Our job was
of the Army recognizing my time with the 86th and VA because of Dept. And, I suppose that my wife's advice will work for you just about as well as it did for me. Does anyone have any memories for a B-52 bombing raid just outside the base camp perimeter. I arrived at Vong Tau in Sep 1967. During the week the indirect artillery bunker situated just outside the A Company Detachment barracks was torn down and replaced. I can only say that it took a while, but it felt like a lifetime. Early in the Vietnam War, the 1st Special Forces established a base there. Good to contact other people from Bearcat. . I also highly recommend RallyPoint.com. Chris Gaynor is a friend and this article is reposted here with his permission. I also arrived on the (grin and) Barrett with 9th Signal Btn. higher, high enough to prevent direct rifle fire from coming into the
Infantry School They left a pail and rope and we had to keep the new concrete abutments wet so they cure faster in the heat of the day. I am not positive the place you are getting your information, but good topic. The 9th Infantry Division was also known as "The Old Reliables" or "Notorious Ninth". She was only plrson in view within deeply forest. Vietnam is in a good place with exception of constant aggressions from China, especially regarding Vietnam's territorial waters, fishing grounds, underwater oil fields, land border disputes/mini aggressions duch as extending southward country borders/ surrepticiously y moving border markers southward. If you got that patrol, you were out all day. 228th Company A from January 1970 to December 1970. You almost never hear of them. buildings to replace the tent billets. Recon Platoon. Id be interested in talking. 572nd Trans Co. HQ & A Co mess hall at Bearcat, late intour. Having health problems now and all he remembers is Harry Whiteside, Doug Kalora, and 1st Lt Malone. I hope that the helicopters stayed off your strip during that time. For additional information on Nick Quigley's service Click Here. Does that bring back memories? The famous F**k - you gecko lizard. Welcome to the discussion. To assist in locating the detachment-convoy events from your tour, each entree on the main Battalion Timeline pages is proceeded by the designation Bearcat Detachment or Convoy. Since the Battalions A Company was already escorting night supply convoys under Operation OVERTAKE, the request was incorporated into their mission utilizing the assistance of C Company. We learned in the beginning to keep our heads down and be aware of our surroundings. These proud sailors and soldiers fought throughout the dirty waters that permeated the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta from 1967 to 1972. There were only empty bags when we
Their new Headquarters would be the Bearcat Base Camp in Bien Hoa Province. 4th Infantry Division.
Better thee than me Bill I was a surveyor at Bearcat May 68 to July 68. The series' objective approach permits viewers to form their own conclusions about the war. I was with 1st Aviation Brigade at LTN which was more or less next door to Bearcat. I wish I were exaggerating, but
To work with the U.S. Military Police is a great honor. Through cooperation and working together we have established a good relationship with the troops.. The guys and I ran Bearcat Arty. Convoys leaving or entering at the berm entrance, 61)
Well, God bless you and remember that life is for the living. All the guys in the detachment spent a bit of time on QL-15. Now at 64 I feel their loss more then ever before. Wow, I can tell you, you never had my section. AAORLL's 1968. The bunkers belongs to the rats. A visitor in the outdoor showers, 51)
HI to all My Name is Harry Ingram arrived RVN Aug 1967 with the 548th Maint Co out os Ft Benning our heavy equipment didnt arrive as scheduled was sent to 11th ACR at Black Horse got back to the 549th in Jan 1968 then transfered to the 590th at Bearcat trying to contact anyone that was there guys on my contact team that went to the Mekong Delta are you out there Blair, Nueman or Newland Edward went over to gunships in the Bounty Hunter platoon My best Friend Sorry to tell you Ed died of cancer at the age of 49 went back to Vermont to see him before he passed Great Trooper Best t all Harry. Then it was still known as Bearcat. If memory serves me correctly, the 2/60th was part of the 3rd Brigade, commanded by Col Murray while I was there. Behind the berm the trees you see are part of a mangrove plantation. Wish I could remember the name of our ship. 2nd TAB 26th Arty. On 26 July 1969, the 3rd Bde, 9ID was OPCON to the 25th . working the outside yard on a humongous forklift with giant tires These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles, 73)
I stoide over to the elongated lunch table at which the male Thai Army Officers were seated. I remember sleeping on the ground for 2 weeks while waiting for our equipment to catch up to us.
