Jan Feb '09 Saber.indd - First Cavalry Division Association

JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 2009ENGINEER NEWSJesse Crimm4445 Silverwood Ln.Jacksonville, FL 32207-62241(904) 737-6172Readers will recall in thelast issue of SABER that weleft SFC Malcom Kelly inVietnam at what becameCamp Ratcliff in 1965. Kellyrecalls that PFC’s Miles andSmitley were good concrete mixers and much in demand to pour pads for allsorts of structures although sand and gravel were hard to come by. His platoonperformed mine clearing operations for the 7th Cavalry in the Suoi Ca Valleyduring operation Shiny Bayonet. While in the Pleiku area, his platoon supportedthe 8th Cavalry in clearing tea plantations. PFC’S Nye and Brantley, Bud Davis,Mel Allen, Jimmy Nakayama and SP-4 Musselman were assigned to LZ X-rayduring the operation. LT Peters and CPT Holly commanded and did a professionaljob of protecting the troops during one mortar attack on the tea plantation.It seems that the French owners of the plantation and LZ area did not pay the VCenough to leave the area alone. CPT Holly survived a mortar round that landednear him but did not explode because the safety ring had not been released fromthe round. During this period, LTC Malley was the Battalion CO.Returning to Camp Radcliff, Kelly recalls, with humor, that a python got intothe NCO tent of A Company one day. From there, the snake was chased into thechapel where it was beheaded. The head and 15 feet of body were displayed ona 2 ½ ton truck driven around the company area. Later, a change of platoon leadersbrought LT Larry Houston to Kelly’s C Company as LT Peters was assignedto HQ. After R&R in Japan, Kelly returned to find his platoon in Bong Son andsubsequently deployed to LZ Silver. SP-4 Archie Schreck as being effective intreatment of wounded Cavalry. SFC Pfahl also participated in operations aroundLZ Silver. His troops were engaged in blowing down tunnels and bunkers.More from SFC Kelly in next issue as his saga continues. Should you readersrecall any events or names retold so far, please contact SFC Kelly at 2109 BalfourSt., Augusta, GA 30906.In the meantime, from way out in the panhandle of Florida, PSG HowardBuchanan sent notes of his own. Those who recall any persons or events maycontact PSG Buchanan at 502 Indiana Ave., Lynn Haven, FL 32244.Buchanan recalls that as the 1st Cav came out of Cambodia, he and a LT Mitchellwere assigned to build firebase Grunt. Grunt had the specific mission of coveringthe withdrawal from Cambodia and was presented with a difficult location interms of engineering requirements. However, “Black Jack 6” was in the area forsolutions. Now who is Black Jack 6 you readers may wonder. Well, none otherthan the Battalion CO with his 05 entitlement of a Huey and CSM sidekick.Buchanan and Mitchell first encountered difficulty with bamboo thickets.MEDAL OF HONOR - JON E. SWANSONRank and organization: Captain, U.S.Army, Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry,1st Cavalry DivisionPlace and date: Kingdom of Cambodia, 26February, 1971Entered service at: Boulder, ColoradoBorn: 1 May 1942, San Antonio, TexasCitationCaptain Jon E. Swanson distinguished himselfby acts of bravery on February 26, 1971,while flying an OH-6A aircraft in support ofARVN Task Force 333 in the Kingdom ofCambodia. With two well-equipped enemyregiments known to be in the area, CaptainSwanson was tasked with pinpointing theenemy’s precise positions. Captain Swansonflew at treetop level at a slow airspeed,making his aircraft a vulnerable target. Theadvancing ARVN unit came under heavyautomatic weapons fire from enemy bunkers 100 meters to their front. Exposinghis aircraft to enemy anti-aircraft fire, Captain Swanson immediately engaged theenemy bunkers with concussion grenades and machine gun fire. After destroyingfive bunkers and evading intense ground-to-air fire, he observed a .51 calibermachine gun position. With all his heavy ordnance expended on the bunkers,he did not have sufficient explosives to destroy the position. Consequently, hemarked the position with a smoke grenade and directed a Cobra gun ship attack.After completion of the attack, Captain Swanson found the weapon still intactand an enemy soldier crawling over to man it. He immediately engaged theindividual and killed him. During this time, his aircraft sustained several hitsfrom another .51 caliber machine gun. Captain Swanson engaged the positionwith his aircraft’s weapons, marked the target, and directed a second Cobra gunship attack. He volunteered to continue the mission, despite the fact that hewas now critically low on ammunition and his aircraft was crippled by enemyfire. As Captain Swanson attempted to fly toward another .51 caliber machinegun position, his aircraft exploded in the air and crashed to the ground, causinghis death. Captain Swanson’s courageous actions resulted in at least eightenemy killed and the destruction of three enemy anti-aircraft weapons. CaptainSwanson’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with thehighest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, hisunit, and the United States Army.The Medal of Honor is the highest medal awarded by the UnitedStates.Thirty-eight Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division have been awardedthe Medal of Honor for gallantry in three different wars whileserving with the 1st Cavalry Division.Twenty-four of the medals were awarded