Memories of an Alpha Regular Part 3

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

Memories of a Regular from 3rd Platoon Alpha Company

1968-1969

by Al Ballard

Part Three

We fell into a routine the rest of the summer. Slack was actually beginning to feel like home.
I grew up in the backwoods of Missouri with an outhouse and no running water - not much difference!
After we got the mortars taken care of, we would have probes now and then, the H and I helped with that.
People were starting to rotate home and FNG's started conming in. I remember this one guy - Ledbetter from Georgia -
first thing he asked was if we got Sundays off, this gave us all a good laugh!
One thing we started noticing when they got off the choppers is they were practically holding their noses.
We couldn't figure out what they were smelling that smelled so bad until we realized it was us!

Tim Shue from Bethlehem, Pa arrived, his civilian job was a cop before he got drafted - we all thought that was pretty cool.
We got a kid in from Alabama - couldn't remember his name, just called him Alabama,
Duffy form Pennsylvania who became point man for Andy's squad until he and I left, and a few others
whose names I can't remember. Along around the first part of August Eugene Scott arrived.

Before the monsoons hit we got clean clothes once a week
A slick would drop off some pallets of clothes and you just hoped you would find something that would fit you.
After the monsoons hit we were lucky to get clean clothes once a month.
We usually were able to get a bath when we were out on patrol and came across a blue line,
but there wasn't enough potable water on the base for showers.
Only time we got regular showers was after the monsoons started.

We were still having a revolving door on platoon leaders when the XO was invited by the captain
to come out around the middle of June to get some combat experience. Can't remember his name -
just that we nicknamed him Clara Belle - this guy had no business being in the jungle, much less being a platoon leader.
One day Capt Itchener decides he wanted him to take a 10 man patrol out and scout the higher ground around Slack - my squad got tagged for this one.
We spent 3 miserable days in the monsoon getting to the top of this one hill that overlooked the range that Slack was in.
The 4th morning the Captain called and said he wanted us all back in before dark that day because he had info the NVA were going to make a big push
and try to take over Slack. This was between 0800 and 0830, the Captain also said if we made it in before dark
we wouldn't have to pull any guard duty or anything. It was all downhill and we ran all the way getting in just before dark.
The Captain had us putting out concertina til midnight then pull 100% alert the rest of the night.
B-52's were dropping arc lights on NVA about a click away. They made no attempt on Slack.

We finally got a good platoon leader around the first of July in 1LT Dennis Whitt.
He knew his stuff and stood up to the Captain when he tried to pull some more stuff on 3rd platoon.
But he was close to DEROS and we only had him for a month. I took over as his RTO and really enjoyed working with him.
Right after he left the first part of August, I finally got my 5 day R&R - I had been out in the jungle for 9 months straight!
Really felt odd to go back to Pleiku to get ready to go.
Bangkok was heaven, but 5 days went too fast. Having a real bed to sleep in and a real bathroom to use was great!
And the girls were good too! But before I knew it, it was time to return to Viet Nam.
Best thing was when I got back to Slack I had under 90 days to go.
We rotated a few more LT's before the end of August finally ending up with a brand new banana bar.
Around the first part of September we had to leave Slack and the rest of my tour was spent humping the boonies.

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Al Ballard, LZ Slack, summer 69

Shortly after receiving our new platoon leader - 2LT Barber- we also received a new company commander - Captain Sustersic.
We knew we were in trouble when he had starched fatigues choppered out to him, as I said,
we were lucky to get clean clothes once a month. He wanted everybody to have their rank on their helmet liners
because he didn't want to talk to anyone below SP4.
We really hadn't had a chance to see how he would react to anything before we left Slack.
Toward the end of August, 1st of September we left LZ Slack and humped across the valley to Mile High -
and that thing was every bit of a mile straight up!

