Southern Cross information
for 23 INF DIV
For date 700626
23 INF DIV was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Chu Lai
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Americal soldiers complete a variety of missions" by the Americal IO.
CHU LAI - The Americal soldier today fills a variety of complicated military jobs. The Vietnam War has brought forth a great effort on the part of the men who are stationed in Vietnam. The infantryman performs his duties in much the same manner that his World War II counterpart did when the Division was fighting its way across the Pacific to Japan. Similar but in some ways different. The fighting today in Vietnam is based on small scale actions with companies often the largest unit involved. This has placed a greater responsibility for success of the mission on the individual - each man's action is vital in the brief but violent fire fights. Artillery units at fire support bases support infantry units in the jungles and coastal areas of the Americal AO. Their weapons range from the 4.2 mortar to the huge 8 inch gun that the "Redlegs" can bring against the enemy. In addition to arty support, the line troops can count on support from the air. And in this AO that support can come from either the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine air units. The pilots fly planes form the B-52 bomber to small single engine planes that look like they belong to another time. There are jobs done by Americal soldier, clerks, MPs, medics, mechanics and a wide variety of others. The working conditions are not always the best; swirling dust clouds in summer, clinging mud clutching at every boot during the rainy season and always the sun wilting everything beneath it. But each man does his job every day for a year.
Photo Captions:
1) A heavy laden radio-telephone operator surveys the "Rice Bowl" area near Duc Pho as he treads his way down the narrow trail. The 11th Infantry Brigade soldier of the 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry was participating in a company size sweep of the rice fertile terrain. (Photo by SP4 Ron Adams)
2) A crew chief completes a pre-flight check of machine guns mounted aboard this OV-10 "Bronco". The twin engine plane is capable of speeds in the 250 miles per hour range and is armed with both high explosive and white smoke rockets which enable the Forward Air Controllers to mark targets for the jet bombers.
3) Construction of everything from hooches to bridges is handled for the Division by the [26th?] Engineer Battalion. This engineer is working to reconstruct worn portions of this old bridge. (Photo by SP4 Herbert Brady, 523rd Sig. Bn.)
4) A howitzer of the 1st Battalion, 14th Artillery fires in support of Americal soldiers of the 198th Infantry Brigade who are operating 15 miles to the southwest of Chu Lai. (SP4 Gerard Paulin, 523rd Sig. Bn.)
5) "Jungle Warriors" of the 11th Infantry Brigade load part of a rice cache they found in the floor of an abandoned hooch 20 miles south of Chu Lai. The finders, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry sacked and evacuated the rice so that it could be distributed to Vietnamese Families. (Photo by SP4 Herbert Brady, 523rd Sig. Bn.)
6) SP4 William Thomas, Barlow, Fla., protects his ears as a round leaves the tube of this 4.2 mortar. Specialist Thomas is with the 1st Battalion, 52nd Infantry of the 198th Infantry Brigade. (Photo by SP4 Gerard Paulin, 523rd Sig. Bn.)
Photo Caption: Sheridan Armored Assault Vehicles from H Troop, 17th Cavalry cross the Song Diem River during Operation Nantucket Beach. The 198th Infantry Brigade was conducting its operation about 10 miles northeast of Quang Ngai. (Photo by SGT Thomas C. Elmer)
The source for this information was 7006_323_scr supplied by Les Hines 12/19/2000
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
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Last updated
12/24/2000
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023