I was now serving with the group of guys that had booted me out. This would be the basis for much fun in the months that followed. Whenever I decided to do something a little different than they thought was warranted, they’d take a vote and inform me I wasn’t allowed in the FDC anymore. I was constantly reminding them that the Army isn’t a democracy. They were well trained and led by SP5 Mickey Wilson, the Section Chief.
The group reminded me of the guys in Alpha’s FDC, independent, intelligent . . . and opinionated. The battery’s tactical situation was somewhat stable. We could reach into Cambodia with the 175’s and disrupt most of the older re-supply routes. Small unit enemy activity wasn’t uncommon but the real threats to our security had dissipated after the Cambodian operation. We would fire observed fire missions most often with the battalions’ air observer. Sometimes a pink team (a LOH with Cobra gunship backup) would expend their ammo and call us in to finish some business. Otherwise, we mostly fired sensor targets at night or harassment and interdiction or time on target missions as ordered in response to intelligence gathered. Occasionally, MACV agents working with either regular ARVN or Provincial militia units needed our firepower.
The wet season had brought a different kind of problem. Mildew stinks. We all stank. People who visited us from better equipped bases often commented on our odor. My skin was mildewing on me and causing other problems. Some fungus attacked the melanin in the skin and left me with a blotched complexion. Near a third of the battery suffered varying degrees of this problem. The medic suggested that when I returned home, I should roll in the snow, naked, and that would kill the fungus, along with the change in bathing water. He was correct. My brothers and sisters also enjoyed the show.
My experiences in the FDC in Alpha had been different than what Bravo battery had been through. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was carrying a lot of baggage. I was determined that we wouldn’t have our guns silenced like the 155’s at Burkett. My philosophy being, “quiet guns rarely win battles”. I also was saddled with the memory of our opponents use of larger caliber weaponry than most bunkers were designed to withstand.
Up till now, these concerns were dissipated throughout the battery area. Once confined to the FDC, my angst had a focus. The crew was informed of what had happened at Defiance and Burkett, so far only receiving rumors and tidbits. Our tactical situation was actually very similar except we didn’t have the 11th ACR providing most of our security. There were ARVN and Montagnard militia nearby. We may have some warning of a large scale attack, but no intelligence source indicated imminent attack. There were reports of enemy buildup after our withdrawal from Cambodia.
I was working with this fine group of soldiers for a week before it occurred to me that we were all graduates of various schools of study from USAFAS, (U.S. Army Field Artillery School), at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, the Artillery Capital of the World. I was amazed how well our training had been coordinated to create the team concept in Artillery. There was little that I could do to improve their training, they were already committed to doing as well as possible.
