Stories
of the 12th Cavalry ![]()
Vietnam - 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry
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The Foot Soldier's Load, by Phil Blake. Phil Blake, A Company, 1st/12th, recounts the items that infantrymen carried on a normal day. |
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First Day in the Life of a Grunt, by Terry Foote. Terry joined C Company in August 1966 and was assigned to go out on ambush on his first night. |
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Base Camp Training, by Terry Foote. Learning the ropes at An Khe and then going on his first Combat Assault. His first day in the field included losing two men to a booby trap. |
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Two Poems, by Phil Blake. Phil served with HHC and A Company, 1/12, from 1966-67 |
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Twenty Four Hours - Tet '68, by Tom Kjos. The transition from Bong Son to Quang Tri and the first day of Tet '68 for D Company, 1/12th Cavalry. |
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The Beat Goes On, By Terry Foote. Terry gains the trust of the squad and platoon and becomes accepted as part of the unit. |
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1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry in the Battle of Hoa Hoi, by James Root, Vietnam Magazine, August 1994. The 9th Cavalry's Blue Team had found the NVA's 18th Regiment. Now it was up to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, to "fix" them and finish them off. |
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My First Major Firefight, by Terry Foote. October saw three companies encircle a NVA unit and that night there was heavy fighting as the enemy attempted to break out of the cordon. |
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Search and Destroy, by Terry Foote. The end of October and the beginning of November saw village searches, clearing a tunnel, men drowning in a swollen river, swimming in the South China Sea, and getting his first kill. |
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Unseen Enemy, by Terry Foote. In addition to the NVA Terry battled diseases such as Malaria, ringworms and hookworms. Then there were the rats, leeches and snakes. |
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Old Acquaintances, by Roy Benson. From Germany in the 50s to Vietnam in the 60s, soldiers meet again. |
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Assumption of Command, by Roy Benson. The "Second" team started assuming command in 1966 |
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The Battle of the 506 Valley on December 17, 1966, by Roy Benson. Company B conducts a night move to reinforce Company C who was in heavy contact in the 506 Valley. |
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Prelude to the NVA Attack on LZ Bird, by Roy Benson. On the night of December 26th, B Company's line of defense was probed then shortly after 1AM they received an order to move to LZ Bird where C Company was under attack. |
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A Fateful December, by Terry Foote. The month of December 1966 saw both the Battle of the 506 Valley and the attack on LZ Bird. |
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LZ Bird - After Action Memo, by Robert Middleton. A report written by the Commander of C Battery, 6/16th Artillery detailing the December 27, 1966 attack on LZ Bird. |
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The Green Line, by Terry Foote. January 1967 was spent on the Green Line at An Khe with occasional side trips to Sin City. February and March saw C Company working in the valleys and mountains west of Bong Son. |
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An Event of Major Proportions, by Roy Benson. The April 9, 1967 sapper attack on LZ Charles which was defended by Company B. |
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The Old Grind Changes, by Terry Foote. April 1967 brought on a case of heat exhaustion and R&R to Yokohama Japan. |
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Charlie Makes his Move, by Terry Foote. The month of May 1967 saw continuing patrolling in the mountains and at the end of the month the Battle of An Qui. |
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Continue to March, by Terry Foote. More detail on the Battle of An Qui and a bout with malaria. |
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Company A and the Bridge at Bong Son, by Phil Blake. Company A was pulled out of the field and selected for a one week bridge security mission until the incident. |
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Redmond's Close Call, by Phil Blake. While wrestling, PFC Redmond's jaw locked in the open position. |
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The Great A Company Scramble, by Phil Blake. Late one afternoon in the Spring of 1967, their rucksacks were sling-loaded out to the field by a Chinook but the delivery did not go as planned. |
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Becoming More Cautious, by Terry Foote. After nine and a half months in in the field he is counting days until his tour is over. |
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The M-14, by Pete (Torch) La Count. Pete came to the field with an old blunderbuss, a M-14. |
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The M-16, by Pete (Torch) La Count. Early in the Vietnam War the M-16 had jamming problems. |
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Permission to Fire, by Pete (Tourch) La Count. The Quad 50 crew asked for permission to fire at some lights outside LZ Laramie. |
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The Night Position, by Pete (Torch) La Count. What is the Company's actual location at dusk? |
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The Missing M-16, by Pete (Torch) La Count. Then he said, "I left my weapon back at the well". |
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Getting Short, Terry Foote. A discussion of FNGs versus veterans on ambushes and the August 1967 C-141 flight back to the United States. |
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Stanley Tunall, by Judy Tunall-Gray. The story of his young life as told by Judy, his older sister. Stanley Tunall of C Company, 1/12th Cavalry died in an accident on October 26, 1967. |
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Lang Vei Special Forces camp, by Billy Cabaniss. In April 1968, Billy participated in Operation Pegasus. The 1/12th Cavalry worked the area in and around the Lang Vei Special Forces camp that was overrun by the NVA in February 1968. |
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Company B, 1968 to 1969, by August (Pat) Wilganoski. A summary of his time with Company B from late 1968 to late 1969 and his relationship with Herbert Kelley. |
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John Baca, A Great American, by Jonathan Dodson. John Baca was an inspiration to his fellow soldiers of Delta Company. |
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The Battle of Tam Quan (A Memorial Day Tribute), by Tom Kjos. December 15, 1967 remembered from a Delta Company, 1st/12th perspective. |
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Easter Offensive, by Stan Tyson. Thirty miles northwest of FSB Bunker Hill, three NVA divisions were attacking An Loc. If they broke through the 1/12th Cavalry was to assume blocking positions along the Dong Nai River. |
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Security Mission, by Stan Tyson. In April 1972, 1/12th Cavalry was designated to assist in the evacuation of American and Cambodian officials if Phnom Penh fell. |
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Some Reservations in Retrospect, by Roy Benson. The rotation of officers in the field denied our troops the leadership and experience of seasoned and battle tested officers. |
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In the Eye of the Storm, Sharon Roznik of The Fond du Lac Reporter. The story of Larry Stoffel who survived a serious head wound, his life now and being reunited with members of the Third Platoon of C Company. |
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Branson Reunion - 2006, By Sam Veer. Sam and Sandy were attending the Branson reunion when a personal tragedy struck. As in Vietnam everyone closed ranks and became one. |
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The "All the Way Brigade" Chapter is Recognized, by Bill Lord. The Airborne Brigade is recognized as a 1st Cavalry Division Association chapter. |
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Company C Reunion, by Jay Snyder. 50 original members of Charlie Co 1/12 (abn) from 1965-66 gathered at Ft Benning for their first company reunion. |
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My Trip Back, Fred "Sparky" Kraft.
Fred, with his son Tony, took a two week trip to Vietnam. Even though he
went to Vietnam with mixed feelings and somewhat apprehensive he was
glad he went there. |