013Author’s Blog

I am 62 just like JT . I am from Detroit and was drafted in to the army at FT Wayne . I also had a couple of yrs of college and went to Ft Knox for Basic & AIT. For 5 weeks I worked as a Chaplain’s Asst at Knox just doing a lot of polishing & paper shuffling. My mother thought that was a great Army job for me !! But then I was off to Germany and never made it into church in 18 months. This was a GREAT read , enjoyed every chapter. you did good with your first book. I would like for you to keep the theme going for your next book and I hope I don”t after wait 7 years

Mr. Caldwell

I am 38 years old and have never served in the military, but have never gotten a straight answer to the following question. In the Army what does one consider his unit? I know that the the Army is segregated into Division’s, Brigade’s, Battalion’s, Company’s, Platoon’s , Squads, and Fire Teams, but I following the Iraq War I constantly hear the term “Regiment”. I thought Regiment was a passe term used in the Civil War. Were you a member of a Regiment in Vietnam? What did you consider your unit?

Mr. Nelson,
Good question and I’m afraid I don’t have an answer about the current use of “regiment.” In Vietnam, what a soldier considered to be his unit depended on the circumstances: if you were a member of a squad (about 12 soldiers) on patrol in the “boonies,” that was your unit because your life depended on everyone doing his job. I imagine that might be the same feeling the troops have in Iraq and Afghanistan, but that is strictly a guess.

Like most of the soldiers who served in Vietnam, I was drafted rather than enlisted, so I probably have a skewed perspective on this subject; and my job was basically that of a “clerk/typist” who happened to carry a weapon and travel more than the average clerk/typist who sat behind a desk and labored through the mountains of paperwork that was the military.

I was a member of the 164 CAG which was a part of the 1st Aviation Brigade that was headquartered in Saigon. CAG stands for Combat Aviation Group. It was a collection of parts of various aviation units (various types of helicopters, a few fixed-wing aircraft, etc.) thrown together to be more flexible in combat. You can find the history of the 164th here:http://www.cantho-rvn.org/avn/164-CAG-History.html

There were 5000 soldiers stationed at the Army base in Can Tho, but I really felt like my unit consisted of the chaplains and assistants I worked with at the chapel because that’s who I spent my working day with.

Mr. Caldwell,

I purchased your book and am about half way through. It is very entertaining and informative. Bertson says that he always carried his M16 barrel up unloaded while riding in a Huey. I thought that it did not matter since everyone always pointed their rifle toward the floor.
Question 1: What was the proper way to carry one’s M-16 on a helecopter?

Above Mr. Davis states that he was in the 4th of the 23rd.
Question 2: 4th and 23rd of what? Battalion, Company?

Most appreciative,

Bill