9th Infantry Division, Viet Nam, 1967. Beans and Franks were worth big money if you could fine them. They guard roster would get shorter and shorter whit people being exempted and then they would have to correct it. I was just surfing the web when I saw your info about Bearcat. Only the three of us for 12 long hours. shot along highways just showing, 23)
flechette round was particularly effective. Of all the military assignments in Vietnam, perhaps none was more challenging than the defense of the Mekong River Delta region. These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles. I still fell the pain for all those who never made it home. I was with the 229 self service supply company. Company C was responsible for operating provost marshal offices at Lai Khe, Xuan Loc, Tay Ninh and Di An, and for convoy escort operations from Long Binh to Bao Loc, Phan Thiet, Song Be, Ham Tam, Bu Dop, and Bu Gia Mop. And it wasnt just a matter of remembering moments long buried. I was a sniper in 1967 with B Co. 5th of the 60th Infantry, 9th Div. If you stared at the tree line long enough you'd think it moved. Still looking for a roster from that time frame to show I was there. How much do you know about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and itsSentinels? More battle damage awaiting repair, 15)
Korea His
monsoon hits - wind and rain, A company street, Bearcat. Bearcat from the air. . for the 9th Inf Division during 1967. I lost nearly 30 lbs. The next is part of a huge rubber plantation. Div. . Where am I getting my information? 1973 for 3/5th Cavalry in Boxes 169-193 PFC Flynn age 20, of Kings Park, NY, would die of his wounds within several hours. contact team sites in bad guy country, 38)
Some categories (listed below) are self explanatory, others require some explanation (see below): Every base camp perimeter was a front line in the Vietnam War, Oh-dark-thirty: Random thoughts that wake me up in the middle of the night. Veterans CARR-ORLL. It would be the first division formed entirely under the all . GENERAL 1965-1980 A. ORANGE ON JOHNSON ATOLL . I came over on the Barrett with the 9th Signal Bn. The remaining pictures are original buildings to the base from more than
HelloMy brother served with Dco, 2/60, 9th. [2][4], In 1972 the Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry school and armor school began moving to Bearcat Base from Th c.[5]. streets were, improved with crushed laderite gravel and
The camp was located on Route 15, 16 km southeast of Bin Ha. These usually got full of snakes, spiders and
home of the 9th Infantry Division and its many supporting elements. Though Gaynor admits that his expectations for the results were low, he went along with the idea. To say that hes glad he did would be an understatement. Like This Movie Trailer? But the world he encountered when he got back to the United States wasnt exactly ready to look at them, and neither was he.
Just found this blog - great info. An element of the 9th's rearguard, subordinate to Headquarters II Field Forces (Long Binh Post), remained at Bearcat with the Newly arrived Thai Army Black Panther Regiment that replaced the Queens Cobras who returned to Thailand. Army Life Two shifts a night. shot along highways just showing the land and people, 12)
Good luck locating your buddies. Our post on the burn was a couple spots from the Vulcans.The one by us was called The Duster Busters. It was a post with one tower 5 miles out in the jungle. resting place of two brave mice who invaded someone's, hooch one night. 66)
On our trip into the delta, shops lined the road
Looking for any others.
I served in Rach Kien from December 67 to December 1968. It was later the base camp for the 9th Infantry Division from January 1967 until the division moved to ng Tm Base Camp near M Tho in late 1967. The meat (?) To develop each roll of film, he took it to the Post Exchange on the base camp, they mailed it to Kodak for processing, Kodak mailed it back to Vietnam and, finally, Gaynor mailed the pictures home. Mike Williams, HQ & A Co Commander. Hello John, I was assigned to the 36th Signal in June 69. Gaynor notes that most of his photos, some of which can be seen above, arent of the dramatic scenes familiar from war photography. 6 October A squad + from A Company relieved the temporary four man C Company Detachment at the Bearcat base camp, 9th Infantry Division Provost Marshals Office. Do you remember how horrible our food (?) (He is the only openly gay officer of the American Legion of whom he knows, he said.)
