Prelude: Jan. 29-30—Hints of impending trouble began to appear the night of Jan. 29-30 as Division units encountered small arms and light mortar contact. Reports filtered in of more serious incidents in other parts of Vietnam.
     By mid-morning on the 30th, MACV headquarters flashed a fateful message to all commands: "The Tet Truce was terminated."
     This announcement was confirmed by further news of an enemy buildup in the Long Binh-Bien Hoa area, about five miles down the road from 9th Division headquarters at Bearcat.
     A platoon of the 2d Mechanized Battalion, 47th Infantry was summoned to II Field Force headquarters at Long Binh as a security element. Throughout the late afternoon and the next morning, intelligence sources indicated an increasing threat to the sprawling Long Binh-Bien Hoa complex.
     Long Binh: Jan. 31—Elements of the 2d/47th were patrolling south of Long Binh when they were rushed up to the Long Binh ammo dump and the II Field Force headquarters in answer to multiple mortar and ground attacks. Fighting flared all day, branching out into the Widows' Village across the street from II FFV and into the wooded draw behind the same headquarters.
     The 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry was airlifted into a hot landing zone to join in the heavy fighting at Widows' Village, where more than 50 enemy perished. As the afternoon progressed, a company of the 2d/47th ran into heavy contact in

the Ho Nai village, north of Highway 1. Action tapered off by nightfall, with final statistics showing more than 200 VC killed, 32 detainees taken, more than 60 crew-served and more than 45 individual weapons captured. Four U.S. soldiers died in the action.
   Bien Hoa: Jan. 31—Concurrently with the eruption at Long Binh, enemy invaders tried to seize the Bien Hoa air strip, first and last stop for many servicemen in Vietnam. Before dawn, II FFV directed that A Troop, 3d/5th Cav move east from Fire support Base Apple to assist the 101st Airborne Division at the runway. After brushing aside several VC roadblocks, the cavalrymen charged onto the eastern end of the airfield and the outlying woods. In a full day of sustained contact, the 3d/5th soldiers mowed down 40 enemy, while suffering three U.S. killed.
   Saigon-Cholon: Feb. 1-5—No 9th Infantry Division unit ever had fought in the Saigon-Cholon area until the 5th Mechanized Battalion, 60th Infantry was removed from its Delta surroundings to help defend the embattled capital city. Under the control of the Capital Military District, the 5th/60th was dispatched to the Cholon race track where enemy intruders were on the prowl. As the unit's APCs approached a large cemetery, they were hit by enemy sniper fire from the treetops. Heavy fighting raged all night, and sporadic contact lasted four more days before the unit returned to its Long An Province environment. More than 125 VC dead were credited to the 5th./60th.

   Ben Tre: Feb. 1-3—For three days, Vietnamese Government officials and U.S. advisors had held out in a small building as enemy insurgents rampaged through the Kein Hoa Province capital, 43 miles southwest of Saigon. Perilously low on ammunition, the defenders prepared for a last-ditch stand when troops from the 1st and 3rd Brigades entered the oppressed city. The 3d/39th was airmobiled into the center of town. Then the 2d/60th became engaged in heavy house to house fighting as they approached from the east, while the 2d/39th stormed into the city from the southwest. Two ARVN infantry battalions closed the net from the north. Forced out into an open field, the enemy were riddled by rocket and machinegun fire. More than 160 VC died and scores of weapons were captured. U.S. forces lost 11 killed.
   Xuan Loc: Feb 2-3—Intense enemy ground attacks were threatening to eliminate a police station-Government complex in Xuan Loc, 15 miles northeast of Bearcat. Two platoons of Troop C, 3d/5th Cav hastened to rescue the besieged city. As the tracks rolled into town, they drew hostile fire from every direction. Undeterred from its primary mission, the column continued on to eject the enemy from the police station to the rubber plantations on the outskirts of the city. Two days of fighting accounted for over 125 Viet Cong bodies at the hands of ARVN and 3d/5th forces.

