The second thing I would like to recall is a small deployment during Operation Hat Dich in AO Porphrey 18-31 July 1969 that I made with Pte Derrick Appleford to set up a Retransmission Station on Chua Chan Hill in Long Khan Province. The large round hill was occupied by an American Signal Regiment and protected by members of a Light Infantry Battalion out of Texas. The reason for the deployment was to ensure that the Commanding Officer maintained radio communications with all call signs in the Area of Operation.
It was just before the deployment by Helicopter from an American Military Bass at Xian Loc that we saw, on television, a man walk on the moon
The deployment was memorable for several reasons but the one that stands out is that one night out of nowhere an American Bird Dog Spotter Aircraft crashed into the side of the hill killing both occupants. It was well into the day before a recovery team from the Defence Company went out to recover the bodies.
The second thing I remember is the sports afternoon where soldiers who wanted to fire their M1 carbines could do so and the targets were the leaves on the palm trees. Needless to say you have never seen so many what looked like healthy tree without foliage. In your life!
During our time spent with this American Unit, Apples and I learned of corn bread, iced tea, scrambled eggs US Army style and a whole host of things I will not mention.
We also saw the Commanding Officers Hut fragged, Bangalore Torpedoes set off in a violent electrical storm, the divisions in the US Army of the Whites, the Negroes and the Hispanics and the Movie “The Graduate” 3 times in 3 days.
Terry Curtis
Radio Sergeant