Where to find Semi-Auto BAR

[Turk]

Taco,

My compliments on your families service. Before I got to my unit in 1968 I was told they had worked with a ROK unit a couple of times. The guys that had nothing but praise for the ROK troops. While I was there we never worked together but where our Area of Operations ended the ROK took over. I think it may of been called the Capital Division too may years ago to remember.

KML,

If you’re trying to tell me there was a 3000 man U.S. Marine Infantry ground unit in Vietnam in 1963 please give me the unit name and where it originally departed from. You stated it’s not in the history book. You got that right.

The chronology of events with insertion of Infantry troops into Vietnam.

January 8,1965, 2,000 ROK troops arrive

March 8, 1965, A US Marine Infantry, 9th Marine Expeditionary Bridgade arrives. Marine advisers had been incoutry since 1954

May 3, 1965, The US Army, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sep) arrives, 1st & 2nd Battalions of the 503rd Airborne Infantry. The Herd ended up in 1968 with 4 Airborne Infantry Battalions and one Mechanized Infantry Battalion plus its other smaller assets.

Build up starts

In December of 1972 there were no US Infantry ground troops left. All Infantry manuever units were either ARVN or ROK. The last US ground combat troops departed Aug. 12th 1972

March 29th 1973. The last American troops leave South Vietnam leaving only a Defense Attache Office.

Have a good day.

Turk

 

[Dangus]

Kinda pathetic that we cared only enough to give the Koreans WW2 issue stuff.

------------------
I twist the facts until they tell the truth. -Some intellectual sadist

The Bill of Rights is a document of brilliance, a document of wisdom, and it is the ultimate law, spoken or not, for the very concept of a society that holds liberty above the desire for ever greater power. -Me

 

[KML]

TURK
Sorry i don not have a scanner and i do not know were you can look it up but if you can look up
MARINE TASK ELEMENT 79.3.3.6
(FORMERLY MARINE TASK UNIT 79.3.5)
SUB UNIT#2,MARINE AIR BASE
SQUADRON SIXTEEN 9 APRIL 1962-30 NOVEMBER 1964
Marine medium helicopter squadron 362
9 april - 31 july 1962
Marine medium helicopter squadron 163
1 august - 11 january 1963
Marine medium helicopter sqaudron 162
12 january - 6 june 1963
1 july - 7 october 1964
Marine medium helicopter squadron 361
1 oct 1963 - 31 january 1964
Marine medium helicopter sqadron 364
1 febuary - 30 june 1964
Marine medium helicopter sqadron 365
8 october - 30 november 1964

CITATION:

For extremely meritorios performance of duty and conspicuous intrepidty in action while sering in the Republic of Vietnam,that were involved in combat operations against insurgent guerrilla forces(viet cong),from 9 april 1962 to 30 november 1964.These units,operating from unprepared landing zones ranging from sea level to altitudes of 6000 feet,and flying over swaps,rugged mountains and treacherous jungle terrain, supported helicopter assault operations conducted by Forces of the Republic of Vietnam against heavily defended enemy positions in the First,Second and Thired Corps areas of operations.Often encountering extremely hazaardous weather conditios,they supported daily operations conducted by the Vietnamese from unsecured landing zones which freuently exposed them to hostile fire at extremely close range.The heroic actions,courageous devotion to duty and exceptionally meritorios service of these highly efficient Marine Corps teams were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

I cannot locate the second citation,a lot of my fathers stuff was put away after he passed away.

In the history of USS PRINCETON CV-37/LPH 5 in aril 1962 she delivered Marine helicopters to Soc Trang in the Mekong Delta area of the Republic of South Vietnam.Also says advisors thought not the air wing ,combat troops and ground crews.

KEVIN



[This message has been edited by KML (edited August 19, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by KML (edited August 19, 2000).]

 

[taco]

Turk:
I had two cousins serve in Vietnam with Tiger unit (other was Dragon unit). First cousin served for 19 months from 1966-67 and second served for 11 months in 1969-70. Second cousin spent some of his time with an Australian unit as an "observer" to learn their methods and capabilities but they both did not have much interactions with US solders.

Dangus:
First cousin used a BAR in Vietnam while second cousin used a M2 Carbine (his unit started to receive some M16s but most solders prefered to keep their M1s and Carbines). They both felt that their US supplied WWII weapons were good but ammos they were receiving from US were in very poor condition (left overs from WWII and/or Korea?). They had to check every cartridge can to make sure ammo inside was usable because in some shipments over 50% of the ammo was not usable. Both felt that some solders were killed due to these poor ammo.

Most ROK combat solders were profesional solders and volunteered for Vietnam assignments to get combat points for future appointments so they were very aggressive and motivated in the field.

 

[Turk]

Kevin,

The citation states who the air elements were transporting. I'm not disputing that Marine, Air Force or Army chopper units we in Vietnam in the early 60's only that Infantry units did not arrive until 1965 (besides advisers and SF units.)

From the Citation
"""""conducted by Forces of the Republic of Vietnam against heavily defended enemy positions in the First,Second and Thired Corps areas of operations."""""

It looks to me they were not Marine grunts.

I have a deep respect for the pilots and air crews that flew these birds in all the branches of the services. In the early years I'm quite sure things were quite spartan for these Marine crews.


"""""Also in the history of USS PRINCETON CV-37/LPH 5 in aril 1962 she delivered Marine helicopters to Soc Trang in the Mekong Delta area of the Republic of South Vietnam.Also says advisors thought not the air wing ,combat troops and ground crews."""""

These combat troops were probably ARVN troops.

Have a good day.

Turk

 

[KML]

TURK
you are right about what the citation says,but my dad was a rifleman,not a pilot,ground crew member or crew chief.

It also states at the top ,that were involved in combat operations against insurgent guerilla forces.I do not think we would send pilots into a combat area with out someone to do base security,patrols and most inportantly to go get any downed pilots.Also at these time the press did not have the same access that it does now.I also have two AP clippings talking about two helicopter crashes in the south china sea that killed a total 18 Marines almost all are privates and lancecorps.My father kept them becuase they were killed in combat, but were reported as training crashes.


Also at the same time that the Cuban missle thing was going on China and India were having a border war up in the mountains,and the China was doing those human wave attackes.The Indian army was still using the LeeEnfield and the USMC helicopters were flying supplies and weapons(browning 30.06 machine guns and bars)up to the front lines for the Indian army.These pilots and aircrews were on there own if they were shot down and several were,but once again it will not be any book.

 

[KML]

TURK
I did a little talking with my mother about this and she gave me my father's passport,which has only one country in it,Vietnam and is stamped july 19 1962.My mother says my dad and the rest of the ground troops first went to secure and set up the air base for the helicopters to use,but the Marine Corp was happy with the local defense and requested that the ground troops stay.They were then given passports and call "ADVISORS",but did not train any troops.When the ARVN wanted to do a helcopter assault the Marines went in first and secured the landing zones for them.Then the Vietnam forces landed after them and went on the offense missions