Mobile Riverine Operations

     My Tho: Feb, 1-2—Mobile Riverine troops of the 2d Brigade proved their mettle as a flexible strike force by shifting rapidly from one stricken town to another throughout the period of heightened hostilities.
     Their first test came in My Tho, where the Viet Cong had mounted one of their most uninhibited terror campaigns. In response to a critical situation in the Dinh Tuong Province capital, the MRF closed out its defensive positions along the Rach Ruong Canal early Feb. 1.
     Boarding Armored Troop Carriers of Naval Task Force 117, the 3d Battalion, 47th Infantry and 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry assaulted from beaches southwest of the city. The MRF met stiff resistance along the canal, while ARVN forces grappled with the enemy downtown and northwest along highway 6A.

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Mcllhaney

Black dot against clouds is deadly M-79 grenade

Secondary explosions revealed enemy ammunition stockpiles.

 ^Mcllhaney
Machine gun lays down a base of fire        
maneuver elements close in on VC bunker

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 Seeking cover from sniper fire      ^Wisniewski
                              3/60th closes in near Vinh Long

     Against a World War II backdrop of burnt-out houses and rubbled streets, the 2d Brigade forces tangled with enemy intruders for two days. The MRF troops climbed walls and darted in and out of doorways in a methodical house to house search for the brazen infiltrators. When the VC withdrew to the northwest, the 2d Brigade was extracted from My Tho and moved to blocking positions in the Cai Lay area. Aided by U.S. artillery and air strikes, the ground troops finally smashed the remnants of three VC Main Force battalions—the 261st, 263d and 514th. Casualty figures showed more than 115 enemy killed, against nine U.S. dead and 86 wounded.
     In the wake of the holocaust, countless civilians were killed, maimed or left homeless by the communist terrorists. Division civic action teams were rushed in to provide food, shelter and immediate medical care for the Vietnamese victims.
     Vinh Long: Feb. 4-6—By mid-morning of Feb. 4, enemy pressure on ARVN forces in Vinh Long, 65 miles southwest of Saigon, had become severe. To prevent reinforcement of the VC units and flush out elements of the 306th Main Force VC Battalion, the MRF conducted air assaults to the west and south and riverine landings to the south and east, while naval forces screened along the canal east of the city. Sporadic contact was maintained until the morning of Feb. 5 when the MRF battalions pushed into the outskirts of the city and helped the ARVNs oust the enemy. A day later, the 2d Brigade continued to pursue the VC along the Rach Ba Moi, southwest of Vinh Long, where the 857th Local Force Battalion was hammered by ground, air and artillery fire. Overall results of the Vinh Long operation were 133 VC killed, four detainees taken, four crew-served and 42 individual weapons captured.
     Ap Bac: Feb. 9-10—On the morning of Feb. 9, the 2d Brigade conducted an airmobile assault north of the 5th/60th blocking positions near Ap Bac. The MRF pushed the VC south into the blocking force, and more than 80 enemy were cut down.

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"During the Tet Aggression, I was amazed to see that the 9th Division was able to deploy its men in such a short period of time, over such a large area of operation and still be able to do such an outstanding job. You are truly to be congratulated." Gen. Westmoreland

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   _Farley

Infantryman scrambles through My Tho ruins
                        VC  use shops and homes for shelter

   Can Tho: Feb. 12-22—Responding to intelligence reports of a planned enemy attack on Can Tho, the MRF dropped anchor near the Phong Dinh Province capital on Feb. 13. A day later, sweeping on both sides of a canal emptying into the Can Tho River, 2d Brigade soldiers found a huge stockpile of enemy ammunition, highlighted by eighty-nine 120mm mortar rounds.
     By Feb. 10, several battles had resulted in 82 VC killed as the 2d Brigade pushed further south.
     Finally, on Feb. 22, the riverine units mounted an assault 20 miles south of Can Tho. Beaching at pre-determined locations, they came upon a well-constructed enemy bunker complex. Only one thing was wrong—the enemy, evidently expecting an airmobile attack, had faced their firing ports toward the open fields rather than the river. The unexpected beach landing drove the frenzied VC out into the open fields, where gunships and artillery dropped more than 60 of them.
     My Tho: Feb. 6-8—When the MRF shifted their attention to Vinh Long, ARVN units continued to pursue two VC battalions around My Tho. The 5th/60th and 2d/39th joined the fray and, supported by heavy air and artillery strikes, totaled 163 VC bodies during this phase of the My Tho campaign. U.S. forces sustained 12 killed.
     Tan An: Feb 9-10—In the past, the 3d Brigade base camp of Tan An, 25 miles southwest of Saigon, had received harassing and probing enemy fire, but never anything as intense or coordinated as the two-pronged attack the night of Feb. 9-10. After enemy mortars had been poured inside the camp, an estimated guerrilla company worked their way forward through the civilian communities tangent to the base and succeeded in penetrating the perimeter. Close combat ensued until morning, when the attack was finally put down. More than 30 enemy bodies were counted, and 23 detainees were identified as members of the 330th NVA Division. Four U.S. soldiers were killed and 48 wounded.
     Combat action was only half the battle against the ruthless enemy terrorists. Even before the widespread fighting had eased off, Division civic action teams rushed into the beleaguered cities with medical aid, food and other supplies. The massive destruction wreaked by the communist insurgents was effectively countered by an even more massive program to help thousands of homeless Vietnamese victims rebuild their future.

