1st Air Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

101st Airborne Division (Airmobile)
I joined the Cav in late 1967, at the ripe old age of 19. I had finished OCS at
Ft. Benning the previous March, and, like almost everyone else in the Army in
those days, was on orders for RVN almost immediately. I was supposed to be
assigned to some separate infantry company in Qui Nhon - at least that's
what my orders said. I found out quickly that those orders meant nothing.
When 2 of my OCS classmates and I arrived in Cam Ranh Bay we were all
assigned to the 1st Cav. All they told us about the Cav was that it was "up
north" and that it was a "bad" place. We were duly scared. I had a broken
ankle when I arrived in country, so it was about 3 weeks before I got to the
field. We were at LZ Mustang, near Bong Son, when I reported in. I was
assigned as a platoon leader in A company - my platoon sergeant was an E-5
scheduled to DEROS about a month after I arrived. Obvioulsy, I had a lot to
learn and he had to work hard. After a couple months in Bong Son, we moved
to I Corps and the LZ Sharon area, and I spent the rest of my tour around
Quang Tri and points west. After a few more months, I became the Executive
Officer for the company and left the field.
I was in the 506th from late July to early August 1969 through May of 1970.
I arrived at Camp Evans and immediately got on a bird bound for the Ashau
Valley. For the first several months of my tour, I was the S-3 Air - that meant
relative security (compared to the average infantryman), but a lot of moving
from firebase to firebase. After a few long months, I assumed command of
Company D, and then my period of "relative security" ended. The next several
months were hot and, as I remember, wet...it was monsoon time. We were
operating between Mary Ann and the Ashau, so we were climbing up and
sliding down mountains all the time. It's funny now, but I can remember more
than a few times when we were approaching the top of a steep, muddy mountain
only to slide halfway down to escape a sniper's bullet. I don't recall the
sniper hitting anyone - but - you never knew. It wasn't as funny then, of course,
as it is now. It's amazing how time changes your perspective, isn't it?
Anyway..I joined the 2d Bn 501st Infantry for the last couple of months as the
HHC commander - that was another kind of experience all together.
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This page last modified on November 30, 1999