There are hundreds of thousands of veterans as well as active duty personnel connecting there. The camp was located on Route 15, 16 km southeast of Bin Ha. I was with 9th Admin Finance Office from April 67 to April 68. English: Bear Cat cantonment of the 9th Infantry Division. on a plane and flew onto a dirt strip in the middle of a jungle. All reflected back to Bearcat! The A Company detachment was responsible for the entire operation and liaison with the Royal Thailand Army Vietnam Force Military Police Company also based at Bearcat. We had to check units going out and those coming in. President Ky's palace, downtown Saigon. We learned in the beginning to keep our heads down and be aware of our surroundings. InThe 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam: Unparalleled and Unequaled,Ira A. 53) I was at Bearcat from Nov.68 through Nov. 69 with the 1st CAV - Co. B, 228th (Chinook outfit). I wonder what it looks like today. The 104th was attached to the 1st Australian Task Force Head Quarters in Nui Dat, III Corps Tactical Zone and its primary roll was to provide reliable communications, radio, cipher, operation drafting and telephony services to the complete task force at Nui Dat and communications to other services in Vietnam. From what I could tell, Gene revived him. The 9th is based in III Corps near Saigon, completing a ring of U.S. divisions that are assigned to protect the heavily populated capital . sappers snuck into the Ammunition Supply Point and blew most of it We were heading to the blown bridge to check and guard. I was there when TET of 68 broke out and all hell broke loose. He established, with the families of his friends who had died in Vietnam. Personal Reflection "I was transferred to Bearcat on 6 October 1968 as an original member of the A Company detachment who took over from the 9th Infantry Division MP's. The 9th INF was moving out and the Thais were moving in when we got there. spray sealer, but dust was always a problem. Have been thinking of that time and my experiences over there often these days. Once upon a time, when I was still working and somewhat "flush", I used to treat myself to an occasional manicure. Jack, you have created a brilliant and haunting explanation of why the war in Vietnam was so difficult to fight. I, an American, served with the Thai's, 11.5 months. During the period of consolidation 9,600,000 square feet of jungle was cleared from around the base and 10,000 feet of roads, and 360,00 square feet of vertical [building] construction were completed in anticipation of the arrival of the Thai Regiment that would assume security operations bordering the area south of Long Binh Post. My father, a veteran of USA undeclared anti Japan war in China (1932), World War 2, and Korea was not inclined to share his terrors in mortal combat, though his photos do tell the story sufficiently for my education and expectations. Scenes A total different experience. 590th maintenance group I did tons of guard duty, as a few of my friends were quite afraid of it, and I was quite comfortable with it. Short Story Bearcat was a favorite target for enemy harassment and it occurred on almost a daily routine. In the year 1999, my newer wife, also Vietnamese, and I motorcycled to Bearcat from Saigon. I was with 1st Aviation Brigade at LTN which was more or less next door to Bearcat. Although the destination of the 9th was not announced when the division was activated on Feb 1, 1966, a hint of a possible future location was given during a visit by Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson who "likened areas of the post to portions of Vietnam." The 9th Infantry Division was the first Army unit to be organized and trained . Dont remember the name of the ship. They add to my appreciation of what so many men of my generation went through, there in Nam and here at home. Thanks for the blog. shot along highways just showing, 29) This Face Book Page is dedicated to the men who served and died with the 4th/47th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division. It sure grew a lot in 1967.I spent my time in those guard bunkers too. Though he does not want to make any money from the images, he tried to get his exposure for his photos in order to help other veterans connect with their memories, self-publishing a book of his photos and letters from the war. All wood of buildinfpgs was gone. and kids from the 709ths civic action village. Primary aircraft were the C7A Caribou with an occasional C-130, as when we airlifted units of the 3/5 Cav up north. My buddie took many photos of Bien Hoa AB in 1972. shot along highways just showing the land and people, 12) Recon Platoon. Theyve continued to reward me and live on.. was for the first month? This was the sign along Hwy 15 when entering Bearcat . Only about ten percent of us did guard duty. I was glad we had some of the 4th Inf there to protect us. Sunrise scenes in Bearcat.It could have been. just like this for nearly 100 miles. The only times it stopped were when the generator quit. The top picture is what we determined to be what was left of The ancient language with which it was named is now extinct. We were considered the soldiers with the least important day time jobs. 