Communication is Priceless

By Sp4 Tom Mulkey

   LZ ENGLISH- A unit that is operating with the 173d Airborne Brigade that nobody seems to remember is C Co, 75th Rangers. We don't hear too much about them because they are operating 'separately' most of the time. They've supported the 1st Air Cav, the 4th Inf Div and IFFV. At the present time they are here with the 'Herd' at LZ English. The tactical situation requires them to run extensive reconniasance missions in the Tiger Mountains.
   The thick brush, booby traps and elusiveness of the local VC/NVA make their job very difficult. The Rangers refer to the Tigers as a 'dirty area' to work in. Sgt Thomas Shakers said, "This is the toughest area I've ever worked in. The slow-down hills and the wait-a-minute or grab-your-rucksack vines wear a man out."
   The Charlie Rangers are not soft; far from it. They had the deepest penetration into Cambodia of any American unit. They're tough and they know their job. It's just the unusual terrain that's causing them problems. Charlie Rangers are finding out what everyone in the 'Herd' knew for ages...don't play around when you go into the Tigers. The Tiger Mountains and their lone partner, 'Monster Mountain', have long been a thorn in the side of Paratroopers in the 173d.
   The hills are nearly vertical, hot, dry, vine covered and infested with every kind of insect known to man. When a trail is discovered it's impossible to use because of the multitude of booby traps.

   Pfc Dudley Martin of Detroit Mi, used to be a ham radio operator. He would spend untold hours fiddling with dials and peering at meter readings trying to get another mile or two in range out of his 'rig.'
   Martin uses his self-taught skills on a more serious job. He is the Platoon RTO, (Radio Telephone Operator) for 1st Platoon, A Co 2d Bn, 503d Inf. Now when he has to get that 'extra mile' out of a radio it may be a matter of life and death.
   Martin's job- isn't the best one to have. It's hard work, the RTO has to carry a lot more equipment than the average Infantryman, this takes a strong back. When you tote a 27 pound radio, two antennas, an extra handset and batteries necessary to operate the radio 24 hours a day for four or five days, you have a load. Then add the items necessary to keep an Infantryman alive and functioning. This starts off with a rifle and approximately 400 rounds of ammo. Every Infantryman (and an RTO is an Infantryman) also carries several grenades. The 'comfort items' come next. Food and water for four days (and in 115 degree heat that takes a lot of water), a poncho and liner are the minimum required.
   When the Platoon 'saddles up' to move out the RTO is expected to throw his 85-pound rucksack on his back and keep up with everyone else. On the steep mountains, dense jungle, and thick muddy swamps of Vietnam this is a stern test.
   The RTO has the second most dangerous job in a Line Platoon. The Point Man faces the greatest number of hazards, then the RTO. The enemy knows that the radio is link that allows the Sky Soldiers to call in certain death and destruction from the blue skies. He tries to knock out the radio. If he can injure the RTO and damage the radio, Charlie figures he can save himself a lot of casualties. The latent fire power an RTO carries is more than equal to the load he carries.
   Martin likes his job "I don't think I'd trade with anybody. I know that my job is important," he says. When asked if he's had enough of radios he says "Never. When I get back to the world I'm going right back to my ham radio."

2 GIs Mutilated In 'Friendly AO'

   LZ ENGLISH- Two Paratroopers died a horrible and senseless death early this month when they walked into the waiting arms of North Vietnamese or Viet Cong.
   They thought they were going to see a couple of local 'lovelies'. You know the spot, 'The Ville', right outside Bunker 15 in Sector 11. The communists were waiting for them. When the bodies were found the next morning it was more than enough to make even the most hardened trooper feel like throwing up his breakfast.
   They had been shot through the head. They had been fragged.
   Was this worth a trip to the Ville?
   The bunker guards are in a world of hurt for letting them through, a lot of good it's going to do those two troopers.
   No one, repeat, no one warned these men the VC were in the area. Not one of those sweet-smiling young things who have always been so friendly let anyone know the VC were there. But a funny thing happened that night. Usually the girls come up through the wire selling 'J's.' There wasn't any sweet-smiling girl with 'dew' that night. Think maybe it was a coincidence?. It couldn't have happened to you and your buddy--Could it?
   Oh, yes, the troopers had M-16's. So if you catch a round in the gut or leg and the Doc says it's a 5.56 mm, well, there it is.

