Engineer Memoirs
turnaround on parts. Consequently, what would have been otherwise an impossible equipment
maintenance job was effectively executed.
Many of our soldiers, who had no experience building roads, soon learned how to operate asphalt
plants, rock quarries, et cetera. We set up, in our brigade area, a number of industrial sites
consisting of a quarry, rock-crushing capability, an asphalt plant, and materials needed to build
bridges, culverts, et cetera, associated with roads. Usually, these sites were at a construction
battalion headquarters. Colonel George Rebh, deputy brigade commander, helped a great deal in
developing the concept of these well-planned and efficient industrial sites throughout the brigade
area.
The real problem, of course, was keeping the asphalt plants in operation. We improved as we
went along, and we surely tried. Still, I don't think we ever were fully efficient, although we did
pave a lot of roads. The reasons for paving the roads were multiple. First, better roads allowed
our troops to move more efficiently, and the pavement almost eliminated the use of land mines.
Until the roads were paved, we had to sweep every road each morning with mine detectors to be
sure the Vietcong had placed no mines overnight.
The combat operations consisted mainly of countering night attacks and supporting the combat
divisions. We did have noteworthy tactical incidents, however.
The 299th Engineer Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Newman Howard, was located
between Dak To and Ben Het, west of Pleiku. Ben Het was so close to the border that the enemy
was always nearby, destroying or at least interfering with transportation. In early 1970, the South
Vietnamese were providing security for a 299th Engineer Battalion convoy en route to Ben Het
when attacked by North Vietnamese. We had a couple of people killed and some equipment
damaged. Colonel Howard personally got his troops out okay but was very upset with the South
Vietnamese security. I remember asking the corps commander to replace the engineer battalion
with an infantry battalion. He decided that if we did that, the South Vietnamese would think we
didn't have confidence in their ability to protect us.
In a few weeks, the same event recurred and a very tough fight ensued. Again Howard extricated
the troops and received the Silver Star for gallantry. His battalion was so badly beaten up by those
two events that it had to be moved to the rear [east coast area]. Then it was replaced by an
infantry unit.
I do remember the wonderful officers and enlisted personnel. The roster of battalion commanders
and group commanders in my brigade sounds like the leadership of the Corps for the next decade.
Jack Waggoner, commander of the 45th Group, became a major general. He was replaced by
Colonel Carroll
later a major general; Harry Griffith was the 35th Group commander,
lieutenant general. The
Bob Marshall, later a major general. Hap Adams, Colonel [Carroll
E.] Adams [Jr.] who was killed, was a brigadier general promotable.
Then the battalion commanders sounded also like a Who's Who list: Hugh Robinson, Sam Kem,
John Wall, Ernie Edgar, Jim Donovan, and an S-3 named Art Williams-all future generals.
Command Sergeant Major Santecrose was truly a great NCO. He traveled everywhere I did, and
his famous expression to the troops was, "Get with the program." He was a dynamic influence.
We each spent over 700 hours that year in a helicopter, going from place to place.
Our chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Wetherall, was an inspiration to our troops and was
always with our front-line battalions. I remember going with him at Christmastime to every unit
and to every person that we could find. As in Korea, the value of religious leadership to soldiers
was undeniable.
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