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry (Infantry) Arrived Vietnam: 1 Jan 1967 Departed Vietnam: 8 Aug 1969 Previous Station: Fort Riley Strength: 818. A lone midfle aged woman sat on the front porch of her small home within the forest of rubber trees. Monsoon season. It was a post with one tower 5 miles out in the jungle. Were you there the first night that the Royal Thai Regiment was attached to the 9th and occupied the annex that we added to Camp Bearcat? Local kids One additional clerk had to be added to the A Company Bearcat PMO to handle the additional workload. Bear Cat was the home of the 9th Infantry Division and its many supporting elements. I have often thought about writing of his exploits. The photos on your site are going to be helpful in recreating Bearcat in . By Frank Danley Page 1. One of my favorite slides is of a bunch of cut-off 55 gallon drums which were pulled out from under a smelly place, stacked neatly, doused with diesel and a touch of gasoline then set on fire. On the way downvthe steps leaving the building, she offered me a job as English Instructor at the military university. . 90% were exempt. Only the three of us for 12 long hours. Nike has 38 plants in Vietnamand you thought they were made in Thanks for stopping by and commenting. He spent the following years in England and Spain, and didnt return until the year the war ended, which happened 40 years ago this month on April 30, 1975.I put [the photos] in a box, a box from Lavoris mouthwash. I wonder if you saw a GE fan in my old hooch and if it was still working. Thanks for your service and thanks for writing about your experiences. First I thank Jack for this wonderful web site. We felt this was the berm because there were some fairly old There are 10's of thousands of such I came over on the Barrett with the 9th Signal Bn. camp, 62) Thank you for visiting my website/weblog and commenting. If you haven't already, check out the MP site http://9thmpcompany.webs.com/ We were with the 9th M I detachment as interrogators. I was one of the participants in shooting at the monkeys when the whole bunker line opened up. John Allison with the Banking and Consumer Finance You will find that each site has a mix of Vietnam War photos, memorabilia, stories, etc. AAORLL's 1968. I served in bearcat July 69 through July 70. I have an old picture taken from some 15 miles away, but one night, VC I arrived at Vong Tau in Sep 1967. 25 August 1998. They had welded together a steel bucket to go over the forks of the forklift which was used to dig the pool before I got their. The series' objective approach permits viewers to form their own conclusions about the war. Hello Mr Heckman, Thank you brother Chris great photos WELCOME HOME BROTHER. A fourth one one went out the back door and was caught by my partner. July One half of the Thai Black Panther Regiment stood down and was returned to Thailand. Dick was killed in action January 6, 1968, he was just 20 years old., Ni B en, 1967: The Black Virgin Mountain looms in the background as our convoy of the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division crosses the Saigon River heading North West to Loc Ninh to support our infantry units from an artillery Fire Support Base., Caribou, 1967: Troops of the 9th Infantry Division prepare to board a C-7 Caribou at Camp Bearcat for the flight to Dau Tieng base camp in III Corps.. 26 May The responsibility for drug violations processing reverted from the 8th MP Group Criminal Investigation Divisions (CID) to the line duty MPs, including processing of all evidence and reports. and choppers - very tricky landing when you can't see the ground, 35) we were served was too bad to eat. monsoon hits - wind and rain, A company street, Bearcat. (LogOut/ Left country in December of 67. Bear Cat, was one of our two primary spots to locate. I was pay officer for our battalion for one month and actually drew my Local kids Finding the pictures completely changed my life. What an experience for a whole year there. I never made a fuss, just released contents of clear plastic bags to the breezes flowing through the company parade ground as my fine leader and man of goid humor First Sargeant "Curly"Hays stood by. 27 Nov 43 Brig. Have a look! of the Army recognizing my time with the 86th and VA because of Dept. Bob Stapley We disembarked at the port of Vung Tau and convoyed to Bear Cat Fire Base. Based on Hunt's experience as colonel and division chief of staff, the volume documents how the 9th Division's combat effectiveness peaked in 1969. Convoys leaving or entering at the berm entrance. By early February 1968, at the first sign of the Tet Offensive, the unit was on the move with A Troop . Bearcat was the base camp . Inactivated 13 October 1970 at Fort Lewis, Washington. or was certainly processed here. But harkening back to Bearcat, my Company Clerk and command driver wrote me that the garden my wife had planted in front lawn of Company HQ was being well taken care of by the Company members. I was an in country transfer from the 272 MP company to the 9th MP. I abstained which sometimes makes me wonder what the hell was wrong with me. in Dec 1966. 