Steedly,
              My name is Bryan Granger and you have posted my Dad's pictures (Bob Granger).  I just want you to know you are doing a great thing for him.  It is opening him up a lot.  I used to love looking at those pictures ... always had questions ... never the courage to ask.  Just want to say thank you again for posting my favorite part of history.

Thomas E. Lewis

Mr. Steedly,
 

Clyde Edward Williams

Branch:                 US Army

This sent to me by and investigator seeking information about Clyde's tour and the conditions prevalent at that time.  Anyone on Battalion staff at the time would be a great help, even if you do not remember Clyde.  You could attest to the environment he worked in during that time frame.  Send any comments to me, using the email address for SwampFox at the bottom of this page and I will forward it to them.

 

Paul "Richard" Conner

I am the wife of the above named soldier, Paul "Richard" Conner. I have just found your web site and can send my husband's Military information and photograph to you. He was in the 4th Infantry, Operation Swamp Fox. Richard is now deceased. I would appreciate you considering to honor him on your web site.

Shirley J. Conner

Terry Ward

I was 1/8th S-2 during the operation. I'd like to shed some additional insight into the events as I recall them. Our Battalion Surgeon was Dr. Matthew T. Howard, MD. Matt was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on FSB 20. The red legs had their battery set atop the hill in the center of FSB 20, directly in line with our Battalion TOC. The Medical Center was adjacent to the command CONEX. We were being hit regularly by NVA artillery fire. The artillerymen were doing counter-battery fire at the same time we were receiving in-coming. One of the incoming rounds hit in the midst of one of the gun crews killing several and maiming others. Dr. Howard ran to their aid, and with additional rounds falling, did all he could to treat the wounded. The experience left him visibly shaken, not for his own safety, but for the lack of aid he could offer to the people who were beyond his help.
The Battalion Forward Observer was Lt. Doug Williams, West Point, '67. Doug was the first to spot the NVA artillery position. We were doing a recon flight when he happened to spot a muzzle flash. The tubes were dug into the reverse slope of a hill and nearly completely covered with trees, sticks, and ground cover. We had been trying to locate the position of the guns for DAYS. Later, one of the FAC pilots managed to confirm the location and only then did we start making life miserable for THEM. Capt. Ted Yamashita and his company later secured the guns after a significant amount of ordinance was thrown into the vicinity. The artillery pieces were U.S. manufactured 105's given to the French, taken after Dien Bein Phu, and then turned onto us. Doug Williams was a great spotter and tremendous shooter. More than once, he called for "battery six, open the sheath, TROOPS in the OPEN".
LTC Buckner was a tough guy. A former U of Kentucky football running back, he was fierce guy and working with him was like dancing with a chainsaw. During the shelling, Buckner's hootch took a direct hit with the Col. inside it. I managed to pull him out and dragged him to the medical center. There was plenty of shrapnel flying around and by the time we got to the aid center, it was hard to tell whose blood was on whom. Dr. Howard patched both of us up and all this experience did was make Buck madder. He took some aspirin and went back to business. We needed a tough guy and he fit the mold.
Sp 4, Jerry Lauks, 3-A 1/8 was offered a battlefield commission after his actions in this engagement. Lauks is, was and forever will be the commensurate warrior. He distinguished himself at FSB 29 and in other scrapes we had fallen into throughout his tour. I hope Jerry Lauks has done very well. He IS an American soldier....

Terry Ward

If you wish to contact Terry, send the email to me and I will forward it to him.

Jim Carriere,

57th AHC, Kontum, 68-69 ... Crew Chief -Gunner


I was at FSB19 on Aug of 1968, the second ship that dropped in more troops. We were shot down as we cleared the trees and barely made it to the field below.

If you have any information as to the soldiers we dropped in, I would enjoy learning more about them. I talked with one of them, because I saw...Crookston Mn. on his helmet.

He claimed that his people had only been in country for 3 months and it was his first combat mission. I had to tell him to pass along the information that FB-19 was hotter than hell and to lock and load.

I'll never forget listening to the Lt. or guy in charge on the headsets. It still brings back memories when I talk about it.

The next day we flew in to pick up the KIA's and this guy from Crookston was still alive. He helped load the dead aboard my helicopter. I can't remember how many loads we took. But I do remember my knees shaking and my chest getting tighter.

The helicopter that was shot down...was #264. As we disembarked from the Helicopter...mortars were being walked in on us.

