1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Bill Saling Page 1

I finally completed my course work in Business Administration was commissioned in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant.
I did well in ROTC and graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate. The benefit of this honor was the Army was eager
to make sure you had a good first experience on your first assignment and I was all set to go to Germany and drink beer
and enjoy their Oktoberfest. That was my expectation when I reported in to Ft. Benning, GA for the Infantry Officer Basic Course.

I graduated from Infantry Officer Basic Course in May 1965 as a young 2nd Lt. with a 1542 MOS (military occupational specialty),
small unit infantry commander.

My orders were to report to Ft. Lewis, WA, 4th Infantry Division. This was a surprise since I expected to be sent to Germany.
When I inquired about going to Ft. Lewis instead of Germany, I was told to “get on the bus Lieutenant”.
After reporting in to headquarters at Ft. Lewis I was assigned to the 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry.

My unit the 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry 4th Infantry Division consisted of approximately 800 men and was organized
in three rifle companies and a headquarters company.

Our Commanding Officer was LTC Leonard Morley (Rawhide), Executive Officer was MAJ Cliff High
and our Sergeant Major, Clarence Arruda.

The battalion consists of five primary areas of responsibility:
S-1 Administration
S-2 Intelligence
S-3 Operations
S-4 Logistics
S-5 Civil Affairs

Headquarters Company Commanding Officer was Captain Jon Sampson. Units assigned to Headquarters Company; Recon Platoon,
Heavy Mortar Platoon, Medical, Support Platoon, Maintenance Platoon, and Communications Platoon.

A rifle company consists of a headquarters section, three-rifle platoons and a weapons platoon.

The headquarters section is comprised of the Commanding Officer, usually a Captain, an Executive Officer,
usually a 1st Lt. and a First Sergeant.

A rifle platoon is comprised of a Platoon Leader, usually a 2nd Lt., a Platoon Sergeant and approximately 40 men who are divided
into squads. The rifle platoon is the tip of the spear for the Infantry, they lead the way, and they are the maneuver unit.

The weapons platoon provides the company with heavy weapons support such as a 81mm Mortar section and recoilless rifles.

My Evolution as a junior Infantry officer in the battalion – 23 years old:

• May 1965 - Completed Infantry Basic Officers Course at Fort Benning, GA to earn 1542 MOS
(military occupational specialty), small unit Infantry leader

• May 1965 - Assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry 4th Infantry Division as a Rifle Platoon Leader of 3rd Platoon

Jean and I were assigned base housing with a beautiful view of Mt. Ranier from our backyard. Our quarters were next to Gray Army Airfield.
I reported in to the battalion adjutant and was introduced to the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Leonard Morley. He was older and a veteran of
WWII. He had fought in Europe and received a battlefield commission. His wife Chartley was very nice and helped orient all the new wives
into the ways of the Army.

My first assignment was platoon leader for 3rd platoon A Company. My platoon sergeant was SSGT Weldon Chase,
also a WWII and Korean veteran. Thus I began to learn the ropes of an Infantry platoon leader.

During the summer of 1965 most of the senior NCO’s were being sent to Vietnam as advisors so our battalion roster was severely depleted.
As a junior officer in the battalion I was assigned to be the training officer to coordinate the mandated training syllabus. I was also assigned as
defense counsel for individuals charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

My first case as defense counsel consisted of a soldier being charged with being AWOL (absent without leave). That is a very routine case
with the trial counsel presenting the morning report and showing the individual was absent. The soldier had been confined to the brig
for a period of time waiting for his courts martial date.

The trial counsel made his presentation to the courts martial board and then it was my turn as defense counsel to make my case.
Under the UCMJ the accused must be presented with specifications and charges within a certain period of time or the charges are not valid.
Well since I minored in Business Law in college I was not unfamiliar with the basic approach to a trial.

I found that the Army had not presented the specifications and charges in a timely manner and so I moved for the case to be dismissed.
The president of the court, Major Zumo nearly lost his mind with my motion but he had no recourse but to grant the dismissal.

The next day I was removed as battalion defense counsel and became the battalion trial counsel for the next two years. I prosecuted
everything from AWOL to manslaughter. I never lost a case except for one in Vietnam, which I’ll cover later in my diary.

