Ernest Graves
In the 34th Group, we've had a long uphill struggle to develop decent maintenance.
There was a complete lack of appreciation, I would say, when I got here 10 months ago
of how much effort, how much care, how much organization are needed. This is
particularly true in the delta where, if we don't make the system work, we're not near
enough to any sources of supply to short-circuit it. If you're in the Long Binh area and
you're not doing it right, there are all sorts of alternatives. Down here if you don't have
your requisitioning and everything else working properly, you have no alternatives.
Next to the transportation problem, maintenance is probably the biggest challenge that
you have down here.
[Q:
Would you comment on the use of the 35th Engineer Battalion (Combat) since its move
to the delta?]
A:
The 35th came down in some respects under ideal circumstances, with one job and a
clear understanding that they wouldn't be frittered away. They've done that job very
creditably. They had their own problems with the delta, getting accustomed to the
situation down here.
The pacing factors in their job have been equipment and rock. They did not have
enough rollers and asphalt distributors for the job, and not enough rock was delivered
down to their rock sites. Now we are starting to use them for operational support
missions, and they do very well on these. The boost they've given the group is to take
these on instead of the 69th Battalion, which previously had to do all this type of work
south of the Mekong. That's allowing us to collect up the efforts of the 69th. The 69th
was always badly fractionated with so many different jobs. The 69th is now able to
concentrate its efforts a little more and will, I think, become more effective because of
it.
We fought very hard for the 35th. There was some question about whether the 35th
was being gainfully employed down here. We definitely felt that they were. Now with
the redeployment of the 86th, they'll end up being our only combat battalion down here,
and I think that makes sense.
[Major General Harold R.] Colonel Parfitt, the 20th Engineer Brigade commander, has
made the decision to leave the area of responsibility of the 34th Group just as it is until
next dry season. This has to do with the missions he has elsewhere in the brigade AOR
[area of responsibility].
This means that all the missions of the 86th will have to be picked up by the 93d. The
major problem that has to be solved here--and it's too early to say how it'll come
out--is that the 93d already had a full program with MACV advisor facilities and
preparations for its work on TL24 in the coming dry season. To this has been added the
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