October-November 2015, Issue 63 See all issues to date at the 503rd Heritage Battalion website: Contact: [email protected] http://corregidor.org/VN2-503/newsletter/issue_index.htm ~ 2/503d Photo of the Month ~ The late LTC Bob Sigholtz, Col (R), CO 2/503, announcing to men of his battalion plans for the 2/503d combat jump in Vietnam. (Photo provided by Jerry Hassler, RTO Extraordinaire, Recon 2/503, ‘66/’67, combat jump experienced) 2/503d VIETNAM Newsletter / Oct.-Nov. 2015 – Issue 63 Page 1 of 78 The Marines and the 173rd Airborne Brigade By Dick Culver here are time when two units with equal egos The 173rd was a really great outfit, and gave us a run and bragging rights are co-located in time and for our money. The Marines of course simply sat space. When this happen, the normal expected around and grumbled a bit over our lack of such an friction will usually manifest itself with predictable ostentatious symbol (the jump wings) of our ability to consequences, but every so often the inter-unit impose our will on the enemy. The 173rd of course, competition will get out of hand, and so it was with a sensed this, and took every opportunity to display a regiment of Marines and a Brigade of Airborne Soldiers. sense of quiet arrogance and superiority toward their The story takes place a number of years prior to the brothers in arms. The stage was set for disaster. unpleasantness in Vietnam. About 1961 I was the The Army Airborne troops, during that particular Executive Officer of Golf Company, of the 2nd Battalion time frame, had a rather maddening tradition of saying of the 9th Marine Regiment, stationed on Okinawa. At “Airborne” (rather loudly) as they passed their Airborne that particular time the 9th Marines were co-located officers, while rendering a snappy salute. The closer to with the 173rd Airborne Brigade at Camp Sukiran (later any observing Marines they happened to be, the sometimes spelled Zukiran) on the “Rock” as “Okie” was snappier the salute and the louder the verbal exchange generally called. Bear in mind, during the timeframe of of course! The Airborne Officer was expected to answer this story, it had only been 16 years since the actual “All the Way” as they returned the salute. battle for Okinawa. Okinawa in the ‘60s. (Web photo) Now the Marines have always been a proud organization, and had a reputation of taking virtually no verbal or physical abuse from anyone short of Allah himself. The 173rd was an Airborne Outfit, and were a bit salty themselves. The Marines often made reference to the Airborne’s badge of honor (their jump wings), somewhat irreverently calling them “flying ice cream cones”…if the truth were known, the Marines were a bit jealous of the Airborne being able to sport such a symbol of macho bravado…Since I was an old “Culver suiting up for a Joint Jump with the 173rd, July 1961, Force Reconnaissance Marine, I already had my Yomatan Air Strip Okinawa.” parachute wings, but I was one of only two such in our entire battalion. The Commanding Officer of the 2nd (continued….) Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment and I were the only ones with such elegant symbols of our manly prowess. 2/503d VIETNAM Newsletter / Oct.-Nov. 2015 – Issue 63 Page 2 of 78 they happened to pass a group of young 173rd Airborne troops also returning from their morning workout. One of the young paratroopers saluted one of our Marine Lieutenants (rather smartly), giving the Paratrooper verbal greeting of “Airborne”. The Marine Lieutenant, happened to be one of the largest most aggressive Marine 2nd Lieutenants on the island. The young (if somewhat oversized) Lieutenant had been chafing a bit under the irreverent Airborne display of arrogance, and snapped back (with a bit of obviously prepared rhetoric) – “So’s Bird $++t”... and the fight was on! It took two Regimental Commanders (one Army and one Marine) and all sorts of lesser beings, to get the diplomacy back on track... Since the ensuing melee was in the spirit of unit pride, cooler heads prevailed and Now this gimmick was MEANT to be exchanged only things went back to normal. I have always had a warm between Airborne Troops and their Officers as a means feeling for the 173rd and will always buy such a man a of instilling morale and unit pride. The Marines felt that drink if we are in a local watering hole... There’s just they needed no such artificial morale boost – after all, something about a man who’s crazy enough to jump out they WERE Marines, right? As long as we maintained of a perfectly good airplane.... I have more rather funny our distance during day to day contact, everything went stories about the Marines and the 173rd – and with the well – after all, we didn’t care what these upstart “sky right incentive, I’ll reach back into the recesses of my troopers” (or “Garri-troopers” as the Marines memory banks... sometimes called them) had to do to convince Good troops, those “silk supported bird men!”