War Dogs and Combat Assaults (Guest Article)

Scout Dog Teams walked on “Point‘ during Infantry jungle patrols. The “Point” and his Scout Dog, (worked off leash) and followed closely by the “slack” man. This should be an experienced soldier to “back-up” the “Point” team. NO CHERRIES!  My unit only had 3 CAR-15‘s (which were the shorter/telescoping stock M-16).  The CAR-15’s were issued to the 3 senior field operations soldiers in the unit, I didn’t get mine until sometime in early spring of 71.

The photo above shows me with an M-16 obviously. I carried twenty-three magazines: the magazine in my weapon had a second one taped to it upside down for quick reloading; I’d eject the duo, flip it over and then quickly reinsert the second magazine. Four more were carried in a pouch on my ammo belt, and three in one of the outer pouches of my Rucksack. The remaining magazines were stored in two OD green cotton cloth bandoliers across my chest.  Grenades were optional for dog handlers!  During my first few months in the field I carried four, straightened the pins, and taped the spoon down so it wouldn’t blow up if a branch pulled out the pin while humping through the heavy brush.  I eventually cut back to only two M-26 grenades to reduce the weight. I carried 18 quarts of water – at 2 lbs. per quart, that was 36 lbs. alone just in water; dogs dehydrate way faster than a man.  A Dog Handler was never sure of his patrols being near any jungle streams, so I always carried a max load and cut back if there was an adequate supply of streams nearby. The Song Bo River out near the Ashau Valley was magnificent.

My unit was the 42nd Infantry Platoon Scout Dog / 101St Airborne Division

If you ZOOM in on the Chopper Photo above, you’ll see my Scout Dog “Argo” with his head laying on my leg.  He loved to watch the ground as we flew. Sometimes his saliva would blow back on the door gunner and everybody would laugh. “Argo” and I walked “Point”  in the Jungle.  I’m alive today because of that small ( 58 lb. Shepard)…the best “Combat Dog” ever!  The author of this website has added an interesting documentary about these fantastic War Dogs at the end of this post. Don’t miss it!

Among my most coveted awards in the US Army:  

The Combat Infantry Badge. 

The Bronze Star.  No Handshake. No Ceremony.

Brushing Down “Argo”

Veterans Park in Palestine, Tx.  A brick with my name/unit and dates of service embedded here in 1994.  My Mom took great pride in showing that her son was a Combat Vet.

During my professional career, I returned to Vietnam in 1995.  We shot a documentary there at the 20th anniversary of the war’s end.  It was  an amazing trip. We toured the entire country while interviewing people and capturing film.

POW/MIA recovery dig near Haiphong in the north

Young Vietnamese Men in Hue. The photo, their expressions, their posture all tell the story of modern Vietnam. (mew photo: March 24, 1995)

The series won 2 Regional Emmy awards in 1995

The beauty of the Jungle stretched to the horizon. A hot wind blows in my face as the ship flies at a speed of 100 knots while skimming the tree tops. I looked out and saw two F-4′ (Fighter Bombers) pounding the hill we were planning to land on in about two more minutes.  There may be Dinks (a derogatory term used by GI’s to reference VC/NVA soldiers) on that hill waiting for us – or maybe not. During that last two minutes in the air, troops are filled with a feeling of doom and anxiety.  As the helicopter approached the hilltop to land, the pilot flared his ship (pilot raises the nose of the chopper and reduces speed quickly, gently bringing the aircraft to a hover anywhere from 2-8 feet above the ground).

During that final approach is when you realize that not all pilots are equal – some touch down…many don’t.  Troops may encounter smoke or even fire on the LZ ( the Landing Zone), and look up to see a couple of  Cobra gunships circling above. The Door Gunners swiveled their weapons, and were watching the tree line around the LZ closely for any signs of trouble.  If you have an experienced combat pilot he’s going to come in fast, flare and drop you from 4-6 feet off the ground.  I always preferred to be first off the ship and usually  jumped off from a height of six feet while the ship made its final approach to land.  Remember that infantry soldiers carry rucksacks on their back weighing anywhere from 40-60 pounds and when combined with the weight of their weapons, radio and ammo, each trooper was heavily laden with the extra weight and off balance when jumping to the ground. I’ve heard of soldiers getting hurt during these jumps, but I never witnessed it myself. If you landed successfully on your feet then it was easy to quickly move off the LZ; landing on all four caused delays as you would require a second person to help pull you up. Thus exposing the two of you for a period of time.

