The Bonding of Warriors
A Unit History
The Early Years (1966-1967)
Ch 4
by Winslow "Rick" Stetson
One night after the soldiers had gone to bed in their MACV compound barracks, explosions rocked the area. As a siren wailed, the students grabbed their weapons and ran outside to help man the perimeter. Planes circled the area dropping parachute flares that threw a flickering light over the rice paddies. Despite peering intently into the shadows, the men spotted no sign of the enemy. Finally, an "all clear" signal was given and the men went back to bed. The next morning it was revealed that VC sappers had penetrated the airfield, put satchel charges on some of the helicopters and then blew a hole in the gate as they left. Three aircraft were destroyed and three were heavily damaged resulting in a shortage of gunships to provide cover for the student missions.
The use of Vietnamese laborers on Army bases was a common sight throughout Vietnam. Vietnamese women would squat by a mound of dirt and fill sandbags while carrying on in animated conversation. Usually there was considerably more talking than filling and the rate seemed to be one sandbag filled for every 30 minutes. At Nha Trang, the Vietnamese were building a new mess hall at the Recondo School. Most of the workers were women, small in stature, which carried bricks in two baskets suspended from long poles balanced on their shoulders. They walked in a rhythmic motion so that everything swayed in unison. The carpenters were mostly men. They would squat on their haunches using only the most common of hand tools to make the doors and window frames.
Part of the Recondo School training took place in the South China Sea where the students practiced hitting the beaches in assault boats. During their occasional free time, the men enjoyed riding the waves on air mattresses although the water had a slight oily smell from the tankers anchored offshore.
The requirements for graduation from Recondo School were rigid. About half of all the students who entered the school did not successfully complete the course. The school was unique in that the final exam would consist of a student patrol in enemy territory. Mistakes would have far greater consequences than a failing grade. The Special Forces instructors, who accompanied the patrols and evaluated the student's performance in the field, watched everything with a critical eye. Hilan Jones, a large-framed soldier who would prove to be one of the best patrol leaders to serve in the 9th Infantry Division LRRP, was told he could never make it as a lurp because he was too clumsy and made too much noise. Most of the 9th Infantry Division soldiers who attended the school did well with some, such as SSG Emory Parish and SP4 Dennis Marble, receiving the distinction of being named honor graduates. Those who made it through the course were entitled to wear an arrowhead-shaped patch with the tip pointed downward, embroidered with a black V, and "RECONDO" in black letters across the top. It was a mark of distinction and when they graduated, the students were urged to go back to their units and live up to the motto of a recondo: "Smart, Skilled, Tough, Courageous, Confident."
D Troop, 3/5 Cavalry had received their aircraft and was fully operational by March 1, 1967. Prior to the helicopters arriving in country, Stetson was instructed to report to the airfield and meet two pilots from another aviation unit who would give him an orientation ride. As the operations officer for the long range patrol, Stetson needed to become familiar with the area where his patrols would be operating. When he met the pilots, Stetson noticed they wore their pistols in holsters that hung low on their hips like two gunfighters. He climbed in the back of the Huey as it cranked up and then rapidly picked up speed down the runway.
The end of the runway was marked by commo wire that a signal unit had strung high off the ground between telephone poles. Looking through the windshield, Stetson saw the helicopter fly right through the wire, hitting it just below the main blade. As the wire snapped past on both sides of the aircraft, the two pilots turned to each other, their faces petrified with fear. Stetson, who had visions of his first helicopter ride in country being his last, asked on the intercom if they were OK which seemed to snap them back to reality. They were fully aware that a wire strike is often a fatal mistake for a pilot. In this case, the only damage done was to the wire and it was later moved to a location away from the end of the runway.
In March 1967, a soldier who helped contribute greatly to the reputation and success of the unit joined the 9th Infantry Division Long Range Patrol. Master Sergeant Roy Nelson had been the operations NCO for the 3/5 Cavalry when the unit arrived in Vietnam. When the Cavalry supported the 1st Infantry Division as part of Operation Junction City, Nelson had a disagreement with the Squadron commander and he was reassigned to the LRRPs after the battle of Bau Bang. Nelson's impact on the long range patrol was immediate although he was not a typical first sergeant. He did not yell at the men to get things accomplished. Instead, he led by quiet example. He was the consummate NCO, always looking after his men and always seeing they had everything necessary to be successful in the field.
He volunteered for as many missions as possible, wanting to observe his young patrol leaders in action. He was instrumental in helping to weed out those not qualified to lead under combat conditions. His goal was to teach the basic skills of survival to every lurp who joined the unit. He stressed education, fitness and discipline. Nelson's constant reminder to his men was not to get injured by "doing something stupid."
