William Koontz

4th Battalion 42nd Artillery

William Koontz

Battery C

4th Battalion 42nd Field Artillery

4th Infantry Division

1967-1968

I went over to Nam in February 1967 to February 1968. Arrived in Longh Binh for a few days then was flown over to Pleiku
at Camp Enari for a few days then convoyed out to Camp Three Tango and then Hueyed from there to my first outpost with
C-Battery 42nd Arty, as a Cannoneer, close to Cambodia in March. Was not there long when the camp was mortared twice,
the second time was bad. The Regulars had cleared this camp and LZ and the howitzers were already in place when I arrived.
The camp was on a remote hillside deep in the jungle. After about three months I volunteered to be a radio operator with a
Forward Observer with the 42nd Arty. We humped the boonies with maybe two different 4th Infantry companies and the 22nd.
It was very rough but I was tough and did not mind. A few months later I became Recon and did not carry a radio then.
Mike Stevens from Michigan was our new radio operator. I worked for several Foward Observers. My last was LT.John Culp
from South Carolina who later was killed in action. Mike was on R&R and I was home when LT. John Culp was killed
during the Tet Offense. A very nice guy. We seldom came back to Camp Enari. Was out on missions flying here and humping there.

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