"These Are My Credentials": The 199Th Light Infantry Brigade in the Republic of Vietnam, 1966-1970.

By Robert J. Gouge

The 199th Light Infantry Brigade
(Redcatchers) served with distinction, honor and
valor in the Republic of Vietnam from November 28th, 1966 to October 15th,
1970. During the American involvement in Vietnam, the 199th LIB proved time and
time again that it was one of the finest and most professional infantry units
to have ever served in the United States Army.
Organized specifically for Vietnam service, the 199th became the first
major American unit to undergo the process of Vietnamization
with ARVN forces in 1967, the first American brigade in U.S. military history
to have an African-American as its commanding officer, the first unit in
Vietnam to have a Chaplain awarded the Medal of Honor and the sole unit in
Vietnam to earn the dubious distinction as having lost the only general officer
killed in action during ground combat.
Often overshadowed by the larger, more "glamorous" units and
divisions that fought in Southeast Asia, less than 25,000 men ever served in
the ranks of the 199th LIB. 755 young
heroes from the Brigade were killed in action during the Vietnam War.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Their memory and sacrifice will never be
forgotten...

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 16, 2004
• ISBN: 9781418411961

Robert J. Gouge

Robert J. Gouge holds a bachelor's degree in history and education from Mars Hill College, North Carolina and teaches social studies and U.S. History at the middle school level.  Mr. Gouge has always had a deep, personal interest in United States History, specifically on the Vietnam War and the 199th Light Infantry Brigade.  He currently lives with his wife and son in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Book preview

"These Are My

Credentials"

The 199th Light Infantry Brigade In The Republic Of Vietnam, 1966-1970.

By

Robert J. Gouge

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© 2004 Robert J. Gouge.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.

First published by AuthorHouse 04/07/04

ISBN: 1-4184-1196-5(e)

ISBN: 1-4184-1197-3 (sc)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 1966

Creating a Brigade

Chapter 2 1967

ARVN’s, Ambushes and Medals

Chapter 3 1968

Tet, Racetracks, May Battles and Pineapples

Chapter 4 1969

Long Khanh, Blackhorse and the Jungle

Chapter 5 1970

Cambodia, Human Waves and Going Home

Bibliography

I am not the first to die

And roads beyond bring ever more.

But I must hope that someone’s son

Will speak of war no more.

I did not choose this age to live

Or seek a soldier’s martyrdom.

This lonely land I barely knew-

So many miles from home.

In Spring of life and Spring of year

It is goodbye, my task is done.

For April shall not come for me

And I will feel no summer sun.

To live, believe and understand

Was all I sought to do,

But fate decreed it otherwise,

My cross must pass to you.

(Poem read at the Brigade Chapel

Dedication Ceremony, Camp Frenzell-Jones,

Republic of Vietnam, May 25, 1969)

Dedication

This work is respectfully dedicated to the 755 young men from the 199th LIB who answered their country’s call to arms when they were needed most, and never made it back home to enjoy the other things that this life has to offer. Their cause was a noble one and will always be remembered by those who care.

I would also like to dedicate this to the memory Roger D. Birks of Grand Junction, Colorado. Roger was a patriot, a decorated combat veteran and an American soldier in Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 199th Light Infantry Brigade. He served gallantly in Vietnam from 1969-1970. He died at a homeless shelter in Denver, Colorado at the age of 53, shortly before the Christmas holidays of 2001.

Acknowledgements

This book is about a small group of men who were once members of the finest infantry brigade in Vietnam from 1966-1970. This is their story. This is not, however, an official or concise history on the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. I will leave that endeavor to individuals who are more qualified and have more knowledge and information on the unit than I do.

For me, this book is a culmination of more than 10 years of deep personal study and interest dealing with the 199th LIB. Most of the men interviewed and mentioned in this book are from the rural mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Most of these men know each other and met one another in Vietnam. Four of them are from the same community, where they grew up with one another and graduated from the same high school. Incredibly, they would all meet 12,000 miles away from the United States in Vietnam, as members of the 199th LIB.

The other men who participated in this project were either friends or acquaintances of the men from North Carolina and Tennessee and gladly gave up their precious time to participate in this project. Without them, this project would not have been possible.

