Bravo 22: Reluctant to Engage

By James C Monk

I suppose any book about Vietnam should discuss the historical perspective of the country and the political forces at play. The history we were embroiled in began in 1945. Here is my warped perspective sixty-eight years later. As most history evolves from previous conflicts, Vietnam is no different. At the end of WWII, after Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, Ho Chi Minh and the People’s Congress establish the National Committee of Vietnam to form a provisional government. Japan then transferred all power to Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh government.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524686499

James C Monk

James C. Monk author of The Team Exercise Guide to Business Education has spent 40 years teaching and training adults. He has owned his own business and retired from the US Army attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is currently teaching Business Leadership, History, and orientation courses. He has written curriculum, served as chair for the Faculty advisory committee, and on the text book selection and academic advisory board.

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© 2017 James C Monk. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse: 05/22/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5246-8648-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-8650-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-8649-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017906628

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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CONTENTS

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

FOREWORD

PART TWO

PART THREE

CHAPTERS

CHAPTER ONE

In the beginning!

CHAPTER TWO

Friendly fire

CHAPTER THREE

Jungle school

CHAPTER FOUR

Repo Depot Rats and Rockets (Enemy fire)

CHAPTER FIVE

105s and the race to Lai Kie

CHAPTER SIX

Long Binh Jail (LBJ)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Truck Convoy

CHAPTER EIGHT

‘Hot Landing Zone"

CHAPTER NINE

Road Sweep and Recon by fire

CHAPTER TEN

The Kit Carson Scout

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Huey Fire Ants and the dead jungle

CHAPTER TWELVE

Captain Redacted

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Operations 5 Vicinity of Bear Cat

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Vietnam NCOs

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Huey down the fire fight, and toe poppers

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The Bamboo and the bike

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The WO Club and the BS chair

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE F-4s

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Drugs and Combat

CHAPTER TWENTY

The cot

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

No Rambo in My Platoon

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

The Tiger hunt and the rest of the story

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Meatballs, Beans and OCS Brothers

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

The TOC (Tactical Operations center)

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Army Leadership in Vietnam

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Not as bad as you think

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Cua Viet and the Navy chow

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

South China Sea

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

The Chaplain and I

CHAPTER THIRTY

The Dong

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

The 5th Mech

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

Ambushed

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

How to get fired!

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Operation market Place RFPFs

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

24 corps and the Da Nang whore house wars.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

Aw shit not again

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

who do you shoot?

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

Assignments

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

Vietnam images

CHAPTER FORTY

Dodging the Bullet

CHAPTER FORTY ONE

Do it again?and other things!

Leadership again

CHAPTER FORTY TWO

The elephant in the room

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

"The cockroach, the paymaster and the Huey"

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

Monsoon Season 1969

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

Doughnut Dollies Quang Tri 1970

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN

"Me pondering the great mysteries of life 1st ID 1969

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

MASH Quang Tri1970

CHAPTER FORTY NINE

The strange things from Vietnam

CHAPTER FIFTY

E 4 Mafia and R&R

CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

"The centipede and please don’t fart

CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

Drowning at Jones creek

CHAPTER FIFTY THREE

1st SGT Pazz at Cua Viet

CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE

CHAPTER FIFTY Six

Shazam its Captain Redacted!!

CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN

Company movement by C130

CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT

The Actuary and the Boom Boom Girl

CHAPTER FIFTY Nine

Combat Me and God

CHAPTER SIXTY

All good men

CHAPTER SIXTY ONE

The 81s and Company Operation Ba Long Valley

CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

Medivac and payroll

CHAPTER SIXTY THREE

Field Grade Officers in the field?

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

Mission objectives and outcomes

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE

AFTERWORD

EPILOG

Bullet with your name on it

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BRAVO 22

RELUCTANT TO ENGAGE

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It don’t mean nothing LT

By

James C Monk

US Army LTC (Ret)

PART ONE

If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear, I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are the more they are frightened. George S. Patton

I must be a freaking genius!

Dedicated to: ________________________

INTRODUCTION

I suppose any book about Vietnam should discuss the historical perspective of the country and the political forces at play. The history we were embroiled in begins in 1945. Here is my warped perspective 68 years later. As most history evolves from previous conflicts Vietnam is no different. At the end of WW II, after Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, Ho Chi Minh and the People’s Congress establish the National Committee of Vietnam to form a provisional government. Japan then transferred all power to Ho Chi Minh’s Vietminh government.

Some historians might argue that Uncle Ho was already a Communist, but our bungling and confusing policies didn’t help Democracy in Vietnam. Uncle Ho declared the state of Independence of Vietnam. Now this irritated the French, who had glommed onto many of the natural resources in the north. These resources’ included many of Vietnam’s rubber plantations. The British Colonial Empire saw a chance to influence the course of history so with the cooperation of the French, the British landed Forces in Saigon to reestablish French control.