   LZ NORTH ENGLISH- Angered at losing over half of one 4th Bn Company by Viet Cong booby traps, several former 4th Bn 503d Inf clerks, drivers, and other combat support Paratroopers traded warm beds and white sheets for rucksack and rifle, kissed base-camp security farewell and humped to the front lines.
   Preceding their new job, 38 Sky Soldiers were awarded the Infantry MOS 11B after attending a one-hundred hour course at the Brigade school in Cha Rang Valley. Cpt George Edwards, Brigade School Commandant, from Colonial Heights Va, explained, "When you're working with fellow soldiers lives, learning during combat may cost a life. Here at school they learn under a combat veteran's supervision in simulated combat."
   Men like the school's Plt Sgt Gurman V Marney, a Dak To veteran now on his second tour, have guided the grunt volunteers through the intensive training. Marney, who specializes in mountaineering techniques, especially useful in the Brigade's 2d Military Region highlands, was an instructor for the Ranger Department at Ft Benning Ga, before coming to Vietnam.
   Latest combat information, transcribed from the Brigade's operational 'read-outs' keeps the school's training up to date with the Brigade's mission for future operations. The courses, open to the ranks of Captain and below, gives training in communications, weapons tactics, first aid and anything that the line trooper needs to know for survival.
   1st Lt Michael K Morgan, class leader, slated a heavy schedule on the booby trap confidence course since booby traps are one of the Brigade's most formidable foes. Morgan, from Miami Fla, also ends the student's training with an overnight field exercise in the school's area of operations, where the combat conditions are real, although heavily supported for the pregraduates' safety.
   After graduation, the freshly trained Sky Soldiers sought contact with the communist demolition experts out in 4th Bn's stomping grounds. One of the students, Pfc Joe Harvilla, Binghamton NY, summed it up, "I used to be a personnel specialist, but I can do more for our Battalion with a rifle than I can with a typewriter."

NCO Leaps For Joy

   LZ ENGLISH- The 'First Shirt' of the United States Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights, is now the Sergeant Major of 2d Bn, 503d Inf. CSM John T Hollis, was the top NCO of the Golden Knights from 1959, when the team was formed, until 1963. The team started with 26 senior jumpers that graduated from Special Forces first HALO, High Altitude-Low Opening, class. They were originally called the 'Strac Parachute Team'. Their purpose was to test and develop Army free fall techniques and equipment.
   Hollis made his first free fall jump while stationed with the 11th Airborne Division in Japan in 1946. He had been in parachute maintenance and when the opportunity presented itself he 'jumped' at the chance. The early problem encountered with the "Knights" were many. Hollis' job was to take a group of experienced jumpers and form a crack performance team. They had problems obtaining support and aircraft that could fly high encough. Still they pressed on.
   Today you can see the results of Hollis' work, and many like him, in airshows, exhibitions and international competition almost anywhere in the world.

   As the torrid sun began to beat a strong tempo on LZ Uplift late in the morning of August 17, the 1st Bn colors were passed from Lt Col Manley H Cosper Jr, to Lt Col Leslie K Nakamura, of Honolulu.
Lt Col Cosper is headed for a European assignment, while Lt Col Nakamura has worked for a short time as the Brigade S-3 and prior to that at Department of the Army headquarters where he was an assistant Chief of Staff for force development as a budget analyst.
This is the third RVN tour for the University of Hawaii graduate. He had a previous Airborne assignment with the 101st Abn Div when it was at Ft Campbell Ky, during 1962 and 1963.
The new 37 yr-old commander of the 1st Bn is a Command and General Staff College graduate, has two children, and a wife named Gisela. Perhaps the most unusual assignment of his career was his attendance at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey Ca, where he completed the highly competitive Defense Management Systems Course.

