Jim..11th LIB. "On May 29, the 199th made contact again while investigating several caches east of Myron. FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson. . Never forget. A land clearing company consists of 30 Rome plows and approximately 100 men, including operators, maintenance men, NCO's and officers. Today, we honor the memory of the patriots who lost their lives 21 years ago, on September 11, 2001. D. Engle, 1st Engineer Battalion (1st Following active combat duty, he served in 179th Military Police Company at Fort. Unit arrived in India on 12 October 1943, where it immediately participated in the India-Burma Campaign. Categories. "Our job was to make the cache sites accessible by improving or widening any trails or roads we found," Lt. Parker said, but in several cases when the infantry couldn't go in, the plows would. Phc Vnh Base Camp (also known as Phc Vnh Combat Base) is a former U.S. Army base north of Bin Ha in southern Vietnam . L. Harris, Lieutenant Colonel Robert They found a bunker complex but couldn't get in because of heavy enemy contact, so the Rome plows were requested. find my friend. Brigade, 45th Eng. SENIOR ENGINEER COMMANDERS 1967, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas A. Poteat, Jr. Intro to the 591st Engineer Company (Light Equipment): Daves unit, the 591st Engineer Company (Light Equipment) was part of the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat), 45th Engineer Group (Construction), 18th Engineer Brigade (the parent unit for all Army engineers in Vietnam). Lieutenant Colonel Harlan The history of the 27th Engineer Battalion (COMBAT) (AIRBORNE) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Meyer, VA, as the second battalion of Dillard 1, Brigadier General Robert A. Melton. Thank you for signing up for the VetFriends Newsletter! The 209th disembarked at Bombay, India on 23 October 1943, and immediately set to work on the Ledo Road. P. Rodolph, Jr. 23 December 1966-10 September We talked on the phone several times in the last few years, and finally we were able to meet in El Paso, TX for a short visit. Lieutenant Colonel Carl Infantry Division. 1968, Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Regardless, Dave got more than just a little time on the welder and twisting wrenches to make repairs. They may be deployed in any number from a single plow to the entire company, depending on the size and priority of the operation. He said we were like brothers and then all of a sudden, we lost all contact. M. Wells. Components of the battalion participated in operation "Bright Star 82" deploying to the port city of Berbera, Somalia, located on the central north coast of Somalia on the Gulf of Aden. Whether you want a sarcastic t-shirt or a geeky t-shirt to embrace your inner nerd, CafePress has the tee you're looking for. At that time, A Shau Valley was a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) stronghold. By removing the dense cover, they were denying its use to the Communist. B. Smith. L. Kelly, 17 January 4966-23 December F. Grum, Lieutenant Colonel Albert A. Glenn, Lieutenant Colonel Jack N. Schriever, Assumption or Duration Their vehicles included shop vans, M56 contact maintenance trucks, wreckers, and an M578 light recovery vehicle. Components of the battalion participated in operation "Bright Star 82" deploying to the port city of Berbera, Somalia, which is located on the central North coast of Somalia on the Gulf of Aden. 1968, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph W. Shulz, Lieutenant Colonel Norman It can go through the cab of a Rome Plow. The Rome Plow is a custom designed blade built by the Rome Plow Company of Cedartown, Georgia, and used on the powerful D7E bulldozer, organic to engineer units. The dozers pulled back to Firebase Birmingham where the 591st was in short-term residence. Lieutenant Colonel Marvin 1966. A paper change was made and we became C Company, 168th Combat Engineer Battalion. A. Teague, Lieutenant Colonel Richard 1968, Lieutenant Colonel Maurice Major Kerver felt the high contact rate was a good indication the operation was headed in the right direction, but there wasn't enough time to complete the job. 66 machine shop truck with gull wing doors alongside temporary work area with troops working on an undefined project. G. Delbridge. Please remember to check our Guestbook occasionally. We would spend 1 night at Lang Co, 2 nights at bridge 28 with the 101st, and one night at an ARVN compound. Use promo code FREESHIP at checkout. He wanted to give a bit of history to his sons and grandchildren. As it turned out, I the author of this piece was the third spoke of this brotherhood trio. Unknown to the other two, I was in Vietnam in the south. Primary Sponsorship. A. Stumm, Lieutenant Colonel Nelson C. Lee, Jr. ", Another fear the operators must contend with is RPG?s. Bunkers would fill with water. Redesignated 1 August 1942 as the 2d Battalion, 37th Engineer Combat Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Harry A. Seelye, 17 January 