Gilbert A. Brown

Gilbert A. Brown----Co B 1/22 Infantry July 1969-July 1970

Dear Brothers,

My name is Gilbert A. Brown. I served with B Company, 1st Battalion,
22nd Infantry, Fourth Infantry Division in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
My tour of duty was from July of 1969 to July of 1970.
I was assigned to a 81mm Mortar Platoon from July 1969 to May 1970.
They dismantled our mortar platoon in late April and assigned us to a straight infantry platoon
for the rest of my tour. I was directly involved with the battle in Cambodia
and the "Battle of the Rock". My last three months in country were by far the worst.
Hopefully, someone will be able to identify some of the people in the photographs
that I do not remember. I am not sure what else to say.
May God bless all of us.

SGT Gilbert A. Brown
B Company
1/22nd
4th Infantry Division
APO SF 96262

I can smell death on that rocky hill
The enemy lay dead and crying still

They have no eyes to see
The maggots have eaten them for free

We wait for them to collect their souls
But darkness frightens as the leaches howl

On the dirt I cannot sleep you see
They are waiting there every night for me

© SGT Gilbert A. Brown 2010

I believe that this picture was taken in late 1969.
As you can see a very large operation was about to take place.
I can count at least eight choppers in the valley below. I do not remember
where we were going. Undoubtedly some place bad.

Me on the right - not sure the name of the person I was with.
On a small fire base in the Central Highlands. I believe he was going home
because he has a smoke grenade tied to a stick. Hop on the chopper,
pop the smoke grenade and stick it out of the door of the chopper.
A real classy way to say good-by to the war.

Not sure of what firebase but as you can see very ricky and mountainous.
I am the person on the left and I believe David Parrish on the right.
I do not remember the person in the middle.

That is me the third person from the left. I cannot remember the names
of the other three men. The picture was taken on a chopper pad at base camp.
We were getting ready to go out on a mission, dirty clothes and all.
The person on the right is the same M-60 machine gunner that is in the picture
taken with Bob Holloway.

Same chopper pad as in the other picture. This picture was taken
right after the posed shot of me and the other three men.

On a search and destroy mission in the Central Highlands.
I took the picture right before I crossed the river.
The time frame was between May and July of 1970.

At the "Battle of the Rock" we captured a North Vietnamese soldier.
This photograph shows the soldier with our Kit Carson Scout and of course
other members of our platoon. I remember that they flew him into base camp
and brought him back out to the field for interrogation. Some higher "ranks"
flew out to the battlefield and congratulated us with a nice job.
After the two day battle ............. we went on another search and destroy mission.
I can remember those two days, especially the stench of death.

Two of our M-60 machine gunners in our platoon. This picture was taken
near the same time frame as the "Battle of the Rock". The person on the right
is Bob Holloway and I cannot remember the person on the left.
I was carrying M-60 ammo for Bob when we were humping up the hill
before we went into battle at the "Battle of the Rock". I remember Bob firing his M-60
as soon as we started to get hit. We were both behind a large tree
while I was feeding him ammuntion.

My mortar platoon set up on a fire base in the Central Highlands.
Gerald Warren is sitting on the right plotting a mortar round.
Walter Brown is sitting on the sandbags. You can see the mortar tube
on the far left and of course the boxes of mortar rounds.

Me on the left with Salvador Ramos, Jr. on the right.
This picture was taken right after the "Battle of the Rock".
It was taken on top of the hill.

Thanksgiving Menu B Company 1/22 Infantry 1969

Gil Brown on left Sugar Bear on right
Thanksgiving Dinner 1969 LZ Beaver

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