The varied and vital combat support roles played by U.S. Army Chemical Corps soldiers during the Vietnam War have been overshadowed by the spray operations of the defoliant Agent Orange conducted by the U.S. Air Force in Operation Ranch Hand. While defoliant operations were indeed an aspect of Chemical Corps operations in Vietnam, they in no way defined the totality of what Chemical Corps support to combat operations fully entailed. The U.S. Army Chemical Corps played an integral role in supporting both combat and intelligence gathering operations throughout the war.
I was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam from July 1968 to July 1969. I was commander of the 26th Chemical Detachment from July to October 1968 and then reassigned to the 2nd Brigade as the Brigade Chemical Officer from November 1968 to July 1969. Upon my arrival in Vietnam and assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division, the division was conducting combat operations in Quang Tri Province in the far north of South Vietnam. The division’s mission was to destroy enemy forces, weapons/supply caches, and bunker complexes in this area prior to the arrival of the northeast monsoon. Chemical Corps support activities figured prominently in these missions and many other combat operations during the war.
A Division Chemical Section was provided to supply the Division G-3 (Operations) with advice and suggestions for proper employment of chemical assets. It was one of the Special Staff Sections and headed by the Division Chemical Officer responsible for monitoring all chemical operations for the G-3. As commanding officer of the 26th Chemical Detachment, I was tasked with providing the 1st Cavalry Division with 24-hour monitoring capability for the employment of chemical assets. The 1st Cavalry Division Chemical Section, the 26th Chemical Detachment, the 184th Chemical Platoon, and the Brigade Chemical Officers worked in cooperation with the G-3 (Plans and Operations) to accomplish all chemical support missions for the 1st Air Cavalry