1966-5 September The major activities of the Battalion include Base construction, combat support to II Field Forces Vietnam IIFFV and Provisional Corps Vietnam PCV, airfield construction and rehabilitation, lines of communication LOC upgrading and rehabilitation and base . A very few images depict scenery and local citizens. P. Kelley, Lieutenant Colonel George According to Major Kerver, the initial plan was for the two units to start several miles inside Cambodia and cut, in a Y pattern, toward the border, but due to the weather and the numerous amounts of supplies uncovered. Posted on 11/18/2002 5:37:27 AM PST by SAMWolf. This means sharpening the blades, changing the oil and cleaning the machines daily. Thank you for your registration! If you'd rather wear your own personalized design, create a custom t-shirt just for you. Lieutenant Colonel Richard Well done bro. Guth, Lieutenant Colonel James A. Smith, Lieutenant Colonel William The 7th Communications Battalion T-Shirt by Rod Ad, USMC - 2nd Bn - 1st Marines w SVC Ribbons Men's Fi, The Contractor Competi Men's Fitted T-Shirt (dark), Army - 20th Engineer Bde w SVC Ribbons Men's Fitte, 4th Marine Division Men's Fitted T-Shirt (dark), why dont i go the 148th battalion needs me - anony, 2nd Marine Division Men's Fitted T-Shirt (Dark), 2nd Marine Division 2 Women's Classic T-Shirt, Army - 1-77 ARTY w Vietnam SVC Ribbons Long Sleeve, 1st Marine Division Men's Fitted T-Shirt (Dark), We cannot find an account with that email address, Password must be less than 128 characters, An account already exists for this email address, Email Address must be less than 128 characters, Create password must be less than 128 characters, The password does not meet the requirements below. It was redesignated for the 27th Engineer Combat Battalion on 19 March 1951. The company used both mechanical clearance equipment and modern mine detectors to clear hundreds of thousands of square meters of land mines and other explosive hazards. How cool is that. Every low spot would become a pond, malaria-carrying mosquitoes would thrive, and fungus would grow on your feet (and other dark places on your body). Thanks for the compliment on my profile page. Design Type Personalized Designs. A pair of ARVN (Army, Republic of Vietnam) dump trucks. W. Prentiss, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond At that time, they didnt know that the other was in Vietnam. So elusive was the enemy that officers speculated that all seven attacks could have been made by the same NVA soldiers. W. Johnson, Lieutenant Colonel Russell I. Aguilar, Lieutenant Colonel Max B. On the 24 February 1991, the battalion, attached to the French 6th Light Armored Division, became the lead engineer battalion for XVIII Airborne Corps in its push up the western allied flank during Operation Desert Storm. While in Somalia the 27th performed various infrastructure improvement projects for the Somalian people. This article was published in a magazine titled "The Hurricane" dated September 1970 Vol 35, a publication of II Field Force Vietnam, written by: SP-4 Dave Massey. They then used these materials to brief their leadership in country and the Office of the Chief of Engineers and other Washington-based officials. . After the men return to the NDP, they can look forward to hot chow, mail and cold beer. Lieutenant Colonel John When we got there, we ran into a NVA soldier. 1967, Lieutenant Colonel Henry In 1966 the 1/27th Arty was activated as a 155mm self-propelled howitzer battalion at Fort Sill. United States ARMY 1st Engineer Battalion Military Patch VIETNAM 4742 $9.85. For whatever reason, some of the tankers were unhappy with the location of their M2 50 cal. Fortunately he had also become a member and responded to my email. (P), Brigadier General Henry The mission also included establishment and construction of firebases, helicopter and artillery revetments, and other facilities along the route which went over and through the dissected landscape of mountains and small valleys. J. Waldrop, Lieutenant Colonel Robert 1966, Lieutenant Colonel George Lieutenant Colonel George 27th Engineer Battalion Dickies 8 oz. M. Connell, Lieutenant Colonel Walter We wonder about the rest that served with us in the artillery unit we served in. The 984th joined them June 15 after completing their cut out at Binh Son. This is the official public website of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In January 2003, Company C deployed to Afghanistan and became the first counter-mine company in the entire US Army since the Vietnam War. I called the number ans wow he was blown away when he found out who I was. Combat engineers in Vietnam: the first year Correspondents who covered the Vietnam War typically concentrated on the more glamorous branches of the combat . P. Gardiner, Lieutenant Colonel William Most of these chronologies include four common sections of information: organizational data, narrative summaries of events, accomplishments . A. Schewski. the 79th assumed command of the newly