Southern Cross information
for 196 BDE 23 INF

For date 710903


196 BDE 23 INF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Nam Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Camp Reasoner
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Marines pass on bird" by SP4 Larry Rich 196th Inf. Bde. IO. CAMP REASONER - The Army wanted to give the Marine Corps the bird. No, they did not have a surplus of colonels in the 196th Infantry Brigade. They had some unused Marine Corps emblems. When the Marines went back to the United States, they left the Da Nang area in the hands of the Army. They also left several visual reminders of their stay in the Republic of Vietnam. The mess hall for the 196th Inf. Bde. Headquarters Company came complete with the famous "eagle, globe and anchor" of the Marine Corps. A large plaster of paris eagle "viewed" the eating area from its "perch" on one side of the room. "It wouldn't have been right to tear it down," Sergeant Dale Sullivan (Niles, Ohio), a cook with the 196th Inf. Bde. said. "The Marines did a fine job, but the Army's done a good job too." With no Marines left in the Republic of Vietnam, there was no one to give it to. There was nothing to do but adopt it. A coat of paint helped the statue blend into its new military surroundings. Now the golden, bald-headed eagle sits on a red and blue world and watches the Army cooks. The 196th mess did not lose a Marine Corps. They picked up a mascot.

The source for this information was 7109_435_scr supplied by Les Hines 03/17/2000


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Last updated 12/12/2000

Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023