Chaplains With Marines in Vietnam 1962-1971%20PCN 19000309

CHAPLAINS WITH MARINE SIN VIETNAM

1962-197 1

b y

Commander Herbert L . Bergsma, CHC, U .S . Navy

HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISIO NHEADQUARTERS, U .S. MARINE CORP S

WASHINGTON, D .C .

1985

Volumes in the Marine CorpsVietnam Series

U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1954-1964, The Advisory and Combat

Assistance Era, 197 7

U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1965, The Landing and the Buildup, 197 8

U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1966, An Expanding War, 198 2

U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1967, Fighting the North Vietnamese, 1984

In Preparation

U.S. Marines in

U.S . Marines in

U.S . Marines in

U.S . Marines in

U.S . Marines in

U.S . Marines in

Vietnam, January-May 1968

Vietnam, June-December 1968

Vietnam, 1969

Vietnam, 1970-197 1

Vietnam, 1971-1973

Vietnam, 1973-1975

Functional Histories Series

U.S . Marine Corps Aviation In Southeast Asia, 1962-1975, in preparatio n

Library of Congress Card No . 77-604776

PCN 190 003091 00

FOREWORD

This is the first of a series of functional volumes on the Marine Corps ' participation in the Vietnam War ,which will complement the 10-volume operational and chronological series also underway . This particula rhistory examines the role of the Navy chaplain serving with Marines, a vital partnership of fighting man andman of God which has been an integral part of the history of the Marine Corps since its inception .

The first Marine aviation units to support the South Vietnamese Government forces entered Vietnam i n1962 and with them came their chaplains . When major Marine ground forces were first assigned to Vietnam i n1965, the number of assigned chaplains increased apace . By 1968 the III Marine Amphibious Force, occupyingthe five northernmost provinces of South Vietnam, numbered over 80,000 Marines and had under its com-mand the better part of three Marine divisions, a greatly expanded Marine aircraft wing, and a U .S . Armycorps of multi-divisional strength . The number of Navy chaplains serving ashore with Marine units exceede dall past experience, and the scope of their ministry had expanded into new and sometimes troubling fields .When the American involvement in the war gave way to Vietnamization, Marine units phased down i nstrength, eventually departing the country from 1969-1971 . Then, as today, they stood ready in the Pacific, onboard ship and at bases in Okinawa, Japan, Hawaii, and California, to provide, as needed, a ready force t omeet their country's call . And with them, as always, stood their chaplains, in peace or war ready to provide thecounsel, comfort, and religious experience that are so much a part of military life .

The author, Commander Herbert L . Bergsma, Chaplain Corps, U .S . Navy, is a minister of the ChristianReformed Church and a graduate of his church's affiliated Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary i nGrand Rapids, Michigan . After serving a congregation in Michigan, he became a Navy chaplain in 1965 an dserved two tours in I Corps in Vietnam with Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 74 supporting the III Marin eAmphibious Corps . Subsequently, Chaplain Bergsma served at Mare Island Naval Shipyard ; with DestroyerDivision 112 ; on board the destroyer tender USS Bryce Canyon ; at the Marine Corps Air Station at Kaneohe ,Hawaii ; at the Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico, Virginia ; and with Sub -marine Group 2, Atlantic Fleet . In 1976 he earned a master of theology degree in homiletics at PrincetonTheological Seminary . Promoted to captain, he is at present serving at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton ,California .

E . H . SIMMONSBrigadier General, U .S . Marine Corps (Ret . )

Director of Marine Corps History and Museum s

III

PREFACE

This work was begun in 1977 with agreements between Brigadier General Edwin H . Simmons, U .S . MarineCorps (Retired), Director of Marine Corps History and Museums, and Chief of Chaplains Rear Admiral John J .O'Connor, Chaplain Corps, U .S . Navy. Detailed arrangements were made by Mr . Henry I . Shaw, Jr ., ChiefHistorian of the Marine Corps, and Captain Carl Auel, CHC, USN, Director of Professional Development an dReligious Programs in the office of the Chief of Chaplains .

General Simmons and his staff provided office space ; research suggestions ; editorial, design, and produc-tion assistance ; and administrative support .

Commander Herbert L . Bergsma, CHC, USN, who served as Head, Chaplain Corps History Project durin gthe years 1978-80, completed the first draft . Mr . Shaw and his staff continued Chaplain Bergsma' s work ,bringing it through the review, editorial, and production stages .

Commander H . Lawrence Martin, CHC, USN, Head, Chaplain Corps History Branch, and others reviewe dthe manuscript . Chaplain Martin additionally served as photographic editor .

The approach of the writer was to provide basic history of the war in Vietnam and to use it as the framewor kfor dealing with the overall experiences and contributions of the chaplains involved and for highlighting th ework of some individual chaplains . For the former, he used books, articles, and news releases ; for the latter heused chaplains' end-of-tour reports, interviews, and correspondence addressed to the Chief of Chaplains an dthe Chaplain Corps historian .

No attempt was made to chronicle the known work of every chaplain who served, or even of those who sub -mitted materials concerning their work . What is presented is that which was judged most significant historical -ly, most representative of the whole, and most interesting .

Concurrent with the preparation of this volume is that of another which is expected to be a companion t oit— Chaplains With U.S. Naval Units in Vietnam 1954-1975 — to be published by this office under theeditorial management of Chaplain Martin and the authorship of Rear Admiral Withers M . Moore, CHC, US N(Retired) ; Chaplain Bergsma ; and Lieutenant Timothy J . Demy, CHC, USNR . With the publication of thesetwo volumes the history of the naval chaplaincy in all the wars in which our country has been engaged will havebeen treated .

NEIL M . STEVENSO NRear Admiral, Chaplain Corps, U .S . Navy

Chief of Chaplains

V

AUTHOR' S

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The risks of writing the history of almost-current events are great . Being too close to them chronologicall ymay reduce objectivity and surely open the author to the legitimate differences of opinion of many who livedthe experience . Yet, being too far from the events either chronologically or experientially invites a revisionis tperspective or sugar-coated reminiscences which may be profitable for entertainment and human interest, bu trarely for the elucidation of the times as they were .

If the history in question is of the Vietnam conflict a writer's problems are compounded . The attitud etoward this event is anything but unified even today . Neither the nation, her churches, nor the chaplain corp sof her military services manifest a singular approach or categorical understanding of it . I have tried therefore toavoid opinions, taking positions, or interpreting circumstances . I have attempted rather to show the texture o fchaplains' contribution to the Marines : their sense of fulfillment in their calling, the personal and often emo-tional investment in their people, and the broad fabric of the clergyman in uniform .

To facilitate the achievement of these goals I chose a chronological rather than a topical approach . Thisrenders the volume less handy as a reference work to find "what the chaplains did then in a case like this , " bu tI hope preserves it as a cohesive framework of this momentous ten-year period . Hopefully all the topics ger-mane to the Chaplain Corps were exposed within this chronological treatment and should, in any event, pro-bably not be treated as a reference out of the context of the entire milieu in which they took place .

One piece of advice I received from an institutional historian when I began the writing was, "mentioneverybody's name ." With mild apologies, I did not . It was not only impossible but unnecessary . Many of ussimply arrived and served, following the pattern of those who preceded us, without uniqueness, without in-novation, without distinction—as history measures distinction—but with infinite faithfulness . We are notmentioned because we did not serve at the time or in the place of focus upon which events turned . Yet inmany ways it should be to those "unmentioned" to whom this and any history is dedicated, for they constituteits impact . The world may never know . We know .

I am particularly grateful to those many individuals who helped to contribute to the following pages . Muchof my gratitude goes to chaplains who responded to questions, questionnaires, and interviews . Their perspec-tives were invaluable . Appreciation is also extended to the professional writers at the Marine Corps History an dMuseums Division, Dr . Graham Cosmas and Mr . Jack Shulimson, whose chapter reviews and comments wereof the most patient, sensitive, and substantive kind ; to Second Lieutenant Thomas E. Mead, USMC, wh oprepared the index included wth these pages ; and to Mrs . Catherine A . Kerns, who typeset the volume anddealt with many author's corrections, and Mr . William S . Hill, who designed and laid out these pages .

But special laurels are reserved for the Chief Historian of the History and Museums Division, and my friend ,Henry I . Shaw, Jr ., whose guidance and tenacity were a lesson in professionalism .

HERBERT L . BERGSMACommander, Chaplain Corps, U .S . Navy

vii

Table of Contents

PageForeword ii iPreface vAuthor' s Acknowledgements vi iMap: South Vietnam I Corps Tactical Zone xii i

PART I THE DRIFT INTO TURBULENCE 1

Chapter 1 Ministering in a Mini-War (April 1962-February 1965) 3Helping "Those Who Want to Be Free" 7Relocation to Da Nang 8Chaplains' Routines Stabilize 1 0" . . . To Preserve the Freedom and Independence of South Vietnam" 1 3

Chapter 2 Supporting Amid Confusion (March-August 1967) 1 7The 9th MEB Comes Ashore 1 7The III Marine Amphibious Force is Created 1 9Landing at Phu Bai 2 0Chu Lai is Born 2 3The Seabees Arrive 2 4MAG-12 at Chu Lai 2 6Chaplain Organization at Da Nang 2 6

PART II THE BUILDUP ACCELERATES 3 1

Chapter 3 Growing and Responding (July-September 1965) 3 3Civic Action Assumes Greater Importance 3 5Arrivals and Adjustments 3 7The Arrival of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing 40The Seabees Continue Their Buildup 43

Chapter 4 Listening and Learning (September-December 1965) 4 5Activity in the Southern ICTZ 4 5Landing at Qui Nhon 4 8New Chaplain Leadership 4 9Ceremonial Events and Administrative Concerns 54Chaplains for NSA and MCB-8 5 6Christmas Highlights 5 8

Chapter 5 Slogging and Sharing (July 1965-March 1966) 6 1With the Wounded or On the Line? 6 2Combat Activity at Chu Lai 6 4Chaplain Participation in Major Operations 6 6Adaptability and Patience 73

ix

PART III THE CONFLICT BROADENS 7 5

Chapter 6 Calming and Coordinating (January June 1966) 7 7Combat Action in Early 1966 7 7NSA and MCB Chaplains at Da Nang 80Administrative Adjustments 8 31st Marine Division Arrives at Chu Lai 841st Marine Aircraft Wing Chaplains, January-April 1966 8 8The Buddhist Revolt 9 2Easter and Passover in I Corps 94

Chapter 7

Teaching and Preaching (June-September 1966) 9 9Hearts and Minds : The Personal Response Project 9 9Meeting the Needs of Worship 108

Chapter 8

Risking and Reaching (June-December 1966) 11 7Operation Prairie 11 9Arrivals : New and Old 12 2More Growing Pains 12 41st Marine Division Chaplains 12 8Seabee Chaplains in I Corps, October-December 1966 13 1Christmas 1966 13 3

PART IV THE HEIGHTS AND THE DEPTHS 13 5

Chapter 9

Encouraging and Giving (January-December 1967) 13 7Combat Ministry-Early 1967 13 7The Chaplain Civic Action Program 14 0Easter : 14 1Summer Combat 14 3"Greater Love Hath No Man 14 9I Corps Pacification Efforts 15 1Changes and Administration 15 3

Chapter 10

Agonizing and Reasoning (January-December 1968) 15 5Ministry Along the DMZ 15 6The Ter Offensive 15 8The Siege of Khe Sanh 16 2The 27th Marines 164The Ministry of Mercy 166The 3d Marine Division Memorial Children's Hospital 16 7Ministry Grows at the Force Logistic Command 169Dealing with Debate 17 3

Chapter 11

Sweating and Praying (1969-1972) 17 7Activity in the Field 17 8Redeployment Begins 18 2Personal Response Continuity 18 3Civic Action and the CAP Ministry 18 5New Concerns in Counseling 19 1Chapel Construction 19 4Reflections 198

Notes 20 3

xi

Appendices 21 1A. Religious Denomination Short Titles, Chaplain Corps, United States Navy . . .21 1B. Navy Chaplains In Vietnam, 1962-1972 21 3C. List of Reviewers 227

Index 229

PART I

THE DRIFT INTO TURBULENCE

Photo Courtesy of Chaplain Samuel Baez

CHAPTER 1

"Ministering in a Mini-War" (April 1962-February 1965 )Helping "Those Who Want to Be Free"—Relocation to Da Nang — Chaplains' Routines Stabiliz e

" . . . To Preserve the Freedom and Independence of South Vietnam"

The kinship between chaplains and Marines is a sold as the United States itself. Both the Chaplai n

Corps and the Marine Corps were born in Novembe r1775, and the admiration each has for the other ha salways been an important factor in their history . Thelate Lieutenant General Homer Litzenberg, USMC ,said, "We are a peculiar breed of cat, and we like tohave Navy . . . Chaplains with us who understand u sand who like to be with us . " ' Perhaps this affinit yhas been fueled by the mutual concern of Marine sand chaplains for the worth and dignity of the in-dividual and the common understanding that thi sconcern is never greater than when the individua lhas committed himself to a cause larger than himsel ffor which he may have to lay down his life . Since theMarine Corps has no Chaplain Corps of its own ,Navy chaplains have shared these motivations an dbeliefs with them and have encouraged, comforted ,and endured the stress of separation and comba twith the Marines .

It was in 1914 that chaplains first were assigned t ofull-time duty with Marines . In that year a chaplainwas ordered to the Marine Expeditionary Force of th eAtlantic Fleet . In 1917 chaplains were sent to the 5t hMarines and the 6th Marines to serve with the moverseas . Thus began a ministry to combat troop sthat has become an essential ingredient in NavyChaplain Corps and Marine Corps history . MostMarines would agree with General Matthew B .Ridgway who referred to chaplains and combat whenhe said : "When the chips are down, the men turnmore and more to their chaplains, and the bigger th eman, the greater good he does . His influence goesright down in the heart ." 2

Tin Lanh Evangelical Church, Soc Trang . Under theleadership of Chaplain Samuel Baez, Shufly Marine sconstructed a ceiling in the church, which involvedthe labor of5O volunteers over a period offour week sand the contribution of more than 300 dollars .

In World War II the six chaplains who went ashorewith the Marines at Guadalcanal were the first Nav ychaplains to see combat in that conflict with Marine son the offensive . Chaplains accompanied the Marin eon every subsequent invasion from the Solomon sthrough the Gilberts, Marshalls, and Marianas to th efinal operation of the war on Okinawa . The combataccomplishments of chaplains with Marines showedmore conclusively than ever before that the role o fthe chaplains is vital . Fleet Admiral Chester W .Nimitz summed this up nicely on 25 Septembe r1946 with this statement : "By their patient sym-pathetic labors with the men, day in and day out an dthrough many a night, every chaplain I know con-tributed immeasurably to the moral courage of ou rfighting men ." 3

It is apparent that the Marine Corps recognize dthis need for the reinforcement of moral courage ,because after World War II a Marine division's com-plement of chaplains was 16, but by the time of th eKorean outbreak in June of 1950, the table o forganization of a division called for 26 chaplains ,plus those assigned to attached units . The Corps ' re -quest for more chaplains was in itself acknowledge-ment of their worth to Marines . 4

In 1962 sufficient chaplains were serving in the 3 dMarine Division and 1st Marine Aircraft Wing ,which were to supply the initial units entering Viet-nam, to fill most of the table of organizatio nbillets . * S With a few exceptions these chaplains weredetailed to the division and wing generally and th esenior chaplain would assign them to the units h edetermined would be most valuable for the chaplai nand the unit . The senior chaplain was also able t oadjust assignments so that the best possibl edenominational coverage could be achieved .

*The table of organization lists what a specific unit requires tofunction ideally . Money and personnel constraints often hampe rthe ideal from being reached .

3

4

CHAPLAINS WITH MARINES IN VIETNA M

As the tension in Vietnam mounted in the early1960s it was reasonably clear to the chaplains servin gthe 1st Wing at Iwakuni, Japan, that at least one oftheir number would be going to Vietnam should aunit or subunit be ordered there . Finally in Apri l1962 the decision was announced .

The ministry of Navy chaplains to Marine person-nel ashore in Vietnam began 12 April 1962 . The ar-rival of Lieutenant Earnest S . Lemieux (Methodist )inaugurated what was to become the most com-prehensive religious coverage ever given to Navy -Marine personnel under warring conditions . TheVietnam conflict marked the heaviest concentratio nof Navy chaplains ever committed to shore comba tin a single geographical area, eventually involvin gmore than 700 chaplains over a nine-year period . NoAmerican war would ever be fought over a longe rspan of time, demand so much, or disturb so many ;but no one realized that in April of 1962 .

Although the situation in Vietnam " was seriousand unstable at that time, it was not yet viewed as awar in terms of U .S . involvement . The intent of th eAmerican commitment was assistance and defense .Early indications were that additional helicopterstrength would be needed to support an Army of th eRepublic of Vietnam swift-strike capability . TheChief, Military Advisory and Assistance Group ,General Charles J . Timmes, USA, recommendedthat U.S . Marine helicopter pilots be assigned totemporary duty with Army helicopter companie salready in Vietnam for familiarization . When askedto study the proposal, Major General Carson A .Roberts, Commanding General (Air), Fleet MarineForce, Pacific (Air FMFPac), suggested that th eCommanding General, FMFPac, Lieutenant Genera lAlan W . Shapley, offer a counter proposal that on ecomplete Marine Corps helicopter squadron withsupport units be committed to a mission similiar tothat of the Army helicopter companies . This recom-mendation was approved and a Marine Corp shelicopter squadron with its supporting Marine ai rbase subunit was ordered to Soc Trang, Ba XuyenProvince, in the Mekong Delta, with the understan-ding that, when the tempo of operations in the nor-thern corps tactical zone permitted, it would ex -change places with the Army unit at Da Nang . Thedecision was approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staffand the Vietnamese Government on 9 April 196 2and Operation Shufly was launched.

The personnel of Marine Task Unit 79 .3 .5, con -

sisting of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron(HMM) 362, and Subunit 2, Marine Air Bas eSquadron (MABS) 16, began to arrive at Soc Tran gon board KC-130F Hercules transports from Marin eCorps Air Station (MCAS), Futema, Okinawa, on 9April 1962 and immediately established a functiona lbase . They were joined on 12 April by Chaplai nLemieux. The initial reaction of the task unit to dut yin Vietnam was mirrored in Chaplain Lemieux' s1967 reflections . He wrote :

I shall never forget that first night . Most of the menwere posted on security watch outside . It really made littl edifference since there were holes in the walls, and the win-dows had given up years before . We had a few cots and afew flashlights . Filth and debris littered the area . After ameal of "C" rations, we settled down to a restless night o fwatching ARVN soldiers and sleeping intermittently . Ilearned that we were in some kind of ARVN headquarter sarea and that the airfield was under the protection o fabout twelve hundred ARVN soldiers who were positione dabout an outer circle of defense . The big question waswhether we could safely entrust our security to peopl ewhose loyalities were uncertain . It was a new experienceand we were all uneasy about it . '

By 16 April, the major body of HMM-362 arrive don station off the mouth of the Mekong River . Th etransfer of men and material from the amphibiou sassault ship USS Princeton (LPH 5) began im-mediately . Embarked as ship's chaplain in th ePrinceton was Commander Henry E . Austin(American Baptist) . Recalling that experience, h ewrote :

It was my custom to hold daily Bible classes on board th ePrinceton and when we were committed to lift a troo punit, I always held an embarkation service . One hundre dtwenty-five Protestant men of Lieutenant Colonel ArchieJ . Clapp's Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-362 at -tended the service . Our Catholic Lay Leader, Joseph Tucci ,conducted a Rosary Service for the Catholic men of theunit . 6

By the end of that day the airlift was complete an dthe elements of Shufly were ready to undertake theirmission the following morning .

The Marine command was located near an ol dWorld War II Japanese airstrip, surrounded by pat-ches of flat, sunbaked brown earth, laced with occa-sional glimmering squares of water-filled rice pad -dies . One building, a tin-roofed hangar of Japanes econstruction and sturdy enough to have withstoo dspring and fall monsoon rains for nearly 20 years, re-mained standing but in barely useable condition .

MINISTERING IN A MINI-WAR

5

The airfield had the appearance of having bee nravaged by some type of rats . The hangar, and eve nthe runway itself, were full of holes and in a genera lstate of cluttered untidiness and disrepair .? Durin gthe summer monsoon season the entire region wa sunder 6-8 inches of water . In the months to come ,helicopters were seen to sink to their wheelhub swhen not parked on steel runway matting, even inthe dry months .

The nearest village to the Soc Trang airstrip was 1 2miles away; it could be reached over one, narrow ,and at times, impassable road . The Marines madedaily trips to the village ' s muddy reservoir for drink-ing water and contracted with a Vietnamese owner o fa tank truck to resupply them daily with fuel . Boththe water and the fuel runs braved sniper fire almos tdaily, a constant reminder to the Marines that the ywere in a mini-war, but a war nonetheless .

During the first weeks at Soc Trang, Chaplai nLemieux's chapel was a general-purpose tent ; he ex-perimented with its location until he found a spo tthat was most accessible to the troops at the base .Chaplain Lemieux recalled the conditions :

As life in the camp progressed a tent city was erecte dand personnel moved out of the hangar into more perma-nent and more suitable quarters . A complete restoratio nwas necessary before other buildings near the strip and ten tareas could be used . Four months later they were being us-ed for office space and living quarters as the number o fShufly personnel increased . 8

After erection of the tent chapel at its permanen tlocation, Chaplain Lemieux had a plywood partitionconstructed inside and arranged his office on on eside and the sanctuary on the other . The sanctuarywas then equipped with an altar, lectern, commu-nion rail, and crude but serviceable wooden benche sfor the worshippers . Thus the chaplain could counse lin his office, which had a separate entrance, whil eother Marines could meditate or pray in the chapel ,neither disturbing the other .

The chapel had electricity and it seated 40 to 4 5people very comfortably . Chaplain Lemieux laterreported, "Even so, there were those who preferre dto sit beyond the tent flaps, outside, on the blanke tof grass surrounding the new location . Because ofthese "outsiders" it was difficult at times to deter-mine just how many persons were "at church ." 9

The activities that Chaplain Lemieux undertook t oprovide worship facilities did not detract from hi spersonal ministry to the troops . In the perpetualy

uneasy, confusing, and often-troubled atmospher eof the Vietnam conflict, it was mandatory for th echaplain to be with the troops in a material and per-sonal way . He had to live in the dust and mud withthem ; eat the same rations ; drink the samelukewarm kool-aid ; sleep fitfully, sweat, and praywith them . The presence of the chaplain was aministry in itself . Living in intimate association withthe men of their units, sharing the trauma o fmodern warfare was a reminder of divine concer nand involvement .

The scope of spiritual service to the Corps also in-cludes the familiar symbols of organized religion ,and Chaplain Lemieux was to herald the hundreds o fother chaplains to serve the Marines when he tookgreat pains to supply traditional circumstances o fworship for all faiths . The chapel, altar, the crosses ,the candles, the vessels, the elements of commu-nion, all were reminders and stabilizers of their fait hand that of the church and the home of the Marines 'youth .

Attached to Subunit 2 of MABS-16, the chaplai nstill provided religious coverage to all personnel ofthe task unit . The number of Roman Catholi cchaplains then available in the Western Pacific di dnot allow both a Catholic and a Protestant chaplai nto be in Vietnam . Consequently, Catholic Marineswere trucked, often in full combat gear, to the Viet-namese Catholic Church in Soc Trang village forSunday Mass . While this alternative was adequateand contributed significantly to the healthy cemen-ting of relations with the village, it was not the idea lanswer . The Roman Catholic Marine deserved an ddesired his own Catholic chaplain and he soon go thim, although at first on a shuttle basis fromOkinawa, in the person of Lieutenant Anthony R .Peloquin .

Chaplain Peloquin was attached to the parentunit, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 16, at MCA SFutema, Okinawa . Chaplain Peloquin recorded :

When I heard that most of MAG-16 was to be assigne dto South Vietnam, I volunteered to accompany them . Th eCommanding Officer said that they had selected Chaplai nLemieux, a Protestant, to go . I was the only CatholicChaplain in the group and would be needed both i nOkinawa and in Vietnam, and knew the job would requir eme to shuttle between the two places . From April toDecember 1962, that is what I did . Every month I woul dboard a Marine C-130 and go South for about ten days .Some months I went more often, for shorter periods . Ibrought down supplies and necessary equipment tha tcould be constructed back at home in Futema, Okinawa . 10

6


Even though the unit was served by a Catholi cchaplain on a regular basis, the men who had mad einitial contacts in Soc Trang still attended Mass ther eand continued to cultivate these relationships, un-doubtedly beginning what was soon to be called " thesecond war," the battle for the allegiance of the peo-ple of South Vietnam . It is not surprising that thepreponderantly Judeo-Christian characteristics of th eAmerican nation would display themselves b yreaching out very naturally to the Vietnamese peo-ple, nor is it remarkable that the chaplain shoul dfind himself intimately involved in an effort of thi stype . In traditional fashion the Marines soon starte dpeople-to-people programs . Chaplain Peloquinreported :

Chaplain Lemieux and I helped them contact local or-phanages, and schools . I would bring back pictures and in -formation about these places to Okinawa and return wit hgenerous donations of money, clothes, food, medicine ,etc ., for these projects . On most of my trips I had oppor-tunity to participate in the various humanitarian activitie sand had opportunity to use my background in French togood advantage in the English language classes which wer eheld several evenings a week in Soc Trang . "

During his visits to Shufly, Chaplain Peloqui nheld daily Mass, confessions, counseling, an dreligious instruction . His impact was even broader ;not only was he a Catholic priest and therefore abl eto minister uniquely to the Vietnamese Christians ,the greater portion of whom were Roman Catholic ,but Chaplain Peloquin also was conversant inFrench, known by many Vietnamese . He thus foundopportunity for a very helpful ministry to Viet-namese soldiers and their families . Following hisregular Sunday Mass for Shufly personnel, he wen tto a chapel built by Vietnamese Army personnel t osay Mass for Vietnamese Catholics .

Chaplain Peloquin's facility in French also wa stremendously valuable when he visited the loca lclergy of Ba Xuyen and neighboring provinces . Heremembered :

Many outlying villages had untended Catholic popula-tions . I arranged to have our helicopters carry local priest sinto these remote areas . I went with them to say Mass a sthe Vietnamese priests heard confessions . I also accom-panied the commanding officer and the province chief t oinspect villages which had been attacked the previou snight . In fact, I spent many hours a day in the helicoptersaccompanying the men on every kind of mission . Some ofthe outposts visited on resupply missions had America nadvisors who had not seen a chaplain for a long time an dwho were always glad to see a priest .' =

There was never a question of the chaplain's abili-ty to fly in operational aircraft in the discharge of hi sministerial tasks . As the conflict intensified ,however, the relationship of the chaplain to hazar-dous operations became a concern . Chaplainsgenerally found it necessary to involve themselves i nthe same circumstances as the men they served i norder to understand their needs. Still, some com-manding officers were forced to restrict theirchaplains' operational involvement, both due to th eneed for the chaplain to have as broad a coverage aspossible, and the incredibly heavy operationalschedule kept by the units . By the time HMM-36 2was relieved by HMM-136, Lieutenant Colone lClapp's squadron had, for instance "executed 5 0combat helicopter assaults, had flown 4,439 sorties ,and had amassed 5,262 hours of combat flying time .All in unarmed aircaft ." 13 The whole Marine posturewas strictly defensive at all times, and ChaplainLemieux reported :

The helicopters carried only light arms and no machin eguns . Marines on sentry duty for inner perimeter securit yemployed only minimum weaponry, the M-1 rifle, a fe wBAR 's and light machine guns, but no heavy machin eguns, no mortars, no grenades, and no mines . Ammuni-tion was issued in limited, carefully measured amounts . I nno way could the conduct of the U .S . Marine Corps in SocTrang be construed in any way but defense and suppor-ting . "

Operational requirements, restricted mobility ,limited recreational facilities, isolation, and dange rall combined to intensify the demands normall yplaced on the chaplains . The 1st MAW Chaplain ,Commander Elihu H . Rickel (Jewish), charged withthe rotation of operational chaplains in Vietna mwith Shufly recognized this, and identified emo-tional maturity and stability, imagination and in-ventive resourcefulness as essential to a successfu lShufly ministry .He said :

The chaplain had to improvise, motivate, enthuse . Th emen were available and had ample time . It was up to th echaplain to develop a religious program and maintain in-terest in it . Daily worship, Bible study, formal discussio ngroups and other such activities were included in the pro -gram . I supplied the unit with religious literature and withgeneral reading material from Bibles to whodunits . "

Chaplain Rickel regularly rotated the Shufl ychaplains on a three- to four-month basis . To surveythe religious situation in Soc Trang, he made one of-ficial visit with concurrent permission of Corn-


7

mander in Chief, Pacific (CinCPac), FMFPac, an dMACV . Permission to visit Vietnam was difficult t oobtain and could not be acquired for routine, recur -ring visits . Although the United States was not asignatory to the 1954 Geneva accords, the nationvoluntarily maintained a posture of no appreciablebuildup or increase in U .S . military population i nSouth Vietnam, or any acceleration of military activi-ty . The situation was further complicated by theagreements then in force with the Government o fJapan ; United States military units stationed o nJapanese soil (for example, the 1st MAW was a tIwakuni) were forbidden to engage in military activi-ty against any other Asian nation .

Helping "Those Who Want to Be Free "

On 12 July 1962, exactly three months after th efirst chaplain came ashore in Vietnam, Chaplai nRickel sent Lieutenant Commander Samuel Bae z(United Presbyterian) to relieve Chaplain Lemieux,

who returned to Iwakuni to complete his oversea sduty. During his months of duty with the subunit ,Chaplain Baez made a sizable impact upon it, an dperhaps a still more remarkable impact upon th elocal Vietnamese . Following the excellent exampleof his predecessor, and during a lull in operation ac-tivity, Chaplain Baez concentrated on expanding th epeople-to-people effort . Within a few days of his ar-rival, he arranged for Shufly Marines to sponsor tw obenevolent projects among the people of Soc Tran gand Ba Xuyen Province . The first was construction ofa ceiling within the Protestant Church at Soc Trang .

Immediately after Chaplain Baez had arrived h eparticipated in a rare type of pulpit exchange . Dur-ing his trips through Soc Trang Chaplain Lemieu xhad discovered a Protestant church, which he wa sable to visit twice . The pastor and his son, also aChristian clergyman, were hospitable and friendly .One Sunday, therefore, when both chaplains wer epresent, a dual exchange was effected . With a

Chaplain Samuel Baez enjoys Christian fellowship with the Reverend Nguyen Dang ,pastor of the Tin Lanh Evangelical Church at Soc Trang, and his wife and daughter.

Photo 1st Marine Aircraft Wing

8


chaplain and an indigenous pastor in both places o fworship, those portions of the service which cause dthe least linguistic problems were exchanged . It wasa unique display of the unity of the faith .

In the aftermath of this experience, the need for anew ceiling in the Tin Lanh Evangelical Church atSoc Trang was pointed out to Chaplain Baez by th epastor, Reverend Nguyen Dang . Marines provide dengineering expertise, the labor of more than 5 0men over a period of 4 weeks, and contributed fundsof more than $300 to complete the repair . ChaplainBaez noted the remarkably high level of enthusias mwith which the Shufly Marines carried out thei rpeople-to-people projects .' °

The second such humanitarian activity was in-itiated by the men of HMM-163 . The chaplainfound a Roman Catholic orphanage run by th eSisters of Providence in Soc Trang . Response to aroutine appeal for funds for humanitarian project shas always been disproportionate in the Unite dStates Marine Corps, and so it was again . Sponsor -ship of the orphanage required funds which had t obe donated by the men of the task unit, and intypical fashion more than $450 was collected. Theentire amount was used to buy a three-month supplyof milk, 40 dozen diapers, 72 bottles of vitamins ,and other infant supplies . This extraordinary expres-sion of concern and outreach was to be duplicatedtime after time during the next nine years of Marin einvolvement in Vietnam .

A third project was implemented in response to arequest initiated by Ba Xuyen's Provincial Chief,Lieutenant Colonel Chiu Nguyen . The chief invite dthe chaplain, two medical officers, the dental of-ficer, and the Marine interpreter to teach the Englis hlanguage to a group of 150 women of the province .Many of them walked several miles, 3 nights a week ,for a period of 2 months to attend classes . The pro-ject was judged of exceptional value to intercultura lrelations, and it was noted that, when secure and i na practical circumstance, the people of Vietna mresponded to American cooperation dramatically .

One people-to-people effort that pleased bothHMM-163 and relieving HMM-362 was the suppor tand encouragement of the "Fighting Priest," Fathe rHoa, and the "Sea Swallows," as his followers wereknown . Father Hoa resided at the tip of the Vun gMau Peninsula in a village called Bing Hung . FatherHoa had been a colonel and a guerrilla specialist inChina's war against the Japanese . Now, having been

granted a piece of land along one of the main canal sat the southern tip of South Vietnam by the Diemgovernment, the priest employed his military skill sagainst the Viet Cong who controlled the entir epeninsula except for his area . The fighting priest an dhis people sustained a disproportionately larg enumber of casualties, but their courage and deter-mination won the admiration of the Americans .Chaplain Baez wrote, "The Marines evacuated man yof his casualties . The American commanders were s oimpressed with Father Hoa ' s organization that the yregularly stocked him with supplies an dequipment ." 1 7

Chaplain Lemieux recalled much the same at-titude when he reported :

As we landed at Father Hoa's camp, my feelings chang-ed from that of adventure to sober appreciation . At theirvery crude landing pad was a ragtail outfit, mostly boysand girls with bugles, drums and flags, attempting to giv ehonors . The official honor guard of veteran fighters borethe unmistakeable scars of battle, including arms and leg sconspicuously absent . I shall never forget the faces of thosepeople who were so earnestly attempting to present theirbest military manners . Their courage, and the condition sin which they had to live always serve to remind me of ournation's obligation to help those who want to be free . 1 8

Relocation to Da Nang

On 14 September 1962, the Operation Shufl yunit redeployed to the former French airfield at D aNang in Quang Nam Province, northern I Corps .The city, called Tourane by the French, was a prin-cipal port of eastern French Indo-China and the se-cond largest city in South Vietnam . The airfield wassouthwest of the picturesque city, beginning almos tat the apex of the halfmoon-shaped bay that serve dthe city as a quiet, deep-water port . The men andequipment of Subunit 2 and HMM-163 wereestablished on the west side of the sprawling airfield .The airstrip was considerably longer than the one atSoc Trang, and was already in use by the Vietnames eAir Force . It was a mile-and-a-half long and wasoperated from a control tower housing radar andother essentials for all-weather, 24-hour operations .Both hangar facilities and barracks were in goo drepair and required no extensive renovation prior t omoving in .

The strip was 375 miles north of Saigon and 8 4miles south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) ,which, at the 17th parallel, divided South Vietna mfrom the Communist-controlled Democratic


9

Republic of Vietnam, or North Vietnam . TheMarines had become used to flat, canalled ,segmented delta land at Soc Trang ; the terrain at D aNang was completely different and varied vastly .White sandy beaches bordered the coastline, backedby a narrow coastal plain which rose toward jungle -covered mountains with inaccessible peaks of 6,000feet and higher . The terrain was a new experienc eand a fresh challenge for the men of the task unit .

Because of the difference in terrain, the climatewas almost the exact reverse of that at Soc Trang .The monsoon season, which so heavily affecte doperational ability, occurred in the winter at D aNang, extending from September to March . In th eextreme south it occurred during the summer . Highaltitude, high temperatures, high winds, couple dwith low ceilings, fog, and heavy rains presente doperational problems not experienced in the delta .

Weather was not the only problem to irritate th etask unit . Security also proved to be awkward . In-itially, a permanent sergeant of the guard was detail-ed to maintain a security force of men from Subunit2 and HMM-163 . Posts were manned around th eflight line, the hangar, the motor pool, the com-munications area, and the billeting compound . Thisarrangement was workable but caused problems i neffectiveness and morale . Marines who served al lnight as security guards often were expected to putin a full working day at their regular jobs . The com-mand, realizing the problem, initiated a request vi aComUSMACV to FMFPac for a permanent securit yforce . This resulted in the assignment to Vietnam ofa security platoon from the 3d Marine Division o nOkinawa . As harassment continued the platoon wa sincreased to a reinforced company .

The chaplain was active in the support of securit ypersonnel during this initial, difficult period, bu twas hampered by another problem area that affecte deveryone : transportation . The barracks compoundwas three miles east of the runway and connected b yincredibly poor roads . Still further away were th emotor pool and the communications section . Theremarkable foresight of Shufly's first commander ,Colonel John Carey, had caused the task unit to besupplied with three used school buses which were o nhand when the Marines arrived from Soc Trang, bu tthe chaplain visits to the flight line and the wor kspaces were difficult to coordinate with the bu sschedule, and visits to the men on security watchwere even more complicated .

Shufly's operational mission at Da Nang wasessentially similar to that at Soc Trang, but ther ewere important differences produced by the terrain ,weather, and general plan on military activity in th eI Corps Tactical Zone (ICTZ) . In these northern pro-vinces, landing zones for the most part had to b ehacked out of the jungle, so surprise was difficult t omaintain when moving to strike the enemy . Whenflat-bottomed, walled valleys with dangerous win dcurrents had to be used as landing areas, it was no tuncommon for landing zones to be too far from th epoint of need, so effective employment of retaliatorytroops was questionable .

The resupply of U .S . Army Special Forces outpostsproduced the single most important shift i nHMM-163's mission, a mission not assigned in th eSoc Trang area. It was clear that strategic hamle tdefense would have to depend largely upon SpecialForces units permanently positioned in the moun-tains and in the jungles whose primary duty was t ohalt infiltration . Chaplain Baez capitalized on thi scircumstance by offering an extensive ministry toSpecial Forces personnel at the outposts .

From the beginning of American involvement i nVietnam, the Chaplain's Division of MACV en-couraged the concept of "area coverage " because o fthe vast dispersion of American personnel . America nNavy, Army, and Air Force chaplains were asked t obroaden their ministries to include internal coor-dination to serve the geographical areas . This wasnot an easy concept to put into practice owing to th eintense loyalty chaplains with Marines tend to buil dwith their specific unit and the resultan tpossessiveness of senior commanders toward the ac-tivities assigned their chaplain . The rapport achaplain builds with "his people" is usually greate rin kind and scope than even that which exists bet-ween a pastor, priest, or rabbi in a civilian setting ,and enormously affects his spiritual impact . Thisrelationship is, understandably, not readil ytransferable to any group or unit the chaplain hap -pens to engage. With some reluctance, the demand sof this strange conflict made area coverage a necessi-ty, and chaplains and commanders supported it t othe greatest possible extent, and it was rare that thepractice was not found of special blessing to th echaplain and to all units .

A second major change to the operational missio noccasioned by the Da Nang deployment was th erelocation of some important hamlets that could not

10


be successfully defended . This meant transportingpeople, belongings, equipment, livestock, food, an dfuel to areas more secure . The chaplain was often in -valuable on missions, contributing to the positiv erelationship being built with the citizens of Sout hVietnam, by retaining a warm relationship wit hvillage dignitaries and pursuing an aggressive civi caction program . These two major operationa lchanges presented opportunities for the Shufl ychaplain to make frequent flights with medical an dresupply missions as a part of his routine, and hisministry was enriched by the opportunity to exten dhimself to Special Forces personnel and to the Viet-namese villagers and refugees .

On 6 October the men of the Shufly missionreceived a grim reminder of the fact that they were i ngenuine conflict filled with all the dangers accompa-nying warfare . A search and rescue helicopter crash-ed and burned 15 miles west of Tam Ky while par-ticipating in a 20-plane helilift of 2d ARVN Divisio nunits . Seven died in the crash, five Marines, a Nav ydoctor, and his corpsman assistant . These were thefirst casualties suffered by the Marine task unit sincearriving in Vietnam, and they were deeply felt . Theministry of Chaplains Baez and Peloquin gave th eMarines of Shufly occasion to express those feelings .Chaplain Baez reported :

A Requiem High Mass and a Memorial Service were hel dat which over three hundred persons were in attendance .Present were personnel of the Staff, CTU 7 .35, MABS-16 ,Subunit 2, HMM-163, the Vietnamese I Corps Chief ofStaff and his party, and several civilians, mostly mis-sionaries who had been helpful in our program . The Hig hMass was conducted by Chaplain A . Peloquin andChaplain S . Baez of MABS-16 conducted the Memoria lService . Four of the deceased were Catholic and three wer eProtestants . Letters of condolence, bulletins of the servic eand pictures of the ceremonies were sent to the next of ki nby the respective chaplains .' 9

Chaplains' Routines Stabiliz e

Among the American missionaries present at thememorial service for the victims of the 6 Octobe rcrash was Pastor G . H . Smith, of the Christian andMissionary Alliance Mission, a remarkable man wh ohad already befriended Chaplain Baez and who wa sto become the steadfast friend of many chaplain swho would serve Marines in I Corps . During theShufly era and the years immediately following ,Pastor Smith was invited to speak to Marine group sabout the Vietnamese people and their religions . His

lecture included the presentation of the film ,'Jungle Beachheads, " a study of the adjustmentsnecessary when western culture comes into contactwith a Vietnamese village . This became a part of thestandard orientation for all incoming Marines, thu sinitiating a general program which, greatly expand-ed and carefully represented, was to acquire tremen-dous significance in the years ahead . Pastor Smithwas also of invaluable aid to the Marines inunderstanding the cultural situation in which the yfound themselves . He was uniquely qualified t ospeak about Vietnamese customs and religious tradi-tions, since he had been in missionary service i nVietnam for more than 24 years, and had only bee nrecently displaced by the Viet Cong .

Lieutenant Richard P . Vinson (Methodist), wh orelieved Chaplain Baez on 12 October 1962, quickl ybecame involved in what was beginning to be calle dcivic action . He utilized Reverend Smith's insightsliberally . During the period of Chaplain Vinson'stenure with Shufly, Reverend Smith was preparin gto become an official for the Christian Children' sFund of Richmond, Virginia . The site selected forhis orphanage, then in the planning stages, wa ssurveyed by a Marine engineer, and the progress o fthe institution was closely followed by many of th etask element's Marines . Shufly's men already activel ysupported an orphanage in Da Nang which wa smaintained by an American missionary family . OnChristmas day the Marines participated in a "Father -For-A-Day" program which had been arranged b yChaplain Vinson . Each orphan spent the day with aMarine who had volunteered to serve as his "father . "One Marine author observed :

The Vietnamese children were treated to dinner in th emess hall, presented with Christmas gifts, and then joine din singing carols with the Marines . At the conclusion of th efestivities, Chaplain Vinson presented the director of th eorphanage with a gift in Vietnamese currency equilvalen tto over $800 .00, money which the men of the task elemen thad donated . 2 0

From the very beginning, the Marines were con-cerned with civic action and compassion for childrenof the land . A supervisory chaplain, Lieutenan tCommander George D . Lindemann (Lutheran )referred pointedly in his reports to the same kind ofevents . Chaplain Lindemann gained his insights on amid-December inspection tour of the Da Nan gfacility sponsored by Wing Headquarters inIwakuni . He spent 19 days with Chaplain Vinson,


1 1

meeting with key religious leaders and evaluatin gthe religious program. He formulated a number ofrecommendations for extending the chaplain'sministry and enhancing its effectiveness . 21 One ma-jor observation, relative to the spiritual equipping ofindividual Marines for the environment of the par-ticular conflict, was :

On the one hand the duty of the chaplain with Marine sis the same as it has always been since the Chaplain Corp sbegan ; To bring men to God and God to men' : to be b ytheir side . On the other hand . . . in guerrilla warfare it isphysically impossible to remain by the side of very man ymen at any given time and place . The men are widel ydispersed ; they hit and run ; they withdraw and vanish int otheir hiding places . It seems to me that it is imperative tha ta fighting man who will operate alone or with small groupsbe trained and equipped not only in a military way, bu talso in a spiritual and moral way to withstand isolation an dall the pressures that the feeling of being "cut off" bringsto bear upon the mind and soul of man . 2 2

In guerrilla warfare, Chaplain Lindemann sug-gested, the chaplain should :

. . . work his way from patrol to patrol, from post t opost, from aid station to aid station, or back at the base o foperations, extending his ministry on a personal or smallgroup basis ; and along with spiritual direction, collateral-ly, he would be able to help men of his unit to understan dboth the rationale and the responsibilities of their involve-ment . In both spiritual and moral realms, the chaplain ' srole must be a dynamic one including the inculcation o fvalues and ideals for which men not only die, but fo rwhich they will also live . "

Recognizing the need to acquaint prospectivechaplains who would serve in Vietnam with th ecustoms, religious climate, and the social traditionsof the Vietnamese people, Chaplain Lindeman nconducted a course for the chaplains at Iwakunihighlighting those matters . The course was open t oall interested personnel, laying the foundations, a tleast perceptually, of a Chaplain Corps-wide pro -gram which would be initiated on a more com-prehensive scale in the months to come .

His inspection completed, Chaplain Lindeman nreturned to wing headquarters before the first of theyear, 1963 . He was followed less than a month late rby Chaplain Vinson who had been relieved b yLieutenant Hugh D . Smith (Southern Baptist) .Commander Earnest E . Metzger (Methodist) wasthen Wing Chaplain and the Catholic respon-sibilities fell to Lieutenant William M . Gibson,

when he relieved MAG-16's Catholic Chaplain Pelo-quin .

During Chaplain Smith's first two months wit hOperation Shufly, chapel services were held in th eairbase mess hall, where the services had move dsome months earlier . This was an adequate but notaltogether satisfying arrangement . In March theresults of the persistarice of all the Shufly chaplainswere realized when a specific chapel building wasdedicated. Chaplain Smith wrote :

One of the buildings in the compound was renovatedand remodeled to make a nice chapel . It was dedicated onthe third Sunday of March . In the rear of the chapel was alarge area used for the chaplain's office . Sunday servicesand weekly Bible study were held in the chapel . Evenin gprayers were given at 2200 over a loud speaker system fo rthe entire compound . 24

While the routine of ministering was becomin gprogressively more consistent, there were always cir-cumstances in the experience of chaplains which call-ed for the resources of the deepest recesses of thei rfaith . In a letter to his Bishop, Chaplain Gibso nwrote :

Tradegy struck again in our group . We had twelve menkilled while trying to locate an Air Force plane that hadcrashed . It had an Air Force pilot and a Vietnamese pilot ,so that a total of fourteen were killed . I would presume bythis time you have heard and read all about the tragedy .

To me it was more personal . One of my closest friendswas killed . He was a Navy doctor . This man, Bishop, was adaily communicant and did work for the orphans in tow nand for the sisters at the orphanage . A more dedicatedman you would never find . He also took care of the Viet-namese people and had a program all worked out whereb yhe could do much for the local people .

I do hope that you will remember this young doctor i nyour prayers . I know he was prepared—but am certain h ewould like for us to remember him .

I was in Vietnam on the day he was killed . I left o nTuesday evening . His lasts words to me were, "Father ,don't leave . We need you down here ." I laughed and tol dhim that they weren't doing anything . With that I shookhis hand and left . When I read his name on the dispatch Iwas deeply grieved, remembering his last words to me . Iwill always remember them . "

The same personal suffering and sense of loss wa srecalled by Lieutenant John G . Harrison (Lutheran) ,who served Shufly during the following year . He washaving a conversation with a lieutenant colonel ,prior to leaving Iwakuni for Vietnam :

"Chaplain," the Colonel said, "I hope you like you rassignment . You have an opportunity to help a lot of me nto understand their faith ."

12 CHAPLAINS WITH MARINES IN VIETNAM

Photo Courtesy of Chaplain Hugh F . Lecky, Jr .

The interior of the Shufly Marine detachment's chapel photographed on 4 July 1965 .

" I'm sure I will, " I replied, not knowing at all why Iwould but confident that it was true .

He smiled and then said, " It will break your heart a lo tof times . "

I didn ' t fully realize what they meant until a mont hlater when an Army helicopter was shot down by the Vie tCong . The young pilot, a husband of a few months, waskilled . His mechanic, flying with him in the plane, wasnever found . That evening we held a memorial service .The small chapel could not hold all who came, and th edriving rain outside was made such a noise on the meta lroofs that much of what was said that evening was notheard . But a need was present that none of us will forget .Suddenly the glamour of war faded with the death offriends . At times like that everyone instinctively looked t oGod to heal the broken hearts and to give a word of hopeand promise .

No one longed to be a hero after the first few days in th ehumid, tropical climate where death was only a breathaway, but everyone felt willing to show that we a sAmericans were concerned about the Vietnamese peopleand willing to stake out all in showing this concern .

Somehow this made sense because it had a purpose tha twas as big as Christ himself, " Greater love has no man than

this, that a man lay down his life for his friends . "What a wonderful opportunity it was to have been a

Navy Chaplain preaching and living these timeless truth sin an atmosphere and country where such insights wer enecessary for survival and for victory itself. "

The mood was subtly changing during these mon-ths in Vietnam, and nothing contributed more t othe dark forboding than an event that took plac e13,000 miles from Vietnam, in Dallas, Texas . On 2 2November 1963, the United States was dealt a stun-ning blow when its President, John F . Kennedy, wasshot by an assassin and died shortly thereafter .Lieutenant Herman F . Wendler (Methodist) was th eShufly chaplain at that time, having relieve dChaplain Smith in June of 1963 . He served a littl eover a month past the assassination of Presiden tKennedy, and when relieved on 31 December, com-pleted the longest tenure of any chaplain wit hMarines in Vietnam to that point . ChaplainWendler reported the shock and solemn sense of


1 3

tragedy that characterized the attitude of the arme dforces personnel in the I Corps generally and thedeep grief of the men of Shufly particularly . Duringthe period of mourning the chaplain conducte dmemorial services for his own personnel and for Ar-my and Air Force service members in Da Nang .

". . . To Preserve the Freedom andIndependence of South Vietnam "

Seven months prior to the terrible events of 2 2November, the opinions of officials in the Defens eDepartment were bouyant and positive . Prediction sthat the conflict would soon end could be heard ."The corner has definitely been turned toward vic-tory," a government spokesman said . 27

But such was not the case, and deterioration wasswift . Buddhists, objecting to Roman Catholi cdomination of the Diem government, rioted, and ,some, while the world watched increduousl ythrough media eyes, immolated themselves . The ac-tivities of some 2,000 Buddhists were interpreted torepresent the attitude of the entire country and th eUnited States believed that all Vietnam was

aflame . 28 In November a military coup overthre wDiem's government and he was assassinated .

Having received the mantle of the United State sPresidency, Lyndon Johnson immediately was facedwith burdensome decisions concerning Vietnam .Some Americans had begun to see the conflict as acivil war in which America had no honorable in-volvement . Others saw it as a blatant attempt on th epart of Communism to annex the whole of Southeas tAsia nation by nation, an encroachment that had t obe resisted . The troops in Vietnam seemed largely tofavor the latter view and found themselves adoptingincreasingly belligerent attitudes as they saw, thoughmost American citizens did not, the terror an dmaiming carried on by the Viet Cong against in-nocents, as well as atrocities conducted against mis-sionaries . 2 9

The darkening mood of the American servicema nin Vietnam was fed by confusion in the direction ofthe war and increased activity on the part of the Vie tCong . Chaplain Harrison recorded this eloquently :

The tempo of the Viet Cong activity stepped up . Am -bushes increased around the perimeter of the base . Snipers

The first meeting of all Navy chaplains in Vietnam, photographed in front of the ShuflyChapel in June 1965 . Seated, left to right : Chaplains R . G. DeBock; A. B. Craven ; P .H. Running; P. J. Bakker (1st MAW); R. "Q" Jones (III MAF) ; J . J . O'Connor (3d Mar-Div) ; W. M. Gibson; R. J . Usenza; H. F. Lecky . Standing, left to right : R. C. Osborn ;M. Goodwin ; R. W. Hodges ; T. Dillon; E. E. Jayne ; E. V. Bohula; T. G. Ward.

Photo Courtesy of Chaplain Hugh F . Lecky, Jr .

14


began to fire upon guard posts . Vietnam became an issuein the Presidential election of 1964 . There were charges ofpoor supplies and old equipment . Suddenly everythin gcoming to Vietnam took on a high priority . Vietnamentered the spotlight, and everything tightened up . Warwas no longer romantic .

As the war intensified, and security tightened i nresponse to stepped up Viet Cong activity, my ministr ymoved into another sphere . There were Memorial Services ;there were more troops in the area, and thus more formed ,and the religious life of the camp took on a new vitality, aquality of honest devotion I had never before experiencedin a group of men .

The last month I was with the Subunit, we had ful lalerts perhaps five to eight times . We knew without adoubt that something big was up . We were all frustratedbecause no one seemed to be making any decisions as t oour involvement . 3 0

It was apparent that the United States stood at acrossroad . To leave Vietnam now would make the in -vestment of the past two years appear futile ; to re -main would entail stronger, more aggressiv eresponses to the provocations and belligerency of th eCommunists . The tension was felt by the American sin the States but not nearly as intensely as among th eMarines in Vietnam . Chaplain Harrison gives a smal lpicture of the character of the tension within some o fhis Marines :

On the day that I left, the C-130, which was the onl yreal link with the outside world, was full of Marines return-ing to Japan after completion of their tour . We were flyingover the Tonkin Gulf when word passed through th eplane, "We're at war with North Vietnam ." For som ereason everyone broke out in a tremendous cheer . As i tturned out, the North Vietnamese had attacked some o four ships with armed torpedo boats, and we retaliated .Somehow it indicated a new direction in our struggle topreserve the freedom and independence of South Viet-nam, and it made sense . It made sense because we hadwitnessed at first hand the increasing infiltration of th eNorth Vietnamese . We had visited villages where th eleaders had been murdered because they had cooperate dwith the government . We had seen schools, which wehelped to build, burned . We had seen our friends in theSpecial Forces wounded or killed by Communist in-surgents . We had buried shipmates who had been killedbecause they could not fire until we had been fired upon ,even though we knew the enemy was there .3 1

This psychological change was also noted byLieutenant Robert V. Thornberry (Souther nBaptist), who relieved Chaplain Harrison . He cor-roborated the Shufly mood :

It was evident that tension was high, probably due tothe nature of the work . Even though the HMM people

were directly involved in the struggle, they never had th eopportunity to assert themselves in battle, as such . Neithe rwere the MABS personnel related to the war in such a wa yas to give real meaning to their presence in such an en-vironment . I would imagine this to be frustrating to aMarine, a man who has developed aggressive skills for us ein combat .3 2

Despite the quickening of the military heartbeat ,combat concerns were put aside on 10 Novembe r1964, but not to celebrate the Marine Corps birthda yas may be supposed . Early monsoon rains floode dthe coastal and piedmont areas of I Corps, threaten-ing the lives of the Vietnamese living in th elowlands . The squadron was ordered to assist in th eevacuation of civilians from the critical flooded area .The helicopters flew late into the night and all th enext day through sniper fire, wind, and chilling rain .More than 2,000 flood victims were evacuated to theDa Nang airfield, wrapped in blankets and trucke dto the city for food and medical care . A few, serious-ly injured, were flown to the USS Princeton cruisingoffshore . The refugees were frightened and cold ;most were women, children, and the aged . Lieute-nant Robert P . Heim (United Presbyterian) note dthat the Shufly Marines exhausted themselves in th elifesaving mission and "even shared their Birthda ycake with the refugees when they were brought int othe hangar that night ." 3 3

The distraction of the monsoon flooding did no thalt the somber intensification of the military situa-tion late in the year . In December the security pla-toon, which had deployed to Da Nang from the 3 dMarine Division in March was replaced by a reinforc-ed company from the 3d Battalion, 9th Marines . Thethreat of the Viet Cong was growing . After dark ,travel was curtailed, as were routine people-to-people visits to the countryside . Terrorist activitieswithin the villages just outside the airbase com-pound, and sniper fire at guard posts made the in -creasing hazards of Shufly duty a clear reality . Short-ly thereafter a Marine light antiaircraft missile bat-tery arrived to defend the airfield against possible ai rattacks from the North . By March of 1965 the situa-tion had clearly changed, and Operation Shufly wa sofficially terminated when the helicopter squadro nand subunit were reassimilated by the arrivin gMarine Aircraft Group 16 .

Lieutenant Commander Hugh Lecky (Lutheran )was the last Shufly chaplain to fly with the squadron .During this period the policy concerning the


1 5

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A18686 7

Marine Sgt Dale McAnulty of Texarkana, Texas, prepares to receive Holy Communio nfrom Chaplain LCdr Otto E . Kinzler, 12th Marines regimental chaplain . ChaplainKinzler, from Da Nang, held services at many remote artillery and observation outposts .

16 CHAPLAINS WITH MARINES IN VIETNA M

Photo courtesy of Chaplain Hugh Leck y

Chaplain Hugh F. Lecky, Jr., conducts a service for men of HMM-163 in February 1965 .

chaplain flying with the squadron also changed .Chaplain Heim had flown only 20 missions duringhis five month ' s assignment . The policy, restatedduring the February-March transition period, wa sthat the chaplain should avoid flying missions excep twhen essential to his duties . While Chaplain Leck yobserved the policy meticulously, he still becam eknown to MAG-16 personnel as the "Heli-Padre, "and, even though flying only "safe" missions, he wa swounded, becoming the first Navy chaplain to b eawarded the Purple Heart for action in Vietnam .

The defense-oriented American involvement wascoming to a close . In response to Communist ac-tivities, such as the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the

Viet Cong attack on the U .S . Bachelor Officers 'Quarters in Saigon on Christmas Eve 1964, whic hkilled 2 Americans and wounded 109, PresidentJohnson ordered retaliatory air strikes on North Viet-nam. The VC continued their attacks by mortaringthe U.S . compound at Pleiku on 7 February 1965 .By the 27th, the President decided to commit abrigade-sized force to Da Nang with the mission o fprotecting that major base .

On 6 March 1965 the signal was sent to elementsof the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) offVietnam shores : "Land at once at Da Nang MEBcommand and control elements, a surface battalio nlanding team . . . ." 34 The mini-war was no more .

CHAPTER 2

Supporting Amid Confusion (March-August 1965 )The 9th MEB Comes Ashore—The III Amphibious Force is Created—Landing at Phu Bai— Chu Lai is

Born — The Seabees Arrive — MAG-12 at Chu Lai— Chaplain Organization at Da Nang

The events of March to August 1965 in the area ofDa Nang, South Vietnam, bear eloquent testimon yto the combat readiness of the United States MarineCorps . During the first week of March of that year ,only the Shufly detachment with but one securitycompany was situated at the Da Nang airstrip . Bythe end of the summer, Marine infantry regiments ,the 3d, 4th, 7th, and 9th Marines, were in Vietnam ,together with four Marine aircraft groups ; MAGs-11 ,-12, -16, and -36 .

The achievement of this incredibly rapid buildupproduced understandable, though temporary, con -fusion and the chaplains' sections were not exemp tfrom the headaches of rapidly changing cir-cumstances, expectations, and projections .

In March there was one chaplain serving MAG-16 ,and, at best, two when a Roman Catholic pries tcould be broken loose from his duties with personnelin Okinawa . By late summer a total of 32 chaplain swere located in the greater Da Nang area, with som e8-10 more projected to report . Writing at the end o fthe period about change in the Da Nang comple xLieutenant Paul L . Toland (Roman Catholic) observ-ed :

This past year I have seen three general phases to thi sMarine operation . From December 1964 to mid-March1965, the operation was relatively small and quiet . Mid -March to mid June saw the arrival of several thousan dMarines and an acceleration in activity . Since mid June thebuildup had been astronomical . There is now a full scalewar in progress. In the first phase the Marines were offer-ing small helicopter support to the ARVNs ; in the secondphase we had buildup of security and the operation wa slargely defensive; in the third phase the Marines begantheir own great offensive .

Today as I go about the Da Nang area, it is like a dif-ferent country . The airfield which in the beginning servic-ed a single squadron of helicopters and a squadron of U . S .Air Force fighter planes, is a beehive of activity ; planes o fevery description and size come and go . The city of DaNang has been taken over by the Marines, the Seabees, theAir Force, Army and Navy . American servicemen crowd

the sidewalks ; American vehicles fill narrow streets . Thereare vast camps, compounds and complexes to house th ethousands upon thousands of American Service personnel .Many of the old RVN camps are now taken over byAmericans . Where there were rice paddies and thatche dhuts and grazing cattle, there are now huge America ncamps filled with troops, vehicles and supplies . '

Contributing hugely to the confusion of th eperiod was the continual instability of the govern-ment of South Vietnam in Saigon . After theassassination of President Diem, a succession ofheads of state paraded to the position of power onl yto prove unable to secure it and stabilize the nationalstructure . Foremost among the influences that con-tributed to the undermining of confidence in theSaigon-based government was the often bitter rivalr ybetween Buddhists and Roman Catholics which con-tinued until June of 1965, when it quiete dsomewhat under Vice Air Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky ,who became Premier of the eighth government fo rthe RVN in 20 months .

The 9th MEB Comes Ashore

Since mid-1964 battalion landing teams from the3d Marine Division on Okinawa had rotated a sspecial landing forces on board the Navy's am-phibious ready groups in Vietnamese waters . BLT sfunctioned within the command structure of the 9t hMarine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), which varie din size and composition from one to two battalion saccording to the requirements of specific crisis . Inthe north of South Vietnam they were poised agains tthe potential need to defend Da Nang or evacuat eAmerican personnel at Da Nang and Qui Nhon . I nthe south they were positioned off Cape St . Jacque sto support Saigon-based Americans, to bolster theregularly constituted government, and t odemonstrate the capability of American militar ymight in the area while observing the 1954 Genev aagreements by remaining out of the country in inter-national waters .

17

18

CHAPLAINS WITH MARINES IN VIETNAM

The events of this fascinating and complex perio dhad their initial focus at 0600 on 8 March 1965 whe nthe order to land the landing force was given to th e9th Brigade embarked in four ships of Amphibiou sTask Force 76 . The USS Mount McKinley (AGC 7) ,USS Henrico (APA 45), USS Union (AKA 106), an dUSS Vancouver (LPD 2) had closed to within 4,000yards of Red Beach 2, north of Da Nang . The ships ,with Battalion Landing Team 3/9 and its chaplain ,Lieutenant John F . Walker (Episcopal) on board ,had been steaming off the coast of South Vietna mfor the past two months, awaiting the contingenc ythat would require the Marines to land. Thepossibility of such need had loomed greater towar dthe end of 1964 and early 1965, when the Viet Con gand North Vietnamese appeared to risk U .S . in-tervention by asserting their ability to infiltrate andemploy terrorist tactics in the south . To counter ,President Johnson ordered air retaliation and then ,after an offer of negotiations received no North Viet-namese response, ordered the landing of the 9t hMEB .

The mission of the 3d Battalion, 9th Marines wa sto land in the vicinity of Da Nang and move to th eairfield, taking up defensive positions on th eperimeter, augmenting and absorbing the securit ycompany, Company D of 1st Battalion, 3d Marines ,in country from Okinawa since February . Deployin gabout the perimeter, the Marines of 3d Battalion ,9th Marines dug fighting pits and prepared to de -fend the airstrip and the compound which house dMAG-16 and the newly arrived 9th MEB commandgroup. Concurrent with the arrival of the 3d Bat-talion, 9th Marines over the beach, the 1st Battalion ,3d Marines started landing in C-130s from Okinawa .The men continued to arrive for the next two day sand upon the establishment of unit organization ,relieved the 3d Battalion, 9th Marines of close-i ndefense enabling the latter battalion to deploy fur-ther west on the slopes of the surrounding hill coun-try, dominated by Hill 327 .

Lieutenant Commander Paul H . Running(Lutheran) with the 1st Battalion, 3d Marines wa sthe second 9th MEB chaplain to deploy south fromOkinawa to Da Nang . He and his battalion had justcompleted cold weather training at Camp Fuji, Hon-shu, Japan, when word concerning the 7 Februar yguerrilla attack at Pleiku and the bombing of th eSaigon BOQ arrived. Upon return to Okinawa ,Company D departed immediately to reinforce the

detachment of security personnel guarding the air-base at Da Nang . On Sunday afternoon as Chaplai nRunning, his battalion commander, and two otherofficers returned from an officers religious retrea tand entered the gate at Camp Schwab, they were in -formed that 1st Battalion, 3d Marines was mountin g

out . Within a few hours the battalion was standin gby at Marine Corps Air Station, Futema, Okinawa ,awaiting immediate transportation to Vietnam .

Chaplain Running later reflected :

Our battalion deployed around the airfield upon arriv-ing in country, replacing 3d Battalion, 9th Marines wh omoved west to Hills 268 and 327, where some of theLAAM (Light Anti-Aircraft Missile) batteries were emplac-ed . From the time of our arrival on we received sporadi csniper fire, expecially from the southwest . "B" Companywas on constant alert . '

Chaplain Running set about organizing the structur eof his ministry and was quickly made aware of one o fthe major organizational necessities of the Vietnamchaplain's experience; the necessity for cooperative ,cross-unit ministry . He commented :

Sunday services were conducted in all company areas ,and in the missile batteries and engineer battalion areaswhere no chaplains were attached . Chaplains Walker 3/9 ,Lecky with MAG-16 and I, divided up Protestant respon-sibilities roughly in a three piece pie and arranged for a nArmy and an Air Force chaplain to provide Roma nCatholic Masses . In those days it was simply a matter oflocating a unit, passing the word, assembling the men an dproceeding with the service . With the advent of patrols o na seven-day-a-week basis, religious services sometimes slip-ped from Sunday to Monday or Tuesday, but they wer ealways held . 3

While the center of the city of Da Nang was onl ytwo miles east of the airbase compound and approx-imately seven miles from Hills 268 and 327, neithe rMarines nor their chaplains had any extensive con -tact with indigenous Vietnamese during the firs tmonth of their assignment . The task of the Marineunits did not as yet stress civic relationships with th eVietnamese . Their task was purely defensive . Securi-ty personnel were ordered to refrain from firin gunless first fired upon . At first only defensive patrolswere sent out, and these were deployed along th eperimeter and within the confines of the enclave ,which included the city, its airfield, and the coun-tryside immediately adjacent to them . Travel for an ydistance beyond the confines of the command post ,whether on foot or by vehicle, was considered hazar-

SUPPORTING AMID CONFUSION

1 9

dous . From the very first, however, chaplains werenoted for the facility with which they moved fro mposition to position to minister to the religious needsof their scattered personnel . Chaplains Walker, Run-ning, and Lecky made their way by hitching ridesupon the first available transportation, or later ,when more vehicles were available, by moving fro mone isolated outpost to another in a "mighty mite "or jeep in company with an armed driver and a cler kriding "shotgun ." Setting the pattern for all otherchaplains in country with Marines, they looked upo nregular visits among personnel of the unit outposts ,as an important professional duty which must at allcosts be fulfilled .

The defensive character of the Marine Corp sstance at the time does not mean that the pain andsuffering that results from combat experience wasforeign to chaplains or to the individual Marine . Infact, the regulation not to carry a loaded weapon andnot to fire unless fired upon, contributed to th epotentiality of heightened anger, frustration, andagony . Lieutenant Clarence A . Vernon (Disciples ofChrist) wrote :

In 1965 I saw our power applied so gently that we wer eusing only our presence . The last words of the Marine cor-poral who died in my arms were : "I couldn't get my clip". . . . Under orders not to fire unless fired upon and not tocarry a loaded weapon, he was shot in the back by the VietGong . In his hands were soap, bandages and medicine forthe sore-covered children of the village . "

In the early days of the 9th MEB's presence in Viet-nam the 3d Battalion, 9th Marines and the 1st Bat-talion, 3d Marines had reasonable contact and good -natured competition between them that contribute dto the easing of the tensions produced by the gravel yserious business at hand . Nor were the respectiv echaplains exempt from such competition . Chaplai nWalker would enjoy reminding Chaplain Runningthat Walker's unit was, after all, the first infantr ybattalion in country . Chaplain Running is reportedto have countered with his characteristic twinkl ethat, while it was true that Walker's outfit was th efirst battalion physically in country, Running's wa sthe first "effective" infantry unit to land . ,

The III Marine Amphibious Force is Create d

Following the initial landings in Vietnam, the 3 dMarine Division Chaplain, Captain Robert Q . Jones

(American Baptist), and his assistant, CommanderJohn J . O'Connor (Roman Catholic), at divisio nheadquarters in Okinawa, assembled equipmen tand supplies and made preparations necessary fo rcombat ministry, should the entire division be com-mitted to duty in Vietnam . Attempts had bee nmade to arrange a trip for either the divisio nchaplain or the assistant even before the initiallanding of 3d Battalion, 9th Marines . During Marc hChaplain O'Connor visited the units of the 9th ME Band MAG-16 and conferred with Chaplains Runn-ing, Walker, and Lecky . Upon his return to brief th edivision chaplain, it became reasonably obvious tha ta sizable buildup was certain, and Chaplain O'Con-nor was assigned 30 days of temporary duty asbrigade chaplain, and returned to Vietnam thefollowing month .

On 2 April 1965 Chaplain O'Connor arrived in D aNang to join the command group of the 9th MEB a sbrigade chaplain . Since Chaplain Toland wit hMAG-16 was on Okinawa with the parent wing a tthat time, Chaplain O'Connor was the only Roma nCatholic chaplain serving the Marines in the enclave .With characteristic zeal and competence that waslater to contribute to his being chosen the Nav yChaplain Corps' fourteenth chief of chaplains ,Chaplain O'Connor coordinated the entire religiou sprogram of the brigade, provided Catholic coverag efor the two battalions in country and for MAG-16 ,and was virtually ever-present at the field hospita lbeing established by Company A, 3d Medical Bat-talion .

Chaplain O 'Connor remained in Vietnam muc hlonger than the scheduled 30 days . Near the end ofhis first month in Da Nang the next significant ste pin the buildup of forces occurred . Early in May, the3d Marine Division, with its skeleton staff, move dfrom Okinawa to the Da Nang base to become the3d Marine Division (Forward), and the 9th MEB wa sshortly absorbed into a new superior command, th eIII Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) . The bat-talions of the 9th MEB were then restored to th ecommand of the 3d Marine Division . At this pointMajor General William R . Collins commanded boththe III MAF and the 3d Marine Division .

III MAF, with its headquarters in the cramped ,crowded Da Nang Airbase compound, exercise dcommand over the 3d Marine Division (Forward) ,1st MAW, and the forming Naval Component Com-mand which was to include all U .S . Navy commands

20


ashore in the five I Corps provinces . When the entire

3d Marine Division, most of the remaining aircraftgroups of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and Seabe eBattalions 3 and 10 arrived in the spring of 1965, th ecommand structure of the III MAF would be full y

formed . Shortly after the reorganization was com-plete, Major General Lewis W. Walt relieved MajorGeneral Collins as Commanding General, III MAF ,and one of his initial acts after arriving in countr y

was to redesignate Chaplain O 'Connor as 3d MarineDivision chaplain, anticipating that the remainde r

of his senior staff, temporarily remaining onOkinawa, would soon arrive in Vietnam, and tha tChaplain Jones, former division chaplain would b eassigned to the new senior billet with III MAF .

Considerably before there was any large-scal ecommitment of chaplains to Vietnam, Chaplai nJones, on Okinawa, ,was identifying problem area sand moving to solve them . The most pressing ofthese areas was chaplain preparation and training ,and the availability of religious supplies . Upon theconclusion of his most demanding tour ChaplainJones remembered :

As the Division Chaplain on Okinawa, where most ofthe Marine Chaplains remained (early in 1965), it wasnecessary for me to make periodic trips to Vietnam to ob-tain first-hand-information on the chaplain ' s duties ,responsibilities, and hardships . Such information was in-culcated into the continuous training program fo rchaplains on Okinawa as preparation for their ministr yunder arduous circumstances in Vietnam . On these trips Iwas able also to carry religious supplies to the combat are ato be stored and await the arrival of unit chaplains . '

The training program spoken of by Chaplai nJones was designed to equip each combat-boun dchaplain with a fundamental knowledge of guerrill awarfare, and specifically the working environment i nwar-torn Vietnam within which his ministry was t obe conducted . The division chaplain insured thatplans were formed for all chaplains attached to thedivision to receive two weeks of intensive orientationto guerrilla warfare . This training was conducted atthe Northern Training Area on' Okinawa unde rsimulated combat conditions . It was arduous andtaxing, but the profitable results were to be inevidence a few months later in the jungles of Viet-nam . Chaplain Jones reported :

The major portion of our weekly chaplains' conference swere devoted to the chaplains' ministry in the field and th echaplains' ministry in combat. Chaplains were instructedon the availability of resources, personal initiative, over-

coming hardships, and related subjects . During thispredeployment period, chaplains held religious weekendretreats for their individual battalions . Ten Protestant andtwelve Catholic religious retreats were held involving over1200 enlisted personnel . The weekend prior to the initia lMarine landing in Vietnam, a religious ecumenical retrea tfor 170 Marine officers was held at Okuma, Okinawa .Seventy-two hours after the retreat terminated Marine Bat-talions with forty-eight officers who attended the retrea twere walking ashore in Vietnam to face combat, hardship ,and loneliness. 6

Having organized and supervised these extensiv epreparations, Chaplain Jones would be directed t othe war zone itself in June of 1965, and wouldobserve the fruits of his foresight .

Landing at Phu Ba i

The second enclave* to be established by Marin eCorps ground units in Vietnam was at Phu Bai nea rthe ancient capital city of Hue, in Thua Thien Pro-vince . Three chaplains were involved in the four-da yoperation which began on 11 April 1965 . Two ofthose chaplains were attached to Marine battalions ;

Lieutenant Colin E . Supple (Roman Catholic) waswith the 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, which landed thefirst day, and was followed up three days later byLieutenant Commander William A . Lane (SouthernBaptist) with the 3d Battalion, 4th Marines . The

third chaplain was Lieutenant Edward Wilcox(United Presbyterian) in the Amphibious Landin gShip Dock, USS Vancouver (LPD 2) part of Tas k

Group 76 .7 which also included Attack Transpor t

USS Henrico (APA 45), Attack Cargo Ship US SUnion (AKA 106) and Attack Transport US S

Linawee (APA 195) . Chaplain Wilcox, whose shipparticipated in the initial landing at Da Nang amonth earlier, recalled :

Once again Vancouver was called upon to perform herprimary mission, along with Henrico and Union . Van-

couver loaded Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 2/3 at WhiteBeach, Buckner Bay, Okinawa, and three days later, an-chored two miles from the mouth of the Hue River .Precisely at H-hour, tractor landing vehicles (LVTs) hit th ebeach and were followed by landing craft carrying landvehicles and cargo . Convoys of landing craft in companywith Marine fire teams were dispatched to patrol the riverbanks . The operation was more time consuming tha noriginally planned due to the fact that the staging area wa s

*An "enclave" was the designation given a protected area im-mediately surrounding the major population centers in the ICorps Tactical Zone (ICTZ) of South Vietnam .


2 1

13 miles up the river . Helicopters were also employed byVancouver to airlift supplies and equipment over th edistance .,

On the first day of the operation, Chaplain Sup-ple landed with the main body of his battalion a tRed Beach 1 near Da Nang . The landing wa swithout incident, and two line companies of the bat-talion were immediately flown by chopper to th ePhu Bai strip to join the advance party and its equip-ment, while the remainder of the BLT assume ddefensive positions in the hills west of Da Nang .Chaplain Supple remembered, "I went immediatel yto Phu Bai where we set up a defense for the airstri pand an adjacent Army Communications Camp .Never before did the Army welcome Marines mor ecordially! " 8

Chaplain Supple's work assumed the classi cMarine chaplain ' s pattern . The companies of 2d Bat-talion, 3d Marines lived on the ground in shelter -halves and proceeded to send patrols throughout th e

area . It was cold and damp during those early day sand Mass, confession, and worship were held ou tunder the open sky .

Although the two companies of 2/ 3 remained i nPhu Bai only two weeks, the character of Chaplai n

Supple 's ministry broadened immediately . Even asthe Phu Bai enclave was being secured, he was aske d

by the U .S . Army chaplain in Hue to cover Catholi cservice at a remote Special Forces Camp .

My clerk and I flew by TWA or, to use the ter memployed by Army personnel, "Teeney Weeney Airlines, "from Hue to the Special Forces Camp . Our single engin eArmy bird landed us in the jungle about forty miles to th ewest at a small fenced and mostly underground camp con-taining seven Army and about one hundred fifty irregularARVN troops . Only one American was Catholic . Webegan Mass with three people . Just after the Consecration ,nearly all the Vietnamese men trooped in and took over .Continuous loud singing of native hymns, taught by thei rFrench Nuns, was impressive . Talk about participation ,and in the vernacular1 9

On Easter Sunday, just two weeks after the initia llanding at Phu Bai, the 3d Battalion, 4th Marine srelieved the two companies of 2d Battalion, 3 dMarines which returned to the parent body in D aNang. Chaplain Lane landed with his battalionfollowing a trip up the Hue River . From the city ofHue it was transported to the Phu Bai defensiv eperimeter . Heavy sniper fire plagued the convoy andthe battalion sustained its first Marine killed in ac-tion .

Chaplain Lane was with 3d Battalion, 4th Marinesfor only a month as he had 30 days left on his curren ttour of duty when the battalion landed . That monthwas comparatively quiet, although a reconnaissanc eplatoon under the command of First Lieutenan tFrank Reasoner, who was later to be awarded theMedal of Honor, was routinely engaged in opera-tions against the Viet Cong .

When he arrived to relieve Chaplain Lane at the3d Battalion, 4th Marines, Lieutenant Leroy E .Muenzler, Jr . (Cumberland Presbyterian), foun dHue-Phu Bai to be a fascinating area . Phu Bai lie sapproximately 50 miles north of Da Nang along theeastern coastline . It was strategically well chosen as acoastal enclave in that it was capable of defense andsupport by naval force offshore, and provide dmilitary cover for the historically and psychologicall yimportant former home of the Annam kings, th ecity of Hue . The terrain presented the white sands o fthe beachline blending into a strip of coastal plainand then rising sharply westward through dense ,jungle-covered country to the heights of the An-namese Cordillera running northwest to southeast ,parallel to the coastline of South Vietnam's pan -handle .

The impact of 3d Battalion, 4th Marines on Ph uBai and the contribution that Chaplain Muenzle rwas able to make to the Vietnamese of the area ,would prove to be extremely significant . When thechaplain reported for duty the battalion was stil lengaged in searching and clearing the tactical area o fresponsibility (TAOR) assigned to it . The units werewidely scattered and Chaplain Muenzler's time wa sheavily committed to providing religious coveragethroughout the entire area . The battalion TAOR in-cluded several villages whose population totalle dabout 12,000 people . Medical aid and civic actionteams began going into these villages about the firs tof June . In addition, the chaplain's workload in -creased when the battalion commander formed acivic action council and assigned him to direct its ex-panding humanitarian efforts .

Out of the work of this council a practice evolve dwhich was to become supremely important forMarine Corps pacification efforts in Vietnam . It wasnoted that the villagers lived in fear of the VietCong, and for fear of reprisal were hesitant to acceptbadly needed self-help material and medical aid of-fered them by the Americans . It was obvious thatthey urgently required protection if they were to

22


make the best use of assistance available to them . Acombined action company, charged to formulate aworkable plan of protection for the village Viet-namese, was established . Within a brief period eac hhamlet was assigned a Marine squad . Riflemen werecommitted to live in the hamlet, with and amongthe Vietnamese, to train defensive Popular Forc etroops and become an integral part of a Popula rForce platoon . They also attempted to implementwhat civic action programs they considere dworkable . Chaplain Muenzler noted, "The Marineslearned enough of the Vietnamese language t oengage in simple conversation . The villagers grew t oknow, to trust and to love the Marines through thisclose contact ."'° The combined action concept prov-ed to be sound and workable, and soon attracted theattention of General Walt, the III MAF Com-mander, and in time became a major instrumentupon which the Marine Corps pacification effortswere to be based in the following years .

The heaviest burden placed on the chaplain in-volved in a civic action program as extensive as th eone in which Chaplain Muenzler was active, was i nterms of the time required to discharge the respon-sibility . Both transportation difficulties andnecessary public relations with local dignitaries at eup vast amounts of time . The increased civic action ,Chaplain Muenzler reported :

. . . meant that the chaplain was in the villages increas-ingly more frequently . I went to Hue and met theArchbishop, who in turn introduced me to the Roma nCatholic Priest living and serving in the area . Everyone wasimmediately receptive and extremely responsive . The sam emethod was employed in meeting Buddhist religiousleaders and laity . The American Counsul in Hue was mor ethan happy to introduce me to Doctor Ba ' , who took me tothe Dom' Pagoda, and to the area Buddhist headquarters .I toured their facilities in the area, including an or-phanage, and saw a number of areas where we could be o fhelp . Eventually several projects were completed in the or-phanages at Hue, in a refugee camp then bein gestablishing in our TAOR, and in the villages of the area .This involved a great deal of local traveling on the part o fthe chaplain, as did religious coverage of the combined ac-tion squads living in the villages . Every man, however, hadthe opportunity to attend church services at least once aweek . "

At this time, midyear 1965, the Phu Bai enclaveproduced a remarkable example of chaplain commit-ment and cooperation . It was nothing dramatic likea life-saving effort or dangerous rescue, simply th eday-by-day dedication to outstanding goals . Lieu -

tenant Paul E . Roswog (Roman Catholic) was com-pleting his tour with the 3d Marine Division o nOkinawa . In view of the rising need for additiona lchaplains in Vietnam, he offered to use two weeks o fthe leave he had expected to take en route to duty a tthe Naval Station, Key West, Florida, to provide ad-ditional Catholic coverage in the I Corps . Divisio nChaplain Jones agreed and made the appropriat erecommendation to the G-1 section . In view of th eneeds he saw upon arrival in Phu Bai where he join-ed Chaplain Muenzler, Chaplain Roswog requeste da three-month extension and eventually a second .His two-week tenure in Vietnam lasted from July toNovember !

That there was profound need for Chaplai nRoswog in Phu Bai is amply demonstrated by a re -counting of the units that he, in conjunction wit hChaplain Muenzler, served in the TAOR . Theseunits included the 3d Battalion, 4th Marines with at-tached tank, antitank, reconnaissance, engineering ,and truck platoons ; Company A, 3d Medical Bat-talion ; Force Logistics Support Unit 2 ; four batteriesof the 2d and 4th Battalions, 12th Marines (Ar-tillery) ; and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadro n161 (HMM-161) of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing .Also included within the Marine camp perimete rwere the Hue civilian air terminal, the U .S . ArmyEighth Radio Research Unit (RRU-8), an ARVN ar-tillery regiment, and the Dong Da ARVN Basi cTraining Camp .

The units to which Chaplains Muenzler an dRoswog traveled each day were located within a 1'hmile radius of the center of the compound . ChaplainRoswog reported, however, that the average jee pmileage for a day on which he did not leave th eperimeter was 30 miles . He was quartered in th efield hospital to facilitate care of the wounded and t oafford more efficient unit coverage which he share dwith Chaplain Muenzler . Each chaplain wasavailable at all times for religious counseling an dministrations to the troops throughout the area . As apractical matter, however, Chaplain Muenzle rassumed responsibility for the units on one side o fthe highway which divided the compound, an dChaplain Roswog covered the others . ChaplainRoswog served the field hospital and the medica lbattalion, the artillery units, and the helicopte rsquadron . Chaplain Muenzler was available to th einfantry company, the units attached to reinforce th ebattalion, and the detached support platoons . While


2 3

Chaplain Muenzler was the overall coordinator o fthe civic action program, both chaplains shared th eCombined Action Platoon (CAP) ministry .

The work that Chaplain Roswog did in the refuge evillage was significant for several reasons, not th eleast of which was that it represented the first occa-sion of III MAF chaplains formally working in Sout hVietnamese Government-sponsored refugee camps ."Having once made liaison with the Reverend Fran -cis Thuan, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Hue anddirector of all refugee settlements in the Hue area, "

reported Chaplain Roswog, "my specific role in civi laffairs was coordinator of programs for refugees ."1 2The chapel funds at Phu Bai were collected with th eunderstanding that they would be used solely fo rthese villages or civic action generally . Numerou sdonations were made to both the Christian com-munities and to the outreach program of the Bud-dhist structure in the Hue-Phu Bai area . Lieutenan tRoswog reported :

All communications with and projects for the Buddhis torphanage were handled through the office of theAmerican Consul General . We concurred in the opinio nthat we should help the orphanage, not only as a means ofpromoting good will among the people of the city of Hue ,but more basically because of the dire need of the orphansand the sad lack of facilities available for their use . At hissuggestion we did not give money, but rather determinedwhat they needed most, purchased it, and then presentedit to them . 1 3

Chaplain Roswog also reported at length on th einitial successes of the combined action platoons . Inone of the villages, while the Marine squad and Viet-namese Popular Forces were out on patrol, the Vie tCong slipped in and visited the home of an ARV Nsoldier . The intruders ordered his wife to have he rhusband at home the following night and prepare dto join the Viet Cong . No choice or alternative wasstated . None was required ; the consequences fo rrefusal were clearly understood . Instead of attemp-ting to influence her husband to desert, she ap-proached the Marine squad leader and informed himof the threat . She was reassured by the promise of acontinuing night-watch on her home . Five week spassed before Chaplain Roswog left the area, and th eViet Cong had not returned . The significance of th estory, he suggested, was the fact that the Vietnames ehousewife had sufficient faith in the CAP personne lto approach them with her story rather than succum-bing to the threats of those whom she sensed wer ethe real enemy . Every day the threatened family re -

mained free from Viet Cong reprisal further improv-ed the mutual trust which was developing betweenthe South Vietnamese and their Marine benefactors .

The Phu Bai chaplains record that their religiousministry not only did not suffer because of thei rCombined Action Platoon involvement, but theirspiritual ministry was extended by it . Tuesdays andThursdays were reserved for services at the CAP unitsin the villages . While attendance varied from threeto five with the various squads, Chaplains consistent-ly reported the majority of CAP personnel attended .The men in the CAP squads obviously looked for -ward to the weekly visits of both chaplains .

Chu Lai tic Born

The almost-white sand is deep and soft, about th econsistency of sugar . It sucks at your feet ; it foulswheeled, even tracked vehicles . It blows up easily in -to eyes and nostrils in the dry seasons and is cloyin gquagmire in the monsoon . The sun-washed days aresquinted at through half-closed eyes, and the heat islike a weight, making each step an effort . Perspira-tion never stops, it just slows with the lessening ofactivity . Next to his rifle, salt tablets are the Marine' sbest friend . This is Chu Lai, Vietnam .

Chu Lai is not a royal city or an ancient seaport .You will not find it on Vietnamese maps . It wasmerely sun and sand until 13 July 1964 when Lieute-nant General Victor H . Krulak, CommandingGeneral, FMFPac, on an exploration flight in searc hof a suitable site for an additional airstrip in I Corps ,noted this spot 57 miles southeast of Da Nang . Th eCivil Engineer Corps officer flying with the genera lremarked that the site looked good but there was n oway to identify it . General Krulak quickly replied ."The name is Chu Lai ." He later explained "In orde rto settle the matter immediately, I had simply give n(him) the Mandarin Chinese characters for m yname."" Thus was Chu Lai christened . It was t oreceive its baptism by fire in the not too distan tfuture .

In early March 1965 when it became obvious tha tthe 3d Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraf tWing were to be committed to action in Vietnam ,tactical concerns centered upon backup reserve . Thedecision was made to restore the 4th Marines (whic hhad belonged to the 1st Marine Brigade in Hawai isince 1954) to the division . On 10 March, the 4thMarines embarked and sailed for Okinawa wit hChaplains Lieutenant Commander John P . Byrnes

24


(Roman Catholic), Lieutenant Commander WilliamA . Lane, and Lieutenant Commander George S .Thilking (United Churches of Christ), remainin gwith their units through a training period onOkinawa and eventually landing over the sands ofChu Lai .

Chaplain Byrnes landed with Lieutenant Colone lJoseph R . "Bull" Fisher in the first wave of boats tha tcarried their battalion to the shore . The sand was softand marching was difficult . "Had it not been for theLVT 's, tank and other vehicles, most of the me nwould have been marching into the night just t oreach the Command Post . It was quite an experiencefor all of us . There were no lights, no fires, no noise .We ate cold C rations and remained on the alert . "1 5

Since Chaplain Byrnes, with the 2d Battalion, 4t hMarines was the only Catholic Chaplain ashore a tChu Lai, he set about coordinating his religiou sministry with Chaplain Thilking with the 1st Bat-talion, 4th Marines positioned several miles away bu tabout equal distance from the beach, and the 4t hMarines Regimental Command Post which wa sstrategically deployed between them and closer tothe beach for security . This positioning was for-tunate at the outset of the enclave since it allowe dboth chaplains to cover all units with relative ease .Even so, Chaplain Thilking who rotated out of coun-try in just 33 days, his tour with the brigade ended ,recorded 35 helicopter flights and countless trips b yjeep and foot in the discharge of his ministry .

Chaplain Thilking noted, as did Chaplain Byrnes ,that worship services at Chu Lai were first held unde rthe open sky . In the midst of heavily wooded groundin the 1st Battalion area, Chaplain Thilking found aconfiguration of five trees with arching limbs form-ing a natural, open-air cathedral . He pointed out th elocation for his commanding officer Lieutenant Col-onel Harold D. Fredericks . That evening at the of-ficers' meeting the colonel announced that all of-ficers and staff NCOs who were available were t omeet the chaplain under the trees with the ap-propriate instruments to clear away the dense under -brush . On Saturday morning a sizable grou pprepared the area and on Sunday, 16 May, the 1s tBattalion chapel was used for both Protestant andCatholic worship services . 1 6

The initial mission for the Regimental Landin gTeam (RLT) 4 was the protection of the area withi nwhich the projected airstrip was to be built . It was amonumental task, trying to construct a stable strip

on the huge expanse of shifting sand . Joining the 1stand 2d Battalions, 4th Marines in RLT 4 were the 3 dBattalion, 3d Marines with Lieutenant CommanderEugene M . Smith (Presbyterian Church in theUnited States) as Chaplain, and Naval Mobile Con-struction Battalion 10 (NMCB-10), the unit whic hwould actually build the strip . Later Chu Lai wouldbe the home of the 1st and 3d Battalions, 7thMarines ; 3d Shore Party Battalion, Naval BeachGroup, supported by the Force Logistic Supply Unit ;companies of the 3d Reconnaissance Battalion ; andCompany A, 3d Tank Battalion . But for now therewas RLT 4, the airstrip to be built, and the Seabee swere ordered to do it—on the double .

The Seabees Arrive

On 7 May 1965, in coordination with the am-phibious landing of RLT 4 at Chu Lai, the firs tSeabee battalion to make an amphibious landing in -to a shooting conflict since World War II, move dacross the beach . Lieutenant George M. Sheldon(Episcopal), battalion chaplain of Naval Mobil eConstruction Battalion 10, became the first Seabe echaplain to enter South Vietnam .

Chaplain Sheldon reported that the Seabees too ktheir "Can Do" motto very seriously . In keeping wit hthe decision to establish shoreline defense enclave swhich had the capability of air support and verticalenvelopment, NMCB-10 threw itself into the con-struction of a modern, jet-capable airstrip an dhelicopter pad, on the sandy beachfront . The ChuLai airfield developed rapidly into the projecte d8,000-foot runway with taxiways and suppor tfacilities capable of accommodating two jet fighte rsquadrons of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, the nslated for immediate in-country deployment . Inrecord time, 29 days later, the strip was opened fo rlimited air operations and received the first planes ofMAG-12 . When General Krulak notified hissuperiors in Washington of the operational capabili-ty of the airstrip in so short time, he received a oneword message in reply, " incredible!"' 7

Since chaplains were providing a kind of com-plementary, cooperative religious coverage acrossorganizational lines, MCB-10's chaplains regularl ycared for Company B, 3d Medical Battalion, an dprovided Protestant coverage for the hospital .Coverage there included a crisis ministry to casualtie sand the conduct of religious services appropriate tothe need of patients, medical officers, and corps-


2 5

men . In return catholic chaplains attached to nearbyMarine units brought the ministry of their church t othe Seabees .

Although the location and situation at Chu Lainever lent themselves to extensive people-to-peopleprojects, Chaplains Sheldon of NCMB-10 and Smithof the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines cooperated inbenefiting an orphanage in Quang Ngai and refugeecamp sponsored by the Roman Catholic Churc hsouth of the perimeter . Both of these efforts re-quired the passage over roads controlled by the Vie tCong at the time, and necessitated the use of a con-voy of trucks from the 3d Battalion, 3d Marineswhen materials were delivered . NMCB-10 also dugsurface wells and drainage ditches and did extensiv econstruction work for the Chu Lai New Life Hamlet ,a Vietnamese relocation effort .

With the remarkable buildup of Marine battalion sand support units, the need for new construction waskeenly felt and the commitment of Mobile Construc-tion Battalions to Vietnam continued . On 26 Ma y1965, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 arrive dat Da Nang to begin construction of cantonments fo rthe field hospital of the 3d Medical Battalion . Addi-tional projects included cantonments for the 1s tMarine Aircraft Wing headquarters, lately arrived incountry, and for a permanent Seabee camp fro mwhich the new Seabee battalion could proceed wit hits part of 150 million dollars worth of constructio nplanned for Vietnam during 1965 .

Lieutenant Edward E . Jayne (United Methodist )accompanied the battalion of 20 Civil Enginee rCorps officers and 600 professional construction me nashore . He wrote :

Following a full eight-month deployment on the islandof Guam, MCB Three was ordered to execute a tota lmountout operation to Da Nang, South Vietnam . Thismovement was one of the first full scale Seabee mount-outoperations utilizing both air and sea services since Worl dWar II . Approximately thirty C-130 aircraft were used totransport the advance party to Da Nang for the purpose ofselecting a site for MCB Three 's base camp and initiatingconstruction . The main body of the battalion departe dGuam on the LSD 's Point Defiance and Belle Grove an dthe USS Talledega .1 8

For the first two months MCB-3 ' s Sunday worshipservices were conducted in the messhall, which wa sthe only early building of sufficient size to accom-modate the worshippers . The Seabees chaplainusually enjoyed exceptional attendance at worship

due to the professional closeness of the members o fthe battalion and the practice of keeping the entir ebattalion quarters within the perimeter of the cam pas much as possible . The camps thus tended t obecome more permanent as did the daily pattern o fthe Seabees . Chaplain Jayne conducted the Protes-tant services and the Catholic Masses were covered b ythe chaplain from the 2d Battalion, 3d Marines ,Lieutenant Edwin V . Bohula . In keeping with th epractice of . crossing unit lines to provide broaderreligious coverage, Chaplain Jayne offered his ser-vices to the Force Logistic Support Group (FLSG) ,which was without a chaplain . For three months, un-til the first unit chaplain was assigned to FLSG ,Chaplain Jayne conducted worship services, a weekl yBible study, and daily counseling sessions . He alsogave professional assistance to the 7th Engineer Bat-talion which was without a chaplain during the earl ymonths of the buildup of the Marine force .

Chaplain ministry to a Seabee battalion was muchlike that which was offered the men of the U .S .Marine Corps, but it did differ in one major respect .A Seabee was ordered to spend a number of years at-tached to one unit, and he deployed with that uni tand not as an individual . The result was that aSeabee could deploy two or three times during hisyears with a certain unit ; regardless of how manymonths he 'd already spent away from his family .Before and during Vietnam, Seabee deployment susually resulted in the constructionman's being withhis family only four or five months a year, for a suc-cession of years . This ' often strained marital ties andcreated personnel problems with which the chaplai nhad to cope . The recurrence of a familiar 'pattern offamily problems over the years demonstrated th eneed for a workable system of communication be-tween the deployed Seabee and his family . Lack ofcommunication had proven to be a major cause ofdeficient relationships in the past . Acting as personalrepresentative of his deployed counterpart, th echaplain at the Construction Battalion Center in theU.S ., visited and counseled with the families a thome. Voluminous correspondence, both detaile dand confidential, equipped the Center chaplain t ofunction as a trusted and objective third party t osmooth rough edges of strained family relationships .

Intimate knowledge of the 600 men of his bat-talion which the chaplain derived from extende ddeployments with them, coupled with his long -range facility in dealing with family problems, serv-

26


ed to enrich the chaplain ' s religious influence uponthe personal lives of individual constructionmen . I talso served to enhance and maintain the high level o funit morale consistently apparent among the Navy' sSeabees .

MAG-12 at Chu Lai

On 22 May 1965, two weeks after the Seabees, th e4th Marines and part of MAG-13 landed at Chu Lai ,and two weeks before the airstrip was ready to receiv ethe first jet aircraft, the first of two Marine aircraf twing chaplains arrived for duty . He was Lieutenan tRichard A . Long (Roman Catholic) attached t oMAG-12 . Chaplain Long moved into Chu Lai wit hthe group 's Marine air base squadron sent to set u phousekeeping support facilities for the jet fighters .

The squadron had left Iwakuni, Japan on 16 Ma yfor the six-day passage to Vietnam by LST . Thechaplain found the voyage to be profitable as h eemployed the time as he could for ministry . Eachmorning the working day began with a prayer ove rthe ship's loudspeaker system . He wrote :

I believe the men enjoyed beginning the day with aprayer, and as I looked over the deck from the bridge, Icould see that the men stood with heads bowed in areverent attitude . The captain offered me a compartmen twhere I spent the morning hours counseling with men whowished to see me in private . Then at 1130 I said Mass onthe forward mess deck . Mass was well attended each day .Afternoons were spent moving about the ship, giving th emen an opportunity to talk with the chaplain in an infor-mal atmosphere . By the time we were ready to land inVietnam I had met more men and had come to know the mbetter than I had in four months at Iwakuni . Familiarity inits right perspective breeds, not contempt, bu tconfidence .' 9

When the LST beached at Chu Lai, Chaplai nLong and the Marines of his unit were met by an ad-vance party of MAG-12 who had left Iwakuni tw oweeks earlier . A small compound was alreadyestablished but it did not admit of any office space ,or any space large enough to hold services . The formof ministry adopted by Chaplain Long, therefore ,was that time-honored elemental methodologyknown as walking and talking . He recalled :

For two weeks I spent the entire day from 1500 to 190 0walking . My office became the entire MAG enclave, andservices were held wherever a cool spot could be found . Iwalked from one end of the proposed airstrip to the other ,and from the beach to the sand dunes west of the strip . Imerely made my presence known to the men working

under the hot sun sometimes offering a canteen to asweating man, sometimes accepting a canteen from aMarine who was generous enough to offer it . At first th emen would merely return the greeting I gave them ; late rthey would ask if I had a few minutes, and we would sit o na packaging box or in the sand while he unloaded his min dof a problem that was bothering him . Before long i tbecame customary to do most of my counseling this way . I fI missed a particular spot, the following day the menwould comment on my absence ."

Two weeks after Chaplain Long's arrival in Ch uLai, Lieutenant Charles L . Reiter (United Methodist )

reported as the group's Protestant chaplain . Whenhe arrived the temporary compound was completed ,but conditions were still Spartan and space was at apremium . Having to share quarters with six other of-ficers, the two chaplains repeatedly advised futur eplanners to include an all-purpose tent wit hchaplain 's mount-out gear to facilitate worship are aand counseling privacy . This, they contended, coul dusually be done at least with the wing groups as theirstability was more predictable than was that of th einfantry battalions .

The experience of beginning a ministry with vir-tually nothing, in a place that was, to all purposes ,"nowhere," was frightening to Chaplain Reiter, an doccasioned his reflections concerning the need fo rthe chaplain to be the embodiment of his faith an dnot merely the carrier of the external accoutrement sof it . Once the chaplain had proven his commitmentto his unit and its men, he said, "He need no t. . .give a testimony ; in fact he need not say anythingat all . The chaplain's presence is a very amelioratin ginfluence ."2 1

Chaplain Organization at Da Nang

Although this period was characterized by confu-sion and rapid change in all the enclaves, it was i nthe Da Nang area that it was felt most seriously . Un-til the arrival of Chaplain Jones as Force Chaplain II IMAF, the burden fell most significantly on Chaplai nO'Connor, the senior and supervisory chaplain wh ohad the responsibility for coordination of the NavyChaplain Corps ministry throughout the entire ICorps Tactical Zone which included the thre eenclaves and all isolated units . In the relatively slo wpaced beginning of the Marine commitment to com-bat, chaplains pooled their efforts and wentanywhere and everywhere, wherever there wer etroops and whenever they were needed . With the ar-rival of more chaplains, it was obvious that specific


2 7

Photo courtesy of Chaplain H . F . Leck yChaplain O ' Connor offers Mass in the Cathedral at Da Nang on Memorial Day, 1965 .

responsibilities had to be assigned and a comprehen-sive concept of organization established .

