Welcome to III Corps...

The following pictures were taken by Phil Crowell.  We exchanged pictures not too long after Phil arrived in country.   Phil got to 'Nam about six months after I arrived in country. 

rotatingNew.gif (4161 bytes)   How he got there (and why he left in six months) is another story.  (Click the link to find out how this happened.)

a-342pcrowella.jpg (22680 bytes) Sgt. Phil Crowell (sportin' a ten-day beard) was a typical Special Forces Radio Operator -- an over-sexed, over-paid, under-worked, butt-ugly average guy with basically with no faults!   smiley.gif (887 bytes)  

NO...  the truth is that Phil was someone whom I would have wanted on my team.  One of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet!  Last I heard, he was in New Jersey.  You out there anywhere, Phil??

rotatingNew.gif (4161 bytes)  A great Thanksgiving 2002!!!!
I was able to find Phil after all these years and we arranged to meet while family and I vacationed in Florida in November.  Click here to see Phil and the fish that didn't get away... November 2002!
Note:  This is a non-RVN link and will open a page in a new browser window.   This page contains a numerous photos.  Please be patient while the photos download.

Notice that, in the absence of high ground, you build towers. 

On the back of his photo Phill writes "Our CO likes the lizards and leeches"  I Corps didn't have the lizards that I know of, but we sure had the leeches.  

Again, the chopper was the mode of ingress and egress for the camp.   

a-342b2a.jpg (14751 bytes) Phil's caption states that their B-Team (Nui Ba Ra) lies right behind the small knob seen in the distance.  Elevation is 800 feet above sea level.

 

Nice flat swamps and a few rubber plantations.

 

Contrast this view with the photos on the Topography page.  Ngoc Linh, approximately halfway between the Gia Vuc and Ba To Special Forces camps in I Corps, rises to over 8500 feet.  (See map on Special Forces I Corps A-Teams page)

 

a-342b1a.jpg (27474 bytes) Phil calls the green area in the foreground "more nook"  Anyone know what that means?  Swamp??

 

 

 

The brownish area across the center of the photo is rubber plantation and dry land.

 

a-342a1a.jpg (34978 bytes) Who said the Special Forces 'pacification' program wasn't working??  Dong Xoa JAYCEEs?  Rotary Club?

 

These guys were sick pups!!

Elevation:  600 feet

 

 

a-342a2a.jpg (40034 bytes) A-342  Dong Xoa   

The portion of the camp (top right corner) with the four long horizontal roofs was the District Chief's area. 

The middle-third of the righthand edge of the picture shows the Special Forces 'inner compound'. 

The 'company area' surrounds these areas.

 

a-342b3a.jpg (33084 bytes) This was typical of the III and IV Corps regions -- elevation usually just at the water line. 

Notice the height of the grass?

Also, pay particular attention to the density of the vegetation directly ahead of the lead patrol member.  Can you see how the dense foliage could easily snag the backpacks, canteen, and other items you carried?  

Did you notice the broken limb almost dead center in the picture?  It was signs such as this that we looked for while on patrol.  It meant that you were not alone in the boonies.