The Bonding of Warriors
A Unit History
The Early Years (1966-1967)
Ch 7
by Winslow "Rick" Stetson
Matsuda made a point of taking an active role in his new company. Soon after taking command, he selected a team already scheduled for a patrol, and joined as an observer. The team consisted of a relatively new Team Leader, Sergeant Jimmy Bedgood, and Assistant Team Leader, Sergeant Kenneth McCarn. The three observers were Specialists Four Jerry Wilson and Hilan Jones, with Private First Class Bruce Church filling out the team. Matsuda's role was to observe, hopping to get a feel for what type of "animal" he had been charged with shaping up.
There was nothing special about this particular patrol, just the average Lurp on a normal reconnaissance mission, searching for enemy locations or activity. As the team prepared for the mission, Bedgood made the over flight and selected the Landing Zone. Once this was accomplished he returned to Bearcat for the remainder of the team. There was plenty of excitement among the patrol members as it wasn't an everyday thing to have an officer, especially the company commander, on patrol with them. Each man wanted to do his very best to impress the captain, not yet knowing that this mission would call for exceptional effort to just get out alive.
The insertion and first night out was uneventful. Things were going well as each man wanted to show his stuff for the commander. Camouflage sticks were used and the guys moved with extra care to demonstrate for the captain they knew how it was done. The second day out began as the first had ended, uneventful. They had moved a thousand meters or so, without incident, when one of the men saw sign of fresh digging off to the right. Bedgood moved his team closer to inspect the area and attempt to identify what, if any, enemy activity was going on.
They found a large circular hole about ten feet in diameter, dug straight down approximately fifty feet. Straddling the hole was a pole six to eight inches in diameter supported on two similar poles, about five-foot tall, secured firmly in the ground on either side of the hole. Indications were that this apparatus was being used to hoist the fresh diggings from the hole. The team moved back away from the digging and took a position where they could observe the hole without being detected. When the scheduled air relay passed overhead Bedgood reported the findings and requested support to provide security and investigate the hole. The team waited for any special instructions. No support was immediately available and the nearest LZ was a few thousand meters away. It was decided that they would mark their location and observe the area the remainder of the afternoon and through the night.
To get an exact location of the hole, Bedgood requested a "fix". This was a procedure used to determine a patrols location by flying over their position on the ground. Guided by the TL or radio operator, the pilot of the approaching aircraft is given direction using the clock method (i.e. fly 2 o'clock) until he passes directly overhead. At that time, the radio operator would announce touchdown. The pilot would then fly in from a different direction and the procedure was repeated. The pilot then had an X on his map marking the location on the ground and providing the co ordinance of the requested "fix". The team learned that they were 6000 meters north of where they thought they were. Bedgood had put down in the wrong LZ. It was fortunate they called for the "fix" because knowing their precise location would become very important the following day.
The patrol spent the night alternating who would sleep and who would watch. They anticipated enemy soldiers or workers to come and continue the digging. This did not happen and the patrol moved out early the next morning. Having traveled a very short distance, they came upon a well-used trail with more fresh digging on either side. Under construction was what appeared to be fighting holes or bunkers? There was an eerie feeling among the patrol members as if "Charlie" wasn't too far away.
Bedgood took Jones and proceeded to move down the trail to their right. The remainder of the guys stayed in place providing rear security. The two hadn't gotten more than a few meters down the trail when they heard voices. It was unmistakably "Charlie" but he wasn't visible through the thick underbrush. Without a word, Bedgood layed down in the middle of the trail and opened up on full automatic in the direction of the voices. Calling for Jones to follow him, he turned and headed back at a double time to join the others. Before following, Jones emptied his magazine and tossed a couple of grenades up the trail hoping to discourage the VC from following. It didn't work and the patrol could hear movement and talking as the enemy made their way towards them.
The Lrrps went into their immediate action drill in an attempt to separate themselves from the enemy pursuit. Each of the six Lrrps fired a full magazine on automatic and the last man tossed another grenade as they ran away from the contact area. Having ran for over 600 meters they came to a small mound of dirt where the team leader decided to stop and listen for anyone that might be following. All was quiet as the Lrrps regrouped and caught their breath. They set up in a small circle with McCarn and Matsuda watching the rear, Bedgood and Church to either side, with Jones and Wilson looking in the direction of their travel. It appeared that no one was following so Wilson and Jones decided to have a smoke before they moved on.
Before they had a chance to light their smokes McCarn opened fire on full automatic. He and Matsuda saw two or three VC picking their way carefully through the jungle looking for sign of the fleeing Lrrps. As the enemy fell, the team was up and running again, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the enemy. They quickly covered another 600 meters or so before slowing to listen. It looked like no one was following. Breathing a sigh of relief, they continued toward the LZ for extraction.
As the team traveled quietly through the jungle they came upon a poncho covered structure of some sort. Jones always carried a few extra grenades and saw this as an opportunity to toss one. The team took cover as Jones tossed the grenade toward the structure. The explosion shook the surrounding vegetation and Jones as well. He was hit on the top of the head by a small fragment from the grenade. Further investigation revealed a rice cache, which the Lrrps destroyed before moving on to the LZ.
Reaching the LZ, they waited for the chopper that was on the way to pick them up. It wasn't long before the chopper was within radio range and Bedgood was directing them to the LZ. As the chopper came in to pick them up the pilot realized the area was too small for landing. As the chopper lifted upward the pilot informed Bedgood of a suitable opening about 1000 meters from there present location. Anxious to get out of the area the team quickly made their way to the opening identified by the pilot. Upon arrival at the new LZ, they found that the chopper wasn't able to set completely down. The Lrrps, with the help of the door gunner pulling and their teammates pushing, were able to load the chopper and lift off without any further problems.
