Last additions - Leon "Lee" Dixon
|
Dixon21a.jpgMore Commo DudesA few more of our commo guys from HQ Batt in Duc Pho. On the left is "Philly" (from Philadelphia- we always called him "Philly"), PFC Hogan, Cpl Franklin and Sgt Ken Fogel (of Wis). Fogel was a great friend & stand-up guy to know if there ever was one. If you look verrrry closely you can see a sign just behind the tall head there that says "The Mighty Ninth 2/9th". There were two senior sergeants who oversaw the commo section and they slept in the hootch to the right of the photo with the carved supports. One of these was a Sgt Houston– the guy who'd always ask for "volunteers to go to Bn HQ". The other was a particularly disagreeable chap whose name I cannot recall.
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon13a.jpgPitching InGetting with the program...even us Commo guys!
Note the "macho" version of artillery ear plugs. No wonder we go deaf as seniors.Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon9.jpgTo my rescue...The Chinook touches down at LZ Liz...thank goodness!Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon16.jpgWork CrewMy work crew. We completed a new perimeter bunker at Duc Pho... a WELCOME improvement and 100% safer than what we had in the early days! Taken with a Polaroid on a self-timer. Not bad, huh? The boy next to me was one of two kids (a boy and a girl) I adopted from a local orphanage. We had a program where we could adopt orphaned kids and contribute something to their care each month. There were four Vietnamese helping us build this big bunker and they are all in this photo. The guy just over my shoulder to the left side of the photo was Roman (not sure if the same Roman listed on your site). The fellow behind me and in between the two Vietnamese was from Philadelphia... and I must say I cannot remember his name because we always called him "Philly" anyway! The other two GIs on the left are UNK (names forgotten).
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon15.jpgFellow RedlegsAnother Polaroid photo. These two guys are friends from another battery....but their names are forgotten.Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon14.jpgDeadly attackA friend of mine was killed when this gun took a direct hit from a VC attack. This is what it looked like when it was hauled away on a deuce and a half truck.
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon12.jpgCamera cutupsWe had a great team of guys & we had fun too on occasion. Roman, was a real cut-up and was always doing something funny. Here he is making rabbit ears on Hunter (commo wire man from East St. Louis) and a sergeant– whose name I forget because he was from Baltimore and we always called him "B-More"! Tthis was taken near Duc Pho as we were preparing to go to the dreaded Bong Son area. Sgt. "B-More" (who insisted "don't call me sergeant!") was injured in a VC attack on a bunker and was shipped out afterward if I remember right. Roman went to another battery.
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon13.jpgPitching inWhen things got dicey... even though I was a commo guy, there were times when I had to get out there and hump ammo with the guys on the guns. We were all kids, but looking back, we were all brave men too...
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon9a.jpgTo my rescue...LZ Liz was a scary place to me. Never felt at ease there. I did some commo work out there and this particular time, the guns had been firing quite a bit all night long. I "slept" (if you could call it that) in a bunker right near one of the guns... and was a welcome sight to see the sun come up that next morning. I awoke to the sound of a Chinook coming to get me and to drop off supplies and food. I took pix of him on the way in and landing. It looked like the sun was shining right through him on the way in. Man, it was a beautiful sight to see!...
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon10.jpgShining throughThe sun appears to be shining through the Chinook as it makes its landing.Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon18.jpgThe 2/9th Hexagon graphicThis is one of our HQ Btry guys with one of our trucks. Note the special 2/9th hexagon graphic on the door. It is basically a yellow hexagon with a red overlay. It you look at it the right way, it appears to be a box tipped at an angle.
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
Dixon19.jpgUnique 2/9th IconAnother photo showing the 2/9th symbol again on the nose of a truck. These were only painted on our vehicles and appeared on the nose and the hood. Later in 1968, they seemed to stop doing this graphic. Someone high up in 4th Division resented what they viewed as a leftover icon from 25th, but as far as I know, the symbol was not 25th and was used by 2/9th.
Apr 05, 2009
|
|
|
|