I was moved from 3rd platoon to Weapons platoon with SSGT Thomas Moore. Working with SSGT Moore was a real experience.
Think Mac Hales Navy. SSGT Moore had more deals going on within the platoon than you could imagine. He cut hair,
he loaned money, ran a laundry deal, it was an amazing thing to watch.

Staff Sergeant Thomas J. Moore

Platoon Sergeant for
Weapons Platoon Company A

1965

A young West Point graduate, Richard Collins was assigned to replace me a 3rd platoon leader.
He was married and he and his wife Linda had a baby while at Ft. Lewis.

After Weapons platoon I was assigned as Executive Officer for A Company. My Company Commander was 1st Lt. Dick Donnelly.

1st Lieutenant Richard P. "Dick" Donnelly

Commanding Officer Company A 1/22 Infantry

1965

By now I was really enjoying the Army. I was good at what I was doing, liked the people I was working with and loved
the variety of jobs to be done. Although I do remember one of the comments on one of my first officer efficiency report,
“Lt. Saling speaks on great authority on matters of what he knows little”. I still had much to learn.

During the summer of 1965 however we assumed the strategic rapid response role from the 82nd Airborne who was deployed
to the Dominican Republic during that period. It was called Task Force Ace and the battalion was on 24 hour alert status.
We had several dry runs where we were called in the middle of the night to assemble and report to Gray Army Airfield at Ft. Lewis
and prepare to board C-130 aircraft.

In August 1965 the battalion was alerted for deployment to Los Angeles for the Watts Riots. We assembled, were given ammo
and deployed to Gray Army Airfield where we sat on idling C-130 for a couple of hours before the alert was cancelled.

In late fall I was called in to the battalion office and offered the opportunity to attend a Jungle Operations Course in Panama.
I thought this would be interesting so in December 1965 I attended a three-week course at Ft. Sherman, Canal Zone.

During the orientation brief the instructor announced that they had authorization for one fatality per training cycle and urged us not be that one.
This was a rather sobering introduction to a challenging three-week program.

After the orientation we were assigned to a team. As luck would have it I was assigned to a Special Forces team.

My one memory that really comes to mind was during an E&E (escape and evasion) course. The reason I remember this so well
is that I had a bad experience at Ft. Benning with their E&E program.

During the day you are taught about interrogation techniques, the military Code of Conduct, (how to behave if you are ever captured,
name, rank, serial number, etc.).

After dinner you wait until about 0200 hours when everyone is loaded onto a truck and taken out into the field. The object
is to reach your objective without being caught. Each person is dropped off alone. To reach your objective you must walk
through brambles, swamps and open fields.

I had walked for 30 minutes when I thought I heard a dog bark in the distance. Strange, I thought what would a dog be doing
out here in the middle of the night. As that thought left my mind I could hear the dog getting closer so I crawled under a huge
bramble bush. The next thing I knew this Doberman pincher was growling in my face. This big guy yells at me to get out of there.
I crawled out from under the bush and he started asking me if there was anyone with me. I replied with name, rank and
serial number. He wasn’t happy with this response, so by now he is screaming at me and the dog is getting really upset.
I again responded with name, rank and serial number. That was when he turned loose the dog. He started biting my legs
and so I said, “hell no there is no one else here”.

They took me to a truck, tied my hands behind my back and laid me face down on the truck bed. By now there were several of us
lying in the truck. When they got ready to go they put the dog on top of us and headed off to the prisoner compound.

When we got to the compound we were pulled off the truck and left to fall on the ground and then placed in cages
awaiting our interrogation. One guy broke his back being dragged off the truck. This was bad news for the aggressor team
since his father was a congressman and launched an investigation into the program.

The interrogation consisted of being beat with a piece of garden hose that had been split. You have no idea how that stung.
After 15 minutes of being beat you had the possibility of being put on the pole or in the pit. The pole was about six inches
in diameter and was vertical. They would lock your legs around the pole and then knock you backward until your kneecaps
almost popped. The pit was easier. You did a front leaning position over a slime filled pit and eventually you fell into the slime
and then they rolled you around in the sand. Or you could be made to kneel on your shins on a telephone pole, very painful.

Eventually they moved us to another camp they said was more severe. During that move I broke away and ran into the woods
as far as I could go before stopping totally exhausted. Before I could catch my breath I could hear the sounds of dogs in the distance.
I couldn’t believe it.

