The Bonding of Warriors
A Unit History
The Early Years (1966-1967)
Ch 1
by Winslow "Rick" Stetson
In September 1965, Major General (MG) George S. Eckhardt reported to Fort Riley, Kansas to prepare for the activation of the 9th Infantry Division. Known as the Old Reliables, the division earned seven campaign streamers during World War II as it fought in Africa, Sicily, Normandy and the Ardennes, suffering 23,277 casualties, including 8,550 killed in action. It was a division the Army could depend on and in March 1945, the 2nd Battalion 47th Infantry became the first Allied unit to enter Germany when it crossed the Rhine River on the Ludendorf Bridge.
General William Westmorland served with the 9th during WW II as the division's chief of staff and by 1965; he directed the massive troop buildup in the Republic of Vietnam. As the number of troops in Vietnam increased, so did the casualties. In 1964, the Army lost 147 soldiers in what was to become the Vietnam War. The following year the total would climb to 1079 with 234 of the soldiers killed in action during a four-day battle fought by the 1st Cavalry Division in the Ia Drang Valley. The war against a determined enemy was heating up and General Westmorland needed additional troops. The call went out to activate his old WW II outfit, the 9th Infantry Division.
The cover of the March 1966 Army Digest featured a painting showing soldiers standing beneath a 9th Infantry Division flag. The top half of the flag was red, the bottom half blue, with an octofoil in the center. The octofoil, which was the division's shoulder patch and often called "the cookie" by the soldiers who wore it, consisted of eight foils surrounding a white circle that in heraldic times symbolized a son being surrounded by eight brothers. The Digest's lead article was entitled, "9th Infantry Division Activated" and it traced the history of the Old Reliables. It also included a description of Fort Riley, a 51,091 acre post that dated back to 1852 when it was used by the cavalry to provide protection for the wagon trains heading west. Brevet Major General George A. Custer had been stationed there with the 7th Cavalry Regiment and until 1946; the post had served as the home of the Army Cavalry School. The post's leisurely-paced lifestyle, which in the old days had included Sunday morning horseback hunts, resulted in those stationed there to be considered living "the life of Riley." In 1966, the last official cavalry horse, Chief, still resided on the post and was listed on the books as official government property. The horse was tended to by a sergeant and enjoyed his own pasture while becoming a popular attraction for visitors to the post.
Fort Riley, according to the Army Digest, "had all the natural elements conductive to hardening men for combat - hot in the summer, cold in winter, rough terrain, and steep hills." Although the destination of the 9th was not announced when the division was activated on Feb 1, 1966, a hint of a possible future location was given during a visit by Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson who "likened areas of the post to portions of Vietnam."
The 9th Infantry Division was the first Army unit to be organized and trained for overseas deployment to a combat theater since WW II. When the 9th was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on August 1, 1940, the division had over two years to train before being sent to North Africa in November 1942 as part of Operation Torch. In 1966, only seven months would pass from the time the first soldiers arrived for basic training to when the first division units would arrive in a combat zone and just one year from activation, the entire 9th Division would move from Fort Riley, Kansas to the Republic of Vietnam.
The Army used the draft to provide the privates needed to fill the newly activated 9th Infantry Division. The critical need was for non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and officers and many were assigned to the division from units in Europe and Korea. To meet the increased need for platoon leaders (2nd lieutenants) the Army had the Infantry Officers Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia and the Artillery OCS at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1965, the Army added a second OCS battalion at Fort Benning while opening additional officer candidate schools at Fort Belvoir, Virginia (engineers), Fort Gordon, Georgia (signal corps) and Fort Knox, Kentucky (armor.)
Winslow "Rick" Stetson was a member of the first infantry Officer Candidate School (OCS) class to graduate from Fort Benning in 1966. As he and his classmates walked across the stage to receive their commissions, many had orders for their first assignment, Fort Riley, Kansas and the 9th Infantry Division. Before reporting to Fort Riley, some of the new lieutenants, including Stetson, would complete Airborne and Ranger school.
