History books and novels are filled with stories of young men and women going off to war. In each, the experiences and challenges are as varied as the people themselves. The stories tell of leaders and followers, cowards and heroes. In Where’s Charlie? author Tim Soyars narrates his own story of how he came of age while serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War. In this memoir, Soyars tells how his personality, background, and attitude contributed to his will to succeed and his desire to be involved in the Vietnam War. As a boy, he always knew he’d serve his country. With both humor and sincerity, Soyars narrates his story—his birth in Virginia in 1945, his induction into the army in 1965, his marriage in 1966, and his one-year service in Vietnam with the First Calvary from March of 1967 to 1968.

Including photos of the period, Where’s Charlie? conveys not only the sadness and heroics often associated with war, but also shares stories of warmth, compassion, and romance. It provides a glimpse into the horror of battle and offers insight into one soldier’s actions and thoughts during this unique time in history.

WHERE'S CHARLIE?

Memories from a Time of War, 1965–68By TIM SOYARS

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Tim Soyars
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-1494-1

Contents

Chapter 1 March 1967....................................................................................................................1Chapter 2 A Backward Glance.............................................................................................................9Chapter 3 Basic Decision................................................................................................................15Chapter 4 OCS...........................................................................................................................21Chapter 5 I Dream of Jeanie.............................................................................................................28Chapter 6 The Rainbow...................................................................................................................35Chapter 7 Coconut Cocktails and Odds `n' Ends...........................................................................................41Chapter 8 A Full Day's Work.............................................................................................................50Chapter 9 Frenchy to Montezuma to the Sea...............................................................................................54Chapter 10 Bong Son Plain...............................................................................................................65Chapter 11 Mountain Missions............................................................................................................78Chapter 12 Patrols in the An Lao Valley.................................................................................................87Chapter 13 Stand-down...................................................................................................................95Chapter 14 Village of Lo Dieu...........................................................................................................103Chapter 15 Cs, Sundries, and Doughnuts..................................................................................................110Chapter 16 Pop Smoke....................................................................................................................115Chapter 17 Night Patrol.................................................................................................................121Chapter 18 Highway One and the General..................................................................................................126Chapter 19 Wow!.........................................................................................................................130Chapter 20 The S4.......................................................................................................................133Chapter 21 Those Magic NCOs.............................................................................................................140Chapter 22 The Chick(s) and Egg Thing...................................................................................................143Chapter 23 Helicopters..................................................................................................................148Chapter 24 Love and the Officers of the Round Table.....................................................................................153Chapter 25 The Chaplain, the Latrines, and a Hot Shower.................................................................................157Chapter 26 Thanksgiving and Christmas 1967..............................................................................................163Chapter 27 Tet 1968.....................................................................................................................168Chapter 28 Home at Last.................................................................................................................175Epilogue................................................................................................................................181Appendix A Excerpts from Letters........................................................................................................187Appendix B Charlie Company, Second Battalion, Fifth Cavalry Regiment Operational Reports, March 1967 to March 1968.....................241Appendix C Thanksgiving 1967............................................................................................................259Appendix D Christmas 1967...............................................................................................................263Appendix E Faces of Vietnam.............................................................................................................267Appendix F Reflections on Leadership....................................................................................................271Appendix G Glossary.....................................................................................................................275

Chapter One

March 1967

It was clear and warm in the late afternoon on March 23, 1967, whenmy helicopter set down inside the perimeter of Charlie Company. Thecompany was operating in the mountains near the An Lo Valley, northwestof the Bong Son Plains in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. CharlieCompany, an infantry unit of the Second/Fifth (Second Battalion, FifthCavalry Regiment), First Cav (First Air Cavalry Division), had receivedcausalities during the battle of Phu Ninh on March 11, 1967, and I wasone of the officer replacements for the company. The battalion commanderescorted me to C Company's mountain camp to introduce me to CPTDon Markham, the CO (commanding officer).

A week earlier, while I was attending new soldier orientation trainingat Camp Radcliff (headquarters for the First Cav), I was introduced toCaptain Markham one evening at the battalion officers' club. The captainwas returning from R & R (rest and relaxation) and was scheduled torejoin his company in the field the next day. He was eager to get officerreplacements and welcomed me warmly. As we drank beer and passedthe night at the club, he shared stories and the history of the company'sactivities during his tenure there. One story was about the recent battleat Phu Ninh. Being trained for combat and joining his company in a fewdays, I was very interested in hearing the details of the battle. He laterpublished the story of this battle in an article for Assembly, a magazinefor alumni of the US Military Academy at West Point. The article is alsoposted on the Charlie Company, Second/Fifth website. I have used thatarticle to refresh my memories of the story that Captain Markham toldme that night.

Early on March 11, Charlie Company was operating near the villageof Phu Ninh supporting a mechanized sweep of the area by the FortiethARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Regiment. Charlie Companysurrounded the target area with First and Second Platoons to the north andthe Third and Fourth Platoons deployed to the south near the Nui NieuMountains. Around 1000 hours, Captain Markham ordered LieutenantGerald, Third Platoon, to send a patrol to secure the southern flank.Gerald sent out a squad led by Staff Sergeant Kriedler, who came uponNVA (North Vietnamese Army) soldiers. The squad quickly pursued them,killing one and wounding the other. Hearing the weapons fire, LieutenantGerald took another squad to reinforce Kriedler.

Captain Markham was monitoring the...