The Mighty Ninth

Strive To Reach The Summit


Most viewed - Dave Price
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DP1a.JPGCam Ranh Bay - Barracks289 viewsFall, 1967. After flying from Minneapolis to SF, I spent a few days in process in Oakland. Then flew to Anchorage and Yokota AFB (Japan) enroute to CRB. Spent a few days processing here before being assigned to the 4th ID in Pleiku. Picture taken enroute to R&R in Australia.
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DP5a.JPGLZ Baldy - south of Hoi An248 viewsFebruary, 1968. SSG Ronnie Kackley (Little Rock, Ark) and me in front of the S-1 hootch.
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DP14a.JPGCambodia in the distance224 viewsSpring, 1968, LZ Mickey Mouse (possibly this is "A" Battery"). View southwest from LZ Mile High; Cambodia in distance. Black tubes in pile are 105mm ammo canisters (2 per box).
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DP13a.JPGLZ Mile High209 viewsSpring, 1968. "A" Battery had just moved into this hill, midway between Kontum and the Cambodian border. The hill had been cleared for their landing by a B-52 run. FDC conex at right. Hill was later heavily mortared. They shared this hill with the Inf Bn HQ.
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DP15a.JPGKontum Bridge - LZ Mickey Mouse206 viewsSummer, 1968. Kontum Bridge, which is just south of town on road going south to Pleiku. We frequently swam below the bridge & it was a popular watering hole for Kontum residents and an occasional water buffalo. Area wasn't always safe: the NVA vowed to take the bridge & city for Ho Chi Minh's birthday. Also saw a Viet cop kill a VC suspect here.
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DP16a.JPGFDC TOC - LZ Oasis205 viewsSummer, 1968. Glen Bruney on duty here. This bunker was a complex of rooms made from CONEX containers. These were our main radios on command freq. Switchboard to DivArty at right. Command map at left showing battery circles (ranges). Plastic overlays used to plot targets & troop locations. Clipboard itemized arty fire missions.
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DP12a.JPGOff duty193 viewsOff duty in the tent. Others on my shift were Glen Bruney and Ronnie Crowe (both leaning against sandbags). Jim Castelletti (clerk) in the foreground.
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DP8a.JPGR-Sopping again185 viewsSpring, 1968. Moving again, from LZ Baldy to the south of LZ English, by convoy. Time here had been hectic. Not only were we shelled frequently during the TET offensive, but so were the field units. We frequently fired illumination rds all night. Viet Army compound at Hoi An was overrun by the NVA, but was saved by our all-night pinpoint shelling.
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DP9a.JPGBn CO LTC Jerry Bobzien, 2/9th184 viewsSpring, 1968. LZ English was just outside Bong Son, to the south of Duc Pho where we had been months before. We stayed here only about a month. The base, fortunately, had been occupied, so it was already built for us. Our FDC bunker is behind the sign.
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DP6a.JPGLZ Baldy - Mortar Attack169 viewsSP5 Jim Fitzpatrick and one of the many mortar & rocket holes taken near our tent (our tent is the pointed one...out of the rear of the tent is our bunker. During the first attack, we found our bunker was open on the back side, which was where the rounds were landing. We sat there listening to the rounds coming overhead enroute to the CP bunker.
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DP11a.JPGHelo Loading Area - LZ English156 viewsNext to our bunker was this helicopter loading area. It was oiled to keep the dust down. Here a Chinook is picking up a load of ammo, going to one of the firing batteries. Man atop truck is giving signals to the pilot. Foreground: Bn Commander LTC Bobzien's hot water shower.
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DP3a.JPGAtop LZ Thunder153 viewsDuc Pho, LZ Montezuma (aka Bronco), Fall, 1967. "B" Battery, 105mm howitzer. Bunkers around the gun were for ammunition and for the gun crew. The South China Sea can be seen in the rear.
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