WEBVTT 00:00.440 --> 00:01.350 Yeah . Mhm . 00:05.540 --> 00:06.540 Yeah . 00:10.740 --> 00:13.890 Mhm . Sure . This is the Vietnam of the 00:13.890 --> 00:16.430 Mekong Delta , one of the 9th infantry 00:16.430 --> 00:20.010 divisions . Defense areas . Mhm It is 00:20.010 --> 00:22.420 the Vietnam of endless rice paddies and 00:22.420 --> 00:26.360 swamps . Mhm Of myriad 00:26.360 --> 00:29.210 water waves . The Meth a river the 00:29.210 --> 00:32.920 Vanco , the Kanju IQ the Nabe . 00:33.740 --> 00:36.630 Yeah . Mhm . A watery battleground for 00:36.630 --> 00:38.890 which the 9th Division soldier is very 00:38.890 --> 00:41.500 well equipped . Mhm . Uh 00:41.500 --> 00:45.400 huh . He is the striking arm of the 00:45.400 --> 00:48.470 mobile riverine force . A unique joint 00:48.470 --> 00:50.692 operation by the United States Army and 00:50.692 --> 00:53.290 navy . As novel and precedent setting 00:53.290 --> 00:56.460 as the air cavalry . Mhm . Yeah . 00:56.940 --> 01:00.550 Yeah , yeah . To provide the payoff as 01:00.550 --> 01:02.900 in all forms of war , both new and old 01:03.150 --> 01:05.510 come the infantrymen . These are 01:05.510 --> 01:07.732 soldiers of the 9th Infantry Division . 01:08.210 --> 01:10.154 Their stout hearted performance in 01:10.154 --> 01:12.377 battle has added Luster to the nickname 01:12.377 --> 01:14.432 the Division I in World War II . The 01:14.432 --> 01:16.550 old reliable . Mhm . 01:28.640 --> 01:30.807 We had our share of purple hearts from 01:30.807 --> 01:33.430 sniper fire and booby traps . But we 01:33.430 --> 01:35.652 called in medevac to get our casualties 01:35.652 --> 01:36.652 out fast . 01:43.040 --> 01:47.040 Mhm . The 9th 01:47.050 --> 01:49.328 had a glorious history in World War II . 01:49.940 --> 01:53.360 It served in africa friends and Germany 01:54.140 --> 01:56.362 and quickly won the reputation of being 01:56.362 --> 01:58.530 unbeatable , completely reliable in 01:58.530 --> 02:01.110 action . I know because I started out 02:01.120 --> 02:04.750 with them in north Africa . The terrain 02:04.750 --> 02:08.170 and the enemy of change . Vietnam is 02:08.180 --> 02:11.330 far different from europe But one thing 02:11.330 --> 02:14.140 hasn't changed The Fighting Spirit of 02:14.140 --> 02:16.900 the 9th Division . The men who wear 02:16.900 --> 02:19.122 it's patch today . It proved themselves 02:19.122 --> 02:21.178 to be from the same stock as the old 02:21.178 --> 02:23.960 reliable . I know them and their battle 02:23.960 --> 02:24.960 records well . 02:30.650 --> 02:32.428 I was assigned to the divisions 02:32.428 --> 02:34.094 information office but it was 02:34.094 --> 02:35.928 reactivated for combat under the 02:35.928 --> 02:38.780 urgency of the Vietnam war That was in 02:39.010 --> 02:41.860 February 1966 at Fort Riley Kansas 02:42.920 --> 02:45.142 in record time . The new Ninth Division 02:45.360 --> 02:47.138 was transformed from a cadre of 02:47.138 --> 02:49.290 officers , non coms and a massive 02:49.290 --> 02:52.080 recruit into a combat ready 02:52.080 --> 02:53.360 division . 02:57.740 --> 03:00.540 We said our goodbyes by november of 03:00.540 --> 03:02.980 1966 . The ninth Division's third 03:02.980 --> 03:05.530 Brigade was on route to Vietnam in 03:05.530 --> 03:07.586 december . The 1st and 2nd brigade's 03:07.586 --> 03:09.250 followed . Mm 03:14.240 --> 03:17.880 Mhm . It was a long voyage halfway 03:17.880 --> 03:20.330 around the world , plenty of time for 03:20.330 --> 03:22.460 detailed training and calisthenics , 03:24.540 --> 03:27.660 but still time to relax . 03:32.740 --> 03:36.000 Mhm . In Vietnam . Meanwhile , our base 03:36.000 --> 03:37.833 was being rushed to completion , 03:37.833 --> 03:39.889 expanded from a smaller camp left by 03:39.889 --> 03:41.444 the 1st Infantry Division . 