Since March, battalions had operated in -dependently of their parent regiments, an dsometimes, when operating in the vicinity of anothe rregimental command post, were attached to it fo rpurposes of operational coordination . Describingorganizational conditions as he saw them, Chaplai nO'Connor said :

A regiment has become a "sometime thing ." Element sof one regiment may be in three different enclaves . The ti-tle of regimental chaplain has substantially les ssignificance . It is useless to think of a regimental chaplai nas a coordinator of battalion chaplain activities . On th eother hand the concept of sector or area coordinators i sdeveloping . 22

Because organizational structures and condition swere as Chaplain O'Connor described them, hemade a continuing effort to establish a "pool" ofchaplains, responsible directly to the divisio nchaplain . It was believed that only thus couldmobility and flexibility be achieved to meet thehighly fluctuating needs of the expanding war . Thepool concept was realized and proved feasible . Thedivision chaplain was in a position to rotat echaplains among units ; to broaden their professionalexperience ; to relieve a chaplain of one faith by achaplain of another, periodically, in order t oestablish equity for all faiths ; to hold chaplains ofvarious faiths available to be dispatched to an area o ra unit where a sudden need had arisen ; to "ease" achaplain out of a difficult command relationship,

28


where, because of personalities, neither the chaplai nnor the commander was profiting, though each ma yhave been quite sincere; to position chaplains in ac-cordance with their talents and, perhaps with thei rdesires, as far as possible .

Supporting this concept still further, ChaplainO'Connor reported :

It should be noted in this regard that many curren t(Marine) Tables of Organization are chaotic . Units o fseveral thousand persons, e .g ., Force Logistics SupportGroup, may have no chaplain in the T.O . An entirely newconcept, a Base Defense Group of 1,000 men drawn fromall units except infantry to release the latter for forwardlines, has no chaplain in its T .O . The old deep-rooted con-viction that a specific chaplain must stay with his battalionbecause of esprit, knowing the men, etc ., must bedramatically revised because transplacement battalions arebeing fragmented . Every week or two companies aredetached from their original /battalions and attached toothers ; battalions will no longer transplace as battalions ,but on individual orders and on a draft basis .'3

While it is true that after the initial period o ffragmentation and confusion experienced by th eMarine units involved in the rapid buildup there wasa return to the more formal and traditional organiza-tional relationships, many of the moves made accor-ding to the insight of the division chaplain were re-tained as highly profitable concepts . The ability ofthe division chaplain to move chaplains from unit t ounit as the need was perceived remained as establish-ed by Chaplain O'Connor . The concept of areacoverage continued in effect for years to come, an din some instances was employed by the Chaplai nCorps in other parts of the world . The single-unit ,single-chaplain idea did not die, however, and apreponderance of chaplain after-tour reports spea klongingly, nostalgically, and proudly of "my men . "The traditional, formalized command relationship swere married to the area coverage and mission -oriented need in a most stable way .

In June Chaplain Jones, Division Chaplain, 3dMarine Division (Rear), arrived in Da Nang with hi sheadquarters command groups . Chaplain Jones ha dbeen among the senior staff officers who remaine dwith the division's rear echelon on Okinawa to pro -vide for a planned and orderly transition of person-nel and equipment to Vietnam as required . On 1 5June, the decision was made that the divisionchaplain transfer his headquarters to the Da Nangenclave .

Chaplain Jones reported :

Shortly after I arrived in Da Nang, General Lewis Walt ,CG III MAF, was made Commander of the I Corps Area .My area of cognizance as staff chaplain for Commander, ICorps, included Wing, Division and Construction Bat-talion Chaplains plus two Army and three Air Forc e

Chaplains . Since General Walt was responsible to Genera lWilliam Westmoreland for coordination of all Unite dStates Military activities in the I Corps area, it was strongl yrecommended that, as his advisor on matters of religion, Ibe assigned to his III Marine Amphibious Force Staff a sForce Chaplain . The recommendation was approved . . . .The new assignment as Force Chaplain, III MAF placed m ein a better position to lend direction and purpose to al lreligious activities in the area . With this responsibilitycame the authority to reassign chaplains to units or ac-tivities to assure full religious coverage .'"

The first broad policy implemented by the ne wforce chaplain related to the chaplain ' s image as anon-combatant . To preserve that image, pursuant t othe provisions of the Geneva Agreements on militarychaplains, he set forth a broad prohibition againstchaplains carrying any kind of defensive weapons .Each chaplain, was given the option to comply wit hthe policy or be transferred to Okinawa for the re-mainder of his tour . Every chaplain complied wit hthe directive .

Chaplain Jones' second policy related to the provi-sions of instruction in the mores and folkways of theVietnamese people for every chaplain in country .Neither the substantive content of the instructio n

nor the importance attached to its disseminatio n

were new. The first Shufly chaplains had engagedthe services of distinguished Christian missionar ypersonnel to instruct both chaplains and newly arriv-ing Marines . The real innovation was to be found i nthe extension of such instruction without exceptio nto every chaplain, with the intention that he woul dfurther disseminate the information to personnel o fhis unit . Similar efforts based on more careful an dcomprehensive academic research, and broader i nscope, were then being implemented by FMFPac an dthe Chief of Chaplains in Washington . Never-theless, Chaplain Jones' calling upon local mis-sionaries to share their knowledge and insights int otypical Vietnamese thinking and to enhance inter -cultural understanding and respect represented asignificant contribution to Marine Corps an dChaplain Corps efforts in Vietnam .

The third major policy consideration to which th eforce chaplain addressed himself related to th eestablishment of independent unit, division, and


2 9


Stacks of C-ration cartons serve as both seating and altar for the Protestant service con -ducted by Chaplain Lt L . L . Ahrnsbrak for members of the 3d Platoon, Company G, 2 dBattalion, 3d Marines, at a cleared and sandbagged position on a steep hillside in 1966 .

30


wing chapel funds . These were monies received b ythe chapel program for Christian distribution . OnOkinawa, chapel funds were administered at th edivision level . As the battalions deployed to Viet-nam, unit chapel funds were established but wer enever officially authorized by division policy . I tbecame clear, when Marine air and ground unit swere again located in close geographical proximity t oeach other, that the lines of Chapel Fund ad -ministration should again be drawn taut, and broa dIII MAF policies should be formulated for their mos teffective employment . Officially authorized uni tfunds, according to Chaplain Jones, "enabled th echaplains to extend their missionary ministry to th elocal Vietnamese villages . A large proportion of th echapel funds was used to build or restore Catholic ,Protestant, and Buddhist houses of worship . A por-tion was turned over to the local Catholic bishop for

his work in providing food and shelter fo rrefugees ."2 5

These broad policy designations came none to osoon. The volume of Marine units arriving with thei rchaplains and other chaplains ordered individuall yto the 3d Division was increasing by the day . Sincefor almost all chaplains in Vietnam this experiencewas the first large-scale field deployment with com-bat potential they had ever had, it was extremel yreassuring to be met at Da Nang with not onl ycourtesy but also stable direction . Many chaplain sremarked in their final reports that the welcomin gface and smile of a fellow chaplain from the III MA Fstaff did much to ease the apprehension, confusion ,and uncertainty they felt when deplaning at D aNang . Aquainting these incoming chaplains withthe broad guidelines of their ministry was doubl yreassuring .

PART II

THE BUILDUP ACCELERATES

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A 18467 3

Roman Catholic Chaplain LCdrJ. P. Byrnes conducts tentside Mass for men of the 2dBattalion, 4th Marines, their weapons and gear left aside, at the unit's base in Jun e1965 . Father Byrnes, in church robes, makes use of a high folding table for the altar .

CHAPTER 3

Growing and Responding (July-September 1965 )Civic Action Assumes Greater Importance —Arrivals and Adjustments—The Arrival of the 1st Marin e

Aircraft Wing— The Seabees Continue Their Buildup

On 1 June 1965 10 chaplains were serving Marine sand Seabees in Da Nang. Chaplains Lecky andToland were attached to MAG-16 ; ChaplainsO'Connor, Walker, Running, Craven, Vernon, an dBohula were on duty with battalions of the 3 dMarine Division and the field hospital . ChaplainJayne was the only Seabee chaplain in the area . Bythe end of September, however, a total of 32 werelocated in Da Nang, for a net increase of 22 or on enew arrival every six days . At the same time thenumber of Marine units in the enclave also increas-ed . Thousands of Marines arrived each week ; the tac-tical area of responsibility was rapidly expanding andnew facilities were feverishly constructed to accom-modate increased personnel levels .

Early in this period of phenomenal increase i nnumbers of Marines, Seabees, and naval suppor tpersonnel, it had become obvious both to III MA FChaplain Jones and to Division Chaplain O ' Connor ,that the requirement for chaplains other than thos eorganically attached to arriving units, was steadil yincreasing. The field hospitals in each of threeenclaves were being covered by chaplains actually at-tached to other units in the vicinity . Increasingnumbers of casualties from illness and accident aswell as from defensive combat activity, made i tnecessary to man the hospital with fulltime chaplainswho were available 24 hours a day . In response to theanalysis done by Chaplain O'Connor, ChaplainJones began requesting that chaplains be ordered t oHeadquarters Battalion, 3d Marine Division (Rear) ,and not to specific battalions as in the past . Thisestablished a pool from which they could be assignedas required . Lieutenant Ronald G . DeBock(Assemblies Of God) and Lieutenant William M .Gibson (Roman Catholic) were among the first to b eso assigned . Upon their arrival at the division the yreceived further orders to Company C, 3d Medica lBattalion, for duty with the field hospital at D aNang . To provide for full utilization of all chaplains,

Chaplain John Craven requested that FMFPac Head -quarters be authorized to transfer chaplains i nWestPac with Marines, and this was approved . '

Shortly after the arrival of Chaplains DeBock andGibson, the field hospital was relocated to a gentl eslope between Marble Mountain and a large ricepaddy near the city of Da Nang . Chaplain DeBoc kwrote :

Friendly Vietnamese farmers cultivated the rice cro pduring the daylight hours and returned to their homes a tnight . Harrassment by the Viet Cong was anticipated fromthis rice paddy . Because of this ever-present possibility ,our Marine sentries kept watchful eyes over the field a tnight . When the watch sounded an alarm, infantry troopswere quickly dispatched to the scene . One such attempt atinfiltration by a band of five or six Viet Cong in late Jun ewas quickly contained by the troops . 2

Chaplain DeBock and Gibson met helicopter an djeep ambulances, day and night, and initiated thei rministries by being among the first persons to gree tand assist the casualty when he arrived. ChaplainDeBock further noted :

I discovered, I was most appreciated in the role of com-forter to the more seriously wounded men, sometimesreassuring them in the operating room, sometimes justmopping their brows with a piece of gauze dipped in coo lwater . I visited the patients in the wards several times dailydistributing literature, praying, or merely engaging me nin conversation . A few men made commitments to Christ . '

On a typical Sunday the hospital chaplains con -ducted worship services in the fly tent hospita lchapel and in several nearby troop sites . They ha dpitched the chapel tent near the edge of the rice pad-dy . Chaplain DeBock recalled :

It had no stained glass windows or even a single picture ,but our blessed Lord was ever present, and the men kne wit . They sang and worshipped as they had back home .They gradually adjusted to the sights and sounds of thearea, and continued to pray or sing despite the noises o fjets, helicopters or artillery fire . Attendance at worship ser-vices was generally in small groups . In the hospital area

33

34


and in nearby troop sites large assemblies of personne lwere neither practicable or desirable . Nevertheless, the ycame weary from long days and sleepless nights, they cam eto worship God . The Marines seemed to take their religio nas seriously as their duties .'

Chaplain Gibson was the first Navy chaplain t oserve two tours of duty with Marine units in Viet-nam . In 1963 he rotated between Okinawa and D aNang providing Roman Catholic coverage for Opera-tion Shufly personnel of MAG-16 . His second tourbegan in 1965 and ended in May 1966 . He remaine dat the field hospital until later in 1965 when he wasreassigned to Force Logistic Support Group Alpha .

Chaplains continued to arrive in Da Nang as th eunits to which they were organically attacheddeployed in country . The first of these, during June1965, was Lieutenant Robert W . Hodges (ChristianScience) with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines . Thebattalion was deployed to Da Nang to relieve the 3 dBattalion, 9th Marines which had been the first BLTto arrive in the country three months earlier . In ef-fect Chaplain Hodges relieved Chaplain Walker ,when his battalion moved into the perimeter defens epositions formerly occupied by the 3d Battalion, 9t hMarines .

The itinerary and organizational evolutions affec-ting the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines from its depar-ture as a unit from the west coast of the Unite dStates until its arrival in Vietnam, provides an im-portant insight into the movements of chaplainstoward the area of conflict . For several years, whil ethe 3d Marine Division was garrisoned on Okinaw aas Far East contingency unit of the Fleet Marin eForce, Pacific, troop replacements were effected b ytransplacing battalions from the 1st Marine Divisio nat Camp Pendleton, California . Overseas tourlengths were maintained at 13 to 14 months . In it s13th month, an Okinawa-based battalion could ex-pect to be relieved by fresh troops of a 1st Marin eDivision battalion . Upon arrival on Okinawa the ywere redesignated as a 3d Marine Division battalio nand relieved the battalion then concluding its tour o fduty overseas . The 3d Battalion, 1st Marines of th e1st Marine Division to which Chaplain Hodges wa sattached became the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines ofthe 3d Marine Division upon arrival on Okinawa .The battalion immediately began intensive guerrill awarfare training, sending companies both to th eNorthern Training Area and to the Raid School .

When the training was completed, the 1st Battalion ,9th Marines deployed from Okinawa as a unit, t orelieve the 3d Battalion, 9th Marines on the outskirt sof the Da Nang enclave . The practice of transplacin gbattalions from the 1st Marine Division, continue dfor several months after the buildup of forces i nVietnam began . This practice was phased out whe nthe entire 1st Marine Division, itself a reinforcin gunit of the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, prepared forits own mount-out deployment to Okinawa .

When the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines relieved the3d Battalion, 9th Marines, it spent the first weeksregrouping within the Da Nang perimeter .

Chaplain Hodges remembered :

Less than two weeks later, we were alerted to move th eentire battalion from the airstrip to previously unoccupie dpositions on the southwestern perimeter of Da Nang . Th ecompany commanders were given word to move at 2000 i nthe evening and the entire battalion moved the followin gday . We positioned the battalion so as to secure the are ainto which the field hospital was soon to be relocated .

On 1 July the VC infiltrated Da Nang air base, destroy-ing several aircraft and inflicting light casualties . The 1stBattalion, 9th Marines was ordered to move back to th eairstrip where it remained for the next two months . Dur-ing this time I had additional duty as chaplain for the new-ly formed Airstrip Defense Battalion, an off duty defensiveunit comprised of supply and administrative personnel . I nlate August it moved to new positions south of Da Nangon the northern bank of the Da Nang River . Two com-panies remained in this position for about a month befor ethe battalion CP joined the relocated companies . Fro mthis new position, where the battalion was a consolidate dunit once again, several battalion sized sweeps were con -ducted in the vicinity of Marble Mountain . ,

During the operations in and around MarbleMountain the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines cleared thecountryside of Viet Cong in preparation for the ar-rival of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing's MAG-1 6which was soon to take up position there .

By July it was apparent that the buildup of force sin Vietnam would include all battalions of the 9t hMarines and, for that matter, the entire 3d Divisionand possibly the 1st . Immediate steps were taken t oconsolidate the 9th Marines in the Da Nang enclave ,manning it with fresh troops from Camp Pendleton .

On 18 July the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines arrive don Okinawa and was redesignated 3d Battalion, 9thMarines . On 15 August Lieutenant (Junior Grade )Peter D . McLean (Episcopal) the newly designatedChaplain, 3d Battalion, 9th Marines joined the regi-ment at Da Nang . For a time 3/9 established posi-

GROWING AND RESPONDING

3 5

tions at the airfield and prepared to move into therice paddies beside the 2d Battalion, 9th Marinessouth of the river . Chaplain McLean wrote :

The ministry within an infantry battalion is broken u pby the very structure of the unit . I found that I waschaplain to five different companies, four letter companie sand one Headquarters and Service Company ; each has it sown personality, largely created by the Commanding Of-ficer, his First Sergeant, and his Gunny . In some cases Ihad to fight my way into the process of arranging services ,and in others everything was ready .

Some companies were more willing to turn out for ser-vices : all unnecessary work was dropped ; a space was pro-vided, and the word was passed . In others nothing wasdone . There were surprises, for as it happened in one com-pany where no preparation had been made, I spent onenight talking almost until dawn with a group of men ove rthe very deepest thoughts of their lives .

Often our talk centered upon our relationships with theVietnamese people . For the most part, our older Marineswere not emotionally equipped for a counter guerrilla -counter insurgency type of warfare . This one area alonetook up more time than any other during the first months .

There were crises also . Our Commanding Officer ,Lieutenant Colonel Robert Tunnel!, USMC lost one of hi slegs when he triggered off a mine on a recon mission, an dtwo days later 13 men from Mike Company were killed in aclassic VC type ambush . The make-believe war for us hadbecome an open and bitter reality .

Back at "C" Med I found Colonel Tunnel just comingout of his unconscious state, following the operation on hi sleg . We had spent many hours talking with each othe rcoming across the Pacific . Words didn't fail us even unde rthese lousy circumstances, and as is often true of those wh osuffer, he was more concerned about the others who ha dbeen wounded with him and for the battalion than he wa sfor himself. I said good-bye that night to one of the bi gmen in my life . '

Civic Action Assumes Greater Importanc e

In one way or another during the first half of1965, every chaplain in Vietnam had some part inpeople-to-people projects and in the developingconcept of civic action . In Da Nang, ChaplainsWalker and Running were personally involved . In abrief report to the Chaplain Corps Planning Group ,Chaplain Walker wrote :

I established a food run to the orphanage in Da Nangand to the orphanage at Marble Mountain which was ru nby the Sisters of St . Paul de Chartres . After the eveningmeal each night my clerk and I along with an armed drive rand an S-2 scout, would go into each company area, pickup unused food, deliver it to one of the orphanages an dreturn before dark. ,

Chaplain Running noted that in the spring, con-tacts with the Vietnamese were limited but that th esituation soon changed . He began to accompan ypatrols of his battalion into the villages of the coun-tryside and before long established an impressiv eprogram of humanitarian projects . Chaplain Runn-ing took with him a field organ which he played forthe entertainment of Vietnamese children and thei rparents . Marines of the civil affairs team took alongvolley balls and nets and softball equipment . Amedical officer and corpsman, equipped with stock sof medical supplies, went along to examine and trea tvillage patients who needed their help . The activitieswere scheduled for simultaneous employment . In-strumental music, group singing, and athletic con -tests were conducted in widely separated areas of th evillage, while physicians and corpsmen concentrate din a single area to treat the ills of the people .

Such visits became a frequent occurence fo rMarine and Navy personnel of the 1st Battalion, 3 dMarines . During the late spring and early summe rthe program became even more extensive with asmall combo upstaging the chaplains organ, andorganized volunteer medical teams implementing acarefully planned approach to meeting the physica lneeds of people .

Marines of the 1st Battalion, 3d Marines o nroutine patrol near the battalion area noticed apitifully harelipped child standing with her grand -mother beside the road . They spoke to Chaplai nRunning about the child and requested that he finda way to have the defect surgically repaired . Thechaplain made inquiries throughout the area an dcontacted a Roman Catholic hospital at Bien Hoanear Saigon whose senior surgeon agreed to perfor mthe operation .

Chaplain Running accompanied the child and he rgrandmother to Saigon . It became clear upon arrivalthat the Bien Hoa Hospital was not equipped to ac-complish cleft palate surgery . Inquiries were made toadmit the child to the American facility for th eoperation . The surgery was successfully accomplish -ed . Chaplain Vernon flew to Saigon to arrang ereturn transportation for the child and her grand -mother .

In one of his regular letters to Chaplain Jones dur-ing the period Chaplain Running wrote :

We got our little girl with the "cleft-lip " operation bac kfrom Saigon . The operation was 100 percent successful an dwe are all overjoyed . Dr . A .C . Hering (Capt, MC) was real -

36


ly wonderful about admitting her in Saigon Navy Hospita land they all did a wonderful job there . Our Colonel wrot ehim a personal letter of thanks .

We are grooming two more children for the same opera-tion in the coming weeks . It is a lot of work getting the mwell enough and cleaned up enough to be operated on .Lice, sores, and anemia resulting from parasitic organism sare all working against you . '

Chaplain Running's pioneering efforts in th erepair of harelip deformities among the children o fhis immediate area gave impetus to an I Corps-wid emedical program to accomplish humanitaria nsurgery . As the program expanded more childre nwere located . With the help of unit chapel fundsand later, the Chaplain's Civic Action Fund, th efacial features of the children were restored to nor-mal . In the summer of 1965 a firm agreement wasreached with Navy surgeons to accomplish one ormore such operations each week . The humanitarianeffort caught the interest of the international pressand received wide and continuing press coverage i nthe United States .

Early humanitarian projects in Vietnam were pur-sued within policy guidelines which had been quit efamiliar to Navy and Marine Corps personnel sinc eSeptember 1956 when the "People to People Pro -gram" was formally implemented by Presiden tDwight D . Eisenhower . The basic objective was topromote better mutual understanding, respect, andgood will through direct person-to-person com-munication between Americans and citizens of othe rlands .

Humanitarian efforts in Vietnam were initiall yidentified as being a part of the civil affairs program ,reverting to the use of a term commonly employedin occupied territories during and following WorldWar H . Later in the summer of 1965 the term "Civi cAction" supplanted "Civil Affairs ." Chaplains' end-of-tour narrative reports throughout most of 196 6continued to use them interchangeably, but as of-ficial 3d Marine Division programs were im-plemented by written instructions, "Civic Action "gradually came into common and exclusive use .

Some problems of significance for chaplains occur-red in early humanitarian contacts with the Viet-namese people . First, the relationship of the Nav ychaplain to what was to become the Marine Corp sCivic Action Program was established and identifiedin the early mercy missions of Chaplains Walker an dRunning and their contemporaries who arrived in ICorps during April and May 1965 . It was the unit

chaplain who established the precedent and set th epattern for civic action . The chaplain's motive wa sone of Christian charity while that of the Marine wa sunderstandably largely military-political pacifica-tion . The chaplain was concerned to relieve distres sand suffering whenever he found it . But the endresult of his charitable activity was precisely th eresult considered militarily essential to the eventua lpacification of the Vietnamese people and thei rhomeland . Consequently, the pattern of th echaplain's activity was taken over and applied to th epacification formula in I Corps in the hope that aprinciple which traditionally worked well in isolate dcircumstances and on a small scale would produc eequal results on a massive scale . Thus both th echaplain and his methods became a part of an ICorps-wide program of indigenous public relations .

Also of concern was the fact that the Marine in-telligence S-2 scout accompanying the chaplain o nhis mercy mission into the surrounding countrysid erepresented the wedding of intelligence gatheringand religious activities among indigenous Viet-namese . Once again the need for crystal clear defini-tions of responsibility and motive were needed .Once his role and motives were identified by theVietnamese, the chaplain enjoyed a ready access tothe people . To permit his acts of charity to b eemployed as, or construed to be, a means of gather-ing counter intelligence information was to place hi sprimary mission and his ultimate effectiveness, t osay nothing of his peaceful conscience, in gfav ejeopardy . It was to the credit of the chaplains, en-thusiastic as they were for the principles whic hunderlay American military involvement in defens eof South Vietnamese people, that they recognizedthe inherent dangers of hazy definitions and sense dthe possible damage done to the church and her mis-sion if they became identified with the role of in-telligence scout .

Another problem became apparent as civic actio nbecame formalized and sophisticated . So successfu lwere the chaplain's efforts and so strong was officialMarine Corps support for his work that the chaplai nsoon discovered more and more of his time was be-ing consumed in humanitarian activity . It becam eobvious that the growing program could prove to b edetrimental to his primary mission to provide a for-mal religious ministry for American military person-nel .

III MAF Chaplain Jones became aware of the pro-


3 7

blem and determined to assist his Vietnam chaplain sto preserve an acceptable proportion of their work -day for primary duties . He strongly supported th eprocess by which Marine officer personnel were train -ed in the objectives and procedures of civic action ,and, as they assumed official responsibility for theconduct of unit programs upon assignment as S-5 of-ficers in I CTZ, chaplains were relieved of the moun-ting burden of activity .

Arrivals and Adjustments

On 27 June 1965, Mobile Construction Battalio n9, with Lieutenant George P . Murray (Reforme dChurch of America) attached, landed on the narro wpeninsula strip of sandy lowland between the city o fDa Nang and the South China Sea, referred to as D aNang East . Construction of the MAG-16 canton-ment near Marble Mountain on the southern end ofthe peninsula began immediately . Construction o fCamp Adenir, MCB-9 's home for the followingseven months, was begun as well . Both cantonment swere initially well fortressed inasmuch as the Vie tCong controlled the countryside adjacent to and sur-rounding Marble Mountain .

This 700-man battalion, normally based a tDavisville, Rhode Island, was the first Atlantic con-struction battalion to augment Pacific Seabe estrength . It had moved from Davisville to Por tHueneme, California, and from there to Vietnam t oengage in combat construction .

The missions assigned to MCB-9 also includedconstruction of a 400-bed advanced base hospital ,construction of warehouse and refrigerated storag ebuildings for the Naval Support Activity Head -quarters which was soon to be established, an dbuilding a network of highways, access roads, andnumerous small facilities .

In the MAG-16 compound MCB-9 erected 25 0strongbacked tents, a 1,600-man galley, head an dshower facilities, and maintenance and storag ebuildings . In the smaller cantonments of Da NangEast, 185 wooden-frame tents, four galleys an dmesshalls, and supporting facilities were placed i nposition . They did not remain in position long .

According to an unpublished Seabee documen tentitled "Advanced Base Construction, Vietna m1963-1965" :

The advanced base hospital, the major project o fMCB-9, was well underway when on October 28, Viet

Cong mortars and infiltrators with satchel charges wreake dsavage destruction in the hospital complex as well as in thebattalion 's camp. The assault killed two Seabees, an dwounded over ninety . Eight quonset huts housin gsurgical, laboratory, X-ray, and other wards were wrecked .

Immediately, MCB-9 began rebuilding . By early 1966 ,the battalion had rebuilt the surgical and clinical ward sand completed 16 living huts, galley and messhall, head sand showers and utilities systems . The hospital admittedits first patient January 10, 1966 . 9

The report also provided information on othe rconstruction problems at Da Nang East . Concerningthose problems the report stated :

Chief among them was the climate . Heavy monsoo nrains interrupted construction and required much timeconsuming surface stabilization and repair to roads an dconstruction sites . The effect of fine mud particles on vehi-cle systems was considerable . Brake linings wore out rapid-ly . One battalion reported 50 percent of vehicles deadline dhalf the time . When dry, the area was plagued by dust andflying sand, which eroded tent foundations and excessivel ywore the canvas tents .

Supply initially was a problem but was essentially solve dby August 1966, as Da Nang port facilities were rapidl ymade adequate to handle cement block, concrete pipe ,and lumber . While materials were sufficient, the need fo rspare parts exceeded supply . Twenty-four hour operation swore out machines rapidly ." '

Each of the problems noted had its effect upo nthe chaplain's work, either directly or through th emen whose work was most directly affected by it .While Seabee chaplains were fortunate to be attach-ed to units housed in centralized camp locations ,they served adjacent Marine units as well and re-quired transportation for their rounds . With a largepercentage of the unit rolling stock deadlined forrepairs occasioned by excessive wear, transportatio nwas extremely difficult to acquire . While ChaplainMurray himself made no mention of transportatio nproblems, other chaplains of the period invariabl ymade some note of it in their reports . Almostwithout exception the chaplains reported tha tclimatic extremes and ground conditions produce dby alternating rain, heat, and wind added to th eburden of their constant mobility . Many reporte dthat they encountered some degree of difficult ysafeguarding ecclesiastical equipment from the san dand dust and in preserving consumable supplies . Asthe Da Nang complex expanded, however, and a snewly constructed facilities mutiplied, condition simproved . Replacement supplies became easier t oacquire, hard-surfaced roads reduced the wear on


Department of Defense (USN) Photo 112070 2The chapel of the 1st Marine Division at Da Nang . Note its unusual triangular shape .

vehicles, and more sophisticated housing and work-ing facilities made living conditions within thesecurity perimeters of the enclave more comfortable .

Chaplain Murray was active in the civic action pro-jects undertaken during the period . In a report t othe Chaplain Corps Planning Group, written afterconclusion of MCB-9's first deployment to Vietnam ,he said :

I discovered that our men loved to work with orphans o rany underprivileged child . Both our doctor and dentis trepeatedly risked their lives by holding village sick calls i nnotorious VC strongholds . We were mortared three timeswith over 100 wounded . That made civic action-type workdifficult . Yet, I still discovered Seabees were out helpin gthe people, and working with children, often on the sly .Almost all sailors love little children and I have seen the mliterally take the clothes off their back and give them to thechildren . We had many touching incidents . I recall awhole gang of tough little boys who played in our dump .They each managed to scrounge an old pair of Marin ecombat boots which were thrown away, and they woul dlace these boots and then clump around proudly . But, atnight, our men noticed that they always left the boots in -side the dump . We asked them why they didn't take the mhome, and through the interpreter learned that they knew

their parents would take the boots from them and sell o rtrade them .

We distributed tons of Handclasp materials which con-sisted mainly of clothing and toys . Churches at home sen tus many small packages, which we used at village sick calls .At Christmas nearly everyone received packages from fami-ly and friends around the camp . Most of our sailors wer epretty suspicious of older people, but they were so soft -hearted when they saw the terrible suffering of the Viet-namese children, that we had to struggle to keep themfrom turning our Base Camp into a children's home . Ou relectricians and utilities men practically rebuilt th eCatholic Orphanage . We gave them so much scrap lumberthat they were able to build two dormitories, much to th eastonishment of our builders . "

The rapid acceleration in the buildup of MarineCorps personnel and units in Da Nang in the sum-mer of 1965 increased the Navy's need for larger sup -port facilities with which to maintain them . In addi-tion, increasing numbers of ships were ordered tothe area in anticipation of mounting coastalsurveillance and gunfire support needs . The require-ment for improved facilities at a naval base north o fSaigon became more urgently apparent . Com-


39

mander Force Logistic Support Group, Da Nang wa sfeverishly working to prepare the area for the arriva lof U.S . Naval Support Activity, Da Nang when i twas due for commissioning in October .

No chaplains were assigned to naval personnel at-tached to the developing base facilities . As the grow-ing requirement for chaplains became evidentLieutenant John Q . Lesher (United Methodist), Lan -ding Ship Flotilla 1 chaplain, was ordered to tem-porary additional duty with the staff unit ashore .Chaplain Lesher was there from July to October 196 5and was the only chaplain for Navy personnel attach-ed to the Support Group until Lieutenant Davi dHunsicker (Southern Baptist) came to relieve him .

The "White Elephant" Building, a two-story, ce-ment, U-shaped structure surrounding a brick court -yard, was the chaplain's office and headquarters . A tfirst the group had one room for an office, but late rthe command embarked aboard the attack transpor tUSS Navarro (APA 215), and later, USS Okanagan(APA 220), commuting by boat from ship to shore .

The chaplains reported that the sailors ' work wasaround the clock, seven days a week . The large-shi pcargo was unloaded into small cargo craft, an dunloaded again at the commercial pier to Tien Sharamp .

Until pier facilities were constructed and the har-bor was dredged sufficiently to accommodate dee pdraft cargo vessels, the situation remained unchang-ed . Long and costly delays were encountered bycargo vessels waiting to unload . With the arrival ofthe Seabees and American commerical contractorswho set about construction of a modern port facility ,the situation changed dramatically . Mail fromhome, which Chaplain Lesher indicated wa ssometimes very poor, was speeded up as the flow o fmaterial into the Da Nang complex began to mov eat a more rapid rate .

Chaplain Lesher's arrival marked the beginning o fthe Navy Chaplain Corps ministry to shore-base dnaval personnel, other than deployed Seabee units ,in Da Nang. The next year was to bring an impor-tant buildup of chaplains serving Navy personnel i nthe Da Nang area . From one chaplain assigned tem-porarily to the Support Group, chaplains were to ex-pand to serve with Naval Support Activity, D aNang, and assigned to provide religious coverage forall naval units and a new 450-bed naval hospital .

In addition to the arrivals of unit and naval com-ponent chaplains, individual chaplains arrived for

assignment with the III MAF and 3d Division staffs .Chaplain O'Connor was detached from his divisionchaplain duties on 10 August 1965, as he was unde rorders to report to Parris Island as senior chaplai nwith the recruit command . Chaplain O'Connor hav-ing departed without a contact relief, Chaplain Jone swore the division chaplain hat as well as that of th eIII MAF staff chaplain until the arrival of Chaplai nO ' Connor's replacement .

Upon his departure, Chaplain O ' Connor voicedhis gratification for the rich relationship he sa wgrowing between chaplains and Marines . He wrot ein a letter to the Chief of Chaplains :

I repeat that duty in the 3d Marine Division has been asfruitful as any I could ever have hoped for, and that th epast four months in Vietnam have been the highlight o fmy years in the Navy . I pray sincerely that more and mor esenior chaplains will come to recognize the honor an dprivilege that it is to serve with the Third Marine Division .I can think of no better duty . . . . 1 2

Arriving with the rapid influx of Marine units wasCommander Connell Maguire (Roman Catholic) ,who was Chaplain O'Connor's replacement as Divi-sion Chaplain, 3d Marine Division, and LieutenantCommander James E. Seim (Lutheran), who serve das assistant division chaplain . Among Chaplai nMaguire's immediate concerns as the new divisio nchaplain was the necessity for geographical orienta-tion . He noticed that one arrived with little concep tof the geography and almost no knowledge of th edeployment of troops . In a report to the III MAFchaplain he said :

Since a schedule of our services deploying the chaplain sfor the fullest coverage of the troops had to be prepare dweekly and constantly revised, I realized that I must obtai na grasp of the geography and location of all troops im-mediately . Chaplain Gibson, who was on his second tou rin Vietnam, drove me around the area the first day an dbrought me to the Bishop of Da Nang . But it takes a se-cond time around at least to fix even the major units into aclear mind map . Fortunately, we had a vehicle and a drive rat the time, a luxury I took for granted then'

In keeping with the Chief of Chaplain's policy o fassigning Eastern Orthodox and Jewish chaplains t olarge centers of Navy-Marine Corps population, tw osuch chaplains were detailed to division head -quarters to work with Chaplains Maguire and Seim .The first of these was Lieutenant Robert M . Radasky(Russian Orthodox), slated as the relief for Com-mander Nick S . Karras, who had been deployed to

40


Okinawa for a year as the Eastern Orthodo xrepresentative for the division . Chaplain Radasky ar-rived in the latter part of August and was assigned toHeadquarters Battalion as an administrative assistan tto the division chaplain . Later in the year he relieve dChaplain Seim as Administrative Assistant to the II IMAF chaplain . In addition to his administrativ eduties he provided a ministry for all the Orthodo xNavy and Marine Corps personnel he could contact .

Jewish chaplain Lieutenant Robert L . Reinerreported for duty with Headquarters Battalion, 3 dMarine Division in early September . As withChaplain Radasky, his duties were both ad-ministrative and ecclesiastical, being unofficiall yassigned during Chaplain Jones ' tenure to III MAFand later as the logistics assistant to the divisionchaplain, and exercising religious oversight of al lJewish personnel then in I Corps .

Lieutenant Delbert J . Cory, the first Navychaplain to represent the Reorganized Church ofJesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also arrived in lat eAugust . Division Chaplain Maguire had decided t oassign Chaplain Cory to the field hospital temporari-ly . He discovered that his education in clinica lpastoral training at Riverside Methodist Hospital ,California, equipped him well for a hospita lministry . Chaplain Cory reported :

The two weeks at the hospital gave me a chance to getoriented to the situation and to adjust to the heat . It als oallowed the Division Chaplain to decide where to assig nme permanently ; there was some initial hesitancy, asusual, because of the Reorganized Church of Latter Da ySaints denominational affiliation . Being the first NavyChaplain of that faith, it usually takes a while to reassuresupervisory chaplains that my ministry is not undulyrestricted .

On 13 September I was assigned to Force Logistics Sup-port Group, Da Nang, where I relieved Chaplain Seelandand worked with Catholic Chaplain Gibson . I set up a pro-gram of troop visitation, moral guidance lectures and wor-ship services .

Over fifty Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latte rDay Saints personnel in the Phu Bai, Da Nang and ChuLai enclaves were located and a ministry was offered t oeach one . This often included letters to their families in-dicating that the contact had been made . I also collectedthe addresses of all RLDS personnel in Vietnam and mail-ed out about 200 RLDS Vietnam Newsletters eachquarter . "

The Arrival of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing

When 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Chaplain Com-mander Peter J . Bakker (American Baptist) arrived at

Da Nang in June with the wing command, th e

chaplain participation in the structure of III MAFwas complete . Other ground battalions and aircraftgroups continued to arrive during the followingmonths to augment the forces already ashore in th ecombat area, adding flesh to the bones and capabili-ty to the body of Marine forces in country . In fact, i nterms of chaplain arrivals, the acceleration had hard-ly begun. Nevertheless, essential command struc-tures were at last complete, in country andoperating, by the end of June 1965 .

As a result of survey trips from Iwakuni, Japan, t oDa Nang in April and May, Chaplain Bakker wasfully acquainted with the work of his chaplains an dwith the terrain at Da Nang and Chu Lai . As wa scharacteristic of his entire tour of duty in South Viet-nam, when he landed he hit the ground running .Like the III MAF chaplain, his function was to pro -vide the leadership and counsel necessary to keep th ewidely dispersed chaplains of the wing operating t othe limits of their energies and abilities . It was ap-parent that an effective ministry to wing personne l

required an optimum effort . A 24-hour operatingschedule with the attendant hazards of constan tcombat missions was sufficient in itself to keep th echaplains operating 24 hours a day . Coupled withthe impressive requirements for routine sorties wer ethe requirements to construct bases and supportfacilities and to relate well to the Vietnamese peopl eliving in the vicinity of Marine air group facilities .

Chaplain Bakker's area of supervision encompass-ed chaplains serving with units in three countries .Wing Headquarters, Marine Wing Headquarter sGroup (MWHG) 1, and MAG-16 were in Da Nang ;MAG-12 was at Chu Lai ; MAG-13, having beenrestored to the wing when the 1st Marine Brigadedeployed from Hawaii to the western Pacific, had ar-rived on Okinawa on 14 June and was slated for dutyat Iwakuni, Japan in the near future ; and MAG-1 1was at Atsugi, Japan, preparing for imminent depar-ture to Da Nang .

Lieutenant Thomas J . Dillon (Roman Catholic )with MAG-I1 arrived in country during the firs tweek in July to join other wing chaplains Bakker ,Lecky, Toland, and Ward already there . ChaplainDillon wrote that he had reported to the group a tAtsugi on 26 April and found the group in a moun-tout situation. He recalled :

After several false alarms we finally got the call to moun tout the last week of June . I packed everything that was not


4 1

nailed down, with exception of the Mass vestments . Ipreferred to work out of the Mass Kit until we had a per-manent chapel . We boarded and arrived in Vietnam on 1 0July . We debarked on the 11th and went to the permanen tsite of the liberators with the people waving and cheeringalong the route . Then we saw our future home, a sand ywaste with three GP tents and supplies stacked all over .Charlie Med and their "C and C" facility was in process o fmoving from the area to its present location, the job beingabout seventy-five percent complete . About 1100 th efollowing morning choppers started landing in our are abringing casualties to what remained of the hospital . I rac-ed over and spent the rest of the day, until 0300, assistingFather Gibson in administering the last rites to the KIAsand WIAs . He appreciated my presence and assistance ,especially in view of the fact that he himself was carrying afeeling of nausea . "

Wing chaplains undertook civic action as spon-taneously as had chaplains with the infantry .Chaplain Bakker reflected that he encountered th esame kinds of indigenous responses he had met o nsimilar projects elsewhere in the world . He wrote :

Human nature is the same the world over . After theFirst Marine Aircraft Wing had started the Tin Lan hEvangelical Church in Da Nang's school project, one of th eelders from the Hai Chu Evangelical Church startedgrumbling . His complaint was that we were helping th elarger, richer church, and not helping him . After hearingof it, I had a talk with this fine Christian man and spoke tohim of faith, hope, and love ; faith, and hope that they to owould be able to build, and love to appreciate what thei rsister church was getting done . Before leaving Vietnam Ihad the pleasure of seeing the downtown school complet eand dedicated and see Hai Chu's pastor, Mr . Lee, smilin gfrom ear to ear as he spoke with pride about his schoo lbuilding going up, and needing more funds for the secon-dary story . MAG-11 took on the project of the downtow nchurch, and MWHG-1 sponsored the construction at Ha iChu . 1 6

In a report to the Chaplain Corps PlanningGroup, Chaplain Bakker pointed out that of all th ethings that were being done, of all the money spent ,of all the programs that were underway, the mostimportant factor of all was very simple and very fun-damental . The easiest items to contribute were th ematerial, money, mortar, and mechanics . However ,the item which was desperately needed in Vietnamwas genuine love . To illustrate his point ChaplainBakker referred to the true story of the kind of lovehis missionary friend, John Haywood, had for th epeople of Vietnam and the respect given it by theMarine Corps :

John Haywood was a citizen of the United States.Simone, his wife, was a citizen of Switzerland . They met in

the leprosy training hospital in Hong Kong. Here was aChristian couple who had dedicated their lives to serve thelepers of Vietnam . The government had given them someland south of Marble Mountain, but at this time the V Cstill controlled the area . A good number of the curedlepers lived there as they were still outcasts from the rest o fVietnamese society . About a month and a half beforeSimone was to deliver their first child, John had to go tothe city of Hue, to complete plans for a chicken farm fo rthe lepers . The VC, thanks to the Marine air-ground team ,were well along the way to being secured from the area o fthe hospital . John went down to the Da Nang Air Fiel dwith Major Rushkowsky, USMC . There was room for onl yone in the plane so John agreed to drive a borrowe dautomobile in the company of a military convoy to Hue .

As the car was proceeding north through the mountai npass, John had to stop and allow a convoy of ARVN truck sto go by . Shortly after his stop, the lead truck hit a mine i nthe road . John jumped out of his automobile when th eshooting started, only to startle a VC with a rifle in hi shand . The VC fired four rounds through John's body an dfled to the hills . During this time, Major Rushkowsky waswaiting for John in Hue . When John failed to appear th emajor returned to Da Nang to the missionary compound ,and asked about John . At that time, John's blue car wasbeing driven into the yard . In it was John's body .

Through the kindness of Lieutenant General Lewis W .Walt, USMC, the Commanding General of III MAF, Mrs .Haywood was extended the condolence of the U .S . Marin eCorps, and the opportunity of having Major Rushkowsk yaccompany her to her home in Britran for the burial of he rhusband . She replied, "Thank you very much . Your kin doffer is appreciated but I will bury my husband here i nVietnam. I will have my baby here in Vietnam, and wit hGod's help, I will serve the lepers of Vietnam . "

The funeral services were simple, yet stately . The littl echapel of the World Evangelical Crusade in Da Nang wasfilled to capacity and overflowing with other missionariesand Vietnamese Christians . Local pastors preached . At th ecemetery both missionaries and local pastors took part i nthe commital services . One of the large wreaths of flower swhich surrounded the open grave had a large ribbon acrossthe center of it . It said, "To Saint John Haywood . "

This young man was loved by the Vietnamese becaus ehe loved them and was willing to lay down his life fo rthem . His wife is also loved by these wonderful people .With a labor of love such as this, the love of God is com-municated . '

On 1 August Lieutenant Commander Richard M .Tipton (Southern Bapist) came down from Iwakuni ,and relieved Chaplain Lecky . Chaplain Lecky hadworked intensely for six months and was in need of arest . MAG-16, under the leadership of Colonel Joh nKing, had grown from a single squadron to a full -strength group, and was now being skippered b y"Big Tom," Colonel Thomas J . O'Connor . A newcamp was being built at Da Nang East, now to b ecalled Marble Mountain .

42


In an article in the MCAS Iwakuni, Japannewspaper, Tori Teller, of 22 December 1965, asketch-account is given of Chaplain Lecky's receivin gthe first combat wounds sustained by a Navychaplain in Vietnam . The article quoted LieutenantGeneral Victor H . Krulak, as saying in Lecky's cita-tion for his second Navy Commendation Medal :

On one occasion he was painfully wounded by the in-surgent Communist forces while courageously assisting inorganizing and comforting the Vietnamese villagers of Gi aduring the evacuation of their village . Fragments of mortarlanded so close to him "I was covered from head to toewith the blood of two Vietnamese who were torn to bits bythe explosion . " Chaplain Lecky is the only chaplain so fa rto receive the Purple Heart Medal for Vietnam service . 1 8

When Chaplain Tipton relieved Chaplain Lecky ,MAG-16' s new camp at Marble Mountain was nearl yready for occupancy . For a period of two weeks or sothe group was divided, half of the men working toprepare the new camp while the others maintaine dtheir facilities at the Da Nang airstrip .

Marble Mountain, like the 9th Marines comple xjust to the west of it, was Viet Cong infested . Afterhaving been in the new camp only a month, aMarine security patrol from the Marble Mountain air -field spent hours in contact with infiltrators in th earea . These infiltrators were eventually traced to asmall Vietnamese village of Hoa Long district out -side the compound . As the Marine patrol approach-ed this village, it was fired upon and returned fire .At least one rifle grenade entered one of the homes .As a result three Vietnamese nationals were mortall ywounded . The mother, father, and youngest child ofa family were killed . As the body of the father wasreturned from the hospital, the ambulance atten-dants met with open animosity on the part of thevillagers . They were struck about the head an dshoulders by the women, and cigarette burns wereinflicted upon their hands and arms . Feeling againstAmericans and the Marines of MAG-16 in particularwas running high in the village .

Chaplain Tipton recalled :

It was evident that something must be done to effect areconciliation and establish a better working relationshi pwith this village located so close to our compound . Colone lO'Connor requested that the Chaplains pay a visit to th evillage in an attempt to express our sorrow and to offe rhelp during this tragedy . Due to the fact that it had bee nreported that the family was in financial trouble and had

borrowed money to defray the cost of the funerals, it wa ssuggested that a donation be made to them from ou rchapel funds .

On 30 September Chaplains Tipton and Tolan daccompanied by three nuns from the nearb yCatholic Orphanage entered the village. Chaplai nTipton continued his report :

Due to the fact that Sister Alphonse was acquaintedwith the villagers and another Sister was the teacher of on eof the family's surviving daughters at the Catholic School ,we were received without too much animosity or ope nhatred . There was evidence of a great deal of distrust at th ebeginning of our visit but as the sisters explained our mis-sion, all distrust seemed to disappear . We were able to ex-press our sorrow over the unfortunate incident and assuredthe people that it had not been the intention of th eMarines to take the lives of women and children, and ex -tended to them our continuing good wishes and assistanc ein any way possible . A gift of 3,000 piasters was left withthe paternal grandmother to help defray the expenses o fthe funerals .

As we left the village all the villagers crowded around u sto assure us of their understanding of the situation, t oshake our hands and invite us to return .' 9

Like others before and after him, Chaplain Tipto ndiscovered that his duty with a Marine aircraft grou pin combat was often similar to Marine dut yelsewhere . He encountered the same kinds of pro-blems . "Disagreeable conditions and lurking hazardsbrought some of the problems to the surface a littl eearlier," he remarked . "I think the men here have atendency to think about their religious respon-sibilities . The dangers that are faced from time t otime make them realize their own limitations . It hadbeen enjoyable to work with them under these con-ditions and help them draw closer to God ." 20

On 22 September two additional chaplains arrive dfor service with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . Theywere Lieutenant Gerald T . Richards (Southern Bap-tist), and Lieutenant John R . Daly (RomanCatholic) . Chaplain Richards was assigned to Marin eWing Headquarters Group 1, and Daly moved sout hto the Qui Nhon enclave with HMM-363 as tha tsquadron supported the 2d Battalion, 7th Marine ssecurity operation there . *

*The landing at Qui Nhon will be discussed in Chapter 4 .


4 3

The Seabees Continue Their Buildup

During September 1965 two chaplains arrived i nDa Nang with their mobile construction units . Com-mander Everett B . Nelson (American Baptist) wa swith MCB-5 when it reported to Naval Constructio nRegiment 31 for duty to relieve MCB-3 . Between 2 3and 28 September MCB-3 personnel embarked o nshuttle aircraft for their home port at Port Hueneme ,California, being replaced by incoming echelons o fMCB-5 . Five days later, MCB-8 also arrived and se tup camp on the sandy peninsula called Da Nan gEast, with Commander William F . Hollis (AmericanBaptist) attached .

Chaplain Nelson's battalion assumed and con-tinued construction assignments at the 3d Marines ,12th Marines, and the 1st Marine Aircraft Win gHeadquarters cantonments . Chaplain Nelson con-tinued the same type of program as his predecessor ,Chaplain Jayne . In addition to his ministry at Cam pHoover, he provided religious coverage for the 3 dShore Party Battalion, located nearby on the beachof Da Nang East .

During the construction of Camp Hoover's galley ,mess hall, shops, sheds, and tinroof strongbacks ,Chaplain Nelson moved about the work sites visitin gand counseling with his men . As civic action officerfor the battalion, in coordination with the 3d Shor eParty Battalion, he worked through the Worl dEvangelization Crusade Mission, to assist or-phanages, schools, hospitals, and refugee camps i nthe Da Nang area .

Chaplain Nelson 's civic action efforts as a MC Bchaplain were typical of the numerous Seabee Bat-talion chaplains' preparations and programs . Hesketched his program in an early report :

The Seabees had collected several tons of clothes, food ,soap and toys prior to our deployment overseas . Privatepersons, churches and veterans' organizations shipped a tleast 200 additional parcels of medicine, food and clothin gto the Seabees for distribution while we were overseas .They sent $500 .00 in addition to another $2000 which theSeabees raised themselves for assistance in Civic Actionprojects . The Civic Action Program was one of the mostspontaneous and talked about programs in the Seabee sand Marine Camps . They saw the need of the people andthey responded to those needs through this program . Menwere constantly offering new ideas and suggesting ways i nwhich we could assist them . Even though Seabees andMarines worked six and one-half days a week, they stil lvolunteered to work on schools and orphanages in thei rspare hours . The Seabees contributed their labor to special

projects as overhauling plumbing in buildings, remodel-ing buildings, grading playgrounds, and improvin groads . 2 1

MCB-5 was responsible for building the hill roadoverlooking the western perimeter of the Da Nan gcomplex and maintaining several miles of camproads . It installed two water supply systems involvin ga three-mile, eight-inch water line connecting the 3 dMarine Division cantonment with the Cao Do River .

Numerous cantonments were then being con-structed by the Seabees for Marines in the area, an dwhen 28 Seabees donated blood to the 3d Medica lBattalion late in the year, the Seabees jokingly said ,"with so much Seabee blood in their veins, they'l l(the Marines) soon be able to build their own can-tonments ." 22 The major project assigned MCB-8 ,however, was construction of massive pier facilitie sfor the developing seaport complex . The battalionbuilt two gravelled unloading areas, four landing -boat ramps, three docks, a 314-foot timber pier, an da 1,700-foot quay wall in addition to countles sstorage buildings for the Naval Support Activity ,and completed Camps Adenir and Faulkner as wel las the MAG-16 and shore party cantonments, all ofwhich had been begun by MCB-9 .

Chaplain Hollis had been assigned temporarily t oMCB-8 on 11 September 1965 when that unit, the nat Construction Battalion, Atlantic Fleet Head-quarters at Davisville, Rhode Island, was ordered t odeploy to Port Hueneme, California, and had n ochaplain permanently attached . MCB-8 was the se-cond of the succession of Atlantic construction bat-talions to join Pacific-based battalions in the con-struction effort in South Vietnam, and moved o nshort notice . After a period of training and prepara-tion in California, Chaplain Hollis enplaned for D aNang on 26 September . He remained with MCB- 8until 17 December when Lieutenant George F .Tillett (United Church of Christ) arrived at Da Nan gEast for permanent assignment to the battalion .Chaplain Hollis then returned to Davisville, wher ehe was staff chaplain .

Chaplain Hollis undertook an active program in-cluding acting as a civic action officer . Civic actioninvolved him in a variety of contacts and projects an doccasioned this important observation :

The Oriental philosophy of life and the acceptance o fdifferent-system values are the hardest things for our me nto understand about the Vietnamese . They cannot unders-tand the slow pace and seeming lack of concern for time,

44


life and progress, and the unimportance of the centralgovernment since their loyalty may not go past their fathe ror the village chief.

The courage of one village chief who took office after hispredecessor was kidnapped and probably executed by th eVC, and the village chief who insisted upon returning t olive in his village as soon as he was partially recovered fromwounds inflicted by a VC squad which invaded his villageand left after attempting to murder him, greatly influenc-ed many of our men's attitudes about the worth of our be-ing there . 23

The United States was not only there with th epresence of Marines and Seabees, but that presenc ewas rapidly growing . The future was uncertain and abit frightening to the chaplains serving with th eburgeoning units . Still, their commitment to thei rmilitary ministry would not only insure that the ywould grow along with the increased buildup, bu tthey would respond to the increased needs withstepped-up ingenuity and dedication .

CHAPTER 4

Listening and Learning (September-December 1965 )Activity in the Southern ICTZ—Landing at Qui Nhon — New Chaplain Leadership — Ceremonial Events an d

Administrative Concerns—Chaplains for NSA and MCB-8 — Christmas Highlights

The Chaplains Corps paid close attention t odenominational representation in the Marine Corp sand in the III Marine Amphibious Force to insur ethat the ideal of religious pluralism was thoroughl ymet . Since the Corps required increasing numbers ofchaplains, the call had gone out to the nation ' schurch bodies, and pastors, priests, and rabbis wer eresponding in gratifying numbers . With few excep-tions, these men were ordered for a short tour t oshore stations to familiarize themselves with militar ylife and the chaplaincy, and were subsequently sen tto Vietnam . During this period the procurement o fchaplains from the civilian clergy was a major priori-ty at the Chaplain ' s Division of the Bureau of Nava lPersonnel in Washington . Under the guidance o fLieutenant Commander Carl A. Auel (Lutheran) a tthe procurement desk, the Chaplain Corps grewfrom 929 active duty officers in June 1965, to 101 3in June of 1966, and would reach a high of 1102 i nJune of 1969. As the momentum of the buildup in -creased these chaplains who were young in the Corp sbegan to predominate. By the end of 1965 therewere 50 chaplains in Vietnam of whom 70 percen twere in the grade of lieutenant and lieutenan t(junior grade) . There were 31 Protestants, 16 Roma nCatholics, and one each from Jewish, Orthodox, an dReorganized Latter Day Saints clergy . These me nmade up what some called the "new" Corps .

Paramount in the development of this "new "Corps was the chaplains' ability to understand an dadjust to the military, the Marines in particular, an dthe Vietnamese environment generally . For the mostpart they adapted excellently . What it took was a lotof listening and learning . Listening is rarely hard fora clergyman, being so necessary a part of his craft .Learning, however, was harder .

The "new Corps" chaplains seemed to recogniz ehow much they could be taught by the Marines of al lranks . They watched, practiced, followed, an dquickly learned what it took to minister in that con -

text, and enjoyed remarkable support from theMarines in return . In a report presented to theJanuary 1966 Supervisory Chaplain's Conference ,Captain Francis L . Garrett (United Methodist), ForceChaplain III MAF, was able to state :

The Chaplains are accepted, respected, supported an dencouraged as none of us have ever been before, and this isreported to you as a spiritual factor because of the spiritualeffect it has upon the chaplains themselves . They fee lneeded and wanted and I am certain that the intensive ef-fort they are exerting every day is due to, in some goo dmeasure, the encouragement they are receiving . Perhap sthe most unique a part in this regard is that it is universall ytrue . I do not know of a single command in all of III MA Fin which the attitude toward the chaplain and his ministr yis even indifferent, let alone hostile . '

Undoubtedly grateful for the strong support the yreceived, the chaplains in the latter days of 196 5listened hard and learned much . The complexion ofthe Vietnam conflict was changing for the worse . I tbecame increasingly clear that offensive operationswould have to be initiated . The VC pressure was in -creasing in the Chu Lai area and south of Da Nang .As the U.S . effort tightened, the chaplains prepare dfor the first combat most of them had experienced ,and the first even the very senior chaplains ha dknown since Korea .

Activity in the Southern ICTZ

From June through September 1965 11 chaplainsarrived for duty in Chu Lai . On 7 June LieutenantJohn J . Glynn (Roman Catholic) reported to relieveChaplain Byrnes with the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines ,and on 9 June Lieutenant Gordon S . Cook (Reform-ed Church in America) relieved Chaplain Thilkin gwith the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines . On 13 JulyLieutenant Patrick A . Dowd (Roman Catholic) andLieutenant (junior Grade) Philip F . Kahal (UnitedChurch of Christ) reported to Company B, 3 dMedical Battalion which had only recently establish -

45

46


ed the B Medical Field Hospital at Chu Lai, and, on14 August Lieutenant Commander John T . Goad(Southern Baptist), Lieutenant John R . McNamara(Roman Catholic), and Lieutenant Ralph C. Betters(United Presbyterian) arrived with units of the rein -forced 7th Marines which was configured as a highl ymobile strike force and designated Regimental Lan -ding Team 7 .

Chaplain John Glynn's description of Chu Lai, onhis arrival in early June, provides an interesting an dcomprehensive picture of the area which was t obecome one of the more significant combat areas i nVietnam from mid-1965 through mid-1966 :

Chu Lai was a six mile stretch of desert coastal plai nbordered by the foothills of a green mountain range and afringe of rice paddies about three miles inland . It was adesert of sand dunes with scattered clusters of tents near a nairstrip which was under construction near the beach . Anarrow, once-paved north-south road, Highway One ,paralleled an abandoned railroad track along the inlan dedge of the desert .

The chopper dropped me and my gear near a sand dun ewhich was blowing through a battered tent marked "Ai rFreight . " Inside a Marine was huddled by a radio . He call-ed a local helicopter which lifted me a couple of miles in -land to another Africa-Corps-type location on the san dwhich was the original CP site for the Fourth Regiment .There Father Byrnes found me . A short time later we mov-ed by Mite a bit further inland, across Highway One, tothe rolling foothills, and thus began six unforgettabl emonths at Chu Lai . 2

It was at Chu Lai, during the last months of 1965 ,that the first succession of multi-battalion operationsagainst the Viet Cong took place . Like other infantryunits at Da Nang and Phu Bai, the Chu Lai bat-talions routinely mounted out local patrols to ac -quire intelligence and locate Viet Cong positions ,but here the Viet Cong seemed to be preparing forheavy guerrilla attacks upon American forces . Thevillages that dotted the countryside offered cove rand camouflage for local guerrillas . Larger patro loperations in the form of company-sized sweepssoon supplanted squad and platoon patrols . Early in-dication of a shift from a purely defensive militar yposture to extensive operations came with the firs tsearch and destroy missions at the battalion level .

While the level of tension was increasing th echaplains in the enclave supported their concern fo rthe spiritual welfare of Marines of all faiths . InAugust, before the III MAF Jewish Chaplain's ar-rival, Chaplain Cook arranged for Chaplain Glynnof the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines and U .S . Army

Jewish Chaplain Richard Dryer of MACV to accom-pany him to Hill 69 for trifaith ministrations to th eMarines of a Company C platoon then holding th eisolated position . The final report of Chaplain Coo kof the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines submitted at theend of September, showed that during the month h earranged for Chaplain Dowd of the field hospital t oaccompany him by helicopter to visit an isolatedCompany A platoon on Hill 69 to provide a Masswhile Protestant worship was being held . Toreciprocate for the cooperation of his Roma nCatholic and Jewish counterparts, and further t osupport the objective of the broadest possible Ch uLai ministry, Chaplain Cook also served as Protestan tChaplain of the 4th Marines .

When Chaplains Dowd and Kahal arrived at divi-sion headquarters in Da Nang in early July th echaplain situation at the field hospital in Chu La iwas critical . The ever-increasing pace of operation sagainst the enemy was producing a growing numbe rof casualties . The Chu Lai chaplains gave first priori-ty of their ministry to casualties arriving at B Med .Chaplain Dowd had reported to Da Nang fro mOkinawa with units of the 12th Marines . Within afew days Chaplain O'Connor had arranged to hav ehim detached from the Da Nang-based artillery regi-ment and ordered to duty at the hospital at Chu Lai .

Chaplain Dowd reported :

Chaplain Phil Kahal and I boarded a C-130 on July 1 3in search of Chu Lai, and we found it . "B" Med had moreto offer than any other unit in Chu Lai . The second day w ewere assigned a general purpose tent for home base an dthe open sand flats for a chapel . Food was trucked in a6-by. For breakfast and dinner we had C-Rations . Th emess table was our lap, our chair a sand mound .

The Commanding Officer of "B" Med, Lieutenan tCommander Scott Husby, MC, USN, his team of physi-cians, surgeons, dentists, corpsmen, and Marines attache dcommanded our respect immediately . They had a smoot hrunning team in operation and accomplished, miraculous-ly, a Herculean mission, the first eye-opener of my tour a swe arrived . Passing by a screened-in GP tent, I noticed acorpsmen clad in cap, gown, gloves, shorts and tennisshoes, standing beside someone lying on a table . I'd see nsurgical procedures performed before, but never like this .No tile deck, just blood stained three quarter inchplywood . I still marvel at how little these men had to workwith in the early months of field combat and at the live sthey saved and the comfort they brought the sick andwounded . 3

In a paper entitled "Comforting the Afflicted, "which he wrote during his tenure of duty with the

LISTENING AND LEARNING

4 7

field hospital, Chaplain Kahal touched on some ex-tremely important issues for field medical chaplains :

With the advent of the helicopter the transport o fcasualties from the battle scene to the field hospital hasbeen revolutionized . What once required many hours an dsometimes days to accomplish has now been reduced t ominutes or at the maximum a couple of hours . Thehelicopter is to be credited with the saving of many lives .The seriousness with which the helicopter pilot approacheshis work is humorously inscribed on the side of one plane :"God saves, but we Help ."'

Chaplain Kahal reported that as casualties came i ntheir religious preference was obtained immediately .This enabled the chaplain to introduce himself in a nobjective context, providing the patient was con-scious, and also served to take the Marine's mind offhis injuries . Chaplain Kahal had a pointed caution ,however . He stated :

There is one complication of which the chaplain needsto be aware . Because the wounded Marine is sometime sfearful for his life, the offering of prayer on his behalf car-ries for him the connotation of death . It then becomesnecessary to assure the patient that you are sharing withhim a prayer of thanksgiving for his having been sparedand for full restoration to health . In every case when h eunderstands that prayer is not being offered because he i sdying, prayer is requested and welcomed . The whole pro-cess needs to be accomplished quite rapidly and, mor eoften than not, intuitively .

Another practice which has proven helpful is the carry-ing of a Jewish Prayer Book when receiving casualties .

Jewish boys welcome assistance with prayer by the chaplaineven though the latter is a Christian . The book contains aprayer for those who are ill . If the lad is not in pain, h emight be invited to read the prayer for himself.

The Episcopal Church publishes a small, compact Arm-ed Forces edition of The Book of Common Prayer . Thos ecasualties who are Episcopalians may have the benefit o fthe short prayer for the ill together with the laying on o fhands . '

Chaplain Kahal felt that it was imperative that th echaplains realize that the speedy medical an dsurgical treatment of the patient was always ofprimary importance, and he advised chaplains not t oimpede this process with their ministries . Hereported that doctors are generally very cooperativewith respect to chaplains' wishes . But he cautioned :

Cooperation is a two-way enterprise . The most advan-tageous position for the chaplain seems to be at the hea dof the patient . The patient may sometimes be required toraise his eyes to see the chaplain, but in this way muc hneeded space is alloted to the medical personnel . At this

point in the treatment of the patient the chaplain ca nrender assistance in another way in addition to prayer . H ecan engage the patient in conversation in order that th edoctors can make initial explorations which sometimescause considerable pain . Conversation helps the patien ttake his mind off the pain . Of course, each situation is uni-que, and what the chaplain needs to do is determined b ythe needs of the patient at a given moment .

As the Protestant chaplain it would amount to a travest yto ignore the marvelous cooperation rendered by theCatholic chaplain . Field hospital work requries team wor kbetween the respective faiths . A common understandin gof our roles has served to cement our relationship . There i smutual assistance in times of service .

It may be appropriate to mention that to see young lad swith torn, broken and bleeding bodies is not an experienc efrom which one can derive any satisfaction ; yet it is an ex-perience and duty which cannot be shirked, for there is avital and necessary work to be performed at the MarineField Hospital . Not only does the chaplain serve God i nthe service of men, but his own life is enriched by the ex-perience, for he too is forced to search for the strength andcourage of God deep within the recesses of his own life .'

The Chu Lai arrival of Lieutenant CommanderMarvin W . Howard (Southern Baptist) and Lieute-nant Commander Gerard W . Taylor (RomanCatholic) in the company of the helicopter group t owhich they were attached marked the first significan taugmentation of Far Eastern aircraft comba tcapability by West Coast units . As the buildup offorces in Vietnam continued to accelerate, both ai rand ground augmentation was needed. MAG-3 6deployed from its parent 3d Marine Aircraft Wing a tMCAS El Toro, Santa Ana, California and was plac-ed under the operational control of the 1st Marin eAircraft Wing in I Corps .

Chaplain Howard was the first of the two to arrive ,landing on 27 August with the forward echelon con-sisting of the headquarters staff and Marine Air Bas eSquadron 36. He had made the voyage on board th eDock Landing Ship USS Comstock (LSD 19) leavin gLong Beach, California on the morning of 3 August .On 2 September, Chaplain Taylor with the opera-tional squadrons debarked from the USS Princetonand moved ashore to join their counterparts in th enewly defined group compound .

On 20 September, Wing Chaplain Bakker pro-duced an exchange of MAG-36 and MAG-1 2chaplains . The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing had nowgrown in size and strength, with the addition ofMAG-13 from Hawaii, but more was to come . Asmall problem was evident in MAG-36 from th eviewpoint of chaplain assignments . Both the Protes-

48


tant Chaplain Marvin W . Howard, and Jerry W .Taylor, the Catholic Chaplain, were senior lieute-nant commanders . Over in MAG-12 Rieter and Lon gwere recently promoted Lieutenants . The wingchaplain transferred Chaplain Taylor to MAG-12 ,and Chaplain Long to MAG-36 . Chaplain Bakke rwrote :

MAG-12 gave the Wing Chaplain a little static, becaus eof their identification with and loyalty to Dick Long, bu tthe change proved to be sound and logical . Of course itmeant that Chaplain Long would have the added burde nof starting from the sand again, and building up two timesin succession . It was the Wing Chaplain's considered opi-nion that his stamina of body and soul was equal to th etask . From MAG-36's side of the question Chaplai nHoward had been with the group longer . Chaplain Taylorhad been in the 3d MAW office with Wing Chaplain L . C .M . Vosseler at El Toro, until shortly before the deploy-ment . He had had little opportunity to get acquainte dwith MAG-36 . 7

Landing at Qui Nhon

The only Marine Corps enclave established in th eII Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam during th ewar was in the northeastern corner of Binh Dinh Pro-vince, south of the city of Qui Nhon . Qui Nhon wasthe seaport terminus of Highway 19, the most direc troute from the coast to the strategically importan tmilitary base in Pleiku . Travel over Highway 19 wasbeing disrupted almost at will by Viet Cong of th ecentral highlands. Much of the time logistic supportfor the military garrison at Pleiku was limited toresupply by aircraft . The plateau offered a conve-nient mountain-pass infiltration and supply routefor North Vietnamese troops entering South Viet-nam from Cambodian trails . Qui Nhon represente dthe key to overland supply . U .S . Army engineerswere ordered to the area to build an airfield and agarrison for a swift-striking airmobile division . Tosecure the area from local Viet Cong, the Navy -Marine Corps Special Landing Force comprised o fthe helicopter carrier USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2) withHMM-363 aboard, attack transport USS Talledega(APA 205), and attack cargo ship USS Muliphen(AKA 61) and the 3d Battalion, 7th . Marines wasassigned the mission of searching and clearing thearea .

On 1 July Lieutenant Ralph C . Betters (UnitedPresbyterian) landed with the 3d Battalion, 7t hMarines . The Marines landed unopposed and

established a defensive perimeter skirting th ebuilding sites for the airstrip and garrison adjacent tothe city of Qui Nhon .

Chaplain Betters' battalion was the first unit o fRLT 7 to land in Vietnam . He recalled :

I received dispatch orders in May 1965 while stationed a tthe Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego . I joinedChaplains Goad, Hiskett and McNamara at the 7thRegimental CP at Camp Pendleton . Chaplain Goad wasassigned as Regimental Chaplain, John McNamara to th eFirst Battalion, Wally Hiskett to the Second Battalion, andI was given the Third .

In Qui Nhon we suffered out first casualties and learnedVC tactics, first-hand . Though I am a veteran of WorldWar II and Korea, and have seen and lived with destruc-tion, dread, deprivation, disease and death, the initia lshock of ministering to mutilated bodies caused a traum athat I did not anticipate . Indeed I thought myself harden-ed to the horrors of warfare and death .,

The 3d Battalion, 7th Marines was ashore only aweek when the 2d Battalion, 7th Marines withLieutenant Walter A . Hiskett (Lutheran) attache darrived to relieve it . The 3d Battalion returned to du-ty as the ready SLF, cruising the coast of I Corps i nreserve . Chaplain Hiskett ' s battalion was to remai nin the countryside near Qui Nhon until 4 Novemberwhen it was replaced by the newly arriving Tige rDivision of the Republic of Korea .

Chaplain Hiskett reported that the battalion's rifl ecompanies took up positions a mile or so beyond ex-isting perimeters . Three days after their arrival the yestablished a forward command post approximately10 miles inland, adjacent to the 84th U .S . ArmyEngineers compound, leaving logistics units and th ebattalion aid station in the secure area at the rear CP .Upon the recommendation of battalion commander ,Lieutenant Colonel Leon Utter, Chaplain Hiskett re-mained temporarily at the aid station to minister to arising number of heat casualties . Later in the weekhe moved to the forward CP in order to be closer tohis troops in the field, being followed a few day slater by the aid station itself.

Two Army chaplains assisted Chaplain Hiskett i nproviding a ministry for the men of his battalion .The chaplains were stationed at Pleiku, and gav ereligious coverage to the 84th Engineers . They in-vited men of the 2d Battalion, 7th Marines who re-mained in the CP over Sunday, to join them for wor-ship. This released Chaplain Hiskett to move abou tthe area conducting ministry to the deployed rifl ecompanies . The tactical area of responsibility for the


4 9

2d Battalion, 7th Marines was large and in tim ecovered an area of over 50 square miles . Chaplai nHiskett noted :

Most of the positions were located on isolated hilltops .All transportation was by helicopter and was arranged bythe Battalion Air Liaison Officer . The Logistics SupportUnit remained on the beach during our entire stay at QuiNhon and I made arrangements for their Protestant mento attend services at the Army Signal Battalion area clos eby . Some of the isolated companies split up to cover two o rthree forward outpost positions . This made it impossibleto cover all of the positions on Sunday . Therefore ,religious services were conducted usually on Sunday, Mon -day and Tuesday, and as many as thirteen services in on eweek .

Most of the combat operations of Qui Nhon consisted o fplatoon or squad sized patrols . Occasionally we would con -duct company-sized search and clear operations and ther ewere two or three operations involving two companies but ,strictly speaking there were no large scale combat opera-tions . I accompanied the battalion commander as h evisited the troops in the field on the larger operations . Thi sgave me an opportunity to be with the men as they wer eengaged in operations, at least for short periods of time . 9

Chaplain Hiskett reported an incident that point sup that the chaplain's ministry is not only to th ewounded and dying, but in the sensitivity o freligious pluralism, also to the dead . Two Marine son the forward perimeter were killed by rifle fir efrom another Marine position . Chaplain Hiskett ac-companied the men by helicopter to the aid station .

He later recorded :

One of the men was Catholic so I tried to contact aCatholic Chaplain to administer Last Rites . There was noCatholic Chaplain in the area . I escorted the body to th eChristian Brothers School where I knew a priest resided . A t0300 no one could be aroused . We returned to the school .Mass was in progress . When it was over I asked the priest toadminister Last Rites . In spite of the language problem th epriest understood and Extreme Unction was administered .A Requiem Mass was also said for the Marine. 1 ,

On 28 September Marine Medium HelicopterSquadron 363 of the Chu Lai-based MAG-36 wa sdeployed to Qui Nhon to support the 2d Battalion ,7th Marines in its mission . Lieutenant John R . Dal y(Roman Catholic), then less than a week in Vietnam ,was assigned to the squadron . Upon arrival, th esquadron moved into a former Army compound ,Camp Goldberg, on the outskirts of Qui Nhon . Hesoon discovered that much of his activity would be

directed toward Catholic coverage of nearby Arm ypersonnel . He observed that the squadron was o fsuch size that he knew all of the officers and me npersonally and could keep his finger on the pulse ofthe unit . His Army flock was composed o fdetachments of the 498th Aviation Company, th e197th Aviation Company, the 78th Transportatio nCompany, and the 540th Transportation Company .For the five weeks that HMM 363 's Qui Nhon dut ycoincided with that of the 2d Battalion, 7th Marines ,he said a 1500 Sunday Mass at the Battalion CP an dduring the week made use of his squadron ' s resuppl yflights to say Mass, three times . a week, to the outly-ing companies of the battalion .

On 5 January 1966 HMM-363, which had relieve dHMM-163, followed the assignment pattern of th e2d Battalion, 7th Marines and was ordered to duty atChu Lai, 120 miles to the north . Chaplain Daly the nrejoined his parent organization, MAG-36, as arelief for Lieutenant Commander R . A . Long(Roman Catholic) who was among the first of th egroup's chaplains to arrive, and who had bee nordered to new duty in the United States .

New Chaplain Leadership

In early October Captain Francis L . Garret t(United Methodist) reported to the Commandin gGeneral, III Marine Amphibious Force for duty a sforce chaplain . Chaplain Garrett and -Lieutenan tGeneral Lewis W . Walt had served together a tMarine Corps Schools, Quantico and were well ac-quainted . On his way through Iwakuni, Japan ,enroute to assume command of the 3d Marine Divi-sion, General Walt had informed the 1st Marine Air -craft Wing Chaplain Bakker that "Frank" Garret twas coming to the Far East to be his staff chaplai nand that he was delighted with the Chief o fChaplains decision to send him . Bakker noted thatthe general and chaplain "made an ideal team . " "

Chaplain Garrett relieved Chaplain Jones uponhis arrival in the country . After completing thenecessary check-in procedure, and visits to Genera lWalt and members of his staff, Chaplain Garrett wa sbriefed by Chaplains Jones, Maguire, and Seim . Thebriefing included duties of the new force chaplain ,the current status of the commands and chaplain sencompassed by III MAF's organizational structure,


Photo III MAFLtGen Lewis W. Walt, Commanding General, III MAF, presents a check for $4,000 t oForce Chaplain Francis L . Garrett for the Chaplains CivicAction Fund. The contributionis from the Protestant Chapel Fund of the Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina .

the ministry of I Corps chaplains and the complica-tions of religious coverage, the. status and problemsinherent in the developing Civil Affairs program ,and the geographical location of chaplains attache dto III MAF commands .

The duties of the force chaplain had been set forthin III MAF Force order 1730 .1, just three days afte rthe esablishment of the billet . The force chaplainwas directly responsible to the commanding genera lin the performance of hs duties . He served (1) to ad -vise the commanding general on matters pertainingto the moral, spiritual, and religious welfare of th eforce ; (2) to coordinate broad policy, with regard t odivision, wing and force chaplains, and integratin gtheir efforts into a single program ; (3) to conduc tperiodic inspections of the religious programs offorce organizations and of command efforts relating

to the moral, spiritual, and religious welfare of per-sonnel ; and (4) to assist the commanding general i ncarrying out his responsibility as related to religiousactivities of Army and Air Force units in the III MA Farea and as special area coordinator for the Da Nan gcomplex and also to establish and maintain liaiso nwith COMUSMACV and other services commands ,and local civilian organizations, with respect t oreligious affairs . 1 2

Chaplain Garrett was peculiarly sensitive to th eneed for a deep and meaningful quality of ministr yin I Corps . He came with an awareness of the nee dfor delicate balance in the amount of time chaplain sdevoted to primary and collateral duties . One of hisfirst acts as force chaplain was to conduct a detaile dstudy of chaplain involvement in Civil Affairs . Heanticipated that the humanitarian assistance pro-


5 1

gram, already developing to massive proportions ,would inevitably require an increasing amount o fthe chaplains' time . III MAF had moved into Civi lAffairs with great energy, fully aware of the impor-tance of winning the trust and confidence of an in-digenous people involved in a guerrilla war . In viewof the size of the effort and official Marine Corp ssponsorship of it, Chaplain Garrett set about to d othree things : draw chaplain civic action activities int oa coordinated III MAF program with carefully defin-ed perimeters ; refine the objectives and improve thethrust of the chaplains' effort ; and prescribe thelimits of individual chaplain involvement in essen-tially secular, command-sponsored projects .

Conclusions and recommendations resulting fromhis study were forwarded, by memorandum, t oGeneral Walt on 21 October 1965 . In the memoran-dum Chaplain Garrett noted that : (1) chaplain par-ticipation had been largely the result of individua linitiative ; (2) activities had been directed toward" targets of opportunity," as opposed to an aggressiv eprogram of systematically searching out oppor-tunities ; and (3) financial support had been limite dto local unit resources . He stated :

These conclusions clearly point the way to the next step sto be taken . First we must organize our effort so as to brin gto bear the experience and work of all our Chaplains, an dsecond, we must mobilize massive financial and materia lsupport from sources available to us in CONUS . Only thu scan we mount and sustain a significant and viable progra mover a long period of time .

With your concurrence, I propose to undertake th edevelopment of a long range program which is intended toencompass those areas in which the churches have bee ntraditionally involved, i .e ., orphanages, schools, homes forthe aged, hospitals, etc . i 3

The III MAF Force Chaplain proposed specificall ythat a four-phase effort be undertaken to accomplishhis stated objectives . Phase I provided for the loca-tion of every private institution of human welfar ewithin previously defined geographical areas . PhaseII included the determination of real needs withi nthe institutions, with a view toward concentratin gassistance in those areas which would improve in-stitutional effectivness and tend to make the institu-tions permanently self-sustaining . Phase III set inmotion machinery for mobilizing financial suppor tin Vietnam, and from Navy and Marine Corp schapels and other religious bodies in the UnitedStates . Phase IV represented the action phase, the

actual execution of individual projects, on a fully im -plemented and sustained basis .

The most significant result of the memorandu mand its subsequent approval by General Walt, wa sthe official formulation of a clear-cut definition o fthe chaplain's role in Marine Corps Civic Action .The memorandum identified special areas of activi-ty, and in effect prescribed limits to those area swithin which chaplains would thereafter direct theirefforts . The chaplain's role in the Civic Action pro -gram was sanctioned by the commanding general a sa separate and distinct program within the forma lstructure of Marine Corps civic action was to focusupon urgent needs within the religious communit yof South Vietnam, and was to be directed towarddevelopment of Vietnamese self-reliance and self -support .

While humanitarian activities continued to re-quire great expenditure of the chaplain's time an deffort, the new definitions in effect created a struc-ture within which the force chaplain could coor-dinate the thrust of the effort to eliminate duplica-tion, improve effectiveness, and insure that the uni tchaplain's time for essential priorities of his ministr ywas not diminished .

If the quality of Chaplain Corps leadership wa sdemonstrated by Chaplain Garrett's approach toCivic Action in the first weeks of his tenure of dut yas force chaplain, it was amplified during the monthof October by personnel management policies th enewly reporting division chaplain, Captain Frank R .Morton (Lutheran), formulated with regard to areasof supervisory chaplain responsibilities . ChaplainMorton arrived in Da Nang within two weeks ofChaplain Garrett . Upon arrival he relieved ChaplainMaguire who had been interim 3d Marine Divisio nChaplain since late August . In a briefing for theChief of Chaplains, Rear Admiral James W . Kelly(Southern Baptist), the following year, Chaplai nGarrett said :

Chaplain Morton was cordially welcomed . He among allthe senior chaplains in Vietnam at the time had abackground of Marine experience that was invaluable .Frank, more than any of us, had the know-how when i tcame to living in the field with Marines . This was one o fthe reasons his presence was so valuable to us . He was ex-tremely active throughout the year, always on the move ,and always present wherever things were breaking . Cer-tainly his contribution to the organization of th eChaplains' work in the Third Division was superior t oanything I have ever seen, in terms of internal organiza-tion ."

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Immediately after his initial briefing, and a cur-sory survey of the geographical location of thechaplains, Chaplain Morton set to work withChaplain Garrett on what the former called " adivorce ." Since the spring of 1965, before the staffbillet of III MAF Force Chaplain had been establish-ed, there had been a natural state of ambivalenc ewith regard to lines of authority and responsibility a tthe division's highest echelon . Chaplain Jones ha dbeen 3d Marine Division chaplain in Okinawa . Inthat position he had exercised overall supervision o f9th MEB, whose chaplains were, however, under a nindependent command several hundred miles to th esouth. When III MAF was established in Vietna mthe division chaplain occupied the same office-ten twith the MAF chaplain and they were participants inthe decision-making process for both MAF and divi-sion . Upon Chaplain O'Connor's departure, andbefore Chaplain Maguire's arrival, Chaplain Jone swas doubled-hatted for two weeks, and for six weeksimmediately prior to his departure, again occupie doffice space with the division chaplain, employingthe services of Chaplain Seim, who was officially at-tached to the division, as his administrative assistant .In all of this at both MAF and Division Headquarter she was working with a double-hatted commandin ggeneral and among the same staff officers wit hwhom he had been associated from the beginning .

A change of chaplain leadership provided the op-portunity for well-defined lines of responsibility an dclear-cut organizational interrelationship to be firm-ly drawn. From late October through mid -November, Chaplain Morton conferred withChaplain Garrett on the interrelationships of thei rrespective billets . They concurred in the decisio nthat Chaplain Morton would exercise full, super-visory control with regard to division chaplains ,keeping the force chaplain fully informed, an dwould turn to him for coordination of joint efforts ,broad policy decisions, and would seek counsel in al lchaplain-related activities transcending comman dlines . Chaplain Bakker, the wing chaplain, had suc-ceeded in operating on this organizational principl esince the wing had arrived in country .

Tending to support the provisions of "the divorce "was the 3d Marine Division Headquarters physica lrelocation which came in mid-November . For som etime the new headquarters had been under construc-tion. A massive concrete bunker referred to a s"Waits Vault" by the troops, was built to accom -

modate the general's office and several of his staffadvisors . Located at the base of a hill line, on wha tearlier had been the outer perimeter toad, severalmiles west of the airstrip and MAF-Wing com-pound, the surrounding acreage supported a ten tcomplex for housing the various staff sections of th eheadquarters . Chaplains Morton, Maguire, Seim ,Reiner, and their Marine clerks, moved from one -third of a strongbacked tent to two covered, woodenframe structures .

The division chaplain, assistant division chaplain ,administrative assistant, and three clerks occupie done of the more spacious office-tents while the othe rwas used for equipment and supply storage and fo rtemporary offices of the Jewish and Episcopa lchaplains . Chaplain Morton's tent was located on th eside of a hill, affording what he called a "meditatio nporch . " Down a ladder and under the back of th etent was a comfortable, spacious area for use by an yof the chaplains who wished to counsel privatel ywith visitors or to confer with small groups and no tdisturb the routine functions of the office .

Occupied with organizational concerns, relocatio nof office spaces, and the administrative orientatio nof the division, Chaplain Morton could initially d olittle more than observe the process of chaplai ncoverage. This was the broad concern to which h eturned his attention the remainder of November an dearly December . The issues awaiting his resolutio nwere : how to provide the 3d Marine Division wit hreligious coverage on a seven-day-week basis ; andhow to provide equitable and appropriate ,denominational coverage . His objectives were sim-ple . Every Marine in the 3d Marine Division mus thave opportunities to worship a minimum of once aweek in a worship service of his denominationalpreference . He had already observed that he wasworking in a widely scattered Marine division wit hchaplains in four separate enclaves . Units were in-terspersed among wing units and with the Seabees .Chaplains were extending their ministries to men ofmany smaller units who otherwise would have ha dno opportunity to receive the ministry of the church .Units were highly mobile and enclave perimeter swere expanding throughout each week . Small unitoperations were scheduled on short notice . Transpor-tation was a continuing problem which further com-plicated the overall task of providing comprehensiv ereligious coverage .

Factors effecting religious coverage by chaplains


5 3

had been undergoing subtle and continuing .changessince the buildup of forces began in March . In th eJune to October period individual chaplain coopera-tion continued to be the key to a successful effort .Beginning in November, unit chaplains were in -formed in weekly meetings of their responsibilitie sand were given a detailed overview of the entir eenclave . Chaplains highly motivated towardenergetic cooperation still remained the key to suc-cess, but it soon became apparent that the systemwas refined to such a degree that the personalities o fChaplain Corps leaders, the force chaplain, divisio nchaplain, wing chaplain, and the Chief o fChaplains, could be seen in the Corps ministry i nSouth Vietnam .

Chaplain Morton, in conference with the divisio nchief of staff, confirmed his own staff authority t omove chaplains in accordance with his own judge-ment . The freedom of personnel managementChaplain O'Connor had requested, and Chaplai nJones had established as standing operating pro-cedure, Chaplain Morton confirmed . It becam enecessary only to supply a nomination for orders t othe division G-1, and official, in-country changes o fduty were effected in a matter of hours .

Describing concepts governing his assignments ,Chaplain Morton said :

All chaplains reporting aboard for duty directly fromChaplains School are assigned to separate battalions . TheAssistant Division Chaplain is their immediate senio rchaplain . They are observed, counselled and advised dur-ing a six-month assignment . After the six-month perio dthey are available for assignment to line battalions . Al lchaplains repotting as recalls from the Naval Reserve wher ethey held civilian pastorates are assigned either to separat ebattalions or to line battalions under the direction of aregimental chaplain . Lieutenant Commander chaplain sare first assigned to a medical battalion or to a regiment ,depending upon previous Marine Corps experience .

Young chaplains should have a varied experience duringthis tour of duty . They are the regimental or divisionchaplains in tomorrow's Marine Corps . However, nochaplain is moved about for experience alone . During thetwelve-month period many factors appear whichnecessitate objective moves . The subjective moves are ef-fected only when the Division Chaplain or advisin gRegimental Chaplain recommends a move for the in-dividual chaplain's sake . "

In addition, Chaplain Morton felt that nochaplain should remain attached to a field hospita lin excess of six months . The drain upon the spiritual ,physical, and emotional resources of a chaplain pro -

viding a crisis ministry for mass casualties created th eneed for such a change. As combat operation sbecame more frequent and intense during late 196 5and 1966, it became a matter of policy to reassig nline battalion chaplains in a similar manner . The op-portunity to listen and learn was being supplie dchaplains in the broadest possible way .

Lieutenant Max E . Dunks (Southern Baptist), whoreported in early October to relieve Lieutenant Com-mander Charles C . Kary (American Baptist) fo rreassignment as Regimental Chaplain, 3d Marines ,was one of the chaplains reporting to Da Nang direc tfrom Chaplains School and the Field Medical Servic eSchool . Three and one half months prior to his ar-rival he had been serving a civilian congregation an dhad had no previous military experience . For the firstsix months of his duty in Vietnam he was assigned t othe 1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion with additiona lresponsibility for 3d Motor Transport Battalion, 3 dAnti-Tank Battalion, and 3d Tank Battalion, suc-ceeding Chaplains Kary and Goodwin . In his "endof tour report" he spoke directly to the issues whic hChaplain Morton was attempting to resolve :

My greatest difficulty during my tour in South Vietnam ,was learning how to get things done in the militar yframework, and particularly in the Marine framework . Ihad to learn the importance of requesting needed servicesand materials in writing, using appropriate military forms .I had to learn that even though it is widely understood thatcertain sections in a battalion organization perform certai nfunctions, every commanding officer had his distinctiv epreference as to how the various functions within the sec-tions are carried out . . . .

I also had to learn patience and the art of flexibility i nVietnam more than ever before in my life . The plans an dpolicies of my parent unit were often changed, and I hadto adjust, as everyone else did . Frustration was always jus taround the corner, and I often came face to face with it . Iexpected, and adjusted to it . I feel that any chaplain whodoes not assume this attitude may find himself with an ab-normal emotional disturbance or an ulcerated stomach .Last of all I learned that one needs to have a positive, ag-gressive attitude toward his goals in South Vietnam . Th e'can do ' attitude prevails among the Marines, and Nav yChaplains serving with the Marines are out of place if the ydo not have this attitude . i6

As an important part of his philosophy of leadershi pChaplain Morton considered the position ofregimental chaplain to be an indispensible link bet-ween the battalion chaplain and the supervisorychaplains on the division level . He himself had bee na regimental chaplain with the 4th Marines in Japanand Hawaii in 1954-1955, and had learned the

54


significance of the position in a regimen tgeographically isolated from division headquarters .

Chaplain Kary's reassignment to the 3d Marines a sregimental chaplain was accomplished by Chaplai nMaguire before Morton's arrival . The 3d Marines hadpreviously had no regimental chaplain in Vietnam .Assignment of Chaplain Katy gave evidence of twofactors coming to the fore in this period which in-fluenced assignment of chaplains . The need fo rmore comprehensive coverage was pressingly ap-parent to Chaplain Maguire and subsequently t oChaplain Morton. When an experienced chaplai nbecame available the effort was made to assign afourth chaplain to augment the ministry of the thre eline battalion chaplains assigned a regiment . Thi sevolved into a policy of assigning two Protestant andtwo Roman Catholics to line regiments, the greate rproportion of separate battalions such as engineers ,tanks, amphibian tractors and the like, having Pro-testant chaplains assigned to them for duty .Previously scattered battalions were becoming con-solidated with their regimental headquarters withina single tactical area of organizational responsibility .Operational conditions had not always permitted theregiment to operate as a unit . Nevertheless, con-solidation of the regiments, and assignment o fchaplains as regimental chaplains gave evidence tha tthe regiment remained very much an integral part o fMarine Corps organization .

In view of the fact that neither the divisio nchaplain nor the assistant division chaplain coul dpossibly exercise direct supervision of religious ac-tivities and the work of chaplains in enclaves 50 o rmore miles away, Chaplain Morton made good us eof his regimental chaplains . In time an assignmentpolicy evolved in which Chaplain Morton delegatedboth unit and geographical responsibility to eachenclave's senior chaplain . This also carried over t ocode-named combat operations which lasted from afew days to several weeks . In these instances thesenior chaplain attached reported to the divisio nchaplain for direct supervision of unit chaplains andtheir work .

Ceremonial Events and Administrative Concern s

Three ceremonial events occurred duringNovember 1965 . The first was the Marine Corp sBirthday on the 10th . In slack moments of the day ,ceremonies appropriate to the occasion were held .

This was the first Marine Corps birthday to becelebrated by Marines in combat since the Korea n

War . The occasion was as festive as conditions woul dpermit, with cake cutting ceremonies and speeches .In deference to "The Night War," by which nam ethe conflict in Vietnam was being characterized ,ceremonies were held during daylight hours .Chaplain Scanlon, with the 1st Battalion, 1stMarines near Hill 327, wrote :

Monsoon season had arrived in earnest now, to the tun eof 27 inches of rain a month, and mud was everywhere .Third Battalion, Third Marine Division with A .D . Seelan dhad come up from Chu Lai and had taken up a position onour left flank . For the Marine Corps Birthday, our cook shad made a huge cake . They were up all night making it .The weather was so damp that the icing wouldn't stick tothe cake ; it kept falling off. But to us it looked magnifi-cent. We had a ceremony befitting the occasion, in whic hthe Chaplain took part . Village Chiefs and the Distric tChief were invited . "

Lieutenant Allen B . Craven (Southern Baptist )reported that the 12th Marines' regimental service son 7 November, commemorating the Marine Corps '190th Anniversary, was the highlight of his worshipservices in Vietnam . He reported :

The command asked that all batteries in the RegimentalCP form up and bring their guidons . It was a beautifu lsight to see the guidons, battalions, regimental and na-tional colors as they marched in during the processiona lhymn . An inspiring message was given by Chaplain Gar-rett, the Third Marine Amphibious Force Chaplain . It wasinspiration to see over a hundred Marines worshippin gGod and honoring the Corps ; knowing that they wouldleave after the service to continue their duties in the servic eof their nation ." '

The next ceremonial occasion was Thanksgivin gDay. It was followed by the Navy Chaplain Corp sBirthday Celebration on 2 December . Thanksgivingwas appropriately observed with services of worshi pand with hot meals of turkey and trimmings for al lhands . Even the line companies on the enclaveperimeter had hot meals taken out by the choppers .The day was similarly observed, from CP to farthes toutpost and from the smallest to the largest ship off -shore .

The Chaplain Corps Birthday was observed at lun-cheon in the Da Nang enclave . Attending guests o fhonor included General Walt ; Brigadier Genera lKeith B. McCutcheon, 1st Wing Commander ; othe rsenior staff officers ; and, with one exception, ever ybattalion commander in the enclave . Chaplain Seim


5 5

addressed the gathering and reflected on thechaplain's ministry . He concluded :

As desired by the churches of the land and by NavyRegulations, chaplains have taught men both secular an dsacred subjects . Always they teach the larger lessons of life ,the lessons of God's Word, His way for man . Chaplain shave administered the sacraments . They have confrontedmen with the sacred acts most holy precious to their chur-ches, baptizing the new believers from helmets and inoceans, offering the Holy Supper, confirming, hearingconfessions, blessing marriages, going with them to th efinal moment of life and bridging the gap with the las trites . They have brought the assurance of God's care tosailors and Marines on wooden ships, in polar ice, o nviolent seas, in roaring helicopters and in silent depths, i nrotting jungles, on comfortable stations, in foxholes ,bunkers and bamboo chapels .

Chaplains have shown the nation the meaning o freligious cooperation by working together, and have ledthe way, honoring one another . . . .

We are proud of our Corps today . How frequently haveyou heard it said, " he ' s the best blanketly-blank chaplainin the Navy?" So many times . Chaplains have received awide variety of medals and given many to young men— aSt . Christopher medal here and an "I am an Episcopalian "there .

All this because we are here to serve God and th emilitary man . It is our unique profession .1 9

During one of the chaplain meetings i nNovember, a conversation between Chaplai nBohula, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines and Forc eChaplain Garrett, an idea concerning th emaintenance of a historical record of the ministry o fthe Chaplain Corps in Vietnam impressed itself o nChaplain Garrett's mind . As he sat listening to th eexperiences of the younger chaplain, he was move dby the depth and power of the chaplain's ministr yand by the spiritual impact the chaplain had ob-viously had upon the lives of Marines . He was stirre dby the effectiveness of the Corps' efforts to fulfill it smission by "bringing God to man and man to God . "Chaplain Garrett conceived the idea that an end o ftour narrative report of the chaplain's duties in Viet-nam, preserving a record of his services and ex-periences and anecdotes pertaining to his ministry ,should be required of each chaplain prior to detach-ment . In keeping with his responsibility to for-mulate policies on matters transcending division an dwing command prerogatives, he issued a force orde rinitiating the requirement . Chaplains being detach-ed from duty in Vietnam from that time forward ,spent a few hours of their lasts days in Vietnam com-posing a narrative account of their duties in Vietnamfor submission to the Force Chaplain who then, in

turn, forwarded copies through official channels t othe Chief of Chaplains .

On an inspection trip to Vietnam in September ,Chaplain John H . Craven, Force Chaplain, FleetMarine Force, Pacific, in Hawaii, who had par-ticipated in the preparation of the history of th echaplains in the Korean War, solicited historical in -formation which he planned to publish in summar yform in his FMFPac Bulletin, and for fuller treat-ment later . In addition he requested that supervisor ychaplains provide a steady flow of materials ofhistorical interest for use in future articles at his leveland at the level of the Chief of Chaplains . ChaplainCraven 's brief historical summaries were grea tbenefit to chaplains being oriented for duty in Viet-nam, and to the corps historian in reconstructing th eevents of early 1965 . Chaplain Garrett ' s sense ofhistory, foresight, and initiative resulted in a flow o fvaluable historical data to the office of the Chief o fChaplains .

As early as mid-November, the III MAF Chaplainbegan preparations for distribution of tons ofChristmas cards, letters, and packages already begin-ning to arrive from the United States . Chaplain Gar-rett and his colleagues anticipated the impendin gmountains of mail, including thousands of package sand letters addressed to "Any Marine in Vietnam, "with dread . Nevertheless they accepted the assign-ment reluctantly, simply because, this firs tChristmas in Vietnam, there was no one else t owhom such activity with its great morale enhance-ment potential and public relations value, could b eentrusted . Most chaplains, in their end of tou rreports, commented favorably on the value of the ef-fort and the sheer pleasure the packages gave th etroops .

Some believed the gifts represented a spontaneou sresponse on the part of a segment of the America npeople to the demonstrations against the war the nbeginning to be seen in the United States . Assistan tDivision Chaplain Maguire wrote :

There had been a series of demonstrations against th eVietnam War back home and now many people, evidentl yrepresenting a large majority, started sending Christma sgreetings and gifts to servicemen . The plight of many poorand sick Vietnamese had also been publicized back home .The result was that from late November on into Januar ypackages arrived daily for servicemen and for the Viet-namese people . The MAF Chaplain's Office became thedistribution point . Chaplains established Christmasdisplays in the units, usually a large bulletin board for

56


cards and tables for packages . The enthusiastic response o fthe troops was pleasantly surprising . In early autumn, Mar-tha Raye had sent many packages, mostly books . Th edistribution of those and the establishment of book shelvesfor the troops was in a small way a rehearsal for th eChristmas avalanche . 2 0

Preparations were underway in late November fo rthe festive season . With regard to these ChaplainMaguire reported :

Chaplain Morton was away at the time performing aChristmas miracle . He procured and somehow carted tw otons of Christmas equipment from Japan . The gear filled a16' x 16' area to the roof. The result was that every Marin eand Navy man in I Corps saw a strategically located Nativi-ty scene and heard Christmas music broadcast .2 1

One of Chaplain Morton ' s administrative concern sduring December was the welcome, orientation, andassignment of five chaplains reporting for duty wit hthe division . He kept each new chaplain at divisionheadquarters for a few days prior to assigning the mto a unit . During the period they were briefed on theoperational situation, given time to "get their gear inorder," and generally oriented by trips into the field ,by artillery fire demonstrations, and at a series o fpersonal interviews .

It had become apparent to Chaplain Morton dur-ing his first weeks in country that denominationa lcoverage of troops in each enclave promised to pre -sent difficult problems. In a combat zone th eavailability of Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, an dJewish chaplains to minister to men of their respec-tive faiths represented the absolute minimumdenominational coverage . The entire chain of super-visory chaplain responsibility, from division throug hMAF, and FMF to the Chaplain Assignment Office rin the Chief of Chaplains ' office, to the Chief ofChaplains himself, were intimately involved inestablishing in Vietnam the broadest religiouscoverage in the history of naval warfare . All of themajor American religious bodies were represented inI Corps in December and a number of smaller chur-ches . The problem became for Chaplain Morton on eof refinement and balance . Additional Catholicchaplains were needed to man his projected plan o ftwo Protestants and two Catholics for each regimen tin country . In conference with Chaplain Garrett th edecision was made to request that the 1st Marin eDivision, by this time settled on Okinawa, furnishthe required Catholic coverage . Captain John L .Wissing (Roman Catholic), Division Chaplain of the

1st Marine Division agreed to send Lieutenant Ray-mond A . Roy (Roman Catholic) to Da Nang for a60-day period of temporary additional duty . Repor-ting in mid-December Chaplain Roy was assigned t othe 9th Marines, now consolidated south of Da Nan gon perimeter defense .

In a "Newsletter " he wrote to friends on 2 Januar y1966, Chaplain Roy pointed up the developing pro-blem of Catholic coverage . He said :

My duties with the Marines send me wandering aroun dthe perimeter, my Mass kit on my back . Some of th eCatholic boys in the outlying Companies had not seen apriest in six weeks . It isn't true that there are no atheists i nfoxholes . Yet it is true that, for a great number of youngmen, foxhole faith is a reality they cannot and have n odesire to escape . When a boy in muddy and torn utilitie scomes to Mass there is a rapport established between u sthat I have never experienced anywhere else in th eministry . That boy, who might normally shy away from apriest, often hears himself revealing thoughts he has neve rexpressed to anyone else . And I have no doubt that, just asoften, the grace of God made its entry through such con-versations . Those who have never had the faith? Well, Ihave been here only a short while, and already, six Marine shave asked me for instruction in the intention of receivin gBaptism . God sure spoils a priest out here .22

Changing circumstances in Vietnam prevente dChaplain Roy ' s permanent return to Okinawa at th eend of his 60-day tour . Soon after the first of the yearthe decision was made to commit the 1st Marin eDivision to combat in Vietnam . Many of itsregiments and separate battalions, and most of itschaplains, were already in country under operationa lcontrol of the 3d Marine Division . The remainder ofthe division was to be committed to duty in Vietna min the early spring of 1966 and Chaplain Roy was t oreturn to Vietnam with the 5th Marines after a briefinterlude on Okinawa .

