1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Bill Saling Page 9

During our first six months in Vietnam our battalion participated in the operation at Tuy Hoa to protect the rice harvest
followed by participating in Operation Paul Revere.

During my remaining five months in Vietnam our unit participated in Operation Sam Houston and Francis Marion along the
Cambodian Border. Our battalion was used as a blocking force next to the border to intercept the NVA coming down the
Ho Chi Minh Trail. We were isolated and alone in an area with large concentrations of NVA.

I moved out to the firebase in early February and never got back to the rear area until April or May when I was promoted to
battalion S-1.

We took heavy casualties during this phase of operations and they expected our firebase to be overrun with human wave attacks
that never materialized.

LTC Paul Braim – 1/22 Infantry Commanding Officer

LTC Len Morley was our battalion CO at Ft. Lewis and for the first six months in Vietnam. He was a WWII vet who received a
battlefield commission in Europe.

LTC Len Morley

Commanding Officer
1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

1965-1967

Call sign: Rawhide

In many ways LTC Morely was like a father to all the junior officers. He was patient yet demanding. He taught or tried to
teach us how to be effective infantry leaders. I always felt he had our best interest at heart and would never needlessly
expose us to risk beyond what the mission required.

When LTC Morley was transferred to brigade headquarters he was replaced by LTC Paul Braim.

LTC Braim was a West Point graduate and I remember during his first officers call to meet the officers in his new command
he announced that it was his intention to make full colonel during this tour in Vietnam and if it cost lives, so be it.

Wow, that was a real inspiring talk, definitely a new sheriff in town.

While LTC Braim wasn’t with us for that long, he sure made an impact. I’ve tried to recall some of the more noteworthy events
in his short tenure.

Malaria count at 0300 hours

CPT Kincheloe was our S-4 and would often get a call from LTC Braim in the middle of the night wanting to know our malaria
count or other extraneous information. Bizzare.

Larry Kincheloe had been a Lieutenant
with 1/22 Infantry at Fort Lewis.

In December 1965 as a Captain
he became S-4 Officer of the Battalion.

Sleeping on duty

During one of our stand down periods when our battalion was rotated to the rear area for a couple of days to relax and get
new replacements a strange thing occurred one night.

All the platoons had a segment of the perimeter to secure each night. My platoon was no different. I think we were on four-hour
shifts but I don’t really remember. Well one night I was sound asleep on my cot in the tent when I was awoken with a .45
pistol being cocked and pointed in my face.

LTC Braim had been inspecting the perimeter when he found a couple of my men asleep in one of the bunkers. He went nuts.
Scared the crap out of me waking up with a pistol in my face. He ripped me a new one, which was absolutely appropriate. But
then he advised me he was recommending that I be court martialed for failure to maintain discipline in my platoon.

Shocked, you bet. But Sergeant Major Arruda came to the rescue. I’m not sure what he did but no charges were ever filed and
my platoon was sent back to the front with no further action.

New replacement lost – CPT Colin McManus

The helicopter landed at my LZ and off jumped a CPT MacManus who was sent out to assume command of C Company.
I welcomed him to the battalion and told him I would get him a ride out to the company shortly.

I wished him well as he boarded the helicopter on the way to his new command.

Captain Colin D. MacManus

Commanding Officer
Company C 1/22 Infantry

Killed in Action

February 16, 1967

Since I was responsible for all combat resupply I monitored the tactical radio net as well as the logistics net, so I was able
to overhear LTC Braim berate this newly arrived CPT telling him to “get the lead out and get your Company moving”.

CPT MacManus followed orders and moved to the front of his company to urge them on when he was shot and killed.
He lasted less than a day as company commander.

Airborne relay – 1/Lt. Jon Katin

I flew back and picked up some reporters from UPI in the rear area and flew them out to join Col. Braim in the field.
I flew several more missions into that LZ when it became too dangerous with enemy small arms fire.

I returned to the firebase and a short while later I get a call from LTC Braim to get LT Katin, our communications officer
airborne to provide an airborne relay to the artillery unit. They were having difficulty with radio communications,
which would be overcome by having an airborne relay.

I briefed LT Katin on the LZ being closed because of enemy ground fire and told him specifically do not go into the LZ.

LT Katin took off and in 15 minutes the helicopter returned to the firebase with LT Katin bleeding like a pig from a neck wound.
Seems LTC Braim instructed LTC Katin to land. A bullet came through the floor of the helicopter and struck LT Katin
in the neck. He was alive when I put him on a Dustoff (med evac) to the rear area hospital.

UPI baptism of fire

When I picked up the UPI (United Press International) reporters in the rear area we had a grand time flying back to the
firebase using nap of the earth flying. That is where you fly very, very low over the terrain to minimize exposure to enemy
fire. We are talking so low we had vines hanging from our skids. This was the ultimate in adrenalin rush.

The UPI guys were white knuckle the whole way. The only time we saw any reporters were when we were in deep crap,
so we never missed an opportunity to screw them around.

So by the time the battalion returned to the firebase these UPI reporters were hyper alert and nervous. They were asked
to join LTC Braim and MAJ Williams, our executive officer in LTC Braim’s tent.

Everyone was sitting around the tent talking when all of a sudden a round goes off and LTC Braim falls over shot in the
stomach and MAJ Williams is hit in the knee.

My God, the UPI guys who were sitting in the tent came out screaming and running like their hair was on fire.
I never laughed so hard in my life.

What happened was one of the guys sitting on a bunker outside of LTC Braim’s tent was cleaning his weapon
when it went off accidently.

I immediately got LTC Braim onboard my only resupply helicopter and evacuated him back to the hospital. In the confusion
I totally forgot MAJ Williams, who wanted to know “what about me?”

Called in another helicopter and evacuated MAJ Williams back to the hospital.

Rumor had it that LTC Braim and LT Katin wound up in the same hospital room in Japan. I thought that was only fitting.
Both survived their wounds.