A Short, Unofficial History of The Original D Troop
The real history of the Original D Troop is a combined recollection of individual experiences, each with its own perspective. In that sense, The Original D Troop was much like other fighting units that served in Vietnam, and other theatres of war, as far as that is concerned. What gave The Original D Troop its unique heritage was that it formed, trained, deployed, and fought in Vietnam as a unit. In doing so, The Original D Troop became, for better or for worse, a 'family', more so than units which were in a constant cycle of rotation and replacement. The true history of The Original D Troop, then, is a family history, with deep insoluble roots of unity and kinship. (Photo above: UH-1D at base camp, Dragon Mountain in background. Photo M. Maldonado).
The 10th Cavalry was formed in the early 1960's from existing armored scout units when the Army resurrected the Cavalry designation to capitalize on the "espirit de corps" of the legendary "mounted" units. The 10th Cavalry traced its heritage to the famous 'Buffalo Soldiers', African-American troops who distinguished themselves on the American frontier in the last half of the 19th Century. The historical heritage of the 10th Cavalry can be found in its unit emblem, an American Buffalo, or bison, with the motto 'Ready and Forward' on a scroll beneath (Right). The First Squadron (equivalent to Battalion in non-cavalry branches) of the 10th was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Lewis, Washington. (Photo, above Left: Formation at Ft. Lewis, c. 1966).
The 1/10th Cavalry, designated "the eyes and ears" of the 4th Division, originally consisted of four troops (equivalent to companies in non-cavalry units) -- HQ, A, B and C. In 1965, the Army authorized the addition of D Troop, an air mobile component equipped to take advantage of the observation, rapid troop deployment, and fast striking gun platform capabilities of helicopters to the Squadron.
Understaffed and underequiped, the fledgling D Troop was hardly 'Ready and Forward'. Army personnel channels sent men from all types of backgrounds to th
e unit: Veterans of previous Vietnam tours, soldiers who had been diverted because they were too young for shipment overseas, draftees from a 10th Cavalry provisional troop who made up most of the unit's Aero-Rifle infantry platoon, and helicopter crew chiefs and maintenance personnel by the dozens, though, at the time, D Troop had only two Hiller OH-23 aircraft, each of which required one pilot and one crewman. The first CO, CPT Matthew Dallas, encouraged his small band and, for inspiration, made viewing the weekly comedy TV series "F Troop" a unit requirement. Featuring Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, and Ken Berry, "F Troop" was a contemporary of other popular military farces like "Hogans Heroes" and "McHale's Navy." In reviewing a recent DVD conversion of the series' episodes, a critic described the series as being "Led with a gentle hand by Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry)...<with> a bugler who couldn't bugle, a soldier in the guard tower who couldn't see, and a cannon that usually caused damage to the fort when fired." (Photo at Left: "F Troop" banner hangs proudly in Ft. Lewis quarters Day Room. Photo by Bob Beck).
These were hardly "grizzled" GI's. The oldest enlisted man, non-NCO, was in his early 30's. Most were 17-24 years old and had been in the army for less than a year. Barracks 'bays' echoed with Alabama and Texas drawls, upper Midwest and Eastern twangs, and "Bitchin'" California and other Western lexicons. Like most soldiers, they talked too loud, used a vocabulary of overwhelmingly unapologetic profanity, were broke most of the time and drank too much. When not on duty, they were likely to be found at 'OP2', an ubiquitous NCO club which specialized in warm Olympia beer, or if they were lucky enough to get off post, in nefarious Tacoma hangouts like the Mirror Room, the Carrousel Club, and the now legendary Evergreen Ballroom. If they were underage, as many were, and could not come up with the requisite false ID, they went to Main Post for movies and hamburgers. Mostly they complained and killed time.