I want to give them a heartfelt "THANK YOU," for their time, interviews, memories and efforts in making this project happen. Mike Braun (E/3/7), Larry Ellison (B/3/7), Pat Ellison, Jack Gouge (HHC-199th) Tom Hays (E/4/12), Bob Himrod (49th Infantry Platoon Scout Dog), Steve Houghton (71st Infantry Detachment LRRP), Arthur Layton, Jimmy Martin (C/3/7), Larry McDougal (A/2/3), Kenneth Melton (A/2/3), Ray Moffitt (HHC-3/7), Norman Reeves (A/4/12), Roy A. Rogers (E/3/7), Ralph Sparks (E/3/7), Michael Stockton (C/2/3), Mike Swearingen (40th PIO), Chris Wander (B/7th Support Battalion), and Jackie Warren (B/3/7).Preface

During the course of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War from 1965-1973, some two and a half million men and women served in uniform at one time or another within the boundaries of this unforgettable Southeast Asian country. Along with the cream of America’s youth who served, went the noble and valorous combat units from all branches of the United States military. These were units that had distinguished themselves on hundreds of battlefields in as many countries and as many years. These were also units that had decades of service, such as the 1st Infantry Division, otherwise known as the Big Red One, which had fought in the trenches of the Western Front in the First World War and stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day in the Second World War. Others, such as the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division had parachuted behind Utah Beach on D-Day and held the line at Bastogne against the German onslaught during the Battle of the Bulge. Then, there were the All Americans of the 82nd Airborne Division that had made all four combat jumps during the course of World War II, ranging from Sicily to Holland. One particular Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd, the 187th Rakkasans, had also made one of the only combat jumps of the Korean War and was involved in heavy fighting all over the peninsula from 1950-1953, as was the Tropic Lighting of the 25th Infantry Division.

And finally, there was the flamboyant 1st Air Cavalry Division, that had also seen heavy action in World War II and Korea, and was so large and grandiose, the division traded in their horses for helicopters and went tearing through the ‘Nam looking for the action. This unit and its blanket-sized patch have come to represent the American involvement in Vietnam, thanks largely to the media and to Hollywood. In short, nearly all of the units of the United States Army that were sent to Vietnam had years of commendable and faithful service, particularly during World War II and Korea.

Of the hundreds of thousands of GI’s who served in the U. S. Army in Vietnam from 1965-1973, less that 25,000 would fill the ranks of one particular unit that has become one of the most overlooked and forgotten of the military conflict. This unit, in many ways, epitomized the American involvement there. Not only have scholars, authors and historians of the Vietnam War largely forgotten this outfit, Hollywood and the mainstream media have done so as well.

Perhaps this is because there were less-men to have served in this unit during the four years it was fighting in Vietnam than the bigger units and divisions had in their ranks for one year. Even the MACV Headquarters (Military Assistance Command Vietnam), located at Tan Son Nhout Airbase, had more staff officers billeted there (4,000+) than the number of men that were in this unit at the beginning of 1968.

In short, this unit is remembered-most by the men who once wore the patch of this unit, sometimes referred to as the Spear of Fear, and their families who know or remember what their fathers, husbands, or sons did or where they served during this turbulent time in American history.

This unit was the 199th Light Infantry Brigade Redcatchers (Sep) (Lt).

Chapter 1 1966

Creating a Brigade

The boat ride over was a zoo. CWO James W. Creamer

As the military situation for the United States grew in intensity and ferocity in Southeast Asia in late 1965 and early 1966, despite early victories in the Ia Drang Valley, the DMZ, Tuy Hoa, Pleiku and elsewhere, the American military machine began to rapidly mobilize. The commanding generals and politicians then in support of escalating the war in Vietnam were striving to increase offensive capabilities so as to, seize the initiative and carry the fight to the Communists, thus bringing the full weight of the mighty U.S. military on the pajama-clad peasant guerrilla. (American units in Vietnam in early 1966 were: the 173rd Airborne Brigade, 1st Brigade/101st Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade/25th Infantry Division, 1st Air Calvary Division, 1st Infantry Division and the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions.)