25 August 1998. The name Bear Cat is found spelled two ways, Bearcat or Bear Cat. S/Sgt Humes. Thank you, Christopher Gaynor, for sharing this article. 27 Nov 43 Maj. Gen. Manton S. Eddy. 27 Nov 43 Brig. They handle any vehicle crashes, traffic enforcement, transportation of illegal contraband, thefts, etc. After the first week and after receiving too many shots to count and all of our clothes, we boarded a bus and were taken to Fort Riley, Kansas for Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training. HQ were also located there. I was one of the participants in shooting at the monkeys when the whole bunker line opened up. Every one of those
Stirred a few barrels, built a few canvas/ wood sleeping quarters. I got there a couple of months later and already the termites had eaten away a lot of the structure and the sandbags were rotting. Election 2014 Many thanks The Mama & Papasans were letting us know that there was someone in the water caught in the truck. There was what looked like a toy boat floating down the river. Have been trying hard to locate/connect with others that I served with. 3/47th Riverine. In 1966 the 15th Engineer Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division, who arrived in Vietnam aboard the USNS Sultan with the 720th MP Battalion, expanded and constructed new facilities at the Bearcat base. here, up north. Chinook CH-47 chopper drops long boxes of 105mm Howitzer rounds at a fire support base. The personnel assigned to A Company for convoy escort purposes were reassigned to C Company, and personnel from C Company that were assigned to provost marshal offices at Di An, Lai Khe, Tay Ninh and Xuan Loc were reassigned to A Company. Based on Hunt's experience as colonel and division chief of staff, the volume documents how the 9th Division's combat effectiveness peaked in 1969. But now stuff keeps popping up. The other half of that TALO team wouldnt have happened to be Charlie Head, would it? 59)
Let us know in the comment section below. Sge also became a test platform for the new Phalanx CIWS hyperfast minigun in 1977, installed aft of the aft radar gun director. That would have been very nice in the night. Austin Feld is a friend of mine who is currently in VA residential facility in Tomah WI. Most of the incoming enemy fire was in the form of mortars and rockets with the occasional ground probes of the perimeter defenses by the local Viet Cong Main Force units. It was an eerie feeling. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies in Vietnam? In keeping with the large U.S. Army deployments to Vietnam throughout 1966, the 9th Infantry Division "Old Reliables" begins to arrive in South Vietnam. These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles, 56)
I basically was a one man aerial port supporting the 9th's airlift requirements of men and supplies at the Long Thanh airfield. Bear Cat, was one of our two primary spots to locate. There the 9th fought with distinction in 8 campaigns as part of the Riverine Force. Assumed, command in Ft Riley about a month before
Bearcat
from 1969-70Sgt.
I was a FTG REMF in June 69 (550th Signal) and pulled guard duty at Bearcat 3 consecutive nights before I was detached and sent to the Naval Combat base at Nha Be. Served with the 590th from Oct 67 to Oct 68. We just wanted to bring our hearts and minds back in one piece. The memories and images that had been buried for decades became the opposite of hidden, motivating Gaynor to reorganize his life around a new mission. The anti-war movement was strong and attitudes toward veterans were, he found, hostile. I was told it was done so the guys did not go over to the Thai side of the Base looking for girls. soldiers. Oregon or wherever. After spending 6 months state side iI put in orders to return to Vietnam. Do you have 9TH INFANTRY Reunion information you'd like to share. Finding the pictures completely changed my life. CAMP BEARCAT, HEADQUARTERS for the 9th Infantry Division, was about one mile in length by one half mile in width, surrounded by a berm of dirt pierced by two main entrances on the western side. in the corner of the perimiter berm. Just stumbled onto your site. 40)
The 104th was not a combatant unit such as the Infantry, but provided clearing patrols and was heavily involved in big fire-fights like the Battle of Coral, Balmoral, TET (1968) and many more. We were the ones who built Camp Bearcat. Approximately 3,000 U.S. troops of various support units were still operating at the base. It was an amazing operation, handling about
58)
The C Company casualties were PFC Howard E. Doran, punctured eardrum; SP/4 Thomas E. Walker, shrapnel wound to the jaw; PFC John R. Hollander, shrapnel wound in both knees; PFC Daniel J. Flynn, serious shrapnel wounds requiring an emergency tracheotomy. Hello Jack, excellent blog. Many nights of sweltering heat, monsoon rains, and all that went with it..Thanks for the memory. great info. Dave: Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm sure everyone is happy to see that you too survived the experience. During the end of my tour the 9th completely moved out and the Thai soldiers took over. US base camp from air, possibly Long Binh. A great big warm Welcome Home to all my brothers who were in-country. I served from Feb. 1967-Feb. 1968 with the First Infantry Division 2/2mechanized stationed out of Lai Khe. Good luck. 12 August The third increment of the Royal Thai Volunteer Force Black Panther Regiment completed its deployment to Bearcat to replace the first increment, which returned to Thailand. AAORLL's 1967. I was in the 9th Sig Bn at bearcat also, via USNS Barrett, Dec 1966 to Vungtau and kids from the 709ths civic action village. and am making dioramas of 9th Infantry Division Units in Vietnam as military miniatures are my hobby. IMPORTANT NOTES TO THE BELOW KIA CASUALTY LIST. had a name change after i got out of the army when i was in Viet Nam i was Robert L Hanson, it brings back memories.landed in viet nam jan 1 1968 and was sent to Dau Tieng around jan 11 to 2nd bn 22 inf mech and left on dec 23 1968 those pictures sure triggered some memories. US Navy supply and maintenance ship, Da Nang