   Every morning they roll out of Phu Tai, bearing essential supplies and equipment for the 173d Airborne Bdgade. Yet few people realize the importance of the trucks and drivers of the Transportation Platoon of Co C,(S&S) 173d Support Battalion. Better known as the Airborne Express, the Platoon's 5 ton and 2 1/2 ton vehicles average 18,000 miles and 975 tons of supplies monthly. And the skill of the drivers doesn't stop at the wheel. In an ambush last June the convoy completed its mission of getting the supplies to the destination despite two men wounded and two vehicles destroyed.
   Part of the success of the Platoon is the pride the men take in their vehicles and their job, according to Staff Sgt Leonard Bussius, the Platoon Sergeant for the unit. During the most recent CMMI and AGI, the Airborne Express came out smelling like a rose-a difficult feat when you consider the amount of wear and tear the vehicles undergo.
   Another unique facet of the Platoon is the plaque they have mounted on each truck. A pair of Senior Jump Wings and a razor represent the sharp Airborne Troopers who keep the lifeline of the Herd unbroken.

   LZ ENGLISH- A third tour is usually nothing unusual, especially to the 173d's Troopers. It's just that this Sky Soldier was once medically retired from the Army...with 100 percent disability.
   He took four rounds from an RPD machine gun during the Battle of Dak To in November 1967. One bullet hit him in the side, the other three shattered his left arm. The Doctors managed to save the arm but he was left with the problem of limited movement and partial paralysis.
   Sgt Ralph A Raperto of Catonsville Md, is back with the 173d Airborne Brigade. The three-tour vet returned because, "I lost a lot of buddies here. I wanted to finish the job I started."
   The struggle to regain the use of his arm took nearly a year. The many hours spent in physical therapy were often painful. He had to train the remaining muscles to do the work that had been previously handled by a full set of healthy muscles. Still this was only the beginning. The Paratrooper was determined to return to his old unit. The miles and miles of red tape took seven months of full time work. The trail required him to correspond with scores of officials. His letters and telegrams were sent to everyone from Senators to clerks. Finally his Senator's office set him up with an appointment at the Surgeon General's office. After a brief interview he was granted a waiver allowing him to return to active duty and jump status.
   Of course the personnel involved had no idea what the gutty Paratrooper was up to. He was still planning on going back to combat with his old unit. But that would take time. The Army stationed him with the 82d Airborne at Ft Bragg, NC. The 21 year old Sergeant faced garrision duty for six months. He had been continually trying to get a reassignment to the 173d.
   When everyone had forgotten the facts concerning his case he was able to obtain a direct assignment to Vietnam, from the Department of the Army... and back to his old unit, the 173d Airborne Brigade. He wouldn't have anything to do with a rear job. He had returned for combat and that was where he was going. Finally Raperto was once again 'Humpin' in the Boonies', this time with A Co, 2d Bn, 503d Inf.
   The duty with a Combat Line Company is never easy, even for an athlete in tiptop shape. The hills, thick jungles, swamps, and intense heat give the best of men problems. Still Raperto has stuck it out for over 11 months. He's going home soon on normal rotation. "I always carried my own load," he says. "It was never easy and at times it hurt me a lot. Still, it was something I had to do." Sgt Ralph Raperto finished the job he started.

   LZ ENGLISH- The call comes in, "Another booby trap has gone off." This time, it injured civilians as well as soldiers. Cpt Herbert Joiner of Baltimore assembles his team of Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs specialists. They 'saddle up' and move out with their Vietnamese interpreter. The first job is to get the facts.
   The team returns with the information to be disseminated to the people. The facts are translated into Vietnamese for psychological operations leaflets. The leaflets are printed and distributed, hundreds of thousands dropped from helicopters, passed out in the streets and taken into market places by Vietnamese government (GVN) representatives. These leaflets inform the people that the VC are killing civilians as well as soldiers. They ask for help in finding the nightime warriors or reporting recently planted booby traps.
   Joiner runs the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs office (S-5) for 2d Bn, 503d Inf. It's his jobs to see that combined American and Vietnamese programs run smoothly. Pamphlets are not his only responsibility. Helping the Vietnamese construct and staff their schools, and giving local farmers a helping hand are two more of the many projects handled by the Civil Affairs section.
   Sgt Terry Smith, assistant S-5, finds that the work requires a sociological knowledge of the people. "We helped construct a hog farm, which the people really seemed to appreciate. Now they've invited us to a wedding. We never know what sort of activity we'll be expected to attend next," says the young NCO. "Our major project is to help bring about self-confidence and a high regard for freedom in the Vietnamese," concluded Cpt Joiner.