posthumously. Eleven ofthe recipients are still living.Visit our web page at http://www.1cda.org/MOH_Recipients.htm toview all of the citations for the First Team Troopers that have earnedthis great honor.Page 20Solution? Call BJ6 for an airdrop of Bangalore torpedoes. (As an aside, weengineers will recall that as portrayed in the movie “The Longest Day”, it waswe engineers with our Bangalore’s that created the assault gaps for the taking ofUtah beach. What heroics we did then!) Later, as the first issue of chain sawswore out, more were needed. Solution? BJ6 brings in another airdrop. If thatweren’t enough, the Cat4 Dozer threw a track on the side of a hill. Solution?BJ6 brings in the BMO, a warrant officer and a couple of more dozer operatorswith their 60 inch pry bars. These troops plus the 12B’s already at Grunt and alittle determination got the dozer reassembled. Buchanan recalls that afterwardthey draped ponchos over themselves, dropped in the mud and slept.Others of you may ask, who was that masked man? Who was Black Jack 6 thatseemed to drop out of the sky at the most opportune times? The answer will berevealed in the next issue of SABER when an interview with the still living andbutt kicking BJ6 will be printed. (BJ6, be taking notes for a phone call) Alsocoming up, Illingsworth, Bad Base, Bad Result, Instant NCO Academy. But fortoday, how about a military movie review? Remember, you can write me youropinions.Best portrayal and staging of how bullets actually sound: Saving Private Ryan;Normandy Beach scene.Best portrayal of how veterans feel about things: Saving Private Ryan; Finalscene at Normandy cemetery.Best portrayal of how spooky things were: Platoon; night attack scene.Tedious now but dramatic and inspiring for its time: Victory at Sea; all episodes.Best reenacted scene: Gettysburg: Picket’s Charge, 3rd Day of the BattleWorst adaption of a classic book into a movie script: Apocalypse NowBest portrayal of how the goodness of man will ultimately prevail: The KillingFields.Dumb with no purpose but to sell tickets and popcorn: JarheadAlmost pulled it off but tried to fit too many themes into 90 minutes: DeerHunter and Full Metal JacketBest attempt to give equal time to the other side: Tora, Tora, ToraBest Navy or Air Force movie of all time: ?Best motorcycle scene ending in barbed wire: The Great EscapeAs this issue will appear in 2009, let this be the year when you write yourmilitary memories like your wife or husband has asked you to do. Send themto me in whatever form you will. Don’t think that your story is unimportant ortoo obscure. It mattered to you and now it matters to others to document yourefforts and time.THE NEW ARMY SERVICE UNIFORM by C.Todd LopezWASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 25, 2008) -- Out with the old, inwith the blue. The Army has made it official; the green service uniform, whichhas defined the service since the mid-1950s, is on the outs.In place of the green uniform will be a variation of the blue uniform, somethingmany Soldiers already own. Official word on the new “Army ServiceUniform,” or ASU, was released August 20 in a message to all Army activities.The message defines the wear policy and the “bridging” strategy for transitionto the new uniform.“It’s a culmination of transformation efforts that started in 2004,” said SergeantMajor of the Army Kenneth O. Preston of the new ASU. “We had three ‘Class A’style uniforms, all the same style jacket, with just a different color -- the policieson how we wore accoutrements on them were different. We asked the question-- if we wear one only, which would it be? And the blue uniform was the mostpopular of the three.”The new ASU coat, similar to the existing blue coat, will be made of a wrinkleresistantmaterial and will have a more “athletic” cut.Other changes to the uniform include authorization of a combat service identificationbadge to recognize combat service, overseas service bars authorizedon the jacket sleeve for both enlisted Soldiers and officers, the wear of distinctiveunit insignia on the shoulder loops of the blue coat for enlisted Soldiers,authorizing paratroopers to wear the black jump boots with the blue ASU, andthe decision to transition to a new short sleeve and long sleeve white shirt withshoulder loops.It is also permissible for enlisted Soldiers to wear both overseas service barsand service stripes on the new blue ASU coat. Officers and Soldiers in the gradeof corporal and above will additionally wear a gold braid on their slacks to indicateleadership roles.“That is kind of a right of passage as you transition from being a (junior) enlistedsoldier to a noncommissioned officer,” Preston said of the gold braid.New items for the ASU will be available in military clothing sales after July2009.Soldiers will be expected to possess the entire uniform by July 2014. The twokey components of the uniform, the coat and slacks, are expected to cost around$140, with modifications bringing the total cost to $200. Enlisted Soldiers willreceive an increase in their annual uniform allowance to help offset the cost ofthe uniform. Visit for more info and color photos.The new Army Service Uniform is based on the Army’s current dress blueuniform and will replace the white, blue and green service uniforms. Nounit patches are sewn to the sleeves of the Army Service Uniform.Photo by SGM Phil Prater“Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” Benjamin Disraeli