Nelson's first mission was to take five men and guard a 01-E Bird Dog observation airplane that had gone down on a road leading to Long Binh. The night was uneventful and the next day a Chinook helicopter flew in and lifted the airplane out. It was a misuse of LRRP assets but Nelson had successfully completed the first of many missions and demonstrated he was a first sergeant who wanted to be leading his men in the field instead of from behind a desk. He would go on to lead some of the first long range patrols to operate in the Plain of Reeds and on Toi San Island in the Delta. Nelson saw to it that the men were completely professional while on missions but would allow them to blow off steam and relax in the base camp. It was a challenge to keep the men gainfully occupied between missions. To help with morale, the first sergeant allowed cookouts, beer parties, and rough and tumble games of "combat football" where he was knocked around just as much as his men were.
As the long range patrol became operational, a need developed for additional personnel. One of the men had broken both ankles while going through Recondo School. He was a patrol point man and was to have been first out of the helicopter. The tall grass made the LZ look deceptively close and he jumped out as the aircraft descended, still some 30 feet in the air. Replacements were also needed for Miles and Coonrod so a recruiting effort was organized. Representatives from the long range patrol would put on their camouflaged "tiger" fatigues, shined jungle boots, black berets, and visit the 9th Infantry Division Replacement Center in search of volunteers.
The replacement, or "repo depot" as it was commonly called, was where the division's new arrivals could acclimate to the tropical climate. They received classes on such subjects as enemy tactics, detection of booby traps and the importance of respecting the South Vietnamese people and their customs. On March 15, 1967, two future patrol leaders would meet at the replacement center. Private Johnston Dunlop was a 32-year old enlistee from Auburn, New York. Hilan Jones, 26, was a draftee from Thermopolis, Wyoming. Being older than the average recruit, Jones and Dunlop spent a lot of time together at the repo depot and became best of friends. Both were highly intelligent and competitive (Dunlop had been a champion swimmer while in high school). They were intrigued when just before departing for their respective units; soldiers wearing black berets gave a presentation on something called a long range patrol.
1LT Rick Stetson, Master Sergeant Roy Nelson, and Sergeant Bobby Hernandez represented the long range patrol that day. The LRRP recruiters told the new arrivals that they took only the best of the volunteers. Rank could be obtained faster in the long range patrol and they would wear the black beret. Most important, because they operated secretly in the enemy's backyard, the chances of becoming a casualty in the long range patrol would be much less than if they served in a line outfit.
Jones and Dunlop were impressed by what they heard about the long range patrol. They liked the idea of monitoring trails and observing enemy activity without being seen. The benefits of being a LRRP, which included two rest and recuperation trips (R & R), sounded good so they both volunteered. Stetson told them they would be notified in a couple of weeks if they had been selected. Dunlop was sent to an engineer unit. Jones reported to A Troop, 3/5 Cavalry where he would train to drive an armored personnel carrier.
It wasn't long before Jones received word that he had been picked to become a lurp and was ordered to return to Bearcat. At his first opportunity, Jones hitched a ride to the division's base camp on an armored personnel carrier. On the way, he passed an engineer unit building a bridge. There, covered in dust from head to toe and looking somewhat discouraged, was Dunlop. Jones yelled over to him, "I'm going to be a lurp." Dunlop shouted back, "Me too." They would soon be reunited as members of the long range patrol and achieve notable success as patrol leaders.
In April, members of the long range patrol were sent to Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province to work with the Special Air Service (SAS) of the 1st Australian Task Force as part of Operation Portsea. Soldiers who elected to take an R & R visit to Australia returned with glowing reports of the friendliness and generosity of the people in the "land down under." The members of Australia's Army were no exception. The lurps quickly took to working with the Aussies and especially enjoyed their excellent meals that included menus, tables covered with linen tablecloths, silverware and plates. Orderlies took the requests in the officer's mess and served delicious meals that were always followed by deserts or "sweets". It was a far cry from the C rations the lurps had been eating for lunch. The Australians were also excellent fighters who appeared to be calm in battle. When contact was made with the enemy, the Aussies attacked with every bit of firepower at their disposal. They were a good-looking bunch in their bush hats and were known for stopping what they were doing in the middle of the afternoon for a "tea time" break.