Two guys had caught me and were taking me back to the truck. One guy was in front pulling on my web gear and the other guy
was following behind me. I loosened my web gear so the next time the guy in front pulled, it gave way and he tripped.

I turned and hit the guy behind me and took off. I jumped into this ravine full of brambles. The ravine was about six foot deep
with a small creek running through the bottom. These guys were mad as hell and had a big branch that they were smashing down
in the brambles. I just laid quite, in the water hoping they would get tired and leave. About that time a small snake crawled over
my hand but I did not move. Eventually these guys gave up. I waited till morning and made my way to the finish line.

So when we had to go through another E&E course in Panama I was not happy. As it turns out being with the Special Forces
worked out. In this scenario our team had to evade to a designated point. Some of my Special Forces teammates stole a truck
and we drove to our destination. There is something to be said for unconventional warfare.

We did however suffer a fatality during our training in Panama. One of the guys drowned in the Chagres River.

In late 1965 our battalion was robbed of our senior NCO’s to fill the pipeline for advisors to Vietnam. The 1/22 was a skeleton crew
until about January when we received a large influx of soldiers who had completed basic training. They were sent to the battalion
with a train and retain program. We completed their advanced individual and small unit training before throughout the spring of 1966.

There was an opening for Recon platoon leader and I had hopes of getting that position but it was not to be. I was assigned
to Support platoon. Support platoon is part of the S-4 (supply) section and has a primary role of providing all truck transportation
for the battalion. Not the job I had hoped for!

Sometime in late spring Col Morley called an officers meeting. By now we knew the battalion had been alerted for deployment
to Vietnam so each officer was asked to identify those personnel in their unit they did not want to deploy. These were people
who were causing problems and did not fit in well.

I identified those people in my platoon that I would like to get rid of and turned in my list. A short while later Col. Morley
announced that all the misfits that had been identified would be transferred to Support platoon so they would be easier to monitor.
Great, now I had all the malcontents to deal with, as we got ready for deployment.

This created some problems for my new platoon sergeant, Gary Miller. Sgt. Miller was a stickler for discipline and was constantly
stressing military courtesy, saluting their officers. This didn’t sit well with my group, so it was a never-ending source of friction.
Sgt. Miller could be rather persuasive in his teaching techniques. On more than one occasion I had to remind Sgt. Miller
that corporal punishment was not the only tool in his toolbox.

After we arrived in Vietnam the men in my platoon had a great time saluting me in the field identifying me as an officer and thus a great target.

During June we spent every day getting our vehicles ready for shipment. Sgt. Miller and my platoon did a great job of preparing
our equipment and vehicles for shipment. When we arrived in Vietnam all of our vehicles and equipment was in good shape and ready to go.

On July 21, 1966 everyone reported to the battalion area at 0500 hours to board buses that would take us to the Port of Tacoma
to board the USNS Walker for deployment to Vietnam.

Most of the wives were dockside to wish us well. There was a military band playing music, just like in the movies.

Got up at 0615 after a good night sleep and got last minute things together. Capt. Sampson arrived at 0700 to go into
Headquarters Company. Waited around in Battalion Quad until 1030 when the buses picked us up to go down to the port.
Boarded the USNS Walker about 1330 hours and we set sail at 1445 hours, waved good-bye to my wife, Jean. I switched cabins
and moved in with B Company. There is Fiacco, Ferguson, Dinetz, Marksity and Babcock. Room is comfortable but a little crowded.
Played poker and got terrible hands; lost 3 dollars. Went to sleep.

Slept great. The Navy doesn’t get up as early as we do. First sitting for breakfast was at 0800 hours. The food is out of this world.
You sit at linen covered tables and the mess stewards wait on each table. We even have menus! Today, we are well out to sea
but so far smooth sailing. Troops are feeling pretty good, laughing and joking like we are on an ocean cruise. They’ll learn so enough.
The deck is very crowded with troops, but so is the area where they sleep. Their bunks are stacked 4 high with 2 feet in between,
awfully crowded for the enlisted men. Played cards again tonight and lost so I quit.

These are my boys, Support Platoon. Platoon Sergeant was Gary Gary D. Miller.