Chaplains for NSA and MCB-8

During the final quarter of 1965, three chaplainsassigned to naval units tinder the CommandingGeneral, III MAF's cognizance as Naval Componen tCommander, reported to duty in Da Nang . The firs tchaplains permanently assigned to the newlyestablished command, Naval Support Activity, D aNang, were Commander Martin F . Gibbons (RomanCatholic) and Lieutenant David S . Hunsicker(Southern Baptist) .

Chaplain Gibbons remained on duty in Da Nan gfor a full year tour of duty and witnessed the buildup


5 7

Photo courtesy of Chaplain John E . Zolle rEvangelist Billy Graham preaches at an open airmeeting for several thousand Marine and Army per-sonnel at Phu Bai, during the Easter season 1969 .

of Naval Support Activity Chaplains from two to sixand an almost overwhelming increase in numbers o fnaval personnel for whose benefit a comprehensiv eministry had to be carefully organized . Since July ,Lieutenant John Q . Lesher (Methodist) had been at-tached to the Force Logistic Support Group, untilNaval Support Activity could be officially commis-sioned in October . He was relieved by ChaplainHunsicker, who with Chaplain Lesher, participate din the activating ceremonies .

When Gibbons reported for duty as senio rchaplain he found physical accommodations to b eessentially as they had been during the days whe nthe entire command was housed in a single room i nthe administration building, dubbed the Whit eElephant . In a letter to Captain Edward A . Slatter y(Roman Catholic), Assignment Officer for th eChaplains' Division, Bureau of Naval Personnel ,Chaplain Gibbons wrote :

When you said this job was a challenge, you didn' tknow how true the expression was! We had nothing andcould have been here a year without ever getting anything .Tremendous numbers of men had been ordered in, confu-sion reigned (and still reigns) everywhere . Kingdoms were

already established, and since we chaplains came last, w ehad no space, no gear, no transportation, no yeoman —nothing . Morale was rock bottom, that's why we wer ewanted, and our role was to be ecclesiastical moral ebuilders, riding the boats, tossing off witty sayings an dcheering up the boys . That' s not meant to be a joke, Ed, itis what Chaplain Lesher and Dave Hunisicker had to d obefore I arrived . Their office was an attache case . 23

Five days after Chaplain Gibbon 's letter to th eChaplains Division was written Lieutenant Com-mander Paul H . Lionberger (Lutheran) who ha drecently relieved Chaplain Seim as assistant to th edivision chaplain volunteered to help the NSAchaplains fulfill their schedule of Christmas Day ser-vices . Having reported aboard only a week beforeand having completed his unit's schedule of service sby 1400 on Christmas Eve, Chaplain Lionberger of-fered to assist in the following day 's schedule . Heremembered :

0900 Christmas found me hitchhiking to the WhiteElephant Landing in Da Nang where I met Chaplain Mart yGibbons, NSA Chaplain, who was surprised to see m eready to conduct services . He helpfully steered me to theright " mike " boat to transport me to the assigned ships inthe harbor . Rounding the sea wall we were hit by hard rainsqualls and high swells so that to board the APAs for ser-vices I had to climb cargo nets rather than using the accom-modation ladders . Fond memories of cooperative sailorsrigging for church, warm and dry compartments, as well asa rich variety of Navy chow, linger on for Christmas Day ,1965 . 24

The Da Nang area was not without its action lat ein 1965 . The attack which destroyed or damaged alarge proportion of the NSA Hospital, then unde rconstruction, occurred on 28 October . Lieutenan t(Junior Grade) Robert S . Collins (Lutheran) had jus trelieved Chaplain Murray . He said :

On the third evening after I reported aboard MCB-NINE located then at Da Nang East, our campsite was hi tquite severely by thirty-one rounds of Viet Gong 81m mmortars . Within moments I was in the undergroun dsickbay, ministering to the wounded . Before the night wasover, I had held open the chest of a young Marine so ou rBattalion Surgeon could massage his heart, and helped t ocarry the lad to a medical evacuation helicopter . 2 5

Commander William F . Hollis (American Baptist )with MCB-8, at Da Nang reported that his unit sus-tained neither the damage nor the personal injuriesthat the sister unit received . MCB-8, working o nfacilities at Camp Faulkner and the 5th Communica-tions Battalion compound, escaped the devastatin gmortars . Lieutenant George F. Tillett (United


Photo courtesy of Chaplain Henry T . Lavi n

Francis Cardinal Spellman (center) conducts Mass in Da Nang on Christmas Day, 1966 .Other priests (left to right) : David J . Casazza, 1st Division Chaplain ; an unidentifiedArmy chaplain ; Bishop Patrick Ahearn; and Henry T. Lavin, 3d Division Chaplain .

Church of Christ), Hollis's relief, arrived i nNovember to serve with Chaplain Hollis for approx-imately two weeks before the latter was detached .Chaplain Tillett remained with MCB-8 for th efollowing six months, until completion of the bat-talion's first deployment to Vietnam in May 1966 .He served Camp Faulkner ; Company B, 3d TankBattalion ; and the 5th Communications Battalion ,the latter units being located near the compound o fhis parent command . "We worshipped," he said, "i na tent replete with pews and altar at MCB-8, in theEM Club at 'B' Tanks, and on the patio of the Of-ficers' Club overlooking the South China Sea at Fift hCommunications Battalion . MCB-8 had the onlyNavy choir in Vietnam . Its director was a Chief Elec-trician with a Bachelor of Music Degree from th eUniversity of Texas ." 26

Chaplain Tillett's experience was very similar tothat of many other chaplains in Vietnam in that h efound the men of MCB-8 very appreciative of infor-mal discussion groups . "These were conducted," h esaid, "three or four times a week and it was not un-common to find five or six of us sitting on the san dat 10 :00-11 :00 o'clock at night . The letters I stil lreceive from former Seabees and Marines attest totheir worth ." 27

Christmas Highlights

For Chaplains in the five northernmost provincesof South Vietnam, three-fold highlights of theChristmas Season 1965, consisted in the services o fworship they each conducted on Christmas Eve an dDay, the avalanche of Christmas mail, and the visitsof Cardinal Spellman and the Chief of Chaplains .


5 9

Department of the Defense (USN) Photo K-45300Navy Chief of Chaplains James W. Kelly shakes hands with a Marine lance corporal o nboard a fast coastal patrol craft during his third Christmas visit to Vietnam in 1967.

A total of 214 services of worship were conducte dby chaplains of the 3d Marine Division units . Thi swas without question on the busiest single weeken dto that time for chaplains in Vietnam . It should alsobe noted that Chief of Chaplains Kelly dedicate dseven new chapels and preached at a dozen or mor eservices of worship in a four-day period while Cap-tain Leon Darkowski (Roman Catholic), accompany-ing the Chief of Chaplains on his Christmas trip toVietnam, said several Masses .

Referring to some of his memories of late 1965 ,Chaplain Roy said :

There would be so much to describe—the joy o fcelebrating Midnight Mass outdoors by candlelight, wit hMarines singing Christmas Carols ; the heartwarming ex-perience of distributing the tons of Christmas cards andpackages sent by the Americans who cared enough ; thealmost comic feeling of hearing confessions in the belly of

an AmTrac ; the pride in the eyes of the men who helpe dme put up a tent chapel and a 14 foot white cross ; th egrandiose Mass of Cardinal Spellman on Christmas Day ,and the frolicking Bob Hope show a couple of days later o nthe same stage ; the rain and the mud which was soon t ogive way to the heat and dust ; and when the sun did shine ,the beautiful green mountains and valleys or rice paddieson the shores of the South China Sea . . . . 2s

Chaplain Lionberger wrote :

Slogging through the mud, I visited the shops and me nof the 3d Engineer Battalion on Christmas Eve . At dinne rwith the officers, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenan tColonel Nick Dennis, asked me to lead the group in aChristmas Service . Impromptu singing of Christmas carols ,a short devotional message, the Commanding Office rreading the Christmas Gospel-Luke, opened our hearts t othe meaning of Christmas, even when separated from lov-ed ones . At midnight, a Candlelight Christmas service washeld for Protestants in the Battalion messhall . 29

60


Chaplain Scanlon of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine snear Hill 327 said :

Christmas Eve 1965, I shall never forget . I had beentalking to the Colonel and we weren't sure whether w eshould make a big fuss or just be ordinary because w edidn't want the men to feel more homesick . It was the menwho made the fuss . I returned to the chapel on Christma sEve to find a Christmas tree there set up by the H&S Co .Captain . Two Marines dressed it and the rest of the chapel .We put up a Creche outside . Along about 11 :00 PM, I wassitting in my tent alone, thinking about the Midnigh tMasses of other years and the hushed expectancy of tha thour . I was reconsidering our decision not to have a Mid -night Mass because of required light and the danger of at -tack and mortar possibilities . Then I heard carols beingsung . I waited a minute to be sure and then went to th eflap of the tent . There, outside, to serenade me withChristmas carols were 12 Marines . . . and with candles an dsmall hymnals, they managed to get through five or sixcarols and I sang with them with tears in my eyes . So wh owas making a fuss about Christmas? You just can't takethat out of a man's heart . 3°

Chaplain Cory of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines ,it Marble Mountain recalled :

Numerous boxes and letters were received in "Opera-tional Mail Call : Viet Nam 'for Any Marine"' and thetroops were really enthused about it . One of them wasseriously wounded two hours after I gave him one of theletters . The corpsmen cut away his shirt, but he insistedthat we give it back because it had the letter in it which h ewanted to answer . We got it for him and he was content . 3 '

In his turnover narrative Wing Chaplain Bakke rsaid :

From a spiritual point of view, the highlight of tour her ein Vietnam was the visit of the Chief of Chaplains duringthe Christmas season . The 'Chief,' Chaplain James W .Kelly, Rear Admiral, USN, gave us a truly spiritualministry . His visit was not a routine VIP mission, but ahard working, evangelistic inspiration . His message of the"Marine With His Rifle and a Loaf of Bread " will long b eremembered . His different dedicatory messages at th ededication of our chapels were both inspirational and ap-propriate to the occasion . His letters to the CommandingGeneral, the Commanding Officers and the Chaplains ofthe Wing were pleasant surprises, and treasured com-munications . 3 "

Division Chaplain Morton remarked later that th eChief of Chaplains' Christmas visit, 23-27 Decembe r1965, provided the spiritual impetus needed to sus-tain the respective chaplains for the remainder o ftheir tours of duty . Chaplains were inspired by th eChief of Chaplains' punishing schedule of comman dvisit and worship services . Chaplain Morton said ,"None of us had ever seen a chaplain function on a

twenty-four hour basis as did the Chief of Chaplains .He hardly took time for a breath . From that momentforth Chaplain Kelly served as an example for th eyounger chaplains . "3 3

Chaplains Maguire, Glynn, and Scanlon spoke a tlength about Cardinal Spellman's Mass for I Corp spersonnel at Da Nang . Chaplain Scanlon reported :

Christmas 1965 was memorable for another reason . O nChristmas afternoon, Francis Cardinal Spellman, who ha dthe responsibility for all the Catholic members of the Arm-ed Forces of the United States, arrived in Da Nang to offe ra Christmas Mass for and with the troops . At the foot ofHill 327, his Eminence alighted from a Huey and came t oan altar placed on stage for the event . Chaplain Garrett ofthe MAF and Chaplain Morton of the 3d Mar Div were o nhand to see that all arrangements were made properly an dalso Chaplain Maguire and many others . I heard confes-sions for a while and after Mass, when the Cardinal ad -dressed the troops, we all had the opportunity to meet hi monce again . It was thrilling for me because he has beensuch an example of devotion to the troops and also becaus ehe ordained me back in St. Patrick ' s Cathedral, New York ,in 1953 on Memorial Day . I was wearing a poncho becaus eit started to rain and the Cardinal quipped, " You' re i ndisguise .""

Chaplain Maguire was intimately involved in th edetails of arranging the Mass and reception for Car-dinal Spellman. He recalled that he had met th eCatholic dignitary only once before :

His coming presented me, as senior Catholic Chaplain ,with many problems to be solved, many details to be work-ed out with limited equipment and transportation, an dlots of water (rain) . Due to bad weather and bad memory Icame within a whisker of disaster on a few counts . It wasnot until the Mass was started that I could appreciate an denjoy his visit . His clear, happy countenance so belied hisage and feeble physique . His devotion to the troops an dtheir welfare came through without a word to everyon epresent .

Chaplain Garrett and Chaplain Morton had a part in th eMass, a non-speaking, walk-on part, but one of tremen-dous support . The loud speaker system went dead .Chaplain Garrett drove to his office with Chaplain Mor-ton . They picked up a portable amplivoice . Chaplain Mor-ton adjusted and tested it on the back of the bouncing jeepon the way back, They carried it on just before the Car-dinal spoke . 3 3

Chaplain Glynn of the Field Hospital at Da Nan gadded the capstone to the reports of CardinalSpellman's visit . He remarked about the more tha n1,000 Marines praying in the rain and Cardina lSpellman standing at the altar . "The aged visitor ,who did not move around easily" he wrote, "saidwith a triumphant twinkle eye just before his jee pmoved away, 'I did it ."'3 6

CHAPTER 5

Slogging and Sharing (July 1965-March 1966 )With the Wounded or on the Line? — Combat Activity at Chu Lai— Chaplain Participation in Majo r

Operations —Adaptability and Patienc e

War is a massive and complicated undertaking . Itdemands extensive administration and supervision ,planning and coordinating, and influences mor elives at approximately the same time in an unforget-table way than perhaps any other single event me nhave yet evolved . Although volumes have been an dare being written about the supporting activities thatattach themselves to war, the final focus for those in-timately involved will always be the same : combatoperations .

It was in combat with his men that the chaplain i nVietnam often found his greatest worth . Lieutenan tCommander Frederick E . Whitaker (American Bap-tist) when asked to submit his end of tour report, ex-pressed a representative attitude most clearly :

There will never be an end of tour for the chaplain wh ohas served in Vietnam as long as Vietnam appears on th emap of the woild . One cannot end that to which he hasgiven so much of himself. One may leave the country as aperson, but he will always be here in thought, spirit andemotion . . . .

At one time I thought I would entitle my report, "Th eBeloved Grunts," but that would exclude a great numbe rof heroic people who served in an important but differen tway than the infantry . My ministry here was primarily wit hthe infantry Marines . It would be easy and expedient touse this means to pay tribute to the Marines of the Thir dDivision . I am convinced that the American' people hav ebut small knowledge of what they have done here an dwhat their contribution has been in this American effor ton behalf of this needy people .

As I arrived in country I expected the worst and hope dfor the best . Both my expectations and hopes were fulfill -ed . I shall always remember with pride and admiration m yeight months with the Third Battalion, Fourth Marines .What a ministry! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter ,great days for the Christian . Never have I felt closer toAlmighty God or felt a greater spiritual communicatio nwith a group assembled than at those times . I can never b esure how the men I served felt, but I cannot remember asingle divine service I conducted here that was not mean-ingful . I can only pray that the men derived even a smal lpart of the great good that came to me . It was my ministr ybut God knows these men did much more for me than Idid for them . The greatest reward I have ever received, the

best satisfaction derived, and the finest hour of inspiratio nwas the greeting, "Hey Chaplain, are we glad to see you" ;or, "Come back soon, Chaplain, we like having you withus . " What more could anyone ask than that! '

It was not only that chaplains appreciated servingwith Marines ; the reverse was often true also . TheCommanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific ,Lieutenant General Victor H . Krulak, penned thi snote on a memorandum of Force Chaplain John H .Craven to all chaplains in the Fleet Marine Force :"May I add a word . . . . The burdens and frustrationsof the counterinsurgency war, and the consequen teffect on our fighting men, are underscoring th ecritical importance of spiritual leadership . It is a bigtask that faces you, and you certainly have my ful lsupport . "2

General Krulak was anticipating by two years aparagraph in a letter from the Commandant of th eMarine Corps, General Wallace M . Greene, Jr ., t othe Chief of Chaplains, Rear Admiral James W . Kel-ly :

It is significant that in the spirit of mutual cooperatio nbetween the Marine Corps and the Navy Chaplain Corps ,the Chaplains have endeavored to identify with the in-dividual Marine . Although technically considered non -combatants, they have shared dangers, deprivations an dadversities . By doing so, they have contributed im-measurably to any glories which may have accrued to ou rCorps and have been an exemplification of the persona lreadiness required of every Marine . While the Marin eCorps is instrumental in the development of a man's espri tand physical readiness, the Chaplain must be th ecultivator and guardian of that man's spiritual and mentalreadiness . As demonstrated daily in Southeast Asia, this i sa difficult task but one the Chaplains have achieved an dare achieving in an extraordinary manner . ;

This level of Chaplain-Marine rapport was largel yhammered out in the combat environment . Unti lthe middle of August 1965, the Marine effort inVietnam did not know a major operation in th efield . There had been plenty of danger and certainl yenough contact with the enemy but no regiment-siz e

61

62


operation . It was then, however, that the war beganto accelerate and the slogging and sharing so ofte nspoken about by chaplains in their reports began i nearnest . The life of an infantryman, his platoon ,company, and battalion was noteworthy for the wid evariety of its experience . There was the heat, thirst ,humping (walking) with a 35- to 40-pound pack o nhis back ; the boredom, fear, blood, and death ; andpositions gained and abandoned as the shiftingstrategy of the strange conflict demanded . Only rare-ly was this pattern broken by what seemed trul ypleasant things, such as letters from home or warmbeer .

In the year from August 1965 to July 1966 theoperations sped by one after the other as the wargrew hotter in the southern I Corps Tactical Zone .By 15 August there was indication that the 1st Vie tCong Regiment, about 2,000 strong, was concen-trated south of Chu Lai, on the Van Tuong Penin-sula, and the airfield was undoubtedly its target . Tofrustrate those plans an operation called Starlite wa soutlined . This, the first regiment-size operationsince Korea, involved the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines ;3d Battalion, 3d Marines ; and 3d Battalion, 7th

Marines ; led by the 7th Marines headquarters, all ac-companied by their chaplains . The operation was astudy in coordination . One company of one bat-talion made a river crossing from the north in am-phibian tractors (LVTs), another battalion landed tothe west from helicopters, and the third came i nfrom the sea in an amphibious landing . By the 24thof August almost 1,000 Viet Cong casualties wer ecounted .

After Starlite came a host of operations whos ecode names sped by with the fighting Marine hardl yknowing the name of the operation he was currentl yon . Chaplains in the field shared the same response .One chaplain, when asked if he participated in a cer-tain operation said, "Maybe I did . If my unit di dthen I did . All I know is that it seemed that once w ewent to the field we stayed there until I was med-evaced ."' The operations were more successful atsome times than others, but the success of the opera-tion was almost incidental to the chaplain and hisministry . Somehow, cold statistics did not tell th ewhole story of the realities of field operations . Thestory, for instance, of Marines half-submerge dbehind a dike in a foul-smelling rice paddy whilemachine gun bullets cracked overhead . The story o fchopper pilots coming to a landing zone at night

without lights to pick up a wounded Marine whohad cheated death for 10 hours, and beside whomhis chaplain had remained, cramped and cold, theentire time; the story of a Navy corpsman movin gacross the fire-swept battlefield to save an injure dMarine rifleman only to become a casualty himself .These, along with the pungi pits, boobytraps ,mines, stifling humidity, and biting packstraps ,were a few of the pictures of operational reality tha tstatistical success or lack of it does not measure .

With the Wounded or on the Line ?

A clear and constant question that persisted withthe chaplain in combat with the infantry was : Howdo I serve both the wounded and the men on th eline? Every operation is unique and different fro m

any other . It is probably impossible to lay down awell-defined set of operational procedures for achaplain in combat ; he must be ready to serv ewhenever and however he can . It is in this crucibl ethat the chaplain with Marines must display his par-ticular genius . As the conflict began to speed up inthe latter months of 1965, Lieutenant Commande r

Eugene M . Smith (Presbyterian Church in the U .S . )with the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, faced this ever -present dilemma when his battalion was engaged i nOperation Rice Straw . He reported his solution :

The 3d Battalion, 3d Marines had been flown from Ch uLai to Da Nang to set up a blocking force for units alread yengaged in Operation Rice Straw . We were helo-lifted intoour zone of operation, and the men quickly set a perimete rdefense . I went in with the BAS (Battalion Aid Station )and our two battalion doctors . Shortly after our arrival i nthe area, and about dusk, one of our troopers was blow napart by a land mine . At first light the following morningour battalion commander, Colonel Muir, stepped on aland mine and was instantly killed . By this time we allrealized we were in a mine field, and that the less move-ment we made the better-off we would be . I was very con-cerned for my men, I wanted to minister to their needs i nsome way, but it was obvious that I could not bring the mtogether in any kind of group . So I slung my field comba tkit over my shoulder, rosaries hanging from my belt an dmissals in my pack as I trooped the foxholes, giving com-munion where it was desired, praying with all, Catholicand Protestant alike, giving rosaries and missals . All Satur-day morning I served the men on the perimeter . Saturda yafternoon I climbed on a helicopter and flew to Charli eMed ., which was to be the receiving area for our wounded .I remained there on duty all that afternoon and all tha tnight to minister to any men of 3/3 who were brought in .Late in the evening an incident took place which please dme very much, and seemed to indicate the wisdom of my

SLOGGING AND SHARING

6 3

dual ministry . A Marine from 3/3 was brought in on astretcher . After he was placed in the surgery and wa sawaiting attention, I leaned over him and started to talk .He began to smile and said, "Oh, you served me commu-nion this morning ." He was very pleased to see me, an dseemed equally pleased that I had been ministering to himthat morning . Needless to say, I felt very good about italso . The following morning I returned to the operation sarea and once again went out to a different company an dserved communion and ministered where and how I wasable . I truly believe that my ministry on that particularoperation was more effective than on any other operation Ihad been on . '

It was each combat chaplain's ideal to be with hi smen in the combat situation and also in their pain ininjury and potential death, but that ideal was mos tdifficult to maintain . If he had to choose, thechaplain's highest priority was his religious ministryto the wounded and dying . In World War II and i nKorea during combat operations, the battalio nchaplain was invariably to be found at the battalionaid station (BAS), receiving casualties as they arrive dfor treatment .6 In Vietnam, with extensive use of th emedical-evacuation helicopter, personnel woundedin action were flown directly to medical aid centers :A Med, at Hue-Phu Bai ; B Med at Chu Lai ; C Med ,the Naval Hospital at Da Nang ; or offshore to thehospital ship USS Repose (AH 16) . As a conse-quence, unit chaplains seldom saw their ownwounded . Other Navy chaplains were necessary a tthese medical treatment points to insure that thereligious dimensions of the Marines' lives would befully served at this crucial time . On the occasion of avisit to C Med at Da Nang, the Commandin gGeneral, III MAF, Lieutenant General Lewis W .Walt, remarked to his staff chaplain, "It is a wonde rto me and a source of deep pride in your Corps, t ohave wounded Marines tell me over and over agai nthe first thing they remember on arrival or aftersurgery is talking to the chaplain ." 7

Early in the mid-year 1965 buildup, Chaplai nO'Connor had addressed himself to the imperativeneed for a chaplain other than the unit chaplain t obe available at all times at the medical collectingpoints which, in the age of the helicopter, meant th enearest field hospital . Lieutenant Commander C .Albert Vernon (Disciples of Christ), a volunteer fo rVietnam duty, was one of the first chaplains assigne dto the field hospital at Da Nang, where he an dChaplain O'Connor shared the duty, one or anothe rof them remaining at the hospital 24 hours a day .

Chaplain Vernon wrote :

The casualties who were evacuated to Da Nang wer eeither returned to their unit after treatment and release dfrom the hospital or were medically evacuated via the Nh aTrang, Saigon, Clark Air Force Base (Philippines), route tothe United States . Chaplain O' Connor and I met eac hhelicopter at the landing pad, day and night . In the earl ymonths many of the casualties were from heat exhaustion .The heat was unbearable . Salt tablets, ice water baths an drest would see most of these returned to their units in a fe whours . Salt and malaria tablets were essential . The Marineswho felt they did not need them were happy to follow th eroutine after one bout with exhaustion .

There were many heartbreaking incidents in these earl yweeks of the conflict . I learned during these weeks that aman who has mistakenly and accidentally killed his bes tfriend needs a chaplain on the spot quickly, perhaps eve nmore than when his friend has been killed by enemy ac-tion . 8

Lieutenant Allen B . Craven (Southern Baptist) ,sent to Vietnam as an emergency replacement fo rChaplain John Walker who had suffered an apparen theart attack, initially served Chaplain Walker's 3 dBattalion, 9th Marines . When Chaplain Walker' strouble had been diagnosed as heat exhaustion an dhe was speedily returned to his battalion, Chaplai nCraven was transferred to the field hospital to eas ethe burden upon Chaplains O'Connor and Vernon.Chaplain Craven's reflections on that duty indicat eits pivotal importance to ministry in the combat en-vironment :

At frrst . . .I found myself growing tense at the sound of ahelicopter, afraid that more young Marines would bebrought in with their bodies torn . But I soon sensed th egreat contribution a chaplain could make to these youn gmen . The cross on the cap alone calmed and comforted . Iwill never forget the night one Marine was brought in . Hisabdomen was torn, his left lung collapsed, and his leg swere shattered by shrapnel . I cannot praise the team ofdoctors and corpsmen highly enough . They brought th eboy back from death's door . The boy was going in and ou tof coma and thrashing about wildly . I asked the doctor if Icould talk to him and he asked me to please try . I took hishand and talking into his ear told him I was the chaplain .His eyes flickered open and he saw the cross on my cap . H eimmediately calmed down but my hand was in his the res tof the night . Each time I tried to remove it he would star tto move around and grip my hand even tighter . I wen twith him to X-ray, was gowned and then accompanie dhim into the operating room . He was evacuated before h ecould recognize the things around him and he will neve rremember my hand in his that night, but the look in hiseyes when he saw my cross, and the grip of his hand, cannever be erased from my mind . 9

The constant ministry available to the casualties a' tthe medical evaluation points made possible by

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assigning chaplains directly to them, greatly ease dthe anxiety of the battalion chaplain concerned fo rhis men and released him to continue his ministry o nthe operation .

Combat Activity at Chu Lai

Chu Lai remained the hub of activity in Sout hVietnam from August 1965 to April 1966, in term sof battalion and multi-battalion, amphibious an dheliborne combat operations . Beginning wit hOperation Starlite, 17-24 August 1965, six majo rmulti-battalion operations were to take place befor eOperation Indiana was concluded on 30 March .Piranha (6-10 September 1965), Blue Marlin I & I I(8-18 November 1965), Harvest Moon (9-2 1December 1965), and Double Eagle I and II (20-2 5March 1966) represent the code names of the si xlargest operations to occur during the period nea rthe Chu Lai enclave .

The necessity of amphibious support for some ofthe operations created problems for chaplaincoverage . On Operation Piranha for instance, the 1stand 3d Battalions, 7th Marines were scheduled for athree day search and destroy mission on Batanga nPeninsula and the Princeton was assigned to supportthe operations, receiving and treating casualties a sthey were helilifted aboard from combat area sashore . The support function of LPHs of the am-phibious force, centering as it did upon delivery ofMarines to the combat zone and then standing b yoffshore to receive casualties, created a requirementfor additional chaplain services . Customarily th ehelicopter landing ship carried a single chaplain .Reinforced battalions, embarked as passengers for ajoint Navy-Marine Corps amphibious operation ,usually had their unit chaplains with them .Together, the ship and battalion chaplains, usuall ytwo in number, provided for the spiritual needs o fship's company and passengers. Since mid-1964 ,when the landing team concept was fully applied i nSoutheast Asian waters, chaplains had cooperated insuch joint coverage . But with Operation Piranha an dsubsequent similar combat missions, requirement sfor religious coverage changed . For the first time thelanding teams actually debarked to engage in com-bat . Passenger chaplains went with their troops .With the requirement to stand by for receivin gcasualties a need for the broadest possible religiou scoverage arose onboard the LPH . Both Protestan tand Roman Catholic chaplains, as a minimum, were

needed to minister to casualties . In time amphibiou ssquadron (PhibRon) chaplains, usually moving wit htheir ships in the company of the LPHs, were in-structed to move aboard the larger ship during com-bat to provide a ministry to casualties . The am-phibious force chaplain, Captain Malcolm S .Carpenter (United Methodist) recommended to th eChief of Chaplains that of the two chaplains assign-ed to each PhibRon and LPH respectively, on eshould be Roman Catholic . Approval of Chaplain

Carpenter's recommendation eventually assured tha tProtestant and Roman Catholic chaplains werealways available to the LPHs for the ministry t ocasualties .

During Operation Piranha however, Chaplai nCarpenter' s recommendation had not yet been im-plemented. The Princeton, in company with otheramphibious ships of the SLF, had carried BLT 3/ 7since 9 July . The battalion landing team, after anamphibious landing, had resumed its offshore posi-tion as the ready battalion of the SLF . Four chaplainsgave religious coverage to embarked personnel .Commander Willie D . Powell (Southern Baptist )was the Princeton chaplain . Lieutenant Robert L .Bigler (United Presbyterian) was the PhibRon 5chaplain . Lieutenant Commander Gerard W . Taylor(Roman Catholic) with the main body of MAG-3 6was a passenger on board the Princeton . WhenOperation Piranha began, Lieutenant Ralph C . Bet-ters (United Presbyterian) accompanied BLT 3/7 i nMAG-36 helicopters to establish a blocking positio nat the base of the peninsula . Already ashore ,Chaplain Taylor had to return to the Princeton toprovide Catholic coverage for any casualtie sevacuated to the operating rooms of the ship durin gthe operation . BLT 1/7 with Lieutenant John R .McNamara (Roman Catholic) was making an am-phibious assault on the beaches at the northern ti pof Batangan Peninsula, and beginning the pus halong the length of the Viet Cong infested strip o fvegetation-covered, jungle-patched terrain . This wasthe first of three major combat operations for bot hChaplain McNamara and Chaplain Betters and th eone on which American Marines sustained th elightest casualties . BLT 1/7, in company with Viet-namese Marines and ARVN soldiers on its flanks ,drove forward to search the countryside and th evillages . The Viet Cong were entrenched in cave sand underground tunnels reminiscent of th eJapanese fortifications on Iwo Jima in World War II .


6 5

During the four-day land operation, the Viet Cong

lost 198 men killed in action and eight men wound -

ed . The accomplishment of Operation Piranha wasthat a traditional Viet Cong stronghold, Batangan

Peninsula, less than 15 miles from the airstrip at Ch uLai, was made temporarily secure .

It was significant that several chaplains reporte d

extending their ministry to Viet Cong dead andwounded on successive operations near Chu Lai .

Bodies of Viet Cong were collected following eac h

engagement for mass burial by American troops .

Respect for the dead enemy was enhanced by brie f

funeral services conducted by chaplains . Viet Cong

wounded were recovered from the field of battle .

They were given medical treatment by Navy physi-cians and corpsmen and a ministry by a Nav y

chaplain . Chaplain Taylor remembered :

Two Marines were wounded and several Viet Cong werekilled, two of them on our flight line . Not knowing whattheir religion was I gave conditional last rites . Later one ofthe Viet Cong was brought to our sick bay, regained con -sciousness and told me through an interpreter that he wa sCatholic . He was just a young lad, and from what I coul dgather he had been picked up in some small hamlet an dforced to come along with the Viet Cong . He died later onthat night .' °

The import of these humanitarian acts lay not on-

ly in the chaplains ' willingness to extend thei r

ministry even to a deadly enemy, such had been th e

case with enemy wounded for generations of Nav ychaplains, but also that their commanders readil yapproved the humanitarian acts as appropriate and

right and extended their efforts to support suchministries . The philosophical stance that one shoulddo one's enemy the least amount of injury necessar yunder the circumstances seemed to permeate th ethinking of many field commanders . It was a naturalextension of the concept of limited warfare and wa sclosely tied to the growing realization that the war i nVietnam would be finally won only when the in-digenous population was convinced that their bes tinterests lay in strong support of the Saigon govern-ment . Guerrilla warfare, it soon became apparent ,was inevitably a war of attrition . Nevertheless, wher eit was possible to do so, enemy lives were spared .Concern for the best interests of the Vietnamese peo-ple also expressed itself in other ways . Chaplai nMcNamara wrote :

Another example of sincere interest in the people wasthe great effort by our command to be as humanitarian as

possible in combat . The troopers exercised great firediscipline . Once some fleeing Viet Cong snatched childre nas shields . Our Executive Officer, Major Max J .Hockenauer, refused permission to fire . For a Marin eSharpshooter they were easy targets . The major 's decisio nwas made out of concern for possible injury to th echildren . Another time a patrol refused to return fire tha tcame from an enemy [having] seen women and children i nthe area . The people sense the fairness and compassion o fsuch action and respond accordingly . "

Lieutenant John J . Glynn (Roman Catholic) wit h

2d Battalion, 4th Marines and Chaplain Taylor, i n

times of relative quiet, extended their ministry t oSouth Vietnamese Catholics, many of whom ha d

been without the ministry of their church for severa lmonths . Chaplain Glynn said :

Once it was determined that several hundred Catholic slived in the various hamlets and villages near Chu Lai, i twas decided to send out word by the village chiefs tha tCatholic Mass would be said in the area by a squad o fMarines . Late one summer afternoon, we drove to th eschool house in the settlement of An Tan to find over ahundred people gathered there . After a very touchingspeech of welcome read by an elder and translated by a nARVN interpreter, we offered what was to become the firs tof a series of weekly Masses in the local hamlets . 1 2

Lieutenant George S. Goad (Southern Baptist)

with the 7th Marines reported similar contacts b y

Protestant chaplains at Chu Lai ; he recalled :

Protestant chaplains undertook a project to construct achurch for a Protestant congregation in the village of Ch uLai . Our primary support was to be the provision of fund sfor the construction . Among the very interesting things w elearned were that such contruction required the approva lof the District and Province Chiefs . These men were reluc-tant at first to approve the project unless they could bedone for Catholic, Buddhist and Cao Dai congregations i nthe village .' 3

In this instance approval was finally granted and

the funds raised . It became apparent that th e

chaplain should release the funds only in small

amounts rather than the entire sum at once . The

total amount, relatively small to Americans, wa s

overwhelmingly large to the Vietnamese . They

seemed unable to cope with the problem of the effi-cient expenditure of so much money at one time .

The first increment was presented to the congrega-tion in a special service conducted in the village .

Wisdom dictated the necessity of placing the pastor

and two of his laymen very much to the fore durin g

this special service . Every attempt was made to enlist

66


the congregation in a renewed support of that con-fidence in the local paper . Marine units were learn-ing the principles of their civic action on the job .

During this period chaplains were most often in-troduced to combat activity almost immediatelyupon arrival . In August 1968, Lieutenant Arthur D .Seeland (United Methodist) arrived to reliev eChaplain Smith of the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines .When he arrived in Da Nang, he was initially assign-ed by the III MAF Chaplain to C Med as a relief fo rChaplain DeBock, who had returned to the Unite dStates on an emergency leave occasioned by the ac-cidental death of his brother .

When 10 days later, Chaplain Seeland was assign-ed to 3d Battalion, 3d Marines the battalion wa sengaged in Operation Rice Straw and Golden Fleece .His tenure at Chu Lai, like that of this battalion, wasto be very brief but action-packed . He participate din numerous multi-company operations and the bat-talion operation, Triple Play (18-19 October), beforehis battalion was ordered on board the USS PaulRevere (APA 1248) to prepare for participation inOperation Blue Marlin, the first joint U .S . Marine -Vietnamese Marine assault landing a few miles nort hof Chu Lai .

BLT 2/7, whose chaplain was Lieutenant Walte rA . Hiskett (Lutheran), a Marine infantry squadleader in 2/7 during the Korean War, also par-ticipated in Operation Blue Marlin I, in which th elanding force conducted a search and destroy missio nto secure a Viet Cong-infested area south of theenclave . 14 Blue Marlin I and Blue Marlin II con-tinued from 8-18 November to secure Highway No .1 north of Chu Lai . Chaplain Hiskett's unit took u pnew, semi-permanent positions at Chu Lai in apreviously constructed compound, which had asmall chapel in the battalion CP area . It was con-structed of native materials and had been remove dforward to new perimeters . Chaplain Hiskett note dthat the chapel was no longer adequate and so, eve nwith the pressure of combat operations, the Marine sdecided something should be done. ChaplainHiskett reported :

The men decided to contribute toward building a newchapel which would be large and erected at a moredesirable location . We did this and the new chapel wascompleted by Christmas Eve, when the highlight o freligious services for me in Vietnam occurred . The mendecorated the chapel with Christmas trees, evergreen bran-ches and red candles . I think this was the most movin gChristmas service I have ever experienced . When we mov-

ed the CP to our new location, almost two months later ,we also moved our chapel .

Attendance at religious services, both Catholic and Pro-testant has been outstanding. I owe much of the success t othe command of all levels who encourage their men i nboth word and example . The Battalion Commander ,Lieutenant Colonel Leon Utter, USMC, takes part in th eservice every Sunday)

Chaplain Participation in Major Operation s

Chaplains centered on a few major operations a sespecially significant, mostly from the point of vie wof encountering problems of coordination o fministry in the field and to the wounded .

One of the most ambitious operations during thisperiod was called Harvest Moon . West of Chu La iand 30 miles south of Da Nang in the HiepDuc/Viet An/ Que Son region, the Viet Cong con -trolled a rice-filled valley 10 miles wide at the mout hand stretching 20 miles inland from the coast . It wasbordered by steep hills and jungle-covered moun-tains on each side . ARVN troops were positioned i nheavily fortified emplacements in strategic locationsin the valley . Intelligence indicated a massivebuildup of enemy troops because the 1st Viet CongRegiment, three separate VC battalions, two loca lforce VC companies, and smaller attached units at -tacked and overran the ARVN position at Que Son ,forcing its abandonment .

Three U .S . Marine battalions were selected to joi nfour ARVN battalions to sweep the valley an ddestroy VC capability for offensive action in the area .One battalion from Chu Lai, the 2d Battalion, 7t hMarines was chosen for the operation . The 3d Bat-talion, 3d Marines recently repositioned in Da Nan gfrom Chu Lai, and the 2d Battalion, 1st Marines em -barked in the Amphibious Ready Group as th eSpecial Landing Force, were the two remaining com-bat battalions participating . Chaplain Hiskett cam ein with his battalion by helicopter while ChaplainSeeland moved into the area with the 3d Battalion ,3d Marines by truck convoy . Accompanying him wasChaplain Gibson of Fleet Logistics Support Group ,who provided Catholic coverage . The 2d Battalion ,1st Marines, accompanied by Lieutenant Thomas B .Handley (Southern Baptist) was also flown into th evalley by helicopter in the classical vertical envelop-ment movement .

On 8 December the battalions were in positionand began their sweep through the valley . They


6 7

began uncovering caches of food and found scores of

weapons . The 3d Marines was first to come under in -tense fire when Company L approached a- hil lthrough adjacent rice paddies . The VC sprang a nambush and the fierce firefight continued for 1 112

hours . Air support was called in, the Marines storm-ed the hill and engaged the heavily entrenched ,heavily armed enemy troops . Chaplains Seeland andGibson attended Company L's casualties .

The following day the 2d Battalion, 1st Marine slanded by helicopter to join the push through th evalley . Heavy resistance continued near the mouth o fthe valley but the battalions succeeded in routin gVC defenders . Sweeping through the valley, th ethree battalions captured tons of equipment, fac-tories for the manufacture of clothing and for th epublication of propaganda documents, and hug ecaches of food and ammunition .

As the operation continued, Lieutenant Com-mander Joe E . Davis (Southern Baptist) and Lieute-nant Commander John C . Keenon (Unite dMethodist) of the helicopter landing ship USS ValleyForge (LPH 8) and amphibious force flagship US S

Eldorado (AGC 11), ministered to casualtie sevacuated by helicopter to the hospital facilities o fthe Amphibious Ready Group . In the final days ofthe first week they began to see more cases of immer-sion foot sustained by Marines who had been wadin gfor days in the valley's rice paddies searching out th e

enemy . Punji traps also represented a major hazardfor infantry Marines . It was a miserable conflict, adirty war of boobytraps, ambushes, hit and run tac-tics, and a frustrating continually-moving enemy .

At the operation's midpoint Chaplain Scanlo n(Roman Catholic) and Lieutenant (Junior Grade )Peter D. MacLean (Episcopal) were sent to join th emedical company which had been formed to accom-pany 3d Battalion, 3d Marines into the field . LikeChaplains Gibson and Seeland who had precededthem, they spent the remaining days of the opera-tion receiving the wounded at the medical compan ybefore the casualties were medically evacuated t ofield hospitals in Chu Lai and Da Nang, to th eValley Forge and to the hospital ship Repose .

By 15 December enemy resistance had dwindle dto sporadic small arms fire . The enemy dead coun twas placed in excess of 1,000 Viet Cong confirme dkilled with even larger numbers sustaining wound sand being carried or dragged away by their com-rades . Hundreds of tunnels and bunker-emplaced

guns were destroyed . A regiment and three separat eVC battalions had been rendered incapable of sus-taining the fight . Que Son and other ARVN posi-tions were secure .

The 3d Battalion, 3d Marines and 2d Battalion ,

1st Marines with supporting companies of other bat-talions, and Chaplains Seeland, Scanlon, Gibson ,

MacLean, and Handley, were helilifted out of th evalley and returned to Da Nang and the Am-phibious Ready Group respectively .

From Que An, the 2d Battalion, 7th Marines

retraced its sweep path searching for the 80th VC

Battalion, covering 30 kilometers on foot in 2 ½

days . At the end of the second day of the battalion' sreturn to the mouth of the valley, a furious ambus hfirefight occurred which was to compare in intensit yto any engagement of the operation, and was to b e

the last big battle of Harvest Moon . Along the hil lline near the village of Ky Phu, two companies of ap -proximately 300 Viet Cong had regrouped and re -

equipped themselves . They were lightly dug in and

lay in waiting for the long column of 2/7 troops topass before them . Company G led the way, followe dby two platoons of Company F and H&S Company ,

and the remainder of the battalion . The Viet Congpermitted Company G to proceed past them an dopened fire on the following platoons of Company Fand H&S Company with mortars and machine guns ,attempting to divide the column and destroy the

headquarters command echelon in the first burst of

fire . Many casualties were sustained in the firs t

moments of the ambush . Chaplain Hiskett, mar-ching with H&S Company, the first to be firedupon, dropped into the cover of the nearest rice pad-dy dike . He landed in the heavy mud, on his back ,burying the heavy pack which he carried on hi sshoulders . Later he told III MAF Chaplain Garrettthat he was like a turtle on its back, since the suctio nvacuum of the heavy mud made it extremely dif-ficult to right himself. As he did so, Lieutenant Col-onel Utter had given orders deploying the battalion ,and Company F was driving back through the town ,killing VC at a distance of 4 to 10 yards . The Vie tCong were attempting to encircle H&S Company .Chaplain Hiskett had made his way to the side of ahouse in Ky Phu, in the midst of heavy fire and too kposition beside a large concrete urn . Seeing a broke nwindow in the house, he threw his pack inside andfollowed it . Shortly afterwards, he ventured fort hagain, "moving from position to position, from

68


squad to squad, from Marine to Marine" providingencouragement to the embattled infantry men .' 6

It was three hours before Companies F and G an dthe rear guard reinforcing platoons stormed the V Cpositions and routed the enemy. The situation the nclarified a bit and casualties could be evacuated tothe house on the main street of Ky Phu whic hbecame the place of Hisket t' s ministry of consolatio nand personal encouragement throughout the even-ing and into the night . He remarked that when h elater examined the concrete urn beside which he ha dtaken cover, he discovered that it had a neat six-inc hhole through it, on line with where he had lain .

After the fight, 105 VC bodies had been counted .Two wounded VC soldiers taken captive revealedthat the enemy force were indeed from the NorthVietnamese-manned 80th Viet Cong Battalion, forwhich the 7th Marines had been given permission t osearch . After an uneventful night at Ky Phu the bat-talion moved to a suitable helicopter landing zonefor the return to Chu Lai .

Operation Double Eagle, extending from 2 8January to 1 March 1966, represented the larges tMarine operation of the war to that date . This wastrue of the chaplain participation also . Phase I beganat dawn on 28 January in Quang Ngai Province ,almost 20 miles southeast of Quang Ngai City .North Vietnamese regular units were known to b eoperating freely in the area and Task Force Delta ,augmented by the Amphibious Read yGroup/Special Landing Force, and appropriate sup -port units, was assigned the search and destroy mis-sion . Chaplains Morton and Kahal, from divisio nheadquarters in Da Nang, joined Lieutenant Com-mander Nilus W . Hubble (Roman Catholic) of Tas kForce Delta to provide broad religious coverage forthe operation. Chaplain Frank Morton, the divisio nchaplain, climbed the nets with Chaplain Hubbleand made the amphibious landing . Hubble late rreflected :

Frank 's usual indomitable spirit and "can do" attitudesaw me through this episode as well as the next few days . Itwas much better to see such things in the movies an drecalled Chaplain Cy Rotrige 's remark when I was leavin gSan Francisco, "Remember you wrote the letter volunteer-ing for this . We did not send you against your will .""

The task force comprised the 2d Battalion, 4t hMarines, with Lieutenant Raymond Swierenga ,(Christian Reformed) attached ; the 2d Battalion, 9th

Marines with Lieutenant Patrick J . Dowd (Roman

Catholic) ; and the 3d Battalion, 1st Marines, whos e

Chaplain, Lieutenant Henry K . Loeffler (Lutheran) ,arrived in Vietnam just as Phase I of Operation Dou-

ble Eagle began . Chaplain Dowd, recently transfer -red to the 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, came dow nfrom Da Nang to join the operation . He wrote :

Upon reporting to the 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, I wasin for a new experience! I had a pretty good idea what toexpect in a line unit, but within the first two weeks I wasout on Operation Double Eagle . I learned first how to packa pack and carry one . It was at this time that I really got agood look at the life of the "grunt ." I had always had grea trespect for these men, but this put all the finishing touche son it . The greatest and bravest men I know are the men i n

the line companies . They don't live ; they exist . All the ywant is for someone to at least recognize the fact that the yexist, asking for little more. Every day they wake from toolittle sleep, faced with another day which might just b etheir last . They eat C-rations three times a day ; body odordoesn't bother them any longer . There are only two lux-uries that interest them, mail and warm beer . I marvel atthese men . I wish there was a special medal just for them .These are the MEN. 1 e

Chaplain Loeffler's battalion, 3/1, while notdesignated as the Special Landing Force, was em -barked in amphibious ships and made an am-phibious assault landing in Quang Ngai Province .The battalion, after leaving Okinawa for Vietnam i nmid January, participated in Operation Hilltop i nthe Philippines in preparatory training for OperationDouble Eagle . Chaplain Loeffler was riding in shipsof PhibRon-5 with Lieutenant Richard C . Harnet t(Roman Catholic) and Lieutenant Robert L . Bigler(United Presbyterian) attached . At sea, all chaplainshighlined to provide Catholic and Protestant Com-munion services for all troops in the convoy . In theearly morning of 28 January just before loading the'Mike' boats, devotions were held in all ships' troopcompartments . The Marines then landed in SouthVietnam and the operation was begun . ChaplainLoeffler recalled :

After camping in a semi-CP situation on the beach for aweek with three sites and four major holes to be dug, myBattalion Commander requested that I join a small, two -company search and clear operation in the highlands .With the gear that can be put in a pack, an altar kit andsometimes a clerk, I began my most intimate acquaintanc ewith the joys of the infantry, hot and cold, wet and dry . Ibegan what was to become my practice on all exercises an doperations . Evening Prayers, which consisted of smal lgroups gathered together to hear scripture and to pray forhome and help . Every Sunday in the field to crawl from


69

Marine to Marine to serve the elements as in the middle o fthe service a sniper opened up on the company CP an dheld us all below three feet . Sniper fire was as com-monplace as inclement weather, and it seemed that ever yweekend became the occasion for the first-rate rainstorm .' 9

After the chaplain and his battalion came out ofthe field they had one day to begin unloading a tChu Lai when they were recommitted to wha tbecame Double Eagle II . They were to marchanother 10 long days in the hills of South Vietnam .At Chu Lai Chaplain Loeffler requisitioned a can ofsmall altar breads, with the standard 300 in a can, t oreplenish his supplies for Ash Wednesday field com-munion . The supply system sometimes make smistakes . They sent only one bottle of wine, in ac-cordance with this requisition, but instead of a smal lcan of 300 host-wafers the Marine supply syste mcame through with 300 full-sized loaves of bread .

In spite of recurring night mortars the chaplain' spattern for worship continued, with evening prayerservices if they did not march into the night, andSunday Communion when possible . While sloggingand sharing a chaplain soon learned to carry onl yessentials in his combat kit . A helmet, for instance ,often doubled nicely as a fine baptismal bowl .

Three chaplains on board ships of Amphibiou sReady Group/Special Landing Force during Opera-tion Double Eagle were Lieutenant Commander JoeA. Davis (Southern Baptist) and Lieutenant John W .Pegnam (Roman Catholic) in the Valley Forge, andLieutenant Edwin V . Bohula (Roman Catholic), wh orode the USS Montrose with his troops of the 2d Bat-

talion, 3d Marines . Following the battalion on thi soperation gives another vivid picture of chaplain par-ticipation in a major movement .

The 2d Battalion, 3d Marines was not involved inthe initial landings of Operation Double Eagle, bu ta day later it was helilifted deep in country . The bat-talion landed at an old French airstrip and met n o

resistance . Almost immediately it formed up andstarted marching . This first march was wellremembered since the Marines walked all day an dsuffered quite a few heat casualties . The helicopterspicked up these men as the battalion was traveling

fast . Chaplain Bohula wrote :

The pace was terrific and the heat was intense . By th eend of the day we had all just about had it . Thank heave nwe had to ford a stream waist deep just prior to settling fo rthe night . As on all operations we slept on the ground

under the stars . The next day we started walking .again butwe first had to recross the stream which meant we walkedall day with wet clothes and shoes, since we crossed morestreams . 2 0

Half of the force started out and half were to star tout a few hours later . The chaplain was with the firs thalf. After a while the heat casualties began to com eagain and the doctor, corpsman, two others, and th echaplain remained with them, waiting forhelicopters to pick them up and for the rear person-nel to come up and join them .

After about an hour explosions were heard a sHueys attacked in the vicinity of the forward posi-tions of 2d Battalion, 3d Marines and jets bombe dand strafed the area . The forward echelon was am -

bushed and air strikes were called in . The group withthe heat casualties was alone with one machine gun ,one rifle, and two pistols and was in a precariou sposition . An hour or so later the rear guard came u pon them and joined the forward elements . The uni tdug in beyond a neck-deep river to avoid being en -trapped . Its radios by this time were useless since th ebatteries were worn out . The battalion was unable to

contact anyone. Chaplain Bohula remembered :

We crawled over hills, through marshes, and across ric epaddies all night . It was pitch black and the trek wasalmost unbearable . Apparently the artillery had word tha twe were returning another way and our path was beingshelled by H&I fire . Pitch black, rough terrain, and th efrequent whine of shells marked the whole night . 2 1

As they neared the base snipers fired at them froma farm house, a fatal error since the place was im-mediately demolished . The weary Marines stumble dinto the base camp and sought rest and water . Thechaplain held services, and in about three hours th emen formed up again and mounted out on anotherstrike by helicopter . As they were taking off, sniper sopened up and two helicopters were hit and the onehad its gunner killed . When they were landed at theobjective, jets were strafing the area, and a couple o fMarines were hit by projectiles from a jet whic hstarted its run early . Corpsmen and the chaplain at -tended them immediately .

The next few days were spent mopping up village sand marching through the day . At one point themen boarded amtracs to go by water . Again theywalked and climbed, and settled in to await a join -up with other forces, wrapped in ponchos for th ecold and clammy night . Chaplain Bohula reported :

70


Since we were to remain in this area for a few days Icaught a copter out to the LPH to get my Mass gear, visi tthe sick and also visit the Repose . It took forever to hitch aride . With my gear in tow I hopped rides to other units i nthe area who had no Catholic Chaplain . It was just hit andmiss, and running from one unit to another by copter en -tailed long waits . I was grateful, though, for the C-ration swhich were always waiting at the units visited . I neve rknew whether I'd get back to my people at night or eve nfor the next several days . I said Mass on large rocks ,C-ration cartons, and even in a hole with the groun dbefore me as the altar . But we held services and the turn -out was gratifying even though the men were dead tired .

About mid-February it was hoped the battalion woul dget a breather in Hong Kong . . . . but their hopes wer eshort-lived since they just steamed around for a couple ofdays to give us time to get combat ready again . Then wor dcame that Phase II of Double Eagle was going into effect .Once again they were transferred to the LPH via the ropenets and in full pack, and took off into VC territory .2 2

Phase II of Operation Double Eagle was anothe rsearch and destroy mission, but this time north o fChu Lai, in the vicinity of the village of Tam Ky i nQuang Tin Province . ComUSMACV had requestedthat the Amphibious Ready Group/Special Landin gForce remain in the area, following Phase I, to givesupport for Phase II operations . Phase I terminatedon 17 February and Phase II continued from 1 9February to 1 March .

Chaplain Bohula recalled the rapid landing, take -off patterns of the helicopters when the 2d Bat-talion, 3d Marines was recommitted :

My luck was to have our copter land in the middle of arice paddy and as I jumped out I went waist deep in themuck . The first minute in the field on a new operation an dI smelled 'like that' again . We walked and climbed ove rhills . Snipers worked us over but prisoners, weapons andsupplies were taken . Phase 11 was another series of lon gtreks, wet, hot dusty treks . Leeches were all over us fro mthe paddies . The rains came at this point as on the othe roperations, and we were wet day and night . I was lucky t oget to the LPH to get my Mass gear replenished and also t oget some ashes for Ash Wednesday . It was during this tim ethat the headquarters was hit and our S2 and S3 were hit .Other nearby units sustained heavier losses . 23

talion, 3d Marines to become a familar face aroun dthe transportation and supply points . Coming inand catching copters to the different units' position sbecame routine . For the most part he took care of hi sown men but if there was a chopper going to othe runits who requested a Mass he would go up an dwork his way back . The control tower did its best t oline him up on the first supply run . Without this aidand interest it would probably have been impossibl eto do half of what needed to be done .

During the latter half of Operation Double Eagle ,Lieutenant Lowell M . Malliett (Nazarene) andLieutenant Walter J . Blank (Roman Catholic) arrivedfrom Okinawa assigned to the 11th Marines and re-mained with the operation throughout the month ,covering artillery units at their scattered locations .

Early in the operation various smaller units takin gpart in it boarded ships and helicopters and wer elanded about 10 miles further south along the coast .Chaplain coverage became more of a problem . Someinfantry battalions were broken into separate com-panies or smaller detachments and moved in variou sdirections, some being separated by as much as 1 5miles .

Chaplain Hiskett participated in both HarvestMoon and Double Eagle II . His experiences in th etwo operations highlights the necessity for rapid ad-justments by chaplains in this conflict . He bega nslogging with the rifle companies until he discovere dthat he was ultimately more necessary at the medica laid station . He describes it as follows :

I travelled with the B .A .S . as a part of the CommandGroup . The day before the operation was to end the bat-talion made solid contact as a result of a V .C . guerrill aband set up in ambush . After being pinned down by smal larms, machine gun fire, and mortars for over an hour wewere finally able to maneuver into a village and set up aBattalion Aid Station . Because of the tactical deploymen tof the troops and the fact that we were on the move mos tof the time it was impossible to conduct religious service sbut I did visit with as many of the men as I could under th ecircumstances .24

Because of these experiences, on subsequen toperations the battalion commander felt tha tChaplain Hiskett should station himself at th emedical unit to which the wounded would beprimarily evacuated. The reasoning behind this wa sthat most operations were lasting only a few days ,and due to the tactical deployment of troops th echaplain would be in contact with a relatively smal lnumber of troops in the command group . Almost al l

Chaplain Bohula was out forward because his col-onel wished it so . Since there were chaplains on th ebeach at the aid station, in the LPH, and in th eRepose, there was reason for him to follow his col-onel's desire . If any one of these places had bee nshort a chaplain, he would undoubtedly have staye din the rear . During Phases I and II of Double Eagle ,these circumstances caused the chaplain of 2d Bat -


7 1

Photo courtesy of Chaplain Edwin V . Bohul aChaplain Edwin V. Bohula in the vehicle assigned to him at Da Nang . In the rear is hisclerk, Cpl Earl Benner, and the driver, LCpI Rosales, who frequently rode "shotgun . "

casualties are evacuated by helicopter from the are ain which their individual unit was operating ;therefore, the chaplain would have little opportunityto minister to the wounded and dying . This, ofcourse, was not a firm policy and could be adjusted ifthe situation warranted. On operations lasting morethan two or three days, the chaplain would accom-pany the troops in the field .

Following Operation Double Eagle, the 2d Bat-talion, 3d Marines returned to Da Nang, taking up aposition on the perimeter which had shortly beforebeen vacated by the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines .Chaplain Bohula reported :

I was amazed at the changes in the Da Nang area sincewe left in November . There seemed to be more ofeverything and the roads were wide and decent . Being th eonly Catholic Chaplain in the regiment I was assigned t ocover units other than my own . It was a blessing that m yColonel insisted that I have a Mighty Mite to myself to giv espiritual help to all the units .

It was also a great help in getting my personal affairs in

order for my detachment . At my own camp, the chapelwas set up and a GP strongbacked tent was erected an dconnected to the chapel for my successor . All in all I leftVietnam with little reluctance . It was rewarding work . I twas hot ; it was dusty ; it was uncomfortable . But it was realapostolic work—an opportunity that comes to few men . "

Chaplain Bohula remained in Da Nang until lat eMarch when Lieutenant Commander Leonard L .Ahrnsbrak (Assemblies of God) was relieved at BMed in Chu Lai for reassignment by the 3d Marin eDivision . Chaplain Ahrnsbrak had been in Vietna msince December and had served at the field hospitalin Chu Lai . When the 1st Marine Division moved incountry in late March, and took operational contro lof the Chu Lai chaplains, their units, and the enclav eTAOR, 3d Marine Division chaplains were restoredto their division . The result was that manning B Me dbecame the responsibility of 1st Marine Divisio nChaplain, Captain John L . Wissing (RomanCatholic) and he assigned Chaplains Ahrnsbrak and

72


Lieutenant Commander Thomas P. Kenny (RomanCatholic) . Chaplain Ahrnsbrak's brief tour of dut ywith a field hospital was terminated in March and h ewas reassigned as Chaplain Bohula's relief in the 2 dBattalion, 3d Marines . He welcomed the changefrom Chu Lai 's B Med Field Hospital to a line bat-talion . He stated :

It was my hope in coming to Vietnam to be assigned to aline battalion . The time spent in the medical battalion hadallowed me to prepare for the ministry to the wounde dand dying that became a frequent occurrence in the mon-ths ahead . The frustrations of guerrilla warfare becam esuddenly apparent to me . During the first three months inour TAOR, one company took a number of KIAs an dmany WIAs from booby traps only . It was hard on thetroops to see their buddies 'blown away' by an unseenenemy . After a few weeks of hearing the explosions, wat-ching the med-evac being effected, scanning the med-eva croster to see who was hit, the frustrations continued t obuild . 26

In early summer the battalion was called on to ex-pand the TAOR, and moved to Dai Loc District .Since there were fewer mines and booby traps there ,and the companies had opportunity to actually se ethe enemy and engage him, morale and attitude simproved greatly . Prior to the move they had learn-ed how hard it was to lose casualties constantly to a nunseen enemy . Chaplain Ahrnsbrak showed tha tfrustration . By spending as much time as was feasi-ble in the company positions, he became very clos eto the companies . During operations, this closenes sproved to be a great asset in ministering to th ewounded and dying. The days spent in the medicalbattalion prepared him well for the ministry t ocasualties when med-evacs were not possible or wer edelayed. The ministry out in the field on an opera-tion was not just to the casualties, although until th emed-evac was completed this became first in impor-tance, but also to the medical staff and the closebuddies of the casualty after the evac had been com-pleted . He remembered :

I have seen and shared the heartbreak and frustration ofa young doctor who did all he could to save a life under ajungle canopy, only to have the man die of wounds . Afterattending the dead and having bodies moved, whil eawaiting other casualties to be brought in, the doctor andor the hospital-men need a spiritual ministry . Often this isnothing more than the sharing of the sorrow together . Atsuch times empathy is far more meaningful than words . 2 7

Combat operations were not civic action oriente dbut chaplains were discovering that in Vietnam at -

tention to the Vietnamese population was alway scrucial . When Lieutenant Max E . Dunks (SouthernBaptist) and Lieutenant Commander Robert C .Franklin (Roman Catholic) were positioned at th ebattalion aid station in the An Hoa CP area, som eoffice buildings were vacated by the Vietnames eengineers, and because of previous positive contacts ,one was graciously given to them to be used for abattalion aid station . During Operation Georgia ,the battalion aid station was used as a collection an dclearing station for the wounded and sick before theywere evacuated to the appropriate medical facility .On several occasions there were as many as 2 0wounded men at the aid station for emergenc ymedical treatment . Many men were brought in to b etreated for heat exhaustion .

After his experience on Operation Georgia ,Chaplain Franklin held that a chaplain—in fac tanyone—can communicate his interest in the Viet-namese people as fellow human beings essentiall ythrough the exercise of the words of mercy and ac-tions prompted by mere common sense . Assumingthat spiritual ministrations are impossible due to dif-ferences in religion or other circumstances, th echaplain can at least help comfort the parents of awounded child . Chaplain Franklin rememberedseveral incidents :

While the 3d Battalion was on Operation Georgia at A nHoa, a little boy was brought into the Battalion Aid Sta-tion with both legs severely burned and infected . Hi sparents were terribly distraught and on the point of tears . Itook them aside while the doctors and corpsmen wer eworking on the child, gave them a seat in the shade, som ecold water, and sat with them trying to convince them tha tthe child would be all right and was getting the best o fcare . Finally, through an interpreter this was explained a tlength and they were terribly thankful to me and expresse dtheir appreciation with the "prayerful hands gesture . " O nanother occasion, a wounded Vietnamese soldier wasbrought in the Aid Station . An interpreter explained I wasa Catholic priest . The soldier was Buddhist . While th edoctor and corpsmen worked on him, I bathed his facewith water, cleaned the blood and grime from around hismouth with my right hand ; the left hand he grasped firm-ly and would not let go .2 8

Operation Georgia also involved Lieutenant Roge rK. Hansen (Lutheran) who arrived in January andwas assigned to the 2d Battalion, 12th Marines, t owork with Lieutenant Commander Otto E . Kenzler ,Jr . (United Methodist) . Chaplain Hansen quickl ybecame aware of the fact that artillery emplacement sin guerrilla warfare are frequently located on what


7 3

might be the front lines . He learned that ar-tillerymen provided their own perimeter security .When walking from post to post at night and learn-ing to sign out when challenged, he became afamiliar part of the modus operandi, and stayin gwith the troops at night became routine . Hereported :

On Hill 55 one of our mortar batteries had moved inand I wanted to be with them . A problem arose in thateverytime I visited that battery, the VC would decide thatit was a good night to probe and mortar the position . Thatfirst night as they hit I tried for what seemed an eternity t oget my trousers on . Just why I had to have my trousers on Ido not know, but finally the feet slipped through th eopenings and I remember thinking, "At least I won't diewith my pants off. " This kind of thing happened the firs tthree times I stayed at this position . The fourth time Iwent out they jokingly said, " If we get hit again tonight ,Chaplain, we are not going to let you come out an ymore . "'t

Fortunately for his reputation, it did not happenthat night . The next day he moved from position t oposition to conduct services under a sun that causedtemperatures to soar to 136 degrees . After walkin gup and down the roads that were literally boot-dee pdust, the worship with the troops and the swim i nthe lake nearby were among those things which willlong live in the chaplain ' s memory . The swim wa salways good for washing out sweat-soaked clothes ,and the ingenuity of the men to improvise withC-rations, adding rice purchased from the Viet-namese, made an otherwise ordinary meal seem lik ea banquet . Mail, good chow, a chance to catch som ekind of shower or bath in a stream or lake, coo lrefreshments on a hot day, and the knowledge o fwhen they could expect to go home, all these mad efor high morale in the men in the midst of some ver ydifficult circumstances .

Adaptability and Patienc e

The composite experience of coordinating comba tministry was working in the hearts and heads of allthe chaplains so involved . In one, Chaplain Nilu s

W. Hubble, it broke into expression . The assign-ment as Regimental Chaplain, 4th Marines, an dlater at Company A, 3d Medical Battalion prepare dChaplain Hubble for the writing of a lengthy stud yhe called, "The Role of the Chaplains in a Multi-Battalion Operation ." In it he clarifies several of themost troublesome areas of the combat chaplain' sfrustration. He introduced his thoughts in a

characteristically brief manner ; "Schedules wer efluid, conditions varied . Adaptability became th eword for the day . Patience became a necessity ."30

Chaplain Hubble acknowledged that condition sand troop movements varied from operation tooperation, and he realized that the chaplain in com-bat needed to exercise his own ingenuity and dedica-tion in the light of his personal interpretation of hi smission . Nevertheless, Chaplain Hubble felt thatthe basic combat role of the chaplain remained th esame and that certain guidelines could be stated .

Whenever possible, it was advantageous for th etask force chaplain to talk with battalion chaplains a swell as their commanding officers prior to the begin-ning of an operation, meeting with agreement onwhere the chaplain would be . This prepared the wayfor most effective utilization of chaplains .

Wherever it was that the battalion had set up acentral command post with units working out of i tand coming back to it, the chaplain would probabl yfind his best operating area . He could carry out hi swork at the CP for those coming and going as well a sgoing to his units when advisable .

When the battalion split up into companies o rsmaller units, Headquarters and Service Company o fthe battalion involved had usually had a rear echelo n

adjacent to the task force CP/shore party/med-eva c

area . Since the shore party was the support unit i nthis area, it could also support the chaplai noperating from there . Thus a chaplain of thescattered-unit battalion would usually find this thebest operating area for him .

Some chaplains were concerned and frustrate dthat Divine Service could not be held frequently an dregularly for their troops while in the field on a n

operation . One advantage of working out of themed-evac/shore party area was knowing when an dwhere the chaplain could go . All chaplains had t okeep in mind, however, that Divine Services, whil ewanted and needed by their troops, were not includ-ed in the operational plan according to any schedule .

Another advantage of unit chaplains working outof the med-evac area was that they frequently wereable to minister to their troops who were wounde dand dead . The wounded often stated that seeing th efamilar face of their chaplain had been a welcom esight when they were brought in . Unit chaplains hadfound from experience that they usually had been o fmore help to the troops in this way rather tha n"humping it" with a rifle company and having no

74


contact with anyone except the man before him andthe man behind him on the trek .

Slogging and sharing in combat will always be aserious and necessary undertaking of chaplains wit hMarines, and circumstances are always changeable ,and methods debatable . However, as a general sum-mation Chaplain Hubble listed an experienced an dvaluable insight . He concluded :

Many chaplains feel that they have to be with their

troops on patrol no matter what . If they have not iden-tified themselves with their troops back in the base C .P ., i tis too late to do it on the line or on the patrol . This is no tWorld War II or Korea . The chaplain on the line or on apatrol is mostly a burden rather than an asset . The men ar esacrificed from the ministry of the chaplain when th echaplain finds himself with a squad or a patrol or even acompany under the guise of being with his troops .Chaplains who have been in Vietnam from the beginnin gand thought their place to be in the line of fire with thei rtroops have concluded (after learning the hard way) : sta ywhere you can minister to all your troops . 31

PART II I

THE CONFLICT BROADENS


The hood of a jeep serves as a makeshift altar for Cdr Martin" Doermann, 12th Marinesregimental chaplain, at Gio Linh, south of the Demilitarized Zone, on ThanksgivingDay 1968 . Cdr Doermann was among 20 chaplains visiting forward units that holiday .

CHAPTER 6

Calming and Comforting (January - June 1966 )Combat Action in Early 1966— NSA and MCB Chaplains at Da Nang—Administrative Adjustments—1s t

Marine Division Arrives at Chu Lai— 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Chaplains, January-April 1966— The Buddhis tRevolt—Easter and Passover in I Corps

The year 1966 dawned rather hopefully for thechaplains in Vietnam . The structure of the coverageand ministry to the Marines and sailors in countrywas gratifyingly complete and joined to a secur esystem of chaplain distribution inaugurated by thecooperative efforts of the III MAF and 3d Divisio nchaplains . Civic action efforts in which manychaplains were involved seemed to be progressivelywell organized, a genuine benefit to the people ofVietnam living near the enclaves, and beneficial t othe military units in terms of good relations with th evillagers . The Marine Corps was increasingly aware o fthe need for and value of greater efforts in the direc-tion of understanding and respecting the Viet-namese people and culture, and chaplains generall yfelt they had significant contributions to make t othis category)of the American impact on that smal lcountry .

The commitment of Marines in 1965 had stoppe dthe deterioration of Government of Vietnam contro lover the vital areas of the I Corps . Marines hope dthat in 1966 they could start rolling back the Com-munist forces . These hopes were to be frustrated asmore North Vietnamese regulars entered the wa rand the fighting broadened in area and in intensity .Chaplains had dealt with disappointment, pain, an ddeath in the previous year . They were to experienc emore of the same on a larger scale during 1966 .

The chaplains were alternatively encouraged ,amazed, frightened, and sobered by the events ofthe broadening war, yet, their ministry neve rfaltered . They comforted the troubled, wounded ,and dying, and substantially increased the ministr yin combat to the men they loved . "Ever since Bunke rHill, the man behind the man behind the gun ha scarried a Bible, comforted the wounded and praye dfor the dead,"' noted Time magazine in February1966 . By the end of the year the U .S . Forces in Viet-nam grew to 389,000 including 70,000 Marines inthe ICTZ. The Chaplain Corps now numbered 9 3chaplains assigned to Navy and Marine Corps units

for duty ashore in Vietnam . This was the largestnumber committed to a combat area at one tim esince World War II . Seventy-six chaplains were at-tached to Marine Corps combat units and elementsin Vietnam, almost 20 percent of the entire Corpsand already 32 more than the total number servin gashore in the Korean War . 2

The principle of ministry in Vietnam was one ofaccessibility of worship opportunity to every in-dividual at least once a week. It was to that task tha tthe Chaplain Corps dedicated itself despite the factthat by 1 November 1966 the III MAF tactical area ofresponsibility was extended to 75 times its size of ayear earlier . The job was there to be done .

Combat Action in Early 1966

The first four months of 1966 were eventful one sfor chaplains in the Da Nang combat base . Themounting intensity of search and destroy mission snear Chu Lai was felt by Da Nang chaplains who par-ticipated alongside their Chu Lai comrades in thecombat operations . The 9th Marines was positionedon the southern perimeter of Da Nang and wasresponsible for a rapidly expanding TAOR . By thesummer months the 9th Marines TAOR was to ex-ceed an area of 200 square miles .

On the northern and western perimeters of D aNang were battalions of the 3d Marines . SinceChaplain Running had come ashore with the 1st Bat-talion, 3d Marines in March of 1965 and Chaplai nBohula had taken up position with the 2d Battalion ,3d Marines in country in May, the regimental TAORhad been steadily expanding : It became apparen tthat an operational link-up with Phu Bai, similar tothat planned between Da Nang and Chu Lai, shouldeventually occur . Before Easter 1966, although Ph uBai was rapidly building and operations near th eDMZ appeared to be just beyond the horizon, mos tof the action remained between Da Nang and Ch uLai . A breakthrough in operational activity, an dmovement northwestward, began to occur in the ear -

77

78


ly summer. At this stage in the buildup it appearedas if the coastal enclave strategy was a sound one an das the enclaves expanded it was anticipted tha tregiments would once again become consolidated .This had occurred in the 3d and 9th Marines at D aNang, the 7th Marines in Chu Lai, and soon to occu rwith the 4th Marines at Phu Bai . In view of the grow-ing number of chaplains within the command struc-tures of the 3d Marine Division it became necessary ,in the interest of effective supervision and training o fyounger, inexperienced chaplains, to reaffirm th eposition of regimental chaplain and depend upo nhim to function as a structural intermediary betwee nthe battalion chaplains and the division chaplain .Chaplain Morton's decision in the 3d Division was t oassign a regimental chaplain to each regiment withtwo Protestants and two Roman Catholics . Indepen-dent or separate battalions were staffed largely wit hProtestant chaplains who looked to assistant divisio nchaplain Maguire as their immediate supervisor .

Commander Jonathan C . Brown Jr . (SouthernBaptist) was the 3d Marines first regimental chaplai nin Vietnam . At the time of his arrival only two of th ethree battalions were in country and each of them

had a Protestant chaplain attached . Lieutenant Cur-tis W . Brannon (Southern Baptist) was with the 1s tBattalion, 3d Marines and Chaplain Arthur D .Seeland had recently relieved Chaplain Eugene M .Smith with the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines and ha drelocated, with his battalion, from Chu Lai to D aNang. Since Chaplain Bohula was with the 2d Bat-talion, 3d Marines on Okinawa, Chaplain Brown wa swoefully short of Catholic coverage in the regimen tuntil Lieutenant George R . Witt (Roman Catholic)was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3d Marines in March .

Chaplain Brown was well received by the regi-ment . He was given a tent as a combination offic eand living space, central to the command and to th echaplains . There was no chapel at the regimental CPbut a strongback tent was soon erected an ddedicated as the CP chapel . Chaplain Brown'sschedule consisted of two or three divine service seach day, and on Sunday . Each day was filled withreligious instructions, counselling, Red Cros smessages, and small-group lectures .

Once Chaplain Witt reported to his battalion o n19 March he displayed that most essential quality i na combat chaplain—a sense of humor. He reported :

I spent two weeks under the wing of the DivisionChaplain Frank Morton, who kept shaking his head .

Despite his doubts, I "graduated" and was assigned to 1s tBattalion, 3d Marines . However, prior to my relieving Cur tBrannon, the battalion had mounted out on Operatio n

Orange . Since this was my first operation, I gave extra at-tention to digging an adequate foxhole . I will not claim tohave had the deepest hole, but I was the only one who ha da ladder .,

The 1st Battalion, 3d Marines TAOR was the nor-thern area of the Da Nang perimeter, and includedmore than 20 positions maintained by four line com-panies . Protestant coverage was given by Chaplai nBrown, and later Chaplain Paul Lionberger who, i nJune, relieved Brown as regimental chaplain . Divin eservices were held weekly in every position, from th eCombined Action Companies to Dong Den, 95 0meters high on a mountain . Chaplains Witt andBrown conducted a teamwork ministry that prove dhighly productive . Chaplain Brown remembered :

The First Battalion had companies and platoons scat-tered all across our northern sector of the TAOR, so I spen tMonday through Friday having three and four Divine Ser-vices a day for these companies . For some of the locationsChaplain Witt and I would go together . While I was con-ducting my services he would be hearing confessions, an dwhen I finished, he would celebrate Mass, and I would in-terview Protestant men who needed my assistance . Thenwe would move to another platoon . My Regimental Com-mander and Executive Officer were devout men and at-tended the chapel services each Sunday . This kind ofleadership resulted in excellent attendance at our Divin eServices. '

It was during the first quarter of 1966 thatChaplain Morton devised a system of unit coveragewhich he proposed to the regimental and battalionchaplains for use in increasing their religiou scoverage of the units . It was a matter of procedureand scheduling in which the unit chaplain woul dvisit each of his scattered positions, remaining over -night with each company once a week . This meantthat he was out of the CP area from Monday throughFriday and returned to his headquarters for his Sun -day services . Chaplain Morton's program was im-plemented throughout the division and met wit hroutine success . Chaplain Ahrnsbrak reported tha the adopted the system and found it helped him t omeet the needs of his people and to fulfill hi sresponsibilities to them .

At this time it was becoming apparent that com-bat operations in the Hue-Phu Bai enclave were in -creasing . Subtle changes in Viet Cong strategy werebeginning to manifest themselves and appeared to

CALMING AND COORDINATING

7 9

Photo 3d Marine Divisio n

LtGen Walt reads the scripture lesson at the 1966 Protestant Easter Service in Da Nang .

be tied to the succession of defeats suffered by NorthVietnamese forces in the Chu Lai and Da Nan gareas . North Vietnamese troop concentrations werebeing discovered more frequently in the more nor-thern provinces of I Corps . The succession of multi -battalion search and destroy operations south of DaNang had succeeded in bloodying a number of hard -core North Vietnamese regular units . The tactic ofdeploying blocking forces by the same aircraft, al lwithin a few hours, made mobility of VC forces more

difficult to maintain. It became obvious that sanc-tuaries, which American forces were not permitte dto enter, represented an answer to vertical envelop-ment blocking tactics . Combat activity, therefore ,increased near the sanctuaries of Laos . By the tim ethe first quarter was past the next phase of the warwas clearly outlined . There would be a gradual shiftnorthward in major combat operations .

Five combat operations originated from Phu Ba iduring the first four months of 1966 . The 2d Bat-

80


talion, 1st Marines, responsible for the security o f

Phu Bai's perimeter, conducted the first four, al lsingle-battalion operations, in February and March .The fourth battalion operation to occur in Thu aThien Province was Operation Oregon, with the 2 dBattalion, 1st Marines probing deeper into th ecoastal plain north of Hue . Operation Virginia wasthe fifth and most extensive probe of the period .Chaplain Scanlon accompanied his troops of the 1stBattalion, 1st Marines and Chaplains Johnson ofMCB-7 and Handley of the 2d Battalion, 1st Marineswent into the field to provide Protestant coverage forthe battalion .

Chaplain Scanlon reported :

Operation Virginia was to take us north near the DMZ ,to Khe Sanh, close to Laos and the North Vietnameseborder where there was a Special Forces Camp . During thefirst phase the battalion would probe the areas surroun-ding Khe Sanh . The buildings at Khe Sanh which were us-ed for a temporary hospital were infested with rats . Weslept with the rats running around all night . They couldnot be poisoned because the Montagnards in the area werereputed to eat rats raw . ,

During the first phase, Mass was offered in th efield and confessions heard at all company areas .Chaplains Handley and Johnson gave services at al l

company areas . There was no lack of chaplain sup -port .

The second phase of Operation Virginia was totake 1st Battalion, 1st Marines on a march from Kh eSanh to Quang Tri and Dong Ha along Route 9 .Chaplain Scanlon remembered :

The Colonel wanted me to go along . I had misgivingsbecause the temporary hospital at Khe Sanh would be lef twithout a chaplain . Still, the Colonel was apprehensiveabout being hit at night without a chaplain for th ecasualties . And so, I went .

We started our hike at midnight, and, without a moon i twas so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of you . Asa matter of fact, when the column stopped we frequentl yran into one another . We sweated profusely and we dran kwater and ate salt continuously . It had been anticipatedthat we would reach our first checkpoint by dawn and pic kup rations to be flown in . 6

The terrain proved tougher than expected and bymid-afternoon the battalions were still heading fo rthe checkpoint . The path was in a valley and was in-fernally hot . It had been a road large enough for carssome 20 years earlier and traffic signs which ap-peared seemed rather ludicrous since they were no wpractically in the middle of a jungle . Bridges over

scenic chasms gave mute evidence of past hostilit ysince some of them had been blown by charges an dwere just hanging on by a few inches of steel overconcrete bases . This was the first time an allied forcehad been through here since the withdrawal of theFrench many years before .

Some of the difficulties of field operations can b egathered by tracing Chaplain Scanlon 's experienceon Operation Virginia . The enemy was not only am -bushes, mortars, or fire-fights, but also fatigue an dexhaustion. Chaplain Scanlon continued :

Since we had expected to arrive at dawn for our provi-sions, many of us had no food . I for one . It was oppressive-ly hot once the sun got up in the sky, and along aboutmid-afternoon the sun began to take its toll . I realized Iwas starting to fade . I remember trying to go up a hill . Thenext thing I knew I was at the side of the path with ablanket over my head to shade me from the sun, an dCorpsman Blaze, a Jewish lad from "A" Co . 1/ 1 was say-ing, "Take a little of this, sir, and take deep breaths. "What a feeling . This was my first experience with heat ex-haustion .

After a while the Marines helped me down to the strea mbed and in I went, clothes and all . One of our Lieutenantssaid to me later that those were the worst few minutes h ehad had in Vietnam . We were apprehensive of fire fro mthe opposite bank but got out without difficulty . Iremember that the men treated me like the most impor-tant man in the world, the same sensation I am sure all o four injured and ill have experienced . I was returned to Kh eSanh by chopper and was evacuated to "A" Med at Ph uBai . Those of us who came in from Khe Sanh drank freez-ing cold soda like there was no tomorrow . During thesedays I prayed for our men still on the operation . ,

Happily, the battalion came through the entiremarch with no battle casualties .

NSA and MCB Chaplains at Da Nang

Although small in size, the Naval Support Activi-ty in Da Nang occupied an enormously importan tplace in Lieutenant General Walt's conduct of ICorps operations . The III MAF chaplain, Captai nGarrett, clearly recognized the importance of NS Aand the work of its chaplains . Chaplain Garrett wasboth the senior Chaplain Corps officer in ICTZ an dthe organizational supervisor for all Navy chaplains .Under one of the five hats he wore, General Wal twas designated Naval Component Commande rwhich placed all Navy activities directly under hi scommand until March of 1966, and his forc echaplain was responsible for supervision of chaplainsattached to Navy units . In that capacity ChaplainGarrett was deeply interested in the work of NSA


8 1

chaplains and was concerned that their ministryshould meet with the same degree of success enjoyedby Marine and Seabee chaplains .

In a speech before the Chaplains School Class i nNovember 1966 Chaplain Garrett discussed the workof the NSA Chaplains . Logistic problems, he recall-ed, were exceedingly grave in I Corps during lat e1965 and early 1966 . The most obvious reason fo rthe problems was to be found in the nature of D aNang as a seaport . It was picturesque and beautiful ,but it was shallow . Deep water stopped two mile sout from the coastline . Cargo ships were forced to re -main at anchor and unload their cargoes ont olighters which in turn moved the cargo ashore . Th elabor for unloading the ships and the lighters wasprovided by NSA personnel organized into hatc hgangs . Work routines were uncomplicated . Eachhatch gang worked 12 hours on and 12 hours off, 7days a week, 31 days a month . Chaplain Garrett saidthat, to his personal knowledge, NSA hatch gang soperated in this manner for three months withou tthe loss of a single day . He noted that active combatoperations have within them a sort of psychic incom efrom which the troops can draw a sense of satisfac-tion, but that the work of the hatch gang providedlittle sense of accomplishment or satisfaction . Hesaid that he asked Chaplain Gibbons how the me nof NSA could continue such a pace, apparently do-ing the backbreaking work with great enthusiasm ,and maintain a phenomenally high level of morale .Chaplain Gibbons responded with the statement ,that most of NSA personnel found themselves rein -forced by the knowledge that Marines ashore ar edeeply dependent upon the supplies and equipmen tmade available to them by the hatch gangs . Whensomeone on a hatch gang failed in the performanc eof his duty, some Marine was more likely to be kill-ed . Chaplain Garrett said that the morale of NSApersonnel remained as high as Marine Corps moral eeven as harbor operations mounted steadily andmeasurement tonnage unloaded increased to seven ,eight, and nine thousand tons a day . Fortunately ,and the credit being solely due to Seabee units, on edeep water pier was operating and several LST ramp swere in full operation before the fall of 1966 .

Two long-awaited and badly needed chaplains t oman the recently opened Naval Support ActivityHospital at Da Nang arrived in March . In addition, arelief for Chaplain Hunsicker, forced to return hom edue to the death of a son, arrived to assist Senior

Chaplain Gibbons. First to report was Lieutenan tCommander Herman F . Wendler (Unite dMethodist) who arrived on 3 March . He was the se-cond former Operation Shufly chaplain to return t oDa Nang for duty, the first being Lieutenant Com-mander William H. Gibson (Roman Catholic) the nserving with FLSG-A near the airstrip . Chaplai nWendler had served seven months at Da Nang i n1963 . Coupled with the 15-month tour of NSA h ewas now beginning, his tenure in Da Nang was toestablish a long-standing record for Navy Chaplain sin Vietnam at 22 months .

Chaplain Wendler was assigned to provide areligious ministry for Navy personnel at Camp Tie nSha, the main billeting area for NSA personnel ,where Chaplain Gibson had moved in December .The two chaplains served more than 4,500 men whoby 1 March were attached to NSA Da Nang and live din Tien Sha or on board barrack ships . On 9 MarchLieutenant Commander George E . Paulson(American Baptist) reported for duty as the Protes-tant hospital chaplain, relieving temporarily assign-ed Chaplain Christmann of the 1st Marine AircraftWing who then proceeded to Iwakuni, Japan for du-ty with MAG-13 . On 15 March the second hospita l

chaplain, Lieutenant Alfred S . Pepera (RomanCatholic) reported for duty, relieving Chaplain Gib -bons who had been held close to the hospital for hisentire tour with the command .

Chaplain Pepera reported that the hospitalchapel, a quonset hut, was nearing completion uponhis arrival . It was located at the extreme end of thehospital compound thought later to be a very im-practical location for the patients as well as the doc-tors and corpsmen. Until the chapel was completedchurch services were held in the mass casualty area . I tcan be imagined what consternation was cause dwhen a helicopter came in and set down on a sand yand dusty landing pad to discharge wounde dMarines during church services .

Patients not being able to get to the chapel o ntheir own had to be transported. They found it dif-ficult to attend weekly Mass or worship services, andthe distance from the casualty area kept the doctor sand corpsmen away from church since they were re-quired to stand watch in the casualty area . Afte rseveral months, having convinced the commandingofficer that the ministry was suffering, the chape lwas relocated to a position where patients could very

82


Cdr W. W. DeGroot III, Commanding Officer of Mobile Construction Battalion 58 ,cuts the ribbon for the 1967 opening of new duplex homes built in the hamlet of Phuo cQuang by the Vietnamese with assistance from the Seabees after a fire left many peoplehomeless . Chaplain R . E. Blade, Civic Action Officer of MCB-58, is in the background.

easily get to it and the hospital staff could still b eavailable for emergencies .

Arriving in Da Nang in February and March wer etwo construction battalion chaplains to join th eroster of Navy chaplains in Quang Nam Province .The first was Lieutenant Thomas A. Saygers (Unite dMethodist) who arrived with MCB-11 . MCB-1 1replaced MCB-9, which had been at Camp Adeni rsince June 1965 . The second was Lieutenant FrenchM . Gothard (United Methodist) of MCB-1, wh omoved into Da Nang's Camp Haskins I, north of D aNang .

MCB-11 was at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, whe nChaplain Saygers joined the unit the previous July .Returning to the United States in September 196 5the battalion began preparing for an early redeploy-ment to Vietnam . After five months of intensivemilitary and technical training, on 1 February 196 6the battalion flew to Da Nang . Construction projects

for which the battalion was responsible include dthose on which MCB-9 was working : facilities for th eSupport Activity Hospital ; a road on Monkey Moun-tain ; petroleum, oil, and lubricants storage forMAG-16 ; a Marble Mountain cantonment for the 3 dBattalion, 9th Marines ; and miscellaneous smallerprojects .

Chaplain Saygers was heavily involved in civic ac-tion projects . It appeared obvious to the skille dSeabee technicians that their most effective contribu-tion toward the success of American/South Viet-namese joint efforts toward pacification an dultimately winning the peace, lay in establishing awill for achievement in the minds of the Vietnamesewith whom they had routine contact . Seabees wereespecially gifted for this kind of intercultural activitybecause of the constructive skills they possessed ,which were as profitably employed in civilian pro-jects for the Vietnamese as they were in military con-struction .


8 3

Administrative Adjustments

The arrival of Lieutenant Robert F. Wood (Latte rDay Saints) occasioned important personnel change sat Da Nang during the first months of 1966. Suppor-ting battalions were usually located in a single com-pound . This provided the chaplain attached to suchsupport units with greater ease of coverage of hi sown units and those not having their own chaplain .Since Chaplain Wood was expected to cover an ex-tensive area of the I Corps as the only Latter Da ySaint chaplain, he was attached to 9th MotorTransport Battalion . This gave him unit stability an dalso transportation opportunities .

In addition to the interdenominational services h esupplied his unit, Chaplain Wood was personally in-novative in important areas . He reported :

To assist the troops at 9th Motors, I established classes i nFrench and Spanish languages, which I offered to anyon ewho might be interested, and as the battalion Civil Affairsofficer, I became involved in the battalion's plan to build awell and a school for a nearby village . Frequent visits withcorpsmen to that village also enhanced my rapport withthe native populace, and my understanding of the people .From the beginning, I made an attempt to learn and spea kthe language of the Vietnamese . As I practiced it withthem, rapport became much warmer, and my own interestin the presentation of lectures to the troops on thereligions of South Vietnam was increased a great deal . '

In keeping with the division's desire to provide abroad denominational base for religious coverage ,division Chaplain Morton decided that Chaplai nWood's services as an LDS chaplain would b eemployed more effectively if he were to have moreready access to all LDS personnel in I corps, and tha tcould be accomplished if he were to travel the thre eenclaves with Orthodox Chaplain Radasky, ChristianScientist Chaplain Hodges, and Jewish Chaplai nReiner . On 27 March, Chaplain Morton reassigne dChaplain Wood to Force Logistics Support GroupAlpha, which he envisioned as a second pool fo rdenominational chaplains. Chaplain Hodges wasalready attached to FLSG-A . With the addition . ofChaplain Wood, a pool of denominational represen-tatives similar to that of the division headquarter swas established . After approximately a month in thenew unit, Chaplain Wood began a series of trips toChu Lai and Phu Bai to provide denominationa lcoverage for LDS personnel in those enclaves as anormal practice, logging hundreds of hours travelin gin jeeps, trucks, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft ,buses, and on foot .

In his quarterly report for the period, Chaplai nReiner provided a brief description of his travel sabout the three enclaves to minister to Jewish per-sonnel . He recorded :

I served as the circuit riding Jewish chaplain coverin gthree Marine enclaves (Da Nang, Chu Lai, Phu Bai) ,offciating at six to nine daily and Sabbath services per wee kat six different locations . I provided Jewish religious ser-vices for the Jewish personnel at the Naval Support Activi-ty and on the ships in the Da Nang harbor . I visited Jewishpersonnel aboard the hospital ship USS Repose- (AH 16)and conducted religious services there .'

Chaplain Reiner 's activities were duplicated b yevery chaplain who was attached to one of the tw odivision pools for denominational coverage .Chaplains Hodges and Wood with FLSG-A an dChaplains Radasky, Reiner, MacLean, an dLionberger at division headquarters provided Chris-tian Science, LDS, Orthodox, Jewish, Episcopalian ,and Lutheran services respectively . The larger pro-portion of chaplains attached to the more numerou sline battalions were representatives of the major

religious bodies of America .

Operations during February, contributed to th eextraordinary workload . Chaplain Lionberger, th eassistant division chaplain, reported that duringFebruary alone, while other chaplains of the offic ewere away on Operation Double Eagle, he con -ducted nine administrative inspections of various 3 dMarine Division units . He reconciled his activities i na final report :

I represented the Division Chaplain on the Division In-spector's staff . This gave me the opportunity to visit th echaplains and their Commanding Officers in the field . Iwas able to visit the Phu Bai enclave while inspecting 2dBattalion, 1st Marines and observed a new program, theCombined Action Company, operating in the hamlets .One day a rush call came from the Commanding Officer ofthe 7th Marines at Chu Lai . "Send me an Episcopa lChaplain . General Krulak (FMFPac) is coming and mychaplain is on Okinawa! " Since the Division Chaplain wason Double Eagle, and P . D . MacLean had not yet reporte dto headquarters from 3d Battalion, 9th Marines, Chaplai nMaguire decided that I should go. This gave me the oppor-tunity to visit the Chu Lai enclave as well as visiting othe rDivision Chaplains . It had to happen this way ; Sunda ymorning the General did not show .' "

Near the first of April, Chaplain Morton was of-fered new office spaces by the division chief of staff .Two quonset huts were assigned the divisio nchaplain and the headquarters chaplains made their

84


second move in less than five months. Although i twas not apparent at the time, such moves were t obecome even more frequent in the coming months .It seemed to be the story of the Marine chaplain ' slife; settle in and prepare to move . Nevertheles sChaplains Morton, Maguire, Lionberger, an dMacLean made the move this time as if it were a per-manent and final arrangement . One of the spaciou squonsets was used for office space for Chaplain sMorton, Maguire, and Lionberger . The other was us-ed as office space for Chaplains Reiner and MacLea nwith a section reserved as a division chaplain ' sstoreroom . Happily by late April ecclesiastical equip-ment and supplies had ceased to be a problem . Th e3d Force Service Regiment (FSR) on Okinawa, an dthe Force Logistics Support Groups A and B at D aNang and Chu Lai respectively, maintained a stead yflow of equipment to meet the needs of expandin gdivision and wing activities .

III MAF Chaplain Garrett later remarked thatChaplain Morton was, " the best supply man in th eCorps . His store room showed it . The condition o fequipment in use by chaplains and the state ofchaplain consumable supplies confirmed it .Chaplain Morton had a talent for internal organiza-tion and chaplain-supply that I have never see nequalled anywhere ." 1 1

Another of Chaplain Morton ' s interests in the pre -Easter period of 1966 was related to the constructio nof a 3d Marine Division chapel in the vicinity of divi-sion headquarters . He selected a site on what he laternamed "Cathedral Hill" and approached the com-manding general for approval of the site and ten-tative construction plans . The general voiced en-thusiastic support and appioved the divisio nchaplain's proposals .

The projected 3d Marine Division Chapel, to benamed "Chapel of the Abiding Presence" was to bean area chapel designed to meet the worship need sof a number of adjacent units . Characteristic of theirleadership, Chaplains Morton and Garrett for-mulated policy guidelines for chapel constructio nwhich were intended to make the best use o favailable worship facilities . Two types of chapelswere considered essential to guidelines objectives .First were the area chapels, buildings erected bet-ween two or more unit campsites to serve the needs

. of adjacent units . The second type consisted of unitchapels, construction by individual battalions whic hwere physically isolated from other units . The first

area chapel was that constructed for use of the 7t hEngineers and 1st Battalion, 3d Marines and wasdedicated by Chief of Chaplains, Rear Admira l

James W. Kelly, during his Christmas visit in 1965 .

Groundbreaking for the second area chapel, forthe use of the 3d Division AmTrac, Tank, Anti -Tank, and Motor Transport Battalions, occurred o nthe same day . The third chapel to be planned andconstructed as an area chapel was the division 's own ,"Chapel of the Abiding Presence" on Cathedral Hill .Located as it was on a choice piece of real estate witha splendid view of the area, the Cathedral Hill con-struction site was in great demand by adjacent units .The commanding officer of the 12th Marines, know-ing nothing of Chaplain Morton ' s previous conversa-tion with the commanding general, expressed his in-tention to use the site for projected expansion of hi sregimental CP . Chaplain Morton informed him ofhis intended use of the hill for a new chapel . To endthe matter once and for all the colonel remarked t oChaplain Morton, "Chaplain, I wouldn 't want tohave to bring this matter to the attention of th eCommanding General ." Chaplain Morton 's quie tresponse, was classic . In soft tones he said, "No, Col-onel, you sure wouldn't ." He didn't . 1 2

In the weeks following, firm plans were projectedand materials for a large V-shaped structure were ac-quired. Chaplain Morton took time to describe th ebuilding :

The chancel is in the north apex of the V-shaped struc-ture . A common sacristy and confessional borders one end .The roof is fiberglass plastic composition, structured wit h12 x 12 rejected bunker timbers . The timbers are seven fee tapart . The entrance is at the inside of the V . The chape lwill seat 250 persons . The Blessed Sacrament Chapel isdiamond-shaped and will seat 35 to 55 persons . The all -purpose chapel is octagonal, and will seat the sam enumber as the Blessed Sacrament Chapel . This complexmay have three services at one time . The chapels coul dserve as a retreat center accommodating four groups . Thecomplex is near housing and messing facilities and is adja-cent to the Division Chaplain's quonset hut office .' ;

1st Marine Division Arrives at Chu Lai

The most significant organizational evolution t ooccur during the first four months of 1966 was th earrival of the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) i nVietnam . For several years the 1st Marine Division a tCamp Pendleton, California had been configured a sthe reserve-back up division in support of themobile, combat-ready, 3d Marine Division on


8 5

Okinawa and Hawaii . When the 3d Marine Divisio nwas committed to combat in Vietnam, and move dits forward elements, its main body, and finally it srear detachments in country, the 1st Marine Divisio nwas making preparations to deploy to Okinawa toreplace the 3d Division and to stand in reserve read yto support it as required . In August 1965 the 1s tMarine Division (Forward) deployed to Okinawa ,with 1st Marine Division (Rear) following the firs tweek in March 1966 .

During the entire course of the year, from March1965 to March 1966, the 1st Marine Divisio nChaplain, Captain John L . Wissing (RomanCatholic) had been preparing battalion chaplains fo rdeployment to Vietnam . The final (37th) transplace-ment battalion, the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines withLieutenant Curtis W. Brannon (Southern Baptist)

attached, sailed for Vietnam to become 1st Bat-talion, 3d Marines of the 3d Marine Division i nAugust . The 7th Marines, maintaining its identity a sa 1st Marine Division unit but being assigned to th e3d Marine Division had already deployed in May of1965 and had landed segments in June and July a tChu Lai and Qui Nhon . The 1st Marines haddeployed in August, the Regimental Comman dGroup and 3d Battalion, 1st Marines remaining o nOkinawa while the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines move dto Da Nang and 2d Battalion, 1st Marines assume dduties as the Special Landing Force embarked in th eAmphibious Ready Group . In August, the 7thEngineer Battalion was assigned to the 3d MarineDivision at Da Nang . The 1st Marine Division (Rear )deployed from Camp Pendleton on 11 February andarrived on Okinawa approximately one mont h

The new 1st Marine Division chapel is dedicated on Memorial Day 1966, with the divi-sion commander, MajGen Lewis" Fields, and his senior staff members in attendance .

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A369171

86


before the division was scheduled to be committe dto duty in Vietnam . Between 15 December and 1 5March, the 5th Marines, which had been deplete dthrough transplacing battalions shortly before th edivision deployed to Okinawa, was remanned anddesignated Regimental Landing Team 5 .

On 27 March 1966, the 1st Marine Division, les sRLT-5, which remained on Okinawa, arrived at Ch uLai and joined III MAF . Responsibility for security o fthe Chu Lai Combat Base and Tactical Area o fOperational Responsibility surrounding the bas eitself was relinquished by the 3d Marine Divisionand was reassigned to the 1st Marine Division . FirstMarine Division units in Chu Lai reverted to ad-ministrative and operational control of their paren torganization and 3d Marine Division units in thearea, for the first time, came under operational con-trol of the 1st Marine Division .

From the point of view of chaplains in the enclav ethe transition was a smooth one . Chaplains Kindere rand Loeffler of the 1st Marines readdressed their of-ficial reports to Chaplain Wissing . Chaplains Goad ,Usenza, Hiskett, and Epps of the 7th Marines an dChaplains Malliett and Blank of the 11th Marineswere returned to control of the 1st Marine Division .

Only for Chaplains Stewart, Usenza, and Epps didthis mean an official change of orders from one com-mand to another . Chaplains Howard and Daly ofMAG-36, Chaplains Taylor and Abel of MAG-12 ,and MCB Chaplains Haney and Hunkins continuedto report to wing and construction regiment respec-tively, but coordinated their religious coverage o farea positions with Division Chaplain Wissing .

Third Marine Division Chaplains Kenny andAhrnsbrak, attached to B Med Field Hospital, wer ereturned to Chaplain Morton for reassignment, an dthe 1st Medical Battalion, with newly reassignedchaplains, Lieutenant Dudley C . Hathaway(Nazarene) and Lieutenant Brian E . Kane (RomanCatholic) attached, . assumed responsibility for adistinguished hospital ministry to the ill and wound-ed Marines in the Chu Lai enclave .

On 31 March, Chaplains Garrett of III MAF an dMorton of 3d Division visited Chaplain Wissing's of-fice and participated in a senior chaplains' con-ference . The division chaplains and MAF chaplai nconferred at length about inter-division chaplains 'relation and about administrative matters confron-ting their units .

In a letter to FMFPac Force Chaplain Craven of 2 5May 1966, Chaplain Wissing said :

On 31 March, Chaplains Garrett, Morton and mysel fmet at Chu Lai to discuss chaplain personnel . At that tim eit was known that Chaplains Usenza, Goad and Hisket twere to be detached in May . We agreed that in order tomeet minimal needs of the First Marine Division, and atthe same time to temporarily assist the Third Marine Divi-sion in their shortage of chaplains, Usenza would be reliev-ed by a Catholic Chaplain ; Goad and Hiskett would b erelieved by one Protestant Chaplain from those ordered into the Third Marine Division at that time . 14

FMFPac ordered chaplains Lieutenant Vincent R .Capodanno (Roman Catholic) and Lieutenan tStanley J . Beach (General Association of Regula rBaptists) to the 1st Marine Division as a result of tha tagreement and III MAF's request . Chaplai nCapodanno reported on 30 April . Chaplain Beach ' sorders were cancelled at the request of III MAF, sinc ehe had already been assigned in the 3d Division . Th edivision was given assurance that another Protestan twould be ordered to them in lieu of Chaplain Beach .Chaplain Wissing wrote :

On this date, at a meeting in Da Nang with Garrett an dMorton, I was informed that because of their shortage aProtestant Chaplain would not be ordered from the 3d t othe 1st Division . Thus my dispatch requesting a Protestan tChaplain from 3d FSR was sent out . This Protestan tChaplain is required to fill a minimum need, especiall ywith Stewart gone to FLSG . If the above request is grante dI still required one more Protestant Chaplain to fill m yT/O of 23 chaplains . "

It was readily apparent that 1st Marine Divisio nChaplain Wissing was undergoing the same traum aexperienced by Chaplains O'Connor and Jones in th eearly days of the buildup of forces . Chaplain Wissin gadopted as a minimum requirement that every 1s tMarine Division unit in the country have the benefi tof religious coverage of Protestant and RomanCatholic chaplains .