Thanks for you service...Welcome Home!
You guys were our heroes.

My name is Jack Hawkins and I flew Alligator 66-16422.

(See Four Double Deuce in Task Force Alpha account for date 30 MAR 1969)

Robert Legacy was my crew chief and John Morrison was my gunner. Robert had the day off on the day we extracted Task Force Alpha and unfortunately I do not remember the crew chief who was flying with us. I am sure Morrison does. I was part of the extraction from start to finish and the last trip in was my fourth trip of day. We knew there were two sorties left and we had about 4 slicks left that had not taken hits. Jim Hudkins said he would go in to get one and asked who was going to get the last. I was "tail end charlie" at that time and after a pause from the other two aircraft, I said I would. After Hud picked up the next to last sortie, a pair of cobras from across the boarder heard us and they came in and unloaded their rockets. I was saying the Lords Prayer when that was happening. I had come in the same way for three different times and felt I was pushing my luck there, so I changed my direction going in and missed the LZ. I told the guns covering me that I had fooled around there enough and went back to how I knew to find the LZ, which was low level until I flew over a flare chute and then flare and drop it in. I remember after we were loaded and took off, I went out another direction and saw someone shake his head as that was a bad direction to go. We made it out, I took one bullet hole in a rotor blade and was happy to have that over.

I grew up on a ranch in Texas and my dad was in the Appaloosa horse business. I had a "I would rather be riding an Appaloosa" bumper sticker on my sliding amour plate. After we landed at Polei Kleng, a black trooper came running up with a beer and said the other guys were good, but I was the best. That was the best recognition I have ever received. Several of us received Distinguished Flying Cross for that day, but the present of a hot can of beer was better.

Later the next month, I had an engine failure in 422 out by Blackhawk towards the Mang Yang pass. I think it was part of the same troops that cut out an LZ.

I am still flying and am in Antarctica. The company I work for has the contact with the National Science Foundation here in Antarctica. I am the manager but still love flying. The days I fly are the best I have down here.

I do remember you, and am sure I may have flown you more than once. I also arrived in Viet-Nam in August of 1968. Except for some of the memory details, it still seems like yesterday. Where are you from and where are you currently living. My life has been good, I married a good woman, had two sons, one to West Point as a infantry officer and the other one is a Blackhawk pilot currently flying Medevac in Afghanistan. Pray for him.

Jack Hawkins
Aircraft Commander of Alligator 422


Thank you for your comments. There comes a time when you resign yourself to what is about to happen. You had already done that when you thought you were left. You were going to give it your all and that is the way it is. I would not have wanted to trade places with you. In both of our cases, a person has to have confidence in what he is doing, think he is a little better than the other guy and then give it his best shot. I don't know who told you that we were not coming back, but that never came up with us. As long as we had aircraft flying, someone would have gone in. Hud and I were the senior AC's and it was up to us.

A little history on Jim Hudkins....He was a special forces NCO sometime around 1963 in the Duc Co area. He was evacuated after he took some shrapnel from a mortar round and then left the army. He was a class behind me in flight school, but I knew him and recognized him for the leader he was. I had just gotten into the 119th and about a week later Hud showed up. He was always in control in his calm way, and was an example to us all. He had his ground war experiences and knew more than any of us what you were going through. Thank goodness we had some good examples to follow. Hud died a few years ago with cancer. He was my best friend and is missed.

In 1984 a few helicopter pilots started the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association. I finally went to one reunion in Ft. Worth, Texas,  back to Mineral Wells and the place where we all started. The turnout was about 1500 including spouses. We were pretty rowdy, but it was the release that so many of us needed. Small groups would gather in rooms and we would talk about those in our past who did not make it, about the times that we were scared to death, and about the times that were funny. It has become more and more about the times that were fun. The only thing really bad about the reunions are that the Cav pilots with their black hats are included! (my brother-in-law was a Cav pilot) There is a lot of good banter back and forth and it has healed a lot of wounds. When I see pics of our era, I still cannot believe what you guys went through. I can't understand how you did it and I saw it, and I know that someone that was never there cannot even start to comprehend what the grunts went through. It was a year sentence fighting with a ghosts. My hat is off to you.

I will call you sometime after the holidays. We are on New Zealand time here and are 6 hours behind you, but a day ahead. I want to know what was happening in the direction that we departed. I distinctly remember several of you in the back hollered no or indicated that was not a good departure path. Too late by then, we were committed.