Map on next page

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LEGEND

   Approximately a half mile away, the first platoon of Company B, 2d Mechanized Battalion, 47th Infantry was on alert status as the ready reaction force for that area. They had moved their Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) into the big parking lot near the Post Exchange, and there they waited. Just prior to daylight, the word came. Rocket and mortar fire was being launched from the vicinity of Widows' Village toward the headquarters of II Field Force, Vietnam.

Deserted houses

     The infantry raced to their APCs and roared out. Passing through the gate of the big compound, they headed north up Highway 1A into the southern edge of the village. Quickly deploying on line, they began moving up the dirt streets of the village, past apparently deserted houses. About a third of the way through the town, they suddenly collided with a well-entrenched Viet Cong force.
     The enemy struck at the mechanized infantry with rockets, automatic weapons and small arms fire. Platoon Sergeant William Butler, of Springfield, Mo., said, "We were moving slowly along the streets, because we knew there were Cong in there — we just couldn't locate them.
     "Suddenly they began throwing everything at us. One of our tracks took a direct hit from a B-40 rocket and the platoon leader was killed."
     As the senior man in the platoon, Butler took command and began moving his men out of the direct line of enemy fire. The big personnel carriers eased back into an area where they could be protected from the VC rocket rounds and still maintain suppressing fire on the enemy emplacements.

Bangalore torpedoes

     While the men of the 47th were held in place, the Viet Cong began preparing Bangalore

     In the 9th Infantry Division, 21 chaplains use the Mekong Delta and the Bien Hoa Province jungles as their pulpit.
     "We must administer the word of God where the people are. Some ask how a man of God can participate in war. I think any form of neutrality should be construed as aid to the enemy. We must stand for what we believe," said Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Williams, Richmond, Va., assistant Division chaplain. Stand they do. One chaplain is over 6’6" and weighs in at a hefty 240 pounds.
     "One of my favorite tricks is to pick up a soldier by the collar and pretend to be gruff. I call it on-the-spot character guidance," said Captain James D. Johnson, 27, Albemarie, N.C., a towering Southern Baptist chaplain for the 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry.

Brother’s keeper

     The whole concept of a brother’s keeper is best found in the field during combat. Johnson, a winner of the Bronze Star, has had many close calls in his line of duty.
     "A couple of weeks ago on a combat mission, we were in a sweep formation when Charlie opened up on us. I immediately

A mine ahead            ^Bipes
            and a prayer in the heart

An armored altar                                                           ^Smith
                                       the temple is in each man's soul

     Of the 21 chaplains assigned to the 9th Division, five are Roman Catholic, six Southern Baptist, four Presbyterian, one American Baptist, two Lutherans, one Methodist, one Episcopalian, and one Evangelical Covenant.
     Although no Jewish chaplain is formally assigned to the Division, Captain Frank C. Breslau, 23, of Chicago, tends to the Division’s Hebrew flock twice monthly. Breslau, the only Airborne Jewish rabbi in the Republic of Vietnam, proudly wears the screaming eagle patch on his right shoulder and has it embroidered on his Yarmulkah (a skull cap worn exclusively by males of the Jewish faith to signify humility). His screaming eagle Yarmulkah was designed and made by a New York friend, who did it as a joke. Breslau has been wearing it ever since. Breslau currently is assigned to the II Field Forces in Long Binh but, as often as possible, comes to Bearcat to hold services.
     As a representative of the denomination which indorses him to the Army, the individual chaplain provides religious services wherever and whenever he can.

