Shamrock Stand Down 2010, April 30-May 2, Orlando (See "Detail" Page)
Welcome To Shamrock Base Camp
This site is "Base Camp" for contact and communications between veterans who served with D Troop, 1st Squadron/10th Cavalry during every phase of it's formation and involvement in the Vietnam War, 1965-1971. D Troop initially was formed in 1965-1966 in Fort Lewis Washington to provide airmobile reconnaissance and fire support for the armored 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry. Though originally established to remember and celebrate "The Original D Troop", those veterans who formed, trained, and deployed to Vietnam as a unit during the period 1965-1967, our Active Roster has expanded to include veterans representing every stage of D Troop's formation and involvement in the Vietnam War, 1965-1971, and virtually every MOS, from helicopter pilot to infantryman.
The Beginning - The Original D Troop 1965-1967
Deployed to Vietnam in 1966, The Original D Troop, along with B Troop and HQH Troop of the 1/10th Cav and the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, established Dragon Mountain Base Camp (later known as Camp Enari), about 12 miles outside Pleiku in the Central Highlands. Equipped with nine OH-23's and eighteen "Hueys" (Bell UH-1B/C "Guns" and UH-lD "Slicks"), D Troop's aircrews flew thousands of sortees between arriving in-country and DEROS (return from overseas) of the last Original D Troopers in the early Fall of 1967. The soldiers of D Troop distinguishing themselves with bravery, resourcefulness, and commitment to duty and mission. The airfield and helipad at Dragon Mountain (Camp Enari) were named for WO Ernest Hensel and SP4 Ronald Hart, a D Troop pilot and crewman respectively, shot down in action against the enemy in February, 1967. The Original D Troop's infantry platoon, operating from a forward fire base, secured LZ's (Landing Zones) and provided support to the 10th Cavalry and other 4th Infantry Division units. For more on The Original D Troop, click on the "History" tab.
In 2003, several D Troop veterans found each other on the internet and by phone. In June, 2004, Marty Contreras (Crew Chief in Scouts Section), Paul Hradil (Scouts Crew Chief), Manuel Maldonado (Door Gunner/Armorer), Steve Moreno (Door Gunner), and Doug Donnell (Troop Clerk) met together in Las Vegas, where they shared war stories, recalled ancient history, consumed adult beverages, and began the process of re-assembling the unit. An expanded reunion of eleven D Troopers (and spouses) took place in April, 2005, also in Las Vegas, and our 2006 Reunion took place in Gig Harbor, Washington. Washington was chosen as the site because 2006 was the 40th Anniverary of the deployment of The Original D Troop from nearby Fort Lewis. Our 2007 reunion was back in Las Vegas. (Photo top left: "Shamrock" gunship heads out on early morning mission; ph/M Maldonado)
The Saga Continues - Shamrocks 1967-1971
Almost immediately after initial publication of the website in 2004, we began to receive word from D Troopers who followed the "Originals" into Vietnam. The message was the same: "I saw your (Originals) website and wanted to let you know that those who followed you built on your experience and carried forward your tradition." These men began to arrive in the unit as replacements for losses or DEROSed Originals through 1967 and served tours through 1971, when D Troop was withdrawn and returned to the US. During this period, D Troop was temporarily detached from the 4th Infantry Division, and moved to 1st Air Cav headquarters at An Khe. Shamrocks of this era oversaw the introduction of new weapons like the Huey Cobra gunship, the OH-1/6, the UH-58, and countless upgrades of equipment and armaments.
Steve Pratt (OH-23 pilot, '67-'68) was one of the first of the "newbies", as they have come to call themselves, to contact Shamrock Base Camp. Slick pilot Tim Latour, who came out of a sheltered existence at LSU to fly for D Troop. Tom Wilson, '69-'70 Crew Chief, who operates his own D Troop site, checked in, and many more soon followed. They have added tremendously to the rich, if sometimes tattered fabric of the D Troop saga in Vietnam. In 2008, a group of 47 D Troopers representing every year of D Troop's deployment in Vietnam, gathered for our first "Shamrock Standdown" in Las Vegas. It was an unforgettable experience. Please see the "Shamrock Stand Down 2010" page for details on our next big reunion in Florida.)
Our Dedication - Getting the Story Told
This site is dedicated to all those who served in Army Aviation in Vietnam. It was a period when a whole new form of combat was created.and carried out. The thousands of men who found themselves caught up in this evolutionary era wrote an incredible story with their service. And, as with many facets of the Vietnam experience, a story not fully acknowledged in the historical record, or in the conscience of the Nation. We are dedicated not only to those who served, but to doing our part to see that the story is told.
Let Us Hear From You
If you or someone you know served with D Troop 1/10th Cavalry in Vietnam, please email us so we can add you to our growing "Active Roster" and let you know about upcoming events and other news. For privacy reasons, no personal information, other than names, will be published on this site. With your approval, however, we will furnish your contact information to other D Troop "Active Roster" personnel so they may contact you, and you may contact them.
Once more, "Welcome" to all. We hope you will visit often and help us make "The Original D Troop" a definitive website for what was a unique and incredible experience. (Photos and other material on this site are property of The Original D Troop and/or individual photographers and contributors as credited and may not be used without permission.)