Good breakfast; eggs, pancakes, juice, milk and coffee, I’m going to be too big to leave the ship. They told us our destination
was Qui Nhon, where we will leave the ship. We will arrive in Okinawa on 2 August and Qui Nhon on 6 August. Still no one is
showing any fear, everyone is in good spirits. This afternoon we will have classes on deck for my platoon. Set our watches back
one hour since we have left your time zone. Went to see the movie “The Alamo” then played some cards. Had a PT
(physical training) formation on the back deck and worked out for ½ hour.

Today is Sunday. I was all set to go to the church service but got tied up and missed the service. Weather is clear but the water
is getting a little rougher. Fiacco borrowed a guitar and we all sat around and sang songs. He made up a song about Vietnam.
The weather has gotten much worse and the deck is really pitching. Everyone is going to bed early. Went up on deck and the waves
were really huge. Nobody in our cabin was sick but there were quite a few who did get sick. Played cards and won the money back
that I lost yesterday, I’m now even.

Weather has gotten a little better but it is still pretty rough. Had lamb chops for lunch. Doc Maur (battalion surgeon) is also staying
in our cabin. He just walked in from taking a shower, which is interesting, you must hold onto a rail to keep from falling down
which makes soaping up a challenge. Every day the ship produces a daily newsletter; I’ll enclose one so you can see what I mean.

Beautiful morning, I woke feeling great. In fact, I decided I would jump on Fiacco in his bunk but I slipped off the third tier bunk
and hit my head. God did it hurt. Now I have a big lump. Tomorrow we go through the International Date Line, so today is Tuesday
and tomorrow is Thursday.

Our big event today was an abandon ship drill and a court martial. We had two cases today both AWOL before we left.
The weather is getting much warmer now and the water is a beautiful dark blue. It is so blue it looks like someone poured ink
into the water. Went to the movie tonight and saw “Sign post for murder”. Every night they have a movie and bingo.
Rumor is our equipment won’t reach us for some time, so I’m going to try and swing it so I can stay in Qui Nhon.
The morale of the troops is high no signs of nervousness yet. Ron Marksity gave me a stamp so I’ll mail home my first
installment of my diary when we reach Okinawa. Don’t look for July 27th, because we never saw that day because when we passed
the International Date Line we skipped a day. There were a couple of guys who had birthdays on the 27th and were unable to celebrate.

Still in bed but everything is quite and peaceful so I thought I would drop you a note. It is after lunch now and I will be going out
to where we teach small classes on combat first aid, field sanitation, etc. The weather is getting unbearably hot and humid
the further we get into the South Pacific. I had a long talk with my platoon sergeant, Gary Miller this morning. He told me about his family.
He is a good man, a real asset to the platoon.

Today they finally started rationing our water supply. Oh, by the way, everybody is now watching at night to see if they can spot
the submarines, which are supposed to be on each side of the ship. (Never saw any). When we reach Okinawa we are going to pick up
a Navy destroyer to escort us to Vietnam. The weather now is getting hotter and more humid. Everyone is just dragging and appetites
are dropping even though we have great meals. The Navy sure does know how to eat. Went on deck to talk to my troops who are
becoming slowly aware of our destination. Talked about their families, what they wanted to do when they got out of the Army
(most of my men were draftees). Tonight’s movie was “The Train”.

Donnelly and Sampson seemed very pensive, deep in thought. Very seldom see Capt. Sampson. He either stays in his room or
on the officer’s deck. Of course being married only a month doesn’t help. At our meeting tonight, Capt. Samson announced
that we would get a pass to go ashore in Okinawa. I’ll check it out and see what Okinawa has to offer. After the movie tonight
I went for a walk on deck. The sea is beautiful at night, so quiet. The stars are unbelievable. Dick Donnelly and Larry Kinchloe
just walked in so I’ll write more tomorrow.

It is 0545 and I am the only one awake. The sun is just coming up over the water and the sea is very calm. Well, last night
I went down to Dick’s and Larry’s room and we finished off the last of the Jim Beam. Boy, I never realized how concerned
Dick was about going to Vietnam until we started talking after a few drinks. Dick is now going to be S-2, Intelligence Officer,
which I think is a better fit than Company Commander of A Company. I’ll go back to bed now until breakfast at 0815.
Today we turn in two sets of fatigues to the laundry.