Still, in a letter to the Chief of Chaplains ,Chaplain Wissing stated :

I will be forever grateful to the Chief of Chaplains fo rthis assignment . . . . It has been the most challenging, ex-citing, rewarding, satisfying, memorable and enjoyable ex-perience of my years in the ministry, both as civilian priestand as a military chaplain . If I would choose one word asbeing descriptive of the best of this period I would use th eword "cooperation" . . . The cooperation of the StaffChaplain, Headquarters Marine Corps and the Chaplain sDivision of the Bureau of Naval Personnel in their prompt


8 7

answers to appeals for chaplains on very short notice wasmost gratifying . 16

Administrative control of all 1st Marine Divisio nchaplains reverted to Chaplain Wissing on 1 May .This meant that he was responsible for effecting suc hliaison with III MAF, FMFPac, and the Chief o fChaplains in Washington that his roster would re -main filled at all times . He was responsible for sup -plying chaplains and reliefs as required for all 1s tMarine Division chaplain billets in Vietnamalthough a substantial number of his chaplains wereunder the operational control of, and reported to ,Chaplain Morton in the 3d Marine Division . Thecontrol situation was to become reciprocal in the fal lof 1966 when a number of 3d Marine Division bat-talions were shifted temporarily to the 1st Division .But for the 1st Division's first six months in country ,in effect Chaplain Wissing and his relief, Captai nDavid J . Casazza (Roman Catholic), supplied thechaplains and Chaplain Morton kept them busy .

Immediately upon landing in country and survey-ing the chaplains' coverage of Chu Lai-based person-nel, Chaplain Wissing became aware of the need fo ra number of additional changes in assignments .Combat operations had not slowed to permit a for-mal reception of the new arrivals . Chaplains Usenz aand Hiskett of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines and 2 dBattalion, 7th Marines, respectively, left Chu Lai onOperation Indiana (28-30 March) the day afterChaplain Wissing arrived . It also became apparentthat two chaplains would have to be assigned im-mediately to the 1st Medical Battalion to replace 3 dMarine Division Chaplains Kenny and Ahrnsbra kwho were returning with Company B, 3d Medica lBattalion, to Da Nang . Chaplains Hathaway an dKane were assigned to cover a new 1st Medical Bat-talion Aid Station as part of the transition in an-ticipation of B Med's departure .

Lieutenant Edward Kane (Roman Catholic) wasassigned to the 1st Marines . At this time the regi-ment was without a Catholic chaplain ; ChaplainKane was therefore assigned as assistant regimenta lchaplain to provide for the deficiency in coverage .

As was anticipated, the 2d Battalion, 4th Marine sleft Chu Lai almost immediately to rejoin the 4t hMarines at Phu Bai . Chaplain Wissing had for-mulated policy decisions affecting the assignment o fchaplains several months before on Okinawa . He wasdetermined to provide adequate Protestant an dRoman Catholic coverage for every unit . In so far as

possible, regiments were to have two Protestant andtwo Catholic Chaplains .

Chaplain Wissing was unable to implement otherdesired but not essential policies with regard to .coverage. For instance, the matter of relieving .chaplains after six months with a line battalion o rmedical unit simply took secondary precedence . Fac-ing him in the immediate future was the prospect o frelieving every chaplain in the 7th Marines, all of 'whom were due for rotation to the United States i nMay . With no prospect for new chaplains to arriv euntil July, Chaplain Wissing simply had to defer ac-tion on desirable policy implementation until suffi-cient chaplains were available, and marshal hi sresources to meet requirements which were to pre -sent themselves for resolution in the immediatefuture .

Problems with personnel changes in Chu Lai i nMay and June 1966 also occupied great amounts ofthe 1st Marine Division Chaplain's planning time .Since Chaplain Wissing could expect no new arrival sfrom the United States during May and June, itbecame necessary to fill the vacancies with chaplain salready on board . Chaplains Goad with the 7t hMarines ; Chaplain Usenza with 1st Battalion, 7t hMarines ; and Chaplain Hiskett with 2d Battalion ,7th Marines, were detached in May . It was necessaryto move Chaplain Baxter from 1st Motor TransportBattalion (leaving the latter position vacant) as areplacement for Chaplain Goad. Chaplain Capodan-no was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines as anumerical and denominational relief for Chaplai nUsenza. Lieutenant Paul W. Pearson (UnitedMethodist) was assigned to the 2d Battalion, 7t hMarines as a relief for Chaplain Hiskett . Chaplai nEpps in the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines was to remai non board until detached on 1 August . Chaplain W .C. L . Asher reported on 30 June for assignment to1st Motor Transport Battalion .

Chaplains Goad, Hiskett, McNamara, and Betterswho had preceded Chaplains Usenza and Epps in the7th Marines, had experienced some of the most in -tense combat to take place in Vietnam during thefirst 15 months of the buildup of forces . The series ofsearch and destroy missions at Chu Lai and th eperimeter security activity at Qhi Nhon had bee ncombat of the type which sapped the energy of th eunit chaplains and left them virtually exhaustedafter a year of effort . Chaplain Goad had describedhis regiment's mission as one of search and destroy .

88


The regiment participated in 10 combat mission swhile he was attached for duty . However, the picturebegan to change in the late spring of 1966 . "Shortlybefore departure," Chaplain Goad said, "the mis-sion of the regiment began gradually to change fro msearch and destroy to security and holding .'"Chaplain Goad then addressed himself to the at-titude and approach he thought a newly arrivin gchaplain should cultivate before entering Vietnam .In so doing he mirrored the general mood o fchaplains up to mid-1966 . Chaplain Goad explain-ed :

The chaplain must understand as thoroughly as possibl ewhy we are in Vietnam . He should be totally and personal-ly committed to this aspect of our foreign policy . Thi scommitment must go deeper than mere compliance wit hmilitary orders ; that is to say, just because it is his duty .The chaplain 's personal motivation, and the motivatio nwhich he attempts to inspire in his men, will be greatl yenhanced by a deep and honest commitment to the valu eand desirability of our mission in Southeast Asia .1 8

It can be safely said that Navy chaplains in Viet-nam, without a known exception at this time, wer efully supportive of the American effort in Sout hVietnam and its underlying philosophy . As opposi-tion to the war was developing in the United States ,combat-committed chaplains remained firmly i nsupport of U .S . policy . Being on the scene the yshared the enlisted Marine' s viewpoint . They coul dsee for themselves what the Viet Cong were attemp-ting to do by terror and atrocity and utter disregar dfor life . Such visible evidences of the need fo rAmerican forces to be in Vietnam being readily ap-parent, it was difficult for troops in Vietnam, an dthe chaplains who accompanied them, to under-stand the opposition which they heard was develop-ing at home . There was a tendency to dismiss th edemonstrations in the United States as beingperpetrated by the uninformed who themselve swished to avoid personal involvement in the cause o ffreedom for the South Vietnamese people .

As early as mid-1966, as opposition to the wa rdeveloped, Chief of Chaplains James W . Kelly mad eit known to members of his staff that any chaplai nwho was unable, in conscience, to approve or par-ticipate in the war in Vietnam would be give nanother assignment . Any chaplain who, after bein gcommitted to combat in Southeast Asia, asked to b erelieved on the basis of opposition to the war woul dbe immediately reassigned . No such requests wer ereceived and not a single voice of dissent among the

highly motivated Navy chaplains in Vietnam was

heard during the buildup of forces .

1st Marine Aircraft Wing Chaplains ,January-April 1966

Eight chaplains were expected to report for dut ywith the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing during the firs tthree months of 1966 . An equal number was to b edetached. The total effect of these changes, couple dwith the three arrivals during the last months o f1965, was that almost a complete turnover of win gchaplains had occurred . Four detachments and onearrival occurred in January 1966 . Chaplains Tolan dand Tipton of MAG-16 were relieved by Lieutenan t(Junior Grade) Donald T . McGrogan (RomanCatholic) and Lieutenant Commander William W .Bartlett (United Church of Christ), who weredetached on 3 January . At Chu Lai Chaplain Long ofMAG-36, relieved by Lieutenant John R. Daly(Roman Catholic), who had been reassigned fromduty with HMM-163 in Qui Nhon, was detached on11 January. On the same day Lieutenant Com-mander William J . Wright (American Baptist )reported to Chaplain Bakker for duty as assistan twing chaplain . Chaplain Wright arrived from E lToro, California, where he had been attached to the3d Marine Aircraft Wing . He assumed the ad-ministrative duties in the wing chaplain's officewhich had been handled by Chaplain Bakker wit hthe assistance of MWHG-1 Chaplain Richards . InFebruary Lieutenant Commander Harold L .Christmann (Assemblies of God), who reported toChaplain Bakker, was slated for further assignmen tto Iwakuni . It was intended that he would be a relie ffor Chaplain Smith in MAG-13 . Chaplain Smith ,however, was not due for detachment until lat eMarch and the NSA Chaplain had indicated that acritical need for chaplains existed at the newly open-ed Naval Hospital, Da Nang . Chaplain Christman nwas therefore assigned temporary duty at the nearb yhospital for a period of a month until NSA chaplain sarrived in March to fill the newly established billets .He remained at the hospital for five weeks befor ereporting to MAG-13 as Chaplain Smith's relief .

Lieutenant Ray W . Fullilove (Southern Baptist )and Lieutenant Kenneth B . Abel (UnitedPresbyterian) reporting in February were added t othe rosters of other enclaves : Chaplain Fullilove wasassigned to MAG-16 in the expectation that, after aperiod of indoctrination, he would go to Phu Bai fo rservice with HMM-163 of MAG-16 which had been


89

without the services of a wing chaplain . Near theclose of his tour with the wing in late February ,Lieutenant Thomas J . Dillon (Roman Catholic) ofMAG-11 was given three weeks duty with HMM-16 3but returned to Da Nang in mid-March in time forhis own detachment . Chaplain Abel, arriving on 1 7February was ordered to duty in Chu Lai as Chaplai nReiter's relief in MAG-12 .

Lieutenant Richard T . McCue (Roman Catholic) ,reporting for duty with the wing on 5 February, wa sordered to MWHG-1 where he was to give Catholi ccoverage for the following six weeks . He then reliev-ed Chaplain Dillon as the Catholic chaplain ofMAG-11 when he later was detached on 23 March .

The final chaplain-personnel change of th equarter represented the most significant of all th echanges because it occurred in the wing chaplain ' sbillet . Commander Paul C . Hammerl (RomanCatholic) reported on 9 March for duty as Win gChaplain in relief of Chaplain Bakker, detached on

14 March . Chaplain personnel structures thereafte rwere to remain stable for the next six months .

Relinquishing the leadership of wing chaplains t oChaplain Hammerl, Chaplain Bakker remarked ,"Chaplain Hammerl arrived 9 March to take over a sthe new wing chaplain . The Wing will have passe dfrom Paul (Bradley) to Peter (Bakker) and back agai nto Paul (Hammerl) ." 19 Chaplain Bakker had relieve dCommander Paul F . Bradley (Roman Catholic) a swing chaplain at Iwakuni on 24 March 1965 .

Apart from the official reports of activities durin gthe period, prepared by Chaplains Hammerl andWright, the most comprehensive account of win gchaplains ' work was provided by Chaplain Bartlett o fMAG-16 . He reported :

This period of the first few months was a very busy timefrom the religious point of view . There was an overall shor-tage of chaplains and we were travelling quite a bit . I washandling services at MAG-16, covering the hospital, hav-ing services at Camp Tien Sha and " B" Battery LAAMS o n

Chaplain Earl L . Boyette serves Communion to men of the 7th Marines during 1969 .

Photo courtesy of Chaplain Earl L . Bovette



Chaplain Paull Antos holds Mass for men of 2d Battalion, 4th Marines during 1968 .

Monkey Mountain . Gradually as more chaplains arrived inthe area these outside duties were reduced . During the latespring and summer there was a series of services on Navyships in the harbor to help out with coverage there . But, ingeneral, from late spring on, I could confine my work t othe rapidly growing aircraft group at Marble Mountain Ai rFacility . S 0

The sacrament of Holy Communion was the sacra-ment most offered to Marines as a strengthening fac-tor of the faith, yet at times Holy Baptism was ad -ministered to the same purpose . Chaplain Bartlet tremembered :

The location of our base on China Beach was ideal fo rservices of baptism . In February I assisted Wing ChaplainPeter Bakker with the baptism of a man from my group .The same day he baptized many children from the Protes-tant orphanage . In March Chaplain Christmann used ou rbeach for four baptisms . Later that month I baptised a

man at our beach . It was a somewhat unusual service inthat just as we were about to begin the ritual we were bothsent head over heels by a large wave that neither of us sa was our backs were towards it . A new Christian got a doublebaptism that day, both times by immersion . 21

The first Sunday in April saw MAG-16 in newquarters for its services . Up to this time they ha dheld forth in the messhall, which was most un-satisfactory . Now Chaplain Bartlett had permissio nto use the officers' shower building . It had bee nfinished but inoperative since late 1965 . Permissio nfor its use had been previously denied . The chaplainand men from the group were able to fix th ebuilding into an attractive little chapel . Attendanceincreased quickly by 30 percent . A small lounge wasset up in the back with devotional materials, floorlamps, and easy chairs . This and the chapel itself


9 1


A Marine from the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, is baptized by a 2d Battalion chaplain a t

the An Tan Bridge, Chu Lai. The Marine on guard is a member of the 1st Battalion .

were both used and appreciated ; many men used i tas a quiet place to cut tapes to send home . Most im-portant of all, there was now a place that wasworship-suitable, for meditation and prayer at an ytime of the day or night, something that is very im-portant in a combat situation .

Civic action :.activity represented an equally time -consuming function for chaplains of the wing . Thei refforts were a study in coordination . Chaplain Dal y(MAG-36) accompanied one of his squadron fligh tsurgeons to the island of Cu Lao Re, 20 mile ssoutheast of Chu Lai to investigate the needs of th e8,000 Vietnamese there . Assistance in the form ofmedical care, food to vary the diet of the isolate dpeople, and materials for agricultural advancemen twas given by the group and subsequent Chu La imilitary units . Chaplain Rieter (MAG-12) accom-panied the MAG-12 MedCAP team to the village of

Tich Tay where he assisted in administering medica-tions, while Chaplain Taylor held mass for th evillagers of Ky Hoa, and Chaplain Richards visite dthe Evangelical Protestant Church of Hai Chau andthe Sacred Heart Orphanage with an eye towardfuture civic action efforts . Chaplain Threadgil l(MAG-11) subsequently delivered 660 pounds o ffrozen fish to the Sacred Heart Orphanage ; 348health kits, 6 boxes of clothing and sewing materialsto the Christian Missionary Alliance Compound i n

Da Nang ; and one load of scrap lumber to the com-pound for five Vietnamese retired pastors andfamilies . He also visited the ARVN hospital wit hmissionaries from Da Nang . Finally, Chaplains Bak-ker and Wright delivered 6 cases ofcandy, 3 boxes ofclothing, 100 health kits, a box of yarn, and 80 bar sof soap to the Tin Lanh Church in Da Nang .

During the week of 13 April, civic action was



Southern Baptist Chaplain Harry T . Jones of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines baptizesthree Americans, two Marines, and an airman, in the Seng Bo Dien River in May 1967 .

sharply curtailed as I Corps erupted in Buddhis tdemonstrations against the central government .During this week Chaplain Hammerl reported onlytwo chaplains as having any contact with the Viet-namese villages and even those were very limited .Civic action came to a virtual standstill .

The Buddhist Revolt

A few weeks before Holy Week 1966, politica lunrest in the area created an explosive situatio nwhich resulted in the evacuation of civilian person-nel from Da Nang and Hue and from the surroun-ding provincial countryside . Chaplain Wendlerwrote :

It was while I was at Camp Tien Sha that Premier K yordered his Marines to enter Da Nang to stop a rebellion o fthe "Struggle Forces" which was composed primarily o fBuddhist factions in support of General Thi . During Hol yWeek, Hue was evacuated and . . . civilian personnel werebrought to Camp Tien Sha . This evacuation took place onWednesday and included forty-two men, women, an dchildren . On Saturday of the same week approximatel y400-500 persons, military and civilian, were evacuate dfrom Da Nang to Camp Tien Sha . This latter group wasdivided so that all married couples and single girls were

sent to the hospital for billeting . Camp Tien Sha had t otake care of the original forty-two and an additiona l300-500 civilian evacuees .

Adjustments which had to be made were many . Head swere blocked off for the use of the women ; swings, teeter -totters and a swimming pool were constructed for th echildren to use . Military personnel returned to Da Nan gwithin two weeks . However, because of the political situa-tion in Hue, the missionaries stayed for approximatel ythree to four weeks . By maintaining close contact with theCIC of the Camp, I was abreast of events and strategy at al ltimes and was able to keep the missionaries informed . 22

The evacuees were transported from Hue t oMAG-16 by air and then moved by bus to Cam pTien Sha . Space was at a premium so Chaplain sBartlett and McGrogan of MAG-16 arranged to haveabout 30 persons housed in the temporary chapel .Concern about Easter Services was dispelled by th erefugees themselves when they made everythin gready for services early Easter morning . They the nmoved back in again after services were finished .

III MAF Chaplain Garrett played an importan tpart in the drama of the Buddhist demonstrations a tDa Nang . For four months he had made every effor tto include Buddhist organizations among the civic


9 3

action projects undertaken in I Corps, and his effort shad not gone unnoticed by the Buddhist leade rThich Min Chieu . As a matter of fact Chaplain Gar-rett and the Venerable Thich Minh Chieu ha dbecome close acquaintances and a degree of trus thad developed between them . In support of thi sdeveloping trust, the story of the Que Bac Pagoda i sa fine example . Sniper fire had been received fro mthe Pagoda on Da Nang East and local Marines ha dproceeded to put a round of artillery directl ythrough it, destroying portions of the walls and th estatue of Buddha inside it . The Buddhist leader ask-ed Chaplain Garrett what he could do about restora-tion of the Pagoda and the sculpted figure it housed .Chaplain Garrett remarked that a realistic way t odeal with Christian-Buddhist relations had to b eworked out in a hurry . Chapel funds on hand coul dnot be used for the purchase of religious items no tintended by the fund's donors . A special appeal fo rfunds, for the purchase of a Buddha, to augmentcivic action funds which would be employed fo rrestoration of the pagoda, was made with the resul tthat $600 was collected to meet the special need . Apublic presentation was arranged with the Mayor o fDa Nang, the Commanding Officer of the Nava lHospital, Chaplain Garrett, and local Buddhis tleaders attending . The presentation was made, th epagoda was repaired and relations between Chaplai nGarrett and the Venerable Thich Minh Chieu wer efurther strengthened .

Two days before the "Struggle Forces" Buddhis tdemonstrations were to occur, Buddhist leade rChieu dispatched a messenger to Chaplain Garret tto inform him that the Venerable Chieu wished t osee him . When Chaplain Garrett arrived at the Bud-dhist Headquarters in Da Nang, he remembered : "I tlooked like a large command post during a comba toperation . Monks were scurrying in and out and agreat deal of seemingly important activity was takin gplace . "23 Thich Minh Chieu dismissed everyone fro mthe room and spoke privately with Chaplain Garrett .Chaplain Garrett later reported :

He told me that he had called me there as a friend to in -form me what was soon to take place . He informed m ethat the Buddhists intended to raise their flag over D aNang and Hue in two days and that he expected 80 per -cent of the First and Second ARVN Divisions to join th estruggle forces against Premier Ky's administration . Th erebellion was on . It was immediately obvious to me thatwhile our relations had been exceptionally good, th eVenerable Chieu was giving me this information as a

means of establishing a direct, but informal and unof-ficial, pipeline to General Walt . When the brief con-ference was concluded, I returned to the III MAF Head -quarters and informed General Walt what had take nplace . He asked me to put the incident in writing, which ,with the assistance of his G-2 personnel, I was able to do .3°

When the revolt came off as scheduled, rathe rthan the expected 80 percent of the ARVN division ssupporting it, a minimal two percent responde dwith support . The result was a disaster for the "strug-gle forces . "

Chaplains noted other incidents during th erebellion . Chaplain Witt, with 1st Battalion, 3 dMarines on the northern perimeter of the Da Nan gcombat base, was involved in an incident involving aU .S . Marine and ARVN "Roughrider" truck convoyand a Buddhist demonstration on Highway 1 bet-ween Da Nang and Phu Bai . "Roughrider" was themost appropriate code name for convoys ofAmerican and Vietnamese vehicles traveling fro mDa Nang to Hue/Phu Bai or to Chu Lai . A U.S .Marine company rode "shotgun" for 40-50 ARVNsupply trucks over the terribly rough roads . Durin gthe demonstrations Buddhist altars and tables wereplaced on the highway . The Marine vehicles leadin gthe convoy carefully inched along through a maze o fthese altars . At one point the Marine vehicles wer estopped by a line of altars that stretched across bot hlanes and shoulders of the highway . Despite the fac tthat the spot was a likely location for a VC ambush ,the convoy halted . Suddenly from the rear, anARVN vehicle came up at full speed, which is th eonly speed they seemed to have, and crashed intothe altars, scattering wood and religious symbols toboth sides of the road . Even a few careless or slow -footed Buddhist monks were up-ended into a road -side ditch . Once the altars were removed, the convo yproceeded, but the tension increased .

Chaplain Powell reported on a similar incident a tPhu Bai . Between Phu Bai and Hue religious altarsand demonstrating Vietnamese were posted all alongthe road . He said :

Moving along that highway our convoy slowly inchin gits way along the border of the road, our tank treads an dheavy truck wheels literally only inches away from thekneeling figures of young boys and girls who unflinchinglyheld their posts, was a sight that will long remain withi nme . They succeeded in stopping the operation-bound con-voy by barricading the bridge in Hue, so we were forced t oreturn to Phu Bai . But undaunted, as ever, the Marinessoon solved that by the famous vertical envelopment tacticwith helicopters .2s

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The demonstrations were to continue for severalweeks, into June and early July, affecting the II IMAF civic action program among the indigenou speople . Chaplain Garrett wrote that he was verymuch concerned that the demonstrations should no tso badly divide the people that all the work done t oreduce intercultural suspicion and enhanc eAmerican-Vietnamese relations in the thre eenclaves, would count for little or nothing .

This concern was felt elsewhere as well . In amemorandum from the Chief of Chaplains to theChief of Naval Personnel on the subject of th epolitical situation in Vietnam, the Chief ofChaplains reported one of his chaplains as saying :

When the heavy traffic stopped at Da Nang's onlybridge where once the serviceman showered the childre nwith candy, food, etc ., there is now a complete lack of at-tention or even concern shown . There is a pronounceddistrust toward the Vietnamese people in general and thi sdistrust will continue at least until the political situation i sstabilized . This is the situation in the city! I do not knowthe reaction of the men in Marine units outside the city ,away from the demonstrations . Forced strikes, with threat sof violence against those who do not participate, were th eorder of the day . 1 6

Easter and Passover in I Corps

While the Easter story in I Corps neither bega nnor ended with the work of Chaplain Dunks of 3 dBattalion, 9th Marines, his story and that of thechaplains who cooperated with him to realize an in-spirational Easter in his battalion, will conveysomething of the energy and enthusiasm with whic hall Navy chaplains in I Corps approached the festiva lin 1966 . Chaplain Dunks reported :

Easter season was approaching and I was discussing plan sfor divine worship services with my Commanding Officer ,Lieutenant Colonel W . Taylor . He expressed the desirethat we obtain the help of other chaplains and have anEaster Sunrise Service in each of the rifle companies forboth Protestants and Catholics . These companies wer escattered in strategic positions, far apart from the battalio ncommand post and far apart from one another . At th etime they were taking much of the brunt of enemy contac tsouth of Marble Mountain . I conferred with Chaplai nFrank Morton, and we began making arrangements t ocarry out a plan of comprehensive coverage . The crowde dEaster schedules of all chaplains involved were considered ,and we were given the benefit of helicopter transportatio nto expedite our mission . The project was named "TopSacred Operation Sunrise ." Before daybreak on Eastermorning Chaplains Maguire, Beach, Glynn, Franklin ,Lionberger, Saygers and Pepera came by helicopter and by

road to provide Easter Sunrise Services Protestant an dCatholic in every rifle company of 3d Battalion, 9t hMarines . Every chaplain was back in Da Nang by 0800 ,ready to begin their own routines of worship service fo rEaster . The men of every company turned out enmasse .They were amazed that so much attention could be give nthe battalion and continued to respond with great en-thusiasm to the religious program of the battalion throug hthe remainder of my tour of duty . " Top Sacred Operatio nSunrise" represented by far the most inspirational an dsignificant event of the last half of my tour in Vietnam . 27

Chaplain Morton referred to the 3d Battalion, 9thMarines Easter event as an experiment in saturation .At predawn Easter morning, Chaplains Morton ,Maguire, Lionberger, Glynn, and Beach met at CMed and then went on to the 9th Marines to pick u pChaplain Franklin . The ` choppers ' dropped offChaplains Maguire and Beach at Company K ;Chaplain Glynn at Company M, where he joined upwith Chaplain Dunks who had gone to Company Mlate Saturday afternoon and remained overnight ;and Chaplains Lionberger and Franklin at Compan yL. Chaplain Pepera came down the road later in theday to Company I to celebrate mass where ChaplainSaygers of MCB-11 held a Sunrise Service after spen-ding the night there . Chaplain Dunks returned t othe 3d Battalion, 9th Marines CP to conduct a serviceat 0930 and Chaplain Franklin made a return trip t othat CP at 1330 to celebrate Mass . So the entire bat-talion received Protestant and Roman Catholi cDivine Services on Easter Sunday .

The helicopters were essential in carrying out thisoperation since the roads in and out of the city of D aNang were closed due to the political situation . It ispossible that Top Sacred Operation Sunrise is a" first" in accomplishing a religious saturation o ftroops on the line .

Virtually every unit with a chaplain attached had asunrise worship service in addition to the routin eschedule of Sunday services on Easter 1966 .Chaplain Bartlett, with MAG-16 wrote :

Easter Sunrise and regular services were never-to-be-forgotten experiences . The early service was held on th ebeach as I stood on a beached boat, with the people stan-ding or sitting where they wanted . The dawn that morningwas perfect . Late Easter afternoon many of us met on th ebeach again . Our purpose was a memorial service for on eof our Corpsmen. He had many friends from man ysquadrons . The Easter message took on new depth tha tevening as the sun was setting on our group gathered o nthe beach . 28

In a letter to FMFPac Force Chaplain Craven,


9 5

Chaplain Garrett summed up the events of Easter i nDa Nang . He wrote :

You are aware of the tensions under which we have ex-isted throughout Holy Week . They cannot be exaggerated .While we are not out of the woods yet by any means, therehas been some lessening of these tensions within the past48 hours . The effect of all this on our Easter plans you canvery easily imagine . We decided right from the outset no tto let our "big plans" disrupt our regular coverage . In factthese were intensified and as the large combined servic ebecame "on again-off again" the wisdom of this approachwas verified . Actually, the combined service never was"off." General Walt requested that all VIP visits to IIIMAF be cancelled except Bishop Mueller's, and that's th eway it worked out . 29

The Buddhist Revolt was disruptive of all th eevents of Holy Week and the pressure to cancel th ereligious observances was reasonably strong . It wouldhave been the logical and easy way out . Chaplai nGarrett reported :

By Saturday all travel was long since stopped around D aNang and I had concluded that even if we held the servic eout on Hill 327 as anticipated, it would necessarily bepoorly attended . But we went right ahead . Bishop Muellerarrived at 0100 Easter Morning and the Service was at1100 . It was a most meaningful spiritual experience . Tomy genuine amazement we had a fine assembly ofMarines . Estimates ranged between 800 and 1000 . The 3 dMarine Division Band played and one of our new doctors ,LCDR Knapp, who has a magnificent baritone voice, sang"The Holy City ." Then Bishop Mueller preached a verymoving and powerful sermon . All who were present wer egreatly blessed and we have had many fine comments o nthe service . 30

Equally as important a festival during this seaso nof the year was the Jewish Passover . The Vietnamsituation did not stop the Jewish chaplains' plans fo ra joyous celebration .

The observance of the Passover festival in D aNang was celebrated in a most eventful manner an dunder rather unique conditions . A strange blend ofjoy and sadness surrounded the Seder celebra-tions—joy because of the opportunity to participat ein the traditional Seders, and sadness because of th efamily separations . The Jewish participants and thei rguests celebrating the Seders, held at the 3d Marin eDivision Command Post mess hall in Da Nang, wil llong remember Passover 1966 . It was memorablebecause it was celebrated in a war zone, in Vietnam ,and in an atmosphere filled with ominous clouds ofpolitical unrest and turmoil .

With the tense situation caused by the demonstra-

tions and riots in the city of Da Nang the week prio rto Passover, and transportation between the city o fDa Nang and the U .S . installations in the are aalmost coming to a standstill, all 90 Seder par-ticipants were required to remain overnight in the 3 dMarine Division Command Post area . This unex-pected turn of events caught many of the men b ysurprise, and without bedding, clothing, and mes sor shaving gear . The men from the Da Nang are ahad planned to return to their regular billeting area safter the Seder . Men in combat conditions, however ,are flexible and learn how to improvise and are ac-customed to roughing it . Folding cots were set up i ntents and everyone was billeted for the night .

The ban on travel necessitated a change in loca-tions of the Passover morning services which werescheduled in the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Area . Theservices were rescheduled in the Division CPMesshall where the Seder had been held the previou snight . Chaplain Reiner remembered :

In a sense, it seemed as if the morning services were acontinuation of the Passover Seder and that we wer efollowing the tradition which the Haggadah recount sabout the rabbis at B'nai Brak telling about the departurefrom Egypt all night until their disciples came to them an dsaid, "Master, the time has come to recite the Shema, th emorning prayers . "

In some ways the Passover in Da Nang was very simila rto the Egyptian Passover ; celebrated in a strange andhostile land . To the Jewish servicemen in Vietnam themessage of the Passover had a special meaning : the basi cstruggle for liberty and freedom remained the same, onl ythe time and place changed . To them, human suffering isreal whether it be the Vietnamese people crying outagainst the oppression of the Viet Cong, or the followers ofMoses crying to be free from the Egyptians . "

The mess sergeant and his staff were unsparing i ntheir efforts to make the ceremonial Seder meals astasty and as delectable as possible . They were able t oprepare under field conditions, a sumptuous four -course meal, "as nice as one would find statesideworking with permanent facilities ."32 The traditionaldelicacies of gefilte fish and matzo ball chicken sou pwere served as the first two courses . The entrees ofthe main course were turkey, chicken curry, androast beef au jus . The hot vegetables of beets, strin gbeans, and cauliflower added color to the buffet ser-vice tables . When the men approached the buffettables they were pleasantly surprised to find an en-tree not listed on the Seder program menu. Themess sergeants had added T-Bone steaks as a specia lholiday treat . The dessert consisted of kosher (for

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Passover) macaroons shipped from the states, spong ecake and tasty fresh fruit compote served i ngrapefruit shells .

The mess sergeant ' s fine aesthetic taste in banquetpreparation transformed the rather austere mess hal linto a banquet hall with a pleasing decor . Partition sdivided the mess hall into three sections, the fron tlounge, the dining area, and the food preparatio nbuffet service area . The partitions were adorned withcolorful paintings of Vietnamese rural life .Decorative bomb shells served as the planters for th eelephant plant shrubbery in the lounge area . Thelong picnic style tables and benches usually used i nthe mess hall were replaced with individual chairsand tables which seated four people . Each table wasdecorated with a vase of local flowers and greens .The vases were improvised corrugated no . 10 can swhich were rather attractive due to their silver colo rand mirror-like effect which reflected the light . Th emess sergeant demonstrated that even under fieldconditions with a minimum of manpower andequipment, one man with ingenuity and creativit ycan prepare a most delicious traditional Passove rmeal in a festive atmosphere .

The guests of honor at the Seder meal includedColonel Leo J . Dulacki, Chief of Staff, 3d Marin eDivision ; Captain Francis L . Garrett, ForceChaplain, III Marine Amphibious Force ; and Cap-tain Frank R . Morton, Division Chaplain, 3d Marin eDivision . Major W . J . Speisel and Gunnery SergeantMyron E . Goldstein were the senior ranking Jewishofficer and SNCO present . General Walt had ac-cepted an invitation to the Seder but due to th ehighly explosive political situation in downtown D aNang, was unable to attend . Several unit com-manders and executive officers were also present a swell as a number of Protestant and Catholicchaplains, including several supervisory chaplains .

At the conclusion of the second Seder, matzos ,gefilte fish, chicken dinners, kosher Passover can -dies, dried fruits, macaroons, personal comfort kits ,and copies of the Holy Scriptures and Jewish SeaStories were distributed . The canned kosher foodsand matsos were provided by the National JewishWelfare Board . The Ladies Auxiliary of the Pvt Ed -ward L . Lipsky Post No . 764 of the Jewish Wa rVeterans, Flushing, New York sent the personalcomfort kits . The Samuel J . Goldfarb Foundation o fSarasota, Florida contributed the copies of Jewish

Sea Stories . The Atlantic Lodge of B 'nai Brith ,Brooklyn, New York sent packages of dried fruits .Several individuals as well as organizations sen tkosher foods and matzos to be distributed .

As part of the ecumenical spirit of the age, theFather Owens Memorial Post No . 1187, Catholi cWar Veterans, of Newark, New Jersey, sent a larg enumber of Happy Passover greeting cards to b edistributed to the Jewish men . These were part of1,884 cards which were sent by Catholic and Jewis hchildren in Parochial and Jewish day schools in th eNewark, New Jersey area . The letter from theCatholic War Veterans Post sent to the CatholicChaplain read :

Enclosed you will find Easter and Passover Cards fromschool children . Please distribute the Passover cards to ourJewish brothers or to the Jewish Chaplains . The childre nsent these messages with love ; the notes they wrote arefrom the heart . We send Passover greetings to our Jewis hbrothers on their holy day just as God sent his Son t oearth ; to show us how to live as brothers . The significanceof both holy days show that all people should live in peac eand freedom .33

Each of the Passover cards which the CatholicSchool children sent contained a short persona lgreeting and letter addressed to a soldier or friend i nVietnam . Many of the children asked that th esoldiers write them . The students of the HillelAcademy, Passaic, New Jersey sent hand colore dPassover cards . The back cover of the card in-terestingly read : "Three symbols (Pesach—Passove rsacrifice, Matzoh—bread of affliction, Manor— bit -ter herbs) of man ' s endurance in the struggle to befree of affliction and oppression ."3 4 The rubberstamp imprint of the Father Owens Memorial Pos t1187, Catholic War Veterans appeared below the ex -planation of the three symbols .

Chaplain Reiner summed up his perception of thisexperience by saying :

The Passover celebration in Da Nang was unique ,historic, festive, and well attended . However, its primaryimportance was its religious and spiritual character and im-pact . The Passover festival provided the opporunity for th emen to feel a part of the larger world Jewish communityand its historical tradition . It was especially meaningful fo rthem to be able to participate in the Passover festival whe nthey are in a strange country, over 8,000 miles from hom eand families . "

Passover is one of the few opportunities in a com-bat zone in which Jewish servicemen can join in


9 7


Holding candles, the children 's choir of the Evangelical Protestant Church of Tam Ky

and An Tan performs traditional Christmas carols for visiting 1st MAW Marines durin gdedication ceremonies for the Vietnamese church's new building on 22 December 1966 .

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prayer and fellowship with a large Jewish congrega-tion . For most Jewish servicemen who are often theonly Jewish men in their unit, participation in th eSeder celebration is a unique and deeply movin greligious experience .

Passover in Vietnam will long be remembered b ythe chaplains as well as by the men . The presence ofso many new faces was a reminder of the continual

challenge to meet and serve all the religious needs o f

personnel who were widely dispersed in the line an dsupporting, units of the three Marine enclaves and i nthe many remote outposts in the I Corps area . Tomeet their spiritual and social needs by helping pro -vide the oppor.tunities for men to identify with thei rspiritual heritage and community is the essence o fthe chaplaincy .

CHAPTER 7

Teaching and Preaching (June - September 1966 )

Hearts and Minds: The Personal Response Project—Meeting the Needs of Worship

With the expansion of the Vietnam War, th echaplains' role by mid-1966 was also expanded andtook on new missions beyond the traditional role ofserving the spiritual needs of their assigned units .Chaplains had always preached to the troops fro mthe tenents of the faith they espoused . They alsolooked beyond the immediate message they wer echarged with bringing to the service community, t othe implications for the social impact it should en -courage. Humanitarian activity in the form ofassistance to orphanages, hospitals, needy villages ,and refugee camps was an obvious and continuou sresult . Other results were less obvious but perhap smore far-reaching . They involved establishing uni-que ministries . Chaplains were involved in instruc-ting Marines in the area of drug education as well asmoral behavior while away from the command o nrest and recreation trips, and they fell very naturall yinto the role of teacher when consideration of th eneed to respect the customs and culture of Viet-namese people arose .

_

The Chaplain Corps of the armed services general-ly have not undertaken unique ministries . They haveusually, and altogether rightfully, reflected the ap-proaches of the civilian community as regards in-novation . The pluralistic character of the Chaplai nCorps also imposes a caution in beginning uniqu eministerial efforts . This is generally viewed as ahealthy condition but it contributes to a conservativ eapproach to most opportunities . The cross-cultura lefforts of the Navy Chaplains Corps in coordinatio nwith the Marine Corps in Vietnam runs counter tothis tendency. The concentrated study of theMarines' cross-cultural impact undertaken in Viet-nam was an experimental ministry and as such wasnot without its problems . And, although it did notcontinue past the Vietnam years in the same form ,the understanding that the religious message has abroader application than personal soul-saving andlife-stabilizing was firmly established in Vietnam

and thereafter vigorously pursued. Programs Navy-wide and uniquely involving the Chaplain Corps adecade later would look to these experimental effort sfor their philosophical base and inspiration .

Hearts and Minds : The Personal Response Projec t

In Vietnam the American military had t orecognize a factor in counter-insurgency warfare wit hwhich they did not have to cope in more traditiona lwarfare . They had to consider the loyalty of the in-digenous population to their government and thismeant an understanding of the people 's culture ,society, and policies . In a word, to succeed they ha dto help win the people's hearts and minds to th egovernment's cause .

In recent history U .S . forces had either to act as oc-cupying forces, as in Germany after the cessation o fhostilities in World War II, or as a peacekeepingforce in temporary residence in a host country, suc has Korea . And although American troops have tradi-tionally respected the integrity of another culture' svalues, such sensitivity had been regulated by com-mand as well as courtesy . In those instances th efighting had ceased and attempts to encourage goodbehavior were not linked to a recognition of its im-portance in a military situation . American ser-vicemen were asked to be good ambassadors ; theyhad no reason to fear anything more than comman ddissatisfaction and possible reprisal if their conductwas anything other than impeccable . In Vietnam,however, American military forces faced a situatio ncompletely unlike anything they had experienced intheir past . There, the references upon which valu ejudgements were made and which in many instancesdetermined behavioral reaction, moved outside th eboundaries with which many Americans wer efamiliar . All too often innocent gestures, facial ex-pressions, or outbursts of emotion were misinter-preted . Under circumstances such as these, when un -

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conscious behavior resulted in indignation on th epart of the Vietnamese because the offender ha dunknowingly violated a cultural or religious custom ,a security threat existed .

The initiative for the development of a uniqu eand important Personal Response project wa sgenerated by the Commanding General, Flee tMarine Force, Pacific in 1964, prior to Marine am-phibious landings in the Republic of Vietnam . Evenbefore active United States participation in the war ,General Krulak recognized that in order to under -mine Communism, the confidence of the people wasessential . It is to his credit that General Krulakrecognized this as the central issue for non -communist forces in South Vietnam :

Much has been said and written about the importance o fwinning the hearts and minds of the people in Vietnam i fwe are to be successful in carrying out our mission in thatwar-torn country . Victory will come as the people want tohelp themselves . We can win everything in Vietnam bu tthe people, and suffer an abysmal defeat . We must star tby knowing them as they are and building from there . It i sself-defeating to be willing to do everything for the Viet-namese except understand them as persons . '

The idea to begin research into the situation tha texisted in Vietnam, its mores and culture, to deter -mine in essence feasibility of such a study as a pilo tproject, evolved during a Marine exercise (Operatio nSilver Lance), which was held on the west coast of th eUnited States in March 1965 . Prior to this tim eChaplain Craven attempted to locate material whic hwould assist the combat Marine in understandin glocal peoples . The Army Area Handbook was initial-ly adopted for this purpose, along with Arm yreligious studies, both of which had been field -tested in Vietnam . It was felt, however, that mor especific data was essential to the Marine effort . Thiswas confirmed as a consequence of experience gainedin Operation Silver Lance, in which there were ex-tensive simulations of problems that arise whenmilitary personnel are not adequately informedabout, or capable of appreciating, the value systemsof a society other than their own . Silver Lance con-vincingly demonstrated that the lack of such infor-mation could alienate local peoples, cause a decreas ein security, a potential increase in casualties, and af-fect the extension of time necessary for successfu lpacification and redevelopment of strife-tornsocieties .

Prior to this period the United States Army ha dstaffed a study very similar to the Marine project, en -

titled "The Impact of Indigenous Religions UponU.S . Military Operations Under All Conditions . "This study agreed that existing sources of informa-tion were inadequate to prepare the American ser-vicemen for adjustment to a foreign culture .

After the information from Silver Lance had beendigested, General Krulak and his staff chaplain ,Captain Craven, decided to request the Chief ofChaplains to send an investigator to Vietnam t ostudy how these beliefs affected behavior . The yassigned initial priority to religion on the assump-tion that it largely determined ethical systems andcultural habits . Consistent with this determination ,Commander Robert L . Mole (Seventh Day Adven-tist) was ordered to undertake such a study, and pro-ceeded to do so immediately . The project was ex-pected to take about six months . 2

American Marines and naval personnel in Viet-nam had always received basic indoctrination in thereligious customs, practices, and taboos of the peo-ple . Shortly after U .S. Marines of MAG-16 ' sMedium Helicopter Squadron-163, engaged o nOperation Shufly, moved north from Soc Trang toDa Nang in September 1962, local missionaries wereemployed in troop indoctrination. While in 196 3and 1964 the indoctrination program at Da Nan gbecame increasingly more sophisticated and effec-tive, its effectiveness depended upon the talents of asingle missionary and the chaplain assisting him .With the arrival of Marine combat units in Da Nangin March of 1965, it became readily apparent that a nextensive program of lecture and discussions on th einfluence of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, an dother indigenous religions on the life of the peopl ewas necessary . While there was no specific connec-tion between these events and the conversation bet-ween General Krulak and Chaplain Craven, themotivation behind both merged into the directivegiven Chaplain Mole which resulted in implementa-tion of the "Southeast Asia Religious Research Pro-ject ." Since the perception in Vietnam was already i nthis direction, the need for such materials asChaplain Mole was responsible for producing wasrecognized by those in the field, and the result was abroad acceptance of and appreciation for his work .

During his several trips to Vietnam Chaplain Mol ediscussed his progress with III MAF Chaplain Gar-rett . Then, as Chaplain Mole neared the completionof research, Chaplain Craven urged preparation of

TEACHING AND PREACHING

10 1

materials for the immediate use of chaplains, andChaplain Garrett offered to assist him in th epreparation of two lectures, with illustrative flip -charts, for general use by all chaplains in I Corps .

The lectures were prepared, the flip-charts wer ecompleted, and Chaplains McLean and Radasky o f3d Marine Division Headquarters presented the lec-tures to chaplains assembled for the purpose o fevaluating them . Acceptance was immediate ;chaplains were trained to present the materials . Twolectures on "Religions of Vietnam" and "Religiousl yBased Customs of Vietnam" were thereafterpresented to newly arriving troops in all command sin III MAF .

Chaplain Mole continued to refine his material sand to add to them throughout the remainder of hi sone-year tour of duty with Fleet Marine Force ,Pacific . He had reported for duty in August of 196 5and was relieved in July 1966 . Phase One of the pro-ject, the research, preparation, and production of in-doctrination materials suitable for use in orientingNavy and Marine Corps personnel in Vietnam wassuccessfully completed by Chaplain Mole before hi sscheduled departure .

Chaplain Mole was relieved by Lieutenant Com-mander Richard A . McGonigal (Unite dPresbyterian) as the Project Officer for the FMFPac-sponsored " Southeast Asia Religious Research Pro-ject ." Since the research phase of the project hadbeen completed and the emphasis now was to be im-plementation, the Chief of Chaplains directed tha tthe term "research " be dropped from the project ti-tle .

Paragraph 1 of Chaplain McGonigal's charter let -ter reflected the change :

During the past year he (Chaplain Mole) has gathered avast amount of information and materials on the religiou sdynamics, customs and traditions of the Vietnamese . Fromthis material lecture presentations have been prepared an dused by Chaplain Mole and by other chaplains of the Flee tMarine Force, Pacific . With the completion of thi spreliminary task the emphasis now shifts from research t othe revision and refinement of materials and methods o fpresentation . This must also be a concern for the persona lresponse of our military personnel as they work with th eVietnamese people in achieving victory over the enem yand in establishing a strong and stable government fo rthemselves . To accomplish this second phase of the projec ta relief was requested for Chaplain Mole and the Chief ofChaplains has assigned Lieutenant Commander RichardA . McGonigal, CHC, USN as the project officer for thi spurpose . As in the case of Chaplain Mole he is assigned to

the Staff of the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force ,Pacific/I Marine Amphibious Corps [Forward], who wil lfurnish administrative and logistical support . ;

In the same charter-letter Chaplain McGonigal ' sduties were set forth . He was to provide presenta-tions, background information, and training aids fo rchaplains and others attempting to help our person-nel in developing a more wholesome response an dbetter attitude toward the local people ; conducttraining sessions for chaplains and other personne lwho will be making presentations ; assemble an devaluate information pertaining to the religiou sbeliefs and value systems of indigenous people ;prepare mass media inserts and other techniques fo rstimulating interest and discussion among the men ;and solicit and evaluate feedback from all who con -ducted presentations and others involved in day-by -day relations with the people . Chaplain Craven wasto provide overall field supervision and technicalguidance and Chaplain Garrett was to exercise super -vision while Chaplain McGonigal was working in ICorps Tactical Zone .

Phase two of the Religions of Southeast Asia Pro-ject was a natural extension of the research, prepara-tion, and indoctrination phase . It was required tohold the behavioral, attitudinal beachhea destablished in the orientation lectures . Revisedmaterials were made available to commands forpresentation to Vietnam-bound troops still in theUnited States . In Vietnam it was noted that combatitself, with the hazards naturally associated wit hcounterinsurgency warfare, and problems arisingfrom joint military efforts, had a way of shaping un-favorable attitudes . Chaplain McGonigal thereforeaddressed himself to the matters of attitude chang-ing and more effective communications .

The name for the project was changed to signifythe new emphasis . Two words from Chaplai nMcGonigal's charter illustrated the shift in emphasi sand became the official title of the effort . They wer e"Personal Response" and the official title became th e"Personal Response Project . "

Chaplain McGonigal's work was well received inVietnam . Throughout the remainder of 1966 h econtinued to gather scientific samplings of attitude sand addressed himself to the matters of improve dcommunications and attitude changing . In hisDecember issue of the "Force Chaplain' sNewsletter," Chaplain Craven said :

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There is a growing awareness that the key to our pacifica-tion or Revolutionary Development Program in Vietnam ,is the individual Marine himself. It is not enough to giv ethings to people or to do things for people without relatin gto them as persons . During my November visit to Vietna mI found a great deal more interest in, and discussion of, thePersonal Response Project . Major General Robertshaw in-vited me to speak about the project to the members of hi smess when I was there as his guest for dinner . I describe dthe background of the project and why the CommandingGeneral FMFPAC requested the assignment of Chaplai nMole, who was relieved by Chaplain McGonigal . I also tol dhow the Chief of Navy Chaplains had established it as aspecial project of the Chaplain Corps Planning Groupunder the direction of the Commanding General ,FMFPAC . I emphasized that it was not a chaplains' pro -gram, but was designed to assist commands in carrying ou ttheir people-to-people and Civic Action programs . This i snot "McGonigal's project" or a "Chaplain's project," fo rthe matter of building better relationships with the Viet-namese is a command responsibility . By the nature of theirtraining and calling, however, Chaplains do feel that the yplay a vital role in this endeavor .4

Chaplain Craven's remarks pointed up two in-teresting matters with regard to Personal Response i nVietnam. First, he voiced a growing sentiment tha tPersonal Response was of such importance an dmagnitude that chaplains could no longer pursue it sobjective alone . It was developing into a command -wide effort on a level with civic action, as indeed i thad been envisioned initially by General Krulak ,Chaplain Craven, and Chaplain Mole . Second, hisremarks pointed to the need, which chaplains felt, t osubject their involvement in the program to carefu ltheological scrutiny, and to distinguish thei rreligious motivation from that of pacification or"Revolutionary Development . "

What the Personal Response Program called intoquestion was the traditional intepretation of th efunction of the military chaplain . The initial ra-tionale employed to justify chaplains' involvemen tin this type of effort evolved from the recognition o rbelief, that much of the daily activity as well as th ecultural manners of a people derived from religiousl ybased foundations . To this was added the primar yduty traditionally required of the chaplain that h eadvise his command on "the religious customs andinstitutions which members of the command shouldrespect during visits to foreign countries ." 5 On thesegrounds, then, with the thought that the primarymotive of the project was to provide data on religiou scustoms, Chaplain Mole had been originally dispat-ched to Vietnam for the purpose, as he conceived of

it, of data collection . The results of his intensive ef-forts, titled "The Religions of South Vietnam i nFaith and Fact, " was compiled from many shorte rreleases, all authored and researched by Chaplai nMole, with the cooperation of Lieutenant Com-mander W . Warren Newman (Disciples of Christ) ,extraordinary writer and member of the Chaplai nCorps Planning Group, whose principal mission wa sto oversee the project .

This manual assisted the Marines in the field bymaking them aware of local taboos and religiou scustoms. But familiarity with Vietnamese religionsturned out not to be the final answer to the problemof cross-cultural interaction and response to foreigncultures that Operation Silver Lance had il-luminated . Under the impact of a developin gawareness of the behavioral sciences which occurre dwhile Chaplain Mole was serving in-country in Viet-nam, a conceptual shift developed in the Plannin gGroup that eventually changed the focus of the pro -gram and its research-oriented first phase . That thistransition affected the ideology that supported th eproject was partially seen in the decision in Jun e1966 to change the name of the project to Persona lResponse in order to have it reflect the new direc-tion . The new name more accurately presented th egoals and priorities of the program which had slowl yemerged and were defined as the result of the testingof the material fed it by the Southeast Asia Religiou sProject . The Planning Group felt that the presenc eor absence of religious information had little to d owith cultural relationships, at least insofar asAmerican experience in Vietnam was concerned .Chaplain Mole's religious data, while of distinc tvalue as such, did not touch the real problem area ofthe relationship with indigenous proples . It wasdiscovered, in fact, that in certain instances the ex-istence of specific religious information about a nalien culture provided an individual with more to b econtemptuous of in his regard for a society un-familiar to him .

When Lieutenant Commander McGoniga ldeparted for Vietnam in June 1966 to reliev eChaplain Mole, he went committed to a newer con-cept, more encompassing and subjective than th ereligious-ethical approach . The new philosophy o fPersonal Response transcended ideas which ha dpreceded it and was more intellectually based . Th e1966 concept of Personal Response focused on th erecognition of value systems ; it was based on the


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Chaplain Willard W. Bartlett gives a lecture on native religions to MAG-15 Marines .

awareness that Americans share with each other acommon and distinctive value system, viewpoints ,and patterns of communication and behaviorism suniquely different from the value-belief-behavio rsystems of Vietnam . It was found that when thes ebasic differences find no common point ofunderstanding alienation often results, sometimes a sthe product of an unintentional violation of a value .Personal Response was officially defined in th e

following terms :

The Personal Response Project in Vietnam is a system-atic effort to :

a. Understand the Vietnamese culture by learningabout its people, why they believe and act as they do, thei rreligious principles and ethical value systems, in order to ,

b. Modify and eventually eliminate unfavorable at-titudes and offensive behavior patterns toward indigenou scitizens,

c. Promote constructive relationships and appropriat emutual assistance between military personnel and theVietnamese, and

d. Increase in some degree trust and confidence bet-ween American military personnel and indigenou scitizens .6

The importance of religion in this newly expande dphilosophy was diminished . It no longer provided arationale for the entire research project, but it stil lheld a significant position in the foundational struc-ture of the project and seemed to justify the continu-ing involvement of Navy chaplains . But religion assuch was clearly no longer the controlling variable i nthe approach of Personal Response . Chaplain War-ren Newman defined the parameters of the new pro-ject in more generalized terms : "This project gre wout of the realization that the behavioral pattern sand attitudes of people are a natural consequence of

104


their religious, cultural and ethical convictions an dvalue systems and that greater understanding of peo-ple could result from increased awareness of theseconvictions and systems ." 7

Surveys of chaplains ' attitudes showed that som ebelieved that this conceptual shift from purel yreligious criteria to areas which involved attitude an dbehavior analysis removed the chaplain from hi sprimary duty, the spiritual ministry to American ser-vicemen . There arose a division of opinion surroun-ding this aspect of the program and some chaplainsfelt that such a future-oriented and largely untestedprogram fell outside a chaplain ' s responsibilities .The Chief of Chaplains, Rear Admiral James W .Kelly, however, recognized Personal Response, asthen conceived, as pastorally legitimate but secon-dary to religious and pastoral counseling functions .Among other chaplains Personal Response and it sphilosophy attracted many supporters who believe dthat its attempt to teach people to respect othe rcultural values in an effort to change attitudes wa sconsistent with the chaplain's purpose in the fun-damental business of attempting to effect a recon-ciliation of man to man .

In any case, opinion relating to the project dif-fered . There were those who clearly though tchaplains were being drawn away from their primar ymission and there were those who believed that thechaplain's responsibilities extended beyond th esacramental ministry and fell within the concept o fPersonal Response as outlined by its new philosophy .

The adverse reactions, developed from considere dreflection on the part of concerned clergymen overthe emerging idea of the Personal Response Project ,were perhaps in response to the possible implicatio nof the Chaplain Corps in a church-state controversy .In addition, many of the negative feelings towar dthe project may have been fueled by the naggin gdoubt that it could accomplish its purpose, whic hwas admittedly highly idealistic . This, plus a doub tthat chaplains were the ones who should have th eresponsibility for making such a program operate ,contributed to a considerable amount of apprehen-sive reluctance .

By June of 1966, however, Personal Response ha dmatured as a distinct philosophy, but it remained tobe proven whether this philosophy was realistic, an dwhether it could answer the many question sassociated with the culture shock felt by the Marin eand actually prevent the development of a negative

attitude toward the Vietnamese, given the realitie sof war . Could the Personal Response Project satisfac-torily resolve the very real problems caused by th ecounter-insurgency situation, on the one hand, an dthe hypothetical theological difficulties seen by it scritics within the Chaplain Corps? Could PersonalResponse reconcile man to man? Before these long -term questions could be answered more concrete in -formation was needed concerning the attitudes o fpersonnel stationed in-country . An index was essen-tial before action could be taken to correct problemareas . In short, the level of discomfort with the pro-ject, and its extent, needed to be determined beforeanything could be done in the way of correcting it .

Chaplain McGonigal had this in mind when herelieved Chaplain Mole, who would be returning tothe United States for further graduate study . WhenChaplain McGonigal arrived, he was prepared to im-plement the new philosophy of Personal Respons ewith a new methodology . Primary among his initialobjectives was the administration of an attitud esurvey among the Marines in I Corps . This survey, i twas hoped, would provide a reference point b ywhich the entire project could be evaluated . It wasboth designed to show how the Vietnamese look atus and we at them . The initial results were somewhatdisturbing; it turned out that of the Marine person-nel, 44 percent liked while 37 percent disliked th eVietnamese . And while 72 percent of the Viet-namese surveyed liked Americans, 46 percen talready felt that we did not like them . Past ex-perience of the Army in Korea indicated that thi swas a potentially dangerous balance of opinion an dthat corrective action was necessary before these at-titudes became fixed . The most critical opinio ngroup was found to be the platoon sergeant or E- 5level, and the junior officer level . These groups ha dthe most direct contact with the Vietnamese .

As soon as this information became known II IMAF initiated a program designed to correct, or a tleast bridge the problem areas . ChaplainMcGonigal, who directed this effort in the field ,prepared the III MAF Platoon Leaders PersonalResponse Notebook . The motivating thought wa sthat attitudes toward peoples of other cultures ar elearned behavior and therefore can be unlearned t osome degree . This publication therefore attemptedto use a teaching method which would allow the stu-dent to experience cultural differences and deal wit hthem in a positive and healthy way . The instrument


10 5

used was called the "critical incident technique "which consisted of a set of procedures for collectin gdirect observations of human behavior in such a wa yas to facilitate their potential usefulness in solvin gpractical problems and developing broa dpsychological principles . The technique was formall ydeveloped and given its name by the American In-stitute of Research (AIR) and relies upon extraor-dinary examples of cross-cultural encounters whic hwere observably effective or ineffective, rather tha nattempting massive data accumulation and relate dindoctrination that might or might not have bee nrelated to interaction success or failure . The "criticalincident" explored the potential for the isolation o fthe critical factors involved in the success or failure o fintercultural contacts and helped to establish th ecritical requirement for effective cross-cultural in-teraction . The technique was designed to eliminat ethe collection and dissemination of opinions an dprovide the student with access to a record of specifi cbehavior characteristics which could be carefully

studied as a means of isolating the factors whicheither antagonize or facilitate understanding andcooperation across cultural barriers .

The Platoon Leader's Personal Response Noteboo kwas initially roughed out for use without the critical -incident technique included in the format . It con-tained twenty-four briefings for squad-sized group sand was constructed around successful and unsuc-cessful interaction experiences . The publication ofthis Notebook coincided with the formalization ofan educational structure which involved lecture ,discussion, illustrated message posters, human in-terest news releases, and role-playing in village -simulation settings at the NCO Leadership School in

Okinawa, and the installation of a heavy emphasis i nthe Orientation School for combined action units .Since General Krulak demanded a product that wa seducationally sound as well as practical, Chaplai nNewman came from Washington to meet Chaplai nMcGonigal and Chaplain Craven in Hawaii wher ethey spent an intensive day adding the critical -

Religious services during Operation Medina (1967) were held frequently for the 1s tMarines, moving in convoy towards Quang Tri, by regimental Chaplain Carl A . Auel.




Chaplain (Lieutenant Commander) Ray W. Stubbe leads Marines of the 1st Battalion ,26th Marines, in worship services during the siege of the Khe Sanh Combat Base .

incident technique to the Notebook . The result wasa new publication entitled Unit Leader's PersonalResponse Handbook .

Within III MAF itself the command implemente dthe project through the information of Persona lResponse Councils . They were established in the 3 dMarine Division, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and th eForce Logistics Command . In January 1967, MajorGeneral Wood B . Kyle, commanding the 3d Marin eDivision, directed that a Personal Response Counci lbe established and a project officer be assigned t oassess the attitudes of Marines toward the Viet-namese people and to promote better relations at thelowest possible echelon . This council, of which thedivision chaplain was a member and to meetings ofwhich the assistant division chaplain was invited ,met once a month to discuss methods and pro-cedures for troop indoctrination and to develo pmethods for fostering respect between Marines and

Vietnamese . Participation in the project also occur-red at a less intense level in the 1st Marine Division ,1st MP Battalion, 9th Amphibious Brigade, and th eNaval Support Activity at Da Nang .

The most active support developed in the field ,perhaps because it was there, where contact wit hboth the enemy and the people was constant, tha tthe working results of Personal Response were mos tclearly seen . Within the tactical area of responsibilit yof the 3d Marine Division a great many life-savin gincidents were reported whose origin lay in the suc-cess of Personal Response in promoting intercultura lattitude improvement . The rate of life-saving in-cidents was considerably lower in areas where Per-sonal Response was less vigorously pursued .Throughout its history in Vietnam, PersonalResponse was found to be a valuable aid to Marine sin the field, and more and more military mind sbegan to support the intention of the program when


10 7

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A3694S 0

Jewish Yom Kippur service is held in the 1st Marine Divi,rion chapel in September 1966 .Individuals participating in the rituals are : (from left) Chaplain Robert L . Reiner; EAD3Allan Shwartz ; HM3 Bruce Potolofsky (cantor) ; and Chaplain David B. Saltzman .

it could be proved that it paid off in lives saved . Thefact remained that it was easier to patrol when th epeople liked you .

Chaplain McGonigal vas relieved by Commande rOtto Schneider (United Church of Christ) who pro-ceeded to take over the formal structure of Persona lResponse, while Chaplain McGonigal served a six -month extension to conduct further attitude surveys .Chaplain Schneider managed the program and th egrowing administration established in conjunctionwith it in I Corps with great efficiency and in Jul y1968 he was relieved in turn by Commander Neil M .Stevenson (United Presbyterian) .

Phase II of Personal Response had begun with th epromulgation of Annex H to III MAF OperationsOrder 201 . This order established Personal Respons ecouncils as part of each major command and an

ongoing training program . It superceded III MAFForce Order 1730 .3A which suggested that, on a tria lbasis, commands appoint PR councils . This assuredPersonal Response a broader acceptance in the opera-tional considerations of the force . Up to this timePersonal Response had been supported and strongl yendorsed by III MAF, but it did not have the statur eof an operational program . It remained an idealwhose significance often went unrecognized . Manyofficers persisted in interpreting Vietnam as a con-ventional war, and for them Personal Responseseemed an unnecessary administrative burden, an dpart of the chaplain's program . Some field com-manders, however, who began to understand th eimplications and political significance of theideological war for the hearts and minds of the peo-ple, recognized Personal Response as an essentialbridge between the U .S. military presence and


night visit became the key to a successful ministr ywithin the battalion . He remembered :

I now began to experience the hardships and th edangers which are part and parcel of a line company . Thi sis the common denominator or the great equalizer in th emind of a field Marine . Sharing his miserable existence ,eating the same C-rations, sleeping alongside a newly du ghole in case of a mortar attack, surviving the intolerabl eweather, and establishing the rapport so essential in ou rministry . 8

Coverage within the separated companies posed aproblem . Beside the company CP there were tw oother platoon positions from which patrols and am -bushes were executed . Transportation was arrangedby the company commander, usually in conjunctio nwith the resupply run on a tank or amtrack .

Chaplain Henry T. Lavin celebrates Mass in a hamletchurch south of Phu Bai on Easter Sunday 1967 fo rMarines of a combined action company and Viet-namese villagers. Just after this picture was taken, aViet Cong sniper fired on the congregation and wor-ship was disrupted while he was being flushed out .

Photo courtesy of Chaplain Henry T . Lavi n

Department of Defense (USN) Photo 112068 3Greek Orthodox Chaplain Boris T. Geeza officiate sin a 1967 service for the 4th Marines at Dong Ha.

positive cultural adjustment with local populations .

Meeting the Needs of Worship

While various chaplains were engaged instrategically important teaching ministries the vas tmajority were continuing to serve the religious need sof Marines in the uniqueness of the preaching servic eand with the sacraments .

In the 9th Marines, Lieutenant Commande rThomas J . McDermott (Roman Catholic) relievedChaplain Dowd with the 2d Battalion, 9th Marine sin August 1966 . When McDermott reported, thebattalion was located south of Da Nang betweenHighway 1 and Hill 55 . Since two line companycommand posts were located in perimeter areas ac-cessible only by helicopter, to provide religiou scoverage it was necessary for Chaplain McDermott t ocoordinate his trips with resupply runs . The com-panies were resupplied daily, so there was no dif-ficulty in returning the following day . This over-


10 9


Religious services are held for Company I, 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, with men at thei r

position near Rock Pile . Note the use of C-ration cases for the improvised altar.

Sometimes it was necessary to go on foot and the n

always with a fire team . The fire team was require das a precaution should an occasion arise that was jus ttoo much for the chaplain's assistant to handle .Chaplain McDermott had reason to be grateful fo rthe practice on one occasion after he had held Masson Hill 22 . He reported : "On my return, my assis-tant and I walked into a ambush . Crossing rice pad -dies at the foot of the hill, automatic weapons open-ed up on us, wounding my assistant . It was probablyno more than two VC who paid close attention to my

. 9Just after Chaplain McDermott's arrival at the 2 d

Battalion, 9th Marines, Lieutenant John T . Collins(Southern Baptist) relieved Chaplain Cory in 1st Bat-

talion, 9th Marines . Chaplain Collins wryly wrote :

On Hill 55, I lived underground . From the Comman dPost I gave religious coverage to the forward companies,

moving about by chopper, amtrack, tank, mighty-miteand by foot . During my very first service out forward withDelta Company, I received a lesson in humility . As themen gathered for services they spaced themselves and satlow in a dry rice paddy . I stood up on the dyke to preach .About half-way through the service, 10 rounds from a V Cweapon whizzed by my ear . The Chairman of the Board ofDeacons and six companies took care of the disturbance .Needless to say, I completed the service down in the ric epaddy, on a level with the laity ."'

Preaching in the combat environment was not on-ly difficult from the point of view of individual safe-ty . What the chaplain came to say also occasione dlong hours of personal soul searching . Since speakingforthrightly about eternal truth always takes th elisteners current situation into account, preaching i nthe context of the Vietnamese conflict had a par-ticular agony, and could not be tossed off lightlywith traditional phrases . Chaplain Collins stated :

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The closer we got to the front lines the more responsivewere Marines to the chaplain's presence and to the worshi pservices . Foxhole religion for the most part stands open tomuch criticism, but the shallow experience can sometimesact as the catalyst for a deeper religious experience . In th e"grunt" I saw a lot of boys grow into men, and a lot of me ngrow spiritually in the chaos of war . I discovered that thechaplain must have some answers as regards war and th etaking of a human life . The presence and message of th echaplain should remind them that we can never kill in -discriminately . The battle to resist the threat of becomingbestial in this kind of conflict is always present . "

During this period Protestant coverage of the 1s tBattalion, 3d Marines was given by Chaplai nLionberger, who followed a vigorous but not uni-que, worship schedule. On Mondays he traveled b yvehicle out about five miles to conduct a service for acombined action company unit at 0900 . At 1030 afew miles farther out a service was held at Compan yB. Moving to another company position on a nearb yhill, Company D was covered at 1400 in its messhall .On Thursdays a resupply helicopter took him to th etop of Dong Den Hill north of Da Nang, altitud e2,500 feet, with a small helo platform scraped off anarrow peak where previously three helos had crash -ed. An artillery observation team of 12 men in-habited the top of Dong Den, a strip of groun dabout 15 feet wide by 300 feet long, with cliffs an djungle on every side . A service on Dong Den wasusually a "rush job ." It was necessary to complete th eservice by the time the choppers finished the resupp-ly . Flying down then from Dong Den he would lan don Hill 124 where there was a platoon of Company Bwhere the preaching was complicated by, he re -ported, "the hooting of monkeys and the songs o fwild birds continuously filling the air ."1 2

On Fridays he flew by chopper to Hill 364 abov ethe regimental command post where radio relay andartillery observation teams were located . Saturdaywas nearly the busiest day of the week when h ecovered Company C. The first stop was the Com-pany CP, located at the Plant about 10 miles awa yfor services at 0900 . From there he began the clim btoward Hai Van Pass, stopping at Hill 358 to con -duct a service at 1030 . "The scenery was beautiful, "he reported, "and reaching Hai Van Pass, the view o fthe Da Nang harbor was breath-taking ." 13 Sundayservices at the 3d Marines CP began the Sabbath an dthree Lutheran services in the afternoon finished a narduous week of 14 services . Chaplain Lionbergerfurther commented :

Photo courtesy of III MAFAmmunition boxes serve as a makeshift altar asChaplain William L. Childers, 9th Marines, con -ducts services on a jungle hilltop south of Khe Sanh .

One of the lessons learned during this ministry was tha tthe chaplain not only had the opportunity to serve th emen spiritually, but that any other favors performed fo rthe men resulted in a more favorable response to hi sministry . I collected hundreds of paperback books fromthe Division Chaplain office for distribution to the com-panies of 1st Battalion, 3d Marines and on one occasio ncarried a refreshment cooler to the men on Dong De nMountain . "

Dong Den Mountain was the "high point" towhich Division Chaplain Morton later referred whe nhe quoted Catholic Chaplain Witt as claiming h ehad the "Highest Masses" in all of Da Nang .

Conducting the preaching and sacamentalministry at the field hospitals presented a continua land special challenge . Chaplain Scanlon reporte dfrom 1st Battalion, 1st Marines as a relief fo rChaplain Glynn, at the C Med Field Hospital .

Chaplain Scanlon who joined his old friend


11 1

Chaplain Kary at C Med, reflected later on thetransfer from a line battalion to hospital ministry :

It is quieter here from the point of view of noise . Th ebig guns aren' t always fighting and there is little fear o fimminent attack as there always was in the Battalion . Bu there there is a different kind of draining . Here the resultsof enemy cunning and barbarity and the results of our ow nhuman mistakes in battle and strategy are brought . Thedead and dismembered, the seriously wounded and theslightly wounded, the neuro-psychiatri ccases—dismembered emotionally and mentally, the in-evitable product of violent killing—those afflicted bydiseases native to this country, all these as well as the doc-tors and corpsmen, form the congregation of the FieldHospital Chaplain . While the strain of imminent battle i snot close, the strain of absorbing so much human hurt hassent me away from our A & S tent many times with tear son my cheeks . Those at home who may wonder can be surethat every effort was made, some indeed heroic, when ou rdoctors and corpsmen have worked on the patients withou tcounting the hours or days, without rest and meals . "

But perhaps there are no more dramatic memorie sof worship services and preaching opportunities by

chaplains than those held while on combat opera-tions . Worship services on operations were con-tinuously unique, demanding inventiveness fromthe chaplain .

Operations on the southern perimeter of the D aNang Combat Base had been occurring in increasingnumbers since the massive Harvest Moon operatio nthe previous December . From their end-of-tour nar-ratives, it was apparent that for many chaplains on eoperation ran into another . Accounts of one oranother period of combat were often omitted, acombat ministry having become the norm or stan-dard rather than the exception . A sensitive observa-tion and record was made by one chaplain while o nOperation Liberty, which was a division-wide scrub-bing action in the Da Nang TAOR that extended theMarine "front lines" to the Ky Lam River . LieutenantDelbert J . Cory (Reorganized Church of Latter Da ySaints) reported :

I rode a circuit, holding services for each company an dplatoon and spending the night with the men wher e

Worship service held in the field in 1968 by Company K, 3d Battalion, 4th Marines ofthe 3d Marine Division. Note the use of the helmet and cross on the improvised altar.

Deaartment of Defense (USMO Photo A 190846

112


Department of Defense (USN) PhotoChilders conducts services on a jungle hilltop south of Khe Sanh.

battalion chaplain with the 9th Marines .

sion religious coverage in the Chu Lai Combat Bas ewas coordinated by 1st Marine Division Chaplai nJohn Wissing from his arrival on 27 March 1966 t ohis relief on 25 August and detachment the follow-ing day . Weekly meetings of all chaplains in th eenclave were held and topics of professional interes twere presented and discussed . Such subjects as "In -creasing Church Attendance " , "American Red CrossBriefings", and "Religious Coverage in the FirstMarine Division, First Marine Aircraft Wing an dSeabees" , were discussed . Special presentations weremade by Chaplains Capodanno and McGonigal .Chaplain Capodanno, having been a Maryknoll mis-sionary to the Far East before making application forthe Navy Chaplain Corps, was especially equippe dto present the subject, "Psychology of the Orienta lMind ." He was invited to make the presentation t oGeneral Fields and his division staff, and to othe rgroups concerned with understanding the minds o fthe Vietnamese people . Chaplain McGonigal spokeon the "Personal Response Project" and describedthe data collection process in which he was thenengaged .

At monthly intervals, III MAF Chaplain Garret tmade special presentations of professional interest to

Chaplain William L .Chaplain Childers was serving as a

nightfall would catch me . In addition to 1st Battalion, 1stMarines, I held services for 1st Battalion, 11th Marines ,First Marines CP and for the MAAG at Hoi An . Assistancefor Catholic coverage was given by Chaplains Roy andKenny . On Operation liberty the troops swept south toHoi An on a line and I was able to walk the line from thebeach to Highway 1 holding services as I went . I usuallycovered the 8 miles in 3 or 4 days . However, one day Ibegan at daybreak with a service and covered six platoonswith a service for each . Each of the platoon s' CPs was abouta mile from the other, over hot sand dunes . It was a hard ,hot day as my last service was completed right at dark .Visual contact was maintained with the troops along th eline since I was traveling with only my clerk as escort . Notrouble was encountered but I had a few anxious momentswhen I crossed a wide rice paddy and failed to find theposition along the line at the time I reached the tree lineon the other side . After a hasty retreat across the paddy Ifound I had been given wrong directions and had bee nabout 700 yards ahead of the line . After that, I carried myown map to double check the directions I received . Suc h" circuit riding " required a new fox hole each night so m yhands became calloused with digging and I usually return-ed from the field after 4 or 5 days filthy dirty . "

Regimental Chaplain Lemieux later had this com-ment about Chaplain Cory, "he was among th ebravest chaplains I have ever known ." 1 6

Professional developments in the 1st Marine Divi-


11 3

Department of Defense (USN) Photo 36197A chaplain celebrates Catholic Mass in the regimen-tal chapel of the 4th Marines at Dong Ha (1967) .

chaplains in the three enclaves . His intention was tokeep III MAF chaplains fully informed on develop-ment in the Chaplain Corps, policies relating to th eChaplain Corps ministry in Vietnam, and organiza-tional and administrative procedures as they affecte dthe chaplain's work in I Corps Tactical Zone .Chaplain Garrett discussed "Fitness Reports, " "TheField Hospital Ministry, " "Memorial Services, ""Chaplain Corps Civic Action," and "The Chaplain ' sRole in Personal Affairs . "

In the last report of his tenure as divisio nchaplain, Chaplain Wissing indicated to the Chief ofChaplains that, "Seven chapels were constructed .Every unit having a chaplain now has a chapel . Ex-traordinary civic affairs projects include the construc-tion of one Protestant church and two Catholic chur-ches in local communities . Assistance was also give nfrom chapel funds to orphanages, schools ,seminaries, etc .""

When Captain David J . Casazza (RomanCatholic) reported for duty as relief for Chaplai nWissing, 1st Marine Division chaplain, on 2 4August, 18 chaplains were assigned to the division .His T/O strength was officially established at 23 .Four of his chaplains were in Da Nang with the 1st

Marines ; 14 were in Chu Lai . In the one full dayspent together Chaplains Wissing and Casazza con-ferred at length about the personnel situation ,noting that by the end of October with newchaplains arriving, the situation should be stabiliz-ed .

Chaplain Casazza adopted the policy, then in ef-fect in the 3d Marine Division, of rotating chaplain sat six-month intervals between line and support bat-talions . Although he too endorsed the policy as asound one, Chaplain Wissing had never had suffi-cient personnel to do more than establish a patter nof minimal coverage . Changing chaplains was not a seasy as it appears . All changes had to be cleared wit hboth regimental and battalion commanding officers ,and of course, the chaplain had to be consulted a swell . Often and very naturally, the infantry battalio nchaplains did not want to be changed . The comman-ding officers did not want to lose their chaplains .Chaplain Casazza reported :

In one case the Regimental Commander didn't want oneof his battalion chaplains changed . He didn't eve nremember the chaplain's name, but he didn't want hi mchanged . I argued that the chaplain was tired and neededa rest . He finally agreed to let the chaplain go but onl yafter the next operation . The chaplain was wounded o nthe operation . After this, I wavered no more . 1 B

Some units presented unusually difficult rota-tional problems. When Lieutenant Edward R . Tone r(Roman Catholic) arrived for duty as assistan tregimental chaplain of the 11th Marines, he notedthat coverage of the artillery unit was no easy tasksince it consisted of regimental headquarters plu sfour battalions with four batteries to each battalion .He reported :

After I was settled a bit, Chaplain Barcus and I too kturns spending a night with each battery of the variousbattalions . While visiting, we held religious services, gav electures on Vietnam and its religions, and tried in genera lto speak to as many persons as possible . This continueduntil 1 December when I was transferred, to the Secon dBattalion, because Regimental Headquarters had move dto Da Nang . 19

Chaplain Toner had reported one week afte rregimental chaplain Lieutenant Commande rRichard E . Barcus (American Baptist) was reassigne dfrom 1st Battalion, 5th Marines . Chaplain Barcusconfirmed what Chaplain Toner said about th ewidely dispersed units of the regiment and wha tChaplains Malliett and Blank, their predecessors in


Department of Defense (USN) Photo K-3621 9

Chaplain greets worshippers leaving the chapel of the 1st Marines at Da Nang (1967) .

the regiment, had found in earlier months . One ofhis first observations was that artillery was so sprea dout that it was an impossible task to give all the unit sthe kind of coverage he would like . In the Chu La iTAOR alone it spread north to south from Hill 54 t oQuang Ngai and to the Special Forces Camp at Tie nPhuec to the west .

Chaplain Barcus remembered :

Fortunately much of the artillery is close enough to in-fantry units so that coverages for services is not an im-possibility . However, one of my first steps was to take a smany services, that had been previously handled by otherchaplains, as I could . I averaged three services per Sundaywith two or three more during the week . Visitations werelikewise difficult . I developed a schedule which put me ou tin the batteries three nights of every week . In this way eachbattery could be visited overnight in a month and a half .The artillery supports all of the combat operations in th earea and I make an effort to visit the batteries who moved

into the operation area . Services with the men in the fiel dis the most satisfying part of the artillery chaplain' sministry .

The person to person ministry was emphasized and thechaplains were urged to go out to the men in all thei rworking areas . To my observations, the chaplains did asplendid job in reaching their men and providing for thei rreligious needs . I de-emphasized the notion that Sundaywas all-sacred and encouraged the provision of service sthroughout the week . Only in this way could everyone bereached . 2 0

Wing chaplains during this period, were heavil yinvolved in Civic Action . Lieutenant Cecil R .Threadgill (Southern Baptist) of MAG-11 said :

One of the wonderful things about my tour here hadbeen in the thrilling way that my fellow Americans haveresponded in helping the people here . As the needs of th eTin Lanh School have been revealed through newspape rarticles and letters, individuals and churches all across the


11 5


Men of the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, in the field near the Demilitarized Zone on 1 6September 1966, hear Mass celebrated by Chaplain Lt Harris White . Engaged in Opera -tion Prairie, Marines keep a low profile in the surrounding plains covered by tall grass .

116


United States have rallied to the call . Consequently it hasbeen my blessed privilege to be the recipient and thu sdistributor of literally tons of clothing, school supplies ,health supplies, food and toys, plus hundreds of dollars . Ihave never seen people respond with more gratitude thanthe fold at the church and school as many of their need shave been met . I have been most wonderfully andunusually blessed to have been in this position . 2 1

Other significant Civic Action Projects wer eundertaken by MAG-16 chaplains in the summer o f1966 . Lieutenant Donald T. McGrogan (Roma nCatholic) began working on what was later to be call-ed "Boy ' s Town " on Da Nang East and Chaplai nBartlett began working on the III MAF Vietnames eEducation Scholarship Fund . "Boys Town" was to b ea Catholic home for orphaned boys, operated b yFather Bernard Phu Van Hoang and situated on D aNang East . Initial cost of the home was estimated a t$12,000 for which Chaplain McGrogan, with II IMAF Chaplain Garrett, began to plan . The III MA FVietnamese Education Scholarship Fund was to con-sist of a board drawn from all religious groups in th eDa Nang area who would select able and deservingstudents for whom the necessary financial assistancefor a complete high school education would be pro-vided. So successful were these significant civic ac-tion projects that they were to persist throughfollowing years, meeting specific needs among th eVietnamese people, generating great humanitarianinterest on the part of American Marines and Navypersonnel, and cementing Vietnamese-Americanrelations in the area .

Lieutenant David B. Saltzman (Jewish) was thefirst Jewish chaplain to be assigned to a wing unit i nVietnam . He arrived in Da Nang after a dela yenroute on Taiwan, to lead Jewish High Holy Day sobservances for naval personnel there . He found a nagreeable reception, and remembered :

Chaplain Hammerl and Chaplain Wright were so co -operative and efficient, that within an hour of arriving in

Da Nang I was dressed in proper uniform and headed fo rChu Lai on another C-130 . There I met Chaplain Reine rwho was conducting a "delayed" Yom Kippur service fo rthose men .who could not attend service in Da Nang .Throughout my tour, I have been on the move . I havefound chaplains happy to be able to help in furthering m yprogram and desirous of making my task as successful a spossible . 22

The story of Chaplain Saltzman 's tour of dutywith the wing was one of continuous travel . He wasconstantly on the move to Chu Lai, Phu Bai, Don gHa, and Quang Tri . The spiritual satisfaction, h esaid, "granted to me, the Jewish men, and the peo-ple who went out of their way to help, will always b ea spring from which to bring forth strength to live b ythe motto, `cooperation without compromise ."'23

Lieutenant John F . Weaver (Lutheran), who spen this entire tour in the Far East with MWSG-17, foundgreat satisfaction developing his ministry within it .His contribution in the field of education warrantsattention . Twenty-two Character Guidance an dReligions in Vietnam presentations were given topersonnel within the command during this year ,while 31 English classes were taught for Japanes ewhile he was at Iwakuni . He outlined his thinkingabout teaching and preaching in his end of tourreport :

The compassionate ideal of the Christian ministry make sthe chaplain something of a natural for working with in-digenous population while in a land other than his own .However he must exercise caution in the amount of timeand effort expended in this type of work in relationship tohis primary mission as a pastor, priest or rabbi . The ex-perience gleaned while serving as Acting Group Civil Af-fairs Officer of MSWG-17 for a period of three months ,upon first arriving in RVN, is to be cherished and ap-preciated . As the civil affairs work, and the chaplain' sreligious duties, multiplied, it became necessary to relin-quish coordination of the general civic action program . Ihave, however, continued to be involved in religious civilaffairs functions since that time . 24

CHAPTER 8

Risking and Reaching (June-December 1966)Operation Prairie —Arrivals : New and Old—More Growing Pains—1st Marine Division Chaplains—Seabee s

Chaplains in I Corps, October-December 1966— Christmas 196 6

During May and June of 1966 intelligence source shad indicated a general buildup of North Viet-namese Army units was taking place south of th eDemilitarized Zone near the northernmost boun-dary of I Corps Tactical Zone . It was suspected tha ttwo NVA divisions had infiltrated through th eDemilitarized Zone and were preparing an extensiv enetwork of fortifications and tunnels in preparatio nfor a more conventional invasion of South Vietnam .The NVA had recently suffered a succession o freverses in its attempt to skirt Quang Tri and Thu aThien Provinces to enter South Vietnam throughSaravane and Attopeu Provinces of Laos . Since thi sattempt to be absorbed in what appeared to be Vie tCong units, and thus maintain the fiction that th econflict was purely an internal one was a failure, th eNorth Vietnamese decided to abandon , their alread ycompromised disguise and make a frontal assault .Such an assault would relieve pressures on insurgentguerrilla forces of General Walt, and force an aban-donment of the successful enclave concept . To lurethinly spread American Marine units into positio nfor another Dien Bien Phu would also provide th epropaganda victory badly needed by the North Viet-namese .

In the two-week period from 1-15July a successionof 18 3d Marine Division reconnaissance teams wer einserted in Quang Tri Province and along the DMZ .Seventeen of these teams made contact with theNorth Vietnamese . The presence of the enemy wasconfirmed . On 15 July Brigadier General Lowell E .English's Task Force Delta was committed to amassive search and destroy operation in Quang Tr iProvince extending all the way to the DMZ . Contac twith the North Vietnamese Army's 324B Divisionwas established at once . American and South Viet-namese forces consisted of eight battalions of U .S .Marines and an ARVN force of infantry, rangers ,and airborne units .

Lieutenant Randall S . Harris (Episcopal) was withthe 2d Battalion, 4th Marines and Lieutenant

George R . McHorse (Southern Baptist) with the 3 dBattalion, 4th Marines . Their battalions were in-serted in a blocking position astride an infiltratio nand escape route near Cam Lo . Lieutenant ThomasB. Handley (United Presbyterian) was with the 2 dBattalion, 1st Marines, which began to drive north ,and Lieutenant Commander Frank B . Baggot(Southern Baptist) was with the 3d Battalion, 5t hMarines which had been operating as the Specia lLanding Force when it landed by helicopter near Ph oHai on 16 July . From Pho Hai the battalion drovewest to link up with 3d Marine Division units tw odays later . The operation was called Hastings .

For nine days the fighting continued furiously .North Vietnamese tactics remained unchanged fro mprevious encounters : probe attack with mortars andautomatic weapons and withdraw into the jungle .But the tactic became more difficult to implement a sthe vice closed from three directions . Dong Ha wa sextraordinarily busy . Commander James A . Powell(Roman Catholic), 4th Marines Regimenta lChaplain wrote :

Dong Ha has been described as "a cloud of red dust sur-rounding an airstrip which had the dimensions of a ban daid ." Soon there were clouds of red dust climbing 20 fee tinto the air as the huge C-130's coming into the field ever yfew minutes, reversing their props to bring them to a halt ,cast solid sheets of dust skyward as far as one could see . '

The regimental aid station was quickly set up i nan old abandoned French fort . It had been deter -mined that all the wounded were to be evacuated tothis casualty and clearing station . Chaplain Powell'sstation was to be there . Lieutenant CommanderFloyd E . Sims (Southern Baptist) was just reportin gto the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines to replace Chaplai nHarris who had been medically evacuated to theUnited States . His battalion was at the momentengaged in intense combat so, unable to get to it, hetook care of the Protestant ministry at the aid sta-tion . The two chaplains had their work cut out fo rthem . Besides the many, many casualties that bega n

117

118


to flow in, they went to the airstrip and the bivoua careas, telling the men to separate into Catholic an dProtestant groups for divine services . ChaplainPowell wrote :

I was able to offer 23 Masses in three days . For me, cer-tainly a record . As things quieted down a bit, Floyd wa sable to get to his battalion, and I, by helo, was able to ge tto many of the battalions desiring the services of a Catholi cchaplain . So, by helo, mite, by mule and by good old"shanks mare," I became familiar with names like"Helicopter Valley," "The Rockpile" and others, and th eoutcome, although expensive, was never in doubt . At "D"Med for the first time in my life I saw the ravages of warwith young men killed and wounded . There were somememorable incidents with the wounded . I shall neverforget the appreciation of giving a cup of water to thosethat were permitted water or a wet 4x4 gauze pad to thosenot allowed water. Prayer was greatly appreciated by thewounded, especially a prayer of thanksgiving that thei rlives had been spared . Many would request that I visit abuddy and have prayer with him first and then return forprayer with them . I shall •never forget one critically wound-ed man that I had prayer with . After the prayer he askedme to stay with him while the doctors did a tracheotomy .In spite of the pain he was most brave . I was grateful whenI could report to 2d Battalion, 4th Marines in the field . Ido not believe any duty can be as trying emotionally as see-ing wounded and killed day after day . Every hospitalchaplain deserves the respect and admiration of all .2

On 18 July two more Da Nang battalions wer ecommitted to the operation . The 1st Battalion, 1stMarines and 1st Battalion, 3d Marines were lifted t oDong Ha by C-130 . Chaplain Cory, with 1st Bat-talion, 1st Marines reported :

We were only a few miles from the DMZ northwest o fDong Ha . It was impossible to reach one company b yhelicopter because of the rugged terrain and jungle and anescort could not be spared to go on foot . It would havebeen an extended trip of two or three days . Even movingbetween platoons required considerable effort . In som eplaces ; it was so steep that steps had to be cut with an en -trenching tool . In one place, elephant grass was trample ddown to make a place large enough for a service and i nanother place, part of the jungle had to be cleared out toget even a dozen troops together . ;

Two weeks of heavy fighting, which extendedfrom Dong Ha to the Demilitarized Zone, resultedin nearly 900 enemy troops killed and enemy forcesin the area being widely dispersed . Scattered enemyunits retreated hastily through the jungl eundergrowth and across the mountains, avoiding asbest they could the blocked infiltration routes, t osanctuary within and above the DMZ . Recon -

naissance patrols discovered hastily dug graves ,weapons, and stores of food and ammunition lef tbehind by retreating North Vietnamese forces . Occa-sionally an enemy unit would show some signs o ffight . When a group of stragglers revealed its posi-tion by imprudently firing on two patrolling com-panies of 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, the response wasprompt . A four-hour artillery and 81mm mortar bar-rage scattered the force, which left behind 14 dead .Operation Hastings was concluded on 2 August, bu tnot before Chaplain McHorse was wounded in th eface by shrapnel from enemy mortars while attemp-ting to rescue personnel from a downed helicopter .Chaplain McHorse and several other chaplains wer edecorated for their conduct during Hastings .

Before the Marines could even dream of theirhardback tents at Phu Bai, Operation Prairie I beganto heat up in earnest and the regiment was back inbusiness again at its old stand in Dong Ha . Theplans for Dong Ha began to take on a long range

look . Huge Army artillery pieces arrived, ForceLogistic Command (FLC) set up its stores, and mor e

battalions arrived . New names were heard . The Ar-tillery Plateau was at that time a beautifully grass yhill overlooking the DMZ . It was later to be namedfor a heroic Marine and called Camp Carroll . KheSanh was a nice spot far to the west near Laos wher ethe 1st Battalion, 3d Marines was to guard a SpecialForces Camp and a vital airstrip . And there was Mut-ter's Ridge where the 3d Battalion, 4th Marines add-ed to its reputation under the command of lieute-nant Colonel William Masterpool . Then, too, ther ewas Con Thien, a barren village, leveled but by n omeans dead, and Gio Linh which was under the ver ynoses of the North Vietnamese Army. All thesenames and places became familiar to chaplains asthey rode their circuit, sometimes in good weather ,sometimes in the cold, rainy, muddy monsoon ;sometimes in peace and quiet, sometimes in extremeperil .

As Hastings ended and Operation Prairie beganLieutenant Stanley J . Beach (General Association o fRegular Baptists) relieved Chaplain McHorse in th e3d Battalion, 4th Marines . Chaplain Beach ha dprevailed upon division Chaplain Morton for th eassignment, wanting to serve an infantry battalio nsince his arrival .

When Operation Prairie I commenced, all thre ebattalions of the 4th Marines were committed . Toaugment Task Force Delta's three battalions, fresh

RISKING AND REACHIN G

troops from the 5th and 7th Marines at Chu Lai wer ebrought to northern I Corps and the Da Nang bat-talions were permitted to remain in their can-tonments for the time being . In addition, one bat-talion of the 26th Marines, recently deployed , fromthe reactivated 5th Marine Division at Cam pPendleton, joined the action in late August .

11 9

Operation Prairie

Following closely upon the heels of Operatio nHastings, Prairie began at a comparatively slow pace ,but would continue, in four phases, until 31 Ma y1967 . It was apparent that the North Vietnamese in -tended to move across the Demilitarized Zone andthat Hastings had only temporarily discouraged thei rattempts to capture and hold the cities of Quang Triand Dong Ha . The degree of sanctuary which the yenjoyed in and above the Demilitarized Zon erepresented an advantage too significant to ignore .Enemy artillery regiments, mortar and rocket unitswere moved into position in the DMZ and began fir-ing at Vietnamese villages and American troop con-centrations, supply centers, and air strips now bein gestablished in the area . For the first time, across th eDMZ, the war appeared to be assuming the propor-tions of conventional combat .

In September several additional battalions, thistime from the 1st Marine Division at Chu Lai, wer eair lifted into the operation . The 2d Battalion, 7thMarines was first to be committed . Due to th emedical evacuation of Chaplain Pearson, the bat-talion had no chaplain attached until Lieutenan tWilliam C . L . Asher (American Baptist) was assign-ed temporarily from the 1st Motor Transport Bat-talion on 29 August . Chaplain Asher joined the bat-talion as it engaged in increasingly heavier fightin gnear Dong Ha . Chaplain Asher was subsequentl yassigned permanently to the 2d Battalion, 7t hMarines . He later recalled :

During Operation Prairie, I learned how to dig foxholes, conduct services in the field, build poncho shelters ,pray with my eyes open, walk through rivers, eat C rations ,and talk to a wounded [man] without flinching . I didn' thave to learn fear, but I honed the sense to a fine edge . Onthe other hand, my reception into 2d Battalion, 7t hMarines had been such that I was more a part of it than Ihave ever been in a unit before . My fears were unjustified ,and my feeling of unity with the Battalion has neverwavered . 4

The next battalion from Chu Lai to be committed


PFC Richard E. Ferris is shown reading his Bible on afive-minute break after hiking for three hours duringOperation Prairie near the Demilitarized Zone .

to Operation Prairie also came from the 7th Marines .With Lieutenant Lawrence L . Clover (Unite dPresbyterian) as its chaplain, the 3d Battalion, 7thMarines augmented Task Force Delta's battalions b yrelieving a much battered 2d Battalion, 7th Marines .It camped for 10 days on a plateau, later name dCamp Carroll, about 10 miles west of the airfield a tDong Ha, providing perimeter security for a rein -forced battalion of, artillery concentrated there .Another Chu Lai-based. 1st Marine Division chaplai nto participate in Operation Prairie was Lieutenan tEdward F . Kane (Roman Catholic) of the 2d Bat-talion, 5th Marines . Chaplain Kane's battalionengaged in two months of search and destroy ac-tivities near the coast, north and west of Quang Tr iCity .

In early September two Da Nang battalions wer ealerted for a move northward . Chaplain Witt with1st Battalion, 3d Marines was the first of his regi-ment's chaplains to move north . "In the midst of anexciting movie on September 2d," he said, "theword was passed to return to our tents and preparefor a permanent move the following day . Short -timers wept openly, and sick-call was suddenl ycrowded . I am confident that the walls of Jericho col-

120


lapsed amid less confusion, but we made it ." 5 HugeC-130s took the battalion north, but this time to aplace called Khe Sanh and a Special Forces Cam pnearby . The camp was located on a plateau high i nthe central mountain range, but was actually only afew miles from Laos, and south of the DMZ only 1 0miles . This was a beautiful, if primitive spot in-habited mostly by Montagnard tribesmen, theirelephants, assorted snakes, and scorpions . Steepcliffs bordered the plateau and beautiful waterfall sgraced the scenery on every side . Chaplain Wittremarked, "It is difficult to say who looked more de-jected, the Marines or the poor Special Forces wecame to protect . We were part of Operation Prairiebut we were so far west that the only thing we kne wof the operation was what we read in the Stars and

Stripes . "6 At Khe Sanh the battalion was dispersedthroughout the extensive coffee groves which wer eunique to the area and for reasons of security, ever yman moved his hootch and fox-hole every few days .Meanwhile the 9th Marines were shifting bothchaplains and location .

'A few days after Chaplain Collins became the 2 d

Battalion, 9th Marines chaplain in an exchange withChaplain McDermott who went to the 1st Battalion ,9th Marines, he moved with his battalion to Phu Ba iwhere it took over perimeter defense responsibilities .After a few weeks at Phu Bai the battalion wa sordered to Dong Ha and finally to the base of theRock Pile . While living at the Rock Pile, the concen-tration of troops was such that it was possible for th echaplain to walk in any one of three directions and a smany as 40 to 50 men could come together for wor-ship services . " It was at this point," Chaplain Collin swrote, "concentrated as we were, that I really got t oknow my Marines as I lived out forward with themevery day . While in the Rock Pile area I baptizedseven Marines in a stream at the base of the hill ." 7

Leaving the Rock Pile some weeks later, the 2 dBattalion, 9th Marines made a battalion sweepthrough the mountains to the west . The men march-ed all day and slept in the rain at night . They travel-ed along a VC infiltration trail . On the third da ycontact was made with the enemy . Four men werekilled and 12 wounded . Because of heavy cover fro mthe trees and because of fog they were unable to ge tthe dead and wounded out . It was therefore a for-tunate thing that the doctor and chaplain were alon gto give comfort and aid to the wounded throughou tthe night. The engineers blew away a landing zone

and about 1200 the next day the helicopters came ,

and evacuation was accomplished .Meanwhile, at Camp Pendleton, in 1966, the 5t h

Marine Division was reactivated for the first tim esince the end of World War II . Among the newl yformed regiments were the 26th and 27th Marines ,both of whom were to play important roles in Viet-nam in the years ahead. At this point, it is the 26t hMarines who enter the story . Three chaplains wereattached, respectively, to 1st Battalion, 2d Battalion ,and 3d Battalion, 26th Marines . They were Lieu -tenant Commander David L . Meschke (IndependentFundamental Churches of America), Lieutenan tCommander Herbert W . Bolles (Episcopal), an dLieutenant Bede Wattigny (Roman Catholic) . In Ju-ly, Chaplains Meschke and Bolles deployed to th eFar East with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines becom-ing the Special Landing Force, relieving the 3d Bat-talion, 5th Marines on board the Amphibious ReadyGroup . After participating in two operations in th eDeckhouse series near Saigon, the 1st Battalion ,26th Marines with Chaplain Meschke landed atDong Ha for participation in Operation Deckhous eIV .

Operation Deckhouse IV was developed to presentthe North Vietnamese, engaged in aggression acros sthe DMZ, with a threat of amphibious action fro mthe sea, thus dividing the enemy's attention and hi soffensive forces . The 1st Battalion, 26th Marinesswept coastal plain rice paddies and swamp ymarshland just below the DMZ and moved inlan dcapturing and destroying enemy personnel an dmaterial . On 26 September the battalion withdre wand took up permanent positions at Hill 55 south ofDa Nang .

Throughout the first two months of Operatio nPrairie, battalions of the 4th Marines at Phu Bai wer ein and out of the combat area . While one was engag-ed in furious combat near the DMZ, another wa sengaged in an operation with an entirely differentcode name, and another was returned to temporar yreserve . Lieutenant Commander Floyd E . Sim s(Southern Baptist) was with 2d Battalion, 4thMarines on Operation Prairie following his earlie rduty at the Dong Ha battalion aid station . Hereported :

I was most grateful when a Protestant Chaplain arrive dto work with Chaplain Powell at the aid station and I coul dgo to the field with 2d Battalion, 4th Marines . However ,Operation Prairie soon developed and I again had much

RISKING AND REACHING

12 1

the same duty, but more Protestant Chaplains were in thearea so I spent more time in the field and less with themedical unit . I do not believe any duty can be as difficul temotionally for the chaplain as seeing the wounded an ddead day after day .°

Chaplain Sims also commented on the fact thatdue to the operation a battalion chaplain may fin dthat he is unable to conduct services in the field evenon Sunday . There were times when services simplycould not be conducted . Even though it was impossi-ble to have formal worship, he reported, a chaplai ncould get better acquainted personally with the me nwhen he was "humping it" with them in the field .The word spreads that " their" chaplain thinksenough of them to share their life . "I would neve rrecommend a chaplain go on an operation and leavethe medical facility without coverage, " he wrote ,"but nothing opens avenues of response quite lik e'hoofing it' with the 'grunts ."'9 Chaplain Sims wasmoved to reflect upon the tragedy of war as he saw i ton Operation Prairie . He was also a sensitive observerof state-side criticisms of the war . He said :

It is a shame that man cannot live in peace . War in Viet-nam has resulted in many refugee villages . Some Viet-namese have fled their homes because they were no longe rsafe . Others have been evacuated by the government s othat they would not be killed or wounded as the area i scleared of V .C . The tragedies of war are not as bad ,however, as the tragedies that happen to those who dare todisregard the V .C . It appears that many religious leaders inthe United States are either not aware of V .C . tactics to ac-complish their goals or else they have closed their minds t osuch tactics . In Phong Dien the V .C . mortared the Bud-dhist school, the Catholic Church and the Catholic refuge evillage . The priest, Father Matthew, died as a result o fwounds received . One child, about two, was brought t othe Regimental Aid Station with brain damage and wa sfurther transferred to a military hospital for brain surgery .A middle aged woman was also seriously injured and fur-ther evacuated for treatment . Countless others wer ewounded, but not seriously enough to be evacuated . Thiswas the price they had to pay for not cooperating with theV .C . I cannot see how we as Christians can afford to pas sby on the other side while the enemy leaves people on th eroadside to die because they believed in a different way oflife . 1 0

Chaplain Beach with the 3d Battalion, 4t hMarines was involved in Operation Prairie in earl yand mid-August, and in Operation Pawnee I, II ,and III in late August and September . He, alongwith all line battalion chaplains, shared the comba trisks of the infantry . Mostly chaplains escaped in -jury, but serious injury was perhaps inevitable . It

came to Chaplain Beach while ministering to histroops on Prairie on 28 September, during an assaul ton Mutter ' s Ridge . Incoming mortar fire made adirect hit on the communication CP tent where h ehad taken temporary cover . He sustained serious in -juries to a leg and arm and took shrapnel in the hea dand shoulders . He was evacuated, in serious condi-tion, to the USS Repose for surgery and post-operative intensive care . Being visited on thehospital ship by Division Chaplain Morton he dic-tated a tape recording to the Chief of Chaplains an dChaplain Morton marvelled at the wounde dchaplain ' s cheerfulness and the spirit in which he ac-cepted the prospect of permanently disabling in -juries . Chaplain Beach told of a hospital corpsmanattending him during the mortar barrage shieldin ghim with his body and himself being severelywounded while protecting the chaplain from flyin gshrapnel . Chaplain Beach said, "Every year of myministry has been better than the one before . I guessa chaplain leaves a part of himself, sometime sphysical but always spiritual, at every dutystation .""