"Happy New Year, Charlie"

     "During New Year’s Day I was giving a religious service in the field when Charlie opened up on us. We all hit the dirt. All kinds of lead was in the air. Then our artillery started pounding the VC position. Every time the artillery hit, someone yelled ‘Happy New Year, Charlie,’" Johnson said, bemused.
     Chaplains are assigned in the U.S. Army at the ratio of one for every 800 soldiers. Army-wide, there are nearly 1200 chaplains. In order to be a chaplain, the prospective candidate must obtain from his church an endorsement signifying his good standing as a representative of that church. After extensive training in military matters, the candidate is commissioned to the rank of captain. He then receives assignments on the same basis as other officers—by need. His insignia of rank is worn in the same manner as any other commissioned officer. His branch insignia is a cross for Christian chaplains and tables of the ten commandments with the

By SP5 Tom L. Farley

 

he green jungle foliage swayed softly to the gentle touch of a mild pre-monsoon zephyr. Beneath the canopy, the breeze carried with it the sounds and smells of life and death to a large K-9 scoutdog who moved silently through the vegetation.    Slowly, the beautiful German shepherd was leading a patrol of 9th Division Soldiers through a dense jungle the Viet Cong called home. The patrol depended heavily on the dog. Its nose could afford no deadly mistake. The animal was there to eliminate the element of surprise the enemy counted on for victory.    Man and animal moved soundlessly down the trail. To the front, death waited patiently in the most fatal of all hide-and-seek games ever played—the Vietnam War.    At home in the emerald maze, the scoutdog led his handler confidently through the

frustrating tangle of undergrowth. Suddenly, without warning, the dog froze in his tracks, ears forward. The handler dove to the ground pulling the animal with him hissing "hit it" to the men behind him.    Laying on the rotten leaf matting of the jungle floor, the men of the patrol nervously scanned the area, waiting.    Five minutes passed—nothing. The men slowly rose to their feet, half expecting the crack of rifle fire to fling them down again.    Cautiously, the patrol began to move. The dog refused. It lay rigid, staring directly down the path. Trusting the animal, the handler followed its line of vision down the path. His eyes stopped. The dog was right.    There, less than a yard from where he crouched, a slender, almost invisible fishing line stretched across the trail three inches above the ground.

The Combat Art Section of the 19th Military History Detachment will soon be publishing an all new Combat Art Book which will be made available to all OLD RELIABLES.

POST OFFICE SNOOPER
The 9th Division Postal Officer, Captain Gene R. Williams, Vancouver Wash., has recently developed a new use for the standard Army mine sweeper. Williams said that in order to curb the illegal shipment of contraband and munitions being sent from Vietnam, each package is put to the metal detector test. The mine sweeper is so successful that USARV has recently sent a directive to all Army Post Offices authorizing the use of the mine sweeper throughout Vietnam. When contraband or munitions are discovered, said Williams, the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is called to handle the situation. Williams indicated that APO 96370 Bearcat has detected contraband ranging from lensatic compasses to gas cook stoves. The offenders he said, can expect a quick visit from the CID.

PATROL AIR CUSHION VEHICLE
The patrol air cushion vehicle (PACV) is an innovation of the Mobile Riverine Force. PACVs are capable of speeds up to 70 MPH across all types of Delta terrain including rice paddies, mud flats and mangrove swamps. They are armed with twin .50-cal machine guns mounted in a turret plus two M-60 machine guns mounted on either side of the vehicle. PACV is powered by a single 1150-hp General Electric gas turbine engine. The engine drives both the nine foot pusher propeller and a seven foot lift fan. The Navy tested these vehicles at Dong Tam, a 9th Division base camp, in connection with Mobile Riverine Force operations.

98 TON AMPHIBIAN
The Transphibian Tactical Crusher at first sight resembles a monstrous tricycle, running backwards. Even though the machine weighs nearly 98 tons it is amphibious and travels through swamp and mire with ease. The mission of the "crusher" in Vietnam is to deny the enemy any type of concealment. It accomplishes this mission by knocking trees, brush, nipa-palm and bamboo thickets as well as jungle undergrowth and burying it with its rotating 12 ton drum-like wheels. The machine is capable of clearing up to 6.8 acres per hour of every conceivable terrain found in Vietnam. The "crushers" are maintained and operated by the 93d Engineers, a support unit of the Old Reliables.

