Vietnam 1st Battalion
Thomas G. Wright
H & H Company 1970 – 1971
1/327 Infantry Battalion Medical Platoon Leader and S-5 Civil Affairs Officer from May 1970 to February 1971.
Before enlisting I had graduated from Stetson University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree and had passed the Florida Bar exam.
After graduating Basic Training and Infantry AIT at Fort Dix, and Infantry Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, I received a branch transfer from Infantry to the Medical Service Corp. I had applied for Jump School, but I was put on a fast track to Vietnam and immediately assigned to be an Officer at the Fort Sam Houston Basic Training Company for conscientious objectors. While there I completed the Medical Department Officer Orientation Course with other OCS and West Point graduates.
Upon arrival in Vietnam I was assigned to the 8th Field Hospital in Nha Trang where I served as Motor Pool Officer and Physical Security Officer. After three months at that assignment the Hospital Commander thanked me for helping the hospital pass its IG Inspection by improving performance in my areas of responsibility. He asked me if he could do anything for me. I responded that I would like to be reassigned to a combat infantry unit for which I had been trained. He gave me options and I choose the 101st.
I was assigned to be the 1/327 Medical Platoon Leader. The Medical Platoon was composed of approximately 35 – 40 trained medics assigned to field units and to man the Camp Eagle and Fire Support Base (FSB) aide stations. I reported to the Battalion Physician, a Captain.
A short time later I was also assigned to be the Battalion S-5 Civil Affairs Officer replacing a Captain who had held the position and was returning to the States. The S-5 was allocated a US Army Sergeant, a RSVN Army Translator, a Jeep, and a US Army Specialist as a driver. An additional responsibility of the S-5 was to oversee the Kit Carson Scouts. A joint responsibility of the Medical Platoon and the S-5 Unit was to conduct Medical Civil Action Patrols (MEDCAPS) at hamlets in the area east of Hue City near the South China Sea.
I spent about 1/2 of my time at various FSB aide stations west of Hue and about 1/2 of my time at our main aide station at Camp Eagle.
Shortly before my DEROS date of 2/3/71, the Doctor, a medic, and I, participated in an artillery raid to a mountain top on the east side of the Ashau valley. Our artillery conducted fire missions across the valley up to the border of Laos. I did not learn until later that it was a feinting operation to distract the NVA from the upcoming Lam Son 719 invasion of Laos to the north. Our role was to induce the NVA to think that we were the spear head of that operation.
I got back on time.
This photo was taken at a hamlet east of Hue City during a MEDCAP performed by 1/327 Medical Platoon. Since MEDCAPs were also a responsibility of the S-5 Civil Affairs Officer it was very efficient that I held both positions.
Tom Wright