03:45.030 --> 03:47.520 This camp called Bear Cat was 03:47.520 --> 03:49.910 established as the division base . It 03:49.910 --> 03:51.743 occupied a strategic position in 03:51.743 --> 03:54.360 relation to Saigon with firm lines of 03:54.370 --> 03:56.610 communication to the sea at Vung Tau 03:57.080 --> 04:00.750 Port of entry and naval base . Mhm 04:01.240 --> 04:05.220 Yeah , yeah . The 1st and 2nd 04:05.220 --> 04:07.360 brigades came Ashore at Vung Tau in 04:07.360 --> 04:10.640 January and February 1967 . Yeah , 04:13.740 --> 04:15.796 they were under the command of Major 04:15.796 --> 04:17.760 General Gs Eckhart . Mhm . 04:20.940 --> 04:23.200 By late january . The first brigade had 04:23.200 --> 04:25.320 already been in combat in Operation 04:25.320 --> 04:28.090 Colby against the Vietcong stronghold 04:28.090 --> 04:31.060 southeast of Saigon . It was typical 04:31.060 --> 04:33.020 jungle terrain , which means that 04:33.030 --> 04:35.190 movement was slow and visibility 04:35.190 --> 04:37.640 limited to a few feet in any direction 04:42.420 --> 04:44.890 in some cases the jungle was so dense . 04:44.890 --> 04:46.890 We had to create a clearing for the 04:46.890 --> 04:49.000 helicopters to come in . They never 04:49.010 --> 04:51.180 failed to deliver the ammo rations and 04:51.180 --> 04:52.680 other supplies we needed . 04:57.940 --> 05:01.740 Okay , yeah , and 05:01.990 --> 05:04.960 then you make it at all . Okay . Mhm . 05:06.240 --> 05:10.130 We began to hit paydirt Viet Cong 05:10.130 --> 05:13.160 tunnels , bunkers and wet 05:17.340 --> 05:18.860 even a communist flag . 05:22.040 --> 05:24.262 When one search and clear operation was 05:24.262 --> 05:26.890 finished , we went on to another and 05:26.890 --> 05:27.890 another . 05:31.410 --> 05:33.590 The 9th division's main responsibility 05:33.590 --> 05:36.010 however , was to help secure the Mekong 05:36.010 --> 05:39.220 Delta . This vast fertile area is 05:39.220 --> 05:41.550 virtually one gigantic rice patton , 05:41.560 --> 05:44.160 broken up by rivers , canals and 05:44.170 --> 05:47.180 earthen dikes . The Republic of Vietnam 05:47.190 --> 05:49.357 armed forces have been fighting a long 05:49.357 --> 05:51.412 struggle against the Vietcong in the 05:51.412 --> 05:53.660 delta . Our job was to help them . 05:58.140 --> 06:00.920 It was decided to set up operations at 06:00.930 --> 06:03.980 Dong Tam about 40 miles from Saigon on 06:03.980 --> 06:07.570 the Metro River . Mhm Yeah . The 06:07.580 --> 06:09.840 question was , where do you put troops 06:09.840 --> 06:12.062 when every square inch of dry ground is 06:12.062 --> 06:14.280 lived on by Vietnamese or used to grow 06:14.280 --> 06:17.840 food ? The answer was create your own 06:17.840 --> 06:18.610 dry land . 06:18.620 --> 06:23.380 The 06:23.390 --> 06:25.334 world's largest dredges brought up 06:25.334 --> 06:27.340 millions of tons of sand from the 06:27.340 --> 06:29.530 riverbed and made a base capable of 06:29.530 --> 06:32.040 supporting an entire division supplies 06:32.040 --> 06:34.860 would come in the land , sea and eggs . 06:39.040 --> 06:41.160 Yeah , thanks to the engineers . The 06:41.170 --> 06:43.660 Dong Tam base soon had its own airstrip 06:44.140 --> 06:46.300 big enough to handle caribou sized 06:46.310 --> 06:48.640 fixed wing aircraft as well as 06:48.640 --> 06:51.300 helicopters . A large force moved in 06:51.300 --> 06:53.850 right away . Not that we stayed on base 06:53.850 --> 06:57.800 very much most of the time we were 06:57.800 --> 06:59.856 out in the rice paddies scouting for 06:59.856 --> 07:02.078 the enemy . I'm learning how to operate 07:02.078 --> 07:03.578 in the deceptive terrain . 