Bob Babcock Page 3

Bob Babcock

3rd Platoon Leader Nov 1965 - Dec 1966

Executive Officer Dec 1966 - Jul 1967

Bravo Company 1/22 Infantry 4th Infantry Division

This is part of 3rd Platoon, B 1/22 loading onto a chopper to begin CA
at start of Operation Paul Revere IV, on November 3, 1966.

Picture taken through the open door of a Huey, November 3, 1966,
as we were enroute to the Plei Trap valley along the Cambodian border to begin Operation Paul Revere IV.

Troops of B 1/22 landing on November 3, 1966 at beginning of Operation Paul Revere IV.

Troops of 3rd Platoon, B 1/22 leaving fire base on November 3, 1966, as they started Operation Paul Revere IV
in the Plei Trap valley along the Cambodian border, in the central highlands of Vietnam.
The search and destroy mission lasted until December 20, 1966. Soldier in left front is SGT Bill Bukovec,
short soldier behind him is SP4 Charles Marrano, and tall one in center is SP4 Charles Heath.

Lt Bob Babcock on Operation Paul Revere IV, photo taken in early December 1966.

Captain Buck Ator

This is more than I carried, I didn't carry the air mattress like Buck did. Otherwise we all carried about this much stuff on our back. We all carried 10-12 sandbags which we filled each night for overhead cover on our bunkers,
plenty of water, a day's supply of C-rations, and other miscellaneous stuff.
On a few occasions, before Ator took over the company, we carried an 81mm mortar round
and the 81mm mortar platoon went with us (it was organic to us then, not part of Company E).
We learned early on after a couple of days of humping those rounds and the crew humping the tube and baseplates
that it was a waste of time - from then on we left the 81s in the fire base with C 4/42 Arty and the 4.2 mortars.
Never had the 60mm mortars when I was there, think they came in later to some units.

Charlie Battery, 4/42 Artillery - always ready to support...

December 19, 1966 - gun pit of C 4/42 Arty, waiting for a fire mission to spring into action in support of 1/22 Infantry.

SSG Baez heads into the jungle on Operation Paul Revere IV, mid-December 1966.

B 1/22 did not get out of the jungle in time to see the Bob Hope USO show that was going on in 4ID base camp
(other companies in the Battalion did). A combo from the 4ID band was sent out to entertain some of the troops
as the fire base was being broken down - of course security was maintained by others.
A comical event happened as a Psyops American plane flew over the area with Christmas music blasting out of its loudspeakers, which drowned out the music of the 4ID band. We were so mad that we missed the Bob Hope show,
but quickly got over it once we got out of the jungle and back to base camp
for the first time inside a secure perimeter since we got to Vietnam on August 6, 1966.

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