May 20, 1968

[39mto39g]

I made my short timers calender. I had been in Vietnam for 11 months. 29 and a wake up.

OPERATION MAC ARTHUR

2 May. At YA934942 Long Range Patrol 3B made contact with an unknown size enemy force. Artillery was employed as the patrol broke contact and linked up with Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry. Enemy casualties could not be determined.

3 May. At YA945927, Company D, 2d Battalion, 35th Infantry found five NVA killed by artillery.

4 May. Company D, 2d Battalion, 35th Infantry found two NVA bodies, estimated to be three weeks old at YA937926.

7 May. Company A, 2d Battalion, 35th Infantry received sniper fire wounding one US at YA940911.

8 May. An ambush patrol from Company A, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry observed two individuals in camouflage suits at YB862142, small arms fire was exchanged, with one US WIA.

We were in the Kontum area. I had carrid this PRC 25 for 11 months and it was getting heavy. We were with some LRRPs/Rangers doing patrols west of Kontum.

Ron
1st bn 35th inf 3rd Brg 4th inf div 67-68

[RangerBob275]

Thank you for your service Ron. That is a beautiful photo. How many spare batteries did you carry?

[39mto39g]

RB
Just one. Those batteries were about the size of a carton of Cigs. I did like the plastic bag they came in. Good for storing maps and such.
Most of the time I didn't carry any spare. Times that we figured we would be Useing the radio , a lot, I would carry an extra. Hill 875.

Romeo 6 Mike

Or
Ron

[Steadfast]

We were with some LRRPs/Rangers doing patrols west of Kontum.

How would you know if they were LRRP's OR Rangers? Especially back 67-68.

[Ranger Bill]

I know the ground. Beautiful mountains covered with triple canopy. My platoon did a lot of missions west of Kontum in late 69 and early 70. I remeber a mountain trail there that had steps carved into the rock so the NVA could climb up and down easier. Our teams would watch the NVA moving at night, using flashlights to guide their footing. A lot of night artillery was fired on those strings of flashilights at night, after a a few rounds landed, all the lights would go out. After about five minutes the lights would come on and start moving again. This gave the Ranger on night watch something to do to stay awake. When "Puff" was used on the lights, the whole team would stay awake to watch the show. lRanger Steadafast, that's the area that Team R-25 lost three of four men in January 69. Only SGT Doss, the TL survived. He was later KIA north of An Khe. RIP Rangers Doss, Ranger Roth, Ranger Willard and Ranger Lyne. Anyway, I'm a FOG, but that's how I remember it.

[39mto39g]

Stead fast
I didn't say LRRP or Rangers, They were LRRP and Rangers. These guys were LRRPs with the 101st and were made Rangers. They wore Tiger camo.
One day in 1969 All the LRRP units in Vietnam became Rangers overnight.


Ranger Bill
Beautiful mountains? Never thought of them as beautiful. But I guess.

Ron

[Jim]

20 May 1968, I was a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). Amoebic dysintary, went from 140 to 98 pounds; by this time I was just trying to gain weight eating four meals a day. Went to Panama, assigned to the School of the Americas, a couple weeks later. BTW, a bunch of us (the Beltway Rangers) went by WRAMC yesterday afternoon to visit the wounded warriors. Had the good luck to meet the CSM of WRAMC, he is a 1st Battalion Panama vet, named Delvalle; CSM Jeff Mellinger was there also. Good times!

[39mto39g]

Jim
Friend of mine was in the 101 and was a LRRP that got grandfathered into the Rangers. James Worth, He also went through the Recondo school at Pannama. What was your address in vietnam? Maybe we walked some of the same dirt.

Ron
Recon, 1/35 3/4 inf. Cacti Green. June 19, 1967 to june 19 1968.

[Steadfast]

I know the ground. Beautiful mountains covered with triple canopy. My platoon did a lot of missions west of Kontum in late 69 and early 70. I remeber a mountain trail there that had steps carved into the rock so the NVA could climb up and down easier. Our teams would watch the NVA moving at night, using flashlights to guide their footing. A lot of night artillery was fired on those strings of flashilights at night, after a a few rounds landed, all the lights would go out. After about five minutes the lights would come on and start moving again. This gave the Ranger on night watch something to do to stay awake. When "Puff" was used on the lights, the whole team would stay awake to watch the show. lRanger Steadafast, that's the area that Team R-25 lost three of four men in January 69. Only SGT Doss, the TL survived. He was later KIA north of An Khe. RIP Rangers Doss, Ranger Roth, Ranger Willard and Ranger Lyne. Anyway, I'm a FOG, but that's how I remember it.

RangerBill, PM inbound.

[Steadfast]

Stead fast
I didn't say LRRP or Rangers, They were LRRP and Rangers. These guys were LRRPs with the 101st and were made Rangers. They wore Tiger camo.
One day in 1969 All the LRRP units in Vietnam became Rangers overnight.


Ranger Bill
Beautiful mountains? Never thought of them as beautiful. But I guess.

Ron

So these were LRRP'S you were alongside at that time. One of those LRRP's & I are rooming together at RR'09.

One day in 1969 All the LRRP units in Vietnam became Rangers overnight.

Which day was that?

[39mto39g]

Stead Fast
I'm at work now but if you would like that information I'll get it when I get home. I would guess that a Google search with LRRP to Ranger Vietnam would get the date for you.
The only name of a guy that this happened to that I know is James Worth, He was with the 101st and then became a LRRP.

Ron
1/35th inf 3/4th inf div, 67-68

[39mto39g]

The area west of Kontum was very mountainous, Ask your friend if he remembers a Special Forces camp in the area. I never made friends with any of the LRRPs, Most of the time they would go out with us and drop out or just stay behind at lunch, we wouldn't see them any more for a few days.

http://www.lcompanyranger.com/3506history.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The last paragraph of this site.

http://www.lcompanyranger.com/MACVrecondo/MACVgrads.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Ron

[Ranger Bill]

Thanks, Ranger Steadfast for pointing out that the year the three Rangers were KIA was 1970 and not 1969.

But I will say to 39: You seem like you come here and want to show how "bad" you are or were. OK. Let it be. This is a Ranger site.

[39mto39g]

Ranger Bill
Ah, What?
I haven’t said or told one 1/10 of the stuff I was involved in, In Vietnam. Bad, Not even. But I did know some guys who were bad, Very bad. Just talking to them would get you a "Kick your ass threat"
"Big Man" Our Machine gunner , (6' 8" 320lbs) would just as soon rip your head off as look at you. He really didn't care if you had on a LT bar or not.

ps
I still run 5 miles every morning at 5am , 50 (real) push ups, 30 curls /w 50lbs, and I'm old. You guys are?
in 1968 if you guys would talk to me the way you talk to me here, well, you would not fair well. But then, it's easy to talk to a computer screen.


Not Bad
Ron

[Fishboy]

Ranger Bill
Ah, What?
I haven’t said or told one 1/10 of the stuff I was involved in, In Vietnam. Bad, Not even. But I did know some guys who were bad, Very bad. Just talking to them would get you a "Kick your ass threat"
"Big Man" Our Machine gunner , (6' 8" 320lbs) would just as soon rip your head off as look at you. He really didn't care if you had on a LT bar or not.

ps
I still run 5 miles every morning at 5am , 50 (real) push ups, 30 curls /w 50lbs, and I'm old. You guys are?
in 1968 if you guys would talk to me the way you talk to me here, well, you would not fair well. But then, it's easy to talk to a computer screen.


Not Bad
Ron

wow.......

FOG, you got some stories.