07:05.140 --> 07:07.900 What looks like a scenic rice paddy to 07:07.900 --> 07:10.280 the , I often feels like a swamp to the 07:10.290 --> 07:12.530 feet . You're lucky to keep moving 07:12.540 --> 07:14.860 However slowly in this watery month , 07:18.240 --> 07:20.518 when it becomes more money than watery , 07:20.660 --> 07:22.771 a man can be completely immobilized . 07:23.240 --> 07:25.462 Getting stuck in a mud hole . Can be an 07:25.462 --> 07:29.140 exasperated experience . Mm Yeah . 07:30.740 --> 07:33.790 Mhm . The Swampy Mud makes one grateful 07:33.790 --> 07:36.220 to hit open water . This dream was 07:36.220 --> 07:38.450 supposed to be affordable in a way it 07:38.450 --> 07:42.340 was from the neck up . Uh huh . Uh huh . 07:42.940 --> 07:44.960 When the water gets too deep for 07:44.960 --> 07:47.127 treading the men of the Ninth Division 07:47.127 --> 07:49.670 turn on a little yankee ingenuity using 07:49.670 --> 07:51.726 an air mattress to float gear across 07:51.726 --> 07:55.240 the stream . Yeah . 07:56.240 --> 07:59.270 Or by making a raft out of a poncho For 07:59.270 --> 08:01.400 a 9th Division Scout Dog . A River 08:01.400 --> 08:03.178 Crossing is no problem at all . 08:06.140 --> 08:09.880 Yeah . Watery terrain makes it 08:09.890 --> 08:11.946 hazardous even for the highly mobile 08:11.946 --> 08:14.001 helicopter to use a rice paddy for a 08:14.001 --> 08:16.830 hell a pad . A fairly hard earthen dike 08:16.840 --> 08:19.160 is much safer when it's available . 08:24.940 --> 08:27.107 Operation of ground vehicles proved to 08:27.107 --> 08:29.910 be a chancy thing too . The powerful 08:29.910 --> 08:32.090 armored personnel carriers often plow 08:32.090 --> 08:34.201 through swamp water with great ease , 08:34.210 --> 08:36.940 but muddy roads are a real hazard 08:41.940 --> 08:43.829 when you gamble on moving tracked 08:43.829 --> 08:46.051 vehicles on terrain like this , you can 08:46.051 --> 08:48.710 be a loser as often as not . Oh , 08:51.480 --> 08:53.702 Delta proved to be a testing ground for 08:53.702 --> 08:56.300 machines as well as men . But as we got 08:56.300 --> 08:58.133 to know the lay of the land , we 08:58.133 --> 08:59.911 learned how to keep the armored 08:59.911 --> 09:01.467 personnel carriers moving . 09:06.600 --> 09:10.450 These A Pc Srm 1 13 . We'd like to 09:10.450 --> 09:12.672 have their firepower around when we hit 09:12.672 --> 09:15.020 a Viet Cong and we often ran into them 09:15.020 --> 09:18.990 without warning . It 09:18.990 --> 09:22.860 was in 7th . Mhm . 09:25.860 --> 09:27.350 Yeah . Mhm . 09:29.540 --> 09:32.700 Yeah . We never knew when a harmless 09:32.700 --> 09:34.867 looking piece of scenery might explode 09:34.870 --> 09:38.550 with enemy fire or a boot . Yeah . 09:40.140 --> 09:42.307 And there was always the difficulty of 09:42.307 --> 09:44.362 determining who was friendly and who 09:44.362 --> 09:45.860 wasn't . Mhm 09:48.330 --> 09:50.570 The rocky an area was full of tunnels 09:50.570 --> 09:53.190 and underground hiding places . Some 09:53.190 --> 09:56.040 were even underwater . We always left a 09:56.040 --> 09:59.840 grenade as a calling card . Yeah , 10:00.840 --> 10:02.040 mm hmm . Yeah , 10:10.340 --> 10:12.507 we had our share of purple hearts from 10:12.507 --> 10:15.150 sniper fire and booby traps , but we 10:15.150 --> 10:17.372 called in medevac to get our casualties 10:17.372 --> 10:21.150 out fast . Mhm . Mhm 10:22.440 --> 10:24.820 stopping . Didn't necessarily mean 10:24.820 --> 10:27.320 resting . We filled sandbags for our 10:27.320 --> 10:30.180 defensive perimeters . In one month , 10:30.190 --> 10:32.357 the 9th division filled half a million 10:32.357 --> 10:34.160 sandbags . Half a million . 