D/151 RGR / LRP / LRS HISTORY

	D/151 RGR	D/151 LRP	151 LRS
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	UNIT DIRECTOR - Tom Blandford     (Tom's Message)

The History of the Indiana Rangers

On 20 November 1969, Co D (Ranger), 151st Infantry (Airborne) 'Stood Down'. Mission accomplished, job well done! The operations were turned over to Company D (Ranger), 75th Infantry, just as smoothly as they had been assumed from Company F, 51st Infantry (LRP) on 26 December 1968. What is so significant about this change of designation is that Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry (Airborne) was a National Guard unit from the Indiana cities of Evansville, Greenfield, and Muncie.

Before we discuss the unit’s service in Vietnam, a little history of how this unit was formed in the first place is needed. In November of 1965 the Indiana National Guard organized its' first and only Airborne Infantry battalion, the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 151st Infantry, in response to the high mobilization priority of a Selected Reserve Force. With the build up of the Vietnam War, the entire 38th Infantry Division fully expected to be called to active duty and the inclusion of an Airborne Battalion would be highly valued.  In anticipation of this call up, hundreds of Indiana National Guardsmen attended Airborne School at Ft Benning, GA, in August 1967,  for their Annual Field Training (AFT).

In December 1967 the Department of Defense changed its direction and restructured the National Guard through the United States, thus changing the status of the 38th Infantry Division. The Indiana Adjutant General was able to retain most of the Airborne qualified personnel and formed two long range patrol companies. Thus, was born Companies Delta (D), located in Evansville IN, and Echo (E), located in Muncie, IN, forming the Long Range Patrol (LRP), 151st Infantry unit. Later both companies were combined into a single company, designated Company D, and headquartered at the Greenfield IN Armory. Ironically, training on weekend drills at Camp Atterbury, was divided between long range patrolling techniques and riot control training.    

The war in Vietnam continued to escalate and so did the resistance at home. Several states were mobilizing the Guard to control demonstrations, especially on college campuses. A new twist came for Company D, when the Military Dept of Indiana announced on February 14, 1968,  that the AFT for 1968, would be held from March 2 to March 17, at the Army's Jungle Warfare Training Center at Ft Sherman, Canal Zone, Panama. You can imagine what rumors started flying, when the cadre at the Jungle School started telling members of the unit, that they were headed for Vietnam. Most members were in disbelief, when just three weeks after returning from Panama, the unit was called to active duty.

On Monday May 13, 1968 the unit departed from Indianapolis and Evansville for Ft. Benning, Georgia. Of all the 20,000 reservists activated, D Company was the only National Guard Infantry unit called to active duty. A total of 195 enlisted men, 1 warrant officer, and 8 officers convoyed in World War II vintage trucks to Georgia. (The men from Evansville were flown on commercial air to Georgia). Ironically, that same day, peace talks between North Vietnam and the United States, started in Paris, France.

All members were already Airborne qualified and 98% were Jungle qualified. Co D would undergo 6 months of additional training with the 197th Infantry on Kelly Hill at Ft Benning, GA. Several members were sent TDY for specialized training, including Radio (RTO), Pathfinder, Rigger, Jumpmaster, various support schools, and the 8 week Ranger School. The entire unit spent one week each at the three Ranger school courses in Georgia and Florida. Several Airborne jumps were made at Benning in the 6 months while in training.

Rumors were rampant among the men up until departure day, that the unit would never go to Vietnam. On December 20, 1968, six men departed as an advance team to set up the base camp next to Camp Frenzell-Jones, home of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade at Long Binh. The base camp had been recently vacated by B Battery of the 6th Battalion of the 56th Air Defense Artillery.  On December 28, 1968 the entire unit departed Ft Benning, GA, arriving at Bien Hoa Air Base on December 29, 1968. By this time, about 20% enlisted and drafted men joined the unit, taking the place of those National Guard personnel that had been transferred or ETS'd.

Upon arriving in Vietnam, the unit found that they would be replacing another Long Range Patrol unit Company F (LRP) 51st Infantry. Co F was being dismantled and some of their members would be joining our unit. Co F’s commanding officer, Major George M Heckman took over as Co D’s commanding officer. Co D (LRP) 151st Infantry (Airborne) would become the only National Guard unit serving together in Vietnam as an Infantry unit. Other National Guard personnel, that had activated, were sent to Vietnam on an individual replacement basis.

The LRP unit of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade conducted a one week orientation course with the unit. Physical training became intense and difficult. The unit had just left Indiana winter and a 30 day leave of absence, and Vietnam's summer heat was a difficult adjustment. Co D was attached to the II Field Force to become their eyes and ears to the northern approaches of the Bien Hoa Air Force base and the Long Binh Army base.

Work was around the clock getting the base camp set up and all the supplies and equipment in place. By mid January 1969 members were going on patrol with members of Co F for long range patrol orientation. By February 1, 1969, the unit had passed all tests and was deemed operational. At the same time the unit's status and name was changed from Long Range Patrol to Ranger. (Twelve other LRP units in Vietnam became Ranger units of the 75th Ranger Regiment). Patrolling began on a regular schedule with twelve to eighteen teams in the field at all times. Thirty members attended the MACV’ Recondo School run by the 5th Special Forces at Nha Trang with field exercise on Hon Tre Island, all graduating with the Arrowhead patch and diploma. The members of the unit were highly motivated and well educated. All were older than typical Vietnam personnel. The average age of the members was around 24. Several were in college when called to active duty, or had established careers.