In an official report to the Chief of Chaplains o nChaplain Beach's wound, III MAF Chaplain Garret tsaid :

Stan was with H&S Co . of his battalion when they en-countered a strong enemy position on Hill 400 up near theDMZ. The Marines proceeded to assault the hill and I hav eheard from several sources now that Stan distinguishe dhimself in providing a constant ministry to the wounded asthey fell . One news correspondent, in his story in the Starsand Stripes, stated that he himself was out of food andwater by the second day of the operation and "theChaplain" came by and gave him a small can of apricots ,which was all the food he had .

It was very shortly after this that a mortar round explod-ed about six feet from Stan . He received several fles hwounds but the major injury was to his left leg . The entir eleg was laid open and the knee cap completely carried awa ywith extensive bone damage, loss of considerable muscleand tissue . He was evacuated very quickly out to th eRepose . It was evidently touch and go for a while as towhether they would have to amputate the leg . The lastreport received indicated that he was getting some move-ment back into the foot and that the leg would probabl ybe saved provided no infection developed .

He was evacuated to Clark AFB on 30 September and assoon as he is able will be further evacuated . 1 2

Two months later, in the 1 December issue of theFMFPac Force Chaplain's Newsletter, Chaplain Joh nH . Craven provided an up-to-date report onChaplain Beach's condition .

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After being wounded in action on 28 SeptemberChaplain Stan Beach was eventually medically evacuate dto Tripler General Hospital in Hawaii where he is a patien tat the present time . He has undergone several surgical pro-cedures involving skin graft and is scheduled for transfer t othe Naval Hospital at Great Lakes for further orthopedi ctreatment . Stan enjoyed a wonderful morale boost whe nhis lovely wife was able to visit him for a few days shortl yafter his arrival at Tripler . Stan 's spirit is indomitable an dhe is looking forward to the day in the near future when h ecan be on crutches to try out the left leg that was so badlybanged up . He is using his convalescent time to good ad-vantage . Stan shows that he was thoroughly initiated intothat great fellowship of suffering which can never be full yexplained ; it can only be experienced . 1 3

As Operation Prairie continued to increase in in-tensity it became apparent that more strength wouldbe concentrated in the Quang Tri-Dong Ha-KheSanh areas in the months to come . In anticipation ofthe eventual establishment of major combat bases atQuang Tri and Dong Ha, in early October, Majo rGeneral Wood B . Kyle, the 3d Marine DivisionCommander, began to move his command pos tnorthwards . The division headquarters moved t oPhu Bai with a division forward command post be-ing located at Dong Ha .

As 3d Marine Division units moved toward th eDMZ it became apparent that the 1st Marine Divi-sion would be moved northward . In October, the 1s tMarine Division Commander, Major General Her -man Nickerson, Jr ., moved his headquarters to D aNang and assumed responsibility for the TAOR s olong occupied by the 3d Marine Division . It was inOctober, then, that the 1st Marine Division assume dresponsibility for Da Nang in addition to Chu Laiand the 3d Marine Division assumed militar yresponsibility for Dong Ha in addition to the PhuBai enclave .

On 26 October, on Operation Prairie, th echaplain to be most seriously wounded of al lchaplains thus far in the war in Vietnam, took asniper's bullet . Lieutenant Edward F . Kane (Roma nCatholic) with the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines nea rthe DMZ, was shot in the spine by a North Viet-namese sniper . Chaplain Kane's unit was conductin ga search and destroy mission when it was ambushedby North Vietnamese forces . The point Marine waskilled instantly . With disregard for his own safety ,Chaplain Kane moved from his covered position ,and under heavy small arms and automatic weapon sfire, he evacuated the Marine and administered th elast rites of the Catholic church . Later near Phu An

village he was moving with Kilo Company of the 2 dBattalion, 5th Marines when the unit came under at -tack from a large unit of North Vietnamese Armyforces using machine gun, automatic weapons, andsmall arms fire . Several Marines were wounded inthe initial burst of fire and were in positions expose dto continuing hostile fire . Again, disregardin gdanger, the chaplain moved the wounded, render-ing aid and comfort . It was while he was attending t othe removal of these wounded from exposed posi-tions that he was wounded . Chaplain John H .Craven's report to the chaplains of FMFPac said :

Chaplain Ed Kane, the victim of a sniper ' s bullet on 2 6October, is currently a patient at the Naval Hospital ,Oakland, California . Ed's injury involved severe damage t othe spinal cord, but in spite of the seriousness of his injuryand the discomfort of being presently confined to a Stryke rframe, reports reaching us indicate that the sniper's bulle tmissed Ed's great strong spirit .'"

On 26 April 1967 Chaplain Kane was awarded th eBronze Star and the Purple Heart for his heroi cachievements . As a consequence of his injury ,Chaplain Kane has become permanently disable dand was medically retired from the Chaplain Corp sin February 1968 .

Operation Prairie, one of the longest major opera-tions of the war in Vietnam, was to continue throughthe remainder of 1966 . Battalions from Phu Bai andDa Nang moved in and out of the combat zone withsuch frequency that these chaplains came to conside rPrairie to be synonymous with the war in Northern ICorps . Smaller operations were conducted concur-rently with Prairie in TAORs of all three coasta lenclaves, but Prairie, in actuality, represented in amajor way the shift in combat activity toward th eDemilitarized Zone .

Arrivals : New and Old

During this period many of the replacemen tchaplains were those who had responded to the cal lto the nation's churches for pastors, priests, and rab-bis to join the chaplaincy at a time of initial person-nel needs . When they assumed the call they were, i nmany cases, faced with the shock of Vietnam almos timmediately .

Lieutenant Lisle E . Stewart (United Methodist )was commissioned on 10 February 1966 and his firs tduty was with the 3d Marine Division as the Protes-tant chaplain at Company C, 3d Medical Battalion .


12 3

Remembering the demands of those first weeks h esaid :

I found that my daily routine during my first twomonths at Third Medical Battalion was routine only in th efact that we were on call 24 hours a day . My first da yaboard, the first wounded man brought in died before m yeyes . He had consanguinated . This initial introduction tomy role as a field hospital chaplain left an indelible im-pression in my emotional fiber and it took several days torecover from the shock . This was rude awakening to thispeace loving, and for the most part, sheltered pastor wh ohad just come on active duty . Each day brought its endlessline of tragedy . The heartache of it never changed, but Ibegan to accept the fact of its reality, taking each day i nstride . "

The records of the civilian clergymen now inuniform and in Vietnam were testimonies to thei radaptability and dedication to reaching the Marine swhatever the risk of physical or emotional vitality .Chaplain Stewart also pointed to this quality im-plicitly in his report :

I remember one man in particular whose right hand hadbeen blown off. When he was first admitted, he was askedwhether he was right or left handed . He replied matter o ffactly, "Yesterday I was righthanded" . Later in the ward, Inoticed that he seemed to be in great contemplation, so Iasked him if I could be of any help . He calmly announced ,"Oh, I was just thinking which I wanted, a clamp or ahook . I think I'll get a hook with a pearl rim ." Such accep-tance was more typical than not . I have never seen greate rcourage and more rugged constitutions than these youth sdisplayed . Mine has been the gain in their ministry tome .' 6

Many times the medical company chaplains woul dassist in carrying litters, getting supplies, or help a srequested . When KIAs were brought in, th echaplains were notified and would give the last ritesor speak words of commendation. At times theywere faced with explosions from the sometime smutilated Marines such as : "Is it worth it, Chaplain ?Is it worth it?" and "Tell them to stop Chaplain . Tel lthem to stop ." Remarks such as these haunted thembut challenged them to have the right words of com-fort .

In early August, Assistant Division ChaplainMaguire was due to return to the United States . Hi sreflection on his duty in Vietnam included atestimony to the skill and sensitivity of the America nyouth committed to combat, and the deep emo-tional involvement experienced by the chaplain withhis Marines . "I have always felt, when I have see ntheir torn bodies," he wrote, "that something moreis demanded than the excellent care of doctors and

Corpsmen . I have felt that a trumpeting of gratitudeand praise is called for as a fitting human response .When the chips are down, they are amazingl yselfless . " ' 7 Chaplain Maguire then reflected thestruggle of his pastoral heart when he reported :

Vietnam is a beautiful but sad land . The sickness an dpoverty and the sufferings cause us grief. One leaves her etoo, with sad memories of men we know well who die dhere . I would like to repeat again the prayer from the II IMAF Memorial Day Service at FLSG, 1966 .

"Guide us, 0 Lord, in our proceedings this morning aswe seek to render due honor to those who gave their livesfor our country . Help us to hallow in memory those whoby right are unforgettable . May we of whom less has bee nasked be inspired by their sacrifice to dedicate more of ou rheart and hand to the service of our country and our fellowman . Amen . "1 8

A June arrival, Lieutenant Commander Michae lA . Ondo (Roman Catholic), recorded similar reac-tions . He served as a sometimes circuit-ridingchaplain with MAG-11 ; 2d Battalion, 5th Marines ;1st Battalion, 3d Marines ; and A Medical Company ,where he exercized his longest ministry . Heremembered : "We chaplains had our hands full . Toadminister the Sacraments of the Church, to pray ,and to console became a routine expectation . I amdeeply grateful for the privilege of such service . " ' 9 I twas during this time that he reached out to hi sMarines in ministry, especially those often forgotten .He wrote :

My heart goes out to all these great Marines who work i nGraves Registration . Honestly, they have a thankless job .To me they exemplify the corporal works of mercy with ut-most distinction . We became fast friends . It was obvious ,as they exercised meticulous care of their fallen comrades ,that they cared very much . Heroes they are without excep-tion . They are God 's sentries in the Halls of Heaven . 20

Lieutenant Robert M . Radasky (Russian Or-thodox), who was detached in August, after pro-viding an Orthodox ministry for I Corps personnel ,had served his entire tour as administrative assistan tto Force Chaplain Garrett . He extended his ministr yin still another unique way by reaching significantl yinto the relationship of Marines and Vietnamese . H efelt strongly that the "new kind of war" included anew and profound element of unique personal im-portance . Marines could live next door to th epopulation of Da Nang and a large number of Viet-namese neighbors would work in and around thei rcompound ; American/Vietnamese contacts woul dbe frequent and at the "eyeball to eyeball" level .

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Yet, linguistic and cultural barriers created an ex-

pected coolness . More a cause of this was the elementof suspicion . Rumors of infiltration were common

and one really could not distinguish between th efriendly Vietnamese from the Viet Cong . Chaplain

Radasky strove to understand the Vietnamese people

and transferred his knowledge to the troops most ef-fectively . He remembered :

As the chaplain becomes the unit resource for informa -tion on behavior patterns of the Vietnamese, he finds fre -quent opportunity to pass on knowledge . It appeared tome that after chaplains took steps to learn the culture, theywere able to reflect an assurance about the situation whic hin effect counteracted casual rumor . For example, a greatdeal of tension was created by uncertainty about the courseof the war . Were the Vietnamese really interested? Wasthe concept "freedom" in our heads only? Would we beleft to do the dirty work for them? Questions like thesewere answered when the chaplain was able to provide anoverview of the Vietnamese history and culture .21

Casual observation of Vietnamese life create dbewilderment . But the Vietnamese became people ,

human beings, when their lives were analyzed an dexplained . It was really apparent in Vietnam that th e

troops had a "need to know" about the people the ywere involved with . Especially when many were soinvolved day to day. They had to learn, for example ,

to show concern for the people who appeared un-concerned . They could do it better if they knew wh y

the people appeared that way .Chaplain Radasky' s comments on the Persona l

Response Project in which he had been involvedreflect the purpose of many Marines in late 1966 :

In spite of culture and linguistic barriers, I felt theMarines made real progress in one year to overcome th e"strangeness" of fighting a war well past the beaches andsmack in the middle of a local population . Looking bac kover the year I think American-Vietnamese relations im -proved for Marines in three steps : (1) acceptance of the factthat we would remain well beyond the beach, (2) recogni-tion of the "new kind of war" and what it implied whenweapons were not firing, and (3) response to the officia ldecision that we had some need to know about the place ,the situation, and the people . It was in the last step thatchaplains were called forth in a special way to provide a" new ministry ." Because so much of Vietnamese culture isfounded on religious conceptualizations, the chaplain waslooked toward as a resource even before official action pro-vided him with the tools. 22

In mid-August MCB-9 arrived in Vietnam for it ssecond deployment . Chaplain Robert S . Collins

(Lutheran) who had been with the battalion on DaNang East from late October 1965 to February 1966 ,

returned with MCB-9 for his second deployment t o

Vietnam. During this tour he had difficulty

physically reaching his men . His battalion was based

just north of Da Nang but operated a rock crushin goperation, road building unit, and a bridge buildin g

effort at Ba To, Min Long, and Thuong Duc . MCB- 9also built structures for three Special Forces camps ,

an Army camp in the Delta, and for the Marine unit sat Hue-Phu Bai . He reported :

On deployment the men of the battalion are so spreadout, doing so many different kinds ofconstruction projectsit is almost a full time job just keeping track of everyone .With the men of the battalion spread out so far, much ofthe chaplain's time was spent trying to see each man asoften as possible . For our men at the main camp and at th eRock Crusher, Sunday services were always available . Fo rthe men serving with the Special Forces, I would plan o nvisiting them every other week . Interestingly enough, I' dalways find that the further I got away from the base camp ,and the more likely we were to encounter enemy activity ,the greater the attendance would be at our mid-week wor -ship service . These visits with the men, out on the job, ar ereally the most fruitful person to person type ministry I ca nimagine . Sometimes it is merely a chance to shoot th ebreeze, yet for many of the men, the chaplain's visit is anopportunity to open their hearts to the meaning of th eword of God in their lives today . It is truly a fascinatingministry, and a very necessary one, helping those construc -tion men of the Seabees build a solid and lasting faith .23

More Growing Pain s

Three factors influenced the assignment of newl yarriving 3d Marine Division chaplains from mid -

September through the end of 1966 . First was th e

need to relieve those being detached on permanen t

change of station orders for new duty in the United

States . Second, the move northward to an unsettledand developing structural-operational environmen tgave rise to new demands upon the Chaplain Corpsministry and necessitated the reassignment o f

chaplains and the assignment of newly reportin g

chaplains to billets recently established to mee tspecific needs . Third, and closely related to the first ,was the turnover of chaplain leadership of the divi-sion and III MAF into new hands .

In September' the first of four new chaplains toreport for duty, Lieutenant Commander Boris Geez a(Eastern Orthodox), represented the denominationa l

relief for Chaplain Radasky who had been detache don orders the previous month . Arriving on 16


12 5

September, Chaplain Geeza was assigned duty as ad-ministrative assistant to the division chaplain t omeet the need for a chaplain in that billet which wa svacated a week before by the medical evacuation o fChaplain Moody . For all practical purposes Chaplai nGeeza' s denominational coverage of Far East Marineswas delayed until the urgent need for an ad-ministrative assistant could be met through othe rmeans .

The second September arrival, Commande rMarlin D . Seiders (United Methodist) was slated a sthe relief for Assistant Division Chaplain Maguir ewho also had been detached on orders in August .Chaplain Seiders moved immediately into his ne wduties as assistant division chaplain and mad epreparations for the move north .

Because Chaplain Beach was wounded at Mutte r 'sRidge on 28 September, an urgent and immediaterequirement for a replacement in the 3d Battalion ,4th Marines was imposed upon Division Chaplai nMorton . He discussed the matter with Lieutenan tRonald L . Hedwall (Lutheran) of the 1st Amphibia nTractor Battalion, who had provided religiou scoverage for the separate and supporting-arms bat-talions .

Chaplain Hedwall's relief in the supporting arm sbattalions at Da Nang was Lieutenant Commande rRobert S . Borden (United Presbyterian) who arrive don 28 September to begin his tour of duty in Viet-nam . He was to remain with the 1st AmphibianTractor Battalion until the middle of the followingyear . Chaplain Borden inherited a chapel complex o ftwo buildings in the camp, one a chapel seating ap-proximately 100 persons, the other an officebuilding with two offices, a library, and a smalle rchapel . Over the next several months a public ad -dress system was added, and thanks to the generosityof the III MAF chaplain, a Hammond electroni corgan .

The final change to take place in late Septemberoccurred when Lieutenant James E . Ammons(American Baptist) arrived on 28 September torelieve Chaplain Dunks with the 3d Battalion, 9t hMarines on the southern perimeter of Da Nang . As i thad been for nearly a year, the battalion was spreadfrom the Thu Bon River south to the industrial com-plex at An Hoa . There were six major locations alongLiberty Road with the command group at An Hoa .Patrols fanned from each of these positions in roa dsweeps, ambushes, and continuous sweeps through

the rice fields and surrounding hills . Chaplain Am-mons wrote :

To cover the units adequately, I found it best to catc hresupply runs, start at the farthermost position, have a ser-vice at 1800 when most of the men were in from patrols ,stay over night and catch a road sweep or patrol to the nex tposition in the morning . Having services at this tim eallowed for maximum participation, as well as giving m ethe time to get closer to the men, by sharing the hardship sthey were enduring . This became my regular schedule ,broken only by Operations Macon, Kern, and Mississippi ,during which I accompanied the Command Group . Th emiraculously lucky Father Tom Kenny unfailingly ran thi sgamut once each week for Catholic coverage .

Chaplain Ammon's battalion remained south of D aNang until relieved by the 2d Battalion, 5th Marinesof the 1st Marine Division, at which time the 3d Bat-talion, 9th Marines moved north of Da Nang to posi-tions previously occupied by the 3d Marines, nownear the DMZ. The battalion TAOR north of D aNang extended to the top of the mountain abov eHai Van Pass, then west into the jungles, and sout hto "Happy Valley . " "We were spread, " Chaplai nAmmons said, "into nine fixed positions which Icovered each week, plus five CAC units . Again ,Father Tom Kenny, our Regimental Chaplain, trie dto do in one day what I was attempting to do in aweek . "2 6

October brought four additional chaplains to th e3d Marine Division and set off a chain of move srelated to changing needs near the 4th Marines an dthe movement of the 3d Division northward . Itbecame apparent that the load on Chaplain Powel lwith Task Force Delta, attempting to coordinate th eactivities of chaplains in the 4th Marines as well, wasmore than a single chaplain could accomplish . It wasdecided that two shifts were required to meet themounting needs . First the task force and regimenta lbillets were to be divided . Chaplain Powell wasassigned as Task Force Delta Chaplain to remain atDong Ha to coodinate chaplain coverage from tha tpoint . Arriving in October, Lieutenant Preston C .Oliver (United Presbyterian) was assigned to assis tChaplain Powell, to become Assistant Task Forc eChaplain, and to provide Protestant coverage at th eDelta Medical Aid Station .

In the 4th Marines, Chaplain Sims of the 2d Bat-talion, 4th Marines was reassigned as regimenta lchaplain and was relieved by newly arriving Lieute-nant Commander Eugene B . Davis (Presbyterian



The church pennant flies from the bamboo flagpole of the 4th Marines Chapel at CampEvans, during the 1967 Christmas visit by Navy Chief of Chaplains James W. Kelly .

Church of the United States) . Chaplain Davi sreported :

2d Battalion, 4th Marines turned me loose to roam th ehills to hit the outlying platoon and company position saround Phu Bai, and to ride the ridge to eight Combine dAction Platoons to the north and south of Phu Bai . Ou rmen were scattered everywhere, and getting to them wa smy daily duty . With God's sustaining power, some poo rshooting on Charley's part, and some near misses fro mmines, etc ., we reached the men . Thanks for the good hel pand work of roving and accompanying Catholic padres ,services of all types were provided on a continuing basis .The command was great and supported our efforts in amaximum manner . 2 7

The 4th Marines Regimental Chapel was to berefurbished and become the new 3d Marine Divisio nChapel . Many other changes were to become

necessary before the enclave was to become adequat eto house the division headquarters . Chaplain Hub-ble had remained behind in Da Nang for liaiso nwith 1st Marine Division Chaplain, Captain David J .Casazza (Roman Catholic) . Within a few weeks TaskForce Delta was absorbed by the new command, 3 dMarine Division (Forward) and Chaplain Seiders wa sassigned to Dong Ha for coordination of chaplains 'activities in the area .

When the new 3d Marine Division Chaplain ,Captain Henry T . Lavin (Roman Catholic), arrive din Da Nang on 16 October, he was informed that hi slong journey from the United States was not yet end -ed. The 3d Marine Division Chaplain's Office, whichhe was to occupy for the next year, was now in Ph uBai . Chaplain Lavin arrived at the division CP to be


12 7

met as he said by the energetic Frank Morton and th equiet "Smokey" Seiders . "The very next day," heremembered, "I took off on the first of my manytrips north to the DMZ . At Dong Ha I met ChaplainPowell who, apparently, knew everyone at Dong Ha,Camp Carroll and Khe Sanh . I hardly knew where Iwas since we traveled by chopper, but my first view sof the Rock Pile, the Razorback, and Mutter's Ridgewill remain as lasting ones in my memory ."2 8

Chaplain Morton remained in the area, briefingChaplain Lavin and completing his turnover file, un-til 25 October . "Chaplain Lavin and his new team, "said Chaplain Morton, "have the new situation an dthe monsoons . The TAORs are smaller ; the units areconcentrated ; the chaplain requirements an dassignments remain essentially the same . 'Stay loose 'still holds as the appropriate word for those servin gwith the U .S . Marine Corps . "2 9

That was appropriate advice . Chaplains generall ymove around a great deal in combat because of thei rwidely dispersed units . But with the shipping ofwhole divisions in Vietnam, the movement was ex-treme . One chaplain summed it up :

In retrospect 1966 had indeed been quite a year . Aquick capsule of events might be somewhat like this : Seve nmoves ; six commanding officers ; two chapels dedicated ;one rebuilt ; three-hundred-forty Divine Services con -

ducted ; experienced happiness, heartbreak, frustration ,heat, cold, discomfort, comfort on R&R in Bankok ; surviv-ed what we referred to as the "Dai Loc Scrounge," the Ten -month Syndrome, when all that used to be done routinel ywith enthusiasm begins to take so much effort ; have los tclose acquaintances in battle, and gained friendships tha twill last for many years ; and above all, became deeply con-scious of the validity and relevance of the ministry to whic hI have been called . 3 0

Lieutenant Commander Otto E . Kinzler (UnitedMethodist) who arrived in December 1965, had beenwith the 12th Marines for the entire 12 months of hi stour on deployment . He had been joined in the regi-ment by Lieutenant Roger K . Hansen (Lutheran) inFebruary and from that time on the two chaplain shad provided a religious ministry for the scattere dbatteries . In November Chaplain Hansen had bee nreassigned from 2d Battalion, 12th Marines to 3 dBattalion, 12th Marines and relocated to Cam Lo i nthe Dong Ha area . "I marvelled," he said, "at howquickly men accept a new chaplain into their midst .The cooperation of this group was wonderful to ex-perience . The attitude of the command, the interes tof the troopers, plus I must add, the fact that we

were really 'exposed' made for a fertile ministry ."3 1Chaplain Kinzler remained in Da Nang until th eregimental headquarters itself moved to the Artiller yPlateau .

On 7 September Commander John R . Hersh-berger (Lutheran) reported to III MAF as assistan tforce chaplain . Unlike Chaplain Radasky for whomhe was the functional relief, Chaplain Hershberge rwas assigned to a newly established billet on th eMAF staff. The assistant force chaplain was directl yresponsible to the force chaplain and was to assis thim in any area deemed necessary by the forcechaplain . His concerns were to be those of the forcechaplain and his daily activities in direct support o fhis many and varied duties and responsibilities .

Chaplain Hershberger was well oriented to thework of the force chaplain by the second week of Oc-tober when Captain Earle V . Lyons Jr . (UnitedPresbyterian) reported to relieve Chaplain Garrett .Chaplain Garrett's turnover was comprehensive andthorough as he had planned and, as a result ofChaplain Lyons' understanding of the Marine Corp sand enthusiasm for rapid adjustment to the new job ,was most successful . By the time Chaplain Garrettwas detached on 15 October, Chaplain Lyons wa swell prepared for both the possibilities and the pro-blems of the new assignment .

Immediate concerns for Chaplain Lyons werethose of geographical orientation, establishing hisown working relationship within the MAF Head -quarters where he had been graciously welcomed ,and familiarization with the requirements of thechanging combat ministry . He was faced with reloca-tion of his offices to Da Nang East which was ac-complished on 21 November, and the myriad ad-ministrative details connected with the activities ofchaplains within the MAF .

Chaplain Lyons envisioned the responsibilities ofthe billet as Chaplain Garrett had seen them . Mat-ters transcending division, wing, and Force Logisti cCommand (FLC) authority, or crossing comman dlines came under his cognizance . MAF-wide pro -grams in which chaplains of all commands par-ticipated, he coordinated . Contacts with FMFPac ,Headquarters Marine Corps, and Chief of Chaplainswere also the responsibility of the MAF Chaplain .

One of the first problem areas to which Chaplai nLyons turned his attention was that of unusual delay sin chaplain reporting dates resulting from the re-quirement that they undergo Field Medical Training

128


at Camp Pendleton, enroute to duty in Vietnam .Chaplain Garrett had addressed himself to the pro-blem in July 1966 but it remained unresolved .Chaplains were at times required to wait a week o r10 days for a class to convene at Camp Pendleton ,then assimilate two weeks of training which was con-sidered by some to be of questionable specific valu efor the chaplain . Chaplain Lyons was concerned tha tundue delays in chaplain reporting continued to re -quire division and wing chaplains to leave billet stemporarily vacant while waiting reliefs . He sug-gested that an indoctrination course could b eestablished in Vietnam as a viable substitute for th etraining at Camp Pendleton . While the issue of pre -Vietnam chaplain training was not to be resolved un-til Chaplain Lyons was more than halfway throug hhis tour, that and other personnel matters, such a sthe adequate number of chaplains for the Forc eLogistic Command were those which occupied hi simmediate attention upon arrival in III MAF .

1st Marine Division Chaplains

The months of September and October 1966brought a significant improvement in ChaplainCasazza's 1st Marine Division roster of chaplains .Seven chaplains arrived and three were detached .The net result was a gain of four badly neede dchaplains .

On 5 September Lieutenant Robert R. Cun-ningham (United Presbyterian) reported and wasassigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion in an-ticipation of Chaplain Flanagan ' s detachment on 2 6September .

Chaplain Cunningham was to enjoy his service to1st Reconnaissance Battalion . He remembered :

I became deeply attached to the Recon men, as they car-ried out their hazardous duty deep in hostile territory an daway from the safety of any perimeter . Individual name sand faces as well as the platoon call-signs became wel lknown to me . These small bands of brave and prou dMarines daily pitted their lives against insurmountabl eodds in order to carry out their primary mission of observ-ing enemy activity and troop movements . In order tofamiliarize myself both with the mission and personnel o fRecon, I took advantage of every opportunity to go onreconnaissance flights and, on occasion, also accompanie dpatrols as far as their destination in the jungle and the nreturned . These flights always evoked appreciation and ad-miration for the Recon Marines and the hardships they en-dured in the hostile jungle . "

With characteristic dedication, Chaplain Cun-ningham exemplified the willingness of chaplains to

recognize new patterns of ministry and adjust thei rpersonal approaches to meet them . One aspect of hi sministry during these days was valued highly . It wa sthe informal gathering with each outgoing patrol a tthe edge of the helo pad . Usually following the last -minute briefing by the patrol commander th echaplain was invited to hold brief devotions .Chaplain Flanagan had begun the practice .Chaplain Cunningham wrote :

It was a moving experience to stand among these youngmen, their faces obscured by camouflage paint, their back sbent under the weight of heavy packs, and reassure the mof the abiding presence of God . These informal momentsalways closed with the Lord 's Prayer in unison . An evenmore diligent effort was made to be present at the helopad whenever the weary and worn-out men returned at th eend of their patrols . Not uncommon were the occasionswhen helos were heard in the middle of the night an deveryone knew instinctively that a patrol had encountere ddifficulty and had had to be emergency extracted . I mad eit a habit to be present whenever the emergency extrac-tions occurred and especially when casualties were brough tin . "

Reconnaissance battalion chaplains regularly com-mented on the inspirational nature of the pride ofthe platoons and the high spirits of the men ex-hibited during the most distressing circumstances .They repeatedly witnessed the men returning wit hfour day's growth of beard masking the fatigue oftheir faces; their clothing blotched with blood wher enumerous jungle leeches had feasted ; their hands ,fingers, and feet grotesquely wrinkled by continuousexposure to the monsoon rains, and yet they note dthe genuine joy and exuberance which marked thei rreunion with buddies who were at the helo pa dawaiting their return . It was easy to sense the com-mon bond which united these men, a bond forge dby mutual participation in a demanding an dperilous task .

Possessed of a remarkable sense of humor himself ,Chaplain Cunningham recognized the grim humo rof the reconnaissance Marine and supplied the ac -count of the following incident :

Soon after a patrol had been inserted in the jungle i tbecame apparent to the Operations Office in the Battalio nthat whoever was sending the " sit-reps" was misreading th emap and was not aware of it. As additional reports wer ereceived it was evident that according to their informatio nthe patrol's position was down in a wide valley where noright-thinking recon patrol should be . Consequently th eOperations Officer sent out the following message, "Whatare you doing out there?" After a few moments delay, back


129

Photo courtesy of Chaplain Hugh F . Lecky, Jr .

Chaplain John J. O'Connor converses with the Bishop of Hue and Bishop of Da Nang .

came the startling reply, "Saving the world for Democrac yof course!"34

With a battalions such as Recon and Amtracs, ad-ditional services were scheduled during the week inorder to reach those personnel who were in the fiel dover the weekend . Both a weekly Communion ser-vice and a Bible study class were held with moderatesuccess . But just as the religious program began t ogain impetus, elements of both the Recon and Am-tracs were shifted to Da Nang to occupy part of th earea vacated by the 3d Marine Division as it move dto Phu Bai and Dong Ha . This set-back was onlytemporary, however, for soon elements from bot h1st and 3d Reconnaissance Battalions arrived to rein -force and operate without their complete units .

Chaplain Cunningham reported : "Not only didthese men integrate well but also gave all religiou sservices their loyal interest and support . "3 5

On 4 October Lieutenant Robert M . Weeks(Lutheran) arrived at the 1st Marine Division an dwas immediately pressed into duty as administrativeassistant to the division chaplain . His major task wasthe movement of the office to Da Nang . He vividl yrecalled :

"Mount Out" was the word given on 10 October 1966 ,because the First Marine Division Headquarters were bein gmoved to Da Nang to replace the Third Marine Divisio nHeadquarters . The Division Chaplain's Office had to beput into full operation within twenty-four hours . Cor-respondence became a major concern, and a very careful


Photo 1st MarDiv

Chaplain Robert A . Flanagan offers Mass in a village near Chu Lai. There was no pries tand no church . Mass is said in a villager's hut . Women are on the other side of the altar.

use of the thirty-day quantity of mount out supplies wasnecessary . Chaplain Casazza was a great teacher and Ilearned the value of accurate correspondence and correc tdecisions as an Administrative Assistant . It was a greatprivilege to have served with Chaplain Casazza as his Ad-ministrative Assistant . 3 6

One of Chaplain Weeks' duties was to conduc tworship services as assigned by the division chaplain .This gave him the opportunity to make trips into th efield. For three months he supplied Protestan tcoverage for the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines which in-volved flying to the battalion CP, 30 miles south o fDa Nang . On one occasion while talking to a Marin ehe asked the young man to move to a closer seat .Hardly had he moved when a round was fire dthrough the seat vacated by the Marine . On anotheroccasion the helicopter which had dropped him offat the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines crashed shortly afte rtaking off for a return trip . "Christmas Eve," h ewrote, "was spent in a bunker full of water that ha dan oversupply of mosquitos . That was a great

Christmas because of the fellowship with the fiel dMarines . Three weeks later I was to hold a Memoria lService for seventy-one men, with many of whom Ihad spent Christmas . "37 Chaplain Weeks was ofte naccompanied on these trips by Lieutenant Conon J .Meehan (Roman Catholic) who held mass at th esame time as the Protestant service .

Just after the move north, Chaplain Casazz areassigned Chaplain Lemieux to the 7th Marines as arelief for Regimental Chaplain Lieutenant Com-mander Roy A . Baxter (Southern Baptist) who was tobe detached on 15 October . Chaplain Baxter, wh ohad served the regiment since May, had participatedin Operations Oakland and Jackson and a number ofbattalion-sized combat sweeps . During the finalmonth of his duty with the regiment Chaplain Bax-ter, with the assistance of Chaplains Capodanno andGlover and the regimental commander, hadorganized the eminently successful 7th Marines LayLeader Conference on 10 September . In his fina lreport, Chaplain Baxter wrote :


13 1

The spiritual concern of our Regimental Commander ,Colonel L . F . Snoddy, Jr ., and his predecessor, Colonel E .H . Haffey, was demonstrated by their concern for th eneeds of personnel . The few minutes spent at divine ser-vices is a decided asset in the performance of militaryduties . If God is put first everything else will take its pro -per place . The Regimental Commander believed this firm-ly, and he directed that a Regimental Lay Leader Con-ference be conducted on 10 September . 3 8

One of the highlights of the program was Colone lSnoddy ' s opening speech . In it he said :

I want to impress upon you the importance which I a sRegimental Commander, attach to the Lay Leader Pro -gram . Fundamentally, the Regimental Commander isresponsible for everything the men of his Regiment do .Likewise, he is responsible for the things which his men d onot do, which they should do . I cannot pass the respon-sibilities on to anyone ; they are mine for better or forworse . I accept these responsibilities willingly, however ,because I have immediately available some importan thelp . There is already established a system of organizatio nwhich we call the Chain of Command . Then too, there arepeople of various ranks and skills to make the system workeffectively . . . . Where spiritual matters are concerned, th echaplain is the Commander's principal helper, but th espiritual welfare of a command requires more individualeffort than the Commander and his chaplains together cangenerate . This is particularly true in combat . . . . It is dif-ficult for chaplains to be in all the places where they ar eneeded or where they would like to be . Thus there is th eneed for the Lay Leader . 39 .

The incoming Regimental Chaplain, ChaplainLemieux, also noted that the attitude of the com-mand was inspirational and challenging, and theleadership exciting . He wrote :

Colonel Snoddy was one who held "court" in his "do -main ." At mess the staff was seated at a "round table" andColonel Snoddy was the presiding figure . Likewise, inreligious matters, matters of morals, the colonel was als othe presiding figure and his actions were more than merel yfollowing what a chaplain might recommend . Rather, hehad his own moral standards and was perfectly capable offunctioning and exercising command interest in thisregard, with or without the concurrence of the chaplain .Colonel Snoddy's moral integrity was obvious to all whocame into contact with him, and his chapel interest wa sconsistent with his convictions .40

The combat situation of the 7th Marines was quit ea bit different from that of the 1st Marines . The ter -rain was not quite so severe and the Marines tende dto operate more closely with ARVN forces and ROKMarines . As a consequence they were able to kee pthe rear areas quite secure . "One could drive on th eroad into the Division at night with the lights on."' t

However, more operations were conducted when th e

1st Marines and the 7th Marines pressed the enem yin the forward areas, driving them to the foothill sand thereby reducing their infiltration capability .The enemy in and around Chu Lai appeared to b eless sophisticated than those at Da Nang eve nthough there also seemed to be more contact wit hlarger units .

Although the contact was relatively light, it wa spresent with the fear and risk that combat always in-volved . Chaplains in this area uniformly regarde dthe risk as worth it for the opportunity to reach ou tto the Marine . One chaplain expressed it beautifully :

Although I joined the Battalion with an anxious hear tand mind, the anxiety was soon relieved . The more Ientered into my work, the less anxious I became . Life i n

the battalion was real fine . It is true, there were man ythings that could have made life more enjoyable . Yet in al lhonesty, I would not trade my experience with the infantr yfor anything .

For me there were many avenues of ministry . Some o fmy most cherished moments were spent around the Lord ' sTable as we experienced the fellowship of God's grace andlove . Grace and love are theological terms, but over her ethey seem to take on much meaning . Whether it was aworship service or just an informal chat with a trooper, th ereality of God's love and plan for men became quite pro-nounced . God was real . He was alive and extremely activein the lives of the men of the battalion . 4 2

This attitude of Marines was noted also b yChaplain Meehan now with the 2d Battalion, 5t hMarines in replacement of the seriously woundedChaplain Kane . Chaplain Meehan was tremendousl yimpressed by the men of the battalion . After refer -ring to the fine qualities in the battalion ' s leader -ship, he said :

By far the finest examples of humans were this "lostgeneration ." I still find it difficult to speak about thesemen without becoming emotional . Having spent nearlyten months and making nearly 13 odd operations wit hthese men, I have a deep respect and love for them .Recently, a corporal whom I visited in the First Medica lBattalion, moaned over the "young kids sent out here bythe Marine Corps ." This leader felt that these youn gMarines were too new and inexperienced . I asked him howold he was . His reply was, "nineteen ." His concern was or -dinary . The "lost generation" were concerned about th epeople they lived with, the enemy they fought, and thepeople who suffered' 3

Seabees Chaplains in I Corps ,October-December 1966

Four Seabee battalions arrived during the final

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Photo taken at the dedication of 1st LAAM's Chapel, 1 October 1966. Chaplains (fro mleft to right) : J. F. Weaver; W. C. Davis; K. A. Mitchell; J. R. Hershberger; R. F.Wood; W. F. Wright; J. C. Brown; D. B. Saltzman ; M. D. Seiders; P. C. Hammed;and R. W. Fullilove . Vietnamese church leaders (on the left) : Father Socks from HoaKhanh Catholic Village and Tich Thinh Gias from Phun Tuong Buddhist Village . Thewhite-clad sisters and students are from the Sacred Heart Catholic School in Da Nang .

quarter of 1966, two each in October and December .Lieutenant Commander Robert E . Blade (UnitedPresbyterian) with MCB-58 arrived with his battalio nwhich relieved MCB-1 at Da Nang's Camp Haskinsin late October .

Camp Haskins also housed the 30th Naval Con-struction Regiment which exercised operational con-trol of all Vietnam-based construction battalions .MCB-58 was the second of nine newly commissione dbattalions to be organized specifically for service i nVietnam, MCB-40 at Chu Lai being the first . CampHaskins, also called Red Beach, was six miles nort hof Da Nang located near FLC and along the D aNang Bay .

The men of MCB-58 were engaged in such pro-jects as road building, cantonment construction,

well-drilling, minor airbase construction, and quarryoperation . One site was south of them at the 1s tMarines command post where they upgraded road sand built huts for a Marine LAAM battery .

Chaplain Blade's duties included a major Civi cAction project . "On 24 December 1966," he wrote ,"a Flying Tiger cargo plane crashed on the hamlet o fBien Tai killing 115 people . It was the worst crash i nVietnam history . We rebuilt some 32 homes for th efamilies of the hamlet . Other projects continue dthrough June of 1967 when the battalion was reliev-ed . "4 4

The second Seabee chaplain to arrive in Octobe rwas Lieutenant E . Blant Ferguson (CumberlandPresbyterian) of MCB-5 . Chaplain Ferguson hadrelieved Commander Everett B . Nelson (American


13 3

Baptist) in March while the battalion was at Cam p

Hoover and had returned to the United States fo rthe period of May to October . One of ChaplainNelson's turnover practices indicates another area ofchaplain outreach while in foreign lands . During theinitial turnover in March 1966, Chaplain Nelson ha dintroduced his relief to Da Nang area missionaries .Chaplain Ferguson wrote :

While in Da Nang I had a good working relationshipwith the Protestant and Catholic pastors and missionarie sstationed in this northern city . Chaplain Nelson ac-quainted me with the city of Da Nang and with mis-sionaries of the Southern Baptist Convention, Christianand Missionary Alliance, and Worldwide Evangelizatio nCrusade . I highly recommend this procedure as a means o festablishing contact with local clergy . 4 5

Heavily engaged in civic action, Chaplai n

Ferguson produced a successful program . Duringone eight-month deployment more than ' $1,300 wascontributed from the MCB-5 Chapel Funds t ovarious missionary enterprises in Da Nang East . Mis -sionaries were invited to speak to the men duringdivine worship services, where they told of unusua lexperiences and showed slides and movies of per-sonal endeavor to relate the Christian Gospel to th eVietnamese. Chaplain Ferguson completed th eMarch-May 1966 deployment, a following one at D aNang, and one deployment at Dong Ha during hi stwo-year tenure of duty .

The only Seabee Chaplain during the period to ar-rive as the relief for a chaplain already in countr ywith his battalion was Lieutenant Richard D .Delleney (Southern Baptist) who arrived on 1 0November as the relief for Chaplain Sheldon on hissecond deployment with MCB-10 . ChaplainDelleney completed the final three months of th ebattalion's deployment at Camp Hoover in Da Nan gand was to return again in 1967 .

Two Seabee Chaplains arrived in December .

Lieutenant Carl W . Erickson (Lutheran) withMCB-62, which relieved MCB-7 at Camp Campbell ,Phu Bai and Chaplain J . F . Harris' MCB-8 relievedMCB-3 at Rosemary Point, Camp Miller, Chu Lai .

Christmas 1966

In a letter of 6 August to the Chief of Chaplains ,General Walt had invited Chaplain Kelly to return

to Vietnam for a second Christmas visit . He wrote :

If you find it possible, we would be most happy to haveyou visit us again this year . I recall with gratitude the fin econtribution which you made to our religious emphasis o fChristmas and I have heard many comments since tha tvisit as to the morale effect of your visit among my

chaplains . They continue to do an outstanding job amon gour men and I am certain that another visit from yo uwould accomplish the same effect among the entirely ne w

"generation" of Chaplains who will be here on nex t

Christmas . If you can come, please plan to be with us for aweek preceding Christmas so we will not have to keep yo ugoing at the same tremendous pace that you kept las t

time .4 6

In the midst of the move from old offices to th enew ones in the III MAF Headquarters compound a tDa Nang East, Chaplains Lyons and Hershbergerprepared the itinerary for Chaplain Kelly's forthcom-ing Christmas visit . This year, as the last, he woul d

be accompanied by a Roman Catholic chaplain from

the Chaplain ' s Division of the Bureau of Naval Per-sonnel . Captain Edward A . Slattery (RomanCatholic) was to accompany him, partly to take careof many procedural details of the trip, and also t oprovide Roman Catholic Masses in areas whereChaplain Kelly was visiting and preaching . Chaplain

Lyons ' proposal for Chaplain Kelly's itinerary wasdetailed and as the Chief of Chaplains had directed ,

made it possible to visit as large a number of com-mands, chaplains, hospitals, and chapels as possibl e

within the limits of a five-day visit .

Perhaps typical of the activity and joy of the

Christmas season was the experience of Chaplai nMeehan who extended his ministry beyond th eMarine opportunities to the concerns of Vietnamese .

At Christmas he said Mass for almost 450 Viet-namese . He had been saying Mass for the Viet-namese people and their children for some time . At

first, attendance had been poor . As the word spread ,he started to have about 80 to 90 people attend ever ySunday . When Christmas came the people were urg-ed to get one of their own priests from Da Nang .This they did . On Christmas Eve, the weathe rbecame so bad that the priest could not come to A n

Hoa. Frantically rearranging his own schedule an dbringing down his own Marines to sing, ChaplainMeehan set up Mass for the Vietnamese at te n

o'clock at night . The Vietnamese had been give npermission to have Mass in a huge Butler Building .When he arrived the place had been decorated into abeautiful chapel . The people had put up decorations

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and built an altar . The children were dressed as wel las they could . He remembered :

When the Mass began the Vietnamese sang the Mass ,my own men sang Christmas carols both before and afte rthe Mass . Also participating in the singing were the Ger-man Peace Corps representatives . These dedicated me nand women of Germany and Austria sang in their ow nnative language . The startling moment of the whole nigh tcame at the Consecration of the Mass . As I started to say

the words of Consecration, the Vietnamese began to beatout a rhythm on their drums . It kept getting faster andfaster as I approached the time for adoration . The drumsconveyed a great expectancy and an overpowering note ofdignity . Abruptly, after the Consecration, the drums ceas-ed, and Christ was on the altar. It was one of the mos tmoving experiences of all my dealings with the Vietnames epeople . It seemed even to my men that at that momen tVietnamese, American and German were united as one i nthanksgiving for the Birth of Christ .47

PART IV

THE HEIGHTS AND THE DEPTHS


RAdm James W. Kelly, Chief of Chaplains, poses with 1st Marine Division chaplains i nfront of the division chapel at Da Nang during the Christmas 1969 holiday period . Theoccasion marked Adm Kelly's fifth Christmas season tour of Marine units in Vietnam .

CHAPTER 9

Encouraging and Giving (January-December 1967 )Combat Ministry-Early 1967— The Chaplain Civic Action Program—Easter—Summer Combat—"Greate r

Love Hath No Man - I Corps Pacification Efforts— Changes and Administration

The year 1967 found both U .S . forces andcasualties in Vietnam rising sharply . Opposition tothe war was growing at home and the reports of rio tand protest were causing some early reactions b ychaplains . In August, President Johnson announce da new ceiling on U.S . troops for the war zone at525,000 . By mid-year the total already stood a t463,000 . At the end of the year the casualty figuresince 1961 would total 15,812 killed and 99,30 5wounded . In the mid-summer Marine casualties ex-ceeded those sustained in the Korean War ;' Vietnamhad become the second largest war for the MarineCorps in terms of combat deaths, and would becomeits largest in terms of those wounded . 2 The tota lMarine wounded figure for Vietnam would stand a t88,542 ; 21,335 more than those listed as woundedin World War II, a figure that reflects in part thatVietnam was America's longest foreign war .

Bombing raids on the north were intensified andU.S . and North Vietnamese forces entered th edemilitarized zone (DMZ) for the first time . Presi-dent Johnson repeatedly offered peace negotiation sonly to have them consistently turned down . 3

While demonstrations at home continued t odisplay the skepticism of some Americans, militar yleaders were surprisingly optimistic about the pro-gress of the war . General Westmoreland said that h ehad "never been more encouraged in my four yearsin Vietnam." 4 Army Chief of Staff General Harol dK. Johnson maintained, "We are definitely winnin gin Vietnam . . . . If my observations are borne out— Irecently returned from my eighth visit to Viet-nam — then I believe we will see more real evidenc eof progress in the next few months ." S

For chaplains with Marines, such optimism wasnot so clear . They found their ministry of encourage-ment was strongly needed in 1967 and the giving ofthe ministry also meant the giving of themselves .

Combat Ministry-Early 196 7

For awhile during early 1967 all that appeared to

Navy chaplains committed to combat with Marineunits near Vietnam 's DMZ, was that the face of thewar had changed . Massed within the demilitarizedzone itself and occupying strategic high ground jus tsouth of its western extremity, North Vietnames eregulars appeared to be getting set to mount a full -scale frontal assault, an invasion of South Vietnam ,across the six-mile strip of no man 's land whic hdivided the country . A mile to the south in Co n

Thien, dug in and ready, the U .S . 3d Marine Divi-sion anticipated that they would soon make the try .

Navy chaplains with their battalions at Khe Sanh ,Con Thien, and Dong Ha noted that the prospect ofsuch an encounter was reminiscent of the battles ofWorld War II and Korea . Counterinsurgency warfar ewith which they had become intimately acquainte din Vietnam and to which they had successfullyadapted their ministry, seemed at the moment tobelong to another theater of operations or someother war .

The chaplains in the northernmost defens e

perimeter were reminded that the shape of thei rministry had changed considerably in response to the

requirements of guerrilla warfare . They had notbeen accustomed to fixed positions, or as in Korea ,to trooping the line from fighting pit to foxhole ten -ding the wounded and dying, and offering en-couragement to their people . No longer were theyoriented to the battalion aid station as the centra lcollection and clearing point for the wounded an dthe KIAs . Nevertheless the configuration of thing salong the DMZ indicated that this was to be a figh tfor real estate, with fixed positions to be defended ,and the effectiveness of their ministry depende dupon the facility with which they could adap tthemselves to the traditional battleline situation .

During the early days in May 1967, artillery ,rocket, and mortar exchanges, both in number an dintensity, increased all along the DMZ . It becam eclear that to neutralize the enemy's offensivecapability in the area, the Communist forces woul d

137

138


have to be routed from their sturdy, well-conceale dbunkers, removed from the high ground on Hill s881 North and South, and 861 near Khe Sanh, an ddriven from their positions below and in the DMZ .

In the early morning of 8 May, a Communis tassault force, driving south, attacked the Marine gar-rison at Con Thien . Casualties mounted . In a lette rto the Chief of Chaplains, describing the ministry ofNavy chaplains in the sector, the Division Chaplain ,3d Marine Division stated that when he arrived at DMed, Dong Ha :

. . . Everywhere you looked there were wounded anddead being tended . Many of the walking wounded hadshrapnel in two, three or as many as five places on thei rbodies . The seriously wounded were given immediate at-tention and in two or three cases I saw men who were to al lappearances dead, brought back to life by dedicated doc-tors and corpsmen who worked smoothly and efficientlyamid what appeared to the layman to be absolute chaos . 6

The chaplains responded also. Both with thei runits on the line and D Med, they moved among th ecasualties consoling, encouraging, offering prayer, o rgiving the last rites of the church . The dead wer eremoved to the morgue, half a block away from th ehospital where the ritual of the last rite continued .

When the furious pace of the day was at lengthover in Dong Ha, the division chaplain moved wes tto the Khe Sanh sector where for several days men o fthe 3d Marines had laid seige to Communist-heldHills 881N and S and 861, finally wresting the mfrom NVA control . Chaplain Oliver, 3d Marinesregimental chaplain, and Chaplain Urbano with th e3d Battalion, 3d Marines ministered to the assaulttroops . Chaplain Lavin stated : "What a job thesetwo had done! They were everywhere, consoling th ewounded and ministering to the dead. The toll ofdead and wounded exacted to take these hills wasterribly high, but true to Marine Corps tradition, i thad been done ." 7

Recounting his participation in the effort to driv ethe Communist troops from the strategic highground, Chaplain Urbano attached to the 3d Bat-talion, 3d Marines at Khe Sanh, said :

Arriving in country and joining the Third Battalion ,Third Marines less than two weeks before the battle at Kh eSanh was the most electrifying experience of my life . Th eColonel invited me to go with him from our CP at th e"Rockpile" on a visit to Khe Sanh . Less than twenty fourhours later we were back again when our Kilo Companyand the Command Group were committed to a battle the

likes of which I could never have imagined . The days tha tfollowed turned the beautifully landscaped, jungl ecovered mountains into a barren wasteland with pock -mark scars everywhere . ,

Following the victory at Khe Sanh, chaplains hel dboth Protestant and Roman Catholic memorial ser-vices atop the recently taken hills . It was fitting tha tthey should pray for the dead at the place where theyactually died . Services were conducted in bom bcraters large enough to hold sixty men with little dif-ficulty .

The 3d Battalion, 3d Marines chaplain reporte dthat following the battle, near the battalion CP a tthe "Rockpile, " men of the unit built a chapel inmemory of their fallen comrades . The chapel wasconstructed not with appropriated funds, he noted ,but with appropriated materials . Native materialsappropriated from the surrounding jungles wereemployed to build a tropical, one-hundred sea tstructure with two office spaces in the rear .

Pursuing the retreating Communists into th esouthern half of the DMZ, in the days that followed ,the Marines drove the NVA troops north of th edemarkation line at the 17th Parallel . ChaplainLavin indicated that mortar and artillery exchange scontinued, but "thanks to very vigilant Marines onthe night scopes, the NVA and VC get far more tha nthey give ."9

The overall impression indicated by Navychaplains participating in I Corps combat in May wasthat circumstances within which they pursued theirmission, the intensified and altered structure of th ecombat situation, had no appreciable effect uponthe essence of their ministry . The exhausted, thefearful, the wounded, and the dying needed theconsolation, the encouragement, the absolution, thereassurance, the prayers which they provided, ir-respective of the configuration of circumstances sur-rounding them . To bring God to man and man t oGod, and to apply God's divine resources to the in-dividual, precisely at the point of his deepest need ,remained the essence of their mission .

The going was as rough near the DMZ in earl y1967 as it was anywhere and anytime in Vietnam . Asthe units of the 3d Marine Division had moved nort hthey noticed the change in weather as well as terrain .One chaplain remembered, "It was cold, wet an dmuddy, spelled with a capital M ." 1 0 And other rud eawakenings were waiting. Lieutenant John J . Wilson

ENCOURAGING AND GIVING

13 9

(Southern Baptist) remembered his introduction tothe 2d Battalion, 3d Marines :

Chaplain Lavin said, 'Jack, I hope you are familiar wit hthe field!" I replied, "Yes, sir, a little," my reply bein gbased on thoughts of the fields I had plowed as a boy an dexperienced during eight summer camps with the Nationa lGuard . . . . Though I made jokes about Camp Carrol lwhen we got there I was happy to be with a battalion in th efield . "

The Assistant Division Chaplain, Chaplai nSeiders, took the new 2d Battalion, 3d Marine sChaplain to meet the 3d Division (Forward )Chaplain, Captain Joseph Ryan (Roman Catholic) ,and also his battalion commanding officer . Shortlythereafter word was received that Golf Company o fhis battalion had made contact with the enemy an dthe entire battalion command post moved northeas tof Camp Carroll on a one-day sweep to assist .Chaplain Wilson remembered :

We arrived where the fighting had been going on t ofind the wounded and dead, at which time I began torealize I was in "the field ." We did what we could and Me dEvac's soon carried all the wounded and dead out . As wemoved to link up with Golf Company everything was go-ing fine until we found ourselves in the middle of an am -bush which had bullets flying through the air and morta rshells popping like pop corn .1 2

The chaplain participated in carrying the wound-ed and dead back to the landing zone for Med Evacbut found the LZ so blanketed with automaticweapons fire and mortars that the helicopters couldnot land . During the night the commanding office rand the sergeant major of the battalion died alongwith others who had been wounded earlier in th eday . Those who remained alive listened to the cons-tant mortar barrage throughout the night . ChaplainWilson recorded two grim facts that he derived fromhis experience :

I became fully aware of what Chaplain Lavin had said a sopposed to what I had heard . There is "the field" an dthere is " the field ." The other fact came in the realizatio nthat not only had the battalion had 14 killed and 12 4wounded, but "I" had lost 14 of "my" men and 124 o f"my" men had been wounded . There is a difference . "

The difficulties of the northern I Corps in earl y1967 had the effect of drawing Marines and thei rchaplains close together, which proved to be a bless-ing but also a painful situation in the face of the loss

of close comrades . The 2d Battalion, 3d Marines los t77 men dead and hundreds wounded fighting fo rHills 881 and 861 near Khe Sanh . The battalionchaplain reflected, "I wanted to quit and leave, jus tas other combat chaplains must have felt, but w ewere given the strength to stay through prayer an dthe knowledge that someone else would have to d omy part and his too if I didn' t ." 14 Another chaplainstated : " I shall miss them, the living and the dead. . . . These men were the only true and real values inthis war for me."l s

Lieutenant Clark A . Tea, Jr . (Episcopal) found thesame tie developing with the 2d Battalion, 9thMarines . The battalion was stretched out alon gRoute 9 from Landing Zone Stud, at Ca Lu, to Kh eSanh, and Chaplain Tea was obliged to "travel th eroute" constantly in order to hold services . Once aMarine came up to him after the service and said ,"Chaplain, we were talking last night and wondere dif you would be around for services today ."1 6Chaplain Tea reported, "That sort of got to me; It'slittle things like that that make it all worthwhile . ""

Chaplain Tea was typical of most chaplains in tha the spent time with a line battalion and then laterwas assigned to a rear unit, in his case the 3d Medica lBattalion . Ever since chaplain routines had stabilizedin early 1966, the rotation pattern that was attemp-ted for each chaplain included an approximately six -month stint with a forward unit, and the rest of thetour spent with a unit thought to be in the rear . Thiswas often a myth, however, since the conflict rarel ycould draw rear lines with safety in northern I Corps ,given the mortar and rocket barrages from the DM Zand the unpredictability and infiltration capabilit yof the enemy .

Some of the most rewarding rearward duty wa swith the medical aid station, even though it was als osome of the most exhausting . Lieutenant Lester L .Westling, Jr . (Episcopal) was a chaplain at the 3 dMedical Battalion at Phu Bai in 1967, serving ther efor seven months . He recorded an important facto rin the hospital crisis ministry when he remarked tha ta line battalion chaplain has six months or more toget to know most of his men, whereas with patient sin a medical battalion there are but a matter of hoursor days in which to build a relationship of truststrong enough that a man can open his soul to Go din the chaplain's presence if he needs to . And yet ,this was possible to do . Chaplain Westlingremembered :

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One of the greatest rewards of this service often came t ome after I had spent a number of months with the MedicalBattalion when a man would come in from the field for asecond and third Purple Heart and fondly remember "hi schaplain ." I recall particularly once amidst the frenzy i nthe fringe area when Chinook helicopters were unloadin gmass casualties, how a man with a bleeding leg and awounded arm hopped through the door and threw hi sgood arm around me and gave me a big "bear hug" andsaid joyfully : "Chaplain, I'm back again!"' B

It would be erroneous to state that all the ex-periences of chaplains were rewarding and relation -ships were uniformly excellent . When the tension o fthe war and its duration continued to expand, thepressures on commands and chaplains also mounted ,and some chaplains' reports complained of lack o fcommand support for their ministry . But by far th emajority reported excellent relationships and some ,exceptional cooperation . Chaplain Westling, wh ojoined 1st Battalion, 9th Marines at Camp Carrol lafter his tour with the 3d Medical Battalion ,remembered the hazards and the marches during th esummer offensives in 1967 and reported :

My greatest encouragement came from being blesse dwith a Commanding Officer and Executive Officer, Protes-tant and Catholic respectively, who took it very seriousl ythat providing a religious program for the battalion was acommand function . To my knowledge, few chaplains hav eserved Commanding Officers who have called for prayerseach morning on operations before the decisions wer emade . "No amount of military education can completel yprepare a man for the responsibility of taking 1000 me ninto combat . Supporting Arms are not enough withou tGod's help and guidance," he once told me . It is a humbl-ing experience to serve such a man .' 9

The Chaplain Civic Action Program

During the month of January 1967 the chaplaincivic action story in RVN centered upon the nor-thernmost provinces of I CTZ . Elsewhere in Vietnamchaplains attached to Navy and Marine Corps ac-tivities routinely continued their impressive programof assistance to institutions of human welfar eoperated by indigenous religious organizations .

Further chaplain civil action efforts were focuse don the extreme north for obvious reasons . Followingthe redeployment of the 3d Marine Division CP an dcombat redeployment north from Da Nang to th ePhu Bai and Dong Ha defense perimeters in mid -October 1966, the civic action program was begu nafresh in undeveloped territory . The program

reentered Phase I of the tested and now sophisticate dformula of humanitarian assistance . Chaplains of th e3d Marine Division reported a variety of activitie sduring the month . Distribution of food, clothing ,and school supplies ; financial and material assistanc eto indigenous churches, orphanages, and hospitals ;and heavy involvement in the Marine village Medica lCare Program (MEDCAP) led chaplain civic actio nprojects numerically and in man hours and dollarsexpended .

The 3d Marine Division ' s Protestant Chapel Fundmade a substantial contribution to the Christian an dMissionary Alliance mission to ARVN personnel an dtheir dependents at the Dong Ha basic trainin gcamp near the Division CP . The same fund donated24,000 piastres to the Catholic Archdiocese of Hu efor support of religious orphanages and schools . TheCatholic Chapel Fund of the 3d Marine Divisio ngave 4,500 piastres and 1,200 pounds of food ,medicine, and clothing from American donors to th eReverend Tho in Hue for distribution amon gCatholics of the ancient provincial capital . 2 0

Early in the war it became clear that pacification o fthe countryside required that Vietnamese villager sbe given the means and the incentive necessary for asuccessful self-help program of social and economi cbetterment . Humanitarian projects for the first tim ein history assumed a position of importance an dpriority equal to that of active combat . Winning th ewar in Vietnam required both military protectio nand social and economic reconstruction from thegrass roots hamlet through the village, province ,district, and nation, and the civic action programprovided the best means for meeting the re-quirements .

The first project noted in 1967 was an 11t hMarines chaplain's project in which indigenou sleaders were being encouraged to establish Chu La iYouth Centers, equipped with small hobby shop swhere young people of the villages could learn th erudiments of selected mechanical and technical skill sunder the guidance of Marine instructors .

The III MAF Chaplain of the previous year hadpredicted the progress of the program as he saw it .He said :

I would expect that this program will "peak" within th enext year . Once contacts are complete and the surge o fprojects is past I would expect this program to diminish t othe point where it is concerned more with specific, short -termed projects as opposed to the larger and costlie rconstruction-type projects in which we are now engaged .


14 1

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A18720 7LCpI Gary L . Frame of the 2d Battalion, 9thMarines, 3d Marine Division puts a new pair ofshoeson a Vietnamese girl at the Sacred Heart Orphanag ein Da Nang in 1966. The shoes were sent to Fram e

by members of the Veterans Administratio n

Hospital in his hometown ofMuskogee, Oklahoma.

Ideally, the program should taper off so that when U .S .Forces are ultimately withdrawn from Vietnam, thes ereligious institutions will be virtually independent of oursupport . 2"

By 1967, the ideal was still being pursued . Thenew Standing Operating Procedure for ChaplainService was then in the final stages of preparation b ythe Commanding General, III MAF . Section IV, en -titled "Chaplains Civic Action Program" placed i nofficial form both the structure and the philosoph yfor the program of the future .

During 1967 chaplains reporting on civic actionprojects, while recognizing the difficulty of accurat emeasurement, consistently attributed the stable ,high-level morale among young sailors and Marine sin Vietnam to some degree to the healthful emo-tional outlet provided them by regular involvemen tin humanitarian projects among the Vietnames epeople .

Upon his return from a visit to RVN in early 1967 ,Methodist Bishop W . Angie Smith reported that he

had seen less hatred among combat troops in Viet-nam than anywhere else he had observed or in whic hhe had participated . He praised American ArmedForces personnel for their liberal giving to the peo-ple's needs, for their high morale, and for the com-mendable state of morality among them ."

In a sense the Chaplains Civic Action Program di dpeak in 1967, since the remaining years of Marine in-volvement in Vietnam centered strongly aroundforced combat and planning for disengagement .

Easter

March 1967 marked the fifth year in which Easte rwas celebrated by Navy chaplains in Vietnam . Al lprevious attendance records were broken when th elargest participation ever was recorded . While in-dividual response and program impact were difficul tto measure, chaplains reporting on their holy day ac-tivities expressed a sense of satisfaction with the im -

Chaplain Francis L . Garrett, III Marine Amphibiou sForce, gives 100,000 piasters (about $8,500) to th eVenerable Thich Minh Chieu, senior Buddhist priestof Da Nang. The money, raised through theChaplains Civic Action Program from Marines, willbe applied toward the building of an orphanage .


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The distribution of 2, 700 bars ofsoap to the residents ofQuang Xuyen in the Rung SatSpecial Zone south of Saigon was a present of the United Church Women ofHawaii.The presentation took place 31 March 1966 during Operation Jackstay . The chaplain spictured are Richard E. Barcus of BLT 1/5 and John Pegnam of the SLF staff

pact of the Easter program upon Navy and Marin eCorps personnel ashore in the I Corps Tactical Zone .

Four Navy Chaplains were in Vietnam on Easte r1965, two with the first two battalions of the 9t hMarine Expeditionary Brigade then arriving in the ICorps area as the first units of the American defen-sive buildup, and one each with Shufly and Head -quarters Support Activity, Saigon . At this time newscoverage of American military personnel and thei ractivities in Vietnam had assumed worldwidesignificance and an urgent priority . In Japanese andAmerican newspapers United Press Internationa lpublished photographs of the sunrise service provid-ed by the 1st Battalion, 3d Marines Chaplain at th eHawk missile emplacement atop Hill 327 on the D aNang defensive perimeter .

On Easter, 26 March 1967, a number of sunris eservices were held by unit chaplains in their in-dividual units in Chu Lai, Phu Bai, and Da Nan gTAORs . Because of unsafe conditions of the roads inthe early, pre-dawn hours, the decision was made bythe division chaplain not to have large, centrall ylocated services . Chaplains were encouraged to hol darea services where men of several contiguous unit scould assemble for local early morning worship . II IMAF Chaplain Lyons concurred and issued this ad -vice to the Chaplain Corps . In a report on the seaso nto the Chief of Chaplains he further repotted :

The combined III MAF and Da Nang Air Base choirspresented a concert of sacred music on Good Friday at theAir Base Chapel and on Easter Sunday evening in the IIIMAF chapel . The choir was composed of Navy, Marine,


14 3


HM3 Ronald L . Williams, 1st Hospital Company, 1st Marine Division, is surrounded b yhis patients, children from the village of An Tan, as he treats a child's infected leg .

Army and Air Force personnel stationed in the Da Nan garea. 26

During March, Eastern Orthodox and Jewish per-sonnel made preparation for their Easter andPassover observances, respectively, to occur thefollowing month. Both made their usual, faithful ,albeit small, contribution to divine worship atten-dance figures for March. For April it was noted withboth groups, participation in their High Holy Day scelebrations set new attendance records in Vietnam .

Largely as a result of record participation in Corp sLenten and Easter religious activities, statistics forthe month of March 1967 showed a marked increasein attendance at worship. During the month a tota lof 57,638 persons attended 2,139 worship services

provided by 90 Navy Chaplains in the I Corps area .

Summer Comba t

The month of July 1967 produced two importan tfirsts for Navy chaplains assigned to duty ashore i nVietnam . One of these related to an importantChaplain Corps objective, the extension of th eCorps' ministry to every sailor, Seabee, and Marinedeployed to the combat area .

Since mid-1966 more Navy chaplains had bee nassigned to combat units ashore in a singl egeographical area than ever before in the history o fnaval warfare . Coupled with circuit riding and. cross -organizational concepts of multi-unit religiou scoverage, assignment of chaplains ashore in such

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Photo courtesy of Chaplain William H . Gibso nCapt William H. Gibson (right), Civic Action Officer of the 1st Marine Division, presents clothing ,books, and games to a nun at an orphanage near D aNang. Capt Gibson later became a Navy chaplain .

numbers represented the most comprehensivereligious coverage ever known in the Navy to tha tpoint . Progressively, in the months following Jul y1966, increases in in-country Chaplain Corpsstrength were recorded . In July 1967, the numberexceeded 100 chaplains assigned to duty ashore .

The Chaplain Corps ministry to Navy and Marin eCorps personnel in Vietnam increased both i nbreadth and in saturation . The most notable increas ein breadth occured in U .S . Naval Forces Vietnamchaplain assignments . Circuit riding chaplains o fNaval Support Activity (NavSupAct), Saigon wer eassigned to four circuits, the geographical limits ofwhich encompassed the II, III, and IV Corp sadministrative-tactical zones . The four circuits wer egeographically so situated that centers of nava lpopulation at Saigon, Cam Ranh Bay, Cat Lo, an dCan Tho provided bases from which the 10 Nav -SupAct Saigon detachments, Coastal Surveillanc eForces, and River Patrol Forces units were covered .Without exception Navy and Coast Guard unit soperating ashore and afloat from bases extendin gfrom the southwestern extremity of the Mekon gDelta north to Vietnam's central panhandle wer eassured routine religious coverage . Personnel of th eunits were assured ready access to the ministry of aNavy chaplain .

The other first was not specifically related t oChaplain Corps coverage or to personnel statistics,

rather it was related to the mounting cost of the wa rto Corps personnel . Navy chaplains attached to theMarines in the I Corps Tactical Zone, and specificall yin the Con Thien and Dong Ha sectors immediatel ybelow the DMZ, reported receiving intermittent bu theavy mortar and rocket fire upon their position sduring the entire month . For the first time durin gthe war three Navy chaplains sustained wounds in asingle month . The number of chaplains wounded i naction, by the end of July, reached a total of 15 .

A moving story was recorded by one of the threechaplains wounded . It was not so much his story asthat of the Marine corporal who worked with him a sa chaplain ' s assistant . The corporal had served thechaplain to whom he was assigned as yeoman,messenger, driver, and bodyguard . He had riggedfor divine worship, served Mass, and generally madeit possible for the chaplain, "to be in two places a tone time ." The chaplain had come to depend heavi-ly upon his assistant and to know and appreciate hi mas a faithful Christian friend . The climate of thosedays were reflected in a letter to the Chief o f

Chaplains . The chaplain wrote :

On Monday morning, 3 July, at 0500 we were awakenedby the scream of artillery shells . I raced to the door of m yhut and started for my bunker when I was thrown into theair by the impact of a shell exploding across the street . Iwas hurled into the bunker head first, sustaining heav ylacerations on my legs, arms and back . The Ninth Marin eRegiment Chaplain was also hurt in this attack which con-tinued for about thirty minutes . 2 7

The next day, 4 July, the chaplain, Joseph Ryan ,went to the Dong Ha Memorial Chapel for his daily

1630 Mass . His clerk, Corporal George A . Pace, hadrigged the altar, and made other required prepara-tions while the chaplain heard confessions . He of-fered the Mass for "Peace in the World" and spok efor a few minutes about the meaning of our Declara-tion of Independence . Just after the Communio nhymn, another artillery shell exploded near thechapel . He later remembered :

My clerk and I were both thrown to the ground . I turnedhim over in my arms, and he looked at me in amazement .He said, "I am hit", and lapsed into unconsciousness . Ou rcongregation scattered into our area . George was hit righ tthrough the heart and was bleeding profusely . I realizedthat I had to take a chance and go out of the bunker if wewere going to save him . 2 8

One of the Marines raced out to a nearby jeep am-bulance and rushed the chaplain's assistant to D


14 5

Chaplain Fred Zobel, of MCB 5, presents $180 to Mr. De of the Bo De Kahn School, forfour scholarships for the boys on the left . They were donated in memory of EOCN JohnGito of Company A, who was killed in an accident at the Hai Van Pass .

Med . The doctors and corpsmen were still in theirbunkers because they were on "red alert ." But whenthe wounded assistant arrived, the needed peopl eimmediately came to his assistance and rushed hi minto surgery . They had him in the operating roo mfrom 1710 to 2000 . At 2000 he was doing very well .His blood pressure was stabilized, his heart wa sbeating steadily, and all conditions were favorabl efor recovery . Chaplain Ryan reported later, "It was i nthe hands of God, and we remained at his bedsid eimploring God to spare him . About 2100 Georg estopped breathing and once again the doctors di deverything in their power to get his heart beating,

but God had called him home . . . ." 29 Death wasconstant those days in Vietnam, but never common .

During July visible evidences of the effectivenessof the Navy chaplains' combat ministry continued t obe shown in many ways . The mother of a woundedMarine wrote a grateful letter to General Walt, wh ohad presented the Purple Heart to her son at th eNaval Hospital in Da Nang . So inspired was she by aletter from her son, in which he referred to th eministry of Navy chaplains to him in the heat ofcombat and in the hospital, that she wrote a poemfor publication in the Marine Corps Magazin eLeatherneck . In the poem which was entitled, "The

146


Department of Defense (USMC) Phot oLtGen Lewis W. Walt, Commanding General, IIIMAP', congratulates Maj T. J. Brantley, USA, direc-tor of the combined III MAF and Da Nang Air BaseChoirs, on its performance, Easter Sunday, 1967.

Invisible Church," and about which she wrote t oGeneral Walt, she expressed her conviction an dgratitude that the Church was as really present an das meaningfully active through the ministry o fchaplains half a world away in Vietnam, as in he rown home community . 3 0

Chaplains themselves continued to derive per-sonal satisfaction and spiritual benefit from thei rrespective combat ministries . One chaplain, writin gabout his ministry in the Khe Sanh sector, stated :

On Friday I suggested to the regimental commanderand to the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines C .O . that Chaplai nUrbano be left at the collection and clearing location o nthe airstrip to receive casualties, because that is where theservices of a Catholic Priest could best be utilized . So Fran kand I served together night and day during the next tw oweeks, helping the outstanding medical team in every wa ywe could, and providing much needed spiritual aid andcomfort . Our joint ministry to these ;young Americandead, dying and wounded was a profoundly moving ex-perience and a deeply personal one . One felt humblygrateful to be ordained and privileged for the opportunityof such service . ; '

During August 1967 much of the combat activity

in which chaplains were intimately involved in Viet-nam continued to take place in Quang Tri Provinc eimmediately below the demilitarized zone . Reportsfrom chaplains in that northernmost province of ICorps Tactical Zone focused upon their religiou sministry during the defense of the key position a tCon Thien and during artillery, rocket, and morta rbarrages directed toward personnel of the 3d, 9th ,and 12th Marines defending it . Noticeable andmounting pressures upon Marine units in the area

began in March . Increased infiltration across theDMZ and massive artillery and troop concentration sbuilding behind it gave evidence that an impressiveartillery and troop confrontation, reminiscent o fconventional battlegrounch of previous wars, was in

the making .The most significant victory for the Marine force s

in early 1967 was still the victory at the "First Battl eof Khe Sanh ." On 11 May, Companies M and K ofthe 3d Battalion, 3d Marines assaulted Hill 861, wit hheavy casualties but without achieving their objec-tives . It was decided that the following day 86 1would be hit extremely hard with air strikes and ar-tillery . This was done, and by late afternoon th ecompanies of 2d Battalion, 3d Marines had taken th ehill without opposition .

Then came Hills 881 North and South . Theenemy had previously prepared extensive an delaborate bunkers, fighting pits, and fortification son well-chosen terrain locations . These hill position swere ingeniously and mutally supported and covered

Chaplain Joseph E. Ryan, assisted by his Marin eclerk Cpl George A . Pace, conducts Catholic servicesin the Dong Ha Memorial Chapel in summer 1967 .

Courtesy of Mrs . Edwin Pace


14 7

Courtesy of Mrs . Edwin PaceCpl George A . Pace, clerk of Chaplain Joseph E .Ryan, was fatally wounded at Dong Ha, 4 July 1967 .This view depicts one side of a shelter where the tw oof them stayed during attacks . Pace had constructeda desk for Father Ryan and this one for himself

by other hill positions . The taking of Hills 881 Northand South was costly in American casualties, but a salmost the entire Khe Sanh battle took place withi ntwo to four miles of the airstrip, the wounded werequickly brought out by helicopter . Except when th etactical situation was such that the wounded coul dnot be reached, the rapidity with which casualtie sreached the aid station was remarkable . There is noquestion that many lives were saved by the speed o fhelicopter evacuation in coordination with the skil lof the medical teams on the airstrip waiting an dready to give emergency treatment . Subsequentevacuation of the wounded to hospitals for im-mediate surgery, while receiving plasma or whol eblood enroute, was accomplished with equal spee dand further reduced the number of deaths .

The Khe Sanh victory successfully thwarted NV Aattempts to flank Con Thien with offensive position s

The U. S . Navy and Marine Corps Memorial Chapel at Dong Ha was dedicated to thos eMarines and Navy corpsmen who lost their lives on Operations Hastings and Prairie .

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A 188248

148


to the west, and to impose pressures from two side ssimultaneously .

During the following months it appeared as if th eNVA frontal strategy, even without a firm flankin gposition to the west, remained unchanged and firm .Pressures on Con Thien increased. It became clearthat the enemy was experiencing increasing difficul-ty with infiltration into the southern provinces o fSouth Vietnam along traditional routes and ha dmounting logistic problems . Capitalizing upon theinvasion-immune sanctuary north of the DMZ an din the Laotian province of Khammouanne, the NV Aappeared 'to be counting upon a direct frontal assaul tupon Con Thien to produce their hope for signifi-cant, if transitory, tactical and propaganda victory .

Ground action in the southern I Corps and in th ethree other military-administrative zones of Sout hVietnam remained sporadic, attention being focusedupon attacks near population centers well covered b yworld-wide news media . Chaplains riding NavalSupport Activity Saigon circuits in the II, III, and I VCorps areas, reported that their activities with theRiver Patrol Force, and transportation from each oftheir scattered units to the others, was extremel yhazardous . Occasional firefights were engaged an dthe danger of treacherous ambush remained cons-tant . It remained clear, however, that the only sectorof the war in which North Vietnamese regulars or in-surgent Viet Cong guerrillas retained and continue dto press a military initiative was along the DMZ .

During June and July action immediately south ofthe DMZ presented all the characteristics . of a con-ventional frontline confrontation with fortified posi-tions to be defended . Intelligence reports confirmeda continuing massive buildup of NVA forces in th enorthern half of the DMZ. Artillery, mortar, androcket fire from within the DMZ increased in inten-sity in spite of all strikes directed against them, an din spite of a reported 10 rounds of 12th Marines' ar-tillery fire delivered in response to each one received .Frontal assaults by reinforced NVA battalions ,evidencing obvious attempts by North Vietnam toinvade the southern republic, were systematicall yrepulsed by American Marines .

Later in the year it became evident that increasin gattempts were being made to infiltrate entire unitsof North Vietnamese regulars directly across th eDMZ . The result was a curious combination of guer-rilla and conventional tactics . Battalion-sized NorthVietnamese units moved with stealth among the

dense jungles of Quang Tri Province preparing fo ran assault upon Con Thien in coordination with th eexpected frontal attack . To take the initiative awa yfrom the invaders, to keep them off balance, and todestroy them if firm contact could be established ,Marine battalions in similar manner moved abou tthe countryside .

One chaplain wrote to the Chief of Chaplains :

I just returned with my Battalion from forty days an dnights out in the bush around Con Thien . We kept mov-ing around in that general area to dissuade the enemyfrom attempting to overrun Con Thien . So far they havenot been able to, but they have tried and will undoubtedl ytry again .33

Reports of the chaplains' ministry to Navy andMarine Corps personnel during August reflected th egeneral military situation . In the rear at Dong Ha ,seven miles to the south, regular worship was con -ducted as time permitted between sporadic morta rattacks . Chaplains continued to move among per-sonnel of their units pursuing a combat ministr ysimilar to that which they had provided in I CT Zsince March 1965 . Chaplain coverage of the combin-ed action companies in the hamlets protected b yMarine squads continued uninterrupted . From th eCon Thien sector a chaplain wrote, "Wheneve rpossible we have field services for our men, andalways we go foxhole to foxhole for private or genera lprayers . Our chapel attendance when we are in a reararea is outstanding . The troops really feel close toGod when their lives are at stake . The ministry hereis a vital one for all troops, and I am proud to be asmall part of it ."34 The mode of chaplain operatio nwas necessarily movement . A Camp Carroll chaplai nwrote :

The chaplain was constantly on the move in order tospend time with companies in the outlying areas, to visi tthe men and to hold services . When the command pos titself moved out on operations the chaplain moved with i tcarrying his pack and prayerbook . It was a common thingfor Marines to react with surprise and pleasure to find th echaplains with them sharing the hardships and hazards o fthe field . I would try to hold weekly services in each pla-toon while in the field, and found the attendance to be ex-ceptionally high in such small group field services . Muc hfoxhole counselling transpired as companies from Cam pCarroll rotated to the field for security duty . Invariably thechaplain travelled as close as possible to the Battalion Ai dStation in order to minister to casualties, to give last rite sto the dead, and to assist with medical evacuations . Com-bat was getting less predictable and more costly . 3,

ENCOURAGING AND GIVIN G

But this combat period was also more costly fo rthe Chaplains Corps .

"Greater Love Hath No Man . . .

149

At 0200 on 5 September 1967, this chaplain received a nunofficial report that Lieutenant Vincent R . Capodanno ,CHC, USN, had been killed in action late Monday, 4September 1967 . Colonel Sam Davis, Regimental Com-mander of the 5th Marines, confirmed this officially at0730 this date . 36

This statement from the division chaplain to theforce chaplain concerning Chaplain Capodanno 'sdeath was the first to leave his command . Theabrupt style resulted from the need to simply com-municate information . A man had been killed an dhis death duly and officially noted . A preliminaryreport was forwarded up the chain of command . Bu tthe fact that the man was a chaplain was of morethan passing interest and concern to many, for me nof God were not routinely found in the casualt yreports of combat actions . No Navy chaplain had a syet been killed in Vietnam .

As the story of this chaplain 's last hours of lifegradually emerged to fill the outline of spare fact sfirst reported by the division chaplain, it became ap-parent that Chaplain Vincent Capodanno ' s action son that day had been inspired by an inordinat edevotion to his men and to God . For his ministry t oMarines during a combat situation that ultimatel ycost him his life, Chaplain Capodanno was awarde dthe Medal of Honor on 7 January 1969 . He was thefourth Navy man to receive the nation's highes thonor for valor in the Vietnam war .

Chaplain Capodanno's action on that day sym-bolized an idea of the ministry to men in comba tthat transcended the immediacy of personalsacrifices and illuminated a concept of ministr ywhich became unique to Vietnam, the ministry o fadaptation that enabled the chaplain to be presen tas much as possible where needed .

Chaplain Capodanno was born in RichmondCounty, New York in 1929 . He attended the CurtisHigh School ony Staten Island, the Maryknol lSeminary College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and theMaryknoll Seminaries in Bedford, Massachusetts an din New York City before his ordination in Jun e1957 . Father Capodanno belonged to the Catholi cForeign Mission Society and was dedicated to servingin the Far East . He served as a missionary in Taiwa nand in Hong Kong from 1958 until 1965 . When the

Department of Defense (USMC) Photo A36947 6A field prayer service is held by Chaplain Vincent R .Capodanno for men of Company A, 1st Battalion ,7th Marines, in the Muo Douc area of Vietnam .

Vietnam conflict became a full-scale involvement fo rUnited States combat forces early in 1965, Fathe rCapodanno volunteered to serve as a Navy chaplai nand requested duty with the Marines in-country . H eserved with a Marine infantry battalion for 1 2months and was thoroughly devoted to this kind o fduty and to his men and requested a six-month ex -tension . It was during the fourth month of this ex -tension that he was killed in action in Quang Ti nProvince .

Chaplain Capodanno was compelled to be wit hhis men according to the dictates of his conscienc eand an overwhelming desire to serve his "grunts . "The priorities of ministry, as interpreted by him, di dnot allow another course of action . His convictio nand dedication to a ministry, practically applied ,cost him his life on the afternoon of 4 Septembe r1967, yet both his life and his ministry were fulfille dby serving the Marines he loved . One chaplain con -firmed this with a delightful ancedote . Lieutenan tConon J . Meehan (Roman Catholic) wrote :

With the death of Vincent Capodanno fresh in m ymind, I am tempted to include a eulogy of him in thi sreport . But it is not necessary because so many others, par-

150


ticularly the young men who came in contact with him ,

will eulogize him . A little known fact about Vince was th efact that when he applied for military service as a chaplain ,he sought out the Marine Recruiting Office in Hong Kong .He wanted to serve with the Marines in Vietnam . It wasnot until he got to the west coast of the United States, di dhe find out that the Marines' chaplain was a Navychaplain, and that he actually had joined the Navy . 3 7

On the day of his death Chaplain Capodanno ha dbeen traveling with the command post of CompanyM, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Divisio n(Rein), which was moving to join other Marine com-panies reacting to enemy opposition developing i nOperation Swift .38 Observers' accounts noted tha tthe 1st Platoon of the company had traversed th eslope of a hill and had begun ascending an opposit ehill when it was halted by sniper fire . At the onset ofthe action the command post situated itself in acrater slightly behind the crest of the hill, while th e2d Platoon occupied a blocking position across th ebrow of the hill and then moved forward to assist th e1st Platoon and clear out the snipers . As the two pla-toons began to advance up the hill, a hail of enem ymortar, machine gun, and heavy weapons fire halte dtheir advance . What had initially been estimated a sa small clearing operation evolved into a full-scale at -tack in an engagement with elements of a NorthVietnamese Army force . The advancing Marine sradioed to the command post that they were i ndanger of being overrun and wiped out . At this new sChaplain Capodanno left the command post an dhurried to the positions of the 1st and 2d platoons ;in the meantime an order was given for the engage dMarines to fall back to form a defensive perimeter o nthe hill .

Lance Corporal Lovejoy, a radio operator ,remembered that he was lying in the dirt, havingbeen forced down by a burst of automatic weapon sfire when the chaplain ran down the hill, grabbed astrap of the radio, and helped him to pull it up th ehill . Twice they had to hit the dirt as grazingautomatic weapons fire traversed the hill in front o fthem . When they finally made it within theperimeter on top of the hill, Chaplain Capodannobegan to minister to the wounded and dying . LanceCorporal Lovejoy reflected afterwards that he woul dnever have made it up the hillside alive if it had notbeen for the chaplain's assistance .

Later during the firefight Chaplain Capodann owas giving the last rites to a dying Marine when rio tcontrol agents were employed to help blunt the

enemy fire . At the beginning of the engagemen tsome of the Marines had dropped their gear, in-cluding their gas masks, at the bottom of the hill .The chaplain surrendered his mask to one of th eriflemen, casually remarking, "you need this morethan I do ." and continued despite murderous fire, t oassist the wounded .

After caring for about seven men, Chaplai nCapodanno maneuvered forward in a crouching ru nto a position forward on the hill ; as he ran, a mortarimpacted about 20 meters from him . The explosionseemed to affect his arm for he carried it stifflythereafter and spatters of blood were observed on hissleeve . But he did not break stride, and continued t othe side of Sergeant Peters, who had just fallen .Chaplain Capodanno said the "Our Father" withhim just before he died, and then tended to five orsix other wounded men in that squad . He continuedto move forward and found another Marine lying i na crisscross of fire between two enemy automati cweapons . Sergeant Manfra had already been hit fivetimes and no longer knew where he was . Three otherMarines were in a slight depression just off the knol lbut because of the crossfire they had been unable tomaneuver the wounded sergeant to cover . ChaplainCapodanno managed to reach the dazed man, calmhim, and move him into the depression with hiscompanions . As he was tending other woundedanother of the Marines cried, "Chaplain, my rifle ' sjammed! " Chaplain Capodanno then made his wayout into the fire again, retrieved the wounde dsergeant's rifle, and handed it to the Marine. Afterbandaging Sergeant Manfra's wounds Fathe rCapodanno departed with the words, "I have to goto others now ." Today Sergeant Manfra has com-pletely recovered from those wounds, which ,miraculously, were not crippling or permanentl ydisabling . 3 9

Below the knoll, outside of the perimeter, Lanc eCorporal Tanke was holding the thigh artery o fHospital Corpsman Leal, who was in danger o fbleeding to death . At this time the North Viet-namese charged their position ; Tanke saw an enemymachine gunner set up his weapon about 15 meter saway . He fired at the man but his weapon jammed .Tanke ran for cover . He looked to see ChaplainCapodanno, who heard the weapon and could pro-bably see its position, come down from theperimeter, gather Leal into his arms, place his bod ybetween Leal and the enemy gunner, and begin to


15 1

bandage his thigh . The NVA gunner opened up andit was there, hours after the action, that Fathe rCapodanno's body was recovered .

Chaplain Capodanno's ministry to his men o nthat day of crisis illuminated the very best attitud etoward the chaplain ' s ministry . His was a ministry o flove and personal concern, and his conduct on th efield of battle was inspired by his belief that this typ eof service to man was temporarily and eternally pro-fitable . Commander Carl Auel (Lutheran) clearly ar-ticulated the motive behind this attitude : "It migh tbe said that that 'the ministry' has a chief concer nwith sainthood ; it takes seriously the quiet statemen tthat love is greater than either faith or hope and tha tto serve our Lord is not to serve him at all bu tothers . "4 0

Chaplain Capodanno was devoted to his Marine sin a way that was extraordinary . Chaplain David J .Casazza noted in his memorial remarks at th ededication of Capodanno Memorial Chapel at th eNaval Chaplains School in Newport, R .I ., thatFather Capodanno always wanted more time with hi stroops . "He was a hungry man . Hungry to be wit hhis troops . Hungry for more time to seek out thelonely Marine, more time to sit with the scared boy ,more time to explain things to the confused platoo nleader ."4 1

On the day following his death, a letter fromChaplain Capodanno was delivered to the regimen-tal commander . It said, "I am due to go home in lateNovember or early December . I humbly request tha tI stay over Christmas and New Year' s with my men . Iam willing to relinquish my thirty days leave . . . ."42

All who knew this priest were familiar with theselflessness he made the core of his ministry, a self-lessness that was to promote the actions which placedhis life in jeopardy . Under critical analysis thereasoning behind this kind of human behavior ,behavior that led in Chaplain Capodanno's instanc eto the giving up of his life, appears complex and no teasily understood . But in the case of this sacrificethere also lies simplicity of purpose—Chaplai nCapodanno knew where he had to be and why .Lieutenant Commander Eli Takesian (Unite dPresbyterian), who knew Chaplain Capodanno well ,had only this brief answer to explain Chaplai nCapodanno's actions; it is perhaps the most deepl ymoving and eloquent tribute to that man of God :"He just wanted to be with the 'grunts' . He was morea Marine than anything else . . . ."43

I Corps Pacification Efforts

During the latter months of 1967, Navy chaplain sserving U .S . Marine Corps units in South Vietnam ' sI Corps area observed a number of subtle but signifi-cant evolutions occurring in established patterns o fpacification .

With regard to the civic action program chaplain sconfirmed predictions which their predecessors mad ea year earlier . In September 1966 it appeared in-evitable that the more urgent, essential-to-life need sof the beleaguered Vietnamese civilians in I Corp swould eventually be identified . Humanitarian pro-jects designed to provide food, clothing, medica laid, elementary education, and care for orphans an dthe elderly were fully implemented, generousl yfunded by voluntary donations, and capable o fmultiplication to meet newly identified re-quirements as they emerged into view . Channels fo refficient distribution of Project Handclasp material swere established . It stood to reason that the in-cidence of new projects would subside to readil ymanageable proportions and when that degree o fproject saturation occurred the program, while conti-nuing to be tremendously important, would be con-sidered to be a routine operation .

Coupled with chaplains and S-5 successes in iden-tifying the more urgent civic action requirements ,and implementing organizational machinery to han-dle them, the geographical area to be covere ddiminished . NVA pressures upon units of the 3 dMarine Division near the DMZ had increased steadi-ly during the first eight months of 1967 . To meet thequickened pace of combat activity, regiments of the3d Marine Division consolidated their positions a tCon Thien, Gio Linh, Khe Sanh, and Dong H awhile the 1st Marine Division gradually moved nor-thward for reihforcement . A huge new base com-plex, already under construction by Seabees an dMarine Corps engineers at Quang Tri, was to becom ethe enclave's nerve and materiel center . Plans weremade to turn the Chu Lai TAOR in southern Quan gTin Province over the U .S . Army units operatin gfrom II Corps bases, and while retaining the Marin eCorps airstrip there, to move the bulk of Marineforces in the area to the north, to Da Nang andbeyond . This gradual northerly movement of forcesin effect compressed the geographical area of II IMarine Amphibious Force's civic action program an dresponsibility to that area encompassed within th ethree northermost provinces of South Vietnam . The

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influx of new Marine Corps units in Quang Nam an dThua Thien Provinces and the faster pace of militaryactivity in Quang Tri Province considerably reduce dthe civic action load for each individual unit . Theend results, as observed by Navy chaplains in Sout hVietnam 's northern panhandle, was a manageabl eand efficient civic action program somewhatdiminished in geographical scope .

During September 1967 Navy Chaplains notedthat village relocation, precipitated by the desire t oreduce the possibility of civilians being endangeredby military activity, produced larger numbers o fVietnamese to be housed in government-sponsore dtemporary refugee centers . Efforts of the Govern-ment of Vietnam to provide the evacuees with th ebasic essentials for existence appeared to be generall yinadequate and civic action program activity in th erelocation centers increased with the need .

The most significant and promising evolution inMarine Corps pacification efforts appeared to be tak-ing place in the Corps ' Revolutionary Developmen tprogram. Combined action platoons (CAPs), smal ldetachments of Marines and Navy Hospital Corps -men assigned to live for extended periods in or nea rremote villages in I Corps, appeared to be highl ysuccessful in relating to the villagers . Their missionincluded military security of the hamlets, medica ltreatment and instruction in personal hygiene ,humanitarian assistance work projects, and instruc-tion in rudimentary mechanical skills .

Organizational structure of the CAP normally in-cluded a carefully selected, mature, and morall yresponsible noncommissioned officer, from 12 to 2 0Marines, a Corpsman and a detachment of Sout hVietnamese Popular Forces personnel . American sand Vietnamese lived side by side, each learnin gfrom and supporting the other in a joint effort toreduce terrorism by Viet Cong marauders and to en -courage the development of individual self-relianc eand local leadership among the villagers . Onechaplain described the CAPs as a realistic attempt t owin the hearts and minds of the people naturally, b yassisting with forms of humanitarian aid instead o fforcing their allegiance and sympathy by threat o fviolence as was the case with the Viet Cong . The ma-jor role of CAP personnel lay in understanding th ecultural patterns and human needs of the people .The program was designed to offset the years of in-doctrination and patterns of fear established by th eViet Cong .

CAP personnel in remote hamlets depende dheavily for their personal safety and that of thevillage upon information freely given them by loca lVietnamese civilians . "Charlie ' s" presence in the are awas routinely reported, enabling timely precaution sto be taken . As vulnerable as CAP personnel were tobeing overrun and annihilated by hostile assault ,through the end of September 1967 few of the near-ly 80 detachments had been successfully overrun .Marine successes in occasional firefights were du eboth to timely intelligence reports and to the integri-ty and courage of Popular Force personnel fightin gby their side .

CAP team skills in establishing cross-cultural com-munication and interpersonal relations with the P Fand civilian Vietnamese counterparts were enhancedby Navy chaplains' periodic visits to be the hamlets .As a rule the chaplain attached to the nearest bat-talion was assigned responsibility for religiou scoverage of the CAP team . On a weekly basis h evisited the remote hamlets to conduct divine worshipservices and informal discussions on the culture an dcustoms of Vietnam and to acquire first-han dknowledge of civic action materiel requirements o fthe village .

From his visits emerged an unnumbered succes-sion of requests for mundane assistance, rangin gfrom personal inquiries about mail and pay t ogeneral requests for literature, sports equipment ,and miscellaneous material for use in humanitaria nprojects . The chaplain 's counselling contact smultiplied and the scope of his religious ministr ywas significantly enlarged .

The chaplain discovered that CAP religiouscoverage, which produced small numerical-statistica lrewards, was both professionally challenging andspiritually rewarding . Not unlike his work in a largerunit, the key to his personal effectiveness with CA Pteams in remote villages was intimate, personal con -tact with individuals of the detachments . Both Pro-testant and Catholic chaplains reported increasingnumbers of PF and civilian Vietnamese attendingtheir services of worship . They appeared convince dthat the spirit of camaraderie, friendship, andmutual trust existing between Americans and Viet-namese in the villages enhanced the inherent curiosi-ty of the indigenous population concerning th eAmerican way of life and produced a desire to iden-tify with the friendly and helpful foreigners .

By the end of year the results of the Marine Corps


15 3

Revolutionary Development Program were not read yfor final evaluation . The crucial test to follow thewithdrawal of CAP teams from individual villageswould be the strength of residual loyalties and loca lself-reliance inculcated within the indigenouspopulation. At the end of the year, however ,chaplains noted that under the program severa lvillages had progressed so favorably that they wereexpected to be ready for the crucial test before th eend of 1968 .

Evaluating reports of chaplains concerning Marin eCorps pacification efforts in I Corps, the Navy Chie fof Chaplains, Rear Admiral James W . Kelly, stated :

The explanation for the phenomenally high morale o four combat troops in Vietnam is related to the fact that forthe first time in the history of military combathumanitarian activity is considered to be of equal impor-tance with tactical activity . The one balances the other i ncompetition for the attention, the time and energy of theindividual . If any war can be described as emotionally andspiritually healthier than any other war, it occurs to m ethat the curious balance of constructive and destructiveactivity in Vietnam had produced a healthier combat en-vironment than existed in previous wars .44

Changes and Administratio n

On 29 September Captain Robert . C. Fenning(Lutheran) arri'ved to become the 3d DivisionChaplain relieving Chaplain Lavin from one of th emost eventful and difficult years of his life, but on ewhich as he stated in his final report, he " . . .wouldn't have missed it for the world ." 4 5

Chaplain Fenning came to the division job fro mMarine Corps Schools at Quantico, Virginia and wa swell oriented both toward Marines and the war i nVietnam . Since Chaplain Seiders, the assistant divi-sion chaplain, had completed his tour in Septembe rand since it was known that a Protestant woul dbecome division chaplain, Chaplain Ryan had beenbrought from Dong Ha to function as assistant t oChaplain Fenning until November when Com-mander Bernard G . Filmeyer (Roman Catholic )came from the 4th Marines to relieve Chaplain Rya nwhose tour was complete . Chaplains Fenning andRyan immediately began to visit the 3d Divisio nareas and program the chaplain needs of the nex tmonths and meet the available Marine commanders .Within a week of his arrival, Chaplain Fenning wa shosted by III MAF Chaplain Lyons at the MA FHeadquarters and received a comprehensive over -view of the entire I Corps deployment of chaplains,

and participated in the planning for the Chief o fChaplains' Christmas visit . Chaplain Fenning serve das an important link in this planning since by 1November Chaplain Lyons was to be relieved b yCaptain Ralph W. Below (Southern Baptist) as II IMAF Chaplain and Chaplain Hershberger, the assis-tant MAF chaplain, would be relieved by Com-mander Leon S . Darkowski (Roman Catholic) .Chaplain Darkowski had recently been selected forcaptain and would relieve Chaplain Ferreri as WingChaplain, 1st Marine Aircraft 'Wing by the first ofthe year . Commander John T . McDonnel (RomanCatholic) would replace Chaplain Darkowski as assis-tant division chaplain on 1 January and the super-visory chaplain adjustments would be complete .

In the course of the next two weeks the divisio nchaplain made as many trips as he was given oppor-tunity to, in order to visit all the chaplains of th edivision now scattered, in the words of Chaplai nLavin, " . . . literally from Da Nang to the DMZ an d

from the Sea to the Laotian border . "46 Most of thesetrips were flown in the helicopter belonging to the3d Division Commanding General, Major Genera l

Bruno A . Hochmuth, who, Chaplain Fenningwrote, " . . . was most accommodating in allowin gme to accompany him so that I might be able t omeet the chaplains of the Division . "47

On 14 November Chaplain Fenning sent a mem oto General Hochmuth requesting space on his hel ofor that day in order to attend a chapel dedicatio nceremony at Camp Carroll . He later wrote to th eForce Chaplain, Captain Vincent J . Lonerga n(Roman Catholic) at FMFPac in Hawaii :

My helmet and jacket was beside my desk and I wa swaiting for a staff sergeant to whom I had earlier given th ememorandum. When I suddenly realized that th eGeneral 's chopper was about to take off, I grabbed my gea rand ran . But it was too late . The sergeant was standingbeside my desk with an apology for having failed to get m ymemorandum to General HOchmuth . I then got on thehelicopter that was to go north to pick up General Metzge rat Dong Ha . . . . North of Hue I saw the explosion tha tbrought the General' s plane down and we hovered over i tfor twenty minutes . It was aflame and mostly submergedin a flooded rice paddy . It was a heartbreakin gexperience . "

General Hochmuth died in the crash of his UH-1 Ehelicopter on 14 October, the first Marine genera lofficer casualty of the conflict, and the Chaplai nCorps had lost a friend .

Chaplain Fenning, in his message at the general' smemorial service in Phu Bai on 16 November said :

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General Hochmuth was obsessed with the justice andrighteousness of the cause for which he and his force sfought . He would not yield one inch of Con Thien, CamLo or Khe Sanh to the enemy, nor could he hear thewimpering of those who would read inhumanity into hi sactions . He had no time to be concerned with his ow npublic image ; but he was gravely concerned about the im-age of Americans . . . . As his Division Chaplain, we spenta considerable amount of time together in the past weeks ,much of it aloft . . . . He said, "Mary, my wife, said to meon a tape last night, 'I hope you don't spend too muc htime in helicopters .' She worries ." But he implied it couldnever be otherwise . He had to be with his troops .4 9

General Hochmuth was replaced by MajorGeneral Rathvon McC . Tompkins as CommandingGeneral, 3d Marine Division .