Gradually, The Original D Troop began to come together. As the Troop expanded, so did its officer contingent, all of whom were qualified helicopter pilots. Like the enlisted ranks, they were a melting pot of regional origins and personalities, from a tough nosed veteran of tours in Korea and Vietnam, to an introspective aspiring theologian who saw Vietnam as the "last of the good wars". Many were Warrant Officers, young men no older than the enlisted ranks, who were trained specifically as helicopter pilots. New CO Major Thomas Shaughnessy (in casual dress in photo at right, with CWO Pruett Helm, photo by Bob Beck) borrowed from his Irish heritage to give D Troop its 'Shamrock' nickname and call sign.
In late spring, 1966, The Original D Troop began to receive aircraft. Operations organized into 'Guns', the heavily armed UH-1B/C's; 'Slicks', the lightly armed troop and cargo carrying UH-1D models; and the 'Scouts' flying OH-23s (see "Aircraft" page). In late August, 1966, D Troop, along with other units of the 4th Division, deployed to Vietnam. An advanced party, consisting of aircraft and personnel from both D Troop and Co B, 4th Avn Btn, loaded on a World War II era escort carrier, the USNS Core the ship which carried the first combat helicopters to Vietnam in 1962, (Official Navy photo at left) for a three week trip to Southeast Asia. The main body of the unit followed a few weeks later on the USNS Pope, a late 40's vintage troop transport, along with a few thousand of their closest friends from other 4th Division units. (Photo, lower left: USNS Core underway in Puget Sound - photo, Bob Beck>)
The advanced party landed on Cam Rahn Bay and occupied temporary quarters at Dong Ba Thin, an Army outpost across the bay from the big Cam Rahn air and naval bases. The main body landed a couple of weeks later at Qui Nhon and convoyed inland. The Original D Troop's advanced party and main force reassembled at the 4th Infantry Division encampment at Dragon Mountain Base Camp, near Pleiku, in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam.
The Central Highlands were replete with hot spots in the early phases of the Vietnam conflict. The 4th Infantry Division was sent to the area to augment other Army units, including the 1st Air Cavalry Division headquartered in An Khe, which were operating against NVA (North Vietnamese Army) forces being funneled in through Laos and Cambodia. In mid-1965, the Ia Drang valley, about 65 miles southwest of Pleiku, was the site of the heaviest battle in the Vietnam War to date when the 1/7th Cavalry engaged a large and well equipped NVA force. This battle was written about by unit commander Hal Moore in his book We Were Soldiers Once And Young. And a Viet Cong attack on civilian and military targets in Pleiku had been a factor in the US decision to begin the major build up of ground forces in Vietnam.
Living in tents, eating under a canopy made from a cargo parachute, and enduring primitive sanitary facilities, D Troopers slogged through mud, built sandbag revetments, and worked around the clock to establish their base. By October, 1966, flight operations commenced, as D Troop joined other 4th Infantry components in "Operation Paul Revere", an offensive intended to search out and destroy the enemy presence in the Central Highlands. The infantry platoon provided perimeter security, then moved forward to the Oasis, a remote firebase originally built by the 1st Air Cav, from which the 4th Infantry launched ground and air combat operations.
The Original D Troop performed its duties under difficult conditions. (Photo, L: Al Coy, Bob Beck, and Steve Moreno load ammunition, - D. Jorgensen.)There were two seasons in the Central Highlands: Mud and dust. For most, the worst was dust, day after day of wind driven, talcum fine, red dust that coated everything, from weapons, to eating utensils, to critical helicopter parts (photo at right: D Troop Company area, Spring '67). But The Original D Troop carried on, flying reconnaissance for the 10th Cavalry and other units of the 4th Division, and other units in the area, as well. Aircraft of The Original D Troop flew thousands of sortees in all kinds of conditions, patrolling infamous Highway 19 and the rivulets of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that branched into it, all the way to (and sometimes, unofficially of course, across) the Cambodian border. Inevitably, The Original D Troop took casualties. In February, 1967, SP4 Ronald Hart, of Everett, Washington and pilot WO Ernest Hensel, were the first D Troopers killed in action. The airfield at Dragon Mountain Base Camp was later named Hensel Army Airfield in WO Hensels honor. WO David Sooter, D Troop scout pilot, was shot down and taken prisoner by the NVA, not to be released until 1973. (Photo below: D Troop Gunship in flight - M. Maldonado.)
