The+Vietnam+Solider

"Chasing Charlie" -David is near the DMZ and is part of platoon, Tango 3 -Their mission was to "nail" as many Indians as they can in Hue -cherry=newbie -newbie=point man and faced enemy fire, booby traps, an LARGE snakes -heat, dust, tall grass

-soldiers often had to fight in utter darkness -hot and humid weather conditions -Charlie-what they called the VC -tunnels, mines, bombs, booby traps, snakes, everywhere and hidden by the thick vegetation and dirt

-Vietnam soldiers had very different experiences from those in WWI and WWII -US Army Foot Soldiers often on patrol -these men called "grunts"-average solider: white, volunteered, 21-22 years old -10-12% African american-->African American=20% of combat deaths

First impressions -once drafted, new rectuits were trained in boot camps such as Fort Benning, Georgia and For Bragg, North Carolina -soldiers arrived in Vietnam in air-conditioned planes, and when they arrived they became overwhelmed with the heat and humidity -strong smells: fertilizers near airport, absence of deodorant in native population, spicy foods-Americans almost breathless - loud sounds -Vietnamese language strange and unfamiliar -first impression of Vietnam unpleasant

Into to the Bush -grunts spent most of their tour of duty in a base camp or fire base -platoons= 20-40 corporals and privates -lieutenant and non commissional officer (NCO) led plantoon -at least one grunt with medical training -one or two grunts trained as radiotelephone operator (RTO) -RTO was as imporant as lieutenant, medic, and grenade launcher -w/o RTO platoon unable to call for artillery support or air cover, also risked being cut off and ambush -Killing RTO=main goal of enemy

Packs and Weapons -typical gun pack = 25-70 pounds -water, food, cooking utensils, books, extra socks (important), salt, tablets, rope, playing cards, letters, and photos and also WEAPONS -primary weapon for grunt=M-16 rifle some carried machine guns -variety of grenades and Claymore (projected 700 steel balls)

-plantoons had a mixture of people and personalities… cherries(newbys). -1-2 gungis who were slightly crazy men who thrived in the bushes and were defiantly unafraid of the enemy -plantoon leader called Gungi mother Supreme -greatest fear for grunt was “buying a ranch” or “getting blown away” by a sniper bullet or explosive -each plantoon pursued the VC, the Viet Cong and the NVA, the North Vietnamese regular army -The VC was nicknamed Charlie, Chuck, or Mr. Charles -NVA troops well-respected enemies

-Operation Orders came from headquarters -intelligence estimates