Prior to leaving Slack, Alabama took over as the 60 gunner because Ragains was sent back to Pleiku for NCO school
and they kept him there to run the perimeter guard.
After leaving Mile High we were taken to the Pleiku AO. The NVA had gathered and were going to try to overrun Pleiku.
1/22 stopped the NVA dead in their tracks, A Company's contact was light
but the other companies had some major contact that broke the NVA's backs.
Late one afternoon we came up on an abandoned NVA bunker complex, the engineers were going to blow the bunkers the next morning,
so it was decided this would be our overnight position. OP's were put out and everyone was just starting to get settled in
when an AK47 opened up and an FNG was running running back in from OP
trying to get his rifle loaded and had his helmet shot off. Nobody had checked him before putting him on OP,
he had no round chambered and had a portable radio he was grooving to the music to when he looked up
and had NVA right in front of him. He made it in safely and we opened up and the Captain called in gunships.
By this time it was dark and we couldn't see anything.

Next morning Captain Sustersic had 3rd platoon follow the trail to see where it went.
We came to a large clearing then the trail picked up on the other side in heavy foliage.
The new 2LT wanted us to just run across the clearing without taking any precautions.
As his RTO I strongly advised we not do that, especially since the hairs on the back of my head were standing up.
I pretty well knew what they had waiting for us. Once we got the LT convinced it wasn't in our best interest to do this,
we rejoined the company and the LT gave his report. The engineers went ahead and blew the bunkers and we moved out.
A little while later some helicopters reported seeing some dinks in the open on this island
in the middle of an abandoned rice paddy. Captain Sustersic wanted us to just charge across without any prep fire or anything.
As point squad leader Andy informed them his men weren't going in the open until we had some prep fire.
Captain Sustersic got upset but finally called in prep fire. When we made it to the island we didn't find any dinks
but there were 8 LAWS laying there ready to be fired - if Andy hadn't insisted on doing the right thing
we would have lost a lot of good people. Andy and I were the only 2 old timers left by this time,
and I was RTO while he ran the point squad. His main point man was Duffy - and he was pretty good.
When we got down to 2 weeks left I turned my radio over and walked rear security
and Andy walked point himself until we left.

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All thru September 69 we stayed in the Pleiku AO. This was the monsoon season and when you set up at night,
it was always so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
As platoon RTO I was responsible for setting up radio watches thru the night.
This one evening shortly after the incident with the LAW's, I decided I wanted the midnight radio watch.
When I was woken up, it was pitch black and raining.
There was a 2 man poncho hootch real close so I decided I would sit just inside out of the rain
to keep me and the radio dry. I turned my rifle barrel behind me to keep it dry.
I could still see the same area in front that I could before I went in - which was basically nothing because you couldn't see anything.
I was just sitting there thinking that it was so dark an NVA could cut my throat
without me even knowing he was there when a hand reached in and grabbed me!
If I had my rifle barrel turned around I would have emptied a clip, but all I could do was come with a butt stroke.
Turned out it was an FNG who crawled out the opposite end as I was crawling in to go relieve himself.
Why he chose to come back the end where I was I don't know, but it scared the crap out of both of us!
He had a sore face for awhile. I still can not go into dark, enclosed places since then.

Shortly after the middle of Sep we were sent to Camp Radcliff in the AN Khe AO.
This had been the home of the Ist Cavalry Division since 1965, but the 4th took over from them a month or two before.
We got in at night and were told we would have a couple day's standdown.
From the time around Pleiku to An KHe in Sept and before leaving the field 22 Oct, I got used to calling in medevacs.
We had one guy that just completely lost it and had to be medevacced.
Alabama, our 60 gunner shot himself in the hand with his 45 pistol. That was when Tim Shue took over as 60 gunner.
But from accidents to shootings by snipers we had a lot of WIA.
The next morning after arriving at Radcliff, Andy and I found out Our DEROS had been moved back to 27 Oct which made us happy.
About noon that day Andy and I, and a few other guys from A Company
were in the USO building when someone told us that A Company had left!
We got our gear, saddled up and caught the next chopper.
I don't know what LZ we landed at, but the HO Chi Minh trail was right below us.
The rest of the company had already been choppered in, so I moved off the LZ a little way and started trying to make contact with our platoon.
About this time, cloud cover came in about 10 feet above the LZ, the next chopper came in about 10 feet below the LZ.
When part of the chopper blade landed at my feet, I decided it was time to move out.
The rest of September and October we humped the hills and watched the Ho Chi Minh Trail at night,
where there was always movement and lights.
I was at the company CP one time shortly after this and heard Captain Sustersic say he wanted medals and he didn't care how he got them.
He had us moving at night and doing other things we shouldn't have been doing because he wanted to get himself some medals.
This is where we picked up the sniper that followed us the rest of the time I was there.