The first report of an American being killed in Vietnam was in 1945. He was the head of the OSS mission South East Asia. The Office of Strategic Services was the father of the leading clandestine organization in the US. LTC A. Peter Dewy was killed by Vietminh troops while driving to the airport. The after action reports indicated his death may have been an accident, because he was mistaken for a French man, which is a real tragic.

Being weak militarily and economically, the French declared Vietnam a free state after the war, but only within the French Union.

The Chinese, who had troops in Vietnam, were occupied with their own civil unrest and withdrew. Soon afterwards French troops replaced the Chinese in the north.

As one would imagine the Vietminh were not happy with this arrangement and all talks broke down between the French and Uncle Ho. In late 1946, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam launched its first attacks against the French Forces in Vietnam. The French reacted with a massive strike designed to wipe out the Vietminh in one stroke. This attempt by French General Etienne Valluy failed.

Upon the failure of a French military solution pro French, pro-Democracy Government was established. It was led by Bao Dia and supported by the French. The French and the pro-Democracy government signed a treaty called the Elysee agreement to build an anticommunist army. You need to remember at the time the world was divided into two armed camps, the US and the Union of the Socialist Soviet Republic, which were engaged in a cold war. The US needed French assurance of support to defend Europe from the Russians.

The Russians saw a new ally in the Vietminh and began sending arms to them. The US, in a rush to stop the Domino effect (country after country falling to the Commies) began sending aid to the Pro French anti commie Army. This package included 15 Million dollars and military advisors. After the Monsoons in 1954, the Vietminh massed 40,000 troops and a shit full of Chinese artillery and their target was Dien Bien Phu. As the siege wore on, it became apparent the French were out matched, out manned, and out gunned; they were soundly defeated.

After the defeat of the French at Die Bien Phu, intense political pressure forced the nine Geneva Convention countries to convene.

The purpose was to end hostilities in Vietnam. A key proposal at the convention was to divide Vietnam into two countries. The split was proposed to be the 17th parallel, but the proposal was rejected. In late 1955, Bio Dai was defeated in a rigged election and Diem takes over the Vietnamese government. The western powers encourage Diem to negotiate with the north, but Diems resolve hardens.

The US involvement intensifies when the French leave Vietnam. The US Military Assistance Advisor Group (MAAG) takes over the training of the South Vietnamese military. The terrorist attacks intensify, but in 1959, the Ho Chi Minh trail is solidified and the infiltration of the South by North Vietnamese Group 559 begins. That year the next two US soldiers die and some historians argue they were the first two Americans killed. They were Major Dale R. Buis and Master Sergeant Chester M. Ovnand and they died in a NVA strike at Bien Hoa. The next significant event occurred when North Vietnam imposed their version of the draft. This was followed by the US presidential election of John F. Kennedy in 1960. That same year the Vietcong is formed in Hanoi.

As the plot thickens Vice President Lyndon Johnson visits South Vietnam and calls Diem the Churchill of Asia. The US in its infinite wisdom decides to use Agent Orange to defoliate the jungle. Now the term Agent Orange came from the US Air Force, in which the containers that shipped the agent came in Orange 55 gallon barrels. The Diem palace is bombed by the VC/NVA in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Diem. On the political front, Majority leader Mike Mansfield reports Diem has wasted the 2 Billion bucks the Americans have spent in Vietnam.

Initially the South Vietnamese ARVNs are successful in defeating the VC in several key battles. As the war progresses they began to lose resolve and the battles.

John F. Kennedy is assassinated and now President Lyndon B. Johnson is embroiled in the tar baby that is Vietnam. The Buddhists began igniting themselves with gasoline. The conflict is sparked by Diem a Catholic, removal of Key Buddhists’ from government positions. Diem and his brother are killed in a successful Coup attempt. Political power is shifted to General Nguyen Khanh and with the chief of state figurehead Major General Duong Van Minh under house arrest.

In late 1964, three North Vietnamese PT boats fire torpedoes at the USS Maddox; the destroyer was in international waters. Several other reports of joint operations and subsequent attacks occurred. The result was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which caused President Johnson to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States. It passed the senate 82-2 and allowed Johnson to wage all-out war without a formal declaration of war. With Johnson’s landslide victory over Goldwater, he began Operation Rolling Thunder. This sustained bombing of North Vietnam began in February 1965. I recall a meeting with an old Colonel after I completed C&GS (Army Command and General Staff school). We discussed the arrival of the Marines and the deep water port in Da Nang. It seems he was one of the planners for the wharfs and logistical support in the harbor. He told me the plans for the deep water support were started years before the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The implication was we were going to be involved big time way before the resolution was passed. Evidently it takes thousands of tons of concrete and boat loads of heavy equipment to establish a deep water port.

The first reported sustained battle between the NVA and US troops was in the Ia Drang Valley. The 1s t Air Cavalry Division kicks ass!

Though heavy casualties are reported to be heavy on both sides, we will never know the extent of the NVA losses. They police the battle field very well. It is very hard to follow blood trails in the jungle. The US troop levels reach 200,000 in country service personnel. Back home there were Tech Ins, a bunch of hippie freaks that got together on campuses to protest. I was in college and didn’t give a shit about some fruit standing up and screaming about the war.