   LZ ENGLISH- FIRE MISSION!!! The "Four-Deuce" mortar teams run to the tubes. They uncover the big mortars, start 'layin in' information on the sights, and prepare the rounds that will soon be dropping into Charlie's lap.
   The 4.2 inch mortar is the big punch in an Infantry Battalion; 2nd Bn, 503rd Inf, has a big punch indeed. The Mortar Platoon is ready and on call 24 hours a day to provide fire support the Infantry needs. Their entire existance depends on the radio. When a call for assistance or illumination comes in, the crews drop what they are doing and run for the tubes. They know that every minute they delay can be a critical factor in the ensuing action.
   Sp4 Robert Nuir of Derwood Maryland, is a crewmember on a 4.2 mortar. His Company is dug in on Firebase Beaver. "We keep the equipment in shape for the fire missions and we train a lot" Muir says. "We have tests every month to ensure our proficiency. They really make sure we stay ready."
   The men with the 'Big Tube' are waiting. "All you have to do is give us the call, and we'll throw hell on 'Charlie'," says another sunburned Sky Soldier.

From Diddy Bop To Bits & Pieces

   LZ North English- The 173d Airborne Brigade has incorporated a new method of dealing death to communists in northern Binh Dinh Province. Mechanical ambush is the name, and the game is to deny more territory to the enemy by insuring his abrupt halt as he 'diddy-bops' along the mountain trails. The old method of command detonating the claymores one at a time didn't always work, since full and instantaneous coverage of the kill zone was not always obtained. Also, more men were needed to man the ambush. However, a handful of men can control several of the automatic alpha-kickers.
   Used only in well-defined areas restricted from civilians, this recent innovation is simply a series of claymore mines rigged to detonate in unison when the tripwire is triggered by an unsuspecting enemy. Employing the ambush at night increases effectiveness, as Charlie moves almost exclusively during the hours of darkness, when tripwires are most difficult to detect.
   Several ambushes can be employed to deny the enemy access to a general area, and one Squad-sized element of Infantrymen can oversee all of them from a central location. Or, if only one is used, the grunts can use the classic technique, supplementing the deadly blasts of the claymores with rifle fire and hand grenades. The ambush is set up at dusk and dismantled at dawn, if not used that night. Usually there is one man in the squad who is responsible for setting up and dismantling, this way there is less likelihood of an accident.
   In the May-June issue of Infantry magazine, the 1st Cavalry Div is credited with killing 97 enemy during the first two months of this year through use of the mechanical ambush. Over 40 weapons were captured. At present, these are the only statistics available, but Cpt Harry Klein, CO of D Co, 4th Bn, 503d Inf has also experienced success with the new weapon and is highly enthused over it. The native of Kalamazoo Mi, readily affirms the ability of the automatic ambush to reduce the amount of traveling done by wanderin' Charlie.

   LZ NORTH ENGLISH- Physically displaying his trust in the 4th Bn 503d Inf, pacification efforts, Major Robert C Caldwell, Battalion Executive Officer, recently completed a road march. The route went twenty miles from the Battalion's Base Camp, LZ North English, to the Battalion's northernmost position, Company D, at the southern border of the 1st Military Region.
   The Vivian La, native set out early in the morning with six Infantrymen from Delta Company along a newly built road through the An Do Valley, the Battalion's pacification target. Enroute, Caldwell checked out possible sites for future MEDCAPS and other activities to benefit, as he calls them, "my villagers." "I was annoyed at having to constantly stay behind a desk, but I think I've had enough exercise during the last five hours and 20 miles."

3/3/2001

Many Thanks to CWO James Bradley, E/17th Cav,'70-'72 who Contributed This Issue

FIRE BASE 173 is an authorized Army newspaper published biweekly by the 173d Airborne Brigade for military personnel.
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