FOUR FOOTED MINE SWEEPER
9th Infantry Division troops discovered a new use for combat tracker dogs during the height of the Viet Cong's efforts to scissor Route 4 beyond repair with mines. VC sappers, demolition experts, used 200 pound mines encased in wood to prevent detection by minesweepers. Tunneling up to 700 meters to place explosives beneath the road, wires up to 1,500 meters linked the mines with their detonators. US commanders found that once a tracker dog sniffs a command detonation wire he can trace its path whether it zig-zags or burrows underground. Accompanying Old Reliables on sweeps alongside Route 4, these four-footed mine detectors provide a major reason why VC mining attempts have been significantly reduced during Operation Truong Cong Dinh.

   In the early days of the war when the gunships made a strike, the Viet Cong believed they were being attacked by some type of fire-breathing, smoke-snorting ancestral dragon.
   Their fears were not unfounded, though. On a single pass, a gunship can devastate an area the size of a football field. Two months ago, the gunships, with tactical air help from the Air Force, sank 93 sampans of an enemy convoy near the Plain of Reeds in less than 30 minutes.
   The ships usually fly in eagle flights while on a mission. An eagle flight consists of five helicopters flying in close formation. Counter-mortar teams of two gunships each are on duty in every sector of the Delta ready to counter over any position within the Division in less than 10 minutes.
   In the early days of the Tet aggression, Stingray averaged five missions a day. Long hours of maintenance by gunship crews were performed on a round-the-clock basis.

Walls of fire

   Besides strictly combat missions, helicopters resupply the infantryman with food, water, ammunition, medical supplies, and all-important mail— sometimes flying through walls of fire to deliver. When he is wounded, the infantryman can expect to be in the hands of a skilled surgeon within 10 minutes.
   The men who fly the Division birds all are volunteers and most are first term enlistees. The pilots receive nine months of training and crew members receive four. Each pilot is an expert at flying both the bubble topped OH-23 and the regular UH-1 series helicopter.

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"The aviators of the 9th Division are an exceptional breed of men. They are different from their bacon-and-eggs counterpart of World War II. They were raised on cereal and find it more flattering to be called a good pilot than a good soldier. I am not so sure that is wrong."   LTC Alvin M. Quint     Commanding Officer   9th Aviation Battalion

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  Racing toward Jayhawk slicks
                                                        a welcome sight after combat
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They learn instrument flying, emergency procedures and aerial gunnery as well as routine flying. Crew members become expert mechanics, able to detect any trouble by its sound. Auto-rotation    All helicopters are equipped with clutches which can be

disengaged, throwing the rotors into a free wheeling "auto-rotation." If the helicopter is traveling forward fast enough, the rotors will continue to whirl, keeping the craft aloft enough to make a glide landing. Forward speed is essential to the maneuver, and if a helicopter is not flying fast enough, the pilot must "dive" the chopper to pick up speed. At best, it is a hairy operation.

MG Ewell receives Division Flag

ajor General Julian J. Ewell received the colors of the 9th Infantry Division from Major General George G. O’Connor during ceremonies Feb, 25.
   Accompanied by Lieutenant General Frederick C. Weyand, Commander, II Field Force, General Ewell met Old Reliable troops from each unit in the Division and soldiers representing the Royal Thai Army.
   After General O’Connor reviewed 9th Division forces for the last time, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his accomplishments while leading the Division.
   General Weyand emphasized that General O’Connor faced difficult problems which were "discharged with great distinction."
   The 9th Division operates in the I Corps Tactical Zone, the III Corps Zone and the IV Corps Zone," General Weyand stated. "This is a scope and breadth no other U.S. division has been called upon to engage in. You have met every challenge placed before you and there have been many."
   General Weyand noted that General Ewell is "taking command of men who, this very day, are giving of their lives and their blood, that the course for which all of us are here in Vietnam will survive."
   General Ewell labeled the 9th Division, feared by enemies and admired by friends, a force which looks after the well being of its men the cause for which all of us are and other American units.
   General Ewell’s assignment, prior to coming here, was as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff for Combat Developments Command at Ft. Belvoir, Va.
   Dignitaries attending the ceremony included Major General Yose Devahasdin, commander of Thai forces in Vietnam; Major General Keith L. Ware, deputy commander, II Field Force, Vietnam; and the commanders of the 1st Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and commanding generals of the 18th ARVN Infantry Division and the 25th ARVN Infantry Division.