In early 1966, orders came down from on high, specifically from General William C. Westmoreland, to form an independent and light, separate infantry brigade that was to be utilized specifically for Vietnam service and which was to guard the Saigon/Bien Hoa/Long Binh area. Since the city of Saigon and the surrounding areas were known as the vital organ center for the American involvement in Vietnam, its safety and protection were of the utmost importance. The new unit was to be charged with this mammoth task and would sometimes be called, the Palace Guard.

The terms Light and Separate meant that the new brigade would not have all the heavy equipment and excess material that normal infantry units contained and it would not be under any divisional or similar control. In short, the baggage and personnel would be cut in half, the new brigade’s artillery firepower would consist of M102, 105mm Howitzers (Towed) and the unit would be placed under the command and control of the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) and II Field Force.

The 199th was to become an Orphan Brigade, the only such one to serve in Vietnam. Its mission was to be threefold. 1) Upgrade the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). 2) Pacify the countryside and win the hearts and minds of the civilian population. 3) Eliminate the enemy.

That April, Col. George D. Rehkopf, then on the command staff at Fort Benning, Georgia, received orders to immediately begin forming the new Brigade as the unit was, incredibly, scheduled for Vietnam deployment by late November or early December, 1966. Faced with this daunting task, Rehkopf and his staff began at once to set in motion the rigorous schedule that would prepare the unit for its upcoming overseas combat deployment. The acquirement of men and material was priority #1.

In its infancy, the Brigade staff and cadre consisted of large numbers of career, veteran soldiers seized directly from tours in Europe. The rank and file consisted of large numbers of enlistees, fresh from basic training and AIT, who filled the fledging ranks of the unit.

While the Brigade was in its beginning stages, many of the senior NCO’s in the unit were either World War II or Korean War veterans, and sometimes both, who proved to be the backbone of the enlisted ranks. These men provided the young and inexperienced Redcatchers with valuable and priceless information that they desperately needed in the future.

First Sergeant Roy Carter was a prime example of the experienced senior NCO that served in the Brigade. Filling the position as First Sergeant of Bravo Company, 3/7th Infantry from 1969-1970, First Sergeant Carter joined the Army in early 1942. After basic training and being shipped to the European Theatre of Operations, Top Carter had dodged heavy German artillery, machine-gun and rifle fire, where he waded ashore with elements of the 4th Infantry Division at Utah Beach on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. By 1969, Top Carter had almost 30 years of service in the military.

Command Sergeant Major Othon O. Valent, a three-war combat veteran, served as the Brigade Sergeant Major in 1968-1969.

Joining the Army in January 1941, Sergeant Major Valent completed paratrooper training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, and made two combat jumps with the 101st Airborne at Normandy and Holland during World War II. During the Korean War, he was a member of the 187th Airborne, Regimental Combat Team (Rakkasans) and participated in two more combat jumps by April 1951. When he joined the 199th in July of 1968, he had been a soldier for over 30 years.

++++++

On 1 June 1966, the 199th Light Infantry Brigade (Sep) (Lt) was officially activated and created, in a confused spasm of simultaneous activating, equipping, and training. (The official activation ceremony took place on the parade field at Ft. Benning on 24 June). The first organic units of the Brigade were; Headquarters and Headquarters Company-199th, 2/3rd Infantry, 3/7th Infantry, 4/12th Infantry, 2/40th Artillery, D Troop, 17th Cavalry, 87th Engineer Company, 7th Support Battalion, 313th Signal Company, 152nd Military Police platoon and the 44th Military History Detachment.

The new Brigade insignia or SSI (Shoulder Sleeve Insignia) was colorful and symbolized the development of the foot soldier throughout the ages of warfare. The blue and white denoted an infantry shield, which referred back to the weapons of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The spear in the middle of the shield was a symbol of the earliest infantry weapons, with the yellow flames being a reminder of the advent of gunpowder and its evolution into the ground-shaking firepower of the modern-day Infantry. The red fireball in the middle, denoted man’s splitting of the atom and the beginning of the Atomic Age. In their youthful exuberance, the men adopted the macho nickname of Redcatchers, after the bright red fireball worn on their sleeves. (The term meant that the unit was going to wipe out or kill all the communist Reds in Vietnam).