10:39.440 --> 10:41.384 We got a surprise visit from a 9th 10:41.384 --> 10:43.590 division veterans General William C 10:43.590 --> 10:45.870 Westmoreland . He dropped in during 10:45.870 --> 10:48.320 Operation Port Sea , in which we bagged 10:48.320 --> 10:50.098 a lot of Viet Cong supplies and 10:50.098 --> 10:52.450 equipment . We were all pleased to see 10:52.450 --> 10:54.561 him wearing a 9th Division patch from 10:54.561 --> 10:56.894 his service with the old 9th in Tunisia . 11:02.640 --> 11:05.540 Yeah , we kept moving or rather 11:05.540 --> 11:08.320 sloshing ahead . Wetness was the order 11:08.320 --> 11:10.860 of the day , the week and the month . 11:13.240 --> 11:15.240 Most of us would feel strange if we 11:15.240 --> 11:17.990 ever got dry . Well it did simplify 11:17.990 --> 11:18.960 taking a bath 11:22.940 --> 11:26.720 and washing laundry gradually . We 11:26.720 --> 11:28.740 began to move more and more on the 11:28.740 --> 11:31.300 waterways . Not in them . They became 11:31.300 --> 11:35.140 highways , not obstacles . Of 11:35.140 --> 11:36.973 course the divisions helicopters 11:36.973 --> 11:39.029 continue to play a major role as air 11:39.029 --> 11:40.280 taxis for troops 11:47.940 --> 11:50.760 to transport artillery , yeah 11:51.340 --> 11:55.150 vehicles even other helicopter 11:59.940 --> 12:01.718 and to extend the medical Civil 12:01.718 --> 12:04.780 assistance program mid cap deep into 12:04.780 --> 12:06.960 isolated Delta villages whose 12:06.960 --> 12:08.960 inhabitants seldom see a doctor . 12:11.240 --> 12:11.560 Yeah 12:18.640 --> 12:20.696 The medics showed that sometimes the 12:20.696 --> 12:22.751 best medicine comes in the form of a 12:22.751 --> 12:24.140 lab . Yeah . 12:28.740 --> 12:30.962 The fixed wing spotter planes nicknamed 12:30.962 --> 12:33.410 Bird dogs had the job of guiding 12:33.410 --> 12:35.132 aircraft into strikes at enemy 12:35.132 --> 12:35.960 positions . 12:42.640 --> 12:46.480 Yeah while the jets orbit overhead . 12:46.490 --> 12:48.790 The bird dogs take a run at the V . C . 12:48.790 --> 12:50.679 Positions to mark them with smoke 12:50.679 --> 12:53.050 rockets . Mhm . 12:55.940 --> 12:58.162 The pilots are highly trained Air Force 12:58.162 --> 13:01.920 forward air controllers fakes they 13:01.920 --> 13:04.087 don't hesitate to fly low within a few 13:04.087 --> 13:06.220 100 ft of the enemy in order to bring 13:06.220 --> 13:09.460 the planes in on target . Mhm . 13:09.940 --> 13:13.010 The daring and precision of these men 13:13.010 --> 13:15.066 is a major reason for the tremendous 13:15.066 --> 13:16.788 effectiveness of inter service 13:16.788 --> 13:19.040 cooperation between the army and the 13:19.040 --> 13:22.450 air force . Okay . 13:22.940 --> 13:25.560 Yeah . Mhm . 13:27.640 --> 13:29.751 The war in the Delta produced another 13:29.751 --> 13:31.807 form of inter service cooperation in 13:31.807 --> 13:33.918 which the 9th division played a major 13:33.918 --> 13:37.760 role . Mhm . The army 13:37.760 --> 13:40.090 and navy combined resources to create a 13:40.090 --> 13:42.400 unique strike force to which the air 13:42.400 --> 13:44.570 force also gave fire support . 13:46.540 --> 13:49.560 It was called the mobile riverine Force . 13:50.040 --> 13:52.262 The 2nd Brigade of the 9th Division was 13:52.262 --> 13:54.890 its primary combat unit . One must go 13:54.890 --> 13:57.057 back to the american civil War to find 13:57.057 --> 13:58.946 a major precedent for this inland 13:58.946 --> 14:00.380 waterways . Task Force , 14:05.040 --> 14:07.220 Army and Navy working together as a 14:07.230 --> 14:08.850 fighting team mm . 14:12.040 --> 14:14.262 When the men go out on a mission , they 14:14.262 --> 14:16.207 have the close support of the Navy 14:16.207 --> 14:18.040 flotilla with all the facilities 14:18.040 --> 14:20.373 necessary to resupply and maintain them . 