The Mighty Ninth

Strive To Reach The Summit


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DY-3.jpgUnder ConstructionA panaramic view of the 3rd Brigade base at LZ Montezuma under construction. Note the very identifiable hill that abuts the base with the South China sea next door.
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vn#37.jpgThe ClaymoreThe most common perimenter defense weapon we had was the Claymore. It fired double-ought ball bearings out of a slab of C-4. But our enemy was not stupid...they would: (a) turn them around, and (b) remove the wire connections under the cover of darkness. Always check your Claymores!
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vn#20.jpgMakeshift BunkerMay not look pretty...but it's effective! Ammo crates over a hole in the ground. A quick fix. Best if the ammo crates are empty.
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vn#48A.JPGCruisin'Watching a US tank roll through a rag-tag town looks like extreme overkill...but it isn't.
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vn#79.jpgMy Transfer Came Through!Yep...now I'm in Graves Registration. Actually, survival in Vietnam meant using mother earth to protect you and not living above ground in tents. Our enemy knew this fact all too well.
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vn#90.jpgLucky US Farmers!Wow...if those farmers in Kansas had to deal with hoppers like these, they'd be using shotgun shells instead of bug spray.
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DY-4.jpgCaribou LandingThe very first Caribou lands at the LZ Montezuma airstrip. Later, the LZ was also known as "FSB Bronco". The Caribou aircraft was still part of the Army inventory during Vietnam.
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DY-5.jpgRSOP In ProgressA battery moves to a new location.
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DY-6.jpgSKYCRANE POWER!A Sikorsky Sky Crane delivers a 155mm howitzer. It was located just outside our mess tent and invariably fired missions at meal time.
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DY-7.jpgProgressYou can see the progress made in establishing this 2/9th battery position. It was set up close to the ammo dump.
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DY-8.jpgReady for actionProbably one of the most scenic and nicest places ever to set up a 105mm howitzer battery...right on the beach of the South China Sea.
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DY-9.jpgArtillery SurveyorSp4 Danny Yates operates a Theodolite. His job was to get coordinates for every bunker on the base perimeter.
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