Last Group Picture of E Company 1970
In the fall of 1966 9th Infantry Division formed the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol. Capt. James Tedrick, Lt. Winslow Stetson, and Lt. Edwin Garrison were chosen to lead the 40 volunteer soldiers. In January 1967, after much training in Jungle Warfare, the LRRP Platoon was shipped to Vietnam. The Bear Cat-Long Thanh area east of Saigon was where the unit initially concentrated. The new base, Dong Tam, was being constructed off the My Tho river in the Mekong Delta. The base was about five miles west of My Tho in Dinh Tuong Province. Our men soon found they had more to fight then the Viet Cong. Torrential rains and year round water exposed patrollers to high rates of skin disease. Recon troops often suffered extensive inflammatory lesions and rampant skin infections. By the fourth month of tropical service, nearly three-fourths of all Infantrymen had recognizable infections. By January 1968 LRP's began joint operations with the Navy Seal teams. These highly selective patrols, known as Seal-Echo, gained the LRP's training and experience in the Delta environment. On 1 February 1969, the department of the Army reorganized the 75th Infantry. E Co. (Ranger),75th Infantry was then activated from E Co. 50th Infantry. The Ranger unit continued to run missions in the Delta until all of 9th Division was returned to the U.S. E Co. was stationed with the 3rd Brigade at Tan An toward the end of her tour of duty. The Officers and men of E Co. distinguished themselves through many valorous actions during these years. I am proud to say I served with some of the finest in E Co.. It's a Love-Hate relationship, I hated being there, I loved being there. And, unless you have dodged incoming, ate a bowl of rice in some ones hooch, or humped across a rice paddy, you probably would not understand. Jim T.
LRP/RANGER
CO'S
CAPT. James Tedrick
1967
LT.Augestine Lawrence
(interim CO in 1967)
CAPT. Clancey Matsuda
July 67 to February 68
CAPT. Dale Dickey
Feb68 to May69
Capt. Connors May 69
to Sept 69
CAPT. Albert Zapanta
Sept 69 to March 70
CAPT. Gerald Johnson
March 70 to Aug 70
Lt. Gulick (interim
CO. - Unit Disbanded 70)
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