14:24.210 --> 14:26.820 The soldiers live aboard the USs Ben wa 14:27.020 --> 14:28.870 and the USs collagen . We're not 14:28.880 --> 14:31.720 fighting . These floating barracks hold 14:31.720 --> 14:34.540 a 30 day supply of fresh food and 14:34.540 --> 14:36.484 provide medical , dental and other 14:36.484 --> 14:39.700 facilities . The auxiliary personnel 14:39.700 --> 14:41.790 lighter also accommodates men of the 14:41.790 --> 14:45.620 Mobile riverine Force . The 14:45.620 --> 14:48.660 USs Askari contains a complete machine 14:48.660 --> 14:50.827 shop and facilities needed to maintain 14:50.827 --> 14:52.771 and repair weapons and equipment . 14:55.740 --> 14:57.851 Seaborne supplies are usually brought 14:57.851 --> 15:00.750 up from Hongtao or Dong Tam by LST . 15:02.740 --> 15:05.580 In case of need choppers bring in 15:05.580 --> 15:08.060 supplies directly to the decks of ships . 15:13.340 --> 15:15.470 The workhorses of the Mobile Riverine 15:15.480 --> 15:18.110 Force are the armoured troop carriers 15:18.190 --> 15:22.090 or at six . The is armor plated 15:22.090 --> 15:24.034 and has an armored canopy over the 15:24.034 --> 15:26.760 troop area . It can carry a 2.5 ton 15:26.760 --> 15:29.560 truck or a 105 millimeter howitzer . 15:30.740 --> 15:32.851 The Command and communications boat , 15:32.851 --> 15:35.370 or CCB is the control center for the 15:35.370 --> 15:37.440 Ground forces commander and the boat 15:37.450 --> 15:38.450 group commander , 15:41.640 --> 15:43.751 the battleship of the flotilla is the 15:43.751 --> 15:46.040 monitor , a landing craft armed with a 15:46.050 --> 15:47.939 40 millimeter and a 20 millimeter 15:47.939 --> 15:50.490 cannon , an 81 millimeter mortar plus 15:50.500 --> 15:52.610 50 and 30 caliber machine guns . 15:55.940 --> 15:59.880 Yeah , Before long , the men of 15:59.880 --> 16:02.047 the 9th Division made contact with the 16:02.047 --> 16:04.450 enemy only to find them strongly dug in . 16:05.340 --> 16:06.340 Yeah , 16:12.340 --> 16:14.451 It was in firepower that the 9th made 16:14.451 --> 16:17.040 its own important innovation . The use 16:17.040 --> 16:19.320 of barges as artillery platforms . 16:19.740 --> 16:21.518 Infantry elements of the mobile 16:21.518 --> 16:23.970 riverine force would range far and wide 16:23.980 --> 16:26.620 once operation started , the guns and 16:26.620 --> 16:28.453 mortars aboard the armored troop 16:28.453 --> 16:30.398 carriers and monitors did not have 16:30.398 --> 16:32.410 either the range or the caliber to 16:32.410 --> 16:34.299 provide the long range heavy fire 16:34.299 --> 16:36.320 support troops would need , only 16:36.320 --> 16:37.764 artillery could do this . 16:40.440 --> 16:42.607 The Ninth Division's Third Battalion , 16:42.607 --> 16:45.030 34th Artillery decided to try using 16:45.030 --> 16:47.590 barges as gun platforms , anchoring 16:47.590 --> 16:48.970 them firmly to shore 16:52.240 --> 16:55.760 the M 102 105 millimeter howitzer , the 16:55.760 --> 16:57.982 lightweight , flexible model originally 16:57.982 --> 16:59.927 designed for airborne operations , 16:59.927 --> 17:01.982 proved to be an excellent weapon for 17:01.982 --> 17:03.871 this purpose . The M102 carriages 17:03.871 --> 17:07.590 provided an easy 360° Trevor's steel 17:07.590 --> 17:09.757 braces were welded to the deck to keep 17:09.757 --> 17:10.757 the gun in place 17:14.640 --> 17:17.760 2105 through a barge . Three barges to 17:17.760 --> 17:20.030 a battery necessity rising out 17:20.030 --> 17:22.250 conditions in the Mekong Delta had 17:22.250 --> 17:24.472 caused the 9th division to come up with 17:24.472 --> 17:26.472 a new way of deploying artillery to 17:26.472 --> 17:28.250 back up its waterborne troops . 