Do you have any idea of the name of the black kid that gave me the hot beer? He jumped on right after we landed at Polei Kleng and gave it to me.

Do you know the name of the Lt. that was killed by a mortar fragment when Polei Kleng was mortared from the hills to the west? They managed to hit and set fire to a large stash of ordnance. After the gun ships got on the tube and the slicks took off, I went back in and picked him up. He was right by the burning ordnance, and I remember thinking that I wanted them to hurry up and get him on board as the fire on the wooden crates was starting to spread pretty rapidly. When I came back later it was still cooking off. I asked some Captain if the Lt. had survived and he told me he didn't. He was a really good guy.

Again, I don't want to tie up your Christmas and will give you a call later. Tomorrow, I will go down to the hanger where it will be quite and will go through your web site. Thank you for effort and trouble to record the events.

Regards,

Jack


Homer,

Use anything I have written. I will read your entire web page as your tour and mine coincided to the month and most of my flying was in support of the 4th. I have some stories I laugh about now that were not funny then. Like when Col. Knight threatened to shoot me if he ever saw me again. I had covered him with dust at Polei Kleng, when he was taking his shower. He was not grinning when he said it! And when Sgt. Maj. Gilbert kept us Warrants out of trouble at Dak To when crashing the 1st Brigade bar that was set up for officers. How dare they not let us in for a beer! Ha! The good ol' Sergeant Major Gilbert told us, "Boys, my tent is full of beer in a refrigerator that is cold, and you help yourselves. Discretion is the better part of valor and that is where we went.

And I do remember the red-headed freckled kid that we picked up. It seems you were 21 ? I was a lot older...22. You mentioned one of the guys was your RTO. My assumption is that the others were platoon Sergeants.

Later,



Homer,

If anyone wants to contact me, please forward their e-mail address. I will respond.

Where to start? I flew Alligator 66-16422 of the 119th AHC and never set foot in the Plei Trap, but during the month of March 1969, I flew nearly 180 hours. My crew chief was Robert Legacy from Boston and my gunner was John Morrison from Arkansas. At no time did Rob or John hesitate to go anywhere I went.

For me, the Plei Trap started at the first of March even though I had the day off from flying. The 119th inserted a company (?) into LZ Swinger after the Croc guns prepped the LZ. The fist ship dropped his sortie, but the second or third aircraft, Alligator 110 had its chin bubbles blown out by a command detonated mortar or mine and enemy positions opened up with automatic weapons. With troops on the ground under heavy fire, it took a while to get additional troops in. We lost a crew chief that day. From that day things really picked up for us.

Later in the month, a company was caught in an ambush on a ridge top (A 3/8 ?) and was in need of an emergency supply of ammunition. Dennis Klimezewski loaded up ammo and was trying to drop it off to the company under fire when his aircraft took several hits and his peter pilot (from Argentina) took a round in his heel. I think another aircraft dropped off ammo later but am not sure. The next day I was part of the recovery flight and we picked them up at least 8 miles from the contact site. I think I had 5 or 6 of the survivors on board and will never forget the look they had. We had a couple of boxes of C-Rations on board which I offered to them, but they declined. I smoked at that time and offered my cigarettes and they accepted. If I remembered correctly, it only took 5 or 6 ships to pick up the survivors.

Somewhere deep in the Plei Trap just down hill from a firebase a platoon ? was in a firefight and needed an emergency supply of ammunition. We loaded the aircraft up with several cases and I was to air drop it. I had two Croc gun ships covering me. The platoon in contact had the high ground which was steep and the bad guys were below and on their flank. I approached the contact area flying downhill from the direction of the firebase with a high rate of descent and probably a tail wind. As I came over the popped smoke, I got into a settling with power situation where the more power you pulled, the faster the sink rate. I over flew the drop area, had my crew chief and gunner kick out the cases of ammo and just barely recovered prior to going into the trees. We were receiving ground fire, but the Crocs could not return fire due to where the friendlies were. I went back to Polei Kleng and got more ammo and successfully dropped it at the correct location the second time. I was very close to having to put it into the trees just past the friendly lines right in the midst of the bad guys. I don't know if any of the ground guys remember that, but I surely do.