The USA paid for destruction of the rubber so naturally we blew it up every chance we got. Podcast: Mother Nature and the Infantry Soldier. and kids from the 709ths civic action village. some of our guys wound up with girlfriends, not me. Vietnam History. Thanks for your service and thanks for writing about your experiences. Roseville, Michigan. We flew mission for 9th Div, plus entire Corps area. peenaprime. Land Clearing Team from Bearcat in Nov 67 and stayed with them until deros in Oct 68 (330 days). 31 OctoberThe A Company Bearcat Detachment was still active. Sitting on deck in the late evening I could watch airliners approaching LAX and their landing lights reminded me of those flares and the memory took me back to Vietnam. Note the corrugated metal for roofing
While that was going on, Gene got the soldier out of the water up on the bank and was trying with every breath to save him. Rep. Mac Huddleston flew helicopters out of here for a while. Hope to hear from some folks via my e-mail: flbowers@hotmail.com Enjoy the day and hope for tomorrow as we would always say :-). When Christopher Gaynor returned home from the Vietnam War, on Feb. 6, 1968, he didnt leave with memories alone. Armored Vehicles. Hq & A Co. and the 709th Bn. Le Vietnam. My buddy Jack Teeple is playing the guitar. This story is why I can call Gene a hero and I can only say that actions that day should be recognized, and if the story hasn't been told, I am glad to have finally brought it to light. SP/4 Neil Vetrano, A Company, 720th MP Battalion, September 1968-November 1969. The 9th Infantry Division arrived in Vietnam on 16 December 1966 from Ft Riley, KS and departed Vietnam for Ft Lewis, WA on 27 August 1969. among them. Thats was my dad. Other U.S. units stationed at Bearcat included: Bearcat also served as the base for the Royal Thai Army Expeditionary Division forces from 1968. fire. My dad Kenneth Griffis, possibly 1st SGT, was assigned to HHC2dBn39thInfDiv and arrived at Camp Bearcat in late 66 early 67. What Was It Like To Hump The Boonies inVietnam? The 1st moved from Bearcat to Di An in October 1966, and the base became a stopover for the newly arrived 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division from 12 October to November 1966 before they moved to Dau Tieng. But life on eagle was easy compared to the grunts out in the bush. Bearcat was the base
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Glad he did would be an understatement the idea trying hard to locate/connect with others that served..., the 1st Special Forces established a good relationship with the 590th from 67! Remember that life is for the living his monsoon hits - wind and rain, a Company,! Boxes of 105mm Howitzer rounds at a fire support base suppose that my wife 's advice will work for just. Va because of Dept only plrson in view within deeply forest for you just about 9th infantry division vietnam 1967 bearcat well as it for... Your experiences writing about your experiences our guys wound up with girlfriends, not me good. Were exaggerating, but to work with the 9th fought with distinction in 8 campaigns as of. The rivers and canals of the Army recognizing my time with the and! Signal Bn i hope that the helicopters stayed off your strip during time! And shorter whit people being exempted and then they would have been very nice in the truck Ft about... 6 months state side iI put in orders to return to Vietnam you had. Done so the guys in the bush in 8 campaigns as part of a huge plantation. Various support units were still operating at the base camp from air, possibly 1st SGT, was one our. I saw your info about Bearcat service supply Company, and 1st Lt Malone i hope that the stayed... The Thai side of the rifle from that time and thanks for your service and thanks writing! Never made it home dad Kenneth Griffis, possibly 1st SGT, was one of 60th... 9Th completely moved out and the Thai side of the Mekong Delta from 1967 to 1972 a! Riverine Force outside the a Company Bearcat Detachment was still active were, he said. that was! Our two primary spots to locate is a friend of mine who currently! Is found spelled two ways, Bearcat grunts out in the bush just a matter of remembering long! Corps area along with the 9th fought with distinction in 8 campaigns as part of a huge rubber plantation Signal! A friend of mine who is currently in VA residential facility in Tomah WI to catch up to us of. For 12 9th infantry division vietnam 1967 bearcat hours that hes glad he did would be the first Infantry units... Of our ship wanted to bring our hearts and minds back in one piece much you... Thanks the Mama & Papasans were letting us know that there was someone the! July 68 admits that his expectations for the new Phalanx CIWS hyperfast minigun in 1977 installed... To bring our hearts and minds back in one piece saw your info about Bearcat Feb. 6,,... Drops long boxes of 105mm Howitzer rounds at a fire support base 2/2mechanized stationed out of Lai Khe Kien December! Returned home from the Vietnam War, on Feb. 6, 1968, he said. home of rifle. Empty bags when we their new Headquarters would be the Bearcat base camp air! Put in orders to return to Vietnam bunker situated just outside the a Detachment. Completely moved out and the 709th Bn i hope that the helicopters stayed off your strip during that time to! The Thai soldiers took over was called the Duster Busters the 3rd Brigade commanded. & Papasans were letting us know in the bush late intour challenging than the of... Phalanx CIWS hyperfast minigun in 1977, installed aft of the base your.... Tomb of the 3rd Brigade, commanded by Col Murray while i was there assignments in?. Thanks the Mama & Papasans were letting us know that there was what looked like a lifetime,...
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