As a well-known veteran and writer, I sometimes get questions from my community and beyond about my time in Vietnam.  People want to know my take on the war, how well we executed our mission, motivation, etc.

During the time I served, I observed soldiers who saw purpose in their mission and were thankful for a job that took precedence over spit and polish.  No matter where, soldiers bitch and moan (especially lower enlisted) at just being in uniform.

I was In-Country Jan. 67 to Jan. 68, and I can speak assuredly about my unit: 1st Cavalry Division. (Had I been serving say, in 1970, or with a different unit, I might have a different attitude toward the war.) Although my tour in Vietnam was no easy ride, I was honored to have served; especially as a member of The First Team. 

You will remember, from previous chapters, that I traveled extensively while in the 1st Cav and was on the ground with the troops during several operations. I had practically unfettered access from the PFC to the CG (Commanding General) and to classified information. I believe that — as an unassuming, ordinary soldier — I was more likely to get my subjects to speak freely and give me unfiltered responses.

When I share my opinions and observations, you can trust that I am in a position to do so.

The overwhelming majority of the several hundred soldiers I met, from cooks to colonels, were highly motivated and serious about our mission in Vietnam. With the infantry stuck in the field, sometimes for months, many times with poor supply support, especially fresh uniforms that percentage dropped considerably.

The infantry soldier’s morale was not the highest, especially when they returned to the rear for a few days rest and instead were assigned menial details.

However, while these soldiers were bitching about the awful conditions in field, they were fighting with tenacity and for each other. And many times, soldiers wanted to remain with their men. Some who were lucky enough to get a job in the rear volunteered to return to the field to be with their buddies.

When I was on the ground in 1967, we, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), with its 16,000 Skytroopers, 434 choppers, Infantry, Artillery, Engineers, Scouts, Airborne, Rangers, Reconnaissance, and other specially trained troopers, were a motivated and lethal fighting force. We were The First Team, gung-ho and kicking ass.* There was a bounty on our men; the VC/NVA offered a monetary reward for the capture of a 1st Air Cavalry combat soldier!

How confident were we about the job we were doing, and what it meant? A group of us used to talk about how someday we would be relaxing in a condo on the beautiful beaches of the South China Sea — subsidized by the grateful people of South Vietnam — because we saved them from communism. Many thought, “Someday we will triumph, and this will be a better land for our coming.” But in the ensuing years, as the war dragged on, the troops in the field realized how it was going and knew what was happening.

Nevertheless, we honor our troops

 Below is a tribute to Combat & Support Units of the fighting 1st Cavalry in Vietnam,The First Team:

1st Battalion, 5th Cav Black Knights.  The CGs ready strike force. The Cav Commander lauded these men, saying their Cambodia  campaign was one of the Cav’s most impressive operations. In addition, 1st/5th operated in Binh Dinh Province, participated in Pleiku and several other campaigns. I was in the field  with this unit when a medic from A Company, 1st/5th, whose actions  were so heroic, that he received the Medal of Honor.

2nd Battalion, 5th Cav. Ironhorse. Relief at Ia Drang, fighting in Khe Sanh, Bong Son, A Shau Valley and DMZ. I spent time in the field with this unit.

     Fifth Cav. Fatalities about 800 men.           

6 Medals of Honor earned.**

1st Battalion, 7th Cav.  Garry Owen. The bloody battle of  Ia Drang Valley, one of the primary unit’s featured in the book and movie We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young. Sixteen campaigns, including fighting at Hue.

2nd Battalion, 7th Cav Garry Owen, battle of Ia Drang, Masher, White Wing, Khe Sanh  and Cambodia. Was the first unit in the Cav to engage in combat operations. I spent time with those men.

5th Battalion, 7th Cav, Garry Owen. Arrived a year after other units of the 1st Cav. Air assaults in Binh Dinh Province, Operation Pershing, Thayer II, and decisive battle at Hue.

Seventh Cav had about 1,000 fatalities, more than any Cav unit.       7 Medals of Honor earned, most in the entire 1st Cav.

1st Battalion (Airborne) 8th Cav.  Jumping Mustangs. Straight to Bong Son, Operation Irvin, Crazy Horse, Navy-Cavalry ops. I spent time with this unit.

         

2nd Battalion (Airborne) 8th Cav. Stallions. Peli Me Campaign, Cambodia, and others.

Eighth Cav fatalities almost 700.

5  Medals of Honor earned.

1st Squadron, 9th Cav. Headhunters. Known as the Cav of the Cav.  Reconnaissance Scouts, one of the most active units in the Division. Numerous campaigns including Cambodia. Rangers and Long Range Recon. Patrols (LRRP) attached. I spent time with this unit and flew with them on combat air assaults. First to adopt the black Stenson as special headgear for elite Cavalry fliers.

Ninth Cav. Loses about 550.  4  Medals of Honor earned.

1st Battalion (Airborne) 12th Cav. Always Ready. Operation Lincoln, LZ Bird, and several others. Made one of the largest assaults in Vietnam, I spent time with them. Believed to be the first troopers to make a combat assault.

2nd Battalion, 12th Cav. Thunder Horse. An Khe Defense, Masher, Bong Son, Tet, decisive battle at Hue and other campaigns.

Twelfth Cav losses almost 750.    6 Medals of Honor earned.

227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, Spearhead. Battle of Ia Drang,  Laos,  numerous campaigns.  

Nearly 700 fatalities.  1 Medal of Honor earned.

                                                

229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, Winged Assault. Battle of Ia Drang, Laos, numerou campaigns, spent time with this unit.      About 600 fatalities.     Medals of Honor earned. 2    

15th Medical Battalion, “Angels of Mercy.”     About 35 Fatalities..    

     

 

  

Although far from being a player in any direct combat role, my own unit of record, 15th Administration  Company with finance, supply, casualty, legal and the like suffered 10 Fatalities, including 3 from our fifteen member PIO. (Over a period of sixty-six months.) 

The 1st Air Cavalry fought in all (4) Corps Tactical Zones in Vietnam, including Laos and Cambodia.

For their bravery in battle, several units of the 1st Cav were awarded the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation more than once and scores of other awards. 

My Little Town

Had the town where I was born lost as many souls as did the 1st Cav in Vietnam, it would no longer exist. The 5,621 killed in 1st Cav would more than wipe out the entire population of Amory, Miss, at the time of my birth.  

                         Each soul a sacrifice 5,621 times over. 

A salute to all who served, especially those who can never return it.

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) Vietnam 1965-1971 (5 yrs & 6 mo.)   

The First Team. Indeed.

*This is not meant to glorify War.  It is not pretty; people die, including our own, of course. Had I been serving, say, in 1970 or with another unit? My take on the Vietnam War would most likely be different and not in a positive way.

**Sources for Fatalities and Medals of Honor: 1st Calvary Division Assoc. Book Of Honor. The listing may not include every single unit of the 1st Cav nor all of its attached support contingents.

If you”re reading just the Vietnam portion of this book, scroll to Chapter 45.