Also, sometime during the middle of March, the 119th was shut down at Polei Kleng getting ready to make a big lift when Polei Kleng came under a mortar and recoilless rifle attack. During a short lull, a couple of gun ships managed to get up in the air and put some fire on the motor positions. All the slick drivers got their aircraft off the ground and I heard a request for a Medevac in the middle of the apron. I landed by a stash of ordinance that had been set on fire. The injured was a Captain with a serious head injury. I remember sitting next to several truck loads of ordinance and the wooden cases on fire that was spreading pretty rapidly. We took the injured Captain to either Kontum or LZ Mary Lou. I heard later that he did not survive and also heard that he was a really great guy.

We had several aircraft shot up going into and out of TFA. I went in one day with ammunition, (Or at least I hope it was ammo and not grenades) and water. About the time I set down on the pad, mortar rounds started going off pretty close to the LZ. The RTO hollered for us to leave, but I didn't want to have to come back in again, so we threw off the water and boxes. A couple of guys jumped on board, and if I remember correctly, one or both were past their DEROS date. We drew a lot of fire leaving, but received no hits.

I did other supply runs into TFA, but do not remember any specific incidents. I would always come in from the mountains from the north (?) low level as fast as I could fly looking for a flare chute hanging in a tree just prior to the LZ opening, I would flare the aircraft and kick in right pedal to kill my airspeed and about the time it had bleed off, I would be in position to drop into the LZ that would be to my left. I remember a tree in the middle of the LZ that was always in my way. I would have to clear that tree before I could get below the tree line. If I had it to do over again, I would have that tree cut down.

During the extraction of TFA, we used most of the company slicks and two sets of guns and borrowed guns from the 57th Cougars. Sometime during the early phase of extraction, Mark Garrison, one of the Croc guns made a statement over the radio that "he had taken fire from the N, from the W, from the S, and now he was taking fire from the E. It looks as if the Son of Bitches have us surrounded." He later took some kind of heavy round under his peter pilots armored seat. One of the Cougars took several hits and I believe had his wind screen shot out. I chased one of the slicks flown by Windy after he took a spent .50 cal hit in his transmission. He landed on a fire base a couple of miles away. Bob Nilius, platoon leader of the second platoon took hits later in the day and had to return to base. To the best of my memory, 9 aircraft took hits, of which several were disabled on the firebase or at Polei Kleng. The mountain we called Big Mamma cut off communications, so after we would pick up a sortie and head to Polei Kleng, we would be in the blind as to what was still going on. Towards the end of the extraction, Jim Hudkins and myself had been in and out three times and we were regrouping to see who still had aircraft left to fly. At that time I had not taken any hits. There were four or five of us that departed Polei Kleng to go and pick up the last two sorties. Hud said he would go in first and asked who would go in and get the final sortie. After some hesitation, I said I would. Hud got in and out without incident, and I was getting ready to go in to pick up the final four. A pair of cobras that had been working in the area had been monitoring the extraction and stated that they both had full rocket pods and did I want them to unload. The answer was a definite yes, so I held back while they fired their rockets around the hill. I had already made three trips using the same flight path and felt that I was pushing my luck on that route so tried to change my approach into the LZ. The bottom line was that being low level, I got disorientated and missed the LZ. I fooled around for a few seconds trying to find it and remarked that I was getting out and would come back in a different way. I wound up coming in again over the flare chute, the four remaining troops jumped on board and we were out. Again I was going to take a different direction out (I think it was to the south) and heard them holler no! I was already committed and accelerated as fast as I could staying low. We came out hot, and unknowingly, I took one round in one of the rotor blades. I definite remember Homer on board but do not remember any interactions. We made it directly to Polei Kleng, where when the four unloaded, a black trooper jumped on board and gave me a hot can of beer saying I was the best. That was the greatest award I have ever received, a hot can of beer.

Going in and out of TFA was about the only place where, as I sat waiting for the aircraft to be unloaded or loaded, I would look and see the troopers fire their weapons into the bush. I remember a stump a few yards in front of where we landed (just beyond where a mortar round had gone off) and seeing a troop firing up in the trees. We had a lot of aircraft that took hits going into and out of the LZ, but I don't remember anyone personally taking a hit. I feel for the ones that had to hump the bush and I don't think anyone that was not there can understand their story. I flew them in and out, and I cannot imagine the horror and agony that they endured. People that did not experience this cannot fathom that all we had was each other. When someone told Homer that we were not coming back to pick them up, they were all wet. That was never considered, it was never discussed. Know this, I did not expect to make it in and out the last trip, but I was going to give it my best effort. Homer stated that he was praying prior to our arrival. I was too.