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LTG Weyand, MG Ewell, MG O'Connor

   A cooperative Defense Department – Veterans Administration program is providing servicemen about to leave Vietnam for discharge with the latest information on Vietnam benefits.
   The Veterans Administration has sent a two-man team of contract representatives to talk with service personnel departing for the United States from Long Binh, a major embarkation point for Army personnel.
   Department of Defense and Veterans Administration officials are considering expanding the program to other departure bases in Vietnam.
   The pilot project was initiated as part of the program outlined by President Johnson, who has asked government agencies to do everything possible to smooth and speed the transition from military service to civilian life for returning Vietnam servicemen.

An American, British, Canadian, and Australian conference on artillery fire direction in 1966 resulted in changes in US terminology for requesting and adjusting fire from artillery units. Some of the more important changes in terms are shown below:

 

NEW Azimuth Barrage Cease Fire Coordinates Concentration Fire (after cease firing) Fire when ready Number of volleys On the way Repeat fire for effect Sensing Will adjust

OLD Direction Final protective fire (FPF) Check firing Grid Target Cancel check firing Cancel at my command Number of rounds Shot Repeat Spotting Adjust

Recent inspections and firing tests of the M16 and M16E1 rifles at Fort Benning revealed that the causes of the reported malfunctions of these weapons during use in Vietnam are improper care and cleaning and some worn parts. The five most common deficiencies in care and cleaning noted during the study were:

• Excessive oil in the weapons, causing carbon to form in the chamber, on the bolt and bolt carrier, and on the action spring guide.

• Failure to clean the end of the gas tube, inside the bolt carrier key, and the chamber.

• Oil and grit inside the magazine. Some riflemen were placing oil on the ammunition and in the magazine.

• Failure to recognize and replace worn extractor parts. Replacement may be done by unit armorers.

• Overloading the magazine by placing 20 or 21 rounds in it rather than the recommended 18. Overloading spreads the lips of the magazine and causes a failure to feed on the second and subsequent rounds.

Men in Vietnam can now accumulate up to 90 days leave. Effective Jan. 1, 1968, servicemen who have served more than 120 days in a combat zone can accrue up to 90 days leave instead of the normal 60. The extra leave must be used before the end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the man leaves the combat area or be lost. No payment is authorized for any of the additional leave that is not used

^Ashton

here is a tree-cloaked, heavy silence and no moon shines. The heat is stifling in the heavy undergrowth. No wind blows. Nothing moves. There is an asphalt sky.
   General painted figures creep on hands and knees, inch by inch, toward a small clearing where a fire light glows. Stealthily, with no word or sound, they creep to the edge of the clearing and peer through the brush cover. They are members of a 9th Infantry Division Long Range Patrol.
   Silhouetted against the fire are 15 to 20 men, each with a rifle. They don’t know they are being watched. They sit and talk,

occasionally eating from a large pot hung above the fire. Some smoke. A few are asleep.
   While they relax, the silent figures slowly turn back away from the clearing, moving even more deliberately than when coming in. In one hour they are completely clear of the men and in a friendly camp, where the patrol tells its leaders what has been seen. The leaders plan quickly, gather superior forces and soon return to the clearing.
   Just prior to dawn they strike, hard. The men around the fire are caught unaware and killed. The attackers move in quickly, gather up weapons and supplies and leave, their fight a success

due to the reconnaissance patrol.
   The American Indians killed many settlers this way. They learned to work through the terrain in small teams without being detected. They learned to travel as lightly as possible and be ready for any development. The teams worked together exclusively. They could range far from their teepee camps to scout the white man, learn his strengths and weaknesses and take appropriate action.
   It is an old method, but very effective. It is even more effective when the scout team has fast, long-range mobility and instant communications to their base camp.