1st infantry division (2nd brigade) turned Bear Cat over to 9th infantry in Nov. '66 & relocated to DiAn. I am forever in their debt. I often wondered if they were really asking: "Are you my daddy?" was spread out, but most of the multi square mile base was evacuated to This is a continuing project to attempt to identify and honor those members of the United States Army who sacrificed their lives while serving with the 2nd Battalion 60th Infantry 9th US Infantry Division. The base was abandoned and turned over to farmland although the Long Thanh North airfield is clearly visible on satellite images. James, I was there when the Vulcan's first arrived. Colby Nets 10 Tons of Rice, 14 VC Killed Colby Takes Place 40 Km From Saigon. 11 July Five MP's from the 615th MP Company, 720th MP Battalion were assigned to transport via aircraft, 53 enemy POW's from the Bearcat detention facility to the POW Camp at Can Tho in Phong Dinh Province in the Mekong Delta Region of IV Corps Tactical Zone. III Corps, Republic of Vietnam, 1967. . Hq & A Co. and the 709th Bn. Have been trying hard to locate/connect with others that I served with. Vietnam Tank. The vintage footage in this video has been uploaded for research purposes, and is presented in unedited form.. It could have been, 14) I went to 5/60 mech in Binh Phouc and later rotated out and went to the 3/39 in Rach Kien. If you want to learn more about the Vietnam War and its Warriors, then subscribe to this blog and get notified by email or your feed reader every time a new story, picture, video or changes occur on this website the button is located at the top right of this page. The 3/5 Cav was organized as a Divisional reconnaissance unit for the 9th Infantry Division and arrived in Vietnam with the Division in late 1966. November Due to the increasing problem of North Vietnamese communist insurgencies in Thailand, including attacks against U.S. Military Assistance Command bases, and the deterioration of security in the bordering countries of Laos and Cambodia, the Thai Government announced it would start withdrawing its Volunteer Forces from Vietnam, the majority based at Bearcat. Does anyone have info regarding Agent Orange exposure to us at Bearcat/Long Thanh location? How they can make money with so many He is not doing well and having contact with anyone who served with him would be the best medicine he could receive. 12 August The third increment of the Royal Thai Volunteer Force Black Panther Regiment completed its deployment to Bearcat to replace the first increment, which returned to Thailand. During the early part of December 1965, the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, was in Alaska preparing for its annual winter maneuver to be conducted in January 1966 in temperatures of 50 below zero. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to share your story with us. Hunt Jr. details the innovative strategies of the 9th Division in their fight to overcome the Viet Cong. point. Note how narrow they are. I stood guard on those bunkers in 1968. I was with the SLS (Special Liaison Section) out of II Field Force to the RTAVV. We spent the first couple weeks digging trenches, filling them in and moving the tents to other areas and digging more trenches. (LogOut/ The infantry units that eventually served with the 9th Infantry Division were: 2/39th Inf. Our barracks were not to far from the PX. 248 brave 4th/47th Soldiers heeded our nation's call to fight the spread of communism and they gave the . it's a military film clip so no sound. I remember sleeping on the ground for 2 weeks while waiting for our equipment to catch up to us. HQ & A Co Although the rear echelons (behind the lines) were considered safe in conventional wars, there were no safe places in Vietnam and standing guard was vitally important duty. Additionally, includes a substantial number from the French War as well. I was with the 709th Maintenance Battalion, Company B. I was at camp bearcat january 1970-december 1970. The anti-war movement was strong and attitudes toward veterans were, he found, hostile. Stirred a few barrels, built a few canvas/ wood sleeping quarters. Spent a relatively short time at Bearcat then went to Dong Tam. I was with 5/42 at Bearcat from June 