Jack Hawkins
Aircraft Commander, Alligator 422
119th AHC

If you want to get in touch with Jack, just email me here at the site and I will forward your email to him.

Posted 30 DEC 2007

Kent Phillips

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_875#Background

The taking of Hill 875 in November of 1967 during the battle of Dak To, saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the Vietnam War.  The link above is to an account on Wikipedia.  During the battle the 2nd and 4th Bn's of the 503rd Infantry suffered 33 MIA, 158 KIA, and 411 WIA. During this same time period, the 173rd Airborne Brigade lost 60 MIA, 272 KIA, and over 900 WIA fighting around the Dak To area.  Enemy loses were estimated at 3000.

This email is from Kent Phillips, who is interviewing survivors of the battle for Hill 875 for a screen play about that action.

I hope this e mail reaches you. Here in Ft. Wayne is a sky soldier who was with the 173rd Airborne. I am assembling facts  for a screenplay about Hill 875 and the men who were there. The number of people to interview is becoming limited, as most are the same age as myself (61). I am going to donate all of the proceeds (if there are any) , to veterans of this battle, and/or their families. I am working with Shane Black, who wrote all of the Lethal Weapon movies, A Long Kiss Goodnight, and most recently directed Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. I feel he has the right talents for what I want to accomplish with this treatise, as it moves onto the screen.

My goal, primarily, is to contrast America in 1964, with America in 1969. To share the events in my life as a Four F, person, living on campus, then working for Sun Records and the “identity crises” we all felt. We loved our country, yet the majority of the people our age were tearing down every thing we believed in:  the government, social mores, sexual activities, drug use, etc. It was the closest time since 1780 that the United States came to being in the throws of revolution. When we returned to our own age group, we could never feel comfortable. Even the distrust of those who claimed that POT would never hurt you, but cigarettes and liquor caused cancer, etc, was not accepted by us. It is fine to post this e mail on your page, and/or send it to all of those you have contact with. I would love to visit with them and hear their story. It is a story beyond the much touted 101st Airborne. The Fourth and the 173rd , hit the NVA head on and were victorious. I have seen the KIA lists. This was one of the bloodiest battles in Vietnam, and the people who fought it were my age. I was safely nested away with my guitar in Muscle Shoals, Nashville, and Florida, being paid to have fun and drink Busch Bavarian. I feel guilty for not being at your side. Thank you for reading this and your courage as a young boy. You may reach Kent at the email address shown below.

Kent I Phillips
Chief Executive Officer
Databank Limited


 

Posted 4 AUG 2007
 

Col. Craig B. Collier

Does anyone know the 4th ID unit that CA'd Sept 1968 onto the old abandoned
FSB 19 (Hill 1258) just west of Dak Seang in Sept 1968 - landing squarely
on NVA in the old bunkers with the initial platoon more on less wiped out.

I was a new helicopter pilot in the 57th AHC, the first bird to be driven
off - no one could get another lift in for hrs due to the fire; took a lot
of hits, med evac went down, our helicopter platoon pretty shot-up trying to
get at least one more platoon in, etc.

I have always wanted to know who the infantry lieutenant was on the ground; we
listened to him bleeding (to death), alone.

Somewhere, I heard he survived. Would like to say hello to him - and
express my admiration. And I have one pic of the grunts in the back of our
ship taken about a minute before we set them in - always wondered it they
made it. Good Folks. If anyone can id those units, or give a website, or
id the LT-would appreciate it.,

PS:

Found the Unit involved was C / 3-12. Looks like the 1LT died (a 1LT Mercer was
on the wall); The platoon SSG Guy got a citation - DSC.

But can not find any HQ Unit for that BN.

Would appreciate if you could post request where ever you think best for anyone
in that unit on the 30 Aug 68 CA or just from that unit Aug-Sept 68.

Thanks, Craig

Craig B. Collier, MD, MPH
COL MC SFS

One final Question - and I'll move on - do you have the contact emails for that LT who lead A Co out - and the one who had D Co in the March 1969 Operation Wayne Grey - I gave gunship support to A CO and always wanted to talk to the LT's of both companies.