The evening of February 11, 1969 would end in tragedy with the loss of our first team member Killed in Action (KIA). The team had been inserted late in the evening to block the expected approach by the Viet Cong (VC), who was intent on blowing up the ammo dump at Long Binh, as part of the 1969 Tet Offensive. Spec-4 Charles Larkins would give his life in this mission and the other 5 members of the patrol were seriously wounded.

In March the Company received Kit Carson Scouts, also called Chieu Hoi Scouts, which were assigned to the teams. These new team members were received with caution because these Hoi Chanhs were captured VC or NVA, and re-indoctrinated to join the cause of South Vietnam. After a few patrols and contacts with the enemy, the Chieu Hoi's were very much accepted and welcomed with few exceptions.

A briefing by II Field Force Intel Officer, in which the company was told that the only true information was bodies, equipment, and documents, the missions were changed to Hunter-Killer operations, than true reconnaissance missions as the unit had been trained.

Many ambush patrols were conducted in War Zone D, in Long Khanh and Bien Hoa Provinces, along small roads and trails and the Song Dong Ngai and Song Be Rivers. Several patrols reported a massing of the enemy troops during the Tet of 1969. Many contacts were made by the teams against three to six NVA/VC patrols, and at time against much larger enemy forces. Most patrols were five or six man teams, but several ‘heavy’ twelve man patrols were conducted if previous information suggested that a contact was likely. One heavy mission in May1969, the team counted 380 NVA as they advanced south. On this particular night, the team did not pull back to a Rest over Night (RON) position, but stayed up within a few feet of the trail. Artillery fire, called in by the Ranger team, claimed many enemy lives and the team was extracted the next day with no friendly casualties.

Army Aviation played a vital role in the success and support of Ranger missions. Insertions and extractions were preformed by the “Annie Fannies” of the 117th Assault Helicopter Company (AHC) flying UH-1H Hueys. These “slicks”, as they were called, were flown by two pilots, usually Warrant Officers, and had one Crew Chief and one Door Gunner, both enlisted men. They were armed with two 7.62mm M-60D machine guns mounted in the side doors of the cargo area. They went by the call sign “Warlords”. Fire support was provided with AH-1G Cobra gunship’s, flown by the 334th AHC Sabers, with call signs of “Playboys”, “Dragons”, and “Raiders”. The Cobras were flown by two pilots, one of which was the gunner. They were armed with two rocket pods firing 2.75 inch rockets, 40mm grenade launchers, and a XM134 7.62mm Minigun. Often the Cobra’s were the most effective method of breaking contact with a larger, determined enemy force. The 117th and the 334th were members of the 222nd Aviation Battalion (Combat Support), 1st Aviation Brigade, and had rotating platoons assigned to Co D on a permanent basis.  Communication relay and aerial observation was performed by the “Aloft” pilots, as they were know, of the 74th Reconnaissance Aviation Company (RAC), flying O-1A “Bird Dog” Cessna fixed wing airplanes. The pilots of the 74th RAC provided constant radio-relay from the Ranger teams to the Company’s Tactical Operations Center (TOC) base camp at Long Binh.

Additional support during and after some contacts, came from a ready reaction force called the “Blue Tigers” of D Troop, 3rd Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry. After the Ranger team had made contact with the enemy, a platoon of the Blue Tigers would be inserted near the Ranger team. The two units would link up to conduct sweeps of the area with the intention of locating even more of the enemy force. Several times after these sweeps were completed, the Ranger team would become a ‘stay behind’ force. The intent was to fool the enemy in believing that all the men had been extracted, and the Ranger team would once again spring an ambush on the enemy, as they came back to check the area and retrieve their dead comrades and any equipment.

As some of the National Guardsman rotated out due to ETS, hardships, deaths, wounds, and early-outs for college, regular army personnel were recruited to take their place. These new members were well trained by the time the company "Stood Down". In early November 1969, the remaining National Guard members moved from the base camp at Long Binh to Bien Hoa Airbase in preparation for the units' return to Indiana, departing Vietnam on November 20, 1969. The unit was welcomed ‘Back Home Again In Indiana’ at a ceremony held at Tyndall Armory in downtown Indianapolis on November 26, 1969.

Six members of the unit made the supreme sacrifice on Ranger missions. One additional member died from a vehicle accident before deployment. Of the six who lost their lives in Vietnam, four were killed in action, and two others were killed in a helicopter crash. Seven support personnel also died while supporting Ranger missions. In all, 19 Silver Stars, 175 Bronze Stars, 86 Army Commendation Medals, 120 Air Medals, 110 Purple hearts, 19 Indiana Distinguished Service Crosses, and 204 Indiana Commendation Medals were awarded to the men of the unit. A total of 11,527 Americans lost their lives in Vietnam in 1969, the 2nd most deadly year of the entire war.

On November 20, 1969 Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry (Airborne) became Company D, 75th Ranger. The 75th was made up of the remaining regular army members of the 151st Rangers as well as new members. They continued to carry on the same missions operating from the same base camp at Long Binh until the 75th "Stood Down" later in 1970.