I am always amazed on much is carried on patrol. Although soldiers would have conditioning in carrying a combat load, the heat and terrain would especially be difficult. I can imagine drinking 3-canteens of water in one day. Did you also have a M-60 mg along also? Cause every man would be carrying ammo for that gun too. If I went camping for 10-days, I would have a truck load of stuff just for myself! Amazing it all on your back. Please share more of your experiences if you're okay with it.
Sure....Our SF camp had 600+ Montagnard strikers, ages 13 to?? Other camps had different ethnic strikers or "Yard" tribes. Montagnards were the VN indigenous people, broken down into tribes, and the Vietnamese treated them about as well as we treated our indigenous people.... They looked more filipino then asian, were very hardy and independent, extremely loyal to Americans, knew the jungle like Mowgli and fought the Vietnamese for about 10 years after the commies took over until totally subjugated in the early 80's.
We would run 2 types of patrols, mostly right on or across the flexible and porous border with Cambodia and Laos. Recon patrols were 4 to 8 men, with usually 2 americans, and the rest Montagnards. The mission was strictly recon-you did not want to get into a fight with only 4+ guys-the weapons were light-no MG's except the occasional AK 47 or M-14 for added firepower. We usually just had CAR-15s, Silenced Swedish K SMG;s, 1-2 cut down M-79 40MM grenade launchers and that was it for firepower The main mission was monitoring the Ho-Chi Minh trail and call in airstrikes or artillery if there was a nearby american Firebase when you found a target. MAC SOG, a combo of SF, Aussie and New Zealand SAS, and CIA operators did the real cross border recon, but again in small patrols. We had the closer in stuff
The second type was usually a company size patrol (80+/- men) or larger-Believe it or not, many of the weapons we carried in 69-70 were still WWII vintage , at least in our camp. We had 2 BAR's and 1 .30 cal MG per platoon, and up until June 69 the non Americans carried M-1 Carbines and a couple of Thompsons. IN june we got M-16's and M-79 Grenade launchers, but still carried the 30.cals the rest of the war. Rations were a tube of rice with some kind of protein, and what ever we got in the Jungle-Yards were very adept hunters and we usually ate well. The larger patrols were always 2+ weeks long, and usually only had 2 Americans (if one was hit, the other could call in help), an interpreter, and we each had 2 body guards (a great honor). As in most wars, 99% was trekking 10-15 klicks a day at 99% boredom, and 1% shear terror. My AO was very mountainous,up and down, and very thick jungle. Only villages were Montagnard. IN the bamboo forests, the only way you could get thru was following the elephant trails (we also had 14 elephants in our camp -but that's a whole another story) Main mission was finding NVA jungle camps (Very few VC in my AO), engaging them and destroying caches of weapons and supplies.
Beside your load of ammo, in your ruck you carried a hammock that you slung so you were only 3" off the jungle floor, a quilted poncho liner and Poncho, 1 extra t-Shirt & socks(no one wore underpants) medical supplies and rations. Every thing was SOP-one time crypto pads in top left pocket, Morphine in top Right, maps bottom right pocket, etc-so if you got hit, your help knew exactly where everything was. You'd stop just before dusk, eat, then move another 200+ meters just after dark to a pre-chosen place to lager for the night. you sent out 4-5 two man listening posts 30 meters out in star shape as early warning, and up and fully alert before first light, Very different, and a lot more primitive and visceral war then fought today, but for a 22 year old LT, the seminal experience of your life.....sorry for the long soliloquy..... Hope this add's a little insight and color to the little guys Andy and his team put together for us that depicts the universality of being a soldier in any war.....
P