... themselves that they were worthy of respect – So far, no sweat, just a little healthy rivalry between two ROC excellent units. Source: As the competition between the two outfits grew http://www.bobrohrer.com/sea_stories/173rd_airborne_br more intense, the 173rd lads, decided to rub in their self- igade.pdf perceived superiority over the Marines! As a result, (Web photos added) they started giving the “Airborne” verbal greeting whenever they passed ANY officer (most especially Marines). Most of our Lieutenants simply looked at them as if they had two heads, returned the salute and continued on their way. The Airborne symbol of camaraderie seemed somewhat contrived to the conquerors of Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima and the survivors of the march out of the “Frozen Chosin”…The Leathernecks were convinced that there were Marines, and then there were “all others”. The Marines (with their own brand of arrogance), saw the Army, Navy and Air Force serving as “bad examples” against which to gauge the inherent excellence of the Sea Soldiers! One morning after PT (Physical Training), all this changes! A bunch of young Marine Lieutenants were returning to their Strac lookin’ A/2/503 Troopers on “The Rock” quarters following their morning run. By pure chance, 2/503d VIETNAM Newsletter / Oct.-Nov. 2015 – Issue 63 Page 3 of 78 A Few More Sky Soldier Pics From “The Rock” 2/503d VIETNAM Newsletter / Oct.-Nov. 2015 – Issue 63 Page 4 of 78 INCOMING! ~Reflections by a Soldier Home from War~ on my experiences enough to write cohesive anecdotes I’m about halfway through this issue (Issue 62, about them. When I relate my experience, I try to write Aug-Sep). So far it rises above others that I reckon to be things that have no conscious political orientation. outstanding on their own merit. I have just finished Even now it’s hard to face the political gulf that Terry Garlock’s eloquent essay—it’s impossible to not separates me from many of my brothers in combat. be moved (Pages 10-12 of that issue). I stumbled over I guess I’ll quit this note before I drift too far. I’ll the parts where he said: ”We may have left home as have to get back to the magazine later. boys but we would return home serious men who had Thanks, learned to quickly separate the fluff from important Mark Carter things that might get our brothers killed or keep them 173d LRRP & E-17th Cav alive.” Many of us came home a piece at a time. For decades we went back to Vietnam in our dreams, or even in our waking hours, trying to find something we couldn’t describe, thinking perhaps we’d know it if we could find it. We made connections with loved ones with blunted emotional skills, or we went into solitude. Solitude meaning, not necessarily cabins in the hills, but that sort of solitude where you stay covered among The thought provoking Mr. Carter (L) with family & friends. your people, lying quietly behind a mask, trying to find words to fit things you don’t really want to describe to Cover! wives, children, parents, friends. For many of us, decades would pass before we were able to envision Fellow Sky Soldiers, the forces that empowered dreams in which both pride As some of you know, I have written and shame held hands. Michigan State University to ask them I reconnected with Terry when he talks about The to change the announcement before the Wall. My trip to The Wall, in 1987, began for me the National Anthem to include that veterans long process of untangling all these things I had barely may leave their hats on and salute the suppressed. Anyhow, shortly after visiting The Wall, I flag, as opposed to non-veterans at a venue. took out my journal and began to read it for the first This isn't about my alma mater, MSU, but it's about time since I had written the last entry, in September of making people around us to become aware of us and 1966. Visiting The Wall was the start of untying those doing something about it. This turned out to be a "Win- knots, applying a chronology to the visions and dreams, Win" for not only us veterans, but to the public as well. and understanding who the kid was that had done Here is (part of) MSU's answer below.