A continued pressing administration problem tha tnow surfaced in the division centered on ec-clesiastical supplies . When Chaplain Casazza, divi-sion chaplain of the 1st Division, arrived in D aNang, taking over the spaces and area recentl yvacated by the 3d Division, in October 1966, he ha dcomplained :

Wine and hosts were in short supply . Getting over fromOkinawa was always a problem . It took a long time to gethere and very often when it did arrive it sat around in anopen field at Foice Logistic Command until someone spot-ted it and was decent enough to call and tell us about it be-ing there . Much of my Christmas gear was ruined by therain . Things are just a little better lately but there is roo mfor improvement . A safer and more expeditious manner o fshipping gear to us is needed . "

The problem was never solved to complet esatisfaction, but not because tremendous effort swere lacking in the attempt . A capsuled look intothe difficulties encountered by the Regimenta lChaplain, 3d Force Service Regiment (FSR) i nOkinawa during 1967 provides a framework to th echallenges of supply processes for chaplains .

Lieutenant James D . Pfannenstiel (Unite dMethodist) had joined the Chaplain Corps in 196 2and had duty with naval hospitals at Great Lakes, Il-linois, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well a stours with the Military Sea Transport Service and theUSS LaSalle before he landed at Okinawa inDecember 1966 .

He was ordered to 3d FSR with the understandin gthat he was to be the junior of three or fou rchaplains . Due to Vietnam priorities and an unfor-tunate series of troubles in chaplain detailing, soo nafter arrival he was left alone with 3,700 Marines an dno chaplain help for 10 months . He was located atan area then called Sukiran, but soon changed to

Camp Foster, named in honor of a World War I IMedal of Honor winner .

Trying to be chaplain to 3,700 Marines wa senough, but he also quickly discovered that 3d FSR ,being primarily a logistic support unit, logicall ybecame the source of logistic support for al lchaplains in Vietnam who numbered about 100 a t

the time.His function became one of supply officer in tha t

he had to procure, stock, and ship all chaplains ' sup -

plies needed in Vietnam . It was estimated that thi swas about a $50,000 operation . He handledeverything from consumables (wine, hosts, rosaries ,bulletins, candles, etc .) to hardware like crosses ,combat altar kits, and tape recorders, and was suc-cessful in getting his commanding officer to spen dlarge amounts of money on typewriters . He also trie dto develop a field organ that would not rot an dmildew in Vietnam . Problems were multifold . Hereported :

About two weeks after arrival, and at Christmas time Iwas receiving messages from the Division and WingChaplains in country that they were dangerously low on

wine . It was quickly evident that the supply system was n ogood for shipping wine to Vietnam . Almost any kind o fshipment labeled for a chaplain was broken into by hand salong the way in hope of coming upon shipment of wine .My only solution was to get TAD orders and hand carry th ewine into Vietnams '

Chaplain Pfannenstiel's salvation in this impossi-ble job came in the form of a young Marine, forme rpro baseball player and all-state football star, whofound himself drafted for two years . He had just ar-rived on Okinawa about a month before . He was arecent convert to Catholicism and was very consciou sof his religious commitment . He asked for a job inthe chaplain's office and when the chaplainnegotiated his transfer, really took charge . Hemanaged the supply system like a professional . Hetook initiatives in setting up procedures for orderin gand stocking and getting the gear to chaplains .Upon detachment he was put in for the NavyAchievement Medal . Chaplain Pfannenstie lreported, "His name was Corporal Charles M . Ved-dern . To my knowledge he received the only per-sonal decoration in the Regiment in the year I was onOkinawa. But a lot of people did outstandin ground-the-clock work in that unsung Regiment ." 5 2

Interestingly enough, two months after th echaplain departed Okinawa, 3d FSR had its ful lcompliment of four chaplains . For almost a year th esupply line was thin, but it did not snap .

CHAPTER 10

Agonizing and Reasoning (January-December 1968 )Ministry Along the DMZ— The Tet Offensive — The Siege of Khe Sanh — The 27th Marines— The Ministry o f

Mercy — The 3d Marine Division Memorial Children's Hospital—Ministry Grows at the Force Logisti cCommand—Dealing with Debate

As the year 1967 brought itself steadily to a clos ein Vietnam the situation was in a state of flux . Afte rthe hard fighting of the summer and early fall hadproduced satisfying results, the American comman din Saigon looked forward to consolidating its gain sand maintaining the security necessary to pursue a neven more aggressive pacification program . The op-timism with which the year began had no tdissipated . Then, in the month of December ,massive enemy troop movements forced a cancella-tion of status quo strategy, and caused a large-scal erealignment of American troops . The Marines of th e3d Division were relieved of the task of protectingthe approaches to Hue City from the west, and con-centrated on the threat of invasion in northernmostQuang Tri province . This section was comprised ofthe area of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Kh eSanh, Cam Lo, largely along the Cua Viet River, an dalong Route 9, which ran mostly east from Dong H aalmost to Laos . This move necessitated relocatio nnorth and west . Broadly speaking, the 1st Marin eDivision filled in behind the 3d Division, both divi-sions redeploying north from their previous posi-tions . The United States Army and the Korean Blu eDragon Brigade then occupied the area vacated b ythe 1st Division with the Army's 1st Calvary Divisio n(Airmobile) and the 2d Brigade, 101st Airborn eDivision being ordered to the ICTZ to accomplis hthe realignment . The Americal Division of the Armywas already present in I Corps. By year's end th eMarine Corps had 21 battalions of infantry and sup -porting troops totaling 81,249 serving in Vietnam .One Marine Historian wrote : "Proportionally, n oother U .S . Service had anything approaching this in -vestment in the war ." 2

This personal investment of Marines in Vietnamwas also reflected by the Chaplain Corps statistics .On the first of January 1968 there were 1,082 NavyChaplains serving Navy, Marine Corps, CoastGuard, and Merchant Marine personnel and thei rfamilies, afloat and ashore, all over the world . That

number of chaplains on duty was the largest sinc eWorld War II when 2,800 men of the cloth broughtthe ministry of the American churches to men andwomen of the sea services. The peak strength o fNavy Chaplains who served during the Korean con-flict was 921 .

At the start of the seventh year of the U .S .Marines presence in Vietnam, 203 chaplains wer eserving with Marine units worldwide and 110 wer eserving with Navy and Marine Corps units in Viet-nam, and with the large-scale Marine relocation tak-ing place, many of them were on the move . Thesituation was fluid .

Rear Admiral James W . Kelly, the Chief ofChaplains, encountered this ambivalent situation o nhis 1967 Christmas visit to Vietnam, his third suc htrip in as many years . Chaplain Kelly was mos tcourteously received by the Commanding General ,III MAF, Lieutenant General Robert E . Cushma nand his staff, particularly the staff chaplain, Captai nRalph W. Below, and was free to visit all chaplain sand areas of his interest in the III MAF TAOR . On22 December, the chaplain flew in Genera lCushman' s personal helicopter to visit the troops i nthe field. He literally dropped in successively atForce Logistic Command, Hoa Khanh Children' sHospital, 1st Division Headquarters, 1st Medica lBattalion, and the 7th Marine's Hill 55 comple xsouthwest of Da Nang . In succeeding days ChiefKelly met with chaplains and men assigned to th e1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Da Nang and Chu La iwhen he also paid a call on Major General Samue lKoster, USA, Commanding General, Americal Divi-sion, and dedicated the MAG-13 Chapel . The addi-tional points of contact desired by the Chief o fChaplains included a comprehensive tour of theNorthern I Corps from Phu Bai to Dong Ha, A an dD Medical Companies, and the hospital ship US SRepose (AH 16) off shore . His Christmas messag ewas given aboard the USS Valley Forge (LPH 8) tosome 700 sailors and Marines . Other Christmas visit s

155

156


included the USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2), and the US SArlington (AGMR 1) .

The substance of the visit of the Chief ofChaplains to the combat zone was not measured on-ly in terms of places visited and courtesies observed ;his presence was uniformly accepted with joy . Onechaplain remembered :

Chaplain Kelly ' s charismatic qualities were nowher emore clearly demonstrated than when visiting the wound-ed in the hospitals, medical companies and battalions, an din collecting stations . He has that unique quality of mak-ing each man feel for that moment of encounter that fo rthe Chief, he is the person who supremely matters . 3

Upon his return it was obvious the Chief o fChaplains had relished his Christmas ministry inVietnam but also gave evidence of having noted a nalteration in the tenor of tie way in which the Viet-nam question was being approached . Supportiv eand positive as he had been following his othe rChristmas visits, on this occasion Chief Kelly saw fi tto sound a mildly guarded note in a 10 January pres srelease dealing with protest and dissent . Citing th eimpact the Marines and sailors had upon him whil ein Vietnam Admiral Kelly said, "I resolved then an dthere to issue an appeal for united support for theirgallant efforts, to the limits of my influence and a soften as the occasion presents itself ."4

Exhibiting deep pastoral feeling particularly forthe fighting Marines, the Chief of Chaplainsclassified what he perceived as the major classes ofpersons engaging in dissent : the informed, the unin-formed, the misinformed, and the deformed, an dconcluded : "These . . . attitudes and positions withregard to an involvement in Vietnam . . . have theinalienable right to be held . I only question thejudgement and the propriety of their dissent whic hdoes detriment to those young Americans who ingood faith responded to the requirements of thei rhomeland

The Chief of Chaplains was constant in his leader -ship of the Corps of Navy Chaplains in his convictio nthat the ministry to the service member and his o rher family must include the utmost in loyal support .He sensed the agony that would be called for in giv-ing that support in a climate surrounding the Viet-nam conflict that was growing increasingly skepticalat home . The events of 1968 in Vietnam did little t oease that agony . In fact, after almost three full year sof large-scale troop commitment, some of the

hardest, most tragic fighting and painful nationa land personal soul-searching was still ahead fo rAmericans at home and in Vietnam .

Ministry Along the DMZ

The tactical area of responsibility of the 3d Marin eDivision in February 1968 was Quang Tri Province ,bounded on the north by the DMZ, on the south b yThua Thien Province, on the east by the Sout hChina Sea, and on the west by Laos . The terrain o fthe area consisted of a flat, somewhat marshy coasta lplain succeeded by a rolling piedmont section . Thewestern half of the province was rugged mountainscovered with thick jungle growth and elephant grass .The Cua Viet river intersected the province west t oeast and emptied into the sea approximately fiv emiles south of the DMZ . It was used as a water-bornelogistics route for bringing supplies to Dong Hacombat base, approximately eight miles south of th eDMZ . Two main roads were used for overlan dtransport of supplies and personnel : Highway 1 ,north and south on the eastern side of the province ,roughly along the coast, and Highway 9 west fro mHighway 1, to Laos . This road west provided acces sto Camp Carroll, Elliott Combat Base (th eRockpile), Vandegrift Combat Base (Stud), and th eKhe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) ,

The 3d Division Headquarters was split . The tac-tical headquarters was at Dong Ha Combat Bas ewhere the Commanding General, Chief of Staff ,G-2, G-3, G-4, and Communications Officers wer elocated. The administrative headquarters was a tQuang Tri, five miles south of Dong Ha, where th eAssistant Division Commander, G-1 s, G-5, Divisio nSupply, Staff Judge Advocate, Division Surgeon ,Division Dental Officer, Division Chaplain, an dHeadquarters Battalion were located . Infantry andartillery battalion rear personnel were at both places .

Chaplain Fenning of the 3d Division had 3 0Chaplains under his supervision, scattered with unitsacross the province largely along Route 9 and at th eKhe Sanh Combat Base . The division was soon to b ecommitted to a mobile concept of operations utiliz-ing small support bases strategically placed o nmountain peaks in such a pattern that they would b emutually supporting, and would provide artiller ycover over the entire area where infantry wereoperating . These small bases could be quickly close dor opened, in immediate response to the shiftin gcombat situation . Mountain peaks were selected

AGONIZING AND REASONING

15 7

primarily because they are more easily defended ,having smaller perimeters and more difficult groundaccess, need fewer infantry troops to provide securi-ty, and, of course, have the elevation to affor dgreater effective range to the artillery . But this con-cept was not able to be implemented from the tac-tical point of view until after the battles of Tet an dthe siege of Khe Sanh . This tactical situation pose dproblems for the 3d Division chaplains which, ifthey were not exactly new problems, took on newdegrees of intensity . From the spiritual point of viewthe ministry of comfort and reassurance was increas-ingly necessary and apparent . The major proble mwith isolated outposts was their vulnerability torocket, mortar, and artillery attacks . If the enemycould not easily overrun them because of elevatio nand difficult accessability, they at least knew wher ethe Marines were and bombarded them bot hregularly and irregularly . The Marines were force dunderground as much as possible and often duringthis period any movement outside of bunkers an dreinforced gun positions was perilous . The potentia lclimate of morale was understandably one of con-stant anxiety and fear, and a sense of isolation an dabandonment was often strong . Lieutenant James H .Rutherford (Southern Baptist) reported it well : "Bat-tle casualties could be Med-Evaced, but there was n orelief readily available for concern over worrie dparents, a new-born child not yet seen, or a wifewhose fidelity came to be doubted ." 6 The Marinesthus sought out their chaplains to ventilate thei rfears, frustrations, and sufferings . Many times thechaplain could do little or nothing about the situa-tion . The agony was unspoken but the chaplain wasthere ministering in the same circumstances, an dthat was often as profound a message as was evercommunicated in Vietnam .

Although infantry sweeps in the area of theseisolated bases were regularly sent out, it seemed n oamount of sweeping could capture or dislodge th eshifting NVA forces that infested the DMZ and th earea immediately to its south . While serving the out -posts and the infantry near the DMZ one chaplai nremembered, "Mass gathering for worship was im-practical, but small prayer groups, often postured inthe prone position, were feasible and supplied muc hbalm to the anguished and hungry of spirit ." 7

In the current concept of operations the helicopte rwas indispensable not only to the combat effort bu talso to the solution of the other agonizing problem

chaplains faced : adequate religious coverage of thescattered bases. There was no other means oftransporting personnel, equipment, and supplies t oand from such inaccessible places . Chaplains attach-ed to field units were dependent upon helicopte rtransportation to get to their men, and helicopterswere always in short supply . Duplication of chaplaincoverage had to be minimized and optimum Pro-testant/Catholic cross-coverage provided . Thisdemanded cooperation and understanding of thehighest sort among chaplains . Lieutenant Com-mander John W . McElroy (Roman Catholic) with th e3d Battalion, 26th Marines early in his tour, said :

My time was dominated covering all the units in th earea . Hills 881, 861, 950, Lang Vei and CAP units in th eKhe Sanh area left me with very little time on my hands. . . . "Coverage " is the "name of the game " in Vietnam .And it was my experience, as I am sure for so many otherchaplains, that the cooperation between chaplains of al lfaiths has never been closet than here in Vietnam . . . . Fortheir cooperation and companionship I shall be forevergrateful ."'

The problem of proper coverage was an ever -present one diligently worked at and worried over b ydivision chaplain Fenning and his successor, Captai nJohn E . Zoller (United Methodist), who arrived i nSeptember . Chaplain Zoller, who had served th eMarines twice previously, implemented a uniqu ecoverage concept that bore fruit for him the follow-ing spring . In his final report he noted :

Each infantry regiment was "wedded " to an artillery bat-talion ; each fire support base's infantry troops provide dsecurity for a battery (or more) of artillery . Thus, if each in-fantry battalion chaplain could be Protestant and each ar-tillery battalion chaplain could be Roman Catholic, anautomatic cross-coverage would be achieved as eac hchaplain made his rounds visiting his men . Then if eachinfantry regimental chaplain could be Roman Catholic andthe artillery regimental chaplain could be Protestant theycould provide cross-coverage in situations where theinfantry-artillery combination did not exist . This becamemy goal and was finally accomplished . . . It workedwell . '

When Chaplain Zoller spoke about a chaplai n"making his rounds visiting his men," he could wel lhave been referring to Lieutenant Commander JohnF. Seibert (Lutheran) assigned for 10 months to th e2d Battalion, 9th Marines . Chaplain Seibert had ex-perienced the fierce bombardment of Con Thie nwith his battalion and later continually visited thecompanies as they were spread all along Route 9 bet-

158


ween Cam Lo and the Rockpile . He commented i nhis final report :

My chapel consisted of a running, crawling flak jacketand helmet, with me inside carrying a small Bible . Daily Iwould try to go from hole-to-hole, Marine-to-Marine forscripture and prayer . In their moment of hell, manyMarines would ask their maker, why me? Others woul dsay, God must be dead, or he wouldn't allow this to hap -pen to a snake! But most Marines would join me in prayingto God, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those whotrespass against us . 1 0

For the infantry chaplain, coverage also mean ttraining lay leaders of the faith unrepresented by th echaplain . The results were often touching and alway ssignificant . Chaplain Seibert recalled :

Once our battalion worshipped in a beautiful but no wgutted Catholic church along the DMZ. While theCatholics held a lay rosary service inside, the Protestantsguarded all around outside ; then the Catholics went out -side to guard while I conducted a general Protestant wor-ship inside . "

This ecumenical spirit enabled the efforts towar dadequate and complete coverage to achieve success .Other coverage was not as convenient but was a scomprehensive . Religious coverage of Jewish, Or-thodox, Latter Day Saints, Christian Science, an dSeventh Day Adventist religious preference had t obe arranged, since the 3d Marine Division had n ochaplains of these denominations . The Jewishchaplain on the staff of XXIV Corps (Army) visite dthe 3d Division TAOR and directed the I CorpsJewish Holy Days observances in Da Nang. Divin eservices for Orthodox personnel were conducted b yan Orthodox chaplain (Army) from Phu Bai wh ovisited the Quang Tri-Dong Ha area about twice amonth . In addition periodic conferences were hel din Da Nang for Christian Science and Seventh Da yAdventist personnel .

The Tet Offensive

The celebration of the Tet festival in Vietna mbegins on the 29th or 30th day of the 12th luna rmonth . It is Vietnam's most important holiday . I tincludes gaiety and serious thought regarding th eadequacy of the past and the projections for th efuture, and concern about the living and the dead .In practice it combines a family reunion, a sprin gfestival, a national holiday, and everybody's birth -day . Traditional foods are prepared, new clothes are

sewed, gifts of money are given, especially tochildren, and good times are planned in every fami-ly .

Tet has spiritual significance too . Since the basisof Vietnamese society is the family, including th eliving and the dead, the essential character of Tet i sto lay stress upon that foundation by honoring one' sancestors and parents, receiving respect from one' schildren, and visiting and giving best wishes to one ' srelatives and friends . A further look into the natureof Tet can be had by noting a partial list of do ' s anddon'ts published by the U .S . Navy Persona lResponse office in preparation for Tet 1968 :

1. Don 't refuse an invitation . Remember that visits ar ean important part of the Vietnamese Tet celebration . Thesuperstition is that people pay an unusual amount of at-tention to what happens during the first three days of Tet .

2. Don 't give gifts such as : medicines, sharp objects oranything used .

3. Don't engage in arguments, violent emotions or in-sults .

4. Do not discuss unpleasant things during Tet with th eVietnamese .

5. Do not display grief.

12. Do give children and unmarried people re denvelopes with money placed inside .

13. Do pay taxi drivers double fare .14. Do send greeting cards . 1 2

From this sketch something of the special traum aproduced by warfare during Tet can be understood .Perhaps that was why the NVA regularly chose t oviolate proclaimed truces during Tet in previou syears, and determined to launch an all-out effort i nFebruary 1968 . The enemy's need for a psychologica lvictory was strong . And the effect of the shatterin gof a joyous and peaceful season of celebration wasnot lost on the Vietnamese . Chaplains heavilyengaged in civic action had worked for weeks to assisttheir respective villages in Tet preparation, yet afterthe massive attacks on key villages and large popula-tion centers, many chaplains were not able to returnto their villages until much later, when reasonabl esafety could be insured .

The confidence of American-South Vietnamesepacification efforts thus received a significant blo wthroughout the I Corps as did confidence at home i nthe United States in the wisdom of continuing th ewar . It seemed insufficient to point out that the Tet


15 9

offensive gained little for the North Vietnamese . Bythe middle of March the offensive across the DM Zwas over ; popular support for the invaders had no trisen ; they controlled no new territory and had los tan enormous number of men . " . . . in the I Corp salone [they] had used up the equivalent of thre edivisions . And the Marines were still firmly i nplace ."1 3

The Tet offensive began on 29 January with amortar and rocket attack on the Marble Mountai nAir Facility near Da Nang where MAG-16 wa slocated and out of which it flew helicopters in sup -port of the ground troops . Within the next few day senemy attacks were mounted against such provinc eheadquarters as Tam Ky and Quang Ngai . The ma-jor efforts of the offensive were directed at Da Nan gand Hue City. Both of these were blunted ; theenemy suffered over 1,000 casualties in the Da Nan garea alone and no positions were ultimately lost .

However, Tet was not explainable only in terms ofcasualties and positions . One of the battalions singl-ed out for special commendations by the 1st Marin eDivision Commander, Major General Donn J .Robertson, in his congratulatory message to his divi-sion was the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines . Lieutenan tJohn Lepore (Roman Catholic) was the battalion

chaplain and had been decorated for both exemplar yconduct and for personal wounds . His response to aquestionnaire sent from the Chief of Chaplains of-fice regarding the morale of the troops since the Te toffensive, while only one chaplain 's perception ,gives an insight into the effect of Tet beyond casual-ty figures and positions held . He reported :

I feel morale had worsened since Tet . The VC and NVAare known to be extremely dedicated . Tet merely proved itconclusively . They gave the world, especially in Hue, theimage of themselves as modern day freedom-fighters . Lifemagazine's portrayal of the famed battle for the citade l

Of Hues 145,000 residents, 60,000, like the families shown here, became refugees dur-ing the 25-day Tet Offensive battle for control of the former Vietnamese capital city .

160


assisted this . What morale exists among our troops . is pur-chased at the price of Rest and Recreation, good food ,comfortable base camps, movies, expensive weapons andsophisticated air support . . . not one of the aboveguarantees a dedicated soldier . I fear the will to see thisthrough is just not present . "

Such an honest and disturbing appraisal was

reflective of growing questions about the length o fthe war and the way it was being directed i n

Washington . President Johnson, facing the turmoi lover the war and striving to take politics out of th eappeals to end the fighting, announced both a bom-bing halt and his own retirement at the end of histerm and further appealed for truce talks .

It is undoubtedly true that the battle of Hue had asignificant impact upon attitudes toward the war ou tof proportion to the military objective itself . Hue Ci-ty was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting o fthe war . The enemy tactics were unique . With man yenemy troops posing as civilians, they infiltrated thecity and once the Tet mortar and rocket attack sbegan, they evidenced themselves and took contro l

of almost all strategic points . It took the entiremonth of February to root them out . That was ac-complished, however, and by 2 March the fightingwas over with the enemy losing more than 1,00 0dead .

Chaplains distinguished themselves in their ow nunique ways, and the memories of Tet includes som eof the most exemplary ministry of the war . Thereflection of the context and intensity of Hue, 1968 ,came from a chaplain who had spent the first half o fhis tour with the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines and wasdue, at the time of Tet, for transfer to a "rear" unit .Lieutenant Commander Bobby W . Myatt (Souther nBaptist) wrote :

The prospects for a "rest" period at "A" Med wer ewelcomed . The second night at "A" Med, Phu Bai Comba tBase was hit by a barrage of I22mm rockets and 82m mmortars . This was the start of the famous Tet offensive . I twas my introduction to mass casualties . The first thre eweeks of "A" Med the Catholic chaplain and I received ap-proximately four hours sleep out of each 24 . We were con-stantly ministering to the wounded and killed and visitingin the wards . "

As the Marines had no garrison or base in Hue Ci-ty and its control had swept so surprisingly fast intoCommunist hands, the retaking of the city had to b efrom outside, often involving house-to-house andstreet-to-street fighting such as was more common in

World War II . It was a difficult battle . An intrench-ed enemy is always in the stronger position than th eattacker . In addition, the wet weather complicated

movement and air cover . Even so the city was totall yretaken within a month in large part by elements o fthe 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, and 2d Battalion, 5t h

Marines, and South Vietnamese troops .

Lieutenant Richard M . Lyons (Roman Catholic )was the first Navy chaplain to move with a Marin e

unit into Hue after the battle in the city began . At-tached to the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Chaplai nLyons accompanied the command post group whic hcommanded two companies of the battalion . TheCommanding General, 1st ARVN Division, re -quested the assistance of the Marines, and the 1s tBattalion, 1st Marines was given the mission o frelieving the pressure on the military advisors com-pound, and generally to engage the enemy east o fthe Perfume River . Resistance was heavy as the 1s tBattalion fought its way into the city . Although

elements of the CP group and one company crosse dthe Perfume River, they eventually moved back t opositions east of the river, the area in which the bat-talion remained during the operation .

Chaplains Lyons distinguished himself in the hea tof the battle by his efforts in evacuating woundedand dead Marines . The area in which he foun dhimself was the scene of heavy fighting, an dChaplain Lyons and other officers and men were i nthe midst of their attempt to assist in casualt yevacuation, when an explosive device, later assume dto be a grenade or an M-79 round, was thrown o r

launched into the group . Several officers and me nwere wounded, one of whom, the Battalion Opera-tions Officer (S-3), died the next day . ChaplainLyons received shrapnel wounds in the thigh an dhand and was med-evaced to A Med in Phu Bai .After several weeks he was returned to duty and re -joined his battalion in Hue, just prior to the end o fOperation Hue City . Chaplain Lyons was the onl ychaplain serving the Marines to receive the Silver Starfor valor during the Vietnam conflict .

Lieutenant Charles R. Parker (Southern Baptist )was serving with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines a tthis time when he, too, was wounded . Shortly beforethe beginning of Operation Hue City, the 1st Bat-talion, 5th Marines had been moved from the D aNang area of operations to Phu Loc . Set in at th efoot of a mountain range, Phu Loc experienced fre-


16 1

quent and heavy mortar attacks . During one such at-tack, debris from an enemy mortar shell struc kChaplain Parker in the head . Although it proved no tto be serious, the wound was none the less extremel ypainful .

Since the combat was so heavy and close and alsoinvolved such great amounts of artillery rocket an dmortar shellings, chaplains other than those wit hline units increasingly came under fire also, and thatfact was reflected in the rising number of chaplain swounded . By April 1968, 27 chaplains had beenwounded, and the total number of chaplains to wearthe Purple Heart as a result of Vietnam comba twould ultimately rest at 35 as compared to only 15 inthe Korean conflict .

There was one chaplain death in connection withOperation Hue City . It was that of Army MajorAloysius P . McGonigal (Roman Catholic), who wa sserving voluntarily with the 1st Battalion, 5thMarines, which operated across the Perfume River i nthe city proper . As one reporter mentioned, he " . . .really had no business being there . But the infan-trymen he loved were being killed before the bat-tlements of Hue's imperial Citadel and the Rev .Aloysius P . McGonigal wanted to go . . . . He prac-tically fought his way to the battlefield . "1 6

Volume V of the The History of United States Ar-my Chaplaincy 1945-1975 states :

Chaplain McGonigal was a Roman Catholic Jesuit wh oheld a graduate degree in physics and was working on hisPh .D when he entered the chaplaincy for the second tim ein 1966 : He arrived in Vietnam in October 1967 and wasactually assigned to Advisory Team No . 1 MACV, 1s tAviation Brigade . Apparently, however, in thorough har-mony with the area coverage approach, he made a habit o fwandering throughout the I Corps area to visit the men i nthe field . He was determined to be with those most inneed rather than restricted to one unit . Precisely because o fhis dedication to that philosophy, he was killed at Hue o n17 February 1968, "with a unit that was not his own in abattle he could have missed ."' r

The number of chaplains wounded during th efirst part of 1968 occasioned great concern in the of-fice of the Chief of Chaplains, and the Chief sent apastoral letter on 5 April pledging his continuingprayers for the combat chaplains, and encouragingthem in their ministry . His concern was also in-dicated in separate communications in which theChief of Chaplains questioned all chaplainsspecifically about the wounded chaplains and abou tpost-Tet morale .

Regarding the wounded, one supervisory chaplai nalertly responded :

I should like to add a comment about chaplains wh owere not wounded or killed . . . . All chaplains . . . fulfill-ed their mission and carried out their duties often unde rheavy fire and in the midst of great personal danger, in a nhonorable and commendable manner . The fact that thelaws of chance were such, that some were wounded an done killed, in no way should lead to the conclusion tha tthey were more exposed . Every chaplain in Hue was fo rmany days in the midst of heavy fighting . Each dailyministered to men in situations in which he was undersmall arms or mortar attack . And each gave of himselfselflessly, along with the combat troops whom they served .Each was, indeed, a "faithful steward ." 1 8

The inquiry about the morale of the troops afterthe Tet offensive reflected the growing disturbancein Washington occasioned by the war and the twist sand turns it had taken . Hardly a more accurate an dbalanced answer to the Chiefs question could hav ebeen that of Commander Carl A . Auel (AmericanLutheran), chaplain on the staff of Commandin gGeneral, Task Force X-Ray :

To answer this question one must admit at the outse tthat the answer is commentary on one ' s own "morale . " A tbest it is a reflection of exposure to relatively few men ,when considered against the total force in-country . T ospeak meaningfully of "morale," assuming that you migh tbe interested in the "universal" and not th e

" specific " —that is, interest is in the group and not in mymorale—would require a relatively complex socio-psychological study . These exposures were to truly limite dnumbers of men—and at that, men who were seen i nmoments of personal crisis . It is my impression, nothin gmore than that, that Marines in general came away fromHue City with the obvious belief that the people of the cityhad aided the enemy either actively or passively durin gwhat was a major preparatory period . If this is an accuratereflection, the effects of this, if any, are yet to be seen .Beyond this I could only speak to "morale " as observed o nthe basis of individual contact . "Morale " in that light is asvaried as are individuals .' 9

By March, the Tet Offensive was over . Chaplain sfor years to come would remember it with a shudder .The Communists had captured Hue and held it fo r

26 days. Upon retaking Hue, Marines foun devidence of mass assassinations and nearly a yearlater construction crews would find mass graves o fhundreds of the city's former citizens who had bee nruthlessly destroyed during the brief occupation .

162


The Siege of Khe Sanh

Khe Sanh had not attracted much attention sinc ebattalions fought on Hills 881 and 861 in April o f1967 . Throughout December and January th epressure against Khe Sanh began to build again . B ythe middle of January the three battalions of th e26th Marines plus the regimental headquarters wer epositioned in defense of Khe Sanh. Lieutenant RayW . Stubbe (Lutheran) was with 1st Battalion, 26thMarines for eight months from July 1967 unti lFebruary of 1968 and, with his battalion, experienc-ed some of the worst shelling of the war. Hismemories of the seige are especially sensitive .Writing to a worried father of a Marine, wounded a tthe Khe Sanh Combat Base in February, he spok eabout the quality of the Marines and concluded ,"This bravery is something those who have not bee nto Khe Sanh under fire can perhaps never adequatel ycomprehend or appreciate . "2 0

The term "under fire" was certainly appropriate .The men on Hills 881, 861, and 950 literally live dboth underground and under fire . The North Viet-namese were able to devastate the topography of th ehills and surrounding defensive area with rockets, ar-tillery, and mortar fire which could come in any tim eof day or night . The NVA weapons were especiall yhard to root out from their sanctuaries in Laos, an dtheir accuracy was often very good .

Movement during the day required dodging th eincoming rockets and shells, and the chaplain on hisrounds of the base had to know the location of al lthe handy mortar pits, trenches, and protective hole sso that he'd know where to run if the cry "incoming "was heard. At the height of the shelling on 2 3February, 1,307 mortar and artillery rounds lande dwithin the rather small perimeter of the comba tbase . Under some of the most intensely beleaguere dconditions of that war, the chaplain became ver yclose to his men, as the men often did to each other ,and the conditions were rarely usual . ChaplainStubbe wrote :

During the siege, the recon Marines were especiall yhurt—over 75 percent of the Company became casualtiesbecause of the incoming rounds . The Company was sand-wiched between the airstrip and the regimental head-quarters—as well as being near the ammo dump . On enight my bunker was so full of casualties that couldn't beevacuated, that I slept atop a 3'x3' field desk, the docto rslept on the deck inside with his feet outside the " door"and five Marines fell asleep sitting up on my rack . . . 2 1

Living, as everyone was, under the threat ofviolent death from the skies, the level of spiritualdiscussion and activity was deep . Marines sough tBaptism and the Eucharist . Chaplain Stubbe baptis-ed a camouflaged Marine just before the siege an dwas to write touchingly about finding his body a tgraves registration a few weeks later . Lieutenan tWilliam R . Hampton (Lutheran) assigned to the 3 dBattalion, 26th Marines baptized a young man aftertwo weeks of daily instruction . Chaplain Hampto nremembered, "The service took place to the accom-paniment of a continual anthem of incomingrockets, mortars, and artillery strikes which shookthe ground on which we stood after strikingdangerously close . "2 2

The incoming rounds and North Vietnamese at -tacks on the perimeter of the Marine defense exacte da painful toll . Lieutenant William D . Weaver(Disciples of Christ) attached to the 1st Battalion ,9th Marines, which guarded the southwest edge o fthe Khe Sanh defenses, reported that during th esiege and shortly thereafter his unit had more tha n165 of its men killed in action . This period foundthe agony of war at its height and called out the bes tfrom the unit chaplains . Chaplain Hampton left th ebase to bring his ministry to Hill 861 which had no tseen a chaplain in recent weeks because of its isola-tion and the heavy bombardment . He had 10 con-secutive services . When he finally returned to KSC Bhis executive officer asked him to go to Hill 881 im-mediately, but he couldn't because of his exhaus-tion . He went the next day, for both regular service sand memorial service for the dead Marines .

Marines were not the only ones to render the " las tfull measure ." Tragedy struck with blinding swift-ness at Khe Sanh, and on 22 February 1968 the U .S .Navy Chaplain Corps lost its second chaplain inVietnam. Lieutenant Robert R . Brett (RomanCatholic) serving the 2d Battalion, 26th Marines waswaiting to board a helicopter to return to the bat-talion headquarters from one of his frequent trips tothe outposts . An enemy round landed in the trenchin which Chaplain Brett was waiting and he receive dmultiple shrapnel wounds to the chest, head, an darms, instantly killing him .

Lieutenant Commander Hollis H . Bon d(Southern Baptist) was sent promptly to the 2d Bat-talion, 26th Marines as a replacement for Chaplai nBrett and amplified the circumstances concerning hi sdeath . The 2d Battalion, 26th Marines occupied two


16 3

hills near the Khe Sanh Combat Base : Hill 558 an dHill 861-A. Chaplain Brett would alternate visits t othese locations, serving not only his personnel bu talso other personnel present . On 18 February h ewent to Hill 861-A, where he remained four days .During this time he celebrated Mass almost con-tinuously, both on Hill 861-A and on Hill 861 ,where personnel from 3d Battalion, 26th Marine swere located . The distance between these two posi-tions was perhaps one-half mile .

For three reasons it was not possible to hold anylarge services at these outposts . First, the outdoorcongregating of any significant number of personnelinvited enemy mortar or artillery fire . Second, ther ewas no shelter large enough to accommodate mor ethan 10 or a dozen personnel at once . Third, th eessential employment of personnel was such that no tmore than a few could be spared at a time. ThusChaplain Brett celebrated one Mass after another i nthe Company Aid Station on Hill 861-A until allwho desired to attend Mass had done so . Then ,escorted by two fire teams, he hiked up to Hill 86 1where he followed the same procedure in the com-pany command post . It was reported that h ecelebrated up to 10 Masses per day under these cir-cumstances .

On 22 February Chaplain Brett rode a helicopterto Khe Sanh Combat Base where he and his clerk ,Lance Corporal Alexander Chin, waited in a covere dtrench for a helicopter to go to Hill 558, and the nreturn to his battalion headquarters . The trench wascovered with a steel plate and two or three layers o fsand bags . It was considered safe from mortarrounds, even a direct hit . Therefore, it is believedthat the enemy round was armor piercing artiller ywith a delayed fuse, which penetrated the cover onthe trench and exploded within a few feet ofChaplain Brett . Eight people were killed and 1 5were wounded from that one round . ChaplainBrett's clerk was also among those killed . 2 3

Chaplain Brett had been in Vietnam sinceSeptember of 1967, and had been in a major combatchaplain role virtually his whole tour . The 32-year-old native of Pennsylvania received both a bachelo rof arts and master of arts degree from CatholicUniversity in Washington, D .C . He attended th eMarist College Theologate in Washington, D .C . ,and was ordained in 1962 . He belonged to the Socie-ty of Mary .

The assignment to 2d Battalion, 26th Marines was

essentially Chaplain Brett's first . Prior to that, hehad only attended Chaplain School and a brief train-ing period at Camp Pendleton during the perio dbetween 29 June 1967 when he entered the Chaplai nCorps as an active duty chaplain and his Septembe r

arrival in Vietnam .Although he died in a tragic and undramatic way ,

Chaplain Brett gave himself selflessly to his ministry ,and was not forgotten by his Marines . Shortly afterhis death, a chapel was built at Camp Carroll .Chaplain Seibert, assigned to the 2d Battalion, 9t hMarines, explained :

The chapel was made from materials of an old mess hall .It was built by Marines for Marines . We were able to wor-ship in it on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday to standin groom only crowds . This chapel was recently dedicated i nhonor of Chaplain Brett, who was killed in action duringthe battle for Khe Sanh . 14

Enlisted Marines assigned to the chaplains at Kh e

Sanh suffered great loss . In addition to PFC Alex-ander Chin who was killed along with Father Brett ,

Chaplain Hampton lost his clerk, and Chaplain

Stubbe, without a clerk at the beginning of the bat-tle, had PFC Jonathan Nathaniel Spicer transferre d

to him, since the man had applied for conscientiou s

objector status . Chaplain Stubbe had him work i n

the C Med area as a stretcher bearer, the area where

both Chaplains Driscoll and Stubbe "lived" at night .

Spicer, a mild-mannered and caring person, fre-quently threw himself over the bodies of casualties

during incoming, and during one evacuation o f

wounded, was fatally wounded himself, dying

several days later after having been evacuated . ThisMarine, although a conscientious objector, wa sawarded the Navy Cross for his heroism .

In time it became obvious to the NVA that the ywere not going to overrun Khe Sanh Combat Base .C-123 and C-130 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter skept the base supplied and got the wounded out .Air Force and Marine tactical air strikes and B-5 2bombing runs pounded the enemy in a ring aroun d

the base . One chaplain within the perimeter remark-ed that the explosion of B-52 ordinance was th esweetest sound he heard during the entire two

months. This around-the-clock air support wa scredited as an enormous factor in breaking the siege .Between late January and the end of March, theB-52's dropped 75,000 tons of bombs and tactica l

aircraft expended 35,000 tons of bombs and rockets .

Marine artillery fired nearly 1,500 shells a day dur -

ing the period and the Khe Sanh base and surroun-

164


ding strategic outposts received almost as muc hNVA firepower . The strain of dodging the incomin grounds, evacuating the wounded, retrieving th ehelicopter-supply drops, and living undergroun dwas bound to tell on the personnel . ChaplainRutherford reflected :

Can one ever forget the . . pale bodies and ashen facesof the 26th Marines after the Khe Sanh siege? But there ar ethose who begin to look at the meaning of life or death i na new light . "I've discovered that God wants the man her eas well as hereafter," is the way one young sergeant ex -pressed it .

It's ironic that so many leave "churchy" America wit hher temples and cathedrals, only to make Life's GreatestDiscovery beside a paddie or on a bridge or in a bunkerhalf a world away . But there's joy in heaven whenever an dwherever it happens . And many find God in Vietnam . "

On 1 April, Operation Pegasus was launche dwhich included the opening of land-supply route sand the relief of Khe Sanh, and by 12 April its suc-cess was complete. In the months following, addi-tional operations were undertaken to secure the en -tire area and by late June the strategic value of KheSanh was minimal and the base was dismantled an devacuated . Whatever was not taken was blown u pand bulldozed into the dusty red clay .

The sacrifices of the Marines at Khe Sanh were no tforgotten, however . On Monday, 7 October 1968 ,Brigadier General Frank E . Garretson, CommandingGeneral, Task Force Hotel, indicated to 3d Divisio nChaplain Zoller, that he wanted a memorial servic eat Khe Sanh in approximately 48 hours . This timin gwas to be shortly after the arrival of 4th Marine stroops ending a major sweep operation into the area .This would be the first and probably the only oc-cupation by Marine troops of the historic spot sincethe base was vacated and destroyed in July . The ser-vice would be in memory of 3d Marine Division an dARVN personnel and their supporting units wh ogave their lives there .

The sweep was being conducted primarily by th e4th Marines and the regimental chaplain, Com-mander Nilus W . Hubble was in the field with hi smen . Chaplain Hubble was one of nine chaplains i nVietnam for a second tour of duty . Lieutenant Com-mander Robert C. Franklin (Roman Catholic )Regimental Chaplain, 9th Marines at the time wa sanother on his second tour . Both of these chaplainshad served the same regiments two years earlier .

Chaplain Franklin was at Vandegrift Combat Base

and the assignment was given to him to prepare th erequested memorial service . It was decided that th eservice would be conducted by three chaplains : Divi-sion, 4th, and 9th Marines . It would be a relativelysmall service in an out-of-the-way place, but of im-mense significance to Marines . Chaplain Zolle rremembered the Wednesday morning, 9 October :

. . . I rode with band members in a CH-46 helo . What abeautiful morning : brilliant sunshine, azure blue sky ,fleecy clouds, and breathtaking rugged landscape o fmountains and valleys . As we approached Khe Sanh wecircled . There was a flat plateau, scraped bare and scarredby the ravages of war and departing demolition . The areaimmediately adjacent in certain directions (of greatestenemy threat) was peppered, literally riddled with poc kmarks, bomb craters, where ARC Light and other aeria land artillery assault had rained devastation . Now all seem-ed bleak, deserted, and still . x 6

The units arrived and intermittent suppressive ar-tillery fire began to discourage the enemy from at -tempting any interruption. Two flag poles wer eerected at the west end of what was the airstrip .When all was prepared, Chaplains Zoller, Hubble ,and Franklin stood between the two flagpoles, jus tforward of them. To the right was a formation ofabout 40 Marines in combat jungle utilities and bat-tle gear . To the left was a similar formation of ARV Ntroops . Ahead stood USMC and ARVN officers ,perhaps 30 in number .

General Garretson made a few introductor yremarks and traced the history of Khe Sanh . Duringthe chaplains' conducting of the service, all stood a sthe flags were raised, and appropriate remarks i nmemorial were made, and taps was played . ChaplainZoller remembered, "Once again, with surging emo-tion we all stood at salute as taps sounded . The ser-vice took only 15 minutes or so, but it was a never to-be-forgotten experience ." 2 7

The 27th Marines

On the evening of 12 February 1968, LieutenantMarlin E . Huebschman (United Church of Christ )assigned to the 2d Battalion, 27th Marines was o nduty at Camp Pendleton, California when the phonerang. It was the assistant 5th Marine Divisionchaplain who asked Chaplain Huebschman to cometo his office as early as possible the following morn-ing . Approximately 96 hours later he was landing inDa Nang .

Lieutenant Michael P . O'Neil (Roman Catholic)


16 5

was assigned to the 3d Battalion, 27th Marines . Hehad been assigned to the battalion less than sixweeks earlier as a chaplain returning from his Viet-nam tour . He didn't have to go back, but he did . Hisexplanation :

I was here again because if I had not signed a waiver, th eregiment would not have had Roman Catholic coverage, a sI was the only priest in the 27th Regiment . Besides, if s omany of these 27th Marines could return, so would I . 3 8

The Regimental Chaplain, Lieutenant Merrill C .Leonard (Southern Baptist) remembered the time ofrapid readiness and departure as one of confusionand intense activity but recalled, "I had the utmos tcooperation of the command in carrying out m yduties . "2 9

The rapid mobilization of the 27th Marines wa smade necessary by the need for reinforced effort safter the start of the Tet Offensive . When the 2d an d3d Battalions arrived in Vietnam, they were give nthe coastal section south of Marble Mountain to clearand protect ; and assumed sole responsibility for th eTAOR within a few days . They were joined by the1st Battalion, 27th Marines near the end o fFebruary . Lieutenant Walter J . Brown (Episcopal)accompanied his battalion in combat operation ssouth of Da Nang until late March at which time th e1st Battalion transferred to the Hue City area an dparticipated in major operations before being releas-ed and sent home in September . Chaplain Leonard

reported :

The regiment was involved in two major operations : Theclearing of the area around Hue City and operation AllenBrooke, from June to August . Both operations were verysuccessful . . . but the Regiment suffered a great numberof casualties . ;0

Chaplain O'Neil also commented on the numberof casualties, reporting that his battalion saw th efiercest of fighting, suffered the heaviest ofcasualties, and controlled the most difficult of theTAORs . Although the activity most publicized dur-ing the Tet Offensive was in and around Hue City ,the comments of Chaplain O'Neil serve to indicatethat the level of combat heightened at Te tthroughout the country . In fact, because of the leve lof critical need for Catholic chaplain coverage in th e1st Marine Division, Chaplain McNeil volunteere dto remain behind in Vietnam when his battalion wa swithdrawn although he had served there previously .

He was therefore assigned to the 1st Hospital Com-pany and then to 1st Engineer Battalion unti lanother 12-month tour was up . The remarkabl erecord of this sensitive priest also qualified him t omake an observation upon his departure concernin gthe morale of the troops which was a growing con-cern throughout the post-Tet period . He wrote :

I believe that I saw a definite drop in morale over thes e12 months, and definitely down from my other 17 monthsin this theater of war ; but not necessarily an alarmin gdecrease . It seems to me to be in direct proportion to th emen's realization of our civil government's policies and itsdecisions not to fight to win, but to fight to stay eve nand/or just not lose to Viet Cong infiltration or NVA ope nattack . Our military does not run our government, doesnot set national policies . It has only the bloody task of im-plementing the decisions of our civilian constitutiona l

government . But when a " no-win policy " is formulated ,how in the name of God can you expect individual men o fthe Armed Forces to feel great or even have decent morale ?This policy of insufficient determination is totally alien t othe generally accepted American Temperament . Mora lVictories on the ball field are acceptable . Moral Victories i na war of suffering and death, however, do not give birth tostrong morale . "

While Chaplain O ' Neil was honest in his assess-ment of morale, he was also objective, and did no tsuccumb to bitterness or anger which was sometime sexpressed by returning veterans, and publicized b ythe media . On the contrary, Chaplain O'Neil con-cluded his final report by saying, "I have never fel tmore alive as a man of God, more necessary, bette rmotivated, nor happier in my whole personal an dministerial life than I have the last 12 months .Thank God for this chance to serve Marines! "3 2

Chaplain O'Neil, at his choice, remained behindwhen the regiment returned to the states . He wasnot the only chaplain to do so . ChaplainHuebschman of the 2d Battalion also requested toremain and upon doing so served the 7th Com-munications Battalion ; 1st Battalion, 11th Marines ;4th Battalion, 11th Marines ; and 1st Tank Battalion .Most of these units were regarded as being "in therear with the gear, " and after seven months in assevere combat as any chaplain experienced, ChaplainHuebschman was looking forward to his newassignments when the 2d Battalion, 27th Marine s

left . His comments after the transfer was effected ,reveal a common chaplain attitude about most suc htransfers :

166


. . . There is a sacrifice involved . The closeness of th epersonnel in the rear areas is not as evident as among th eMarines in the field . I have often felt that men in dange rare men much closer to God . In less vulnerable positions ,men seem to drift back into complacency and this require dsome readjustment in my thinking and my ministry . "

The 27th Marines returned to Camp Pendleton i nSeptember having distinguished itself by aremarkable mount out* to successful completion o fheavy combat requirements . The chaplains of Th e27th cherished their contribution to this unique mo-ment in the history of the regiment .

The Ministry of Mercy

In an interview just prior to his retirement on 1February 1971, General Lewis W . Walt saw fit tosingle out the ministry of mercy supplied by Marinesduring their time in Vietnam as one of the finesthopes for the future . As proof he cited :

Medically, the Third Marine Division Memoria lHospital as turned over to the Vietnamese, and the Ho aKhanh Children ' s Hospital, which was sponsored by th eForce Logistic Command, continues in its mission unde rthe supervision of trained Vietnamese doctors an dnurses . 3 4

This reference to hospitals created for and finallygiven to the Vietnamese people underscores tha taspect of the U .S . Military that has always accom-panied the movement of troops of the Judeo -Christian heritage, a ministry of mercy . It is not sur-prising to find large chaplain involvement in the ef-fort .

In December 1965, a small group of Navy medica lcorpsmen, doctors, and the chaplain from the 1stBattalion, 3d Marines began a project which wa sconcerned with the bitter tears, the sharp grief an dpain, and the needs of some Vietnamese children inthe Red Beach area just north of Da Nang . Theirlove and compassion and medical care were dispens-ed from a small first aid station in Hoa Khanhhamlet .

Treatment was varied at the station . In addition todealing with common complaints and illnesses suc has skin infection, broken bones, worms, malnutri-tion, colds, and trauma, the staff dealt regularl ywith cases of cancer, muscular dystrophy, an d

*The activities of the preparation of men and materials for ship-ment to another location .

plague . More than 100 operations a month were per -formed at the station to cure a variety of ailments in-cluding the prevalent cleft palates .

In 1966, the 1st Battalion, 3d Marines left the Re dBeach area and turned over its expanding first aidstation in Hoa Khanh hamlet to the Marines an dmedical personnel of Force Logistic Comman d

(FLC) . In March of 1967, Lieutenant Commande rAnthony C. Volz (Roman Catholic) reported toForce Logistic Command and the further support o fthe station was never in doubt after that . There weremany chaplains who took interest in the medica lfacility : notably the chaplains of the nearby Seabeeunits at Camp Haskins North and South, andchaplains attached to other Marine units in the area ,but of them all, Chaplain Volz stands out .

Chaplain Volz, a 16-year veteran of the Chaplai nCorps, threw himself immediately into th ehumanitarian work at Phuoc Thanh Orphanage an dwhat was to become Hoa Khanh Children' sHospital . Although the demand for his ministry wa sgreat early in his tour due to the shortage of Catholi cchaplains in the 1st Division, toward the end of 196 7he was better able to promote the causes that wer eclose to his heart .

By April 1968, Chaplain Volz had extended hi stour in Vietnam to see the hospital along as far as h ecould . In the 24 April 1968 edition of th enewspaper, The Observer, published in Saigon bythe Office of Information, MACV, he told areporter : "Right now I am corresponding with 2 6groups and dozens of individuals who have sen tmore than 500 boxes of needed articles to th erefugees in the past year . "3S The efforts of ChaplainVolz toward the hospital were prodigious, but th eneeds of the hospital continued to expand and re-quired even more American involvement .

The growing number of patients was matched b ythe growing concern of FLC Marines, chaplains, an dmedical personnel . A larger centralized facility wa sconstructed within the Camp Jay K . Brooks head -quarters compound . The wood and tin building wa splanned to accommodate 70 children but the dail yin-patient count frequently reached the 125 mark .An average of 80 children were cared for daily at th eout-patient "sick call . "

The Vietnamese people initially were reluctant t otake their children to the hospital for treatment . TheCommunists had said that Americans would kill an dinjure them and they branded the hospital as a


16 7

"slaughterhouse" and its medical staff as "killers o finnocent children ." The people rapidly realized tha tthe hospital had been built to dry the tears of theirchildren, and to take their sharp grief and pain fromthem. They soon overcame their reluctance and fear sas word spread of the magnificent concern and seem-ingly miraculous cures . Since its doors first opened i n1966, until 1970, the hospital treated more tha n6,000 in-patients and more than 15,000 out -patients .

It was this kind of acceptance that motivated th edesire to provide a more permanent structure wit hresources to handle even the most critical medica lneeds . Fund drives raised tens of thousands ofdollars . The bulk of the funds was donated b yLeathernecks of the 1st Marine Division, Forc eLogistic Command, and III MAF, all in the Da Nan gtheater of operations . This was supplemented by thegenerosity of Army, Navy, and Air Force personne land of many interested civilians and civic an dbusiness organizations .

The parents of one FLC Marine mailed a check for$1,000 after learning of the hospital plan from theirson ; a woman's club in the U .S . donated an air con-ditioner for the operating room ; an elderly, retire dschool teacher made lightweight clothing for th echildren; an intermittent positive pressure breathingmachine valued at several thousand dollars wasdonated by the widow of a U .S . Air Force officer kill -ed in Vietnam. Allied servicemen continued to plac edonations into collection boxes located at base ex -changes and transient facilities in the Da Nang area .

With this kind of support, the dream for a perma-nent structure with modern equipment became areality . Actual construction was accomplished b yVietnamese craftsmen and workers under the super -vision of Navy Seabees and Marine Corps engineers .Construction of the building began in the fall of1967, and it was completed and dedicated in January1969 .

The main ward of the graceful building, valued a t$350,000, had 120 beds, nearly double the oldfacilities . The hospital also contained two operatingrooms, an isolation room, three emergency rooms ,pharmacy, laboratory, kitchen, cafeteria, nurserywith incubators, an X-ray room, and a dental treat-ment room . White tile walls and floors and othe rfeatures which facilitate cleanliness contributed to asterile atmosphere and to the health and comfort o fpatients .

Major General Carl A . Youngdale, Deputy Com-manding General of III Marine Amphibious Force ,said in his dedicatory address :

I think the name of the hospital tells the story not onl ysymbolically but realistically . It is the Hoa Khan hChildren's Hospital, not the III MAF Children's Hospital ,but the Hoa Khanh Children's Hospital . . .a Vietnamesehospital for Vietnamese children, symbolic of the tieswhich our mutual efforts have woven and dedicated to ageneration which we hope and pray may grow to maturit yin freedom and peace .3 6

Brigadier General James A . Feeley, Jr ., Comman-ding General, Force Logistic Command, in whos ecamp the hospital was located, commented on th eprofound effect of the American assistance throug hthe hospital facility :

We see it in terms of young lives saved, of children' sbodies mended which would otherwise be crippled, and o ffirst rate care for a wide variety of ailments . The heart war-ming appreciation on the part of the children is conveye din smiles that bridge cultural and ideological differences ,of small hands raised in greeting, and in many smal lgestures of friendship . "

In spite of diminished military involvement i nVietnam in the early 70s, there was no lessening o finvolvement of American servicemen in ministeringto the needs of the children at the hospital . At leas tone delegation of servicemen representing thei runit, stopped at the hospital daily with toys ,clothing, or food sent in from the United States fo rdistribution to the children .

Doctors and corpsmen from Marine medical unit sin Vietnam, Seabee battalions, and from U .S . Nav yhospital ships volunteered their time and service toassist FLC doctors and eight enlisted Navy hospita lcorpsmen who made up the voluntary staff of U .S .military personnel .

The 3d Marine Division Memorial

Children's Hospita l

The 3d Marine Division Memorial Children' sHospital was constructed at Quang Tri Combat Base ,Republic of Vietnam . This 68-bed hospital provide dmedical and surgical treatment for all types ofchildren's injuries and ailments with emphasis o nVietnamese children who were war casualties .

Pending completion of the hospital at Quang Tri ,an interim Children's Hopital was opened at Dong

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Ha on 1 September 1968 . Portions of the U .S . NavyD Med Facility were converted to temporary use as achildren 's hospital . This facility was called the 3rdMarine Division Memorial Children's Hospital(Dong Ha Facility) . The Commanding Officer, 2 dARVN Regiment co-sponsored the children' shospital . It was planned for 2d ARVN Regimen tsurgeons, corpsmen, and interpreters to assist a t"sick call" for Vietnamese children .

There was no hospital for Vietnamese in norther nQuang Tri Province to treat residents and refugees o fthe Cam Lo and Dong Ha areas . The only Viet-namese civilian hospital in the Province serving303,000 Vietnamese was the 250-bed Provincia lHospital in Quang Tri City, some 10 miles fro mDong Ha and over 18 miles from Cam Lo .

The Vietnamese nurses, aides, and technicianswere under the supervision of Nguyen Thi Khang ,the head nurse and a refugee from Hanoi who wentby the name of Gwen . Gwen had an extensivebackground in the nursing profession and had beenat the Hoa Khanh hospital from its beginning in ear-ly 1966 .

Concern for the fate of the hospital afterAmerican forces left the Republic of Vietnam led t oa co-sponsorship arrangement with the World ReliefCommission (WRC), the overseas relief arm of th eNational Association of Evangelicals . It was hopedthat through this organization the life, health, an dhappiness which American Marines, Navy, and othe rservicemen brought to thousands of Vietnames echildren through the Hoa Khanh Children' sHospital would continue into the future .

The concept of a children 's hospital in the nor-thern I Corps was the idea of Major General Ray-mond G. Davis, Commanding General, 3d MarineDivision . General Davis also believed that th e"Other War" could be more easily won in Vietnamwith the closer identification of Marines with th eVietnamese people .

Numerous Vietnamese children had suffere dsevere injuries from the intense fighting in Quan gTri Province. Further, it would be the children o fVietnam who would benefit from U .S . efforts in thi scountry . It thus seemed fitting to construct achildren's hospital as a lasting memorial to fallenMarines and sailors, and to the benefit of Vietnam' sfuture .

The children's hospital not only provided medica land surgical care but trained a Vietnamese staff,

A typical tent chapel on the perimeter at Da Nang .

which included 14 nurses, to care for Vietnames echildren at the temporary hospital and to staff th echildren's hospital at Quang Tri, when constructio nwas completed .

The children's hospital at Dong Ha was highlysuccessful in providing badly needed medical an dsurgical care to Vietnamese children during the firs tmonth of its operation . In only a short period sincethe hospital initially opened, from 15 to 20 sick Viet-namese children per day had been given surgical andmedical treatment as bed patients . It was anticipatedthat this number would double or triple as thehospital's capacity was increased . At the hospital'smorning sick calls, during the month of Septembe r1968, 1,247 Vietnamese children were treated . Thesuccess of the temporary hospital at Dong H aunderscored the urgent, vital need to construct thechildren's hospital at Quang Tri Combat Base .

By August of 1969, the dream of an adequat efacility at Quang Tri was still not realized, althoug hwork had begun, but the ministry of mercy was stillthriving . Division Chaplain Zoller reported :

In the first year of operation, the (Dong Ha) facility ha dtreated approximately 20,000 children in its outpatientclinic and in-patient hospital . The modern new hospital of128-bed and auxiliary services is under construction atQuang Tri Combat Base . The Board of Governors i spresently working on arrangements for the hospital's con-tinued operation after the division deploys elsewhere i nthe near future .3 8

The concern for the progress of the ministry o fmedical mercy in the I Corps increased as it becam eapparent the Marines were leaving the country . Thefear was not warranted . III MAF affected a relation-


16 9

The 12th Marines' Tun Tavern, which was also used as a chapel for religious services o n

Sunday mornings . The rooftop cross is hinged to drop out of sight on secular occasions .

ship with the World Relief Commission which con-tinued the work. In a statement referring to the Ho aKhanh Children ' s Hospital written by Mrs . EverettGraffam, staff writer for the Commission, for the us eof General Davis, it was stated :

A Commission citation to the Marines as they lef tVietnam stated :

As the Force Logistic Command phased out, the WorldRelief Commission, a civilian voluntary agency, phased i nand took complete responsibility in June 1970. The Com-niission is acting as a bridge between the militarily -generated hospital and a future civilian facility operated bythe Vietnamese themselves .

The 120-bed facility is filled most of the time .Sometimes more than one patient occupied a bed . About1,400 out-patients per month were also served .

The physical plant is being expanded . Separat ebuildings store drugs and supplies and house th eAmerican staff members .

Mrs . Nguyen Thi Khang, known as "Gwen" to th eMarines, is head nurse and the only continuing factor . Sh etook the first sick little orphans from two Navy doctors andbrought them back to health in performing functions tha tonly doctors would do in America, such as tracheotomies ,set fractures, and even skin grafts .

The World Relief Commission wishes to recognize thetough Marines with tender hearts, in their humanitaria nconcern for the children of Vietnam . This hospital willstand as a living memorial to all our fighting men ,especially those Marines who have given their lives . Wepledge to continue the fine Marine tradition of lovin ghospital care, giving the children a chance for health an dwholeness in a war situation .

Fighting men are being honored and remembered in aBook of Memory which rests in the lobby of the hospital .Their names are inscribed by monetary gifts of family orfriends who support this facility which was so nobl ybegun . 3 9

Ministry Grows at the Force Logistic Comman d

The development and growth of a complex such asFLC provides a framework of chaplain services tha tsounds almost like duty in a garrison situation wher ethe growth was not so rapid and the complications ofcombat demands not so insistent .

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A native chapel erected in 1965 is dedicated as a memorial to the men of the 4t hMarines, 3d Marine Division, who gave their lives in battle in Republic of Vietnam .

In March 1967, there were two chaplains assigne ddirectly to FLC, Commander Beryl L . Burr(American Baptist) and Lieutenant Fayette P . Grose(Episcopal) . Lieutenant Preston Kearsley (Latter DaySaints) was assigned TAD from the 3d Division an dwas serving at Force Logistic Support Grou p(FLSG)-A in Phu Bai . Upon being relieved at Re dBeach, Chaplain Grose was assigned to FLSG-B a tChu Lai . Two weeks later Lieutenant Commande rAnthony C. Volz (Roman Catholic) reported an dwas assigned to Camp Brooks at Red Beach and serv-ed as the assistant command chaplain . In June th ecommand was enlarged and an additional T/ O(Table of Organization) for chaplains was requested .The T/O was increased to eight chaplains, and i nJune Lieutenant Charles G . Smith (Presbyterian )received orders transferring him from the 1st Marin eAircraft Wing to FLC and was assigned to FLSG-A a tPhu Bai . Chaplain Kearsley also received order stransferring him from the 3d Marine Division to FLCand was assigned to the 5th Communications Bat-talion .

This provided him a greater opportunity to trave lthroughout I Corps in support of the LDS work an dat the same time to serve as a battalion chaplain . B ythis time the command had increased to 8,000 per-sonnel . In November Lieutenant Commander L .Wayne Rushing (Methodist) reported aboard an dwas assigned to the Maintenance Battalion in DaNang . Three weeks later Lieutenant Louis Nichol s(Roman Catholic) reported and was assigned to th e3d Military Police Battalion . This assignment includ-ed serving as brig chaplain at the III MAF Brig andsupplied a much needed coverage in this area . Atthis time the command had grown to nearly 10,00 0personnel, however, overall coverage was good . I tmust be noted at this point that the cooperation o fall chaplains regardless of their commands madecomplete religious coverage possible . It was thiscross-servicing that provided religious services for al lmen in I Corps .

With the expansion of the command and th egrowth of the chaplains' department, ther edeveloped the necessity of having more chapels . At


17 1

Department of Defense (USN) Photo 112072 0

The All Faiths Chapel of Force Logistic Support Group Bravo at Chu Lai, January 1967 .

Camp Brooks, Red Beach, the chapel consisted of asmall Southeast Asia hut with a seating capacity o f

70 people . It was entirely inadequate and plans wer edeveloped for a new permanent chapel to seat ap-proximately three hundred people .

The plans were completed and approved ,however, priority construction in a number of area stook precedence and the plans were shelved . Tosolve the problem another Southeast Asia hut wa sbuilt onto the front of the existing chapel and theseating was increased to 160 .

FLSG-B had a native-style bamboo and thatc h

chapel . It was condemned as a fire hazard and a ne wchapel was constructed and provided a welcome ad-dition to the camp . The seating capacity of thechapel was 60 . FLSG-A built a new chapel with aseating capacity of 158 people . It was completed i nMarch 1968, and was a beautiful permanent place o f

worship . Again, the problems of priority building

was faced and overcome . The 5th Communication sBattalion built a new chapel with a seating capacit y

of 68 people . This was adequate for the smaller

camp. Offices were in the chapel and it was easilyavailable to all personnel .

A new camp then was constructed at Dong H awhich was then the location of FLSG-B . Lieutenan t

David A. Mueller (Lutheran) was assigned to this ac-tivity, and within two weeks time a new chapel wa scompleted and was fully equipped .

The 3d Military Police Battalion constructed a ne wchapel and completed it in early March . It was a fine ,permanent building with a seating capacity of abou t75 people, and was well equipped for all services .

The 7th Bulk Fuel Company and Ammunitio nSupply Point 1 had a chapel built by the men of th ecamp . It was literally a small church and a very im-posing structure in the camp . The seating capacitywas 50 people and quite adequate for a small com-plex .

The Maintenance Battalion was a good example of

cross servicing . The chapel was used by MAG-17 an dMaintenance Battalion . It was a good arrangementand an excellent cooperative enterprise . A new office


talion level . The chaplains participated in assistanc eto churches and orphanages . Materials were purchas-ed to build churches, money was presented to sup -port the churches, altar gear was presented t oalleviate the poverty of the people—especially in th erefugee villages and hamlets . Money was also givento the III MAF Scholarship Fund to provide educa-tion to those qualified .

The Personal Response Program was, of course ,also a command responsibility but the chaplainsassisted whenever called upon . Lectures werepresented on the subject of the Religions of Viet-nam, Vietnamese culture, and moral leadership .This program hopefully helped the Marines t ounderstand the Vietnamese people and thus treatthe people with respect and courtesy .

Chaplain Burr reported :

I am very proud of the dedication and consecration ofevery chaplain serving in the Force Logistic Command .

The Marine Task Force X-Ray Chapel at Chu Lai.Note the grass, flowers, and trees planted in front.


The chapel of MA G-16, Marble Mountain Air Facili-ty, Da Nang . Note the New England white steepleerected as an entrance to the tent worship area .

had been constructed at the battalion and th echaplain could work very well in this inter-comman denterprise .

All chaplains, with the exception of the comman dchaplain, conducted three to six services every Sun -day . In the Da Nang area, at its peak, there were tenFLC camp units and all units were covered by th echaplains . In Phu Bai and Dong Ha there were thre eunits each and the chaplains also conducted religiousservices at various CAP units near their camps. Al lchaplains continued their religious coverage wit hweekday services . Bible classes and discussion group swere an integral part of this ministry . The counselingministry was of extreme importance and ever ychaplain spent many hours in this particula rendeavor .

Civic action activities were also a part of eachchaplain's ministry . This program was primarily a:ommand program and was the direct responsibilit yof the G-5 or S-5 on either the command or bat -


17 3


The stone and wood chapel of Marine Aircraft Group 36 along the shore at Chu Lai .

They have served faithfully through monsoon rain, cold ,and extreme summer heat .

They have huddled in bunkers as mortars and rocket spounded all around them . They have ministered to th ewounded and dying . Memorial services have been con -ducted in every unit and the words of the chaplain hav ebrought hope, courage, and faith to the men he ha sserved .

I have . . . indicated a certain amount of frustration .There seemed to be a lack of time to accomplish all tha tneeded to be done . In such an experience, one must learnpatience and move with the elements . Heat, dust, sand ,rain, mud, and cold all attempt to defeat and yet throug hall of this the ministry of God's love moves forward .Although anxious to get home one may say, It has beengood for us to be here ." 4 0

Dealing with Debate

Battlefield and political events during 1968 in-evitably involved chaplains in discussing and reason-ing about the war. As a non-combatant, a chaplainwas legally detached from the personal agony ofcombat judgment and decision-making . But hisdeep involvement with his men and their basic con-

cerns forced him to struggle with their problems ,and assist them in reasoning out a stable viewpoint .

It was not surprising that confusion and concernover the United States' role in Vietnam existedamong the . servicemen there . The finest politicalminds of the country were unable to reach a clear ,unified statement of purpose and policy . Althoughnewly elected President Richard M. Nixon had pro-mised a draw-down and was to install Henry CabotLodge as chief negotiator in Paris at the peace talks ,by March of the new year the Defense Departmen tannounced the U .S . Forces numbered 541,500, th epeak level of all the years of U .S . involvement .Those forces were mostly made up of a generation o fyoung people who appeared more socially conscious ,and politically and philosophically concerned tha nany generation that had preceded them . Certainl yone of the challenges of their chaplains was the par-ticipation with them in the struggle they perceive das significant .

So acutely did chaplains feel this demand on thei rministry that the Chief of Chaplains felt constrained

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upon returning from his fourth Christmas visit i nDecember 1968 to respond to the needs of hischaplains by providing leadership in the current con-cern . As a iesult, he published a news release entitl-ed "Should we be there? "

The Chief of Chaplains was forcefully aware of th egallant character of the U .S . Marine effort in Viet-nam, he knew that by the end of 1968, 8,600Marines had been killed in Vietnam and 37,00 0hospitalized from wounds suffered there . Fully28,000 Marines had been wounded but did not re -quire hospitalization .

He knew that the 83,000 Marines in Vietnamcomprised only 15 percent of the 533,500 U .S .military personnel there but that the Marines suf-fered 30 percent of the over 29,000 killed, and that30 percent of the Vietnam Medals of Honor ha dbeen won by Marines . He said :

More than at any other time, when I step on Vietnames esoil, I become keenly aware of the war' s cost of lives an dthe continuing drain upon our national resources . But

each trip persuades me even more strongly that the defen-sive effort in which we are engaged is essential to the sur-vival of Vietnam and the free world and that the burden ofour sacrifice, while terrible to consider, is justified by th eneed at this critical period in the life of the world ." '

Reasoning that the American ideals of unity an dbrotherhood place weighty requirements especiallyupon those in whose capability it was to render hel pto others, he discussed the necessity for nations an dpeoples to periodically require assistance in th eachievement of their highest potential and the equa lnecessity to oppose every political philosophy o rsocial system which oppresses or degrades the humanspirit .

He concluded :

Regrettably, but necessarily, there are times whe naspiration toward the ideals of global unity andbrotherhood of earth's peoples requires the employment o frestrained and disciplined power as a defense against theunprincipled and undisciplined use of power . It is ourprayer that it will not always be so, and no groups pra y

A Marine patient leaves the Medical Company C Memorial Chapel at Da Nang in 1967 .

Department of Defense (USN) Photo 1120682


17 5

Chaplain Ray W. Stubbe gets a hand from a Marine as he climbs the steep slopes of rug-ged Crow's Nest Hill south of Da Nang for Christmas services, 25 December 1968 .

more frequently for enduring peace than our armed forcesand their chaplains .42

While such a position did not satisfy everyone, theChief of Chaplains substantially supported andreflected the views of his chaplains in the field .

The controversy continued over the question ofwhether the war in Vietnam was morally justified ,and it is fair to say the debate was fired by man ystateside church leaders . Chaplains often fel tthemselves placed in an awkward and uncomfortableposition by those churches morally opposed to thewar since, being in Vietnam itself, chaplains sawboth the spiritual needs of the Marines and of thebeleaguered South Vietnamese . Many chaplain swere asked how they felt about being involved in awar which was considered so questionable by their

contemporaries in the states . One chaplain replie dmost articulately :

It is true that the war is considered at least morally am-biguous by many churchmen in the states . Both clergy andlaity are wrong in thinking that the chaplains serving i nVietnam don't feel the ambiguity about this war . Andrightly so ; for if they really seek to serve God they must i nthe words of Thomas a Kempis, " mind and take care ofthis, that God be with you in everything you do ." In otherwords, they must continually ask the anxious question ,which admits ambiguity, "Am Ion God's side?" As soon asthey stop asking that question and forthrightly affirm ," God is on our side," they are no longer seeking to serveGod but are concerned that God serve them .

Should the ambiguity of the war deter an involvementfor the sake of the man? No . If I may point to the incarna-tion which we celebrate at Christmas ; notice how God di dnot let the moral ambiguities of the world deter him enter-ing our world in human flesh for our sakes . For the sake of

176


the men here, we must be involved as we are . Our absenc ewould be harder to justify than our presence now is .4 3

The year 1968 drew to a close . Chaplains wit hMarines had experienced heights and depths of feel-ing, accomplishment, and anticipation even if con-crete answers were often no clearer than before .Chaplains had rendered their spiritual service ,agonized with Marines over external pain and

reasoned with them over internal anguish, and coul dmove into the next year with the words of the Com-mandant of the Marine Corps ringing in their ears :

Your record of heroism and self-sacrifice is wove nthroughout the history of the Navy and Marine Corps andhas earned for your distinguished Corps the pride, respect ,and gratitude of all with whom you have served . On behalfof all Marines, I offer warm thanks and best wishes to al lNavy Chaplains .44

CHAPTER 1 1

Sweating and Praying (1969-1972 )Activity in the Field—Redeployment Begins—Personal Response Continuity — Civic Action and the CAP

Ministry — New Concerns in Counseling — Chapel Construction—Reflection s

The year 1969 was one of contrasts . Although byMarch the number of American servicemen in Viet-nam reached the peak of 545,500, combat level swere relatively low. January marked the lowest com-bat level since December of 1967 and by November ,with the onset of the monsoon, combat had decline dto the lowest levels in nearly three years .

Still, for many troops :on Operation Taylor Com-mon, Bold Mariner, Dewey Canyon, and Virgini aRidge, the war was very much alive and every bit asmenacing as it ever was . Although the 3d MarineDivision in Quang Tri Province was spared a hig hlevel of combat activities during the first thre emonths of the year, men of the 1st Division were i nthe field southwest of Da Nang attacking stagin gareas and securing the areas for the continued pro-gress of pacification . One of the glad signs of suc hprogress in security and pacification was the openingof Liberty Bridge across the Thu Bon River in QuangNam Province which had been out since Octobe r1967 . The bridge, which had been repaired by th eSeabees with constant Marine security, complete dthe roadway linkage of Da Nang and An Hoa, whic hwas becoming an extremely sensitive area onc eagain .

Although with the relatively low level of fightingrather few chaplains were sweating out their ministr yin . combat roles, circumstances arose in the areas o fcounseling that often caused more sweat and tears 'than combat, and challenged chaplains to newheights of contribution to their people . Counselingefforts in the area of race relations, drug abuse, an dviolence rose to high levels demanded by the cir-cumstances and, in a measure, provided a beginningfor programs in these areas that later proved ver yvaluable .

In some ways the period was a hopeful one an dthe increased success of the Chieu Hoi* program, th e

*A program of amnesty for Viet Gong surrendering to the RV NGovernment .

variations of the civic action team approaches, andthe seeming strength of the ARVN structure and in -

Capt William H. Gibson (front center), Comman-ding Officer of Company. D, 1st Battalion, 5thMarines, 1st Marine Division, leads five VC captive staken with their rifles in the valley of An Hoa,southwest of Da Nang on 6 January 1969 . Capt Gib-son is clearing one of the captured rifles . He later leftactive duty in the rank of major on 31 Decembe r1969 and entered the Navy as a chaplain on 24 Apri l1974 . He is one of many Navy chaplains who firs tserved in other capacities in the Armed Services .

Photo courtesy of Chaplain William H . Gibso n

177

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volvement all contributed to a spirit of optimism .President Nixon 's promise of troop withdrawalsseemed entirely consistent with the situation an dthis brought the anticipation of redeployment to th etroops . Redeployment of Marine units did begin i nSeptember, and by mid-December nearly 20,00 0Marines had been redeployed to Okinawa or theUnited States .

The fact that the Communists did not muster a nall-out offensive during the year, and that even th eseason of Tet passed by without a serious offensive ,seemed to indicate that the fierce fighting of th eprevious year had proven simply too much for the

NVA to sustain . As fire-support bases were closed ,positive projections for the immediate and long-range future were in the hearts of many who had en-dured much to enjoy these hopeful heights .

Activity in the Field

One of the camps whose closing typified the shif tin strategic circumstances was Camp J . J . Carroll inQuang Tri Province . On 28 . December 1968, CampCarroll was disestablished having served its purposeas a combat/artillery base just south of the DMZ fo rmore than two and one half years . It had been nam-ed in honor of Captain James J . Carroll, a compan ycommander in the 4th Marines, who was killed byenemy shell fragments while leading his men in bat-tle on "Mutters Ridge " in 1966 . For this action h ewas awarded the Navy Cross posthumously . CampCarroll was well known to all chaplains who served i nthe 3d Marine Division during the period of th ecamp ' s existence . At the closing ceremony Chaplai nZoller, the 3d Division Chaplain, conducted an ap-propriate memorial service .

The "Chapel of Hope" of the 3d Marines at CampCarroll was then dismantled and transported to th eDistrict Headquarters at Cam Lo where it wa sreconstructed in early 1969 under the supervision ,first of Lieutenant Commander William E . Bea t(United Methodist), Battalion Chaplain, 1st Bat-talion, 9th Marines and completed under the super -vision of Lieutenant Commander Lowell W . VanTassel (Presbyterian Church in the United States) ,Battalion Chaplain, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines . APalm Sunday rededication was planned and carriedout with the chapel being renamed the Carrol lMemorial Chapel, thus perpetuating the memory o fboth Captain Carroll and Camp Carroll .

The last gift which Captain Carroll gave to hismother, Mrs . Mary Carroll, was a framed copy of th e

Marine ' s Prayer . Mrs . Carroll presented this to Cam pCarroll where it was hung initially in the Chapel ofHope. Now it was hung in a place of honor in theCarroll Memorial Chapel . Chaplain Van Tassel lwrote to Mrs . Carroll informing her of the rededica-tion of the chapel in honor of her son and invitin g

her to make any comment she might wish to havespoken for her at the ceremony . Chaplain Zolle rreported that she replied through her pastor, th eRight Reverend Monsignor James J . Walsh . The re -ply was also read at the ceremony :

In answer to your request to know if she wished to ad danything to the dedicating ceremony, let me say she woul dbe most pleased if you would make known to the men th ejoy they have brought her in the knowledge that the so nJimmy is so well remembered by the men of the Marines .This continued devotion on the part of his buddies ha sbrought her a great deal of consolation, and indeed haselevated the Marines considerably in the estimation of he rmany friends who have heard of it . She wants the men toknow that they are all in her daily prayers, when she beg sGod to bless them and to return them safely to thei rhomes and families .' .

Although the tempo of combat had receded fo rsome and some support bases were closed, for other sthe action merely shifted . The 1st and 3d Battalion sof the 3d Marines and the 1st Battalion, 12thMarines had moved southwest of Da Nang and cam eunder the control of the 1st Marine Division 's Tas kForce Yankee in Operation Taylor Common . On 1 5January Colonel Michael M . Sparks, Commandin gOfficer, 3d Marines, a man respected and admire dby his chaplains, was killed when his comman dhelicopter was shot down near An Hoa . Also killedwith him were Lieutenant Colonel Emil L .Whisman, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 12thMarines ; Sergeant Major Ted E . McClintock, 3 dMarines Regimental Sergeant Major ; and Lance Cor-poral Frederick D . Kansik, Colonel Sparks' fieldradio operator . Memorial services were held at bothAn Hoa and Dong Ha, the 3d Marines rear base . Th eservice at An Hoa was conducted there despite thebooming of nearby artillery and the roar of comba taircraft overhead, because of the measure of respec tin which the deceased were held .

In February the pace of combat field activity pick-ed up somewhat . The Dewey Canyon operation onthe Laotian border hit the enemy hard in an areathat had been a sanctuary for him . The 9th Marines

SWEATING AND PRAYING

17 9


Chaplain Frederick E. Whitaker, chaplain for the 3d Battalion, 4th Marines, holdsreligious services for men of Company M on a mountainous ridgeline north of the

Rockpile . The Marines were participating in a search and clear operation near the DMZ .

cut his main supply route which ran inside Laos ,then back into Vietnam at the northern end of the AShau Valley, and from there east to Hue and/o r

south to Da Nang . The fighting was bitter in th erugged mountain and jungle with heavy casualtie son both sides . The Marines prevailed, however, andby the 1st of March had broken the back of enem yresistance and captured immense caches of weapons ,the largest of the war to that date . The 3d DivisionChaplain reported that the chaplains involved in th eoperation were : Lieutenant Commander David F .Brock (Roman Catholic), Regimental Chaplain, 9t hMarines ; Lieutenant Commander William E . Bray ,Battalion Chaplain, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines ;Lieutenant Commander William L . Childer s(United Methodist), Battalion Chaplain, 2nd Bat -

talion, 9th Marines ; Lieutenant John D. Allen(Episcopal) and Lieutenant Commander Carroll R .Spencer (Church of God, Anderson, Indiana), con-secutively Battalion Chaplain, 3d Battalion, 9t h

Marines ; and Lieutenant Salvatore Rubino (SouthernBaptist), Battalion Chaplain, 2d Battalion, 12th

Marines . Chaplain Zoller said of these men : "Thesechaplains have humped the mountains with thei rmen, sharing dangers, difficulties and discomforts ,providing an enduring source of strength and solace .They are effectively carrying on the traditions o fsuperb service which their predecessor chaplains hav eestablished in the 3d Marine Division ." 2

This sharing of sweat and prayer with the infantryMarine was often the prelude to terror . On Mondaymorning 17 February, before the sun rose, an enemy



Memorial service for casualties of the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division o n

29 March 1967 . As the unit colors are dipped, Marines fire a volley in salute .

force of unknown strength attacked Fire Suppor tBase Cunningham, regimental command post forthe 9th Marines . The first wave of attackers consistedof sappers dressed only in shorts and sandals carryinggrenades and satchel charges . They infiltrated theperimeter wire and ran through the compoun dthrowing their explosives . The situation was confus-ed and hectic . Five Marines were killed and 4 7wounded . When the melee was over 37 NVA bodie swere found inside the perimeter . It was an unforget-table experience for Chaplain Brock . He later toldthe division chaplain that, during the early moment sof the attack, an NVA soldier stuck his head into th etent where he and two others were rising, but for-tunately, did not throw a grenade inside . A grenad ewas thrown into a small bunker a few feet away, kill-ing two men . Chaplain Brock remembered :

The fire fight went until almost 0745 and during thi stime I stayed with the doctor in the Aid Station in order toadminister last rites and to help with the wounded . Fo rtwo hours, it looked as if the Aid Station would be made alast stand . During this fire fight various thoughts wen tthrough my mind, such as : Would we live through this ?Will the men be able to hold out? How were the youngmen on the lines doing? I must admit I was scared but th efeeling soon passed because we were too busy . The otherswere afraid too but not one of them showed his fear . As amatter of fact it warmed one's heart to see just how wel lthese young men did in the face of death . I am verygrateful to have had the opportunity to be with the menduring the fight because of the great spiritual experienc eand also the feeling of the need by the men for a chaplai nto be with them during the time of danger and death . 3

On Tuesday morning 25 February, about 0400 ,Fire Support Bases Russell and Neville, two smal loutposts south of the DMZ, were penetrated by


18 1

similar sappers . These NVA assault troops had theexplosive satchel charges strapped to their bodies ,and attacked in two 200-man waves . 4 When thesmoke cleared the defending Marines counted 3 6killed and 97 wounded . Fifty-six Communists wereknown dead, their bodies sprawled inside theperimeter wire . Chaplain Richard Crist of the 2 dBattalion, 4th Marines had tried the whole da ybefore to get to FSB Russell but was unsuccessful .Now he met the first of his men at C Med VandegriftCombat Base, where the early Med Evac helicopter sstopped briefly, and accompanied them to th ehospital chaplains, Lieutenant Commander Melvill eF. Willard (United Presbyterian) and Lieutenan tLawrence C. McAuliffe (Roman Catholic) who wer ejust keeping up with the flow of casualties . The divi-sion chaplain, who was on the scene, reported :

Even so the triage was full most of the time . All si xoperating rooms were in continuous use and the wardscould accommodate no more patients . . . . Graves registra-tion was a grisly place . . . . Some Marines were killed whil easleep or in the process of dressing . The ministry to th edead, always sobering, was especially grueling that day . ,

Although the levels of combat were much lowerthe first months of 1969 than they were one yea rearlier, the enemy's return to the insidious sapper at -tacks and the constant possibility of being overrun a tisolated outposts produced a special strain on thecombat-involved troops . Chaplains strove tominister to that condition, adapting once again t othe shift in combat circumstances . The chaplain ha dto be greatly mobile and when he arrived at an out -post his ministry had to be more than camaraderie .Appearing often in chaplains' reports of the perio d

A 3d Marine Division memorial service at Dong Ha, 4 November 1968 . Left to right:Chaplain John V. Boreczky, assistant division chaplain ; Chaplain John E . Zoller, divi-sion chaplain ; Marine color guard; MajGen Raymond G. Davis, division commander .

Photo courtesy of Chaplain John Zoller

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was evidence of the hunger among the men for Hol yCommunion . "That service, " as one chaplain said ," is most meaningful to them because they have adeepened understanding of the term `sacrifice' andbecause it communicates, above all, the concern o fthe Almighty for his creature, man."6

The very suddenness and ferocity of these attacksproduced a unique strain on the Marines in the field ,all the more so because of the general attitude of im-pending redeployment . Lieutenant Bryant R .Nobles, Jr . (Southern Baptist) was with the 3d Bat-talion, 3d Marines just prior to its redeployment i nSeptember 1969. He had arrived in Vietnam in lat eAugust and had been in the field for two weeks ,walking, flagging helicopters, and riding jeeps toconduct services at all the companies he could reach .On 17 September the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines wa sstopped for the night near the Rockpile . Heremembered :

Everything seemed to be going well until mid,night, 1 7September, when my faith in God met its suprem echallenge . I was suddenly awakened by the sounds o fAK-47 and M-16 rifle fire . I had dug a foxhole the nigh tbefore, and I proceeded to use it . The next thing I knew ,the Commanding Officer and his radio operator ha dretreated to my foxhole. ?

For the next five hours the battle raged; 25Marines were killed and 47 wounded . ChaplainNobles moved among the men during the critica lhours giving first aid, speaking words of encourage-ment and, in his, words, "doing whatever I couldwhile praying without ceasing . "8 By sun-up theenemy withdrew leaving 48 of their dead on the bat-tlefield . Chaplain Nobles was decorated for his con -duct that night with the battalion he had served fo rso short a time . But he recorded that ribbons andmedals were not the real rewards of this ministry, thereal reward took place the night after the attack . Hewrote :

Just before turning in for the night the Commandin gOfficer requested that I pray with him . After the prayer ,he grasped my hand and said, "Chaplain, I can't evenremember your name, but I thank God you were with uslast night ." This reward far exceeded the medal I laterreceived . The rewards are many for the chaplain who wil lgive of himself for the spiritual needs of the men . 9

Redeployment Begin s

In June President Nixon had begun to implemen this campaign prornise to conduct a slow withdrawal

of troops from Vietnam. This withdrawal policy af-fected the Marine Corps in an initial redeploymen tof the 9th Marines, some combat support units, an da part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . By Augus tmore than 8,000 Marines had been redeployed .With the announcement of the second increment o f

troop withdrawal in September, the 3d and 4t hMarines with accompanying support units and ashare of the air wing prepared to redeploy . Head -quarters, 3d Marine Division and the 4th Marine swere to go to Okinawa and the 3d Marines to Cam p

Pendleton, California . The end of the year foundnearly 18,500 more Marines having departed Viet-nam .

These deployments necessarily affected chaplain

presence in country . By January 1970 the number o fchaplains ashore had already decreased from 110 t o92, with the decrease to be even more rapid durin gthe coming year . In early 1970 the Chief o fChaplains, in a communication to the Corps, tooknote of the fact that just under 700 chaplains ha dserved in Vietnam or off her shores . This comprise d70 percent of the Chaplain Corps strength . From thi speak, the redeployments in 1970 left just 3 3chaplains serving Marines by January 1971, with th efinal chaplains leaving country with the last of th eMarine infantry units by May of 1971, and thos ewith support units by mid June of the same year .

The redeployment also affected the pattern ofchaplain assignment . As chaplains leaving were no treplaced, chaplains whose projected 12-13 monthstour was as yet incomplete were shifted rapidly t ocover the various remaining units . Lieutenant Ber-nard J . Grochowski (Roman Catholic) for instance ,arrived in late June 1969 and served the 3d Marin eDivision with the 2d Battalion, 3d Marines (tw omonths), and the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines (tw omonths), and 1st Marine Division with the 1st Bat-talion, 11th Marines (four months) ; 2d Battalion ,5th Marines (three months) ; Headquarters Battalio n(four months) ; and 2d Battalion, 5th Marines agai n(three months), completing an 18-month tour inJanuary of 1971 .

The lack of permanence to any of his assignment sdid not seem to affect Chaplain Gruchowski's at-titude toward his ministry with Marines . In his finalreport, he characterized his experience as a "Servic eof Joy," and elaborated :

A service of joy in receiving 11 into the church thru bap-tism . A joy communicated thru some 650 mass celebra-


18 3

tions, 10,500 in attendance, 9,900 communing . A joy i ntransforming hate, disgust, resentment into acceptance ,understanding, love . A joy in provoking smiles andlaughter thru humorous homilies and " Polish jokes . " A joythru maximum exposure, being where they were ,humping with them, eating their "C"-rats, living in theirhot and dry, wet and cold phases of weather . Down in theranks, singing with them, hoping with them, sufferin gwith them, laughing with them, praying with them, lov-ing with them, and serving them .

A joy in sharing their precious moments of living bylending an ear and listening . A coveted joy in being dubb-ed their chaplain, their sky-six Rep, their 19-er actual . . . adistinct joy in leading the Marine Corps Hymn on Hill 38 1in the Que Sons .1 0

The task of juggling unit needs and availabl echaplains occupied large amounts of the time of th e1st and 3d Division chaplains . Chaplain Zoller wit hthe 3d Division completed his tour in Septembe rand was relieved by Captain Robert E . Brengartner(Roman Catholic), who redeployed with the fina lelements of the 3d Division within the next thre emonths . In the 1st Division Captain Mark Sulliva n(Roman Catholic) had relieved Captain James T .McDonnel (Roman Catholic) in January of 1967 an dserved during this period of extreme fluctuation un-til relieved in January 1970 by Captain Glen A .Rademacher (Roman Catholic) who also served a sthe III MAF chaplain in the last months befor eredeployment was complete .

Personal Response Continuity

With the relatively lower combat levels in lat e1968 and thereafter there was opportunity to pay in -creased attention to the pacification efforts as focus-ed in civic action programs and the continuing Per-sonal Response Project .

By 1969 Personal Response was performing adistinct educational function, indoctrinating incom-ing troops efficiently and at relatively low cost ,something that early critics of the project though timpossible . Early doubts were swept aside when i twas found that large numbers of personnel could b etrained at very low cost and in a very short time . Th einitial problem, how to change the negative conse-quences of culture shock, had to a great extent beenresolved . But Personal Response continued to be asource of both ideological and military problems ;chaplains working in close association with the pro-ject as well as line officers who were charged with th eresponsibility of maintaining and supporting the

project, often found themselves at cross purposes .This was largely due to the still highly subjective an didealistic philosophy of Personal Response, and th eunfamiliarity of many line officers with such newl yexplored fields as the behavioral sciences . And tocomplicate things further many chaplains stil lsuspected that theii spiritual ministry was bein gdiluted by involvement in the program they saw a sessentially sociological .

Some of the later project officers, as well a schaplains assigned to in-country billets who had con -tact of a peripheral nature with the project, foun dgreat difficulty and frustration in attempting to ad -minister the program . Several reasons existed whic hexplain these difficulties, beginning with the ol dproblem of interservice rivalry . Some chaplain sfound it difficult to operate within certain Marin ecommands, because their letter from the Bureau ofNaval Personnel outlining their duties occasionall yfailed to carry weight with Marines . The majorstumbling block, however, was the basic lack ofstructure of Personal Response . Chaplain Stevenson ,the fourth chaplain assigned to III MAF as Persona lResponse Officer, felt constrained by the lack of an ysuccinctly worded command directive which inessence supported his billet . While his frustratio nwas alleviated in this area by the recently publishe dPersonal Response section to the Standing Operatin gProcedures for III MAF, this did not provide hi mwith the solution to many of what he felt were majo rproblems in the administration of PersonalResponse . Chaplain Stevenson ' s sensitivities concer-ning the morality of the program are important i nthat they reflect concerned opinion within th eChaplain Corps proper, especially since his frustra-tions were also shared by his successor, Lieutenan tCommander Leroy E . Vogel (Lutheran) .

Chaplain Stevenson reacted negatively to what hefelt was the "non-structure" of Personal Response ; hefelt that more earnest command support was essen-tial if the program was to accomplish its intende dgoals . The idealism and very abstract quality in th eideology of Personal Response was, it appears, easil ymisunderstood by officers who had had no previou scontact with such policy, and who were wholly con-cerned with victory in purely military terms .Therefore many seemed to interpret the program a sa form of ideological warfare, an apparatus whic hcould be employed for intelligence-gathering pur-poses, rather than as a means of effecting a form of

184


cultural understanding . And in areas where this hap-pened Chaplain Stevenson felt that the chaplain ' sparticipation placed him in acute jeopardy :

What is his (the chaplain's) mission, task, function? Th enon-structured organizational inertia contributes to th eprogram becoming more and more involved wit hideological warfare . . . than with human concerns or an yform of reconciliation ministry . Commands will interpre tPersonal Response in relation to their pragmatic needs toexploit tactical situations . This is perfectly legitimate fro ma military standpoint, but questionable in ministry) '

Chaplain Stevenson went on to offer his tentativesolution to this conflict in role : "The program meetsnational needs and military experiences but in orde rto be truly effective it must go through a process ofpurification in which chaplains come to play a ver yminor role . . . in its division of labor . "12 His com-ments mirrored the feelings of other chaplains a swell, many of whom believed that Personal Responsewas not the proper area of concern for a chaplain t obe directing his energies . It could have been ,however, that these old criticisms of Persona lResponse were reactivated when the program wa smisinterpreted and its goals intentionally distorte dby those who used and saw it as a vehicle for in-telligence gathering .

When the program was understood in principl eand concept and its philosophy accepted, it prove dto be generally effective . The 3d Marine Divisio nstatistically proved the effectiveness of Persona lResponse as more and more booby traps werereported by local Vietnamese . Many lives were save das a result of the rapport that was established wit hthe local people through Personal Response educa-tion . And as more and more field commandersbegan to grasp the possible significance such indoc-trination could have in cementing relations betwee nVietnamese and Americans, frustrations began t osubside . Chaplain Vogel reported that by January1970 the 1st Marine Division requested th eassistance of Personal Response in an attempt to cur bthe high rate of casualties being inflicted by surprise -firing devices, and, in concert with the program ,started Operation Save-a-Leg . Personal Response wasnever intended to serve intelligence gathering ; it waslegitimately aimed at effecting cooperation an dmutual respect for the values of two differentcultures . However, the problem exposed b yChaplain Stevenson was never completely eradicate dwithin III MAF, and the recommendation that

chaplains' involvement in the management of Per-sonal Response be reduced and that it be turned int oa line function was being considered in Washington .

In November 1970, as, consistent with Presiden tNixon ' s withdrawal policy, more Marines began toleave Vietnam, new problems in the history of Per-sonal Response opened . Since the elements of II IMAF were rapidly leaving I Corps, the program suf-fered . The chaplains involved were faced with theproblem of reconciling the program with a policy ofdeescalation . The situation was complex and furthe rcomplicated by the development of negative at-titudes by Vietnamese, many of whom resented th eAmerican withdrawal . Early in 1971 Commande rJohn T. Beck (Lutheran), who had relieved Chaplai n

Vogel, reported :

Our personal experiences and other sources seem to in-dicate that we are experiencing, and can expect to ex-perience, increasing resentment from Vietnamese stem-ming from several sources . Some of them are : Reduction ofemployees and attendant hardships . Accumulation ofgrievances, real and imagined, of the past years . . . . Whilewe retain considerable confidence in the responsibility andjudgement of most Marines . . . a " going home soon—wh ocares?" attitude will certainly be an increasing problem . Asecond factor is that Marines realize that poor relation swith Vietnamese can sometimes be the fault of the Viet-namese . 1 3

The attitude that some responsibility belonged t othe Vietnamese in the problem area of interculturalrelations was not a new realization . Earlier ChaplainLemieux had written on this subject at the end of histour :

The third part of this same area of concern is th emoral/ethical appeal to conscience which is implied in th ePersonal Response Program : the sense of "fair play," of"oughtness," appeals not only to our democratic tradition sbut also to our Judaic/Christian consciences . If the troopsare to be instructed in the culture and religions of Viet-nam, and if they are to learn that these "values" influenc ethe behavior of the Vietnamese it should then logicallyfollow that one ought not to see that moral/ethical obliga-tions are the exclusive monopoly (responsibility) ofAmericans . There does not appear to be any parallel ap-peal to the moral, ethical values of the Vietnamese onbehalf of the love and welfare of American troops . . . .Our troops need to know that there is some obligation be-ing presented to the Vietnamese . If the obligation t osacrifice the self for the good of the many is not mutuall ybinding certainly the obligation to "understand" i smutually binding . i 4

This was a problem that was not directly attacke duntil the latter phase of the war, and never very suc-cessfully .


18 5

The difficulties of maintaining the Persona lResponse Project during the days of the standdow nwere manifold, yet all of them were in some degreeresolved . The primary question at this time was wha tto do with Personal Response once Vietnam was n olonger an active American military concern . Wheredid it go from Southeast Asia? This was one of thosequestions easy to ask but extremely difficult to solve .For those who had maintained all along thatchaplains should not be involved in this area th eanswer was self-evident—disengage completely an dhave done with it . But many chaplains believed tha tpositive gains had been made in terms of knowledg eacquired regarding foreign cultures and in the moregeneral area of the behavioral sciences as they mean-ingfully related to the ministry . Some were begin-ning to see a great future for an expanded programof the same or a similar nature in the field of rac erelations . In February of 1971, however, the futur eof the program was unstable ; although headway ha dbeen made in the attempt to decide who shoul dhave staff control of the program, the chaplains orthe line, no permanent decisions were made . As ear-ly as November 1970 Chaplain Joseph Tubb s(United Methodist) had reported as head of th eChaplain Corps Planning Group and took the posi-tion that Personal Response as a line function wa smaking progress, but by February 1971 had not bee ntranslated into policy . Chaplain Beck submitted th eproposal that Personal Response be continued o nOkinawa after the Marine withdrawal, but no billet swere provided for this alternative possibility ; insteadit was decided to abandon the program . In a letter tothe Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain Beck remarked :

We have a feeling that the Personal Response Progra mmade a unique and outstanding contribution in Vietnamand that the program should stop "smartly," not linger o nafter its usefulness and its opportunity are gone . . . . Yo umay sense a feeling in this letter that I do not enjoy th eprospect of shutting down the program . I do not . I amfinding that the last watch must be the most unpleasantwatch, because it is the last . But shutting down at thispoint seems a necessary and inevitable step . "

Personal Response was phased out of I Corps asthe Marines departed, after having played a con-troversial but significant role there . Not always com-pletely understood in either intention or aim, i tnevertheless affected the attitudes and lives of man yindividuals . Personal Response did not, however ,terminate completely with the Marine withdrawal ;

too much had been invested and learned from th eprogram. It would ultimately influence major com-mand decisions in the shaping of the new Navy . I twas to have a significant impact on the Navy ' s think-ing with regard to the problem of race relations andhuman resources programs . It did not cease with thegradually diminishing American presence in In-dochina, but perhaps helped mature military think-ing and brought it into accord with equally future-oriented social programs with had been developed i nthe civilian community .

Civic Action and the CAP Ministry

The efforts to improve the socio-economic life ofthe people of Vietnam, to forward their political in-tegration, and to achieve the personal security of th eVietnamese through government- and serviceman -sponsored projects were well described as civic ac-tion .

The civic action program was especially significantin this, that it enlisted the help and assistance of th eVietnamese people in the rebuilding efforts . It washoped that such efforts would help immeasurably inunifying a society which had been fragmented by 2 8years of fighting and centuries of ideological ,religious, ethnic, and class conflict . Relatively littlepublicity had been given to this intense involvemen tof the American servicemen in a positive effort t oimprove the living conditions of the Vietnamesepeople . General Walt often emphasized the opera-tional concept of two powerful hands, one clenche dinto a fist for use against the enemy and the hostil eguerrillas, the other opened and extended to theVietnamese people to care for them physically, bind-ing their wounds, and to assist them materially b yimproving their life-support opportunities .

The relative lack of recognition of the voluminou scharitable activities of the American serviceman ma yhave been due, perhaps, to the difficulty of quanti-fying the results . In combat, one can determine whattype of action has taken place, how many patrol shave moved out, and how many casualties have bee ntaken and inflicted. It is not easy, however, tocatalogue the numbers aided by the multiple pro -grams in use to better the lives of the indigenou speople . and the programs were multiple, includingCivic Action, Personal Response Program, MilitaryProvincial Hospital Assistance, United States Agenc yfor International Development, Coordinatin gOrganization for Revolutionary Development

186


Systems, Village Assistance Teams, Combined Ac-tion Program, Medical Civic Action Program, an dthe Chaplains Civic Action Program .

Even at the subsistence level a determined effor twas made and with much success . Not only was a"Food For Freedom" program developed but anothe r

training program evolved to teach the farmers ho wto improve their crops and livestock . Because rice isbasic to their diet, much attention was given to thi sitem. As a result, a miracle rice, called XR-8 ,developed in the Philippines, was introduced int oVietnam and soon produced three to eight times th eyield of the local rice .