When landing, I want to already know in which direction to head in after clearing the bird.  I can’t guess where the rest of the unit was and wonder if they went into tree line or into that clump of Elephant grass. While standing on the skid during our final approach, I’d watch what the troops did on the first two ships and determined if it was a hot or cold LZ and quickly relayed back to my brothers in the chopper.  After calling out instructions, I’d watch for a nod from the crew chief and then jumped when getting it.

It is at this moment when you jump to the ground that is an inexplicable high!! …..Once hitting the ground, the roar of the ships is deafening while the rest of the team exits the Chopper.   There is now a  partial sense of relief...” Well, I’m on the ground and no one is shooting at me yet”. As we ran to join the rest of the platoon, the tremendous aircraft engine noise faded away as the last ship departed the LZ.  Suddenly it’s very quiet.  Everyone is on heightened alert and listening! If nobody is shooting at us, then that’s a good sign!!…… the Pink Team or an O-2 may still be on station, but our immediate environment is now quieter and easier to interpret. One key to staying alive in the jungle is noise discipline. Don’t make unnecessary noise! Communicate by whisper or hand signals. Once the platoon sergeant has the unit organized, we moved out. Going who knows where….  In my experience, the majority of CA’s were not met with enemy resistance. Thankfully!  Yet that last 2 minutes on the ship and the first couple of minutes on the ground are exciting, gut-wrenching and most stimulating moment of your short life.    Professionally I was a Network level TV  News cameraman for 18 years. —–  but nothing in my life experience, ever matched the RUSH of going in on a Helicopter CA in a Slick as a member of an Infantry unit.  Believe it or not…. it could be addictive.  I’ll never forget it,  

Many in the infantry received the Blue and Orange “Air” Medal  “awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.”  I remember when my Platoon Sgt. handed me my orders as a recipient of the Air Medal.  There was no ceremony. No handshake. Just “here you go.“  Infantry soldiers received an Air Medal after 24 combat assaults, pilots and crewmen received one after logging 24  flight hours.  It wasn’t uncommon for air crews to be awarded forty-plus medals during their year-long tour (1,000 or more flight hours).

When I look at my framed Air Medal hanging on a wall of my home office, it is the memory of that last two minutes when inbound on the chopper that comes back to me.  The whap-whap-whap of the Huey, the hot air in my face, the sound of the fighter-bombers, the stomach in knots, and leaping to the ground….

Some years later in 1985, I was working on a political story on Capitol Hill.  The news desk editor called and told me that members of my old division had been in an airplane crash in Gander, Newfoundland. He asked if I wanted to go to Ft. Campbell for the Memorial service. (As if there was any question?? Of course!) He said, “yes we figured you would want to go”. The soldiers, most of them from the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, crashed shortly after taking off from a refueling stop in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. All 248 soldiers and the plane’s eight crew members were killed.

The Memorial Service was on Dec. 15/16 1985. It was bitter cold that day. In the 20’s with 9-10 mph winds. (I looked it up!) The division was formed on the parade field for hours. And we in the press stayed in the stands for hours. Above: A 105mm howitzer was fired every 5 minutes, marking the loss of one soldier.

To learn more about these special war dogs please watch this highly acclaimed documentary below:

I remember it all, even now as an old man…..

Thank you brother for contributing your article to my blog. Thank you, too, for your service, sacrifice, and Welcome Home!

NOTE: My new slideshow of personal photos was also completed and posted today as a YouTube video. Please stop by and check it out. Here’s the direct link:  https://cherrieswriter.com/my-slide-show/