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LZ Slack during the monsoons

Rest of tour is pretty much a blur. 24 September was when he had our 2nd KIA - Scott.
That one still bothers me to today. Calling medevacs and getting resupplied all run together thru October.
After Andy and I heard Captain Sustersic talking about his medals was when we decided he would walk point
and I would walk rear security until we left. We did some stupid things before we left because of the Captain, but we did leave.
We knew something bad was going to happen and just hoped it wasn't until after we left.

On 22 Oct 69 I had ringworm on my legs so bad because of the monsoons and only getting clean clothes once
a month I talked the medic into letting me go the rear so I could clear up before going home.
Tim Shue, our 60 gunner, had fallen and hurt his back on some rocks. When the medevac came in for him I left on it also.
We went back to An Khe. I waited for Andy to come in so we could go to Pleiku and outprocess.
Prior to leaving Pleiku I got my orders for the 5th Division at Fort Carson.
I visited with Ragains a little bit and got his phone number because he lived in Colorado Springs
right outside Fort Carson. He still had 2 weeks left so he could ETS when he left.
Andy and I were reunited with Bogett and found out we were all being promoted to Buck Sgt on the 27 Oct.
our DEROS day. We were flown back to Cam Ranh Bay to catch our flight home.
There were 200 of us leaving on the same plane. There was dead silence as we loaded and taxied down the runway.
Once it was airborne - then everyone was whistling and yelling.

We flew back to Fort Lewis, Washington, got showers and new uniforms then were taken to a mess hall to eat.
It was an old wooden mess hall and didn't see anything unusual about it , but when you walked in you were
standing on red carpet with a Sgt welcoming you home and how would you like your steak?
Best meal in over a year!
That was great! I know some guys didn't get that when they got home - especially if they came back thru California.
After we got our back pay and were bussed to SEA-TAC airport, 200 of us fresh back from Nam walked into the terminal,
and a girl in a miniskirt walked by - all we could do was stand there with our mouths open! That was a real welcome home!
We all went our separate ways and that was the last time I saw Andy.
I spoke to him in North Carolina the last time in 1981, and haven't been able to locate him since -
if anybody knows his wherabouts please let me know. His full name is Calvin G. Anderson from Wilkseboro, N.C.

A couple weeks after I got home I called Ragains and he was telling me about what happened to Capt Sustersic -
he got his medals - posthumously! But he took some some good guys with him.
Mine and Andy's premonition had come to be, but wished it hadn't.

I got into Colorado Springs on 6 Dec and went to visit Ragains and met his sister.
On 29 Dec we were married, will be 35 years this Dec.
I reported in to Fort Carson on the 8th of Dec, I still had over 2 years on my enlistment because I was RA.
I was told I would be going back to Nam in 6 months. I decided I didn't want to do that because I was getting married.
I reenlisted for Air Defense and got orders for a Nike Hercules missile command post at Fort MacArthur,
San Pedro, Ca. That was a great assignment for a newly wed!I spent 4 more years in the Army, got out, spent 4 1/2 years
in the Coast Guard, got out. In 1984 moved back to Missouri and Joined the Arkansas National Guard
til joining Navy Reserve in 1988.

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For more pictures of Al, click on the following link to go to his photo pages:

Al Ballard - Alpha Company 1968-69