Also introduced were certain vegetables which ca nbe grown the year around and an animal husbandr yexperiment called "Pig Project . " This last project in-volved breeding American boars with Vietnames eswine, producing a strain of swine three times th esize of the Vietnamese swine .

To foster the physical health of the people ,medical civic action (MedCAP) was a civic action fix -ture . Doctors and corpsmen were made available a t

local aid stations . In addition, MedCAP teams mov-ed out into the hamlet, bringing their knowledg e

and saving arts . During the last four months o f1969, more than 42,000 people were treated b yMed-Cap teams of the 1st Marine Division alone . In

the first 11 months of 1969, 1,333,506 persons weregiven medical and dental care in the I Corps Tactica l

Zone . It is worth remembering that Marine commit-ment was in this area alone, and I Corps was but on eof five sections of the total United States concern in

South Vietnam .

In the field of education, a magnificent story i sdiscoverable . In 1954, only 400,000 children (1 0percent of eligibles) attended school in all of Viet-nam . By January 1970 thanks to the construction o f14,000 school rooms during the previous five years ,there were 3,800,000 children (80 percent o feligibles) in school . In February 1970 in the city o fDa Nang, Navy and Marine Corps units were involv-ed in the construction of 80 new schools . Ninety-on enew schools were completed there in 1969 . In addi-tion, Navy and Marine Corps officers and men con -ducted 8,382 classes in English during the first 1 1

months of 1969, the last year of peak Marin epresence . Since the summer of 1965, III Marine Am-phibious Force units supported 130,456 student sand the III MAF Scholarship Fund provided fund sfor more than 4,500 deserving and needy students to

attend school in I Corps . Another fund, the III MAFHigh School Scholarship Program created fromdonations made to chapel funds in 1969, grante dfull high school tuition for 146 deserving youngsters .Additionally during 1969, 4,947 persons receivedmedical aid training from Navy and Marine Corps

personnel . i 6It is fair to say that American involvement in Viet-

nam was continuous and complete, and concerne din meeting and filling human needs . The U.S .Marine was a military man, faithful to his respon-sibilities—and still a man, with a heart that cares ,and fortunately with the ability, the compassion ,and the strength to alleviate distress .

Chaplains and civic action were closely identifie din Vietnam ever since troops first deployed there .Although the chaplain's primary mission was tominister to the spiritual needs of the members of hi sunit, his compassion for people frequently involve dhim in the welfare of the Vietnamese people living

in his area of operation . He was often a motivatin gforce behind the civic action program sponsored b yhis command or unit .

Most of the Marine commands in Vietnam had ap-pointed civic action officers ; however, the chaplainwas normally the contact with the religious institu-tions in the area : schools, churches, orphanages, an dhospitals . As a result of chaplains ' interest, many ofthese institutions were founded, constructed, an dsupported . The China Beach Orphanage in D aNang, supervised by Reverend Gordon Smith, a mis-sionary in Vietnam for 41 years, was begun when th efirst Marine Corps helicopter squadron came to D aNang with the assistance of Marines, and later, othe rservice units . By 1970 this orphanage accommodated3,300 orphans with building facilities that includedfive dormitories, several classrooms, and a beautiful ,large chapel . Much help in constructing the chape lcame from the Public Works Department of th eNaval Support Activity, Da Nang. An important ad-dition to this orphanage, completed during March1970, was the Bruno Hochmuth Memorial BabyPavilion . This two-story building, a memorial to theformer commanding general of the 3d Marine Divi-sion, was financed by International Orphans, Inc . ;the Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association ; andthe 11th Region of the Navy League . CaptainEugene S . Swanson (Lutheran), the III MAF ForceChaplain from March 1969 - March 1970, served asthe liaison for these groups with the China Beach


18 7

Orphanage . He reported that the support of thechildren had been contributed primarily b ychaplains and servicemen in the Da Nang area wh oconsequently provided donations of money, food ,and clothing .

Civic action activities by chaplains were no tlimited to supporting those groups representin gtheir particular faith . Chaplains simply responded t othe needs of people wherever that need was evident .An example of this was the Dieu Nhan Buddhist Or-phanage of Hoi An . This orphanage, supervised byBuddhist nuns, received considerable support fromthe chaplains of III MAF . General Walt was, as earl yas 1966, particularly instrumental in the support o fthis orphanage . Consequently, he interested Inter -national Orphans, Inc ., in providing funds for th econstruction of a two-story building named as amemorial to Marine First Lieutenant John Smithson ,who was killed in Vietnam . This orphanage provide dday school and/or boarding facilities for 500 orpha nchildren .

One of the most enjoyable aspects for Protestant sas well as Catholic Chaplains was working with or-phanages operated by the Sisters of St . Paul de Char-tres . The Catholic sisters who belong to this order ex -emplified the finest in the Christian tradition of lov eand care for the downrodden and abandone dchildren in this nation . The Scared Heart Orphanag eof China Beach cared for 150 children, many o fwhom were the illegitimate offspring of America nservicemen. Were it not for this orphanage, thesechildren of mixed blood would have been abandon -ed .

Recognizing the worthiness of this kind of Chris-tian charity, chaplains continually providedtruckloads of clothing, food, and gifts to help thes esisters . Chaplains also encouraged the men in thei runits to take a personal interest in the children . As aresult in 1970, 60 individual Marines from Head -quarters Group, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing were spon -soring orphans at the Sacred Heart Orphanage o fChina Beach . Many of these Marines made legal ar-rangements to adopt the children they sponsoredand brought them to the States on their detachmen tfrom Vietnam . Chaplains often assisted in this ef-fort .

Education was always a major area of chaplain con -cern . Because tuition was charged at Vietnames eschools, many children from poor families wer edeprived of receiving even a limited education .

Chaplains started scholarship funds for all levels ofeducation in Vietnam . The Camp Horn/NS Ascholarship program, administered primarily b ychaplains, sponsored children for elementary school .The III MAF Scholarship Fund, administered by th eForce Chaplain but supported financially by Marin eChapel Funds in I Corps, provided 110 high schoo lscholarships a year . The General Walt ScholarshipFund in which chaplains worked closely with civic ac -tion officers provided hundreds of scholarships forboth elementary and secondary education .Chaplains also provided scholarships for ministeria lcandidates to the Nha Trang Bible College . In Marc h1970, Chaplain Swanson reported to the Chief ofChaplains :

The humanitarian efforts of chaplains in Vietnam ar ealmost too numerous to mention : gifts to refugee childre nat Christmas and Tet observances, health and comfort kit sfor ARVN wounded, parties for children, medical supplie sfor people in the neighboring villes, personal kindnesses t oindividuals, solicitation of clothing and other supplie sfrom churches and organizations in the States . Althoug hmany of these ministries may never be recorded, thousand sof Vietnamese people will remember the Christiandemonstration of love for one's fellowmen shown by ou rchaplains in Vietnam . It is impossible to measure the ex -tent to which chaplains have given outstanding example o fgenuine Personal Response . '

Located just outside of the An Hoa Combat Basewas a maternity home and orphanage called B aLoan's House . In the early months of 1970 the nee dfor a new facility became apparent . The regimenta lchaplain, Commander Richard E . Bareiss (Conserva-tion Baptist) began a plea to collect materials an dfunds .

Ba Loan was a well trained nurse, who operated amaternity home and orphanage in the village of PhuDa . In addition to these facilities, Ba Loan was als othe head nurse in a small dispensary in the sam evillage . These operations were under the loose con-trol of the province of Hoi An . Soon after th eMarines established a combat base in An Hoa, B aLoan received considerable support in the form o fclothes, some food, and consistent repairs to he rdilapidated building which was in the midst of acrowded refugee area . However, it was always easy totell which children in the area belonged to Ba Loan .They were always clean, happy, and well fed . AsMarines continued to visit and help Ba Loan a rea lconcern for a new facility began as a natural develop -ment to the planning stage .

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The first step was to put the project under the con-trol of the 5th Marines Civic Response Council ,which was created to handle and dispense monie sgiven by the Marines and their families to help th eneedy in the An Hoa area . Because of the nature ofthe project, it was decided that the final plannin gand construction should be under the direction o fthe regimental chaplain . Funds for buildingmaterials were contributed through the 5th Marine sCivic Response Council, a gift by 1st Reconnaissanc eBattalion specifically designated for construction o fan orphanage, and the 1st Marine Division Protes-tant chapel fund . Permission to build was obtaine dthrough the local district chief, and land was con-tributed by the An Hoa industrial complex . Con-struction began on 12 April when the Seabees at A nHoa bulldozed the area for the foundation .Chaplain Bareiss reported :

Construction actually was accomplished by a smoot hworking group of Marines and local villagers . The com-pleted building measured 60' by 24' with a 12' extension i nthe rear for a kitchen, bunker, eating patio, shower an dtreatment room . Water is piped in from the An Hoa com-bat base and electric power for lights came from the A nHoa industrial complex . The planning and construction ofthe home kept uppermost in mind that the facility shoul dcontinue its operation for many years after the Marinesleave Vietnam . I believe that goal has been reached .1 8

Meanwhile, the Combined Action Group Pro -gram was also growing . In early 1970 two chaplainsattached to III MAF Headquarters were assignedfull-time duty with Combined Action Groups .Chaplains had ministered to these pacification team ssince they were first formed but had not been assign-ed directly to what was popularly called the CA Pministry .

A CAP was one combined action platoon . A give ngroup of these platoons constituted a CAC, or com-bined action company . A group of CACs constitute da CAG, that is, a combined action group. In 197 0there were four CAGs operative within I Corps . Thenorthernmost CAG was headquartered in Quan gTri ; the southernmost was headquartered in Ch uLai . The efforts of all four CAGs were coordinate dby III MAF headquartered in Da Nang . The projectin toto, from northern to southern I Corps, wasdesignated the Combined Action Program .

A large percentage of Navy Chaplains serving withground forces in I Corps were either exposed to thi sprogram or working within it . Only a war so unlike

other wars could produce this program as a viabl eand effective aid to U .S . goals . .

The basic unit with which the chaplain was con-cerned was the individual combined action platoon .Such a platoon was comprised of some 10 to 15 U .S .Marines, a Navy Corpsman, and generaly 20 to 3 0South Vietnamese soldiers called Popular Forces . Asan integrated force they fulfilled a function quit eunique within the military structure . It was their taskto live within the villages of the Vietnamese for th epurpose of accomplishing a multifaceted objective .They were there to defend the villagers ; instruc tthem in means of defense ; provide them with basi cmedical care ; and inculate, by precept and example ,an understanding of civic cohesion and solidarity . Inshort, the task of these men was to pacify the village ,which meant the elimination of internal enemy ac-tivity and the creation of a civic unity sufficient t oprevent future enemy instruction, intimidation, an ddestruction . Their success was remarkable .

For these men the war was quite different . Their swas not the characteristic regimental compound lifenor did they enjoy the Marine's customary identit ywith a battalion-size unit . As residents within agiven "ville" they frequently occupied the villagers 'huts and participated fully in their lives .

By day they were surrounded by the normalvillage routine and regularly involved in civic actionand psychological operations . At night they assume dthe recognizable identity of combat troops as the ydisappeared into the fields, woods, and rice paddie swhich surround the "ville" for the purpose of run-ning patrols or setting ambushes in anticipation o f"Charlie ." The keys to the strength and success o fthese units were found not only in the mobility an dagility but also in their proximity to, and identifica-tion with the basic hamlet unit . Denied dominatio nof the hamlets, the enemy could not achieve hi sgoal .

The prevailing attitude of the village populac etoward their Marine guests was, with rare exception ,one of deep appreciation, esteem, and frequentl yfamilial concern . Lieutenant Frank C . Cleveland(Episcopal) worked closely with combined actionplatoons during 1969 and 1970, while assigned tothe 1st Marine Aircraft Wing . Captain Ross Trower(Lutheran), Wing Chaplain, urging his chaplains tocomprehensive CAP, activity, requested tha tCleveland record his experiences . He reported :


18 9

In the course of the year I spent with the units of 1s tCAG, I had occasion to visit many villes within Quan gNgai and Quang Tin Provinces which constituted the CA GAO [Area of Operations] . With amazing consistency thechildren and some adults would greet me with the "of-ficial" chant : "Marine's numbah one! "

I never ceased to be surprised and, indeed, heartened bythe reception accorded the CAP units as they moved fro mville to ville . It is even more surprising when one sees th ecircumstances under which it occurred . The villes are larg eand the native hootches incredibly small by Americanstandards . Thus, the advent of ten or twelve Marines an dtheir Corpsman with full field packs, weapons, ammuni-tion, rations, assorted tape recorders, radios, and variou sother gear is no small occurrence . Moving at night they wil lenter a ville after the villagers have bedded down . Ye tmama-san (the lady of the house) will arise and see tha tspace is available for her unexpected guests . No inconve-nience seems too much . With the coming of morning it isnot uncommon to find her drawing and heating water fo rshaving or to make coffee or tea . There is a consistent will-ingness on the part of the Vietnamese to share their foo dwith the Marines and festive occasions will find the malways invited . It should be noted, also, that this sharing i sreciprocal .' 9

The chaplain's role in the CAP program was on eeasily defined but also challenging, frustrating, an drewarding to fulfill . It was to provide the men withthe spiritual and moral guidance, counsel, and sup -port they needed to function effectively in a veryanxious and highly-charged situation . This ministry ,shaped as it was by the total program, tested thechaplain's initiative and ingenuity . On a much moreserious level, it also tested his love of God as h eunderstood its claim upon his life .

The Combined Action Program was initiated i nVietnam almost as soon as Marines arrived . Unti l1970 all chaplain efforts and energies expended i nthis area were purely voluntary . They existed beyon da chaplain's unit duty assignment . Chaplains whohad devoted time to this ministry did so only on th ebasis of a tacit understanding between themselve sand those in charge of the program in their area .

A crucially important factor in ministering to th eCAP units was coordination . The commitments ,operations, and general lifestyle of these unit sprecluded spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment trip sout to them . This was true both because of th ephysical mobility of the units necessitated by th eever-changing face of the war and by the relative in -accessibility of the positions requiring helicoptertransportation, and the planning that goes with it .Chaplain Cleveland reiterated :

It cannot be emphasized strongly enough how essentialcoordination is . The coordinating Chaplain will have in hi sfile a continuing record of each unit, the dates it wasvisited, and a notation as to the visiting chaplain's affilia-tion, be he Roman Catholic or Protestant . This will makeit possible for him to implement balanced coverage . Thereis nothing more destructive to a good, unified CA Pministry than a hit and miss approach with results i nduplication of effort and/or neglect through poor com-munication, or sporadic attention to detail . 30

The Combined Action Program was revolu-tionary . The one fledging platoon of 1966 mature dinto a substantial and easily recognizable structure .A variety of factors would indicate that the chaplai nplayed an important role within this structure . Hewas a very real member of the team . A chaplain wh oreceived the opportunity to serve on this team foun dvery quickly that his efforts were welcome and hi sposition well regarded . CAG officers and NCOs ap-preciated the chaplain's dual function as listenin gpost/confessor and liaison man . The individualtrooper regarded the chaplain as one with whomopenness of communication was possible and conse-quently felt free to discuss problem areas with him .In situations involving non-confidential communica-tion, the chaplain was able frequently to bring thes ematters to command attention for remedial action .Lieutenant Dewey V . Page (Southern Baptist) wasthe chaplain of the 3d CAG . He remembered :

My "feed back" session was projected and achieved par-ticular value . No problem, large or small, individual o rcollective, was too unimportant for personalized attention .Often the men needed a "Big Ear" to talk into and a soun-ding board against which to bounce their anxieties . "Hear-ing a man out," or group of men, served as a tremendousrelease value for frustrations, provided a therapeutic ai dtoward objectivity and adjustment, relieved tension ,pointed up problem areas, built troop morale, stimulate drenewed determination for success, and provided avaluable avenue to the Chaplain for assisting those in th eCommand Position . For example, one day the Chaplai nwas strangely requested to visit a particular CAP . Upon ar-rival it was found that the men were deeply angry a teverything in general . Of course the men had their pe tscape-goats, however after about one hour of "feed back, "when pent-up hostility was ventilated, a level of objectivit ywas reached which resulted in understanding, apprecia-tion, readjustment and the renewed personal applicatio nof the platoon members to their military mission . In shortthe men were tired, under physical and emotional strain ,felt overburdened with "Mickey Mouse" demands, con-vinced that their CACO Commander considered thei rCAP "Number 10 " and therefore, the men had gotte n" hung-up " on their emotional mis-interpretations . zt

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The chaplain made known to the command tha the was available as a referral person . When also aMarine requested to go to the rear to see th echaplain, or was sent there for this purpose, head -quarters personnel must know that there would be achaplain ready to serve this purpose .

Finally, the chaplain ' s responsibility or, in large rareas the coordinator's responsibility, was to see tha tthe command was aware of the chaplain's activities .This involved far more than an end-of-the-mont hreport . Prior to a CAP run the command was advise dthat such a run was to be made and was provide dwith a list of the individual units, in order, whic hwould be visited . The chaplains constantly reminde dthemselves that the CAP units were integrally in-volved in and surrounded by a very real war . Theunits were located in areas in which a great dea lcould develop very quickly . For them anything couldhappen and usually did . It was imperative therefor ethat those in positions of command be aware of th epersonnel for whom they were responsible and thei rlocation at any given time . This constant movementnecessitated a unique worship ministry . ChaplainPage reported his practice :

A consistent program of Divine Worship was set up fo rall 3d CAG personnel . This involved approximately 3Worship Services per month in the field• for each in-dividual CAP unit . These services were spread out over aradius of 80 square miles and were held wherever the CA Pwas settled in its day position . As a result, Worship wasconducted on the trails, in the cemeteries, by the rivers, i nthe banana groves, inside the homes of Vietnamese, in th evillagers ' front or back yards, in the barnyards, on the edg eof rice paddies, in Catholic churches, next to Buddhis ttemples, and in almost every other conceivable place . 22

Obviously, the chaplain's attitude on his visits hadto be one of openness and receptivity . He had toconstantly remind himself that coming, as he did ,from rear areas for brief visits he was one who did notshare the day-in and day-out anxieties, problems ,hardships, and frustrations of the men he desired t ominister to . In a word, the chaplain had to realiz ethat he was reaching out to men who constantly liv ewith some of life's hardest realities . In the finalanalysis, these men may easily forget the substanc eof the religious services the chaplain conducted . Bu tthey didn't forget that the chaplain "was there . "

The rapid turn-over of CAP personnel requiredthat the chaplain continuously extend his invitatio nand reaffirm his availability . As he bounced from

unit to unit the chaplain often felt that he was th eeternal stranger . However, after some time and asubstantial number of CAP visits he found himselfgreeted by familiar faces and welcoming words o frecognition . The close interaction and in-terdependence of the platoons within a given com-pany worked in the chaplain ' s favor. In a unit o fCAG size the "word got around ." When this occur -red the chaplain discovered as he made his ap-pointed rounds, that his appearance was no longe ran unexpected surprise but an anticipated event o nwhich the men could regularly depend . Chaplai nCleveland noted :

It is impossible to overstate the crucially important rol ewhich the chaplain plays in the CAP Marine 's life . B ydefinition the chaplain is a person within the militar ysystem who is distinctly different . He is unique . He is anofficer who need not be regarded with suspicion . Unless h ehimself subsequently proves otherwise he is defined fro mthe outset as a good guy . If the squad members are enabl-ed to feel that here is one who accepts without censure ,understands without question, and gives of himsel fwithout thought of reward, a strengthening relationship i sborn . The men see him as an officer with whom they canbe themselves . The chaplain may very well be the only in-dividual they will encounter in the course of their tour towhom they can express the questions, doubts, frustrations ,and fears that they so often religiously conceal from eachother behind an excessive front of fearless bravado . 2 3

The CAP ministry was a unique one as well i tshould be for the Combined Action Program wasitself unique. History may yet prove that of all ap-proaches attempted in the war the approach sym-bolized in the Combined Action Program was themost effective, long-reaching, enduring, and viable .Before the terms "pacification" and "Vietnamiza-tion" were in vogue, CAP Marines weredemonstrating what those terms tried to com-municate . Ever since the program's inception, an dwith ever-increasing impact, this fact had been amp-ly demonstrated .

The chaplain found that there were substantivedifferences between this ministry and others he ha dknown. In an age bent on discovering itself thechaplain was often invited to contribute . Thechaplain often discovered that from his life withinsmall groups of CAP Marines he realized the deeptruth and purpose of his ministry .

The situation in which he found himself and thecircumstances under which he lived may have en-couraged the CAP Marine to feel that he was forgot-


19 1

ten . By his concern, dedication, sacrifice, an dperseverance, the chaplain who served his CAP unit swas remarkably appreciated, and if he willfull yneglected this role, was remiss indeed . The Combin-ed Action Program made the invitation even mor epressing . There was but one appropriat eresponse—serious involvement . Chaplain Clevelandconcluded :

It is abundantly clear tome that in and through the live sof many CAP Marines sincerely intent on accomplishing adifficult task in a battle-scarred and war-weary land, I hav ebeen granted a new understanding of life's mystery an dwonder and a deeper insight into the nature of theKingdom of God . 24

By the beginning of September 1970 the 1st CA Gin Quang Tin Province, 2d CAG in Quang Ngai Pro-vince, and 3d CAG in Thua Thien Province ha dbeen disestablished . Earlier in July the 4th CAG a tQuang Tri had been closed down, and near the endof September the Combined Action Force Head -quarters in Quang Nam Province was dissolved . Th eprogram was ended but only long historical perspec-tives will measure its effect .

New Concerns in Counseling

During this period of gradual reduction of force sin Vietnam, specific problems came to light that di dnot begin just then nor did they begin in Vietnam ,but concern about them was more obvious as comba tactivity lessened and men had greater opportunity to

indulge themselves . These problems included drug

usage, racial conflict, and irresponsible violence . Theunhappy consequences of these disruptive cir-cumstances wherever they occurred involve dchaplains in some of the most challenging counsel-ing circumstances they had ever encountered . Suchproblems that held the potential for destructiv eresults across the whole nation and throughout on eentire generation, also possessed the capability o fdrastically reducing the combat effectiveness o f

military units . Thus these moral concerns were inhigh visibility, and at almost every level chaplain swere sought for their expertise in analysis andcounseling .

To meet the crisis of these concerns, program swere brought into being to educate and provide avehicle for getting at the root of the problems . Theincidence of the use of marijuana by the 3d Marin eDivision personnel led to the formation of the Divi-sion Drug Abuse Committee . The ready availability

and inexpensive cost of marijuana in Quang Tri Pro-vince presented a serious problem. DivisionChaplain Zoller wrote, "while the percentage of per-sonnel who were habitual users was small, any in-cidence of use in a combat environment is serious .Furthermore, the ready availability of cheap mari-juana was like an open invitation to the curious ,uninformed Marine who was 'tempted to try it' .""

A Division Drug Abuse Presentation Panel wa sformed composed of a medical officer, a legal of-ficer, a chaplain, and a representative of the Provos tMarshal . The respective unit commanding office rwould request the presence of this team and it wouldtravel to the unit and make its presentation .Simultaneously, pressure was brought to bear o nVietnamese authorities to reduce the availability o flocal marijuana with considerable success . As a resultof these actions in September 1969 Chaplain Zolle rreported, "The seriousness of this problem ha ssignificantly subsided ."2 6

Significantly, great amounts of time were devotedby chaplains to learning the social and psychologicalelements surrounding drug abuse and lecturing t othe servicemen regarding their responsible action .Questions of a double standard continually aros eregarding the alcohol abuse, largely by older non -commissioned officers, and the drugs used largely b ythe younger Marine . Commands and chaplains mov-ed to eliminate the criticism by including alcoho labuse in their contribution to the overall plan o feducation and counseling . The 1st Marine AircraftWing chaplains seemed to embrace this avenue o fministry with a great particular will . Perhaps thepresence of relatively greater numbers of men in rea rareas with the wings made this more convenient tha nit was in the bush with the infantry Marines . Thos eMarines reporting principally to rear areas also ha dincreased opportunities to carry the drug usage prac-tices they had adopted as stateside young adults . Asa result of the peacetime practice of one-yea roverseas tours of duty, Marines did not remain i nVietnam for "the duration," but thousands of youn gmen had to be drafted or enlisted and funneled tothe conflict zone . They of necessity took their habitswith them . Drug usage was reported as extensiv eamong some segments of society since 1964, an dsome critics feel that in 1969 the peak of the drugculture as an ideology was symbolized stateside in amassive rock music festival called "Woodstock" afterthe town in the northeastern United States where it

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was held . Drugs were openly and widely used at thi sevent, but with a murder at an Altamont, Californi arock festival in December 1969 and the overdose ddeath of a prominent rock singer in September 1970 ,the popularity of open drug usage appeared to hav edied, and drugs again went underground to be use dlargely as escape . These years were turbulent i nAmerica and the problematic attitudes flowed ove rinto the military .

An articulate observer and reporter, Lieutenan tPeter J . Cary (Roman Catholic), attached toMAG-13 from October 1969 to October 197 0represented scores of chaplains who participated i nthe initiation of stabilizing programs designed t ocheck the rise of drug abuse . He remembered :

Drugs and drinks were means chosen by some to escap ethe loneliness and boredom of off-duty hours . Drugs werereadily available, according to hearsay, some of which areexotic varieties not commonly found in the states . I par-ticipated in the drug lectures given to those who reportedto the group . How many of the men experimented andhow many used drugs regularly is difficult to assess . Ap-proachability, availability, and privileged communicatio nwere the means I used to try to reach those who were usingdrugs . I am sure I reached only a small number of those in-volved .2 7

Another circumstance that demanded the utmos tin counseling and leadership skills was racial unrest .In most commands, incidents and situations of th epresence or potential of expressed racial prejudice orreaction, became the reason for the formation of ma-jor command watch committees and subordinat ecommand Personal Action Committees throughou tthe I Corps coordinated by III MAF . Their purpos ewas to deal constructively and tactfully with sensitiv eracial matters which had the potential for seriou sdestructive consequences . The committee examine dinstances of personal violence, property damage, in-solence, insubordination, and direct disobedience i nthe hope of finding out how best to cope in suc hsituations and how to anticipate and prevent them ifpossible . The work of such committees was attende dto by Lieutenant Commander John K . Kaelbere r(Lutheran), Regimental Chaplain, 11th Marines . Hereported, "The threat of racial outbreaks was alway sjust below the surface, but strong command leader -ship, leadership council of all units, and the forcefu lexample of competence by black staff noncommis-sioned officers held the unrest in check ."2 8

If a chaplain did not always participate in racially

stabilizing programs a primary leader, his presenc ein the command as a sounding board and a liaiso nperson was often invaluable . Chaplain Bray servingwith 1st Battalion, 9th Marines ; 3d Engineer Bat-talion ; 3d Motor Transport Battalion; and 9th MotorTransport Battalion in 1969 reported his pleasure a tbeing assigned the duty, " . . . to discuss problem swith a group of men who showed by their interes tthat they had a sensitivity toward racial problems .Conflicts with racial overtones were kept to aminimum because of the concern of these men ."2 9

Another chaplain, Lieutenant James G. Goode(Disciples of Christ) attached to MWSG-17, was ask-ed to structure a Human Relations Seminar designe dto help ease the tension among sergeants and belowof mixed racial and ethnic origins . A low-key racia lincident in the command had focussed attention o nthis area . Chaplain Goode reported that the com-mand wished also to broaden its own understandin gof the feelings, attitudes, and aspirations of Marine sin their interpersonal relationships . A total of 5 3men met in the seminar for three hours each wee kfor four weeks with the same personnel involved i nall four sessions . Chaplain Goode wrote :

For 48 hours I talked with these men, but for the mos tpart I listened . In order that I might not forget, I tape deach session . Many of the men seethed with anger an dhostility . They argued, rebelled and cheerfully vocalize dtheir hatreds . They were shocked with the fact that th eCommand permitted this . They were even more surprise dwhen the Command listened to their gripes . Here wereyoung men struggling to find new ways to beat the system ,while at the same time afraid to face themselves as in-dividuals . Here were young Marines wanting so much t oidentify with a man 's world, while suffering the agony ofsuppressing the little boy within . Some of these men hidbehind the mask of drugs, fearful of the transition fro madolescence to whatever this person is we call an adult . Al lof them were quite sincere as they wanted answers to thei rquestions NOW! "Don't put me off! Tell me what I wan tto know or give me a sedative to ease my mental anxiety . "The word WHY dominated the scene and will continue t obe the most disturbing word to those of us who seek to beleaders . 3°

As a result of this seminar, broader lines of com-munication and understanding were establishe dwithin each group . The squadron and group com-manding officers became more aware of the pro-blems men at the grassroots level were confronting .Subsquently the methodology and essential ideas o fthis seminar were presented to Army, Air Force, an dNavy chaplains in a regular monthly meeting, and


19 3

Chaplain Goode reported, " . . . over 40 copies o fthis work have been distributed to chaplains and lin eofficers requesting them ."3 t

Another effort was begun when human relation sseminars were introduced throughout the I Corps . InChu Lai the frustration and anger of the lower -ranking black Marine was evident in the atmosphere .There was a degree of polarization, and one chaplaincommented that a person could not sit with a grou pof another color in the club or mess hall without in-curring the stares of both groups . The racial troubleswere often expressive of vague dissatisfaction an dfear of unfair treatment rather than provable acts offlagrant discrimination . The "system" and the"whole Corps" came under denunciation from th etroubled . MAG-13 Chaplain Cary reflected later :

Nevertheless, quite a few black Marines did regularly at -tend the meetings, did give vent to their dissatisfaction i nthe presence of "Authority ." This undoubtedly helped th esituation somewhat . The chairmen of the Group Leader -ship Council (two, during my tour at Chu Lai), showe dgreat restraint and patience . They acted promptly wher eaction was possible, thus alleviating the most volatile situa-tions . 3 2

Being conversant with these concerns about th esituation of racial unrest, the Chief of Chaplains se tabout developing materials that would contribute t odeeper understanding and healthy management o fracial dynamics . One initial recommendatio npublished to all chaplains was the acquisition of a nAfro-American history series published by th eAssociation for the Study of Afro-American History ,based in Washington, D .C. Many unit library of-ficers and chapel funds ordered the series and gave i tprominent display .

Chaplains also addressed the relatively narrow bu tpainful problems of physical violence by som eMarines against others of their fellow Marines . Th eproblem was perplexing and unprecedented an dcreated some alarm . There were instances ofshooting, hand grenading, sniping, and boobytrap-ping, sometimes with fatal results . Some tied thes eevents to racial disturbance, others to drugs an dother stimulants . Comprehensive investigations wer econtinually conducted, but the agony of the pro-blem was deepened by the lack of a clear picture a sto the cause of these fearful incidents . Third Divi-sion Chaplain Zoller was one of the few chaplains t oaddress the problem in a final report . He wrote :

My own thinking about this suggests several possibl efactors at work in these strange, startling incidents . First,

the dearth of any real inner sense of right and wrongwithin the perpetrator, a lack of moral development, amoral cripple . Second, prolonged exposure to a participa-tion in a combat environment where violence and killin gare commonplace will condition some individuals to con-sider violence as normal and acceptable . Third, weapon sare readily available and knowledge of their use i swidespread . Fourth, a frustrating, perhaps threatenin gsituation, such as an order to return to the bush, confront san individual . A simple, direct solution may seem to b ethe elimination of the source of frustration or threat b y"blowing him (or them) away ." Add to this the possibilityof racial overtones and/or the deterioration of inner in-hibitions through the use of drugs or alcohol . Also, the ex-terior restraints and controls of family and society are large-ly non-existent in this combat setting . Judgement become swarped, moral values distorted and the individual mayreact with animal-like fury, directness and, sometimes ,cunning . These ideas may have no validity, but the tragic ,shocking incidents demand some attempts to probe thei rcause and to explain their occurrence . 33

It is not especially remarkable that chaplains wer eheavily involved in the counseling linked to thes emajor problem areas, but it is of historical note tha tsuch broadly based counseling went on while in acombat zone . During World War II and the Korea nconflict, counseling on such non-combat-related ,essentially pastoral topics was not done on anywher enear the scale that occurred in Vietnam . Undoubted-ly the national disturbance over U .S . involvement inVietnam, the adoption by a highly visible segmen tof the nation's youth of an anti-establishmen toutlook, and the presence especially in the later year sof the war, of large areas of relative security con-tributed to the character and extent of counseling re-quired .

The counseling asked of chaplains did not cente ronly on these dramatic areas . The whole range o fmarriage requests, compassionate and emergenc yleave, "Dear John" letters, and illness or family tur-moil back home were part of the chaplains' counsel-ing day. It could be said that the chaplains of th eVietnam era were challenged to perhaps thebroadest, most comprehensive counseling ministr ythat ever faced them in their history . Some deficen-cies in chaplain preparedness for the intense impac tof this counseling demand were noted, and th eChaplain Corps leadership, notably in the person o fRear Admiral Francis L . Garrett, who became th e13th Navy Chief of Chaplains on 1 July 1970, move dto satisfy what was lacking in an ambitious post -Vietnam counseling training program for the entir eCorps . Chaplain Garrett was intimately acquainted

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with the demands on chaplains in Vietnam havin gbeen the III MAF Staff Chaplain 1965-66 and subse-quently involved in the direction of the Corps fro mthe assignment desk in the Chaplains Division of th eBureau of Personnel in Washington .

It was obvious in Vietnam that the chaplain wasmore than a smooth-talking encourager of combattroops . The counseling done indicates that they an dtheir message were drawn into the very depths of th ehuman makeup and understanding of interpersona lrelationships in their attempts to discharge their call-ing to minister to the confusion and anxiety of theMarines they loved . Commander Richard A .McGonigal (United Presbyterian) articulated thi seloquently :

Talk to them when they are half drunk . Hear thei rremorse about premature fire or when they guessed wron gand their bunkie was blown away . Has there ever been agreater opportunity to think through with them the hard -

Chaplain Harold M. Roberts, 1st Battalion, 5thMarines, works on a combination chapel and recrea-tion center 20 miles south of Da Nang, March 1969 .

Photo III MAF

rock issues of life and death? of guilt? of forgiveness ?These (Marines) are thirsty . They want more than th erelease of marijuana . And just watch what they do with th ereligious maturity they have achieved . 34

Chapel Construction

During his Christmas visit to Vietnam i nDecember 1966, the Navy's Chief of Chaplains, Rea rAdmiral James W . Kelly, dedicated five new Navy -Marine Corps chapels . His action brought the totalnumber of such houses of worship in the I Corp sTactical Zone at the time to 46, a figure representin gthe heaviest concentration of military chapels eve rconstructed in a combat area . Chapel constructionby United States Navy and Marine Corps personne lin Vietnam presented a phenomenon unique in th eannals of American warfare . It reflected the con-certed efforts of the Chaplain Corps to provide com-plete religious coverage, with weekly opportunity fo rworship for every sailor, Seabee, and Marine in Viet-nam. But it also reflected the desire of the ser-viceman for the encouragement given to him by th esymbols of his faith .

While there appeared to be no change in th eessential nature of the American sailor or Marine ,such as would be sufficient to distinguish him frompersonnel of previous wars, and while there ap-peared to be in Vietnam no basis for suggesting a nincrease in the already impressive need and appetit efor religion among combat personnel, the larg enumber of chapels reflected a higher degree of pro-minence accorded religion and the work of th echaplain than in previous wars .

The profusion of chapels to a degree reflected thekind of war being fought in Vietnam, in itself mostunusual if not unique . No chaplain, in more than700 narrative reports of in-country Corps activities ,suggested that the conflict was in any sense a hol ywar . Neither did any chaplain suggest that th etroops, upon whose pulse he held a steady hand ,considered it to be such . However, the fact that theinitiative for construction of several I Corps chapelsoriginated among the troops themselves (such as th e1st Battalion, 4th Marines Chapel ; 7th Marines CPChapel ; and the 4th Marines CP Chapel), indicate da troop need requiring definition or identification .In Vietnam the young sailor and Marine had a nee dfor spiritual reinforcement, not so much to provid ecourage to face his commitments or to strengthen hi ssense of rectitude, but rather to assist him to keep his


19 5

Photo 1st MarDi vMen of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marin eDivision, worship in their own chapel, constructedof native materials in the battalion area at Chu Lai .

values and motives appropriately coordinated wit h

his physical activity . At night, he may have had t odefend himself in a fire fight . In the morning h emay have been engaged in a civic action project in -tended to improve the sanitary conditions or educa-tional facilities of a South Vietnamese hamlet . It wasfrequently difficult, if not impossible, to distinguis h

friend from foe . Such a constant shifting of gearsfrom a hostile, life-or-death combat situation to gen-tle, understanding, constructive pacification, impos-ed emotional and spiritual demands upon youn g

combat Marines and sailors never experienced to asimilar degree in a combat zone before . To th echapel he had helped to construct and to th eministry of his church, he turned for restructurin g

and clarification of his values, ideals, and motives ,and a careful reexamination of his feelings o fachievement and frustration, and the inevitable con -fusion and loneliness of the young man in combat .

Chapels in Vietnam represented more than a sym-bol of the American sailor and Marine's desire t o

worship God . They represented a conscious effort o nthe part of supervisory Chaplain Corps personnel in -country to provide facilities to house the people o f

God at worship . While chapel facilities would havebeen hard pressed to seat 10 percent of the secur earea population for any one Sunday observance, useof available facilities throughout the morning, after -noon, and evening extended their capability to a n

acceptable level .

Construction philosophy included thre ecategories : (1) unit chapels, (2) area chapels, and (3 )the chapel complex . Unit chapels built and main-tained by battalions and similar-sized activities wit hchaplains attached were in the vast majority in late1966 . Area chapels were centrally located in order t oprovide worship facilities convenient to personnel o ftwo or more battalion-sized units . The Engineers ' 1s tBattalion, 3d Marines chapel was the first, and wasdedicated by the Chief of Chaplains, Christma s1965 ; Amtracs, Tanks, Anti-Tanks, 3d Moto rTransport's, "The Chapel of the Supporting Arms "was the second .

The chapel complex, a more sophisticated type o fconstruction was represented by the "Chapel of TheAbiding Presence," 1st Marine Division Chapel, pro-minently established on Chapel Hill in the Da Nangenclave . The "Chapel of the Abiding Presence " was alarge chapel of V-type design . The structure was of

Marines stand near the open doors of the woode nchapel of the 7th Engineer Battalion at Da Nang .

Department of Defense (USN) Photo 112733

196


12" x 12" rejected bunker timbers, upright, seve nfeet apart . A 30" high native stone wall joined th etimbers . The upper part of the exterior walls wa smade of permanent louvers extending up the cor-rugated tin roofing . The entrance was at the insid eof the V . The main chapel seated 250 persons . Thebuilding formed a complex accommodating fourreligious services or four retreat groups at once . I twas designed by Chaplain Morton, 3d DivisionChaplain in 1966 .

The first American military chapel to be dedicate din Vietnam was the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing's ,"Wing Memorial Chapel, " in the airbase compoun din Da Nang . An old French Foreign Legion barracksbuilding was remodeled as a Navy Chapel by Su bUnit 2 of Marine Aircraft Group-16 during Opera-tion Shufly in February and March 1963 . Originallynamed "Shufly Chapel," it remained in constantuse, both weekdays and Sundays, from its dedicatio nthrough the end of the American presence .

In the beginning of the Navy-Marine Corpsbuildup in Vietnam in March 1965, the first Nav yChaplains in-country provided religious worship ser-vices for personnel of their units by taking the wor-ship of the church into the field to platoon- an dcompany-sized units, setting the altar upon empt yammunition cases, the hood of a jeep or mite, o rupon carefully stacked sandbags beside a fightin gpit . As other units continued to move into the ICorps Tactical Zone, battalions, aircraft groups, an dnaval units kept apace of the expansion by assumin gthe initiative to provide their own places of worship .

The first chapels employed were general purposetents, 16 ' x 32' in size, with portable altars, an dempty cartons and crude benches for seating . Thenext step in the evolutionary process, which extend-ed over a period of six months, was the move t ostrongback framing covered with GP tenting . Thenfollowed corrugated tin roofing with wirescreene denclosures and doors . Stars of David and crosses ap-peared as a matter of course, and impressive churc hbells were sometimes shipped from the United State sby benevolent patrons . As an example, the Enginee rBattalion Memorial Chapel bell was donated by Mr .and Mrs . Harvey Kroeze of Muskegon, Michigan .

During the following 15 months as specified area swithin combat perimeters were informally declare dsecure, chapels of permanent construction began toappear in carefully selected, prominent locations .The more sophisticated chapel designs, both more

functional and with more concern for religious sym-bolism and beauty in worship, tested the designers'talents . Camp Tien Sha ' s Butler Hut chapel becam eone of Naval Support Activity Da Nang ' s permanentstructures, as did the Seabee chapels at Cam pShields, Chu Lai, and Holy Trinity Chapel in Ph uBai .

Many of the Navy-Marine Corps chapels in Viet-nam were designated as memorials, "Dedicated t othe Glory of God and to the Memory of the GallantMarines and Sailors Killed in Action," read one pla-que . Another chapel was named "The Chapel of Al lFaiths," providing additional evidence of Navy an dMarine Corps personnel assuming initiative an dleadership in the modern ecumenical movementamong American churches . There, Protestant ,Roman Catholic, Jewish, Eastern Orthodox, Chris-tian Scientist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh DayAdventists, and others shared both the facilities andthe schedule of activities .

A northern I Corps chapel was constructed atDong Ha, eight miles south of the DMZ . An are achapel built to accommodate worshippers of variou sunits moving in and out of Dong Ha, it was conceiv-ed and financed by the III MAF and 3d Marine Divi-sion chaplains when it appeared in the fall of 196 6that more action would be taking place, and mor etroops would be employed in Quang Tri province i nthe months ahead . Dedicated to "Marines and Nav yCorpsmen who gave their lives in Operatio nHastings and Operation Prairie," Memorial Chapelwas dedicated on 22 December 1966 by Chief o fChaplains James W. Kelly. This chapel wasdedicated with borrowed pews . The Vietnames ecraftsman constructing the pews, himself a forme rViet Cong before his converstion to Christianity, waskidnapped by terrorists while delivering the pews .

In the last years of American involvement in Viet-nam a new trend in chapel construction was ap-parent . Considerably less new construction was i nevidence . This resulted in part from the move of 3 dMarine Division to forward, unsettled, and insecur eareas near Phu Bai and Dong Ha, leaving the mor esophisticated chapels in the Da Nang enclave to the1st Marine Division then settling in . But even in theNorthern I Corps, while the tortured days of comba twere being endured in 1967 and 1968, chapels con-tinued to spring up . At the peak of Marine presenc ein the area immediately south of the DMZ therewere 16 designated chapels standing as symbols of


19 7

the importance of faith in the life of th eMarine—three were at Quang Tri, five at the Don gHa combat base, three at Camp Carroll, and on eeach at Yankee Station, Cam Lo, the Rockpile, C aLu, and Cua Viet .

The chapels at Quang Tri included the 3d MarineDivision CP, and the 3d Shore Party and 3d Bat-talion, 12th Marines chapels . At Dong Ha chapelsrose at Headquarters, 3d Marine Division ; 11thEngineer Battalion ; 12th Mairnes ; and 9th MotorTransport Battalion, and included the MarineMemorial Chapel of Dong Ha .

One of the most remarkable chapels in northern ICorps was at Yankee Station, a temporary base nea rthe DMZ . This unique chapel consisted of a largeopen trench 25 ' x 45 ' which was scooped out of theearth to accommodate those who wished to worshi pin this location so near the DMZ . With the rear ofthe chapel reaching a depth of approximately .15' ,the ground floor afforded a level area for seating 6 0people with standing room for 25 more . The groundfloor rose gradually toward an altar constructed o fwood and a cross was placed directly behind it .Seating consisted of bench-like arrangements of san dbags supporting long steel stakes lying crosswise ,which, covered with sand bags . There were five dou-ble rows of these benches with a long similarly con-structed bench running the width of the trench . Thischapel was completely open air with sand bags shor-ing up the top rim of the earthen sides .

Until Camp Carroll was disestablished it boastedthe 4th Marines ; 1st Battalion, 12th Marines ; and 2dBattalion, 9th Marines chapels . The 2d Battalion ,9th Marines chapel was honored by Major Genera lDavis, the division commander, who participated inthe dedication during which the chapel was name dfor Chaplain Robert Brett, formerly of the battalion ,who was killed at Khe Sanh on 22 February 1968 .

The Cam Lo chapel was occupied by various units ,chief among them the 3d Battalion, 4th Marines .The chapel at the Rockpile was built of native con-struction by the South Vietnamese . The structurewas approximately 15 x 18 meters and contained tworooms, one of which had been made into an officeand the other a bedroom used by the chaplain an dhis clerk . Materials consisted of a stone deck and spli tbamboo interior walls with open sides . The entry -way contained a small steeple with a thatched cross .This chapel was started under the auspices of 3d Bat-talion, 3d Marines with Chaplain Myatt, with

modifications of the office and living quarter sdesigned by successive chaplains . The RockpileChapel was dedicated to 1st Lieutenant (name an dmiddle initial)Anderson who was killed while serv-ing with 3d Battalion, 3d Marines in the Ca Lu area .

The Ca Lu Chapel was a well-planned structure .Measuring 20 x 30 meters and placed on a hillsid eoverlooking the Ba Long Valley in a picturesque set-ting, this building project was worked out with theMontagnards of the Lan Cot Village . Plannedsimilarly to the Rockpile Chapel with two offices a tone end of the chapel, the whole structure was con-structed on a sloping hillside giving an amphitheate rappearance . Seating capacity was planned to accom-modate 150 persons. A stone deck and nativ ematerials were used to complete the structure . Ther ehad been numerous delays in the completion of thi schapel because of priority, claims on materials an dassistance from native workers . Lieutenant Com-mander Richard D . Black (Presbyterian), who super-vised the construction in 1968, commented :

Stones from nearby river banks offer a cheap and readil yavailable source of supply . The decking cleans itself and i sparticularly good during the monsoon season as the mu dand dirt from boots quickly settles as the stones move

under foot . The thatch materials will last two years and caneither be replaced by native builders or covered with can -

vas fly tents at a later date . These structures with ope nsides are the coolest buildings during the hot weather an doffer a quick escape route to slit trenches which flank th e

sides . The Ca Lu Chapel was not as yet dedicated, howeve r

a sign was erected by 3d Battalion, 9th Marines as areminder of the prime moving battalion and in memory of

"Those Fallen " of the battalion . All in all this type of con-struction is approximately one half as expensive as anequivalent "hardback" type building and being natural t othe countryside is very fitting to a DMZ outpost . ; ,

In many respects, the 1st Amtrac Battalion Chape ldedicated at Cua Viet on 4 September 1968 was themost unusual of all . It had been in the 1st AmtracCP area and used a burnt-out shell of an amtrac los tin recent action in the Napolean-Saline Operation .Under the supervision of Lieutenant Lawrence C .McAuliffe (Roman Catholic), the compact chape lwas tastefully appointed in what was a very austeresetting . Seating not more than 25 people, it provid-ed secure space for worship . It was completelyblanketed with sand bags and was marked by a whit ecross . Brigadier General Frank E . Garretson and thedivision chaplain were present for the dedication .

In time the Marines left Vietnam and althoughsome chapels were disestablished, many remained as

198


Chaplain Frank D. Mintj celebrates Mass west of Da Nang in February 1971 . Worship-ing with him are men of the 1st Marines. Chaplain Mintjal was the last Catholic priest toserve in a combat zone with the 1st Marines, the last infantry unit to leave Vietnam .

sentinels to the American Marine presence . Onechaplain writing in April 1970 reflected pointedly :

Although most of our Marine combat troops have bee nwithdrawn from the northernmost province of South Viet-nam, south of the Demilitarized Zone, silent chapel sstand on a dozen Quang Tri hills to commemorate th efaith of thousands who climbed and clawed their way toeternal fame .

I am proud to have served with men like these Marines .They are gone now . They went home, redeployed, or wereburied under distant skies . But their faith markers stil lstand . They stand as a silent tribure to the gallant men ofthe 3d Marine Division who when ordered, went and gaveand, when ordered, departed leaving a little of soul, self ,and sacrifice behind . Men somehow build theirmonuments after their own likeness . Some men are ap-parently content to be remembered for what they havebeen able to tear down . But the men of the 3d Marin eDivision erected the silent chapels. 36

Reflection s

If the reports and letters of chaplains with Marines

in Vietnam are scanned for the topics that occu rmost universally they reveal the valuable fact tha ttwo categories are touched upon by almost al lchaplains who spent time in the Vietnam theater o foperations . Not surprisingly, they both have to dowith personal relationships . The first item referred toby almost all was their relationship with Marine sboth personally and structurally, and the uniformadmiration in which Marines were generally held b ychaplains . One chaplain, late in 1971, noted :

I feel honored to have served the men of the FirstMarines . They are a grand lot . The senior officers (in-cluding Captains) are notable for their genuin enaturalness, their lack of hypocrisy . The junior officers, byand large, are a group of fantastically talented ,thoughtful, person-oriented young men in whom residesthe future, the joy, the strength of the Marine Corps—an dmay CMC discover methods to assure their retention! Theenlisted men, on the other hand, are commendably uni-que for their platoon-size pride, their bullish bluntnessand their (usually) unspoken admiration for goodness


19 9

wherever found . Command does support the troops' nee dfor Worship, and the troops at platoon level in the fiel dare perhaps as good and receptive a congregation as achaplain will have anywhere .

Aware of my shortcomings, I am especially grateful t othe Commanding Officers and their staffs for their fin esupport of the chaplaincy . I am always pleased by thei rgood humor, and, most of all, I am enriched by thei rwarm friendship . Would that I could do more t oreciprocate . "

Another said :Finally, I cannot close without paying the highes t

tribute to the greatest group of men ever to stand up an dfight for freedom—the United States Marines! It has bee nmy privilege to serve with them both tours in Vietnam .

These are the real young people of America . Our countr yand its future could not be in better hands . I am proud ofthem . I am proud to have had the opportunity to serv e

with them . May God bless and protect each of them an dbring them all home safely . 38

It is also not surprising that Marines feel benefite dby the contribution and the presence of th echaplain . Although it is manifestly true that not al lclergymen in uniform enjoyed where they were whe nthey found themselves in Vietnam, and not all en-joyed being in uniform once they discovered the tru escope of a chaplain's task, still most of the newer ,non-career-oriented chaplains obviously made thebest of the situation and threw themselves inministry with dedication and purpose . And from thenumber of commendations received by chaplains i tis apparent that the majority strove to excel at theircalling to the side of the Marine fighting man .Chaplain Casazza, the 1st Marine Division Chaplai nfrom mid-1966 until July of 1967, quoted a lette rwritten by an executive officer of a regiment abou this chaplain :

His conduct under fire was notably courageous and tha tof a very brave man . On numerous occasions this office rwas observed running across exposed paddies and areas t obe at the side of a Marine . With no apparent regard for hi spersonal safety, thinking only of the wounded or deadMarine, he carried his inspiration and prayer to those wh oneeded his help . He had the confidence and deep respec tof the men and healed the scars which the loss of a frien dfrequently caused in those who survived . He eliminatedbitterness from the hearts and instilled Christian deter-mination and morale to be drawn against in future battle .He encouraged the men of all faiths to do more for thei rGod, our Country, their Corps and themselves .

Few men have seen more combat action than thei rChaplain . Invariably he sought out that unit which wa smost likely to encounter the heaviest contact . He woul dthen go with that unit and continually circulated along th eroute of march . During breaks, never resting, he moved

among the men . His bravery, his humor, his right word a tthe right time contributed to the success of the unit .

This man was an inspiration to all who observed an dserved with him . He was known and loved throughout th eRegiment . 3 9

The love of the men for their chaplain was usuall y

specific but the love of the chaplain for his men wasoften more general, categorically . The Assistan tDivision Chaplain of the 3d Division early in1965-1966 expressed himself most sensitively on th esubject :

No number of movies or stories can properly introduc eone to the young Marine who fights here for his country .Take the teenager next door, remove most of the problem scaused by teenage sensitivity to status among their peersand that is about as close as one can come to a general pic-ture . I have always felt when I have seen their torn bodiesthat something more is demanded than the excellent careof the doctors and the corpsmen .

I have felt that a trumpeting of gratitude and praise iscalled for as a fitting human response . When the chips ar edown, they are amazingly selfless . I know I think more of

me then they do of [themselves] 4 0

And Chaplain Lepore of the 3d Battalion, 5t hMarines became almost lyrical in his final report :

The " grunt" as he stands in dirty, muddy majesty, is asfine a fighting man as the United States has ever produc-ed . He is young, tough, intelligent . He understands whyhe is here and he believes in the purposes that put himhere . And that is something, because if you take a "grunt"out of his muddy, waterfilled bunker ; remove his helmet ,his flak jacket, and his field uniform ; and take away his ri-fle, clean him up and dress him in a sport shirt, slacks an dloafers, you've got the kid who was playing on last year'shigh school football team . He is a national asset to becherished . "

The second area of near-universal mention in thereflections of chaplains was their need for, and ap-preciation of, the comradeship and sense o fbrotherhood that was evident whenever it was possi-ble to get chaplains together . Time after tim echaplains remembered the unity they drew upo nduring the dark days and the easier times of thei rVietnam experience . Perhaps the most enliveningfeature of investigating this subject is the way inwhich it crossed denominational and traditiona llines .

The examples of this truth are almost as numerou sas are chaplains' communications, but some stan dout as especially representative . Chaplain Henry T .

200


Lavin, Division Chaplain, 3d Marine Division, fromOctober 1966 to October 1967, stated :

As I have written before I have never seen chaplains actwith one another the way these men did in Vietnam . Whata pleasure it was to see a Southern Baptist's face light u pwhen his Catholic buddy came in from the field or to hearone or another asking someone to "stay in my hootch wit hme ." When any of these men meet again in the States i twon't be with a polite handshake but perhaps a close hug ,a thumping on the back and cries of "do you remembe rthis or that?" These men have shared something that is dif-ficult to explain but they know how the crucible of wa rforges strong relationships which shall endure long aftertheir uniforms have been doffed for the last time .":

The plaudits also disregarded organizational lines .The Regimental Chaplain, 11th Marines, fro mAugust 1969 to August 1970, Chaplain John H .Kaelberer, a Lutheran, had as a constant task theregulation of his artillery battalion chaplains wh owere in the majority Roman Catholic . Thesechaplains were assigned to artillery units in part s othat they could be available to the more numerou sinfantry battalions operating in conjunction with a nartillery unit . At the end of his tour Chaplai nKaelberer had this to say :

It was a pleasure and a joy to work with and beside th eeight charging and dedicated Roman Catholic priests wh oat one time or another in this past year were assigned t obattalions in the 11th Marines . They were : ChaplainsBevins, Conrad, Metznower, Pilarski, Pierce, Grochowski ,Farrow, and Visocky . Their names were like the NotreDame line and they are just as strong . . . spiritually speak-ing of course! And just as the infantry battalion chaplain ssupported the " cannon-cockers, " these chaplains helpe dsupport the "grunts" in their areas ." 3

By far the most sensitive expressions of the com-radeship chaplains felt for chaplains came from thos ewho struggled together with the same circumstances ,fears, frustrations, and agonies inevitable in the con-flict . One chaplain reported :

Second to nothing else I have learned or experience dover here is the making of new and lasting friendships wit hthe chaplains with whom I have served . It has been abeautiful thing to share the same burdens and frustrations ,laugh at the same jokes and happenings, lean on ashoulder when you aren't sure if you can trust your own ,gripe to someone who knows and understands what yo uare griping about . I don ' t think there can ever be acloseness like this closeness . . . . I have been grateful t othe point of tears many times for it! "

And an infantry battalion chaplain remembered :

I want to thank in a special way those chaplains whomade time to plow through the dust and heat and rain of

Vietnam, to accompany me in covering the CAPS, my Bat-talions, and those troopers in the boondocks who migh thave done without coverage . Men such as Chaplains Ur-bano, McMorrow, Ammons, Ryan, Bolles, McDermott ,Casazza, Habiby, Seiders, Sims, and Oliver are among themany whose diligence and concern will not be forgotten .And, the " Big One, " our Division Chaplain, MonsignorLavin, he will be remembered by us all in a special way asfriend, guider, true priest, and fighting representative forall the chaplains and their best interests and needs . MayGod bless all the Padres who passed this way, and thei rassistants, who worked quietly behind the scenes, thereb yseeking to enable men out here to receive a continuin gministry to the soul and the whole man ."

Chaplain Weaver, who served with the 1st Bat-talion, 9th Marines early in 1969, summed up b ysaying, "Ecumenicity is real in Vietnam . I havewitnessed a true spirit of ecumenicity here that Inever experienced during the first decade of myministry . In the civilian ministry we talked abou tecumenical endeavors . In Vietnam we didn't tal kabout ecumenicity, we practiced it ."4 6

Finally, in their turn, all combat units had bee nwithdrawn by mid-May 1971 and there remaine donly support units in I Corps . Several chaplains ha dbeen sent south to the Saigon area to complete thei rtours of service in Vietnam, and finally, on the 21stof June 1971 Chaplain Volz of FLC, who had re-mained extra days to tend the Hoa Khanh Children' sHospital and the Phuoc Thanh Orphanage which h ebegan to build in 1967, and which he loved, board-ed his aircraft at Da Nang and the U .S . NavyChaplain Corps presence with Marines in I Corps wa sover .

Undoubtedly each chaplain asked himself th esame questions : Had he accomplished his calling ?Had he been what he should have been and don ewhat he should have done? Chaplain Volz wrote th eChief of Chaplains and expressed himself positively ,"During these two tours of duty I feel that I havefound some fulfillment of the dream I had when Ientered the Chaplain Corps . So, I leave humblygrateful for the opportunities that have been afford-ed me ."" ?

Chaplain Bedingfield, in Quang Tri two yearsearlier, had written :

Without a doubt to some the chaplain is a rabbit's foo tor a walking St . Christopher Medal, to some he is a burde nor a symbol of a nonpragmatic approach to life, to others athreat . To most I have found he is what he makes himselfbe, a man like all others, who laughs and hurts, whobleeds and grits his teeth, whose stomach rumbles for


20 1

" C' s " or whose throat constricts with a need for water, whoprays to drown out his own terror when an 81 coughs it sdeadly phlegm, who endures damnable frustrations, whogets it all wired together, not because he has all th eanswers, but because he at least knows how to ask the righ tquestions . I have found for myself that a chaplain can be avalued part of the team called Marines ; he has a mission ,he has a purpose, he has a place . It is purely, though no tsimply, a question of how much he is willing to give o fhimself, where it really is . 4 8

Marines had given of themselves, indeed, an dchaplains with them, and now it was time to go

home having discharged a most taxing opportunity :ministering to men in time of disturbing war, andthrough its hell to supply a measure of peace and aglimpse of heaven .

President John F . Kennedy in his Inaugural Ad -dress on 20 January 1961 could well have been ex-pressive of Navy chaplain philosophy : "With a goodconscience our only sure reward, with history th efinal judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead th eland we love . Asking his blessing and His help, bu tknowing that here on earth God's work must truly b eour own ."

Notes

PART IThe Drift into Turbulence

CHAPTER I

MINISTERING IN A MINI-WA R

APRIL 1962-FEBRUARY 196 5

Unless otherwise noted the material in this chapter is derive d

from : RAdm Withers M . Moore, CHC, USN, Chaplain CorpsHistorian 1966-1969, original research and preliminary text ,"Navy Chaplains in Vietnam 1954-1964" (Washington : Chief of

Chaplains, Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1968) ; RAdm John J .

O' Connor, CHC, USN, A Chaplain Looks at Vietnam (Cleveland :World Publishing Co ., 1968), hereafter O 'Connor, A Chaplain

Looks at Vietnam ; Capt Robert H . Whitlow, USMCR, U.S .Marines in Vietnam, The Advisory and Combat Assistance Era1954-1964 (Washington : History and Museums Division, Head -

quarters, U .S . Marine Corps, 1977), hereafter, Whitlow, U .S .Marines in Vietnam ; chaplain letters and end of tour reports cite dare located in Chief of Chaplains Historical File, Bureau of NavalPersonnel, Washington .1. LtGen Homer Litzenberg, USMC, quoted by Chaplain Joh nCraven in an article entitled, " Chaplain in the FMF . " Marin e

Corps Gazette, Dec66, p . 45 .2. Gen Matthew B . Ridgway, USA, quoted by Major D . D .

Nicholson, Jr ., in an article entitled, " Their Faith is Yours, "Marine Corps Gazette, Dec53, p . 16 .

3. Adm Chester W, Nimitz, USN, quoted by Major D . D .

Nicholson, Jr ., ibid ., p . 21 .4. Clifford M . Drury, The History of the Chaplain Corps, Unite d

States Navy, vol . VI, (Washington : GPO, 1960), p . 2 .

5. LCdr Ernest S . Lemieux, CHC, USN, ltr to CHC Historian, dt d6Apr67 with enclosure : "A Brief Account of Subunit 2," p . 2 .

6. Ibid ., p . 3 .7. Capt Henry E . Austin, CHC, USN, ltr to CHC Historian, dt d

7Apr67 .8. Lemieux, op . cit ., p . 2 .9. Ibid ., p . 5 .10. LCdr Anthony R . Peloquin, CHC, USNR, ltr to CH CHistorian, dtd 3Jun67, with enclosure, "MAG-16, 1st MAW, Ma r1962 - December 1962," p . 1 .11. Ibid ., p . 2 .12. Ibid .13. Whitlow, U.S. Marines in Vietnam, p . 70 .14. Lemieux, op . cit ., p . 3 .15. Cdr Elihu H . Rickel, CHC, USN, ltrs to CHC Historian, dtd 3and 20Feb67 .

Helping "Those Who Want to Be Free"

16. Lt Samuel Baez, CHC, USN, ltr to CHC Historian, dtd

11Apr67 with enclosure : "Resume of Development with Subuni t2, MABS-16, 1st MAW, AirFMF, PAC," p . 1 .17. Ibid ., p . 3 .18. Lemieux, op . cit ., p . 3 .

Relocation to Da Nan g

19. Baez, op . cit ., p . 2 .

Chaplains' Routines Stabilize

20. Whitlow, U.S . Marines in Vietnam, p . 85 .21. LCdr George O. Lindemann, CHC, USNR, hr to CH CHistorian, dtd 24Apr67, with enclosure : "Tulangan Reflections . "22. Ibid .23. Ibid .24. Lt Hugh D . Smith. , CHC, USN, hr to CHC Historian, dt d8Mar67 .25. Lt William M . Gibson, CHC, USN, ltr to the Most Reveren dAlbert R . Zuroweste, dtd 19Oct63 . A series of letters written bet-ween February and October to Bishop Zuroweste was included i nChaplain Gibson's report to the CHC Historian .26. Lt John G . Harrison, CHC, USNR, "Chaplain in Vietnam, "Teenways, 12Dec65 .

" . . .To Preserve the Freedom an dIndependence of South Vietnam "

27. See Chronology, New York Times, 28Jan73, p . 25 .28. Lutheran Chaplain's Newsletter, Second Quarter 1963, p . 6 .29. Lt John G . Harrison, CHC, USN, ltr to CHC Historian, dt d2Mar67 .30. Ibid .31. Ibid .32. LCdr Robert V . Thornberry, CHC, USN, ltr to CG 1st MAW ,dtd 16Apr65 .33. Lt Robert P . Heim, CHC, USN, ltr to CHC Historian, dt d21Mar67 .34. JCS msg dtd 12Mar65 (HQMC MSG File) .

CHAPTER 2

SUPPORTING AMID CONFUSIO NMARCH-AUGUST 196 5

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derive dfrom : RAdm Withers M . Moore, CHC, USN, Chaplains CorpsHistorian 1966-1969, unpublished original research ; Chief o fChaplains' historical files and chaplains' end of tour reports ,located in the COC office, Bureau of Naval Personnel ,

203

204


Washington, D .C . ; Jack Shulimson and Maj Charles M . Johnson ,USMC, U.S . Marines in Vietnam : The Landing and the Buildup1965 (Washington : History and Museums Division, Head-quarters, U .S . Marine Corps, 1978), hereafter, Shulimson andJohnson, U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1965 .

1. Lt Paul L . Toland, CHC, USN, end of tour report (EOTR) dt dDec65, p . 1

The 9th MEB Comes Ashore

2. LCdr Paul H . Running, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 7Mar67, p . 2 .3. Ibid ., p . 3 .4. Lt C . Albert Vernon, CHC, USN, article in The Disciple

Chaplain, Oct - Dec 1966, Committee on Military and Veteran sServices, Disciples of Christ, p . 10 .

The III Marine Amphibious Force is Created

5. Lt Paul H . Running, op . cit ., p . 3 .6. Capt Robert "Q" Jones, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 30Mar67 .

Landing at Phu Bai

7. Ibid ., p . 2 .8. Lt Edward Wilcox, CHC, USNR, hr to CHC Historian, dtd2Aug66, p . 2 .9. Lt Colin E . Supple, CHC, USNR, Itt to CHC Historian, dtd1Dec67 .10. Ibid ., p . 2 .11. Lt Leroy E . Muenzler, Jr ., CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15Apr66 ,p . 2 .12. Ibid ., p . 3 .13. Lt Paul E . Roswog, CHC, USN, ltr to CHC Historian, dt d1Mar67 .

Chu Lai is Born

14. FMFPac CC Phone Conversation, The Naming of Chu Lai ,28Nov67 .15. LCdr John P . Byrnes, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1Jul65 .16. LCdr George S . Thilking, CHC, USN, ltr to CHC Historian ,dtd 11Jan68 .17. Hand-written notes by author during lecture by LtGen V . H .Krulak (Ret .) to USMC Command and Staff College studen tbody, 9Mar78 .

The Seabees Arrive

18. Lt Edward E . Jayne, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 10Jan66 .

MAG-12 at Chu Lai

19. Lt Richard A . Long, CHC, USN, memo to Chief of Chaplains ,dtd 26Sep66, p . 2 .20. Ibid ., p . 3 .21. Lt Charles L . Reiter, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 28Feb65, p . 2 .

Chaplain Organization at Da Nan g

22. Division Chaplain, 3d MarDiv, ltr to the Chief of Chaplains,

dtd 7Aug65 .23. Ibid ., p . 3 .24. Jones, op . cit .25. Ibid ., p . 3 .

PART IIThe Buildup Accelerate s

CHAPTER 3

GROWING AND RESPONDIN GJULY 1965-SEPTEMBER 196 5

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derivedfrom : RAdm Withers M . Moore, CHC, USN, Chaplain Corp sHistorian 1966-1969, unpublished original research ; Chief ofChaplains' historical files and chaplains' end of tour reports ,located in the COC office, Bureau of Naval Personnel ,Washington ; Shulimson and Johnson, U.S. Marines in Vietnam ,1965 .

1. Lt Ronald C . DeBock, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 12Aug66, p . 3 .2. Ibid .3. Ibid .4. Lt Robert W . Hodges, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Jun66 .5. Lt(jg) Peter D . MacLean, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 17May66 .

Civic Action Assumes Greater Importance

6. Lt John F . Walker, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Aug65 .7. LCdr Paul H . Running, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 7Mar67 .

Arrivals and Adjustments

8. LCdr George P . Murray, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Feb66 .9. Ibid ., p . 2 .10. Ibid ., p . 4 .11. Cdr John J . O'Connor, CHC, USN, ltr to COC, dtd 28Jul65 .12. Lt(jg) Peter D . MacLean, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 17May66 .12 . Cdr Connell J . Maguire, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 17Aug66 .13. Lt Delbert J . Cory, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15Aug66 .

The Arrival of the 1st Marine Aircraft Win g

14. Lt Thomas J . Dillon, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 30Mar66 .15. Cdr Peter J . Bakker, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 14Mar66 .16. Ibid ., p . 3 .17. Navy Commendation Medal Citation for LCdr Hugh F . Lecky ,CHC, USN .18. LCdr Richard M . Tipton, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 29Dec65 .19. Ibid ., p . 2 .

The Seabees Continue Their Buildu p

20. Bakker, op . cit ., p . 4 .21. Cdr Everett B . Nelson, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Mar66 .22. Ibid ., p . 2 .23. Cdr William F . Hollis, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Ju166 .

NOTES

20 5

CHAPTER 4

LISTENING AND LEARNINGSEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 196 5

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derive dfrom : RAdm Withers M . Moore, CHC, USN, Chaplain Corp sHistorian 1966-1969, unpublished original research ; Chief o fChaplains ' historical files and chaplains ' end of tour reports ,located in the COC office, Bureau of Naval Personnel ,Washington ; Shulimson and Johnson, USMC, U.S . Marines inVietnam, 1965 .

1. Navy Chaplain Bulletin, Spring66, p . 10 .

Activity in the Southern ICTZ

2. Lt John J . Glynn, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1Jun66 .3. Lt Patrick A . Dowd, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1May66 .4. Lt Philip F . Kahal, CHC, USN, ms : "Comforting th eAfflicted," attached to EOTR .5. Ibid .6. Ibid .7. Cdr Peter J . Bakker, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1Apr66 .

Landing at Qui Nho n

8. Lt Ralph C . Betters, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1Apr67 .9. Lt Walter A . Hiskett, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1May66 .10. Ibid .

New Chaplain Leadershi p

11. Bakker, op . cit ., p . 3 .12. III MAF Order 1730 .1, dtd 1Oct65 .13. III MAF Staff Chaplain memo to CG, III MAF dtd 21Oct65 .14. Capt Francis L . Garrett oral briefing to COC, Jan66 .15. Capt Frank R . Morton, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 17Oct66 .16. Lt M . E . Dunks, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 19Nov66 .

Ceremonial Events and Administrative Concerns

17. Lt John J . Scanlon, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 28Aug66 .18. Lt Allen B . Craven, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Nov65 .19. LCdr James E . Seim, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 25Feb67 .20. Cdr Colin) . Maguire, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Sep66 .21. Ibid ., p . 2 .22. Lt(jg) Raymond A . Roy, CHC, USN, newsletter included i nEOTR, dtd 2Jan67 .

Chaplains for NSA and MCB- 8

23. Cdr Martin F . Gibbons, CHC, USN, ltr to Chaplain's Divi-sion, n,d, [circa 1966] .24. LCdr Paul H . Lionberger, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 7Feb67 .25. Lt(jg) Robert S . Collins, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Jan68 .26. Lt George F . Tillett, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Nov66 .27. Ibid .

Christmas Highlights

28. Roy, op . cit ., p . 3 .29. Lionberger, op . cit ., p . 3 .30. Scanlon, op . cit ., p . 4 .31. Lt Delbert J . Cory, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15Aug66 .32. Bakker, op . cit ., p . 5 .33. Morton, op . cit ., p . 3 .34. Scanlon, op . cit ., p . 3 .35. Maguire, op . cit ., p . 3 .36. Glynn, op . cit ., p . 4 .

CHAPTER 5

SLOGGING AND SHARIN GJULY 1965-MARCH 1966

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derivedfrom : RAdm Withers M . Moore, CHC, USN, Chaplain CorpsHistorian 1966-1969, unpublished original research ; Chief ofChaplains' historical files and chaplains ' end of tour reports ,located in the COC office, Bureau of Naval Personnel ,Washington ; Shulimson and Johnson, U.S . Marines in Vietnam,1965 .

1. LCdr Frederick E . Whitaker CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Nov66 .2. Ill MAF Chaplain's memorandum 6-65, dtd 9Aug66 .3. CMC Itr, to Chief of Chaplains dtd 22Apr67 .4. LCdr Murray H . Voth, CHC, USN, interview with Chaplai nCorps Historian, 28Nov78 .

With the Wounded or on the Line ?

5. Lt Eugene M . Smith, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 7Aug66 .6. The History of the Chaplain Corps, United States Navy ,(Washington : GPO, 1953), p . iv ., vi .7. Capt Francis L . Garrett, CHC, USN in a speech given at th eChaplains School, Newport, R .I ., Jan67, COC tape library .8. Lt C . Albert Vernon, CHC, USN, memo to the Chaplain Corp sHistorian, dtd 11Apr67 (ser 547) .9. Lt Allen B . Craven CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Nov65, p . 2 .

Combat Activity at Chu La i

10. Lt Gerard W. Taylor, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15Nov66, p . 1 .11. Lt John T . McNamara, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 28Sep66, p . 1 .12. Lt John J . Glynn, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1Jun66, p . 3 .13. Lt George S . Goad, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 21Oct66, p . 3 .14. Lt Walter A . Hiskett, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd, 1Jun66, p . 2 .

Chaplain Participation in Major Operations

15. LCdr Nilus W . Hubble, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Dec66, p . 1 .16. Lt Patrick A . Dowd, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd May66, p . 3 .

17. Lt Henry K . Loeffler, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Aug66 .18. Lt Edwin V. Bohula, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 27Feb67, p . 3 .19. Ibid .20. Ibid .21. Ibid .

206


22. Hiskett, op .cit ., p . 4 .23. Bohula, op . cit ., p . 5 .24. LCdr Leonard L . Ahrnsbrak, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Mar67 .25. Ibid ., p . 2 .26. LCdr Robert C . Franklin, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Mar67 .27. Lt Roger K . Hansen, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15Mar67, p . 2 .

Adaptability and Patience

28. LCdr Nilus W . Hubble, CHC, USN, op . cit ., enclosure 1, p .1 .29. Ibid ., p . 4 .

CHAPTER 6

CALMING AND COMFORTINGJANUARY JUNE 1966

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derive dfrom : RAdm Withers M . Moore, CHC, USN, Chaplain CorpsHistorian 1966-1969, unpublished original research ; Chief ofChaplains ' historical files and chaplains ' end of tour reports ,located in the COC office, Bureau of Naval Personnel ,Washington, hereafter Moore research files ; CHC Historians files ;Shulimson and Johnson, U.S. Marines in Vietnam 1965 .

1. "The Chopper Chaplains," Time, 11Feb66, p . 68 .2. The History of the Chaplain Corps (Washington : GovernmentPrinting Office 1960), vol . VI, p . 211 .

Combat Action in Early 1966

3. Lt George R . Witt, EOTR, dtd 1Mar66, p . 3 .4. Cdr Jonathan C . Brown, Jr ., EOTR, dtd 15Jan66, p . 2 .5. Lt John J . Scanlon, EOTR, dtd 15May65, p . 3 .6. Ibid, p . 4-5 .7. Ibid, p . 6 .

Administrative Adjustments

8. Lt Robert F . Wood, ETOR, dtd Feb66, p . 2 .9. Lt Robert Reiner, EOTR, dtd Sep65, p . 1 .10. LCdr Paul H . Lionberger, EOTR, dtd Dec65, p . 3 .11. Capt Francis L . Garrett, interview with CHC Historian, dtd28Mar69 .12. Ibid .13. Capt Frank R . Morton, turnover narrative, dtd Oct66 .

1st Marine Division Arrives at Chu Lai

14. Capt John G . Wissing, Itr to FMFPAC Force Chaplain, dtd25May66, p . 3 .15. Ibid, p . 5 .16. Capt John G . Wissing, ltr to the Chief of Chaplains, dtd4Jun66, p . 2 .17. Cdr John T . Goad, EOTR, dtd 30May65, p . 1 .18. Ibid ., p . 2 .

1st Marine Aircraft Wing Chaplains, January-April 1966

19. Cdr Peter J . Bakker, EOTR, dtd Mar65, p . 5 .

20. LCdr Willard W . Bartlett, EOTR, dtd Apr65, p . 2 .

21. Ibid, p . 3 .

The Buddhist Revol t

22. LCdr Herman F . Wendler, EOTR, dtd Feb66, p . 1 .23. Capt Francis L . Garrett, interview with CHC Historian, dt d1May69 .24. Ibid .25. Cdr James A . Powell, EOTR, dtd May66, p . 2 .26. Chief of Chaplains memo to Chief of Naval Personnel, dtd21Jun66 .

Easter and Passover in I Corp s

27. Lt Max E . Dunks, EOTR, dtd Oct65 .28. LCdr Willard W . Bartlett, EOTR, dtd, p . 4 .29. Capt Francis L . Garrett, ltr to FMFPac Force Chaplain, dtd2Jun66, p . 2 .30. Ibid ., p . 3 .31. Lt Robert L. Reiner, EOTR, dtd Sep65, p . 1 .32. Ibid ., p . 3 .33. Ibid ., p . 24 .34. Ibid ., p . 5 .35. Ibid .

PART IIIThe Conflict Broadens

CHAPTER 7

TEACHING AND PREACHINGJUNE-SEPTEMBER 1966

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is take nfrom extant files of the Chaplain Corps Planning Group ; PersonalResponse turnover file ; following professional papers by LCdr W .Warren Newman, CHC, USN : " The Socio-psychological Situa-tion in South Vietnam " ; "The Winning Equation" ; " New Dimen-sions in the Use of the Critical Incident Technique in Cross -Cultural Interaction Training" ; " Personal Response Project : ACommunications Perspective" ; and chaplains ' end of tour reports .

Hearts and Minds: The Personal Response Project

1. LtGen V . H . Krulak, Commanding General, FMFPac, ltr, dtd23Mar66, COC Hist File, "Personal Response . "2. Ltr to LtGen Victor H . Krulak, CG, FMFPac to COC, dtd15Apr65 .3. CGFMFPac ltr to commanding generals under his command ,dtd 30Jun66 .4. Capt John H . Craven in Force Chaplains' Newsletter, FMFPac ,Dec66, p . 1 .5. Author's notes of interview with Capt Edward H . Hemphill ,CHC, USN, (Ret) .6 .Chaplain Corps Planning Group, background information th ePersonal Response Project (COC Hist Files), p . 2 .7 . Ibid ., p . 3 .

NOTES

207

Meeting the Needs of Worship

8. Lt Thomas J . McDermott, USN, EOTR, dtd 12May67, p . 1 .9. Ibid ., p . 3 .10. Lt John T . Collins, CHC USN, EOTR, dtd 17May67, p . 2 .11. Ibid .12. Cdr Paul H . Lionberger, CHC USN, EOTR, dtd Dec66, p . 2 .13. Ibid .14. Ibid .15. Lt John J . Scanlon, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15May66, p . 4 .16. Lt Delbert J . Cory, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 25Aug66, p . 2 .17. LtCdr Earnest Lemieux, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 28Sep67, p .3 .18. Capt John Wissing, CHC, USN, Itr to COC, dtd 22Aug66 .19. Capt David J . Casazza, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 1Sep67, p . 1 .20. Lt Edward R . Toner, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd ISep67, p . 1 .21. LCdr Richard E . Barcus, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Mar67, p . 2 .22. Capt Paul R . Hammerl, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 4Apr67, p .3 .23. Lt Cecil R . Threadgill, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15May67, p .1 .24. Lt David B . Saltzman, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd 15Sep67, p . 4 .25. Ibid.26. Lt John F . Weaver, CHC, USN, EOTR, dtd Mar67, p . 1 .

CHAPTER 8

RISKING AND REACHIN G

JUNE-DECEMBER 1966

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derive dfrom Chief of Chaplains' historical files and EOTR, located in th eCOC Historical Reference Files, COC Office, Bureau of Nava lPersonnel, Washington, D .C . ; Jack Shulimson, "U . S . Marines i nVietnam, An Expanding War, 1966, " (ms, History and MuseumsDivision, Headquarters, U .S . Marine Corps, 1978), hereafter ,Shulimson, "U . S . Marines in Vietnam 1966" .

1. Cdr James A . Powell, EOTR, dtd 9May67, p . 3 .2. Ibid .,p . 4 .3. Lt Delbert J . Cory, EOTR, dtd 25Aug66, p . 3 .

Operation Prairi e

4. Lt William C . L . Asher, EOTR, dtd 19Jun67, p . 1 .

5. Lt George R . Witt, EOTR, dtd 14Apr67, p . 3 .6. Ibid . .,7. Lt Robert S . Collins, EOTR, dtd 17May67, p . 2 .8. LCdr Floyd E . Sims, EOTR, dtd 30Jun67, p . 19. Ibid .10. Ibid ;, p . 3 .11. Lt Stanley J . Beach, tape recording sent to COC, 2Oct66 .12. Capt Francis L . Garrett, official report to COC, dtd 3Oct66 .13. CaptJohn H . Craven, FMFPAC Force Chaplains Newsletter ,1Dec66 .14. Ibid .

Arrivals : New and Old

15. Lt Lisle E . Stewart, EOTR, dtd 20Aug67, p . 2 .

16. Ibid .17. Cdr Connell) . Maguire, EOTR, dtd 15Aug66, p . 4 .18. Ibid .19. LCdr Michael A . Ondo, EOTR, dtd 30Jun67, p . 4 .20. Ibid ., p . 5 .21. Lt Robert M . Radasky, EOTR, dtd 22Aug66, p . 2 .22. Ibid ., p . 3 .23. Lt Robert S . Collins, EOTR, dtd 17May67, p . 1 .

More Growing Pains

24. Lt Ronald L . Hedwall, EOTR, dtd 15May67, p . 1 .25. Lt James E . Ammons, EOTR, dtd 15Sept67, p . 2 .26. Ibid ., p . 3 .27. LCdr Eugene B . Davis, EOTR, dtd 13Sep67, p . 1 .28. Capt Henry T . Lavin, EOTR, dtd 28Sep67, p . 1 .29. Capt Frank R . Morton, Division Chaplain ' s Final Report, dt dSep66, p . 4 .30. LCdr Leonard L . Ahrnsbrak, EOTR, 30Dec66, p . 3 .31. Lt Roger K . Hansen, EOTR, dtd Feb67, p . 2 .

1st Marine Division Chaplain s

32. Lt Robert R . Cunningham, EOTR, dtd 31Aug67, p . 1 .33. Ibid .34. Ibid ., p . 3 .35. Ibid ., p . 4 .36. Lt Robert M . Weeks, EOTR, 28Sep67, p . 2 .37. Ibid ., p . 4 .38. Lt Roy A . Baxter, EOTR, dtd. 25Mar67, p . 3 .39. Ibid ., p . 4 .40. LCdr Earnest S . Lemieux, EOTR, dtd 30Jul67, p . 3 .41. Ibid ., p . 4 .42. Lt Dean H. Pedersen, EOTR, dtd 17Sep67, p . 1 .

43. Lt Conon J . Meehan, EOTR, dtd 30Sept67, p . 3 .

Seabees Chaplains in I Corps, October-December 1966

44. LCdr Robert E . Blade, EOTR, dtd 12Nov67, p . 2 .45. Lt R . Blant Ferguson, EOTR, dtd 21Apr67, p . 1 .

Christmas 1966

46. LtGen Lewis W . Walt, USMC, ltr to COC, dtd 6Aug66 .47. Lt Meehan, op . cit .,. p . 4 .

PART IVThe Heights and the Depth s

CHAPTER 9

ENCOURAGING AND GIVIN GJANUARY-DECEMBER 1967

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chaper is derive dfrom Chief of Chaplains' historical files and EOTRs, located in th eCOC Historical Reference Files, COC office, Bureau of Naval Per -sonnel, Washington, D .C .1 . DOD, Selected Manpower Statistics, FY 1980 (Washington,

208


1981), lists 4,267 Marines killed in hostile action in Korea and

23,744 wounded .2. By mid 1972, 12,92.6 Marines had been killed, another 88,54 2Marines wounded, compared to 19,733 Marines killed and 67,20 7wounded in World War II .3. For chronologies and statistics see New York Times, 28Jan73 ,p . 25 ; Time, 6Nov72, pp . 22-29 .4. New York Times, 28Jan73, p . 25 .5. " End of Vietnam War in Sight, " U.S. News & IVorld Report ,11Sep67, pp . 44-45 .

Combat Ministry—Early 1967

6. Capt Henry T . Lavin, Itr to COC , dtd 12May67 .7. Ibid .8. Lt Francis K . Urbano, EOTR, dtd 12Mar68, p . 1 .9. Lavin, op . cit .10. Lt John J . Wilson, EOTR, dtd 1Feb68, p . 1 .11. Ibid .12. Ibid ., p . 2 .13. Ibid .14. Ibid .15. Lt Conon J . Meehan, EOTR, dtd 24Oct67, p . 2 .16. Lt Clark J . Tea, EOTR, dtd 12Dec68, p . 1 .17. Ibid ., p . 2 .18. Lt Lester L . Wessling, EOTR, dtd 1Nov67, p . 1 .19. Ibid ., p . 3 .

The Chaplain Civic Action Program

20. Capt Francis L . Garrett memo to CG III MAF, dtd 21Oct65 .21. 3d MarDiv Chaplain Quarterly Narrative Report of Chaplains 'Activities, 1Jan - 31Mar67, dtd 5Apr67, Section VI, p .2 .22. Capt Francis L . Garrett, ltr to COC, dtd 20Jul66 .23. Ibid .24. Ibid .25. News Release, "Methodist Information," dtd 9Mar67 .

Easte r

26. Capt E . Vaughn Lyons, informal report to COC, dtd 3May67 .

Summer Combat

27. Cdr Joseph E . Ryan, ltr to COC, dtd 6Ju167 .28. Ibid .29. Ibid .30. Mrs . Edna M . Hawkins, ltr to LtGen Lewis W . Walt, dtd15Aug67 . See also Leatherneck, Aug67, p . 65 .31. LCdr Preston C . Oliver, ltr to CHC Historian, dtd 8Aug67 .32. Ibid .33. Lt John L . Seibert, ltr to COC, dtd 4Oct67 .34. Ibid .35. Lt Lester L . Westling, Jr ., EOTR, dtd 1Nov67, p . 3 .

"Greater Love Hath No Man . . . "

36. Chaplain, 3d MarDiv, memo to Force Chaplain, FMFPAC ,dtd 5Sept67 .37. Lt Conon J . Meehan, EOTR, dtd 24Oct67, p . 1 .

38. Accounts of the action are based upon the proposed citatio nfor the Medal of Honor, eyewitness reports of the action, and areport forwarded by Chaplain Capodanno's immediate relief,

Chaplain Kelly .

39. Cdr Carl A . Auel, quoted from an article in the ChaplainCorps Bulletin, Aug70 .40. Capt David Casazza, memorial remarks at the dedication o fthe Capodanno Memorial Chapel .

41. COC News Release No . MGP-3 69 .42. LCdr Eli Takesian, EOTR, n .d ., p . 2 .

I Corps Pacification Efforts

43. COC news release, "Our Man in Vietnam", dtd 14Mar67, p .3 .

Changes and Administratio n

44. Capt Robert C . Fenning, EOTR, dtd 1Nov68, p . 1 .

45. Ibid .46. Ibid .47. Capt Robert C . Fenning, hi to Force Chaplain, FMFPAC, dtd22Dec67, p . 2 .48. Capt Robert C . Fenning, Sermon at Memorial Service fo rMajGen Bruno A . Hochmuth, copy included in EOTR, dtd

1 Nov68 .49. Capt David Casazza, EOTR, dtd 16Sep67, p .2 .

50. Lt James D . Pfannenstiel, hr to COC Historian, dtd 27Dec78 .

51. Ibid .

CHAPTER 1 0

AGONIZING AND REASONINGJANUARY-DECEMBER 1968

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derive dfrom Chief of Chaplains' historical files and EOTR located in th eCOC historical files, COC office, Bureau of Naval Personnel ,Washington, D .C .

1. U.S. Marines in Vietnam 1954-1973 . Au Anthology and An-

notated Bibliography, (Washington : History & Museums Divi-sion, Headquarters U .S . Marine Corps, 1974), p . 93 .2. COC Ecclesiastical Public Affairs News Releases 5727/458 ,5727/456, dtd 26Feb68 .3. Force Chaplain, III MAF memo 5050/1, dtd 5Feb68 .4. COC Ecclesiastical Public Affairs News Release 5727/466, dt d10Jan68 .5. Ibid ., p . 2 .

Ministry Along the DMZ

6. Lt James H . Rutherford, EOTR, n .d ., p . 2 .7. Ibid .8. LCdr John W. McElroy, EOTR, n .d ., pp . 1 and 2 .9. Capt John E . Zoller, EOTR, n .d ., p . 2 .10. LCdr John F . Sibert II, EOTR, n .d ., p . 2 .11. Ibid .

The Tet Offensive

12. NavSupAct, Saigon, "Tet-Vietnam " (Saigon : Naval SupportActivity), Oct67 .13. Marines in Vietnam 1954-1973, op . cit . p . 292 .

NOTES

20 9

14. Lt John J . LePore, EOTR, dtd 25May68, p . 2 .

15. Lt Bobby W . Myatt, EOTR, dtd 3Oct69 .16. Washington Post, 21Feb68, p . 22 .17. Office of the Chief of Chaplains, Department of the Army ,The United States Army Chaplaincy, 1945-1975, 5 Vols .(Washington, 1977), Vol 5, p . 157 .18. Cdr Carl A . Auel, report to COC, dtd 1Mar68, p . 2 .19. Ibid . p . 3 .

The Siege of Khe San h

20. Lt Ray H . Stubbe, ltr to Mr . Royston L . Jones with copy toCOC, dtd 8Apr68, p . 2 .21. Lt Ray W . Stubbe, narrative supplied to Chaplain CorpsHistorian, dtd 7Feb68 .22. Lt William R . Hampton, " In the 20th Century Catacombs, "The Lutheran Standard, 30Apr68 .23. Account taken largely from Capt John E . Zoller, COC, USN ,ltr to COC, dtd 9Dec68 .24. Seibert, op . cit ., p . 2 .25. Rutherford, op . cit ., p . 4 .26. Capt John E . Zoller, ltr to COC, dtd 10Oct68.27. Ibid ., p . 3 .

The 27th Marines

28. Lt Michael P . O'Neil, EOTR, n .d ., p . 1 .29. LCdr Merrill C . Leonard, EOTR, n .d ., p . 1 .30. Ibid . p . 2 .31. Lt Michael P . O'Neil, EOTR, n .d ., p . 3 .32. Ibid .33. Lt Merlin E . Huebschman, EOTR, n .d ., p . 2 .

The Ministry of Mercy

34. Leatherneck Association, Ambassadors in Green(Washington, 1971), p . 143 .35. "Chaplain stays on for needy cause," The Observer, (Com-mand Information Division, Office of Information, MACV )24Apr68, p . 936. U .S . Navy Chaplains Division Ecclesiastical Public Affair sNews Release Ser . No . 5720/655, dtd 7Jan70, p . 5 .37. Ibid . p . 6 .

The 3d Marine Division Memorial Children's Hospita l

38. Zoller, op . cit ., p . 6 .39. World Relief Commission Press Release, "Marine TraditionLives on at Hoa Khanh," dtd 1May72 .

Ministry Grows at the Force Logistic Command

40. Cdr Beryl C . Burr, EOTR, dtd 1Apr68, p . 5 .

Dealing with Debate

41. COC Press Release : " Should We Be There? " , COC Files No .5727/613, dtd 7Jan69, p . 2 .42. Ibid ., p . 4 .43. Lt Galen H . Myer, EOTR, dtd 20Dec68, p . 1 .44. CMC, ltr to COC, dtd 19Oct68 .

CHAPTER 1 1

SWEATING AND PRAYIN G

(1969-1972 )

Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is derive dfrom Chief of Chaplains' historical files and EOTR located in theCOC Historical Reference Files, COC Office, Bureau of Nava lPersonnel, Washington, D .C .

Activity in the Field

1. Capt John E . Zoller, ltr to COC, dtd 2Mar69, p . 2 .2. Ibid ., p . 33. LCdr David E . Brock, quoted by Captain John E . Zoller, ltr toCOC, dtd 10May69, p . 2 .4. Pacific Stars and Stripes, dtd 27Feb69, p . 1 .5. Capt John E . Zoller, ltr to COC, dtd 2Mar69, p . 5 .6. COC Ecclesiastical News Release No . 5720/658, dtd 7Jan79, p .13 .7. Lt Bryant R . Nobles, EOTR, dtd 1Sep70, p . 1 .8. Ibid ., p. 2 .9. Ibid ., p . 3 .

Redeployment Begin s

10. Lt Bernard J . Grochowski, EOTR, n .d ., p . 1 .

Personal Response Continuit y

11. Cdr Neil M. Stevenson, EOTR, dtd 30JuI69, p . 2 .12. Ibid .13. Cdr John T . Beck, ltr to COC, dtd 7Mar71 .14. LCdr Earnest S . Lemieux, EOTR, dtd 1Jul67 .15. Cdr John T . Beck, CHC, USN, ltr to COC, dtd 2Feb71 .

Civic Action and the CAP Ministry

16. Figures from Department of Navy Civic Action News Release ,dtd 7Jan70 .17. Capt Eugene S . Swanson, Report to FMFPac Staff Chaplain ,printed in Mar70 issue of Force Chaplains Newsletter .18. Cdr Richard E . Bareiss, EOTR, n .d ., p . 2 .19. Lt Frank C . Cleveland, rpt to FMFPac Staff Chaplain, dtd26May70, p . 2 .20. Ibid ., p . 2 .21. LCdr Dewey V . Page, EOTR, dtd 1Mar70, p . 3 .22. Ibid ., p . 4 .23. Cleveland, op . cit ., p . 7 .24. Ibid ., p . 4 .

New Concerns in Counselin g

25. Capt John E . Zoller, EOTR, dtd 1Oct69, p . 6 .26. Ibid .27. Lt Peter J . Cary, EOTR, dtd 1Nov79, p . 3 .28. LCdr John H . Kaelberer, EOTR, dtd 1Aug70, p . 1 .

210


29. Lt William E . Bray, EOTR, dtd 1 Nov69, p . 3 .30. LCdr James G . Goode, EOTR, dtd 15Nov69 .

31. Ibid .32. Lt Peter) . Cary, op . cit ., p . 4 .33. Capt John E . Zoller, EOTR, dtd 1Oct69, p . 7 .34. Cdr Richard A . McGonigal, EOTR, dtd 1Mar67, p . 6 .

Chapel Construction

35. LCdr Richard D . Black, rpt to Division Chaplain, quoted in3d Marine Division Chaplain Report on 3d Marine Divisio nchapels attached to EOTR, dtd 1Oct68 .36. LCdr Ronald G . DeBock, quoted for The Link, p . 7 .

Reflection s

37. Lt Frank D . Minjal, EOTR, dtd Apr71, p . 4 .38. Lt Frank C . Jordan, EOTR, dtd 1Jan67, p . 4 .39. Capt David J . Casazza, EOTR, dtd Jun67, p . 7 .40. Cdr Connell J . Maguire, EOTR, dtd 1Sep66, p . 5 .41. Lt John J . Lepore, EOTR, dtd 25May68, p . 2 .42. Capt Henry T . Lavin, EOTR, dtd Oct67, p . 2 .43. LCdr John H . Kaelberer, EOTR, dtd Aug70, p . 2 .44. LCdr William Childers, EOTR, dtd Sept65, p . 2 .45. LCdr Eugene B . Davis, EOTR, n .d ., p . 3 .46. Lt William D . Weaver, EOTR, dtd May69, p .3 .47. LCdr Anthony C . Vo1z, Itr to COC, dtd 10Jun71 .48. LCdr Robert W. Bedingfield, EOTR, dtd 20Jun69, p . 3 .

Appendix A

Religious Denomination Short TitlesChaplains Corps, United States Navy

AME African Methodist Episcopal Churc hAMEZ African Methodist Episcopal Zion Churc h

ABA American Baptist Associatio nABC American Baptist Churche sAG Assemblies of Go dARP Associated Reformed Presbyterian Churc hAGC Associated Gospel Churche sBBF Baptist Bible FellowshipBGC Baptist General ConferenceBMAA Baptist Missionary Association of AmericaBRETH Brethre nCBC Central Bible Churc h

CMA Christian and Missionary AllianceDC Christian Church (Disciples of Christ )

CHCCC Christian Churches and Churches of Chris tCME Christian Methodist Episcopal Churc h

CR Christian Reformed Churc h

CS Christian Scienc eCC Churches of Chris tCCCU Churches of Christ in Christian Unio n

CGAI Church of God (Anderson, Indiana )CGCT Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee )

CGGC Church of God General Conferenc e

CGIC Church of God In ChristCGP Church of God of Prophec yLDS Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint sLDSR Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ReorganizedN Church of the Nazaren eCUBC Church of the United Brethren in Chris tCB Conservative Baptist Association of AmericaCCCC Conservative Congregational Christian Conferenc eECCA Evangelical Covenant Church in Americ aECC Evangelical Congregational ChurchEFCA Evangelical Free Church in AmericaFM Free Methodist Church of North AmericaFWBAPT Free Will Baptis tGAGB General Association of General BaptistsGARB General Association of Regular Baptist ChurchesIFCA Independent Fundamental Churches of Americ aICFG International Church of Foursquare GospelJ Jewish

211

212

CHAPLAINS WITH MARINES

IN VIETNAM

KYMF Kansas Yearly Meeting of Friend s

LCC Liberal Catholic ChurchLCA Lutheran Church of Americ aLM S Lutheran, Missouri SynodALC Lutheran, America nAELC Lutheran, Association of EvangelicalMISS The Missionary Churc hM Moravian Churc hNACCC National Association of Congregational Christian Churche sNBCUS National Baptist Convention, U .S .A., Inc .NBCA National Baptist Convention of Americ aNFBC National Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churche sOBSC Open Bible Standard Churc hOCA Orthodox Church of AmericaORTH Orthodox, GreekORTH Orthodox, Russia n

OP Orthodox Presbyteria nPCG Pentecostal Churc hPE Protestant Episcopa lPH Pentecostal Holiness Churc hPB Plymouth Brethre nPCA Presbyterian Church of Americ aPUS Presbyterian in the U .S .UP Presbyterian, United, USACP Presbyterian, Cumberlan dRPES Presbyterian, Reformed (Evangelical Synod )PM Primitive Methodis tPNBC Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc .RCA Reformed Church in AmericaRC Roman CatholicSA Salvation ArmySDA Seventh Day Adventis tSB Southern Baptis tUCC United Church of Chris tUM United Methodis tUU : Unitarian Universalis tW Wesleyan Church

Appendix B

Navy Chaplains In Vietnam, 1962-197 2The names, ranks, denominations, dates, and units were derived from materials available in the historical

files of the Chief of Chaplains' office, supplemented by the comments of reviewers and other knowledgeabl epersonnel, and represent the best information available to the author and editors .