17:32.440 --> 17:34.496 Another invention was the air mobile 17:34.496 --> 17:37.160 firing platform . This device made it 17:37.170 --> 17:39.170 possible to have heavy fire support 17:39.170 --> 17:41.281 follow troops as they moved inland in 17:41.281 --> 17:44.250 the delta Because it is 90% aluminum , 17:44.570 --> 17:47.100 24-foot square can easily be airlifted 17:47.110 --> 17:49.450 to rice paddies or two streams or 17:49.450 --> 17:51.728 canals remote from the main river wave . 17:53.340 --> 17:57.120 Yeah . Mhm . It provides a stable 17:57.120 --> 17:59.900 firing platform in Muddy Riverbanks up 17:59.910 --> 18:02.610 to four ft deep . Mechanical jacks at 18:02.610 --> 18:04.832 each corner can be adjusted to keep the 18:04.832 --> 18:08.270 platform level . Mhm 18:10.140 --> 18:12.440 packed with troops and firepower . The 18:12.440 --> 18:14.551 mobile riverine force was ready to go 18:14.551 --> 18:16.551 anywhere in the watery wilderness . 18:19.940 --> 18:22.320 An ATC can carry a full platoon of 18:22.330 --> 18:24.660 combat equipped soldiers and moving 18:24.660 --> 18:26.882 just about any river , canal or creek . 18:27.740 --> 18:29.796 This mobility and shallow as well as 18:29.796 --> 18:32.018 deep water has enormously increased the 18:32.018 --> 18:34.073 striking range of infantrymen in the 18:34.073 --> 18:36.530 delta , the 18:37.830 --> 18:41.680 men get set to hit the beach before 18:41.680 --> 18:43.830 they go in . However , air force jets 18:43.830 --> 18:47.360 pound the landing area . 18:51.340 --> 18:55.160 The fighter bombers saturate the 18:55.160 --> 18:58.550 Vietcong position . Mhm . 18:59.610 --> 19:02.040 As the next move into the beach , the 19:02.050 --> 19:04.050 men add their own fires to keep the 19:04.050 --> 19:07.670 enemy down . Mhm 19:12.140 --> 19:13.770 Yeah , yeah . 19:21.440 --> 19:25.390 Yeah . Before 19:25.390 --> 19:27.612 long , the men of the 9th Division made 19:27.612 --> 19:29.710 contact with the enemy only to find 19:29.710 --> 19:31.090 them strongly dug in . 19:35.340 --> 19:39.170 So the heavy stuff 155 MB Howitzers 19:39.180 --> 19:41.300 are brought in to knock out the VC 19:41.300 --> 19:45.040 positions . Yeah . 19:49.240 --> 19:51.351 When the enemy tried to break off the 19:51.351 --> 19:53.462 battle , airborne reinforcements were 19:53.462 --> 19:55.684 called in to cut him off at the canal . 19:57.630 --> 20:00.010 All casualties were quickly evacuated 20:00.010 --> 20:02.066 and given emergency treatment on the 20:02.066 --> 20:04.177 hospital equipped ships of the mobile 20:04.177 --> 20:05.177 riverine force . 20:12.940 --> 20:15.051 The division commander tried to bring 20:15.051 --> 20:17.162 us in from the field every three days 20:17.740 --> 20:21.160 what we were greeted with a 20:21.170 --> 20:24.030 firehose salute to get the swamp mud 20:24.030 --> 20:25.863 off before we went below for hot 20:25.863 --> 20:28.670 showers , hot chow , 20:30.640 --> 20:32.770 dry clothes and a comfortable bunk . 20:35.040 --> 20:37.040 It wasn't hard for the 9th Division 20:37.040 --> 20:38.984 land lovers to take sea duty under 20:38.984 --> 20:42.980 these conditions . Yeah , there was 20:42.980 --> 20:45.202 even time to go on deck and look at the 20:45.202 --> 20:47.202 scenery ashore . A native village . 20:49.040 --> 20:51.730 Yeah . Or a colorful assortment of 20:51.730 --> 20:53.841 native river craft . But for a little 20:53.841 --> 20:55.952 while made us feel like tourists on a 20:55.952 --> 20:56.360 cruise 21:05.240 --> 21:07.407 soon enough . Another passer by on the 21:07.407 --> 21:09.573 river brought us back to the fact that 21:09.573 --> 21:11.351 the war was very much with us . 