arrived 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat), and in October the 86th Engineer Battalion (Combat). He is so thankful I called and we exchanged addresses and he wants to come and visit. Enlarge This series primarily consists of command chronologies of U.S. Marine Corps units that served during the time of the Vietnam Conflict, and includes the records of those units that served in Vietnam as well as domestically and throughout the world. Extended a runway at a municipal airport in North Carolina. E. Sells, Lieutenant Colonel Dale 15 RESULTS. Security could also pull back into these areas at night. lowercase, numbers, special characters. Shield: Gules, a rock Argent within a garland of oak leaves and acorns Proper within a bordure of the second. The teams receive rations and security from the tactical units they support. Not everyone was able to exit the crashed bird. Lieutenant Colonel James Dave Flinn was killed in December 2018, when a van ran a stop sign and hit him. I was with the 630th Engineers in Vietnam in 1969-'70. . exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. Len Ignatowski - 2011 (Same Location for both photos) Bob Hartman - 1966. F. Wall, Jr. Lieutenant Colonel Richard L. Harris, 16 December 1965-13 July 1966 Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Gilmore, 14 July 1966-5 July 1967 L. Sargent, Jr. 20 September 1965-16 August G. Wolfe, Lieutenant Colonel Domingo Fortunately, it must have been a guy that sprayed his magazine and bugged out.. Rush III. If not, partly above ground and covered with sandbags or dirt. 27th Engineer Battalion Long-Sleeve Cotton T-Shirt -FF. J. Plunkett, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Also found were water purification and malaria tablets, vitamins, two printing presses, 44 bicycles and 200 pounds of documents. The blade is "canted" to the right and there is a heavy guide bar about three feet above the blade. Since the time when he was a kid, Dave was a phenomenal shot. History [ edit] The base was established in mid-1965 and was located approximately 35 km north of Bin Ha in Phc Thnh Province. During one period, a platoon of M48 tanks provided security for the 591st and other co-located elements. P. Conover, Lieutenant Colonel Myron Veteran L. Prickett, "Dear VetFriends, Thanks so much for your help! of Command, Lieutenant Colonel Amos M. Duke. Sometimes we pull maintenance until 3:00 in the morning. u.s. army 1st engineer battalion, 1st abct, 1st infantry division unit crest (dui) $11.99. He returned home and went back to the family farm. Not until the men head back to their night defensive position (NDP) do they feel the pressure ease off. Wood, Jr. U.S. The 588th Engineer Battalion (Combat) served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1970. Learn how and when to remove this template message, 5307th Composite Unit "Merrill's Marauders", 19th Engineer Battalion (Construction Effects), Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, United States Army Center of Military History, "Lineage and Honors - 57th Engineer Company", "The long road home for Fort Bragg's 27th Engineer Battalion", "General Orders No. All of these units required heavy resupply efforts, the beans-and-bullets necessary for the mission. This article incorporates public domain material from .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}27th Engineer Battalion Lineage and Honors. Scheider, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph On 13 November 1966, Company A (-) with one platoon of the 4th Engineer Battalion attached, was airlifted to a small landing zone vicinity ZA 6055 where it immediately began to enlarge the area. They broke out cheering as that VC ran out of sight. I remember that all you folks had "a big set of ba**s" :~). Longer-lived bases usually had various sizes of tents or even more traditional wooden buildings. First, the D7 dozers would clear the trees and taller vegetation. Division), Lieutenant Colonel William Though he suffered from what has come to be known as PTSD and from the effects of the defoliants, he only recently turned to the Veterans Administration for assistance. Typically, bunkers were completely underground. Don Tegtmeier was in the 101st Airborne as a loader on a 105 mm gun. They lost two men before pulling back. Photo by Mark Sigrist. Note the M35 cargo truck in background. The 591st was awarded unit citations during Daves tenure; Two Meritorious Unit Commendations and the RVN Civil Actions Honor Medal, First Class. God Bless America. for its motto. On 18 September, 1950 the 20th Engineer Combat Battalion was reactivated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina under the command of LTC Howard W. Penney. The diagonal cant and the guide bar cause the trees and brush that are cut to fall off to the right of the dozer. You're set for email updates from CafePress. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the Redesignated for the 27th Engineer Battalion on 9 February 1972. D. Strider, 22 February 1966-16 February Got my fish and parrots and hooks and beaks mixed up. Cuban engineers blew craters in Grenada's airport runways. At that time, A Shau Valley was a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) stronghold. Concertina wire, barbed wire, claymores and land mines would ring the perimeter beyond the berm. Subsequently, the 209th participated in the India-Burma Campaign. Bradley, Major General John A. Deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our Nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk. These major effort-type of operations required a huge amount of support and supplies. After the termination of hostilities, the unit was demobilized. U.S. In another situation, a UH-1 slick, the primary utility helicopter in Vietnam, was carrying a higher engineer officer over the area at a very low altitude. D. Triem, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew The history of the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Myer, VA, as the 2d Battalion, 37th Engineer Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sign on Highway Route 547 announcing construction by the 591st Engineer (Light Equipment) Company near the northern Vietnam city of Hue leading into the A Shau Valley. Another unit was hit seven times in one day running escort for the Rome Plows. FOR THE MEN WHO ARE FIGHTING THE WAR IN VIETNAM from the cab of a Rome Plow bulldozer, the work day begins at dawn and often ends sometime after midnight. According to Major William A. Hokanson, S-3, 62nd Engineer Battalion, each plow requires 60 to 70 gallons of gas and 70 gallons of water a daily. C. Levanger. (Construction), Lieutenant Colonel James The unit entered World War I on 10 July 1918, with its participation in the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. M. Miller, Lieutenant Colonel Tenho Twenty years later, They don't wear shirts because it's murderously hot under the flak jackets they must wear for protection against exploding mines and rocket propelled grenades (RPG?s). Concrete truck doing a pour for a civilian public affairs project. We specialize in hard-to-find US military unit patches. A platoon of the 60th, led by Lt. Parker, was called in to open roads to the cache sites The City and Rock Island East. Bn from 30 Jan 1968 to 25 Jul 1968. The guys watched in disbelief as the fire slowed down and stopped. D. Patterson, 15 February 1967-16 October February 18, 1968 - September 10, 1968. [220] SENIOR ENGINEER COMMANDERS IN VIETNAM, 1965-1970-Continued [221] SENIOR ENGINEER COMMANDERS IN VIETNAM, 1965-1970-Continued [222] SENIOR ENGINEER COMMANDERS IN VIETNAM, 1965-1970-Continued [223] Brigadier General Andrew During the operation, 56 separate contacts was reported. If the terrain would allow, vegetation outside the perimeter would be pushed back as much as 200 meters for obvious reason. Dave and Don soon parted as the road moved forward and the battery leapfrogged out. The history of the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Myer, Virginia, as the 2 D Battalion, 37th Engineer Regiment. C. Donovan, Lieutenant Colonel Charlie On 20 September 1921, the unit was organized and activated as an ordnance company at Fort Bliss, Texas. F. Boylan. R. Smith, Lieutenant Colonel James C. Ogilvie, Lieutenant Colonel Edward It was a wonderful moment that we will both remember for the rest of our lives, and we owe it to VetFriends. Usually, they would establish a helicopter LZ (landing zone), as well. With roots that can be traced back to WWII, the 591st Engineer Company (Light Equipment) was inactivated in Vietnam on 1 January 1972 (the Company was reactivated 16 September, 2007 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky). Lieutenant Colonel Forrest Dave was a certified welder before induction into the Army. "We don't have time to worry about how we look," said Specialist Richard Davis, plow operator for the 60th. of Command, Lieutenant Colonel Phillip While not professional shots, they provide a unique look into the daily activities of combat engineers. In 1983, units of the battalion took part in the Invasion of Grenada. The sun was usually hot enough to heat the drums enough to provide lukewarm showers. They also built some airstrips way down in the delta where he encountered entertainer Martha Ray, to his great surprise. management. 27th Replacement Draft 28th Marine Regiment 28th Replacement Draft 30th Interrogator-Translator Team 30th Replacement Draft I served in the US Army as a combat engineer in Vietnam from March 1967 to February 1968. Division), Lieutenant Colonel Gerhard Lieutenant Colonel Emmett The typical procedure for establishment and development of night defensive positions up to and including complex fire support bases had similar protocols. On 23 August 1990, the battalion was again called upon, this time to Saudi Arabia, to support Operation Desert Shield. Flanigan, Lieutenant Colonel Robert The 984th, also a unit of the 62nd Engineer Battalion, was involved in a similar operation at Binh Son in support of the Thai's.