Vietnam 1st Battalion
Lee Vick
H & H Company
I joined the Army in ’63, took basis and A.I.T. at Ft. Jackson S.C. Jump school at Fort Benning, Ga. From there went to Fort Bragg, N.C. for special forces training. Some of you might know, that while you are waiting for your class to start, all you do is pull K.P. and guard duty. My class didn’t start for 12 weeks. I was going into Light Weapons, I couldn’t hang in there that long, so I had my choice of 82nd or 101st. you know the rest!
The 101st was the 1st U.S. Army combat ready outfit that went to Vietnam on July 65. Twenty two days of sleeping and eating in shifts. When you weren’t doing those, you had to stay on deck so the rest could eat and sleep. Perhaps those who made that first trip remember!
The first seven months in Nam we just moved from place to place, one week here, two weeks there. So many places I can’t remember their names. I guess you could have called us, ( the advance troops for everyone else ), made way for the 1st.Cav. at Ankee Pass, some other places were Bencat, Benwa, four rubber plantations, and all over the mountains. Some villages where the men and women were no less than 7ft. think they were called Montagnard.
Made four Hot LZ assaults from gun ships, most of the time thinking, this is crazy, running WD1 to other units, knowing Charlie was going to cut it, then I’ve got to take my squad out ( find it and splice it.) so they could chat to each other! Yet I knew better, it was our job, because without communications to one another, we would have been in trouble.
At times I would walk 10ft. tall, then other times I would go off and cry like a baby. We all had good and bad times. We were sent to do a job that most never understood. Some still don’t, and never will. One thing for sure, we were the best there was (why do you think they sent us in 1st?) we laughed, hurt, cried and died cause that’s who we are. (I didn’t say who we were) I will never be a WERE !!! I am a 101st SCREAMING EAGLE and always will be.
For the eagles who couldn’t fly home let it be known, we hurt for each and every one.
ABOVE THE REST
Lee Vick
