Vietnam 2nd battalion
Chuck Beegle
H & H, C Companies 1966 – 1967
Enlisted 1961, jump school Ft Bragg, NC. Nov 61. We were tha last divisional jump school class. After that all basic jump tng done at Ft Benning. Went into the 82d Airborne, 82d PPM&AD (parachute rigger). Went to Japan in 1963, 549th Airdrop Supply Co. Later became special ops in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam. Flew in and out of these places, until I was accepted to attend Infantry OCS at Ft Benning, GA. Received my commission in Jan, 1965. Assigned to 101st ABN Div., 3rd Bde 3/187th, B Company as a rifle platoon Ldr. volunteered for VN. On orders to the 1st Bde, 101st Abn. Joined Bde at Tuy Hoa Jan. 1966. Assigned to the AT platoon HHC 2/327th, My platoon sgt. was SFC Harjo. In late Feb I was given duties by Major (SMOKE) Dyke, BN XO UNDER LTC Garten, to re-organize the heavy wpns platoon into a recon unit, thus the Hawks were born. Ran several missions thru late March when I was assighed to a task force under Cpt Higgenbothem to an area near the intersection of Hwy 1 and its junction with Hwy 2 coming out of Nha Trang. Soui Cat rubber plantation. We ambushed a large group of VC, kept the area secured and were disbanded in late April. Doc Eastham was my medic, who would later be killed at Troung Luong. Upon return I was assigned to Charlie Company, under Cpt Davis. I was given 1st platoon. The best assignment of my entire military career. Trung Luong followed.
After I returned from the hospital in July and because I made 1st LT, LTC Wasco put me in his S3 shop against my objections of wanting to stay with CHARLIE Company, with Cpt J. Moody. Worked in S3 until I was to return to the states in Jan 1967. Right before I left I the old man, LTC Wasco, told me to set up and be able to train the BN in refresher jump school procedures. So at Kontum in the central highlands I with selected NCO’s conducted refresher jump school training, before I derosed. Jump School in VN, who would have thought.
Assigned back in the states to the Infantry School as an instructor with the Company Tactics Committee, where I taught IOBC and OCS students counterinsurgency. Made Cpt. and went to the Officers Advanced Course after I returned to Vietnam again in Mar. 1969. I was a company commander, of Echo Company, Troop Command at Long My. Returned after a year as a company commander Mar 1970. Other assignments followed and eventually I retired from the 1st Infantry Div. in April 1982 as a LTC.
Awards CIB, MASTER JUMP WINGS, SILVER STAR, 3 BRONZE STARS W/V, JSCM, MSM, 2ARCM W/V, PURPLE HEART, CROSS OF GALANTRY W/PALM, 6 VN SERVICE STARS AND OTHERS UNIT CITATIONS. I did attend Command and Staff College, at Quantico, VA. One of five army types selected to attend with the Marines.