(Stories have been told of former 199th veterans who remained in the military following their tour(s) in Vietnam, that when Class A or fatigue uniforms were worn with the overseas combat patch, few of their fellow soldiers knew what unit it was. This includes other Vietnam veterans who served with different units while in country. Many 199th veterans were forced to wear the MACV, USARV, II Field-Force or 82nd Airborne insignia’s because no 199th LIB subdued SSI’s were available to them).

For the next eight hectic months, intensive jungle training followed for the cadre and men of the newly created 199th. Rushed maneuvers were held in platoon and battalion field exercises, M-16 rifle training (some men and cadre were still carrying M-1 carbines) and helicopter assault techniques, along with other crucial skills. The 199th was also one of the first organizations during Vietnam to be issued the new M16A1 rifle as a whole unit, compared to other outfits that still had a mixture of M-14’s and M-16’s within the ranks. (It is interesting to note that even until mid to late 1968, large portions of new replacements going to Vietnam had trained solely with the M-14 rifle and had never handled or even fired an M-16 rifle).

For the last two months of its state-side training, the 199th would prepare for counter-insurgency warfare at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, repeatedly going through all the lessons learned in Vietnam up to that point in time. Fortunately, with the unit being formed and trained for battle near Ft. Benning, there was never a shortage of returning combat veterans from tours in Vietnam to listen to and learn from.

++++++

As the Vietnam deployment date approached for the officers and men of the 199th, it was clear that many things were yet to be mastered and still incomplete, despite frantic efforts to do so. Many of the infantry battalions were not up to full-strength, there was not the usual number of experienced cadre and platoon leaders within each company and many important pieces of equipment had not yet been received or accounted for.

For example, in late November, 1966, D Troop, 17th Cavalry had only Jeeps mounted with M60 machine guns, Browning .50 caliber machine guns or 106mm recoilless rifles and the 3/7th Infantry had only half of its authorized strength!

When Roy A. Rogers was only 17, he joined the United States Army in early 1966, with his parents signing the enlistment papers for him. After Basic Training and AIT at Ft. Benning, Rogers was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment as one of the first enlisted men assigned to the Cottonbalers in July of 1966. When Rogers arrived on post at Ft.Benning after his leave and reported in for duty at the personnel office, he was told by the clerk and then by the personnel officer that they had no idea where Redcatcher in-processing was. They also informed him that they had never heard of the newly- created Brigade. After a couple hours of fumbling around on post, he finally located the main body of the unit, which was then organizing on Kelly Hill.

After processing into Echo Company, 3/7th Infantry, Rogers found that there were less than 30 men in the company at that time. However, in the days and weeks that followed, Brigade personnel began flowing in and the newness of the 199th soon wore off. Rogers, along with the rest of the Brigade, found themselves going through the intense jungle training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. According to Rogers, The training at Camp Shelby was a blur. Vietnam was on everyone’s mind constantly. We all knew we were going to Vietnam. The question was when?

Mike Braun, also of E/3/7, was another one of the early enlisted men to join the Brigade while it was being formed at Fort Benning.

I was no stranger to the military. I was an Army Brat and growing up, I never lived for more than four years in any one place. My father retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 23 years of service.

Taking my father’s advice, I enlisted for three years instead of being drafted for two, because, in the words of my father, If you let the draft take you, you’ll wind up in the Infantry and go to Vietnam. My father swore me into service on November 15th, 1965.

After three months of Infantry training at Fort Benning, we were trucked to Camp Shelby were we participated in the same maneuvers as at Benning, only in the swamps with bigger mosquitoes.

However, after all this training, we were a group of men who had made new friends, gotten to know one another and were ready to face this duty together. I don’t recall but a very few men saying they were afraid to go to Vietnam. Everyone felt apprehensive and excited, but mostly we quietly accepted the situation we were in.

Chris Wander, who was originally an immigrant from Sweden before becoming a U.S. citizen, served 18 months in Company B of the 7th Support Battalion from 1966-1968. Wander also joined the Brigade in August of 1966 while it was at Camp Shelby.

On our arrival at Ft. Benning, I found that the rest of the 199th had just departed for Camp Shelby. A bunch of us were put on a bus for the long ride to Mississippi. We went through places like Montgomery and