21:16.640 --> 21:18.862 The 9th Division had a training mission 21:18.862 --> 21:20.862 as well as a fighting one . We were 21:20.862 --> 21:22.950 proud of our reliable academy that 21:22.960 --> 21:25.071 taught the fine points of fighting in 21:25.071 --> 21:26.270 Vietnam to newcomers 21:30.440 --> 21:32.440 as well as sharpening the skills of 21:32.440 --> 21:33.720 combat veterans . 21:38.040 --> 21:39.929 The importance of the academy was 21:39.929 --> 21:41.984 emphasized by frequent visits by the 21:41.984 --> 21:43.873 new commanding general of the 9th 21:43.873 --> 21:45.873 Division . Major General George O . 21:45.873 --> 21:47.929 Connor , who assumed command in June 21:47.929 --> 21:48.360 1967 . 21:51.920 --> 21:54.087 The men of the Army of the Republic of 21:54.087 --> 21:55.976 Vietnam were also given intensive 21:55.976 --> 21:57.920 instruction by the division in all 21:57.920 --> 22:00.350 types of weapons and equipment . Mhm . 22:07.240 --> 22:09.407 It wasn't long before training of this 22:09.407 --> 22:11.660 nature paid off . The South Vietnamese 22:11.670 --> 22:13.503 troops became more effective and 22:13.503 --> 22:15.559 acquitted themselves well in battles 22:15.559 --> 22:16.559 with Vietnam . 22:19.540 --> 22:20.050 You 22:24.240 --> 22:26.462 other Academy students were these crack 22:26.462 --> 22:28.670 troops from Thailand . These tough 22:28.670 --> 22:30.670 little men are known as the Queen's 22:30.670 --> 22:33.170 Cobra regiment . We oriented them on 22:33.170 --> 22:35.003 the use of the compass in land , 22:35.003 --> 22:36.837 navigation and other equipment , 22:36.837 --> 22:38.960 emphasizing devices useful in jungle 22:38.960 --> 22:39.960 fighting . 22:41.540 --> 22:44.050 Their officers were given 22:44.050 --> 22:45.883 demonstrations in the tactics of 22:45.883 --> 22:49.270 counter guerilla warfare . Well , 22:53.940 --> 22:57.060 mhm . Mhm . 22:58.340 --> 23:00.396 We also ran the ties through a quick 23:00.396 --> 23:02.507 reaction course to teach them to stay 23:02.507 --> 23:04.729 cool and fire back when they ran into a 23:04.729 --> 23:05.729 Vietcong ambush . 23:11.240 --> 23:13.470 A very special school trains . The 9th 23:13.470 --> 23:15.526 division's long range reconnaissance 23:15.526 --> 23:18.130 patrols , the beret and special patch . 23:18.130 --> 23:20.410 Its members where testify to their 23:20.420 --> 23:23.460 elite status . Mhm 23:24.640 --> 23:26.640 The men are trained hard to develop 23:26.640 --> 23:28.790 stamina strength and alertness for 23:28.790 --> 23:31.123 their secret missions of reconnaissance , 23:31.130 --> 23:34.260 ambush or sabotage . They must be able 23:34.260 --> 23:36.270 to endure a maximum of stress on a 23:36.270 --> 23:38.350 minimum of sleep , food and water . 23:39.140 --> 23:41.307 They cannot expect help trapped by the 23:41.307 --> 23:43.820 enemy . Their lives depend on their own 23:43.820 --> 23:45.670 resourcefulness and endurance . 23:50.740 --> 23:54.300 Mhm . They become experts at 23:54.300 --> 23:56.300 camouflage . Success of the mission 23:56.300 --> 23:58.411 depends on perfect concealment . They 23:58.411 --> 24:00.578 must blend into the jungle even better 24:00.578 --> 24:03.690 than the Vietcong . They are briefed in 24:03.690 --> 24:05.860 detail on terrain features and the 24:05.860 --> 24:08.180 location of the enemy objective . Every 24:08.180 --> 24:10.347 man knows how to navigate . By day and 24:10.347 --> 24:10.910 by night 24:13.140 --> 24:16.280 a patrol is inserted into enemy 24:16.280 --> 24:18.502 territory by a helicopter that flies in 24:18.502 --> 24:20.558 at low level . The men . Dismount in 24:20.558 --> 24:22.660 five seconds or less and move out 24:22.660 --> 24:25.050 swiftly ideally . They hope to avoid 24:25.050 --> 24:27.690 detection by or contact with the enemy . 