Prior to going on a patrol, care was also taken to subdue anything that could reflect light, such as a knife handle, by covering it with olive drab duct tape. In addition, anything that might rattle, such as rifle sling holders, was taped down. Tape even covered the openings to the barrels of their weapons, not for noise and light discipline, but to keep out mud and debris that might cause a rifle to jam as well as to help keep out moisture from the ever-present rain. The midst of enemy contact was not the time to discover that a rifle would not fire, so patrol members would test fire their weapons prior to departing on each mission.
As the long range patrol expanded to a company, it was obvious that a larger living area would have to be found. The arrangement housing soldiers with D Troop worked well when the LRRPs operated as a platoon-size unit and had allowed for strong bonds of friendship to be formed with the helicopter pilots and their crews. Now however, space would be needed for living quarters, an orderly room, operations room, classroom building and supply room as well as sufficient area to construct an obstacle course.
Division gave the unit a piece of property near the northern edge of the base camp and the LRRPs were ready to begin construction on their new home. Most of the work would have to be done by members of the unit as the Army engineers were stretched thin by combat missions such as operating Rome plows to widen roads through the surrounding jungle. The engineers did agree to pour cement foundations for the buildings and fortunately the long range patrol had experienced carpenters such as Richard Cottrell, Elbert Walden, Greg Nizialek and Herbert Vaughan to help handle the construction. Soldiers without a carpentry background received some quick OJT (on the job training) and were soon up on roofs driving nails alongside the more experienced hands. The men even handled the installation of the wiring needed to bring power to the buildings. One well-meaning patrol member who said he knew something about electrical work apparently got his wires crossed and was thrown from a ladder as he worked on a hot line leading to one of the buildings. Fortunately, the only thing injured was his pride.
LT Woodie was tasked with building the obstacle course. He rounded up 'volunteers' to assist with lifting the heavy logs to be anchored in place for the rope climbs and other obstacles that would enable soldiers to build self-confidence as they traversed high above the ground without the benefit of safety nets below. The sight of soldiers negotiating obstacles on the course would prove to be a highlight whenever VIP's would visit the LRRP compound. Tyrone Muse and Astor Pagan were two of the fastest and most agile of the group and were designated as the primary demonstrators. Visiting dignitaries would look on in amazement as Muse and Pagan would scramble up a vertical wall and then almost free-fall their way down the other side, slapping at the boards as they descended.
The quarters constructed in the new compound were nicer than those offered to soldiers in a rifle company. The officers and senior NCO's had individual rooms in their buildings and the soldiers were allocated additional space for their bunks and gear. Matsuda believed his LRRPs deserved the best. After spending anywhere from three to five nights sleeping on the ground, eating cold meals and communicating by either hand signals or whispers, the commander wanted his men to have a comfortable place to call their own when they came in out of the jungle.
Matsuda's designs for the company area required considerably more construction material than the engineers had allocated. The large classroom building, based on a similar facility he had seen while visiting the MACV Recondo School, would by itself require large amounts of plywood and roofing tin. Plans were also drawn up for an operations building with space for situation maps, a communications room and a separate area for debriefings after missions were completed. In D Troop the patrols were debriefed in the soldiers sleeping area. The commander wanted the new facilities to be as professional in appearance as the men who would live and work in them. It was apparent the new accommodations would be a lot larger than the plans authorized but Matsuda's philosophy was, 'It is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.'
To obtain the massive amount of material needed for all the extras planned for the company area, including a separate building for their own club, the LRRPs resorted to scrounging, an age-old Army tradition at which the patrol members were quite proficient. LT Lawrence was tasked with heading up the 'gathering patrols'. Utilizing good recon techniques, he located an engineer storage area stocked with piles of roofing beams, plywood, tin, and other needed construction materials. Lawrence obtained a deuce and a half, designated one of the patrol members as his driver and proceeded to the unguarded storage area to see what was there to be appropriated. He discovered that the construction materials were bound together in large stacks and much too heavy to be lifted on the truck. The LRRP officer found a young private operating a forklift and asked the soldier if he would be interested in receiving a genuine set of tiger fatigues, just like the ones worn by members of the long range patrol. Lawrence told the soldier all he had to do was to use his forklift to place some bundles of plywood in the back of the truck and the fatigues were his. The forklift operator said he would be happy to assist in the loading.
Because a forklift was not available back at the construction area, unloading the truck called for some ingenuity. Emory Parish devised a solution that was not 'by the book' yet managed to get the building materials offloaded in a fast and efficient manner. As Parrish drove his overloaded truck into the LRRP compound with tires and sides bulging, he looked for a place where he could unload his cargo. The deuce and a half was not built to be a dump truck but Parrish made it act like one by revving the engine while popping the clutch causing the front end of the truck to raise up and letting the cargo slide out the back and land in a cloud of dust next to the building under construction.
Cement was another material that was hard to obtain. The engineers had allocated enough to pour the foundations of the living quarters and orderly room but providing additional cement for buildings like an NCO club was out of the question. The LRRPs however, were always up to the challenge of obtaining materials that were in short supply and hard to find. Patrol members discovered cement was being mixed at a plant outside Bearcat and trucked through the main gate by soldiers who might be interested in a set of long range patrol tiger fatigues. All they had to do was to divert their loads to the long range patrol company area and pour cement into forms that were already set up in the shape of an NCO club. The LRRP's supply of tiger fatigues went down a bit but they got the foundations to their buildings.