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This site has Historical Information on Vietnam Deployment of
231st
Army Reserves Medium Boat, 1968-69 from St. Petersburg Florida
231st LCM8's (Mike Boat 72' x 22.2') Mekong Delta 1968
19 LCM8 Mike Boats with typical crew of six men (live aboard)
2 Coxswains, 2 Marine Engineers, 2 Deck Hands
The Boats were well armed and all crew members were expected to handle if needed the two
50 cal Machine Guns deck mounted, two M60 free hand Machine Guns plus
M79 Grenade Launchers, Individual M16's auto, 45 Cal auto pistol.
231st initial crew 1968 Bravo 16
Roger Kennedy, Russ King, Jon Cameron, Phil Skeleton, front Tom Twitty, Robert Reid
Average age 25, two years of college, Spec. E-4 or E-5
231St Army Reserves War
Call Up The Army Reserves - It was May 1968 and President Johnson approved a limited call-up of 35 Reserve Units for 24 months or less. Many of the Army units were not combat-ready and only a few, about 1,000 were sent to Vietnam. One of them, the 231st Transportation Company Boat Company from St. Petersburg, FL was called. Ready or Not, the Unit was chosen to get battle-ready in 4 months and shipped directly to Vietnam Mekong Delta. The 231st was staffed by 196 men of worldly experience from 19 to 50 years of age with the average age of 25. Combat was not our DNA but the Army had plans which we were not aware.
Politics - We had lost the first battle with the Army through our Congressional Delegation of Florida for we were trying to negate the call up in general. The reason the unit was not trained in close combat operations using this equipment. We were a Heavy Boat unit I.E. Tug Boats and Cargo Ships. We lost that battle and proceeded to get ready for the mission that only a few knew about. Apparently the Unit had been designated LCM Medium Boat Unit with 19 LCM8’s (Landing Craft Mechanized).
The Army had figured out a special mission using our Men and Boats. (Note; we had never seen or trained with these LCM Boats).... The Mission, support Mobile Riverine Force and 9th Infantry in an all-out effort "Game Warden" in the Mekong Delta. It was an Allied Offensive using US Navy, Army, Air Force along with South Vietnamese ARVN troops. The mission, cut off all influx of enemy supplies,troops from North Vietnam coming through Cambodia Ho Chi Ming Trail down to Mekong Delta and beyond. The primary enforcement on the Rivers and Canals was handled by the Navy PBR Boats and inserting Army 9th Infantry units. Our 231st Army Transportation Unit maned and operate 19 LCM 8 landing crafts that were customized for the Mission. We were to support the massive Riverine Force and deliver logistic materials and troops to many out bases. Reinforce could only come from Air or Water. The Mekong Delta was dredged during the failed French Indochina War 1946-1954. Most of the 231st were unaware of this mission until arriving in-country and our River War was underway for the next 12 months. Another name for the mission was the Shallow Water War or Brown Water Navy. (The Mekong Delta consisted of 15,600 Sq Miles, 3,000 miles of waterways) many unnavigable for deep keel boats. Our LCM 8's drew a little over 4.5 Ft. of water. They could bounce over logs and sandbars usually. (see specs below)
This Reserve Call-Up was dubbed as the ” Clark Clifford Experience”. Clifford had replaced Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense in 1968 and convinced President Johnson to deny General Westmore land’s request for an additional 206,000 American troops. So the training began for the 231st at Ft. Eustis for 120 days then the main body arrived in late Aug. 1968 in Vung Tau South Vietnam. It was right after the North Vietnam TET Offensive and the US Command was planning a major counteroffensive in the Mekong Delta and surrounding Rivers. This had been the main route that the North Vietnam Army had infiltrated men and supplies for the Tet Offensive.
On arrival by air in Vung Tau, Vietnam late Aug. 1968 the Unit received the 19 bare bones LCM's 8's. These 72 Ft Landing Craft boats had been Mothballed since new around 1956-58. We went to work for the next 30 days to un-mothball and build-out Plywood Living quarters for a crew of 6 men to a boat. We armed the boats with two 50 caliber machine guns and mounts including a protective armor plate along with other weapons issues including two 30 caliber M60 machine guns, two M79 grenade launchers, and 6 personal M16’s fully automatic. The Six-man crews were all ( NCO’s) with the highest rank of E5 for Coxswain and Chief Engineer. The missions for Bravo 16, my boat, began with a surprise cargo of Budweiser Beer. This cargo was destined for delivery to the 9th Infantry about 200 clicks deep in Delta at the base known as Dong Tam. It was in a remote area with zero road access on a cross-section of canals about 40 clicks from the main river. We hunkered down beached behind an unknown artillery battery (another story). We were instant heroes flying our Florida Flag as we arrived at this base and ammo and beer for all. The mission of the 9th Infantry was to root out the Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops and supplies from the hamlets and surrounding villages. They were inserted by various means including Helicopter and Landing craft.
Note: we were informed by Col. Boyd (see below) of the 50th-year Commemoration of serving during the Vietnam War. Boyd indicated the 231st was not only the first Reserve Unit in Vietnam but of all the reserves call-up, only 1,000 served in the war zone. The following links and pages will attempt to put it on record. The Photos and other details of this Unit’s service and the History and current situation of its members. Send any updates please and I will try to post them asap. TJTwitty@gmail.com
This website was created and Published since 1999
Tom Twitty, Publisher, and Editor
updated 07/25/23
Footnote
THE ARMY RESERVE AND VIETNAM by JAMES T. CURRIE
Members of the 35 USAR units in Vietnam received 277 Certificates of Achievement and the following other awards: one Silver Star, five Legion of Merit awards, 384 Bronze Stars, seven Air Medals, 779 Army Commendation Medals, and 20 Purple Hearts. Additionally, the 231 st Transportation Company (Floating Craft), from St. Petersburg, Florida, was selected as the Army's outstanding transportation unit in Vietnam and received the National Defense Transportation Award. Two Army Reserve units were recommended for the Presidential Unit Citation, 13 for the Meritorious Unit Citation, and one for the Unit Cross of Gallantry (Vietnam). There were some problems with Army Reserve units in Vietnam, but they were not problems caused by the units themselves. The biggest gripe from unit personnel was the Army's policy of "infusion," i.e. of taking members out of USAR units and replacing them with non-unit personnel. As the French military thinker Ardant Du Picq stated: "Four brave men who do not know each other will not dare to attack a lion. Four less brave, but knowing each other well, sure of their reliability and consequently of mutual aid will attack resolutely. There is the science of the organization of armies in a nutshell."
LATEST NEWS 50TH REUNION
700 Plus Photos
Army 231st Vietnam Tour Collection of various photo's / slides by the 231st Troops. See Articles from Newspapers.
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Look below for 3 YouTube
Movies of 231st Operations in War Zone including Mekong Delta, Navy Riverine and 9th Infantry Support |
Fantastic collection by our Traveling Company Clerk
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