The brotherhood that was The Original D Troop solidified in those months. In the process of carrying out their duties, and living their lives, troopers came to know each other as only brothers could. Mail from home brought news to share, of sons and daughters being born, of loves confirmed and loves lost. BS in quarters and at the "NCO club", a tent or "hootch" set aside for enlisted men to drink beer and watch movies while off duty, was of incidents of the day, longing for civilian life, complaints about chow and duty rosters. Whenever an aircraft was 'red lined' for maintenance, its crew went on the duty roster. Guard duty on the base perimeter was a 'favorite' of all enlisted personnel. The infamous Bunker 134 on the Dragon Mountain Base Camp perimeter became the stuff of legends. The officers scrounged materials to build a permanent Officers Club that became the envy of the entire installation (OC photo at left by Jim Bergquist).
By late Spring, 1967, some original troopers began to rotate back to the US as their enlistment ended. A number of officers were exchanged with the 9th Infantry to provide experience to that recently arrived Division. New faces, much maligned "FNGs", began to appear. Throughout June and July, 1967, action intensified, and The Original D Troop lost SSG Clifford Mize and PFC Danny Bolin, KIA.
As August, 1967, drew to a close, the last of The Original D Troopers rotated back to the States, and the uniqueness of that original unit ended. Replacements took up where the original troopers left off and D Troop continued to serve with distinction. In 1971, when the main body of the 4th Infantry returned to the CONUS, D Troop was detached from the Division and remained behind to continue its mission, assigned to other units.
The Original D Troop's aircrews compiled remarkable records in Vietnam service. By the time these men, both officer and enlisted, returned to the US at the end of their tours, all had accumulated hundreds of hours of flight time. (Left, Any Old Place for A Break - D. Jorgensen.) They were instrumental in developing and deploying weapons in new and more efficient ways. Many had survived crashes, both as a result of enemy fire and accidents. They flew armed to the teeth (R. Above, Gunships on the Pad, - M. Maldonado), and they flew with red crosses on their sides on MedEvac missions. Infantry units recognized D Troop aircrews for their contribution to operations in the Ia Drang valley with a captured AK-47 which hung proudly in D Troop headquarters.
Likewise, maintenance and support personnel endured with grace, working long hours in primitive conditions to keep equipment and operations functioning, if not smoothly, then effectively. The Original D Troop's Aero-Rifle infantry platoon distinguished themselves, fulfilling missions that changed with each operation. They secured LZ's, rescued downed air crews, and provided men and equipment to myriad ground operations.
As of all combat soldiers, not enough can be said -- there is not enough paper or cyberspace that could hold all that could be said -- about the spirit and commitment of the proud men of The Original D Troop. Only those who endure the experience know how it feels to pull oneself up and plunge into danger on a daily basis, and to do so out of neither great patriotism nor bravado, but simply from the desire to do ones duty and to do it well and go home. It is a brotherhood to which belonging is indeed an honored treasure. That, despite their honored service, so many Vietnam veterans returned home to face contempt, discrimination, and neglect remains a dark cloud on our country's past.
(Photo, R: Crewchief John Petersen catches up on some TV. Dragon Mountain base camp had its own TV station by late in the tour. Missions during the day, Mary Tyler Moore's tightly sweatered "Laura Petrie" at night -- how could you ask for more? - M. Maldonado)
(Photo, Left - A not so serious moment. L-R: Howard Porath, Steve Karrel, Larry Corthell, Gaylon Abney, Paul Winiarski. Taken early in the tour, as evidenced by stateside fatigues. Jungle fatigues were issued in '67 - A. Peterson)