When he arrived at Fort Riley in mid April, he was assigned as a platoon leader with Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry. Preparations were already underway to receive the basic trainees who were scheduled to arrive in May. Barracks had to be prepared, lesson plans written, and firing ranges located. When the trainees arrived the week of May15, 1966, the division was ready.
A band played as the new privates stepped off the buses and they didn't even have to carry their own bags. Instead, they were welcomed with speeches, served a hot meal, and shown to beds that were already made. Stationary, stamped envelopes and pencils were provided and the soldiers were told they had to write home. Their company commanders would also write letters to parents saying that their "New Reliable," as the trainees were called, had arrived safely at Fort Riley. In Charlie Company, Stetson helped welcome 221 of the division's new soldiers. Most were 19 or 20 years old and only two had enlisted in the Army. The rest were draftees.
The company commander made it clear the men would see combat in the future but told them they would receive the best training in the world to prepare for it. When he issued his men their weapons, Stetson told them they had just met the best friend they would have in the military. The soldiers appeared to be a bit apprehensive but they understood why they were there and were eager to learn.
The new recruits were allowed to call home and many said the Army, so far at least, was not what they had been led to believe by their fathers and uncles. Everything was well organized, they had decent barracks to sleep in and they got enough to eat. One soldier was overheard talking to his mother on the telephone and saying, "We had fresh salad tonight with real cucumbers in it, just like you make."
On Saturday, May 21, 1966, Major General Eckhart presented the 47th Infantry its battalion colors in an impressive ceremony. Bands played, flags rippled in the breeze and jets screamed overhead at low level, as the colors were passed. The New Reliables, with just two days instruction in marching, did their best to handle their weapons and keep in step. The officers and NCOs were proud of their new soldiers. Their leaders knew, however, that a lot of serious training had to take place in the months ahead for these were the soldiers who would accompany them into combat.
After basic training was completed, the units immediately began Advanced Infantry Training (AIT). Soldiers requiring training in specialized areas such as signal or medical were sent off for additional schooling. The infantry AIT conducted at Fort Riley would prepare the soldiers to work together in squads, platoons and companies.
In July, Stetson and other 9th Infantry Division officers and NCOs received orders for Jungle Warfare School in Panama. By then, it was common knowledge the 9th was headed for combat in a tropical environment and Stetson's battalion commander, LTC Lucien Buldoc, told him he would be expected to give classes on what he learned at Jungle School when he returned. The first class he taught after attending the school was jungle hygiene and it was presented to the battalion's officers so they might, as his lesson plan stated, "Better prepare their units to live and fight in a jungle environment."
Shortly after returning from Jungle School, Stetson was transferred to Company E, 3/47th as the 106mm recoilless rifle anti-tank platoon leader. With Allied forces possessing complete air superiority over Vietnam, Stetson felt the chances of encountering enemy armor would be next to none and he was convinced he had been given one of the least important jobs in the entire division. He was especially envious of a non-Ranger-qualified friend who had been given command of the battalion's recon platoon. Nevertheless, he tried to make the best of the situation and began training his platoon in the art of engaging enemy armor.
Stetson's faith in the Army's assignment process was restored during the third week in October when he received word to report to division headquarters. There he was introduced to 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) Edwin Garrison, an airborne Ranger qualified Infantry OCS graduate, who was serving as a platoon leader with Company C, 4/39th. The two officers were told they had been hand picked to help form a new unit the 9th Infantry Division was creating called a Long Range Patrol Detachment (LRPD). Similar units were operating with success in Vietnam and had enhanced the intelligence gathering capabilities of American units. They were instructed to begin an immediate search for volunteers and that the unit would undergo training in Panama before departing for Vietnam.
The 1st Cavalry Division had demonstrated the value of helicopter assets in locating and fighting an elusive enemy in Vietnam. It was determined that since the long range patrols would be inserted and extracted deep in enemy territory, a close working relationship with an aviation unit was essential. The decision was made to attach the 9th Infantry Division long range patrol to D Troop, 3/5 Cavalry. Major William Kahler commanded D Troop, 3/5 Cavalry. The aviation unit consisted of an aero scout platoon with nine OH-23G observation aircraft, nine aviators and nine crew chiefs; an aero rifle platoon with five U14-ID Hueys, 10 aviators, 10 crew chiefs and 10 door gunners; an aero weapons platoon with 10 UH-1C aircraft armed with XX-21 and M-5 weapons systems (mini guns and grenade launchers) 20 pilots, 10 crew chiefs and 10 door gunners; a maintenance platoon with one UH-ID aircraft, 2 pilots plus a crew chief, door gunners, and mechanics; a headquarters section, and an organic infantry platoon with 1 officer and 41 enlisted soldiers.
