Army Reporter information
for 7/17 CAV
2 BDE 4 INF
17 CAG
For date 680113
7/17 CAV was a US Army unit
2 BDE 4 INF was a US Army unit
17 CAG was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Pleiku Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Camp Enari
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Avn Unit Combines Mobility, Firepower" dated 13 Jan 1968.
A rapid mobile and highly imposing force was needed against VC ground operations in Vietnam's jungled Central Highlands. For this purpose, a combat effective unit combining mobile infantry ground forces and air delivery was created by the Army to meet he demands of the changing Vietnam situation. The unit had to be organized in such a way that it could react rapidly to enemy intelligence, fix the enemy with a rapid reconnaissance of the terrain, and drop counter-forces in to the battle area. Such a force could be either reinforced or extracted, depending on the situation, and would be counted upon to keep the enemy constantly off balance. Such a unit is the 7/17th Cav. The organization of the 7th Cav calls for three separate aviation troops, a ground force, and troop headquarters for overall coordination. The three aviation troops A, B, and C, are composed of helicopters. Each troop is broken down into a weapons platoon (gunships), scout platoon (light observation choppers), and an infantry platoon carried by transport helicopters. The squadron is headquartered at Camp Enari, 10 miles southeast of Pleiku City, and is also the base camp of the 4th Inf Div. It is serving under the operational control of the 4th Div and is under the administrative control of the 17th CAG. The 7/17th Cav arrived in Vietnam in October following nine months of extensive unit and individual training at FT Knox, Ky. Since the unit became operation in November, it has proved to be a fast, mobile and extremely active force. Assigned to the 2nd Bde, 4th Div the unit has participated in operations far to the north and south of Pleiku City. Above all, the 4th Div. has kept the 17th Cav's components moving rapidly around the province. One mission called for the squadron's A Troop to accompany a helicopter equipped with a "people-sniffer" which can detect hidden ground troops. As the low-flying chopper would pick up a "scent" of possible human activity on the ground beneath the dense foliage, the area would be marked by a smoke round. The gunships would immediately move in and hover slowly over the area, peering down through the trees for enemy movement.
The source for this information was 6801AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023