It was during Operation Portsea that a patrol led by Sergeant Raymond Hulin made the April 29, 1967 edition of the Army Reporter in an article headlined, "9th Infantry Recons Forced to Kill Four VC." The patrol had been monitoring a trail when a group of enemy soldiers from the 5th Viet Cong Division passed by. "After the first enemy force passed we waited for about ten minutes before the point man stepped out onto the trail to see if anything was coming," Hulin said. When the point man, SP4 James Elder, saw an enemy patrol ambling down the trail, he signaled Hulin. "He let me know we didn't have time to fade back into the jungle so we just froze and squatted down," Elder said.
Elder was behind a small bush only a foot or so off the trail while the rest of the patrol was positioned about ten meters further back The first member of the enemy patrol passed by without seeing the lurps. As Hulin reported afterwards, "He had his weapon on his shoulder and was looking at the ground. The second man stopped right in front of me. When he turned and faced me, it shocked him like he didn't know what to do.' Sergeant Hulin knew what he had to do and unloaded a magazine of ammunition into the man. The other patrol members fired on the remaining Viet Cong. "I just kept shooting my man until I didn't see him anymore," said SP4 Freddie Jenkins.
The patrol broke contact and moved back to set up a defensive perimeter as the enemy fired away with a semi-automatic weapon. Hulin called for extraction and as the patrol was lifted out, gunships swept the area with machine-gun and rocket fire. For his decisive action in leading the patrol out of danger, Raymond Hulin received the Bronze Star and was promoted to Sergeant E-5. It was proof that rank could indeed be gained rapidly for those patrol members who were willing to assume the responsibility of providing sound leadership.
Roy Nelson was in the command post (CP) at Nui Dat when word was received that Hulin's patrol was in contact. He picked some men for a reaction force and ordered them to "saddle up." When Nelson reached the pad, the Hueys were already cranking up. He looked in one of the helicopters and was surprised to see Jones and Dunlop, two of the "new guys" who had joined the unit that morning. They were sitting in the back of the aircraft trying to avoid the first sergeant's gaze. They had not been picked for the reaction force but wanted to help out as soon as they heard there was a patrol in trouble. When he saw them, Nelson knew they had selected a couple of good men to be lurps.
Garrison had helped instill a "can do" spirit among the original members of the long range patrol. The unit did not have its own table of organization and equipment (TO&E) so requisitions could not be made through normal supply channels. There were shortages in equipment and weapons so the men had to scrounge the best they could by "wheeling and dealing". 1Lt Garrison and Staff Sergeant (SSG) Cottrell were two of the best. When they first arrived in the D Troop area, the living conditions included few creature comforts. Garrison was determined to do something about the lack of electricity. He told SSG Cottrell to accompany him one day and they set off in a deuce and a half for a headquarters compound near Saigon.
Generators seemed to be in abundant supply and many were being used to provide power to the living quarters of the numerous generals who were housed in the compound. Garrison grabbed a clipboard and trying to look as official as possible, walked up to a warrant officer and said, "I'm here to pick up my generator". As the warrant gave him a puzzled look, Garrison continued, "That generator over there is the one I have on my list to pick up", pointing to a high-powered model intended for one of the general officers."
"But I am not authorized to load any generators", protested the warrant officer. Garrison reached into the truck's cab and produced a bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey. "Here", he said offering the bottle. "This might help convince you to load that generator on my truck." A wrecker was located, the generator loaded, and Garrison and Cottrell headed back to Bearcat with the new piece of equipment. Once in the D Troop area, the generator was properly dug in and a generous amount of sandbags was built up around the sides and over the top providing both protection and concealment. The generator was well-received by the members of D Troop and the LRRP. It provided sufficient power to not only light the tents, but to keep a proper chill on the soft drinks and beer stored in the personal refrigerators.
The patrol members returned to Bearcat on April 17th after operating with the Australians. Shortly after, Ed Garrison accompanied a patrol and would observe while running as point man. The officers were turning over patrol leadership to the NCOs but, still went out whenever possible as the young sergeants gained experience. As point man, Garrison was to be the first one out of the helicopter. As he sat with his feet on the Huey's skids he noticed the LZ had been prepped by artillery rounds that had stirred up clouds of dust. It appeared they were about to touch down so Garrison jumped out while the aircraft was still 3-5 feet in the air. He broke his foot when he hit the ground and was evacuated to Japan. He was three-months recovering and would not return to the long range patrol. After his foot healed, he was assigned to Company C, 5/60th where he would excel as the executive officer (XO). His battalion commander was so impressed with his performance as XO, that he went all the way to General Westmorland to receive permission for Garrison to command a rifle company.