As 1966 began, the B-52’s were rock-in over the Mugia Pass in Laos. The pass was the main route to the south for NVA personnel and weapons. The US started bombing the North in earnest. The south had control over Hue and Da Nang. President Johnson met with Nguyen Cao Ky. the current guru in South Vietnam to promise to defend the south from the aggression of the north. The emphasis was on Democracy and improved economic conditions in the south. That year we also, had some Anti War rallies by WWI and WW Viet’s. Now I’m not sure but I suspect it was a bunch of PX warriors. My father in law was a 1st Ranger BN soldier who was wounded at Monte Casino. I could not imagine him or any of the Rangers in antiwar rallies.

We also, heard that the CORE (Congress of Racial Equity) claimed that the poor and ethnic were served unfairly, in proportion to the WASPs. (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) This of course was total bull, just ask a Combat trooper who his soldiers were? Mine certainly weren’t the ethnically deprived poor or depraved; they were Americans. The ones who always sacrificed for the political will of the people.

1968 brought the Tet Offensive and again we won every battle, kicked their asses well too. I was still in college trying to mass enough credits to graduate in the spring. Actually I had the credits; they just weren’t in the right things.

Westmorland, a four star in charge in Vietnam asked for 206,000 more troops and about this time Charlie Company’s 11th BDE, American Division, LT Cally decided to hose down My Lai village. This was a big mistake and a total wasted effort; he didn’t have to use up all those bullets. It’s called, drop 100 and fire for effect.

The Paris peace talks start May 10 with Averell Harriman representing the US and Xuan Thuy representing the North Vietnamese. We lost Robert Kennedy in June of 1968 and in November, Richard Nixon was elected president. He took only 43.4 percent of the votes and Humphry took 42.7; it was a very close election. I was in Basic training at the beautiful sandy Fort Dix in New Jersey.

I remember talking to a Buddhist in Vietnam who told me, We have been subjected to foreign powers for 3000 years, when you leave there; there will be another one to take your place. He was right and after us it was the Russians. This book is the story of my journey through Southeast Asia.

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Buddhist Temple 1969 on Highway One

FOREWORD

Standing on the Mountain

As I recall, it was September 1970 and I was standing on a mountain top, surrounded by tall lush elephant grass, the kind of wide flat grass that seems to grow till it reaches the sky. Through the clearing in front of me, I could see the brilliant white sun shining down on the vast South China Sea and the view is spectacular. The ocean stretches from horizon to horizon, six clicks to the north is the DMZ, behind me stand Laos and Cambodia and to the south is the A Shau Valley.

The sweat is running down my back and into my butt crack. My faded fatigues sag with filth because it has been two weeks without a shower, although I did jump in a stream yesterday or was it the day before. I have only been able to eat the canned beans, meat balls, and a few crackers without getting sick. My teeth are getting loose and my fillings are falling out; if I can just make it another month, I can go home.

Through a wide break in the canopy of jungle I can look down almost a ¼ mile to see the river. A tiny sampan boat is maneuvering toward the glimmering sea and the fisherman has a cone shaped hat and his boat if filled with nets and baskets. The wind is blowing in my face and my bush hat flaps against my forehead. I can hear the distant sounds of screeching and squawking from the river bank. I see some small movement in the trees in front of the sampan, must be monkeys I think. I take another step forward and my mind wonders. I feel the primitive virgin jungle around me.

As I take another step, I feel the ghosts of the ancient ancestors of the fishermen pressing on my soul. Fishermen like the one here, have been navigating this same brown jungle river for 5000 years.

As I sink into the grass I feel the skin of the thousands of people who have died here surround my boots. When I think of Vietnam, I feel a confusing mixture of fear, hate, and fascination. The country is a mixture of a Stone Age culture, subjugated oppressed people, filth, and poverty. I have tried to express my feelings in this book, but I soon found out feelings are very difficult to write about.

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Fighting position off Highway one along a canal 1969

The pictures

I was fortunate enough to bring a 35mm camera to Southeast Asia with me and was able to record some of the events that occurred during my tour. I carried my trusty 35 wrapped in plastic in my fatigue pants pocket. It has a remarkable resolution and with stood a tremendous amount of abuse. Unfortunately, I tried to get some of my pictures developed in Vietnam and got back rolls and rolls of blank film. Some of my most dramatic photos were censured out of existence. I started sending the film back home, undeveloped and did not look at it for over five years. Recently I found the 35mm slides, and they were beginning to dissolve from old age, so I have valiantly begun to digitalize them.

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1st ID Area of operations west of DIAN 1969

CHAPTER ONE

In the beginning!

The AFES now the MEPS

When you go into the service, you process through a Military Enlistment Processing center and mine was located in the Old Fort Des Moines, Iowa. My letter from the Selective Service; the one that said Greetings, friends and neighbors have selected you to serve. It also told me