Pacific Stars & Stripes

   CHA RANG VALLEY, Vietnam- A Soldier scrapes rust from his M16 rifle and frowns at the stack of weapons he and his buddies still have to clean. Bar stools, chairs and tables are carried from the NCO club, and the Officers' club is closed altogether. A nail is driven into a huge crate-to-be, while a saw buzzes nearby.

  The Brigade, whose "Sky Soldiers" were the first American Combat Troops in Vietnam, will make history again with its departure this month. It will be the first major US unit in the Southeast Asia conflict to stand-down en masse.
   Nearly all 173rd personnel- including those who have been in-country only two months will make the trek to the unit's new home at Ft Campbell, Ky. The 173rd Commander, Brigadier Gen Jack MacFarlane, said that "only time will tell" how well the South Vietnamese who take over combat responsibilities in the Brigade's area will carry out this role. He had no doubts about the 173rd's performance, however, saying, "They've done everything that's been asked of them....and then some."
   Of the Brigade's Stateside mission, MacFarlane said, "We'll have plenty to do. Not only will we be absorbing many new people, but when equipment has been on the seas for two months, as ours will be, it has to be shaped up."
   The 173rd Airborne "refresher school" at Cha Rang is being used as the out-processing site for Brigade Soldiers. Attendance at the school had been required for all in-coming members of the unit. About 1,000 troops have been withdrawn to date, with unit integrity generally being maintained. The mood of Soldiers here is a strange blend of near-euphoria and anxiety. Although happy about returning to 'The World,' many fear that the Communists will stage "that last attack."
   The Cha Rang compound resembles a fairground, with countless makeshift tents spotting its perimeter. Containing about 15 tightly-packed cots and an assortment of luggage, trunks, and assorted bags, the tents provide housing for departing troops.
   Although a few complaints have been heard about details, which include weapon cleaning, carton buildihg, excess paper burning, equipment washing and other jobs which Companies may assign— the men have ample time for leisure.
   Entertainment facilities include a swimming pool, service clubs featuring live floor shows, a softball field, crafts shop, steam bath and MARS station. LTC Felix L Early, who is in charge of the Cha Rang operations explained the reasons for the wide range of activities; "It's hard to concentrate on menial details when your mind is on that plane." Early said that while no extraordinary problem has arisen as a result of mass redeployment, sanitation was a slight headache at Cha Rang. "Guys bring in more pounds of trash than they weigh," he said.
   Except for vehicles and certain articles specified by the US Command, the 173rd is taking most of its equipment to Ft Campbell. Equipment will be shipped to Qui Nhon by, among other means, an armada of two and one-halfs, five and eight ton trucks. A majority of the items left in-country will be turned in to US authorities. Buildings and hootches will go to whoever gets the installations.
   Everything needed for the trip is accomplished at Cha Rang. Soldiers exchange Combat-worn jungle fatigues for new ones and get to handle green bills instead of MPC. A urine sample is taken and sent to Cam Ranh for analysis. Poker-faced MPs conduct a rigid customs inspection, holding spot strip-searches, probing bars of soap with wire, checking the inside of men's collars and examining baggage with marijuana-sniffing dogs.
   After this, all that is left is a helicopter ride to Phu Cat AFB, where the troops board a commercial jet to the United States. Reaction to their pending return varied among GIs, but the general feeling was summed up by a soldier who said, "I wish I left yesterday." Some were not so eager to leave, however. One man argued that he has "more freedom in Vietnam than pulling Garrison duty in the States."
   A few others even seemed nostalgic or apologetic about departing. One GI, devouring the last few morsels of a snack truck cheeseburger, was still telling war stories to friends. "If we talk about it here, we'll get it off our minds and won't talk about it at home," he said.
   Then there is Sp4 Murray Fields, who was bounced off his original plane for possessing something he should not have had. Fields was back for the next scheduled flight but didn't show much interest in this one either. Of 165 persons in line to board the craft, Fields was the 165th.