Posted 5 MAR 2007

Richard Lysinger

Homer,

Found your site at Pleiku Pals. I'm Richard Lysinger.  I was with Co A. 1/35 Inf. 3rd Bde. 4th Inf Div (Cacti) "Grunt".
Very nice site and was surprised when going thru your flashbacks and reading your letters, nice by the way, that we kicked the same dirt, humped the same mountains. Arrived in country on 4-68. My company built FB 28 around 5-2-68, later was told renamed FB Rainbow.  Remember writing home and saying how beautifully it was to see rainbows about every day. Then moved to build FB Dot around 6-5-68 same area, then built FB 31 around 7-7-68, then built FB Carmon around 9-11-68. Being a grunt didn't realize I'd become an expert on the shovel, do remember we got pissed off, build the base, secure the area, just to turn it over to some other company, and moved to do it all over again. In between fire bases did patrols and combat missions by Laos, Cambodian border, Dak To and Kontum area. On 9-25-68 remember that day well, and one lucky SOB got out of the field and a job back in the rear at Camp Enari pulling guard and running patrols.
If interested you can view my pictures at cacti35th.org click Photos, then click on my name Richard Lysinger. Didn't get my camera from home until I was on FB Dot.

Thanks to my wife of 39yrs for saving my letters home, and me writing on the back of most of my pictures that I remember anything. My biggest regret is the names of my brothers in combat, that have long left me. By chance that anyone recognize some one from my pics please contact me, or any comrade that wants to give a shout. All are welcome.
Again, nice site and enjoyed it, and will return now and then.

"Welcome Home"



Posted 26 JAN 2007

Johnny Basso

I found you in an email I got from the group called Pleiku Pals. I graduated from Senior ROTC at Eastern
Kentucky University and did my 6 weeks ROTC training at Ft. Riley, Kansas. I did not become an
officer because of a bad heart. I served in the Central Highlands from the sea to the tri-border area
at Than Cahn from 1970 - November 1971. I was in D Battery, 5/16th.



Posted 9 DEC 2006

Posted 20 SEP 2006 Sgt Bob Stine

Well I'll be darn I think I remember you. I am former Sgt. Bob Stine, Call sign Yankee. I was the one that Col Olds and Maj Prahm asked to volunteer to evacuate Firebase 29 on the 10th thru 12th Nov 1968. They awarded the Silver Star to me for that one but the choppers should get the glory. I am trying to reach the head Medic Sp5 Jim Kimsey who was with HHC 1/8 at that time.



Posted 9 JUL 2006

Edwin Hines
1st LT US Army Armor (RET)

Homer I ran across your site...what memories it kindles!! I served with the 4th as the order of battle officer for Kontum Province 2/68-2/69. I spent a good deal of time flying around those mountains, trying to halt the infamous Plei Trap Valley road, attempting to find the bad guys from FSB-5 on Rocket Ridge to the firebases around Ben Het , all the way up the Dak Poko River valley, past Dak Seang to Dak Pek. That area still haunts me... but the real heroes are those that never came back to the world, from both sides, north and south. Though I left a piece of myself there, they paid the last full measure.

I have Lt. Hines Email Address on file...Contact

Posted 28 DEC 2005
 

Al Wall

I was with D 1/8th 4th ID in late 1969 and early 1970 then transferred to C 1/12th 4th ID till Sept 1970. If anyone knows me e-mail me at:



Posted 16 NOV 2004

Ron Carey
119th Assault Helicopter Company
1st Flight Platoon
Jan.1968-Sept.1969

After reading your site and our talk on the telephone, I again thank God that I was in aviation and not the infantry. I don't think I could have functioned as an 11 Bravo. Engagements with the enemy as a crew chief were short and sweet. I still feel that when those times happened, time must have stood still. The human brain is not made to remember the madness which happens during those times. Thirty years have past since that time and I still recall the moments as if it were yesterday. Some are blended together but others have stayed with me.

The one that has always remained was the time my weapon jammed. It was the second attempt into LZ Brace. I remember trying to clear my gun but now I watch it as a movie from the outside of my body. After talking to you and others I think you will agree. Thanks for putting together an "OUTSTANDING" web-site and I hope it continues to grow.

I have Ron's Email Address on file...Contact

Posted 12 JAN 2005

John Ranney
C/3/8
08/68-05/69

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your tales about Wayne Grey. I also participated in the Wayne Grey operation with C/3/8. I have read Ron Carey's account and the after-action report about A company. The only point I can add to the tales are Welcome Home.

Posted  26 JAN 2005

Return To Top of Page

Homer R. Steedly Jr.    (Email:  )       More stories coming soon...Check back often.    Copyrighted ...  11/22/2011.         Site Map