When Garrison and Stetson reported to the Camp Funston area of Fort Riley to meet Major Kahler, they found D Troop housed in WW II-era barracks. The bare wooden walls and dim lighting was a step back in time from the facilities the two officers had enjoyed with their infantry battalions in the Custer Hill portion of the post but they realized that with a two-week trip to Panama plus Christmas leave, there would not be a lot of time spent in the drafty barracks at Camp Funston.
Major Kahler wasn't sure what to do with the two young infantry lieutenants who had reported to him. The D Troop commander was in the midst of trying to make arrangements to ship his pilots, soldiers, aircraft and equipment overseas when he was informed that he would have to provide for a platoon of LRRPs. He offered an area where the men could be housed but said there were no aircraft available for training. D Troop's helicopters would arrive from Texas on December 1st and would be shipped to the West Coast on December 15th which meant that the operating procedures for the two units would have to be worked out once they arrived in Vietnam.
The two officers had to move fast to recruit new members as the unit was scheduled to depart for the Canal Zone on 16 November. They would have to recruit, interview and select their personnel in less than a month. When the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division formed a long range patrol detachment in Vietnam, 337 soldiers were interviewed and just 32 volunteers were selected for the unit. The 9th Infantry Division would select only volunteers but due to the limited amount of time, the officers would have to accept just about any soldier willing to volunteer for the long range patrol.
The word went out for volunteers. Dave Moss joined out of Ed Garrison's former platoon in C Company, 4/39th. Tom Lindly was an artilleryman and heard about the long range patrol from his first sergeant in the 11th Artillery. His job was to deliver artillery rounds and since his ammunition section had the most men, he was told to submit three names as candidates for the LRRPs. He was the only one from his unit to volunteer so he typed his own transfer request and hand carried it to the acting battery commander, then to the battalion commander, and up to division where it was approved. Lindly joined the Army in 1956 and had more time in grade than most of the volunteers for the unit. He was one of the few who did not possess an infantry military occupational skill (MOS). Mike Patrick graduated in the top of the jungle warfare class and was one of the first LRRPs to receive the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB). Bob Hernandez was a meat cutter before being drafted and would prove to be one of the top early team leaders. Ray Hulin was a cowboy from Texas and one of the first to make contact with the enemy.
When the interviews were completed, Stetson and Garrison selected 34 volunteers from a cross section of the 9th Infantry Division: 11 were from the 39th Infantry, 10 from the 47th Infantry, 9 from the 60th Infantry, and 2 from the artillery, 1 from the signal battalion and 1 from the 9th Admin Company.
The officers tried to incorporate the maximum amount of training into the brief period before the group would depart to Panama. Stetson emphasized physical training and required the soldiers to perform early morning runs before breakfast. The Kansas winter wind chill caused several of the men to become sick and the physical training was modified to insure everyone would be in good enough health to make it to the Jungle Warfare School.
When John Kennedy was president, he authorized the Special Forces to wear a green beret. Their black berets identified instructors at the Army's Ranger School. While undergoing training at Fort Benning, Ed Garrison noticed some visiting German officers wearing berets. He decided that the members of the 9th Infantry Division's Long Range Patrol needed a distinctive look. One day he asked Stetson if he thought the men in the unit could wear a black beret. Stetson gave him the go-ahead to design a flash for the beret. Garrison immediately drew one up and had it produced at a local tailor shop. The berets were an instant hit with the men who caused double takes wherever they went on post. One day Stetson was stopped by a staff officer and asked who had given authorization to wear the black berets. "No one," Stetson replied. "We just did it ourselves." The officer just frowned and walked off.