68 thru June 69 as an artillery surveyor and shell recon (chasing down those incoming 122mm rockets that would come in randomly). In 1966 the 15th Engineer Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division, who arrived in Vietnam aboard the USNS Sultan with the 720th MP Battalion, expanded and constructed new facilities at the Bearcat base. Message is: Mike, If you get this drop me a line or an email. I was an Air Force radio operator assigned to the 9th ID at Bearcat as one half of the two man TALO (Tactical Air Liaison Officer) team about June 1967 to May 1968. Then, for the last week in January, the 2-47 was sent south of the 9th Division's base camp to patrol the jungles east of Highway 15, near the Binh Son rubber plantation. Vietnam War Photos. Bear Cat, was one of our two primary spots to locate. So too in Bearcat I was really adept at finding and confiscating the Mary Janes in the company area in Bearcat. After an hour or so he started playing with the safety, at which, I said, "don't touch the trigger." The memories and images that had been buried for decades became the opposite of hidden, motivating Gaynor to reorganize his life around a new mission. Beans and Franks were worth big money if you could fine them. 18 May The battalion realigned the combat support and combat service support missions within CTZ/MR III previously accomplished by A and C Company. Thanks for the memories of Camp Bearcat. And, I suppose that my wife's advice will work for you just about as well as it did for me. I served from Feb. 1967-Feb. 1968 with the First Infantry Division 2/2mechanized stationed out of Lai Khe. I was used mostly in daytime deployment. Thanks to Jack for this site. Podcast: Mother Nature and the Infantry Soldier. It would be the first division formed entirely under the all . Glad you made it back. Our post on the burn was a couple spots from the Vulcans.The one by us was called The Duster Busters. Camp Bearcat outside the berm (click to enlarge). Bearcat from the air. Thank you for sharing the photos and the documentation which says so much emotionally in its factual presentation. https://open.spotify.com/show/5Th7BCpIKDE1hVTqNL3u0Q. Attacks 1967-68 by Fire 4th Infantry Division . When the Tet cease-fire period began on January 28, the battalion was called back to the vicinity of Bear Cat, a base camp near Long Thanh. Gen. Reese M. Howell (Acting) Assistant Division Commander. Shortly after arrival in Bearcat. 1965 - ca. A wealth of . 1 talking about this. Rod - I thank you for preparing the base for the rest of us guys that arrive on the 19th of Dec.. My buddy Norm Faught with the 9th Signal Bn arrived with you guys to set up early commo. 19 August 1LT William A. DAndrea of A Company was assigned as the Provost Marshal at Bearcat. The Division went through eight battles and was already a "veteran Division" by the time that D-Day started. 4) Thank you all. Middle East 4 July Due to a theater wide crackdown of Black Marketing activities, the Battalion was required to position one MP at the entrance and exit to the post exchange facilities at Bearcat to insure that only authorized personnel used the exchange and that customers did not abuse their rations privileges. They also initiated air-drops of 1,540,000 leaflets, and hand disseminated 15,347 miscellaneous pamphlets and magazines by the 246th PSYOP Company at Long Binh Post. I also served with their Artillery TOC and visited their Batterys. Ray Swan (Torch!) Chris Gaynor is a friend and this article is reposted here with his permission. Everyone sort of came and went with little fanfare. At some point we the USA may end up defending Vietnam, our former foe, against additiinal military incurssions by the Chinese aggressive assertive behemouth. One bag I located in a hollowed out hard cover book by the name "Ordeal by Fire" ho ho ho! Gaynor notes that most of his photos, some of which can be seen above, arent of the dramatic scenes familiar from war photography. We could discern still the lowered rain gutted outline of burms fron long ago. Sunrise scenes in Bearcat. To work with the U.S. Military Police is a great honor. Through cooperation and working together we have established a good relationship with the troops.. seconds.). Think front end loader. Still have issues with the Dept. Hookers came into our hooches at night after they left the thai soldier massage parlor, that was off limits to the americans. [1] The camp took its name from its Special Forces radio call sign.[2][3]. More than 10,000 soldiers were located here at one time. in the corner of the perimiter berm. The manicurists were invariably Vietnamese and they invariably asked me the same question: "Did you leave any Vietnamese children behind?" No one was hurt as it In Vietnam . I looked at them and they all came alive again, he said.
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