As far as I remember, D Troop was activated in the late summer or early fall of 1966.
I got to Fort Riley in October 1966.
The advanced party left, I believe, in December.
I, along with about 40 others, flew from Forbes AFB near Topeka, Kansas to Bien Hoa AFB in early January 1967.
The rest of the Troop came later - some by ship along with the helicopters.
The pilots and some crewmen went to the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) in Phu Loi, north of Saigon,
to gain some flying experience with their units.
The other pilots and crew went to the 25th Infantry Division in Cu Chi, northwest of Saigon.
When the entire 9th Infantry (Old Reliables) arrived, we completed the circle around the capital
city along with about five ARVN divisions, including the elite 1st ARVN Infantry.
I went home in early January 1968.
The maneuver brigades were deployed to the south and southwest of Saigon with large base camps in Tan An and Dong Tam.
Dong Tam was about 8 miles west of the large city of My Tho.
You can find these cities on Google Maps on the computer.
Most of D Troop's actions were in direct support of the maneuver brigades and the security of our base camp at Bearcat (division HQ) near Long Thanh.
My gunship platoon provided counter mortar coverage at night for the three main base camps and
escort duty for the troop carriers (slicks) of our own Aero Rifle Platoon and the Long Range Reconnaissance
Patrols (LRRPs) or Doughboys.
Sometimes the Troop supported the 9th Aviation Battalion missions
as well as neighboring units like the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - almost next door at Camp Blackhorse.
One of the highlights of the troop's first year was swapping pilots and assisting in
training of the Royal Australian and New Zealanders when they were deployed south of us between
Bearcat and Vung Tau.
Vung Tau was a quiet city with beaches and that's where the CO and the First Sergeant sent our boys for in-country R&R.
Tan An is where the troop and the entire 9th Division had the most action, wounds and deaths.
That city was in the center of a big infiltration route of the Viet Cong (Charlie) and North Vietnamese approaches
to infiltrate and sabotage the Saigon area and local ARVN units and Province and Regional cities.
I hope this will bring back some memories.
I'm going to ask some of the other "D Troopers" to
add to or correct any memories that I have accidentally left out.
Carter Brooks
Crusader 6
Sonny Kayser reminded me that the "forward" group of pilots and crew were 15 and 15 and we left Kansas Jan. 3, 1967
1966
Light Horse Home