24:33.840 --> 24:35.330 Yeah , yeah . 24:38.040 --> 24:40.207 Mission accomplished . The team leader 24:40.207 --> 24:42.318 calls out an azimuth and the distance 24:42.318 --> 24:44.484 to the extraction point then leads the 24:44.484 --> 24:46.596 patrol back . Normally a mission will 24:46.596 --> 24:48.840 last several days or longer . The men 24:48.840 --> 24:50.840 are completely out of communication 24:50.840 --> 24:52.951 with their base until they rendezvous 24:52.951 --> 24:55.173 with the helicopter had a predetermined 24:55.173 --> 24:57.062 time and place . Despite the high 24:57.062 --> 24:59.229 hazard in these missions , there is no 24:59.229 --> 25:00.396 lack of volunteers . 25:06.240 --> 25:08.270 Far less exciting . Is the regular 25:08.270 --> 25:11.140 daily routine of combat going out on 25:11.140 --> 25:11.770 patrol . 25:14.940 --> 25:17.830 Coming back from patrol monotonous 25:17.830 --> 25:20.860 mostly still . The year passed quickly 25:21.240 --> 25:23.296 so quickly . We were almost taken by 25:23.296 --> 25:25.407 surprise when we got reminders in the 25:25.407 --> 25:27.129 mail that christmas was here . 25:29.740 --> 25:30.740 Yeah . 25:34.540 --> 25:36.762 The item that really made this yuletide 25:36.762 --> 25:38.818 a memorable one was this streamlined 25:38.818 --> 25:41.230 version of santa claus . She was minus 25:41.230 --> 25:44.100 only reindeer but a very welcome 25:44.100 --> 25:45.100 visitor . 25:51.540 --> 25:55.340 Mhm Yeah . Yeah . The beginning of the 25:55.340 --> 25:57.630 new year was memorable to since the 25:57.630 --> 25:59.686 enemy started their offensive . Then 25:59.760 --> 26:01.816 they tried every trick in the book . 26:01.840 --> 26:04.007 But here in 9th division country , the 26:04.007 --> 26:06.270 Vietcong never had a chance . They were 26:06.280 --> 26:08.447 clobbered by our superior fire phone . 26:11.440 --> 26:15.360 Yeah . Connection . 26:19.540 --> 26:22.450 Mhm . Mhm 26:28.440 --> 26:29.850 Yeah . Mhm 26:36.340 --> 26:39.970 Yeah . Mm results 26:40.180 --> 26:44.070 these VC we're through fighting large 26:44.070 --> 26:45.626 amounts of captured weapons 26:48.510 --> 26:50.360 And we rescued one friendly . 26:53.440 --> 26:55.660 We kept pushing ahead in the rice 26:55.660 --> 26:56.390 paddies 27:00.130 --> 27:01.060 and the jungle 27:03.240 --> 27:05.670 fighting from the rivers 27:08.160 --> 27:11.230 and from the air we drove on and will 27:11.230 --> 27:13.620 continue to drive on until a just and 27:13.630 --> 27:16.250 honourable pieces one so that these 27:16.250 --> 27:18.417 people may have a chance to live their 27:18.417 --> 27:20.550 lives and the way they choose without 27:20.550 --> 27:23.900 fear or communist coercion . That is 27:23.900 --> 27:25.770 what this war is all about . 27:29.040 --> 27:32.810 Mhm . to 27:32.810 --> 27:34.866 achieve this , the 9th Division will 27:34.866 --> 27:36.977 stay on the job . As long as it has , 27:37.690 --> 27:39.690 many new pages will be added to the 27:39.690 --> 27:43.080 division history . Many battle 27:43.080 --> 27:45.730 streamers were one in South Vietnam And 27:45.730 --> 27:47.786 there may be several more before the 27:47.786 --> 27:50.090 9th goes home . While it remains in 27:50.090 --> 27:52.312 Vietnam , it will do what it has always 27:52.312 --> 27:56.290 done . Fight and win . That in a 27:56.300 --> 27:59.050 phrase Is the Story of the 9th Division . 28:00.600 --> 28:03.890 That is why it's pride of outfit is so 28:03.890 --> 28:06.750 strong . That is why it cherishes its 28:06.750 --> 28:09.950 reputation as the old reliable . 28:10.540 --> 28:10.860 No . 28:15.840 --> 28:16.170 Mhm .