Name and Rank

Denomination Date Arrived First Assigned Uni tin Vietnam

1962

LCdr S. Baez UP Ju162 MAG-1 6

1964

Lt T.W. Kelly RC Jan64 MAG-1 6Lt E .E. Jayne UM May64 MCB- 3LCdr J.C. Haney M Jun64 MCB- 4Lt F .M. Gothard M 64-66 MCB- 1Lt R.D . Heim UP Sep64 Sub Unit 2Cdr H.W . Holland SB Oct64 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt W .A. Stewart SB Oct64 1st MarDivLt P .L . Toland RC Dec64 MAG-1 6

196 5

LCdr R .A. Long RC Jan65 MAG-12LCdr H.F . Lecky, Jr . L Jan65 MAG-16, IIIMA BLCdr R .M . Tipton SB Feb65 MWSG- 1 7LCdr J . P . Byrnes RC Mar65 2nd Bn, 4th MarLCdr W. P . Lane SB Mar65 1st Bn, 4th MarCdr P .J . Bakker AB Mar65 1st MAW Chaplai nLt J .F . Walker PE Mar65 3d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt P .H . Running L Mar65 1st Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt T .O . Dillon RC Apr65 MAG-1 1Cdr J .J . O'Connor RC Apr65 3d MarDiv Chaplai nLt A .B . Craven SB Apr65 12th MarLCdr C.A . Vernon DC Apr65 HqBn, 3d MarDivLt E .V. Bohula RC Apr65 2d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt L .E . Muenzler CP Apr65 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt C .L . Reiter UM May65 MAG-12Lt W.A . Hiskett L May65 2d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDi vLCdr J .T. Goad SB May65 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt R.C. Betters UP May65 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt E .M . Smith PUS May65 3d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr J .E . Seim L May65 HqBn, 3d MarDivLt P .F . Kahal UCC May65 3d Med B nLt P .E . Roswog RC May65 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDiv

21 3

21 4

Name and Rank Denomination Date Arrivedin Vietnam


First Assigned Uni t

Lt G .M . Sheldon E May65 MCB-10LCdr H .F . Lecky, Jr . L Jun65 MAG-1 0LCdr R.R. Smith UM Jun65 MAG-1 3Lt L .M . Malliett N Jun65 11th Mar, 1st MarDi v

Lt R.C. Franklin RC Jun65 3d FSR

Lt R .C . Betters UP Jun65 3d Bn, 7th Mar, 3d MarDi v

Lt J .J . Glynn RC Jun65 2d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDi v

Lt R .G . DeBock AG Jun65 3d MedBn, 3d MarDivLt W.M. Gibson RC Jun65 3d MedBn, 3d MarDiv

Lt R .W . Hodges CS Jun65 1st Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDi v

Lt R .J . Usenza RC Jun65 HqBn, 3d MarDi v

Lt P .J . Dowd RC JuI65 2d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDi v

Lt P.D. Maclean PE Ju165 3d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDiv

LCdr R .E . Earnest CGAI Ju165 9th Mar, 3d MarDiv

Lt R .C . Osborn UM Ju165 9th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt A.D. Seeland UM Ju165 FLSG, 3d MarDi v

Lt H .K. Loeffler L Ju165 3d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi v

Lt G.R. McHorse SB Jul65 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 1st MarDivLt T.A. Saygers M Ju165 MCB-1 1Capt J .L . Wissing RC Aug65 3d MarDiv Chaplain

LCdr A.W. Ekkens UP Aug65 HqBn, 1st MarDivLCdr D .C . Hinderer SB Aug65 1st Mar, 1st MarDivCdr C .J . Maguire RC Aug65 1st MarDiv Chaplain

Cdr H .S . Karras GO Aug65 AsstDv ChaplainLCdr C .C . Kary AB Aug65 3d MedBn, 3d MarDivLt G.S . Cook RCA Aug65 1st Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLt E .W . Epps AB Aug65 3d MedBn, 3d marDiv

Lt D .J . Cory LDSR Aug65 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 3d marDivLt J .J . Scanlon RC Aug65 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt G .R. McHorse SB Aug65 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLt E .H . Campbell SB Aug65 1st Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDi v

Lt J .R . McNamara RC Aug65 1st Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDi vLt S .L . Brandt L Aug65 Admin Asst ChaplainLt H .K. Loeffler L Aug65 3d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt L .M . Malliet N Aug65 11th Mar, 1st MarDivLt W.A . Stewart SB Aug65 1st SerBn, 1st MarDivLt T.B . Handley L Aug65 3d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt D .J . Cory RLDS Aug65 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDiv

Capt R.Q. Jones BAP Aug65 Force Chaplain, III MA FCdr R. Mole SDA Aug65 Personal Response III MAFLt R. Radasky RO Aug65 H&S Co, III MA FLt R. Reiner J Sep65 H&S Co, III MA FLCdr M.W . Howard SB Sep65 MAG-3 6LCdr G.W. Taylor RC Sep65 MAG-1 2Lt(jg) G.T. Richards SB Sep65 MWHG- 1Lt(jg) J .R. Daly RC Sep65 MAG-3 6Lt T.G. Ward PE Oct65 MWHG-1

CHAPLAINS IN VIETNAM 1 .964-197 2

Name and Rank First Assigned Unit

21 5

Denomination Date Arrivedin Vietnam

LCdrLt(jg )CaptCdrCaptLtLtLtLtLCdrLt(jg )LtLt(jg )LCdrLCdrLtLtLt

D .L . MeschkeM .E. DunksF.R . Morto nM . GoodwinF.L . GarrettR.A. FlanaganB.E. KaneW.J . BlankR.C. SwierengaN.W. HubbleD .T. McGroganG.F . Tillet tR.A. RoyO .E. Kimzle rP .H . Lionberge rL .L . Ahrnsbra kJ .J . GlynnR.A . Roy

IFC ASBLSDAUMRCRCRCC RRCRCUCCRCMLAGRCSB

Oct6 5Oct6 5Oct6 5Oct6 5Oct6 5Oct6 5Oct6 5Oct6 5Nov65Nov6 5Nov6 5Dec6 5Dec6 5Dec6 5Dec6 5Dec6 5Dec6 5Dec65

9th MAB1st AmTracBn, 3d MarDi v3d MarDiv ChaplainSerBn, 3d MarDivForce Chaplain III MA F1st ReconBn, 1st MarDi v1st MedBn, 1st MarDi v1stTankBn, 1st MarDiv3d Mar, 3d MarDivHqBn, 3d MarDi vMAG-16MCB- 85th Mar, 1st MarDi v12th Mar, 3d MarDiv3d Mar, 3d MarDivB, MedBn, 3d MarDi vC, MedBn, 3d MarDiv3d Bn, 1st Mar, 3d MarDiv

1966

LtCdrLCd rLT(jg)

R.S . CollinsJ .C . BrownT.A . Kenn yR.W . Fullilove

LS BRCSB

Jan66Jan66Jan66Jan66

MCB-1 13d Mar, 3d MarDiv9th Mar, 3d MarDi vHMM-16 3

L tLtLtLtLtLtLCdr

P .W. PearsonR.G. HunkinsD . BowesR.K. HansenR.W . McCarthyR.F . WoodH .C . Christmann

UMCRCABLAGCLD SAGUPLRCRCUPSBABCPNUPUPUPRCRCRC

Jan66Feb66Feb66Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Feb6 6Mar66Mar66Mar66Mar66Mar66Mar66Mar66Mar66

2d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivMCB- 3MCB- 62d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDi v3d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDi v

3d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDi vMAG-1 6MAG-1 2MAG-1 7MAG-1 2MAG-1 23d AmTracBn, 1st MarDi v1st MT Bn, 1st MarDiv1st Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivMCB- 51st Med Bn, 1st MarDivMCB-40MCB-5 3MCB- 72d Bn, 5th Mar, 3d MarDiv1st Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDi v1st MarDiv Chaplain

LT(jg) _ K .B . Abe lLT(jg )LT(jg )LT(jg )LCdrLCdrLCdrLCdrLtLtLCdrLtLtLtCdr

J .F . WeaverR.T . McCu eK.A . Mitchel lJ .A . BaxterR.A . BaxterR .E . BarcusE .B . FergusonD .C . HathawayJ.E . ShannonR .E . Blad eT .F . JohnsonB .E . KaneG .R. Wit tP .C. Hammerl

21 6




Cdr H.W . Holland SB Mar66 Asst Div Chaplain, 1st MarDivLCdr F .B . Baggott SB Mar66 3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt E .F . Kane RC Mar66 2d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt S .J . Beach CARB Apr66 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLt V.R. Capodanno RC Apr66 3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt D.J . Cory LDSR May66 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt R .E . Harris E May66 2d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivCdr J .A. Powell RC May66 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr T .J . McDermott RC May66 1st Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLt J .T . Collins SB May66 2d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLt S .E. Almasy RC May66 1st Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLt R .L . Hedwall L May66 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr W.A. Lane SB May66 3d SP Bn, 3d MarDivLt G.M . Sheldon E May66 MCB-1 0Lt W.C .L . Asher AB Jun66 2d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLt L .L. Glover UP Jun66 3d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr F.E. Sims SB Jun66 4th Mar, 3d MarDi vLCdr M .A. Ondo RC Jun66 3d Mar, 3d MarDi vLt G.I . McPartland RC Jun66 3d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt W.C.L. Asher AB Jun66 1st MT Bn, 1st MarDi vLCdr E .S . Lemieux M Ju166 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt L .L . Glover UP Ju166 3d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLt J .E . Doffin SB Ju166 2d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi vLt R.J . Paciacco SB Ju166 1st Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt V .H . Krulak E Ju166 3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt C .W. Erickson L Ju166 MCB-6 2Lt J .E . Doffin SB Ju166 2d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi vLCdr E .S . Lemieux M Ju166 2d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi vLT(jg) C .E . Bartholomew UCC Ju166 3d SP Bn, 3d MarDi v

Lt D .L . Qlsen L Ju166 MCB-5 3LCdr R.A. McGonigal UP Aug66 FMFPac, Personal ResponseLt W.C. Davis UM Aug66 1st LAAM Bn, 1st MarDivLCdr H .W. Jeffers M Aug66 Asst Wing ChaplainLCdr D .L . Meschke IFCA Aug66 1st Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt W.D. Bruner M Aug66 7th Mar, 1st MarDi vLCdr H .W. Bolles E Aug66 2d Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDivLt J .D . Ragland SB Aug66 9th MT Bn, 3d MarDi vLCdr W.D. Brumer M Aug66 5th Mar, 1st MarDi vCapt D .J . Casazza RC Aug66 Div Chaplain, 1st MarDivLt J .E . Dorsey DC Aug66 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi vLt E .W . Epps AB Aug66 3d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt R.R . Cunningham UP Aug66 1st Recon Bn, 1st MarDivLt E .R. Toner RC Aug66 11th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt(jg) L .E . Stewart UM Aug66 3d MedBn, 3d MarDivLt L .E . Dorsey PC Aug66 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr R.S . Borden UP Sep66 1st AM, 3d MarDiv

CHAPLAINS IN VIETNAM 1964-197 2

Name and Rank Denomination Date Arrive din Vietnam

21 7

First Assigned Unit

LCdr B. Geeza RO Sep66 1st MarDivLt L .L . Westling E Sep66 3d MedBn, 3d MarDivLCdr E .B . Davis PUS Sep66 2d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt K .L . Hodder SA Sep66 MCB-13 3LCdr J .S . Jenner RC Sep66 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt M.B . Burch M Sep66 9th EngBn, 1st MarDi vLt R.M . Weeks L Sep66 HqBn, 1st MarDivCdr B. Geeza EO Sep66 III MAFCdr M.D . Seiders EUB Sep66 Asst Div Chaplain, 3d MarDivLt(jg) L .R . Lowry RC Sep66 1st MedBn, 1st MarDi vCdr J .R. Hershberger L Sep66 H&S Co ., III MAFLt J .D . Graham ABC Sep66 HMM-16 3Lt(jg) M .G. Witting RC Sep66 MAG-36Lt(jg) D.B . Saltzman J Sep66 MWHG- 1Capt E .V . Lyons UP Oct66 Force Chaplain, III MAFLCdr H.T . Connally SB Oct66 9th MABLCdr W.J . ;Milosek RC Oct66 MAG-1 1Lt(jg) C .J . Meehan RC Oct66 2d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt(jg) R.D . Delleny SB Oct66 MCB-10Lt B .V. Dennis M Oct66 MCB-7 1Capt H .T. Lavin RC Oct66 Div Chaplain, 3d MarDi vLCdr P. Oliver PUS Oct66 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt C .J . Meehan RC Oct66 2d Bn, 5th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt J .E. Ammons AB Oct66 3d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt J .F . Harris RC Nov66 MCB- 8Lt H .L . Bergsma CR Nov66 MCB-7 4Lt W .C . Kimble SB Nov66 3d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi vLt B .G. Ryan RC Dec66 1st ReconBn, 1st MarDivLt(jg) J.W. Wishard RC Dec66 MAG-1 6Lt W .J . Winslow DC Dec66 1st MAWLt W .C . Topping ACC Dec66 MCB-12 1LCdr R .L . Hustin IFCA Dec66 12th Mar, 3d MarDiv

1967

Cdr J .E. Ryan RC Jan67 HqBn, 3d MarDi vLt(jg) P.N . Kearsley LDS Jan67 HqBn, FLSGLt(jg) L .J . Bentley CARB Jan67 3d MedBn, 3d MarDi vLCdr J.E. Dwyer UP Jan67 HqBn, 3d MarDi vLCdr E .D . Johnson RC Jan67 1st Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDivLt R.O . Grubbs CCAI Jan67 2d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDiv

Lt J.C. Charnley M Jan67 3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr R.F . Dwyer UP Jan67 MWSG-1 7LCdr W.L. Niederhuth DC Jan67 MAG-1 3Lt D .A. Amidon UP Jan67 1st LAAM Bn, 1st MAW

218


Name and Rank


Lt

J .J . NolanLt

D.A. MuellerLt

E .P . GroseLt

T .R . PocockLt

R .D . KempLt

R.M. Lyon sCdr

P .J . FerrariLCdr F.W . McDonnel lLt

C .G. SmithLt

L .J . Bentle yLt

C .F . Jordan, Jr .Lt

E .H. Kicklighte rLt(jg) W.M . Hucabe eLt(jg) G.L . CookCdr .

B .L . Bur rLCdr E .L . TakesianLt J .R. GroskoLCdr F.J . UrbanoLCdr P.P . KeeleyLt

L .S . Stanis, Jr .Lt

H .T . Jone sLt(jg)

R .O . Swift, II ILt

D .J . WilliamsLt

M .C. StineCapt L.J . McDonal dLt(jg) J .R. Fio lLt

W.J . HoustonLt

A .S . KirkLt

N .D. ChasteenLt(jg) J .M . RiglerLt

J .J . WilsonLCdr B.G. FilmyerLt

C .G. SmithLCdr J,E. Memorro wLt

B .W. Myat tLt

S .J . HabibyLCdr H .T. Connall yLt

T .J . RogersLCdr

J .W . McEloryLt

R .W. StubbeLt

C .T. Kell yLt(jg) K.L . Anderso nLCdr

D.F. FogartyLCdr J .R. HuttonCdr

F .R . McAliste rLt

J .W. Robinson

RCLPELD SCDSRCRCRCPUSCARBSBDCSBSBA BUPRCRCRCSBSBLSBLSBRPE SABLMUCFS BS BRCPUSRCS BDES BS BRCLRCS BRCUPPUSM

Jan6 7Jan6 7Jan6 7Jan6 7Jan6 7Feb6 7Feb6 7Feb6 7Feb6 7Feb6 7Feb6 7Feb6 7Mar67Mar67Mar67Apr67Apr67Apr67Apr67Apr67Apr67Apr67Apr67Apr67May67May67May67May67May67May67May67May67May67Jun6 7Jun6 7Jun6 7Jun6 7Ju16 7Ju16 7Ju16 7Ju16 7Ju16 7Ju16 7Ju16 7Ju16 7Ju167

MAG-1 31st FSR1st FSR1st FSR1st FSR1st Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDiv1st MAW Chaplai nMAG-1 2MAG-1 2MWHG- 1MAG-1 2Asst Div ChaplainMCB -MCB-12 81st FSR3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDiv1st FSR3d MedBn, 3d MarDi v1st Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDiv3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDiv1st Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDiv3d EngBn, 3d MarDiv7th EngBn, 1st MarDivMCB- 79th MA BMCB- 5 3HqBn, 1st MarDivHqBn, 3d MarDi v4th Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDiv2d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDi v2d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDiv4th Mar, 3d MarDiv1st FS R3d MedBn, 3d MarDiv3d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDiv2d Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDiv26th RLT1st Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDiv3d Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDiv1st Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDiv1st Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDiv3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDiv9th Mar, 3d MarDi vHqBn, 3d MarDiv3d Mar, 3d MarDivMAG-36



21 9

First Assigned Unit

LCdr C.E. McFarland M Ju167 1st MarDi vLt A .A. Guetterman CB Ju167 1st MarDi vLCdr A .M . Von Almen DC Ju167 2d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDi vLCdr G .A. Gunst RC Ju167 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr J.D. Yeich L Ju167 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt(jg) C.R. Parker SB Ju167 1st Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt(jg) J.W . Geer SB Ju167 1st ReconBn, 1st MarDi vLt(jg) K.E . Gohr L Ju167 3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt(jg) W .E . Dodson SB Ju167 MCB-1 1Lt R.R . Crowe SB Ju167 MCB-6 2Cdr O . Schneider UCC Ju167 Asst . Div Chaplain, 3d MarDivLCdr N .A. Richard RC Ju167 3d Medical Bn, 3d MarDi vLCdr G .E . Haroldson CB Aug67 MAG-1 6Lt B.R . Walker RC Aug67 MAG-3 6LCdr H .E . Philips DC Aug67 12th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr J .F . Seibert L Aug67 2d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivCapt J .A . Keeley RC Aug67 Div Chaplain, 1st MarDi vCdr M. Frimenko RO Aug67 HqBn, 1st MarDivLCdr C .B . McPhail L Aug67 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr R.E. Gordon L Aug67 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt M.D . O'Neil RC Aug67 2d Bn, 3d Mar, 1st MarDi v

Lt A.A. Guetterman CB Aug67 HqBn, 1st MarDivCdr B.R . Galland RC Aug67 1st FS RLCdr L. W . Rushing M Sep68 1st FS RCapt R.W . Below SB Sep67 Force Chaplain, III MA FLt S .M . Kirsch J Sep67 H&S Co ., III MA FLt C .D. Harper, Jr . UM Sep67 MAG-1 6Capt L .S . Darkowski RC Sep67 1st MAW Chaplai n

Lt(jg) J .N. Rutherford SB Sep67 2d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDi v

LCdr R.D . Black UP Sep67 3d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDiv

Cdr C.A. Auel L Sep67 1st Mar, 1st MarDiv

LCdr A .H. White SB Sep67 2d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDiv

Lt E .H . Luffman SB Sep67 1st Hosp Co, 1st MarDiv

Lt G .H . Meyer CR Sep67 1st SPBn, 1st MarDiv

Lt J .J . Lepore RC Sep67 1st MarDi vLt D .W. Pedersen EPCA Sep67 1st Hosp Co, 1st MarDi v

LCdr J .D . Brock RFB Oct67 1st TkBn, 1st MarDi v

Lt D .J . Hickey, Jr . RC Oct67 1st SPBn, 1st MarDivLt G.J . Evans RC Oct67 1st EngBn, 1st MarDiv

Lt(jg) D.B . Reese RC Oct67 1st MedBn, 1st MarDivLt(jg) R .P . Demers RC Oct67 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi vLt M .L . Trawick SB Oct67 2d LAAMBn, 1st MAWLt(jg) F .W . Arneson L Oct67 MAG-36Cdr J .T. Goad SB Oct67 1st FS RLCdr J .A . Davis SB Oct67 1st FSRCapt R .C . Fenning LM Oct67 Div Chaplain, 3d MarDiv

220


Name and Rank


Lt W.L . Driscoll RC Oct67 HqBn, 3d MarDivLt J .L . Heino LM Oct67 1st Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLt R.R . Brett RC Oct67 3d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDivCdr J .W . Cohill PUS Oct67 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLt T.J . Rogers SB Oct67 9th MABLt B.W. Attingnet RC Oct67 9th MABCdr S . Darkowski RC Oct67 Asst . Force Chaplain, III MAWLt C.A. Tea, Jr . E Nov67 1st AmTrac Bn, 3d MarDivLCdr R.P . Beck RC Nov67 1st HospCo, 1st MarDivLt J .C . Mulqueen RC Nov67 1st FS RLt L .J . Nichols RC Nov67 1st FS RCdr C .F . O'Gorman RC Nov67 MAG-1 1Lt W.J . Klapps RC Nov67 MAG-1 6Lt N .E . Knight SB Dec67 MWSG-1 7Lt E .S . Haryasz RC Dec67 7th Mar, 1st MarDiv

196 8

Lt F.A. Rothermel SB Jan68 MCB- 9Cdr J.V. Boreczky RC Jan68 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLt J .F . Philips SB Jan68 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLt K.T . Holland RC Jan68 MAG-1 2Lt E .E. Keele SB Jan68 MAG-i lLt R.V. Samples SB Jan68 MAG-1 3Lt J .R . Perdew SB Jan68 1st LAAMBn, 1st MAWLt T.R. Pocock LDS Jan68 5th Comm Bn, FLCLt L .R. O'Hare RC Feb68 1stMarDiv WGLCdr P.J . Everts ECCA Feb68 MAG-1 2Lt H.W . Myers L Feb68 MCB-13 3LCdr H .H . Bond SB Feb68 2d Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr W.R. Hampton L Feb68 3d Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDivCapt G .I . Paulson AB Feb68 1st FSRLt W.J . Brown UP Feb68 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLt M .E. Huebschman UCC Feb68 2d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MatDivLt J .A . Ecker RC Mar68 3d EngBn, 3d MarDi vLt R.B . Luebke, Jr . ARP Mar68 MCB-5 8Lt W .P . Blackburn SB Mar68 MCB- 3Lt J.P. O'Connor L Mar68 MCB- 7Lt R.G. Kock SB Mar68 MCB-4 0Lt E .J . Greco RC Mar68 1st Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr R.R. Scheer L Mar68 MAG-3 9Lt R.O. Sullivan DC Apr68 1st MedBn, 1st MarDi vLt J .J . Ecker CC Apr68 2d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDi vLt J .F . Kirstein SB Apr68 MCB- 5LCdr D .B. Fountain AB Apr68 3d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt M .F . Willard, Jr . UP May68 2d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDiv



22 1


Lt M .C . Slattery RC May68 1st Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt L .C. McAuliffe RC May68 1st AmTrac Bn, 3d MarDivLt W.D . Weaver DC May68 lstBn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLt L .M . Richter LMS May68 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDi vLCdr M .H . Voth E May68 1st Bn, 3th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr R.C. Franklin RC May68 2d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr R. Kukler RC May68 1st Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDi vLCdr C .H . Taylor, Jr . DC May68 MCB-2 2LCdr M .H . Voth E May68 1st FSRLt F .P . Thompson, Jr . PUS Jun68 3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1stMarDivLt H .E . Starr EFCA Jun68 MCB-12 1Lt W.F . Maloney RC Jun68 MCB-12Cdr C .F . Schmid UCC Jun68 CBC DavisvilleLt O .B . Forrester SB Ju168 MCB- 4Lt(jg) J.W. Grove UM Jul68 MCB-1 1Lt W .B. Turner LMS Jul68 1st Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLt(jg) W .E . Thompson, Jr . SB Jul68 1st Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDivCdr N .W. Hubble RC Ju168 3d MedBn, 3d MarDi vLCdr D.F. Brock RC Ju168 11th EngBn, 3d MarDi vLCdr R .W. Bedingfield RCA Ju168 3d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDi vCapt J.T . McDonnell RC Jul68 Div Chaplain, 1st MarDivCdr G.L. Martin UM Jul68 Asst . Div Chaplain, 1st MarDivCdr F.W . Cassady UM Ju168 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr B .L . Simmons SB Jul68 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt B . Lovejoy E Jul68 2d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLt A .E . Purdham L Ju168 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt I .C . Starling UM Ju168 3d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLt M .H . Roberts SB Ju168 1st Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt C.B . Coleman SB Ju168 7th EngBn, 1st MarDi vLt V.P. Gerlock RC Ju168 3d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivCdr N.M . Stevenson UP Jul68 Personal Response Officer, III MA FLt R.E. Hannigan RC Aug68 TF X-RayLt F .J . Gill RC Aug68 1st FSRLCdr B.H. Struthers AGC Aug68 MWSG-1 7Lt G.B . Schumacher PUS Aug68 MACG-18Cdr A .W. Robertson SB Aug68 HqBn, 1st MarDi vLt F .J . Gill RC Aug68 1st FSRCdr M .J . Doermann L Aug68 12th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt J .D . Allen E Aug68 3d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLt R. Hensley UP Aug68 3d MarDi vLt J .A. Zandstra CR Aug68 2d Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDivLt G.B. Hummer UM Aug68 3d Tank Bn, 3d MarDivLt S . Rubino SB Aug68 2d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDivCdr V.E. Berg, Jr . UP Aug68 1st Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr J .E . Bell SB Aug68 HqBn, 3d MarDivLCdr W.L . Childers UM Aug68 2d Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDiv

22 2



First Assigned Unit

Capt J.E. Zoller UM Sep68 Div Chaplain, 3d MarDivLt W .A. Will, Jr . UM Sep68 9th MarBrigLCdr F .E . Whitaker AB Sep68 3d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDi vLt M .J . Hary RC Sep68 MCB-10Capt R .H . Trower L Sep68 1st MAW Chaplai nLCdr W.F. Cusick RC Sep68 MAG-1 3Lt J .N . Sestito RC Sep68 MAG-1 6Lt R.K . Jospeh E Sep68 MAG-1 1Lt W.A . Will, Jr . UM Sep68 1st FSRCapt R.W . Radcliffe UM Sep68 Force Chaplain, III MA FLt R.K . Joseph DC Sep68 H&S Co, III MAFLCdr R.W. Harper SB Sep68 11th Mar, 1st MarDivLt R.S . Lippert L Sep68 2d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLt J .J . Horvat RC Sep68 11st MT Bn, 1st MarDivLCdr B .J . Ahern RC Oct68 5th Mar, 1st MarDi vLCdr R.W. Black UP Oct68 9th EngBn, 1st MarDivLCdr A .B. Pepper UM Oct68 2d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt J .M . Wright RC Oct68 1st MedBn, 1st MarDivLt J .K. Golie AG Oct68 1st ReconBn, 1st MarDi vLt S .B . Scott UM Oct68 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt P .J . O'Rourke RC Oct68 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt E .E . Richardson RC Oct68 Asst . Force Chaplain, III MAFLt D .F . DePascale RC Oct68 MWSG-1 7Lt D .L . Krabbe L Oct68 MAG-1 2Lt G .E . Long SB Oct68 MCB- 8LCdr L.W. Van Tassel PUS Oct68 2d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt R .A. Crist E Oct68 2d Bn, 4th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr W .E. Bray UM Oct68 1st Bn, 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr L.E. Allred SB Nov68 3d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr C .R. Spencer CGAI Nov68 Admin Asst . 3d MarDi vLt D .L . Robinson PE Nov68 MCB-7 4Lt B.C. Carson CP Nov68 MCB-4 0Lt R.J . Greco RC Nov68 1st SpBn, 1st MarDivLt D .M . Leitschuck CB Nov68 MAG-1 8Lt J .A. Bruggeman RC Dec68 MAG-1 1Cdr J .F . Carr RC Dec68 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt J .B . Fitzgerald RC Dec68 HqBn, 1st MarDivCdr J .F . Carr RC Dec68 3d Mar, 3d MarDiv

1969

Capt

M . SullivanLCdr W.P. Ud eLt

J .W . Butler

Div Chaplain, 1st MarDiv1st FSRMAG-1 2

Jan69Jan69Jan69

RCLRC

CHAPLAINS IN VIETNAM 1964-1972


22 3


Lt R .N . Lockard PE Jan69 3d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt J .L . Sostrich RC Feb69 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt A .J . Libera RC Feb69 1st Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt D.E. Smith LDS Feb69 5th CommBn, III MA FCapt R.M . Harrison UM Feb69 1st FS RLt D.E. Smith RC Feb69 1st FSRLt R .A. Moore E Feb69 MAG-1 1Lt F .C. Cleveland E Feb69 MAG-1 3Cdr R .M. Elder E Feb69 11th Mar, 1st MarDivLt J .J . Bevins RC Feb69 3d Bn, 11th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt J .J . Conway RC Feb69 3d AmTracBn, 1st MarDi vLCdr A .S .M . Kirkland N Mar69 1st TKBn, 1st MarDivLCdr G.W. Cox BGC Mar69 1st Hosp Co ., 1st MarDivLt I .H . Thompson SB Mar69 2d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt G.E. Garthe UM Mar69 MWHG- 1LCdr G.W. Cox BGC Mar69 9th MABLt J .M . O'Brien RC Mar69 1st FSRLt J .L . Sostrich RC Mar69 3d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDivLt(jg) C.A . Drake RC Mar69 2d Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDivLt E .L . Bishop E Mar69 3d NCBLt J .L. Hall SB Mar69 MCB- 3Lt G.J . Dickson NFB Apr69 MCB-7 1Lt V .E . Awes L Apr69 2d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivCdr J .F . Laboon, Jr . RC Apr69 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr J. Dolaghan ABC Apr69 3d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt(jg) J .J . Richmond RC May69 MCB-13 3Lt B .J . Grochowski RC May69 3d MarDivLCdr R.W. McCarthy AGC Jun69 HqBn, 3d MarDi vLt J .R . Fiol RPES Jun69 3d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt Donoher RC Jun69 Admin Asst . 3d MarDivLt W . Broughton PE Jun69 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt V .F . Germano RC Jun69 1st FS RLt R .A. Moore E Jun69 H&S Co ., III MAFLCdr D.V. Page SB Ju169 III CAGLCdr L .E . Vogel L Ju169 Personal Response, III MAFLt A .V . Lawrence SB Ju169 MAG-1 2Lt H .G. Cook E Ju169 MAG-1 6LCdr W .F . Magor UP Ju169 1st MarDivLCdr R.J . Ecker RC Jul69 1st Bn, 12th Mar, 3d MarDivLt T.O. Artwood, Jr . E Ju169 1st Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDi vCdr W .C . Fuller SB Ju169 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt W .C. Dike UM Ju169 3d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr E .L . Boyette SB Ju169 1st TkBn, 1st MarDivLCdr R .A. Boyer LCMC Aug69 9th Mar, 3d MarDivLt W.J . Hultberg, Jr . RC Aug69 2d Bn, 5th Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr L. Fiorino RC Aug69 2d Bn, 26th Mar, 1st MarDivCdr C.L . Keyser E Aug69 5th Mar, 1st MarDiv

22 4




Cdr W.R . Howard SB Aug69 HqBn, 3d MarDi vLCdr R.G. DeBeck AG Aug69 HqBn, 3d MarDi vCdr V .M. Smith RC Aug69 Asst . Div Chaplain, 3d MarDivLt A.L . Fiorino RC Aug69 2d Bn, 26th Mar, 3d MarDivLCdr Roswog RC Aug69 MAG-13Capt H .C. Duncan UM Sep69 1st MAW Chaplai nLCdr E .L . Gallagher, Jr . RC Sep69 MAG-1 6Capt E .S . Swanson L Sep69 Force Chaplain, III MA FLCdr T .E . Edwards L Sep69 1st FS RLt J .J . Pierce RC Sep69 1st FS RLt A .L . Fiorino RC Sep69 1st FS RLt E .M. Hedberg RC Sep69 1st FS RLt B.T. Visocky RC Sep69 1st Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt J .M. Gnall RC Sep69 2d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDi vLCdr E . Takesian UP Sep69 3d Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr E .F . Hughes DC Sep69 1st ReconBn, 1st MarDi vLt J .J . Pierce RC Sep69 1st Bn, 26th Mar, 1st MarDi vLCdr T . Edwards L Sep69 3d Bn, 26th Mar, 1st MarDivLt B.R. Hubble SB Sep69 III MAFCapt R.E. Brengartner RC Sep69 Div Chaplain, 3d MarDi vLCdr T.E. Edwards L Sep69 9th MABLt J .J . Pierce RC Sep69 3d MarDi vLt A.L. Fiorino RC Sep69 1st MarDi vLt E .M . Hedberg RC Sep69 9th MA BLt P .C . Lawson SB Sep69 3d TkBn, 3d MarDi vCdr R.E. Bareiss CB Oct69 26th MarLCdr E.H . Campbell, Jr . SB Oct69 2d Bn, 7th Mar, 1st MarDivLt B .J . Grochowski RC Oct69 1st Bn, 11th Mar, 1st MarDivLt P.W . McCure UM Oct69 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDivLt F .X. Metznower RC Oct69 2d Bn, 11th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt J .J . Conavad RC Oct69 4th Bn, 11th Mar, 1st MarDi vLt R.F. Grothaus RC Oct69 11st MTBn, 1st MarDivLt(jg) J .H . Rutherford SB Oct69 9th MABLt W.J . Klapps RC Oct69 3d MarDi vLt V .E . Awes L Oct69 1st FSRLt B.R . Nobles SB Oct69 1st FSRLt W.J . Klapps RC Oct69 1st FSRLCdr F.W. McDonnell RC Oct69 Asst . Force Chaplain, III MAFLt W.E . Outlaw, Jr . UM Oct69 MAG-1 8Lt P .J . Cary RC Oct69 MAG-1 8Lt J .G . Goode DC Nov69 MWSG-1 7Lt D .G. Page SB Nov69 MWSG-1 7Lt B .J . Grochowski RC Nov69 2d Bn, 3d Mar, 3d MarDivLt P .R. Pilarski RC Nov69 3d Bn, 11th Mar, 1st MarDivCdr J .F . Schaffer UCC Nov69 HqBn, 1st MarDivCdr A.C. Volz RC Dec69 1st FSR

CHAPLAINS IN VIETNAM 1964-1972

22 5

Name and Rank


RCUCCRC

Lt

W.R. Ma yCdr

R .F . Hil lLt

J .C . Farrow

Dec69Dec69Dec69

1st FSR1st MA W1st MA W

1970

Capt H .F . Symons UM Jan70 HqBn, 1st MarDiv

Capt G.A . Rademacher RC Jan70 Div Chaplain, 1st MarDiv

Lt J .R . Fletcher LDS Jan70 5th CommBn, 1st MarDiv

LCdr E .A. Hamilton RC Jan70 HqBn, 1st MarDivLt C .E . Dort CB Jan70 1st FSRLt A . Boerger RC Jan70 1st MA WLt J .R. Fletcher LDS Jan70 5th CommBn, III MAFLt J .E . Dowers AB Feb70 HqBn, 1st MarDi v

Cdr H.F . MacCall, III UP Feb70 Asst . Chaplain, 1st MAWLCdr L .D . Cooper DC Mar70 MAG-i lCdr G.D . Landry AB Mar70 HqBn, 1st MarDiv

Lt J .C. Farrow RC Mar70 1st MarDivLt F .R. Zobel UM May70 MCB- 5Cdr A .D . Prickett SB Jun70 1st MarDiv

LCdr D.I . Olsen ALC Jul70 1st MedBn, 1st MarDi v

LCdr P .F . Uhles L Jul70 1st EngBn, 1st MarDivLCdr G.W . Evans L Jul70 11th Mar, 1st MarDiv

LCdr J .D. Mortitz GARB Jul70 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDiv

Lt W .A. Rowland, Jr . CB Ju170 11th MTBn, 1st MarDivLt Z.C . Mitchell, Jr . SB Ju170 1st MarDiv

Lt F .L . Craven RC Ju170 1st MarDiv

Lt L.G. Rupp E Jul70 1st MarDivLt A. Boerger RC Jul70 1st FS RCapt J.H. Carnes SB Jul70 1st MAW Chaplai n

Cdr K.J . Cottney RC Ju170 Asst . Chaplain, 1st MAWCdr J .T . Beck L Jul70 Personal Response, III MA FLCdr O .L . Thacker CGAI Jul70 H&S Co ., III MA FLt F .S . Bianchino RC Aug70 II CAGLt J .B . Fitzgerald RC Aug70 MAG-16

Cdr G.B . Andress SB Aug70 1st MarDi vLCdr M .L . Eyler UCC Aug70 1st MarDi vLCdr R.J . Dempsey RC Aug70 1st Bn, 1st Mar, 1st MarDi vLt C.P . VanFrank, Jr . SB Aug70 MCB- 4LCdr R .C . Wood SB Aug70 MCB-6 2

Lt J .R. Smith SB Aug70 MCB-7 4

LCdr J .W. Essinger L Sep70 2d Bn, 11th Mar, 1st MarDiv

Lt F .D . Mintjal RC Sep70 1st MarDiv

Lt F .W. Ryder RC Sep70 1st MAWLt G.T . McMahon RC Sep70 1st MAW

226


Name and Rank


Lt

R .D. Coapman

NACCC

Nov70

MAG-1 8

197 1

Lt(jg) T .S . Carlson

CB

Jan71

MAG-1 6Lt

F .W. Ryder

RC

Jan71

1st Mar, 1st MarDivLCdr J .D . Regan

RC

Apr71

MAG-16

197 2

LCdr T .W. Kuhn

RC

May72

MAG-1 2LCdr P.J . Holwager

DC

Sep72

Task Force DeltaLCdr E.J . McMahon

RC

Sep72

MAG-il

Appendix C

List of ReviewersNames are listed alphabetically by rank . Rank and status are those of the period at which the review of th emanuscript was requested .

LtGen Victor A . Krulak, USMC (Ret )LtGen John H . Miller, USMCRAdm Francis L . Garrett, CHC, USN (Ret )MajGen Paul X. Kelley, USM CRAdm James W . Kelly, CHC, USN (Ret )

RAdm Withers M . Moore, CHC, USN (Ret )RAdm John J . O'Connor, CHC, USN (Ret )RAdm Neil M . Stevenson, CHC, USNRAdm Ross H . Trower, CHC, USNCapt Leonard L . Ahrnsbrak, CHC, USN

Capt Carl A . Auel, CHC, USN (Ret )Capt Samuel Baez, CHC, USN (Ret)Capt Richard D . Black, CHC, USNCapt Edwin V. Bohula, CHC, USNCapt Earl L. Boyette, CHC, USN

Capt David J . Casazza, CHC, USNR (Ret )Capt John H . Craven, CHC, USN (Ret)Col Edward P . Dupras, Jr ., USMC (Ret)Capt George W. Evans, Jr ., CHC, USNCapt Robert C . Fenning, CHC, USN

Capt John J . Glynn, CHC, US NCapt Walter A . Hiskett, CHC, USNCapt Edward E . Jayne, CHC, US NCapt Robert Q . Jones, CHC, USN (Ret )Col John H . King, Jr ., USMC (Ret )

Capt Henry T . Lavin, CHC, USN (Ret )Capt Hugh F . Lecky, Jr ., CHC, USN

Capt Connell J . Maguire, CHC, USN (Ret)Capt Leo J . McDonald, CHC, USN (Ret )Capt John R . McNamara, CHC, USN

Capt Frank R . Morton, CHC, USN (Ret )Col Thomas J . O ' Connor, USMC (Ret )Capt James D . Pfannenstiel, CHC, USNCapt Paul H . Running, CHC, US NCapt Joseph E . Ryan, CHC, USN (Ret)

Capt Marlin D. Seiders, CHC, US NCapt James E . Seim, CHC, USN (Ret )Capt Eli Takesian, CHC, US NCol Leon N . Utter, USMC (Ret )Capt Robert H . Warren, CHC, US N

Capt John E . Zoller, CHC, USN (Ret )Cdr Peter J . Bakker, CHC, USNRCdr Patrick A . Dowd, CHC, USNCdr Nilus W . Hubble, CHC, US NCdr Leroy E . Muenzler, CHC, USN

Cdr George P. Murray, CHC, USN (Ret )Cdr Paul L. Toland, CHC, US NLCdr William H. Gibson, CHC, USNLCdr Gary V . Lyons, CHC, USNLCdr John J . Scanlon, CHC, USNR

LCdr George M . Sheldon, CHC, USN RLCdr Ray W. Stubbe, CHC, USN RLCdr Herman F . Wendler, CHC, USN

227

Index

a Kempis, Thomas, 17 5A Med, (See 3d Medical Battalion, Company A )A Shau Valley, 17 9Abel, Lt Kenneth B ., 86, 88-8 9Advanced Base Construction, Vietnam 1963-1965, 3 7Ahearn, Bishop Patrick ; illus ., 5 8Ahrnsbrak, LCdr Leonard L ., 71-72, 78, 86-8 7Air Force, United States, 11, 13, 17, 50, 143, 163, 167 ;

illus ., 92Aircraft Type sB-52, 16 3C-123, 16 3C-130, (Hercules), 4-5, 14, 18, 25, 46, 115, 117-118, 120, 16 3CH-46, 164CH-47, (Chinook), 14 0UH-1E, (Huey), 60, 69, 15 3

Allen, Lt John D ., 17 9Altamont, 19 2Altar, 93, 131, 134, 144, 196-197 ; illus ., 109, 111, 130Altar bread, 6 9Altar kit, 68, 15 4American Counsel, 2 2American Counsel General, 2 3American Institute of Research, 10 5Ammons, Lt James E ., 125, 20 0Anderson, lstLt, 19 7An Hoa, 72, 125, 133, 177-178, 187-18 8An Hoa Combat Base, 18 7An Tan, 65 ; illus ., 14 3An Tan bridge ; illus ., 90Annam kings, 2 1Annamese Cordillera, 2 1Antos, LCdr Paul J ., illus ., 9 0Army, United States, 13, 17, 21-22, 46, 49-50, 100, 104, 118 ,

124, 143, 151, 155, 167 ; illus ., 5 7XXIV Corps, 15 8101st Airborne Division, 2nd Brigade, 15 5197th Aviation Company, 49498th Aviation Company, 4 9Americal Division of the Army, 15 51st Calvary Division (Airmobile), 15 5Army Communications Camp, 2 184th Engineers, 4 8Eighth Radio Research Unit (RRU-8), 2 2Special Forces, 9-10, 14, 21, 80, 114, 118, 120, 12 4Signal Battalion, 4 978th Transportation Company, 4 9540th Transportation Company, 49

Artillery Plateau, 118, 127

Ash Wednesday, 69-70Asher, Lt William C . L ., 87, 11 9Association for the Study of Afro-American History, Washington ,

D .C ., 193Atlantic Lodge of B'nai Brith, Brooklyn, New York, 9 6Atsugi, 4 0Attopeu Provinces of Laos, 11 7Auel, LCdr Carl A ., 45, 151, 161 ; illus ., 105Austin, Cdr Henry E ., 4Austria, 134

B Med, (See 3d Medical Battalion, Company B)Ba Loan, 187Ba Loan 's House, 18 7Ba To, 12 4Ba Xuyen Province, 4, 6- 8B'nai Brak, 9 5Bachelor Officers ' Quarters, Saigon, 15, 1 8Baggot, LCdr Frank B ., 11 7Bakker, Cdr Peter J ., 40-41, 47-49, 52, 60, 88-91 ; illus ., 13 ,

(See also 1st Marine Aircraft Wing )Bangkok, 12 7Baptism, 55-56, 90, 162, 182 ; illus ., 9 2Barcus, LCdr Richard E ., 113-114 ; illus ., 14 2Bareiss, Cdr Richard E ., 187-18 8Bartlett, LCdr William W., 88-90, 92, 115 ; illus ., 10 3Batangan Peninsula, 64-6 5Baxter, LCdr Roy A . 87, 13 0Beach, Lt Stanley J ., 86, 94, 118, 121-122, 12 5Beat, LCdr William E ., 17 8Beck, Cdr John T ., 184-18 5Bedingfield, LCdr R . W ., 200Below, Capt Ralph W ., 153, 15 5Benner, Cpl Earl ; illus ., 7 1Betters, Lt Ralph C ., 46, 48, 64, 8 7Bevins, Lt J . J ., 20 0Bible, 6, 77, 158 ; illus ., 11 9Bible Study, 6, 11, 129, 17 2Bien Hoa, 3 5Bien Hoa Hospital, 3 5Bien Tai, 13 2Bigler, Lt Robert L ., 64, 6 8Bing Hung, 8Binh Dinh Province, 4 8Bishop of Da Nang ; illus ., 12 9Bishop of Hue ; illus ., 12 9Black, LCdr Richard D ., 19 7Blade, LCdr Robert E ., 132 ; illus ., 82

229

230


Blank, Lt Walter J ., 70, 86, 11 3Bo De Kahn School ; illus ., 14 5Bo Long Valley, 19 7Bohula, Lt Edwin V ., 25, 33, 55, 69-72, 78 ; illus ., 13, 7 1Bolles, LCdr Herbert W ., 120, 200Bond, LCdr Hollis H ., 16 2Borden, LCdr Robert S ., 12 5Boreczky, Cdr John V ., 18 1"Boys Town," 11 5Bradley, Cdr Paul F ., 8 9Brannan, Lt Curtis W ., 78, 8 5Brantley, Maj T . J . ; illus ., 14 6Bray, LCdr William E ., 179, 19 2Brengartner, Capt Robert E ., 18 3Brett, Lt Robert R ., 162-163, 19 7Brock, LCdr David F ., 179-180Brown, Cdr Jonathan C . Jr ., 78 ; illus ., 13 2Brown, Lt Walter J ., 16 5Bruno Hochmuth Memorial Baby Pavilion, 18 6Buckner Bay, 2 0Buddha, 9 3Buddhist Headquarters, Da Nang, 9 3Buddhist monks, 9 3Buddhist nuns, 18 7Bunker Hill, 7 7Burr, Cdr Beryl L ., 170, 17 2Butler Building, 13 3Byrnes, Cdr John P ., 23-24, 45-4 6

C rations, 4, 24, 46, 68, 70, 73, 108, 119, 183, 189, 201 ;illus ., 109

Ca Lu, 139, 19 7Cam Lo, 117, 127, 154-155, 158, 168, 19 7Cam Ranh Bay, 144Cambodia, 48, map ., xi iCamp Adenir, 37, 43, 8 2Camp Brooks, 166, 170-17 1Camp Campbell, 13 3Camp Carroll, 118-119, 127, 139-140, 148, 153, 163, 178, 197Camp Evans ; illus ., 126Camp Faulkner, 43, 57-5 8Camp Foster, 154Camp Fugi, 1 8Camp Goldberg, 4 9Camp Haskins I, 82, 13 2Camp Haskins North, 16 6Camp Haskins South, 16 6Camp Hoover, 43, 13 3Camp Kinser, 82Camp Miller, 13 3Camp Pendleton, 34, 48, 84, 119-120, 128, 163-165, 182Camp Schwab, 1 8Camp Shields, 196Camp Tien Sha, 81, 89, 92Camp Horn/NSA scholarship program, 18 7Can Tho, 144Cao Do River, 4 3Cape St . Jacques, 1 7Capodanno, Memorial Chapel, 15 1Capodanno, Lt Vincent R ., 86-87, 112, 130, 149-151 ; illus ., 149

Carey, Col John, 9Carpenter, Capt Malcolm S ., 64Carroll, Capt James J ., 17 8Carroll, Mrs Mary, 17 8Cary, Lt Peter J ., 192-19 3Casazza, Capt David J ., 87, 113, 126, 130, 151, 154, 199, 200 ;

illus ., 5 8Cat Lo, 14 4Cathedral Hill, 84Catholic Archdiocese of Hue, 14 0Catholic Foreign Mission Society, 14 9Catholic University, Washington, D .C ., 16 3Catholic War Veterans Post, 9 6Chairman of The Board of Deacons, 109Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Hue, 2 3Chapel Hill, Da Nang, 19 5Chapel s

First Marine Aircraft Wing ' s, Wing Memorial Chapel, 19 6MAG-13 Chapel, 15 5MAG-16 Chapel ; illus ., 17 2

1st Marine Division Chapel ; illus ., 85, 1073d Marine Division Chapel, 126, 14 0Headquarters, 3d Marine Division Chapel, 19 73d Marine Division CP Chapel, 19 7Chapel of the 1st Marines ; illus ., 11 44th Marines Chapel, 126, 197 ; illus ., 12 64th Marines, 1st Battalion Chapel, 19 44th Marines CP Chapel, 1947th Marines CP Chapel, 1943d Battalion, 9th Marines Chapel, 19 72d Battalion, 9th Marines Chapel, 19 712th Marines Chapel, 19 71st Battalion, 12th Marines Chapel, 19 73d Battalion, 12th Marines Chapel, 19.71st Amtrac Battalion Chapel, 19 7Engineer Battalion M morial Chapel, 19 63d Marines, 1st Engineer Battalion Chapel, 19 57th Engineer Battalion Chapel ; illus ., 19 511th Engineer Battalion Chapel 1971st LAAM Chapel ; illus ., 13 23d Shore Party Chapel, 19 7Medical Company C Memorial Chapel, Da Nang ; illus ., 1749th Motor Transport Battalion Chapel, 19 7All Faiths Chapel ; illus ., 17 1Blessed Sacrament Chapel, 8 4Cam Lo Chapel, 19 7Camp Tien Sha's Butler Hut Chapel, 19 6Carrol Memorial Chapel, 17 8Chapel of All Faiths, 19 6Chapel of Hope, (See, Carrol Memorial Chapel )Chapel of the Abiding Presence, 84, 195Chapel of the Supporting Arms, 19 5Da Nang Airbase Chapel, 142Holy Trinity Chapel, Phu Bai, 196Marine Memorial Chapel of Dong Ha, 197Memorial Chapel, 19 6Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 Chapel, 13 3Rockpile Chapel, 19 7Shufly Chapel, 19 6Task Force X-Ray Chapel, 172

INDEX

23 1

Chaplain Corps Birthday, 5 4Chaplain Corps Planning Group, 35, 38, 41, 102, 185Chaplain School, Newport, R .I ., 53, 81, 151, 16 3Chaplain ' s Civic Action Program, 36, 50, 140-141, 158, 185-186 ;

illus ., 14 1Chaplains Division of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 45, 57 ,

86-87, 133, 194Chief of Chaplains, 19, 28, 39, 51, 53-54, 56, 58-61, 64, 84 ,

86-88, 94, 100-102, 104, 113, 121, 127, 133, 138, 142, 144 ,148, 153, 156, 159, 161, 173-175, 185, 187, 193-194, 200 ;

illus ., 12 6Chaplains, by Servic eChaplains, Air Force, 9, 18, 28, 192Chaplains, Army, 9, 18, 28, 48, 158, 192 ; illus ., 5 8Chaplains, Navy, 3-4, 9, 11, 15, 34, 40, 53, 57, 65, 77 ,

80-81, 88, 94, 103, 137-138, 141, 143-145, 149, 151-152 ,155-156, 160, 162, 176, 188, 192 ; illus ., 17 7

Amphibious Squadron (PhibRon), 64Chaplains, Seabees, 33, 37, 43, 81, 132-13 3

Chieu Hoi Program, 17 7Chieu, Venerable Thich Min, 93 ; illus ., 14 1Childers, LCdr William L ., 179 ; illus ., 110, 11 2Chin, LCpl Alexander, 16 3China, 8China Beach, 90, 18 7China Beach Orphanage, 186-187Chiu, LtCol Nguyen, 8Christian and Missionary Alliance Mission, 10, 133, 14 0Christian Brothers School, 4 9Christian Children 's Fund of Richmond, Virginia, 1 0Christian Missionary Alliance Compound, Da Nang, 9 1Christmann, LCdr Harold L ., 81, 88, 90Christmas, 10, 38, 55-61, 84, 130, 133-134, 151-156, 174-175 ,

187, 194 ; illus ., 58, 59, 12 6Christmas Cards, 55, 58-5 9Christmas Carols, 10, 59-60, 134Christmas Eve, 15, 57-58, 60, 66, 130, 13 3Christmas Music, 5 6Chu Lai, 23-26, 40, 45-49, 54, 62-72, 77-79, 83-93, 113-115 ,

119, 122, 130-133, 142, 151, 155, 170-171, 188, 193, 196 ;illus ., 90, 172, 173, 195 ; map ., xi i

Chu Lai Combat Base, 86, 11 2Chu Lai New Life Hamlet, 2 5Chu Lai Youth Centers, 14 0Civic Action, 35-37, 43, 50-51, 66, 72, 77, 91-93, 102 ,

113-115, 132, 140-141, 151-152, 158, 183, 185-19 1Civil Affairs, (See Civic Action )Civil Engineer Corps, 23, 2 5Clapp, LtCol Archie J ., 4Clark Air Force Base, 63, 12 1Cleveland, Lt Frank C ., 188-19 1Clover, Lt Lawrence L ., 11 9Coast Guard, United States, 144, 15 5Coastal Surveillance Force, 14 4Collins, Lt John T ., 109, 120Collins, Lt Robert S ., 57, 124Collins, MajGen William R ., 19-20Combined Action Company, 78, 83, 125-126, 185-19 1Combined Action Force Headquarters, 19 1Combined Action Group, 185-191

Combined Action Platoon, 23, 152-153, 157, 172, 185, 189-190Combined Action Program, 185-191, 20 0"Comforting the Afflicted", 4 6Commandant of the Marine Corps, 176, 19 8Commander in Chief, Pacific, 6- 7Communion, 62, 68-69, 90, 129, 182-183 ; illus ., 8 9Communism, 8, 13-15, 42, 77, 100, 137-138, 160-161, 166, 178Con Thien, 118, 137-138, 144, 146-148, 151, 154, 15 7Confession, sacrament of 6, 21, 55, 59, 80, 144Conscientious objector, 16 3Consecration, 134Cook, Lt Gordon S ., 45-4 6Coordinating Organization for Revolutionary Developmen t

Systems, 185-186Cory, Lt Delbert J ., 40, 60, 109, 111-112, 11 8Craven, Lt Allen B ., 33, 54-55, 61, 63, 86, 94, 100-102, 105 ,

121-122 ; illus ., 1 3Creche, 60Crist, Lt Richard A ., 18 1Critical Incident Technique, 105-106Crow's Nest Hill ; illus ., 17 5Cu Lao Re, 9 1Cu Lu, 19 7Cua Viet, 19 7Cua Viet River, 155-15 6Cunningham, Lt Robert R ., 128-12 9Curtis High School, Si, New York, 14 9Cushman, LtGen Robert E ., (See also 3d Marine Amphibiou s

Force), 15 5

D Med, 118, 125, 138, 144-145, 16 8Da Nang, 4, 8-10, 13, 14-29, 33-46, 50-53, 56-57, 66-68, 71 ,

77-96, 100, 108, 110-115, 118-119, 122-133, 140-143 ,153-155, 158-160, 164-167, 172, 177-178, 186-188 ,195-196, 200 ; illus ., 27, 38, 58, 79, 114, 168, 174, 175 ,198 ; map ., xi i

Da Nang Airbase, 19, 34, 41-42, 60, 19 6Da Nang Airbase Choirs, 142 ; illus ., 14 6Da Nang Combat Base, 11 1Da Nang East, 37, 41, 43, 57, 93, 115, 124, 127, 13 3Da Nang, Field Hospital, 60, 63, 81-82, 88, 14 5Da Nang Harbor, 83, 13 2Dai Loc District, 7 2Dai Loc Scrounge, 12 7Dallas, Texas, 1 2Daly, Lt John R ., 42, 49, 86, 88, 9 1Darkowski, Captain Leon, 59, 15 3Davis, LCdr Joe E ., 67, 69, 125-12 6Davis, MajGen Raymond G ., (See also, 3d Marine Division) ,

168-169, 181, 19 7Davis, Col Sam, 14 9Davis, W . C . ; illus ., 13 2Davisville, R . I ., 37, 4 3De, Mr . ; illus ., 14 5Dear John letters, 19 3DeBock, Chaplain R . G ., 33, 66 ; illus ., 1 3Declaration of Independence, 14 4DeGroot, Cdr W . W ., III ; illus ., 8 2Delleny, Lt Richard D ., 13 3Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), 8, 77, 80, 117-122, 125, 127 .

232


137-138, 144, 146, 148, 151, 153, 155-159, 178, 180, 196-198 ;illus ., 119, 17 9

Democratic Republic of Vietnam, 8-9, 14-15, 80 ; map ., xi iDemocratic Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, (See also

Viet Cong)Vietnamese Air Force, 8North Vietnamese Army (NVA), 77, 79, 117-122, 131, 137-13 8

147-148, 150-151, 157-159, 162-165, 178, 180-18 1North Vietnamese Army 323 B Division, 11 7

Dennis, LtCol Nick, 5 9DenominationsBuddhist, 13, 17, 22-23, 29, 65, 88-95, 100, 121, 141, 18 7Cao Dai, 6 5Christian Scientist, 83, 158, 19 6Confucianism, 10 0Eastern Orthodox, 39-40, 45, 56, 123, 143, 158, 19 6Episcopalian, 47, 52, 19 6Jewish, 39-40, 45-46, 52, 56, 83, 95, 97, 115, 143 ,

158, 19 6Latter Day Saints, 83, 158, 170, 19 6Lutheran, 83, 110, 196, 199Protestant, 4-7, 20, 24-25, 29, 45-47, 50, 54, 56, 59, 62 ,

64-65, 68, 78, 80, 86-87, 90, 94, 96, 110, 113, 117-118 ,120-121, 125, 130, 133, 138, 140, 152-153, 157-158, 187 ,189, 19 6

Reorganized Church of the Latter Day Saints, 40, 45, 19 6Roman Catholic, 4-8, 11, 13, 17-25, 29, 34, 35, 38, 42, 45-49 ,

54, 56, 60, 62, 64-66, 68, 70-71, 78, 86-87,89, 94, 96, 112 ,113, 115, 118, 120, 122, 125-126, 133, 138, 140, 146, 152 ,154, 157-158, 160-161, 165-166, 187, 189-190, 196, 200 ; il-lus ., 113, 19 8

Seventh Day Adventist, 158, 19 6Southern Baptist, 200Taoism, 10 0

Diem government, 8, 1 3Dien Bien Phu, 11 7Dieu Nhan Buddhist Orphanage of Hoi An, 18 7Dillon, Lt Thomas J ., 40, 89 ; illus ., 1 3Divine Services, 78, 127, 133, 158, 190, 199Division Drug Abuse Presentation Panel, 19 1Doctor Ba', 2 2Dom' Pagoda, 2 2Dong Da ARVN Basic Training Camp, 2 2Dong Den, 78, 11 0Dong Ha, 80, 115, 117-120, 122, 125-127, 129, 133, 137-138 ,

140, 144, 148, 151, 153, 155-156, 158, 167-168, 171-172 ,178, 196-197 ; illus ., 108, 113, 146, 147 ; map ., xii

Dong Ha Combat Base, 156, 19 7Dong Ha Memorial Chapel, 144 ; illus ., 14 7Dowd, Lt Patrick A ., 45-46, 68, 108Drug abuse, 191-19 4Dulacki, Col Leo J ., 96Ducks, Lt Max E ., 53, 72, 94, 12 5

Easter, 21, 61, 79, 84, 92, 94-97, 141-143, 163 ; illus ., 57 ,14 6

Eisenhower, President Dwight D ., 3 6English, BGen Lowell E ., 11 7Erickson, Lt Carl W ., 133

Eucharist, 16 2Evangelical Protestant Church of Hai Chau, 9 1

" Father-For-A-Day Program, " 1 0Father Hoa, 8Father Owens Memorial Post No . 1187, Catholic War Veterans, of

Newark, New Jersey, 96Feeley, BGen James A ., Jr ., (See also, Force Logistic

Command), 16 7Fenning, Capt Robert C ., 153, 156, 15 7Ferguson, Lt E . Blant, 132-13 3Ferris, PFC Richard E . ; illus ., 11 9Fields, MajGen Lewis J ., 112 ; illus ., 8 5Fighting Priest, (See Father Hoa )Filmeyer, Cdr Bernard G ., 15 3Fire Support Base Cunningham, 180Fire Support Base Neville, 180Fire Support Base Russell, 180-18 1Fisher, LtCol Joseph R . "Bull", 2 4Flanagan, Lt Robert A ., 128 ; illus ., 13 0Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, (FMFPac), 4, 7, 9, 23, 28, 34, 55 ,

61, 86-87, 101, 122, 15 3FMFPac Bulletin, 5 5FMFPac Force Chaplain ' s Newsletter, 12 1FMFPac, Commanding General, 100, 102FMFPac Headquarters, 33, 12 7Flying Tiger, 13 2Foxhole religion, 11 0Frame, LCpI Gary L . ; illus ., 14 1Franklin, LCdr Robert C ., 72, 94, 164Fredericks, LtCol Harold D ., 24French Foreign Legion, 19 6French Indo-China, 8French language, 6, 8 3French nuns, 2 1Fullilove, Lt Ray W ., 88 ; illus ., 13 2

Garretson, BGen Frank E ., 164, 19 7Garrett, RAdm Francis L ., 45, 49-56, 60, 67, 80-81, 84, 86 ,

92-96, 100-101, 112-115, 121, 123, 127-128, 193 ; illus ., 50 ,14 1

Geeza, LCdr Boris T ., 124-125 ; illus ., 108General Walt Scholarship Fund, 18 7Geneva Accords, 1954, 7, 17, 2 8German Peace Corps, 13 4Germany, 99, 13 4Gibbons, Cdr Martin F ., 56-57, 8 1Gibson, Capt William H . ; illus ., 144, 17 7Gibson, Lt William M ., 11, 33-34, 39-41, 66-67, 81 ; illus . ,

13, 14 4Gilbert Islands, 3Gio Linh, 42, 118, 15 1Gito, EOCN John, 14 5Glynn, Lt John J ., 45, 46, 60, 65, 94, 11 0Goad, LCdr John T ., 46, 48, 65, 86-8 8Goldstein, GySgt Myron E ., 9 6Good Friday, 142Goode, Lt James G ., Jr ., 192-19 3Goodwin, Cdr M ., 53 ; illus ., 13

INDEX

23 3

Gothard, Lt French M ., 8 2Graffam, Mrs . Everertt, 169Graham, Billy ; illus ., 5 7Graves registration, 12 3Greene, General Wallace M ., Jr ., 6 1Grochowski, Lt B . J ., 182, 200Grose, Lt Fayette P ., 17 0Guadalcanal, 3Guam, 2 5Guerilla Warfare, 11, 20, 34, 65, 72, 117, 13 7

Habiby, Lt S . J ., 200Haffey, Col E . H ., 13 0Hai Chu Evangelical Church, 4 1Hai Van Pass, 110, 125 ; illus ., 14 5Hammerl, Cdr Paul C ., 89, 92, 115 ; illus ., 13 2Hammond Electronic Organ, 12 5Hampton, Lt William R ., 162-16 3Handley, Lt Thomas B ., 67, 80, 11 7Hanoi, 16 8Hansen, Lt Roger K ., 72, 127Harnett, Lt Richard C ., 6 8Harris, Lt J . F ., 13 3Harris, Lt Randall S ., 11 7Harrison, Lt John G ., 11, 13-1 4Hathaway, Lt Dudley C ., 86-8 7Hawaii, 40, 47, 53, 84, 105, 122, 15 3Haywood, John, 4 1Haywood, Simone, 4 1Hedwall, Lt Ronald L, 12 5Heim, Lt Robert P ., 14-1 5Helicopter Valley, 11 8Heli-Padre, (See Lecky, LCdr H . F . )Hering, Dr . A . C., 3 5Hershberger, Cdr John R ., 127, 133, 153 ; illus ., 13 2

Hiep Duc, 6 6Highway 1, 46, 66, 93, 108, 112, 15 6Highway 9, 156Highway 19, 4 8Hill 22, 109Hill 54, 11 4Hill 55, 73, 108-109, 15 5Hill 69, 46Hill 124, 110Hill 268, 1 8Hill 327, 18, 54, 60, 95, 14 2Hill 358, 11 0Hill 364, 11 0Hill 381, 18 3Hill 400, 12 1Hill 558, 16 3Hill 861, 138-139, 146, 157, 16 2Hill 861-A, 16 3Hill 881 North, 138-139, 146-147, 157, 162Hill 881 South, 138-139, 146-147, 157, 16 2Hill 950, 157, 16 2Hillel Academy, Passaic, New Jersey, 9 6Hiskett, Lt Walter, 48-49, 66-70, 86-8 7Hoa Khanh, 166Hoa Khanh Catholic Village ; illus ., 132

Hoa Khanh Children's Hospital, 155, 166-169, 20 0Hoa Long, 4 2Hoang, Father Bernard Phu Van, 11 5Hochmuth, MajGen Bruno A ., (See also 3d Marine Division) ,

153-15 4Hockenauer, Maj Max J ., 65Hodges, Lt R . W., 34, 83 ; illus ., 1 3Hoi An, 112, 187 ; map ., xi iHollis, Cdr William F ., 43, 57-5 8Holy Scripture, 96Holy Supper, 5 5Holy Week, 92, 94Hong Kong, 41, 70, 14 9Honshu, Japan, 1 8Hope, Bob, 5 9Howard, LCdr Marvin W ., 47-48, 86Hubble, LCdr Nilus W ., 68, 73-74, 126, 16 4

Hue, 20-23, 41, 63, 78, 80, 92-93, 124, 140, 153, 155, 159 ,160, 165, 179 ; illus., 159 ; map ., xi i

Hue River, 20-2 1Huebschman, Lt Marlin E ., 164-16 5Hunkins, LCdr D . C ., 86Hunsicker, Lt David S ., 39, 56-57, 8 1Husby, LCdr Scott, 46

Immersion Foot, 6 7Indochina, 185International Orphans, Inc ., 186-18 7Iwakuni, 4, 7, 10-11, 26, 40-42, 49, 81, 88-89, 11 5

Iwo Jima, 6 4

Japan, 4, 8, 14, 18, 26, 40-41, 53, 5 6Japan, government of, 7Japanese, 64, 115, 14 2Jayne, Lt Edward E ., 25, 33, 43 ; illus ., 1 3Jewish High Holy Days, 115, 143, 15 8Jewish Prayer Book, 4 7Jewish Sea Stories, 9 6Johnson, Gen Harold K ., 13 7Johnson, President Lyndon, 13, 15, 18, 137, 16 0Joint Chiefs of Staff, 4Jones, Harry T ., 9 2Jones, Capt Robert Q ., 19-20, 22, 26, 28-29, 33, 35-36, 39-40 ,

49, 52-53, 86 ; illus ., 1 3Jungle Beachheads, 1 0

Kaelberer, LCdr John K ., 192, 200

-Kahal, Lt Philip F ., 45-47, 6 8Kane, Lt Brian E ., 86-8 7Kane, Lt Edward F ., 87, 119, 122, 13 1Kansik, LCpI Frederick D ., 17 8Karras, Cdr Nick S ., 39Katy, LCdr Charles C ., 53-54, 11 1Kearsley, Lt Preston, 17 0Keenon, LCdr John C ., 6 7Kelly . RAdm James W ., (See also Chief of Chaplains), 51 ,

60, 61, 84, 88, 104, 133, 153, 155, 156, 194, 196 ;illus ., 59

234


Kennedy, President John F ., 12, 20 1Kenny, LCdr Thomas P ., 72, 86-87, 112, 12 5Khammouanne, Laos, 14 8Khe Sanh, 80, 118, 120, 122, 127, 138-139, 146-147, 151 ,

154-155, 157, 162-164, 197 ; illus ., 106, 110, 11 2Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB), 156, 162-16 3Killed In Action (KIA), 41, 72, 123, 13 7King, Col John, 4 1Kinzler, LCdr Otto E ., Jr ., 72, 12 7Knapp, LCdr 9 5Korea, 45, 99, 104Korean Blue Dragon Brigade, 15 5Korean Marines, 13 1Korean War, 3, 48, 54-55, 62-63, 66, 74, 77, 137, 155 ,

161, 19 3Koster, MajGen Samuel, (See also USA Americal Division), 15 5Kroeze, Mr . and Mrs ., 19 6Krulak, LtGen Victor H ., (See also FMFPac), 23-24, 42 ,

61, 83, 100, 102, 10 5Ky Hoa, 9 1Ky Lam River, 11 1Ky Phu, 67-6 8Ky, Premier, 92-9 3Kyle, MajGen Wood B ., 106, 12 2

Ladies Auxiliary of the Pvt Edward L . Lipsky, Post No . 764, o fThe Jewish War Veterans, Flushing, New York, 9 6

Lan Cot Village, 197Landing Zone Stud, 139Lane, LCdr William A ., 20-21, 24Lang Vei, 15 7Laos, 79-80, 118, 120, 148, 153, 155-156, 162, 178, 179 ;

map ., xiiLast Rites, 49, 55, 65, 122-123, 138, 148, 150, 18 0Lavin, Capt Henry T ., 126-127, 138-139, 153, 199-200 ;

illus ., 58, 10 8Lay Leader, 4, 15 8Leatherneck Magazine, 14 5Lecky, LCdr H . F ., 14-15, 18-19, 33, 40-42 ; illus ., 13, 1 5Lemieux, Lt Earnest S ., 4-8, 112, 130-131, 184Lent, 14 3Leonard, Lt Merrill C ., 16 5Lepore, Lt John J ., 159, 199Lesher, Lt John Q ., 39, 5 7Liberty Bridge, 17 7Liberty Road, 12 5Lindemann, Cdr George D ., 10, 1 1Lionberger, LCdr Paul H ., 57, 59, 78, 83-84, 94, 11 0Litzenberg, LtGen Homer, 3Lodge, Henry Cabot, 17 3Loeffler, Lt Henry K ., 68-69, 86Lonergan, Capt Vincent J ., 15 3Long Beach, Ca ., 4 7Long, Lt Richard A ., 26, 48-49, 8 8Lord's Prayer, 128, 15 0Lord's Table, (See, altar)Lovejoy, LCpI, 15 0Lyon, Capt Earle V ., Jr ., 127-128, 133, 142, 15 3Lyons, Lt Richard M ., 160

McAuliffe, Lt Lawrence C, 181, 197McClintock, SgtMaj Ted E ., 178McCue, Lt Richard T, 8 9McCutcheon, BGen Keith B ., 54McDermott, LCdr Thomas J ., 108-109, 120, 200McDonnel, Capt James T ., 18 3McDonnel, Cdr John T., 15 3McElroy, LCdr John W ., 15 7McGonigal, Maj Aloysius P ., 16 1McGonigal, Cdr Richard A ., 101-102, 104-105, 107, 112, 194McGrogan, Lt Donald T ., 88, 92, 11 5McHorse, Lt George R ., 117-11 8McLean, Lt Peter D ., 34-35, 67, 83-84, 10 1McNamara, Lt John R ., 46, 48, 64-65, 8 7Malliett, Lt Lowell M ., 70, 86, 11 3Mandarin Chinese, 2 3Marble Mountain, 33-35, 37, 41-42, 60, 82, 94, 159, 16 5Marble Mountain Air Facility, 90 ; illus ., 17 2Marianas Island, 3Marijuana, 191, 194MCAS, El Toro, 47-4 8MCAS, Futema, Okinawa, 4-5, 1 8MCAS, Iwakuni, 4 2Marine Corps Birthday, 14, 5 4Marine Corps Civic Action Program (See Civic Action )Marine Corps Hymn (Marines Hymn), 18 3Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association, 186Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, 49, 15 3Marine Corps Units and Command sIII Marine Amphibious Force, 19-23, 26-29, 33, 36, 39-41, 45-46 ,

49-56, 60, 63, 67, 77, 80, 84, 86-87, 92-95, 101, 104 ,106-107, 113, 121, 123-128, 140, 142, 151-154, 167-168 ,183-187, 192, 196 ; illus ., 146

MAF Headquarters, 127, 133, 153, 18 8Marine Expeditionary Force, 31st Marine Brigade, 23, 4 09th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 15, 17-19, 52, 1429th MEB Command Group, 1 8Navy-Marine Corps Special Landing Force, 48, 64, 66, 68-70, 85 ,

117, 120 ; illus ., 14 2FMF Air1st Marine Aircraft Wing, 3-4, 7, 10, 19-20, 22-25, 34 ,40-43, 47, 49, 54, 81, 88-92, 95, 106, 153, 155, 170, 182 ,188, 19 1

3d Marine Aircraft Wing, 47-4 8Wing Headquarters, Marine Wing Headquarters Grou p

(MWHG-1), 40-42, 88-89, 18 7Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 11, 17, 40-41, 89, 91, 114, 12 3Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12, 17, 24, 26, 40, 47-48, 86, 89 ,

9 1Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12 MedCAP, 9 1Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 13, 26, 40, 47, 81, 88, 192, 19 3Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 15 ; illus ., 103Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 16, 5, 11, 14-19, 33-34, 37 ,

40-43, 82, 88-89, 90, 94, 100, 115, 159Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 16, Subunit 2, 19 6Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 17, 17 1Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 36, 17, 47-49, 64, 86, 88, 91 ;

illus ., 17 3Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 136, 6

INDEX

23 5

Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 161, 2 2Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 163, 8-10, 88-89 ,

100Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 362, 4, 6, 8Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 363, 42, 48-49Marine Air Base Squadron (MABS) 16, Subunit 2, 4-5, 8-10, 1 4

Marine Air Base Squadron (MABS) 36, 4 7Marine Wing Support Group (MWSG) 17, 115, 19 2FMF Ground1st Marine Division, 34, 56, 71, 84-88, 106, 112, 119, 122, 125 ,

129, 151, 154-155, 165-167, 177, 182-185, 196 ; illus ., 38 ,144

3d Marine Division, 3, 9, 14, 17, 19-23, 28-29, 33-36, 39, 43, 49 ,51, 54, 56, 59-61, 71, 77-78, 83-87, 106, 113, 117, 122 ,124-126, 129, 138-140, 151-158, 164, 170, 177-186 ,191-193, 198 ; illus ., 111, 170

5th Marine Division, 119-120, 16 4Task Force Delta, 68, 117, 119, 125-126Task Force X-Ray, 16 1Task Force Yankee, 17 8Force Logistic Command, 106, 118, 127-128, 132, 154-155 ,

166-17 2Force Logistic Support Group, 24-25, 39-40, 57, 66, 83, 86, 12 3Force Logistic Support Group Alpha, 34, 81-84, 170-17 1Force Logistic Support Group Bravo, 84, 170, 171 ; illus ., 17 13d Force Service Regiment, 84, 86, 15 4Regimental Landing Team 4, 24Regimental Landing Team 5, 8 6Regimental Landing Team 7, 46, 4 81st Marines, 86-87, 113, 131-132, 198 ; illus ., 105, 1981st Battalion, 54, 60, 71, 80, 85, 110, 112, 118, 16 0Company A, 8 0Company D, 60

2d Battalion, 66-67, 79-80, 83, 85, 117-11 83d Battalion, 68, 8 51st Marines Command Post, 11 2

1st Marines Regimental Command Group, 8 53d Marines, 17-20, 25, 43, 53-54, 66, 77-78, 138, 146, 178, 182 ,

1st Battalion, 18-19, 35, 77-78, 84-85, 93, 110, 118-119, 123 ,142, 166, 17 8

Company B, 18, 11 0Company C, 11 0Company D, 18, 11 0Security Company, 1 8

2d Battalion, 20-21, 55, 69-72, 77-78, 139, 146, 178, 18 2Company G, 139

3d Battalion, 24-25, 62, 66-67, 78, 138, 146, 160, 178, 182, 19 7Company I ; illus ., 10 9Company K, 138, 146Company M, 14 6

4th Marines, 17, 20-21, 23-24, 26, 46, 53, 72, 78, 87, 118, 120 ,125, 153, 164, 178, 182 ; illus ., 108, 113, 17 0

1st Battalion, 24, 45-46 ; illus ., 9 12d Battalion, 24, 45-46, 62, 65, 68, 87, 117-118, 120, 125-126 ,

182 ; illus ., 903d Battalion, 20-22, 61, 117-118, 121, 125, 19 7Company K ; illus ., 11 1Company M ; illus ., 17 9

4th Marines Command Post, 245th Marines, 3, 34, 56, 119, 149

1st Battalion, 113, 160, 161 ; illus ., 19 42d Battalion, 34, 119, 122-123, 125, 130-131, 160, 18 2Company K, 12 2

3d Battalion, 85, 117, 120, 159, 19 9Company M, 15 0

6th Marines, 37th Marines, 17, 24, 46, 48, 62, 65, 67, 78, 83, 85-87, 119 ,

130-131, 155 ; illus ., 8 91st Battalion, 24, 48, 64, 8 7Company A ; illus ., 14 9

2d Battalion, 24, 42, 48-49, 66-67, 87, 11 9H&S Company, 67Company F, 67-6 8Company G, 67-68

3d Battalion, 48, 64, 87, 119, 18 0Headquarters Battalion, 6 2

9th Marines, 17-19, 34-35, 42, 56, 77-78, 94, 108, 110, 120, 146 ,164, 178-182 ; illus ., 11 2

1st Battalion, 34, 60, 109, 120, 140, 162, 178, 19 2Company D, 10 9

2d Battalion, 35, 68, 108-109, 120, 139, 141, 15 7Company M, 3 5

3d Battalion, 18-19, 34, 63, 82-83, 94, 12 5Company I, 94Company K, 94Company L, 9 4Company M, 94

9th Marines Command Post, 10 911th Marines, 70, 140, 192, 20 01st Battalion, 112, 165, 18 24th Battalion, 16 57th Engineer Battalion, 25, 84, 85 ; illus ., 19 51st Medical Battalion, 86-87, 131, 15 51st Medical Battalion Aid Station, 8 71st Hospital Company, 16 5

12th Marines, 22, 43, 54, 84, 127, 146, 14 81st Battalion, 17 82d Battalion, 22, 72, 12 73d Battalion, 12 74th Battalion, 2 2

26th Marines, 119-120, 162, 1641st Battalion, 120, 162 ; illus ., 1062d Battalion, 120, 16 23d Battalion, 120, 157, 16 2

27th Marines, 120, 164-16 61st Battalion, 16 52d Battalion, 164-16 53d Battalion, 16 5

1st Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, 129, 155, 18 2Headquarters, 3d Marine Division, 33, 40, 52, 95, 101, 129, 140 ,

156, 18 21st Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 53, 84, 12 51st Engineer Battalion, 16 51st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, Battery B, 8 91st Military Police Battalion, 1061st Motor Transport Battalion, 87, 11 91st Reconnaissance Battalion, 128, 188 ; illus ., 19 51st Tank Battalion, 16 53d Antitank Battalion, 53, 8 43d Engineer Battalion, 59, 192

236


3d Medical Battalion, 25, 43, 123, 139, 14 0Company A, 19, 22, 63, 73, 80, 123, 16 0Company B, 24, 45-46, 63, 71-72, 86-8 7Company C, 32, 35, 41, 62-63, 66, 94, 110-111, 122, 163, 18 1

3d Military Police Battalion, 170-17 13d Motor Transport Battalion, , 53, 84, 1923d Reconnaissance Battalion, 24, 1293d Tank Battalion, 53, 58, 84Company A, 24

5th Communications Battalion, 57-58, 170-17 1Officer's Club, Fifth Communications Battalion, 587th Communications Battalion, 16 59th Motor Transport Battalion, 1921st Marine Division, 1st Hospital Company, 165 ; illus ., 14 31st Marine Division Protestant Chapel Fund, 18 83d Marine Division Band, 9 53d Marine Division, Division Drug Abuse Committee, 19 13d Marine Division Memorial Children's Hospital, 166-16 95th Marines Civic Response Council, 1887th Marines Lay Leader Conference, 130-13 17th Bulk Fuel Company and Ammunition Supply Point 1, 17 1Airstrip Defense Battalion, 3 4Maintenance Battalion, Da Nang, 170-17 1III Marine Amphibious Force Brig, 17 0III MAF Force Order 1730 .1, 5 0III MAF Force Order 1730,3A, 10 7III MAF High School Scholarship Fund, 186-18 7III MAF Operations Order 201 ., Annex H, 10 7III MAF Platoon Leaders Personal Response Notebook, 104-10 6III MAF Vietnamese Education Scholarship Fund, 115, 172, 18 6III MAF Standing Operating Procedures, 18 3Marine Recruiting Station, Hong Kong, 15 0Marines Prayer, 17 8Marist College Theologate, Washington, D .C ., 163Marshall Islands, 3Maryknoll missionaries, 11 2Maryknoll Seminary, Bedford, Maine, 14 9Maryknoll Seminary College, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, 14 9Maryknoll Seminary, New York, New York, 14 9Mass, 5-6, 18, 21, 25-26, 46, 49, 56, 59-60, 65, 70, 78, 80-81 ,

91, 94, 109, 118, 124, 133-134, 144, 157, 163, 182, 198, il -lus ., 58, 90, 108, 130

Mass Kit, 41, 56, 70, 154, (See also Mass )Mass vestments, 4 1Masterpool, LtCol William, 11 8Matthew, Father, 12 1Matzoh, 96Med-evac, 72-73, 139, 148, 157, 18 1Medical Civic Action Program (MedCAP), 140, 18 6Meehan, Lt Conon J ., 130-131, 133, 149Mekong Delta, 4, 14 4Mekong River, 4Memorial Day, 123 ; illus ., 8 5Memorial Services, 10, 14, 130, 138, 162, 164, 17 3Merchant Marines, United States, 15 5Meschke, LCdr David L ., 12 0Metzbower, Lt F .X ., 200Metzger, Cdr Earnest E ., 11, 15 3Midnight Mass, (See, Mass )Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, 7, 9, 46, 50, 70, 160

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Chaplains Division, 9Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Office of Informatio n

16 6Military Provincial Hospital Assistance, 18 5Military Sea Transport Service, 15 4Min Long, 124Miritjal, Lt Frank D . ; illus ., 19 8Missionaries, 28, 92, 112, 13 3Mr . Lee, 4 1Mitchell, Lt K .A . ; illus ., 13 2Mole, Cdr Robert L ., 100-102, 104Monkey Mountain, 9 0Monkey Mountain, POL, 8 2Monsoon season, 4-5, 23, 37, 54, 118, 128, 173, 177, 197Montagnards, 80, 120, 19 7Moody, Lt R .C ., 12 5Morton, Capt Frank R ., 51-56, 60, 68, 78, 83-87, 94, 96, 110 ,

118, 121, 125, 127, 196Moses, 9 5Mueller, Lt David A ., 17 1Mueller, Bishop, 9 5Muenzler, Lt Leroy E ., Jr ., 21-2 3Muir, Col, 6 2Muo Douc ; illus ., 149Murray, Lt George P ., 37-38, 5 7Mutter's Ridge, 118, 121, 125, 127, 17 8Myatt, LCdr Bobby W ., 160, 19 7

National Association of Evangelicals, 16 8National Guard, 13 9National Jewish Welfare Board, 96Nativity Scene, 5 6Navy League, 11th Region, 18 6Navy, United States, 17, 19, 35, 38-40, 51, 90, 99, 101, 140, 142 ,

148, 155, 167-168, 176, 185-18 6Amphibious Task Force 76, 1 8Task Group 76 .7, 2 0Marine Task Unit 79 .3 .5, 4Amphibidus Ready Group, 66-70, 85, 12 0Landing Ship Flotilla 1, 3 9

Navy Ships, U .S .USS Arlington (AGMR1), 15 6USS Belle Grove, 25

USS Comstock (LSD 19), 4 7USS Eldorado (AGC 11), 6 7USS Henrico (APA 45), 18, 2 0USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2), 4 8USS La Salle, 15 4USS Linawee (APA 195), 2 0USS Montrose, 6 9USS Mount McKinley (AGC 7), 1 8USS Muliphen (AKA 61), 4 8USS Navarro (APA 215), 3 9USS Okanagan (APA 220), 3 9USS Paul Revere (APA 1248), 66LSD Point Defiance, 2 5USS Princeton (LPH 5), 4, 14, 47, 6 4USS Repose (AH 16), 63, 67, 70, 83, 121, 15 5USS Talledega (APA 205), 25, 4 8USS Union (AKA 106), 18, 20

INDEX

23 7

USS Valley Forge (LPH 8), 67, 69, 15 5USS Vancouver (LPD 2), 18, 20-2 1

Naval Construction Regiment 30, 13 2Naval Cosntruction Regiment 31, 43Construction Battalion, Atlantic Fleet Headquarters, 4 3Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, 82, 132Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3, 20, 25, 43, 13 3Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, 43, 132 ; illus ., 14 5Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7, 80, 13 3Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 8, 43, 57-58, 13 3Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 9, 37-38, 57, 82, 12 4Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 10, 20, 24-25, 13 3Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11, 82, 94Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40, 13 2Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 58, 82, 13 2Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 62, 13 3Bureau of Naval Personnel, 18 3Chief of Naval Personnel, 94Field Medical Service School, 53, 12 7Medical Corps, 36, 62, 65, 69, 81, 94, 111, 123, 138, 145, 152 ,

156, 166, 167, 169, 180, 189 ; illus ., 14 7Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, 4 8Naval Beach Group, 3d Shore Party Battalion, 2 4Naval Component Command, 19, 56, 80Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, 122, 15 4Naval Hospital, Oakland, California, 12 2Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 15 4Naval Station, Key West, Florida, 2 2Naval Support Activity, Da Nang, 37, 39, 43, 56-57, 80-81, 83 ,

106, 144, 186, 196Naval Support Activity, Saigon, 142, 144, 14 8Personal Response Office, 15 8Navy Regulations, 5 5NCO Leadership School, 10 5Nelson, Cdr Everett B ., 43, 132-13 3New Year's Celebration, 15 1Newark, New Jersey, 9 6Newman, LCdr Warren W., 102-103, 105Nguyen, Vice Air Marshall Cao Ky, 1 7Nguyen, Reverend Dang, 7-8 ; illus ., 7Nguyen Thi Khang "Gwen", 168-16 9Nha Trang, 6 3Nha Trang Bible College, 18 7Nichols, Lt Louis, 17 0Nickerson, MajGen Herman, Jr ., 12 2Nimitz, Fleet Admiral Chester W., 3Nixon, President Richard M ., 173, 178, 182, 184Nobles, Lt Bryant R ., Jr ., 18 2Northern Training Area, Okinawa, 20, 3 4North Vietnam, (See Democratic Republic of Vietnam )North Vietnamese, 14, 18, 6 8

O'Connor, Cdr John J ., 19-20, 26-28, 33, 39, 52-53, 63, 86 ;illus ., 13, 27, 129, (See also Chief of Chaplains)

O ' Connor, Col Thomas J ., "Big Tom", 41-4 2O'Neil, Lt Michael L ., 164-16 5Okuma, Okinawa, 2 0Okinawa, 5, 9, 17-24, 28-29, 34, 40, 52, 56, 68, 70, 78 ,

83-87, 105, 154, 178, 182, 185

Oliver, Lt Preston C ., 125, 138, 20 0Ondo, LCdr Michael A ., 12 3Operations, U.S .

Allen Brook, 16 5Blue Marlin I, 64, 6 6Blue Marlin II, 64, 6 6Bold Mariner, 17 7Deckhouse, 12 0Deckhouse IV, 120Dewey Canyon, 177-17 8Double Eagle I, 64, 68, 71, 8 3Double Eagle II, 64, 68-71, 8 3Georgia, 7 2Golden Fleece, 6 6Harvest Moon, 66-67, 70, 11 1Hastings, 117-119, 196 ; illus ., 14 7Hilltop, 6 8Hue City, 160-16 1Indiana, 64, 8 7Jackson, 13 0Jackstay ; illus ., 142Kern, 12 5Liberty, 111-11 2Macon, 12 5"Operation Mail Call : Vietnam for any Marine", 60Medina ; illus ., 10 5Mississippi, 12 5Napoleon-Saline, 19 7Oakland, 13 0Orange, 7 8Oregon, 80Pawnee I, 12 1Pawnee II, 12 1Pawnee III, 12 1Pegasus, 16 4Piranha, 64-6 5Prairie, 118-119, 120-122, 196; illus., 119, 14 6Prairie I, 11 8Rice Straw, 62, 6 6Save-A-Leg, 18 4Shufly, 3-17, 28, 34, 81, 100, 142, 196 ; illus ., 1 2Silver Lance, 100, 10 2Starlite, 62, 64Swift, 15 0Taylor Common, 177-17 8Triple Play, 66Virginia, 80Virginia Ridge, 177

Orientation School, 10 5Osborn, Lt R .C . ; illus ., 1 3Pace, Cpl George A ., 144-145 ; illus ., 146, 14 7Page, Lt Dewey V ., 189-190Palm Sunday, 163, 17 8Paris, 17 3Parker, Lt Charles R ., 160-16 1Parris Island, South Carolina, 39, 5 0Passover, 94-97, 14 3Passover cards, 95-96Paulson, LCdr George E ., 8 1Pearson, Lt Paul W ., 87, 119

238


Pegnam, Lt John W., 69 ; illus ., 14 2Peloquin, Lt Anthony R ., 5-6, 10-1 1Pennsylvania, 16 3Pepera, Lt Alfred S ., 8 1People-to-People Program, 36Perfume River, 160-16 1Personal Action Committees, 19 2Personal Response Project, 99-108, 112, 124, 172, 183-187Pesach, 96Pfannenstiel, Lt James D ., 15 4PhibRon 5, 64, 6 8Philippines, 68, 186Phuoc Thanh Orphanage, 166, 200Pho Hai, 11 7Phong Dien, 12 1Phu An, 12 2Phu Bai, 20, 23, 40, 46, 63, 77-80, 83, 87-88, 93, 108, 115, 118 ,

120, 122, 124, 126, 129, 133, 139-142, 153, 158, 170, 172 ,196 ; illus ., 57, map, xi i

Phu Bai Combat Base, 16 0Phu Loc, 16 0Phuoc Quang ; illus ., 82"Pig Project", 18 6Pierce, Lt J .J ., 20 0Pilarski, Lt P .R ., 20 0Pleiku, 15, 18, 48Popular Force Platoon, 2 1Popular Force Troops, 22, 18 8Port Hueneme, California, 37, 4 3Potolosky, HM3 Bruce ; illus ., 10 7Powell, Cdr James A ., 117-118, 120, 125, 12 7Powell, Cdr Willie D ., 64Presidential election, 1 4Presidental Inaugural Address, 20 1Project Handclasp, 15 1Protestant Chapel Fund, 50Provincial Hospital, Quang Tri City, 16 8Punji traps, 6 7

Quang Nam Province, 8, 82, 152, 177, 18 1Quang Ngai City, 68, 11 4Quang Ngai Province, 25, 68, 159, 189, 191 ; map, xi iQuang Tin Province, 70, 149, 189, 19 1Quang Tri, 80, 105, 115, 117, 119, 122, 146, 148, 151-152 ,

155-156, 158, 168, 177-178, 188, 191, 196-198, 200 ; map ,xii

Quang Tri Combat Base, 167-168Quang Xuyen ; illus ., 14 2Que An, 67Que Bac Pagoda, 93Que Son, 66-67, 18 3Qui Nhom, 17, 42, 48-49, 85, 87-8 8Quonset huts, 37, 8 3

Radasky, Lt Robert M, 39-40, 83, 123-124, 12 7Rademacher, Capt Glen A ., 18 3Raid School, 34Raye, Martha, 5 6Razorback, 127

Reasoner, 1stLt Frank, 2 1Red Beach, 166, 170-17 1Red Beach 1, 2 1Red Beach 2, 1 8Red Cross, 7 8Reiner, Lt Robert L ., 40, 52, 83-84, 95-96, 115 ; illus ., 10 7Reiter, Lt Charles L ., 26, 48, 89, 9 1"The Religions of South Vietnam in Faith and Fact" , 102"Religions of Vietnam " , 10 1Religious Instruction, 6" Religiously Based Customs of Vietnam " , 10 1Reorganized Church of the Latter Day Saints Vietnam Newslette r

40Republic of Vietnam, 5, 7-8, 10, 13-14, 17-18, 20-21, 23, 25, 36 ,

40, 43, 48, 51, 53, 58, 64, 65, 68-69, 88, 100, 115, 117 ,137, 140-141, 151-152, 167-168, 186, 198 ; illus ., 170, map ,xii

Republic of Vietnam Armed Force sArmy of the Republic of Vietnam, 4, 6, 7, 21, 23, 64-67, 91, 93 ,

117, 131, 140, 160, 164, 177, 187-18 8ARVN 1st Division, 9 3ARVN 2d Regiment, 168ARVN 2d Division, 10, 93ARVN "Roughrider", 9 3

Republic of Vietnam, government of, 17, 17 7Requiem High Mass, 10, 49Retreats, 20Revolutionary Development Program, 102, 152-15 3Richards, Lt Gerald T ., 42, 88, 9 1Richmond County, New York, 149Rickel, Cdr Elihu H ., 6- 7Ridgway, Gen Matthew B ., 3River Patrol Forces, 144, 14 8Riverside Methodist Hospital, California, 4 0Roberts, MajGen Carson A ., 4Roberts, Lt Harold M . ; illus ., 19 4Robertshaw, MajGen, 102Robertson, MajGen Donn J ., 159 (See also 1st Marine Division )Rock Crusher, 12 4Rockpile, 118, 120, 127, 138, 156, 158, 182, 197 ; illus ., 109, 17 9Roman Catholic Archbishop, 2 2Rosales, LCpI ; illus ., 7 1Rosary Service, 4, 15 8Rosemary Point, 13 3Roswog, Lt Paul E ., 22-2 3Route 9, 80, 139, 155-15 7Roy, Lt Raymond A ., 56, 11 2Rubino, Lt Salvatore, 17 9Rung Sat Special Zone ; illus ., 14 2Running, Lt Paul H ., 18, 19, 33, 35-36, 77 ; illus ., 1 3Rushing, LCdr L . Wayne, 17 0Rushkowsky, Maj, 4 1Rutherford, Lt James H ., 157, 164Ryan, Joseph E ., 144-145, 153, 200 ; illus ., 146, 14 7

Sabbath services, 83, 11 0Sacred Heart Orphanage, 91, 141, 18 7Saigon, 8, 15, 17, 35, 38, 63, 65, 120, 144, 155, 200, map, xi iSaigon Navy Hospital, 3 6St . John Haywood, (See also Haywood, John)

INDEX

239

St . Patrick's Cathedral, New York, 60Saltzman, Lt David J ., 115 ; illus ., 107, 13 2Samuel J . Goldfarb Foundation of Sarasota, Florida, 9 6Santa Ana, California, 4 7Saravane, 11 7Saygers, Lt Thomas A ., 82, 9 4Scanlon, 54, 60, 67, 80, 110-11 1Schneider, Cdt Otto, 107"Sea Swallows", (See Father Hoa)Seabees, 17, 20, 24-26, 33, 37-39, 43-44, 58, 81-82, 124, 131 ,

143, 151, 166-167, 177, 188, 194, 196, (See also NavalMobile Construction Battalions )

Seder, 95-97Seeland, Lt Arthur D ., 40, 54, 66-67, 7 8Seibert, LCdr John F ., 157-158, 16 3Seiders, Cdr, Marlin D ., 125-126, 139, 153, 200 ; illus ., 13 2Seim, LCdr James E ., 39-40, 49, 52, 54, 5 7Seng Bo Dien River; illus ., 9 217th Parallel, 8, 13 8Shapley, LtGen Alan W ., 4 (See also FMFPac )Sheldon, Lt George M ., 24-25, 13 3Shema, 9 5Shwanz, EAD3 Allan ; illus ., 10 7Sims, LCdr Floyd E ., 117-118, 120-121, 125, 200Sisters of Providence, 8Sisters of St . Paul De Charters, 35, 18 7Slattery, Capt Edward A ., 57, 13 3Smith, Lt Charles G ., 17 0Smith, LCdr Eugene M ., 24-25, 62, 66, 7 8Smith, Pastor G .H ., 10, 15 6Smith, Lt Hugh D ., 11-12, 8 8Smith, Bishop W . Angie, 14 1Smithson, lstLt John, 18 7Snoddy, Col L. F ., Jr ., 13 1Soc Trang, 4-9, 10 0Soc Trang Airstip, (See Soc Trang)Society of Mary, 16 3Socks, Father ; illus ., 13 2Solomon Island, 3South China Sea, 37, 58-59, 153, 156, map, xi iSoutheast Asia, 13, 61, 88, 18 5"Southeast Asia Religious Research Project " , 100-10 2Southern Baptist Convention, 13 3South Vietnamese, 82-83, 88, 158, 175, 195, 197South Vietnamese Popular Forces, 15 2Sparks, Col Michael M ., 17 8Spanish Language, 8 3Speisel, Maj W .J ., 9 6Spellman, Cardinal Francis, 59-60 ; illus ., 58Spencer, LCdr Carrol R ., 179Spicer, PFC Jonathon Nathaniel, 163Standing Operating Procedure for Chaplain Service, 14 1Star of David, 19 6Stars and Stripes, 120-12 1Stevenson, Cdr Neil M ., 107, 183-184Stewart, Lt Lisle E ., 86, 122-12 3Stubbe, LCdr Ray W ., 162-163 ; illus ., 106, 17 5Struggle Forces, 92-93Sukiran, 154Sullivan, Capt Mark, 183

Supervisory Chaplains Conference 1966, 4 5Supple, Lt Colin E ., 20-2 1Swanson, Capt Eugene S ., 186-18 7Swierenga, Lt Raymond, 6 8Switzerland, 4 1Tactical Zone sI Corps, 8-10, 13-14, 20-23, 26, 28, 36, 37, 40, 45-50, 56, 60 ,

62, 77-83, 92-94, 97, 101, 104, 107, 113, 117, 119, 122 ,138-148, 151-155, 158-161, 168, 170, 184-188, 192-197 ,200, map, xi i

II Corps, 48, 144, 148, 151, map, xi iIII Corps, 144, 14 8IV Corps, 144, 14 8

Taiwan, 115, 149Takesian, LCdr Eli, 15 1Tam Ky, 10, 70, 159, map, xi iTanke, LCpI, 150Taylor, LCdr Gerard W ., 47-48, 64-65, 86, 9 1Taylor, LtCol W ., 94Tea, Lt Clark A . Jr ., 13 9Ten Month Syndrome, 12 7Tet Offensive, 157-161, 165, 178, 187 ; illus ., 15 9Thailand, map, xiiThanksgiving Day, 54, 6 1The Army Area Handbook, 10 0The Book of Common Prayer, 4 7"The Holy City", 9 5" The Impact of Indigenous Religions Upon U .S . Militar y

Operations Under All Conditions", 10 0"The History of United States Army Chaplainy 1945-197 5

Vol . 5, 16 1"The Invisible Church", 145-14 6"The Night War", 5 4The Observer newspaper, 16 6"The Role of Chaplains in a Multi Battalion Operation " 7 3Thi, General, 9 2Thilking, Cdr, George S ., 24, 4 5Tho, Reverend, 14 0Thornberry, Lt Robert V ., 1 4Threadgill, Lt Cecil R ., 91, 11 4Thu Bon River, 125, 17 7Thua Thien Province, 20, 80, 117, 152, 156, 19 1Thuan, Reverend Francis, 23 (See also Chancellor of th e

Archdiocese of Hu eThuong Duc, 12 4Tich Tay, 9 1Tich Thinh Gias ; illus ., 13 2Tien Phuec, 11 4Tien Sha, 3 9Tiger Division of the Republic of Korea, 4 8Tillett, Lt George F ., 43, 56-5 8Time Magazine, 7 7Timmes, Gen Charles J ., 4Tin Lanh Evangehical Church, Da Nang, 41, 9 1Tin Lanh Evangelical Church, Soc Trang, 3, 7-8 ; illus ., 7Tine Lanh School, 11 4Tipton, LCdr Richard M ., 41-42, 8 8Toland, Lt Paul L ., 17, 19, 33, 40, 42, 8 8Tompkins, MajGen Rathvon M ., 154 (See also 3d Marine Divi-sion)

240


Toner, Lt Edward R ., 11 3Tonkin, Gulf of, 14-1 5"Top Sacred Operation Sunrise", 9 4Tori Teller, 4 2Tourane, 8Trans World Airlines, 2 1Tripler General Hospital, 12 2Trower, Capt Ross, 18 8Trucci, Joseph, 4Tubbs, Joseph, 18 5Tunnel!, LtCol Robert, 3 5Tun Tavern of the 12th Marines ; illus ., 16 9

United Church Women of Hawaii ; illus ., 14 2United Press International, 14 2United States Agency for International Development, 18 5United States Department of Defense, 13, 17 3University of Texas, 5 8Urbano, LCdr F .J ., 138, 146, 200Usenza, Lt R .J ., 86-87 ; illus ., 1 3Utter, LtCol Leon, 48, 66-6 7

Van Tassel, LCdr Lowell W ., 17 8Van Tuong Peninsula, 6 2Vandegrift Combat Base, 156, 164, 18 1Veddern, Cpl Charles M., 15 4Vernon LCdr Clarence Albert, 19, 33, 35, 6 3Vertical Envelopment, 24, 66, 79, 9 3Veterans Administration Hospital, Muskogee, Oklahoma, 14 1Viet An, 66Viet Cong, 8, 10-15, 18-19, 21, 23, 25, 33-38, 41-42, 44-48, 57 ,

62, 64-68, 73, 78, 79, 88, 93, 95, 108, 109, 117, 120-121 ,138, 148, 152, 159, 165, 177 196 ; illus ., 17 7

80th Viet Cong Battalion, 67-6 81st Viet Cong Regiment, 62, 66

Vietnamese Catholic Church, Soc Trang, 5Vietnamese Government, 4, 7 7Vietnamese I Corps Chief of Staff, 1 0Vietnamese Popular Forces, 2 3Village Assistance Teams, 185-18 6Vinson, Lt Richard P ., 10-1 1Visocky, Lt B .T ., 200Vogel, Cdr Leroy E ., 183-184Volz, LCdr Anthony C ., 166, 170, 20 0Vung Mau Peninsula, 8

Walker, Lt John F ., 18-19, 33-36, 6 3Walsh, Right Reverend Monsignor James J ., 17 8Walt, LtGen Lewis W., 20, 22, 28, 41, 49, 51, 54 63, 80, 93 ,

95-96, 117, 133, 145-146, 166, 185, 187 ; illus ., 50, 79, 146

" Walt ' s Vault " , 5 2Ward, Lt T .G ., 40 ; illus ., 1 3Washington, D .C ., 24, 105, 160-16 1Wattigny, Lt Bede, 12 0Weapons and VehiclesAK-47 rifle, 182Browning Automatic Rifle, 6M-1 rifle, 6M16 rifle, 18 281mm mortars, 57, 11 882mm mortars, 16 0122mm rockets, 16 0Satchel Charges, 18 1Amtrac, 59, 62, 69, 108-109, 19 7Tanks, 108-10 9Torpedo Boats, 1 4Mike Boats, 6 8

Weaver, Lt John F ., 115 ; illus ., 13 2Weaver, Lt William D ., 162, 200Weeks, Lt Robert M ., 129-13 0Wendler, Lt Herman F ., 12, 81, 9 2Westling, Lt Lester L ., Jr ., 139-14 0Westmoreland, Gen William, 28, 13 7Whisman, LtCol Emil L ., 17 8Whitaker, LCdr Frederick E ., 61 ; illus ., 179White Beach, 2 0"White Elephant" Building, 39, 5 7Wilcox, Lt Edward, 2 0Willard, LCdr Melville F ., 18 1Williams, HM3 Ronald L ., illus ., 14 3Wilson, Lt John J ., 138-13 9Wissing, Capt John L ., 56, 71, 85-87, 112-11 3Witt, Lt George R ., 78, 93, 110, 119-120Wood, Lt Robert F ., 83 ; illus ., 13 2"Woodstock", 19 1World Evangelical Crusade, Da Nang, 41, 43, 13 3World Relief Commission, 168-16 9World War II, 3, 24-25, 36, 48, 63-64, 74, 77, 79, 120, 137, 154 ,

155, 160, 19 3Wounded in Action (WIA), 41, 7 2Wright, LCdr William J ., 88-91, 11 5

Yankee Station, 19 7Yom, Kipper, 115 ; illus ., 106Youngdale, MajGen Carl A ., 167 (See also III Marine Am-

phibious Force

Zobel, Lt Fred R ., illus ., 14 5Zoller, Capt John E ., 157, 164, 168, 178-179, 181, 183, 191, 193

* U .S . GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1985 - 477-614

Chaplains With Marines in Vietnam 1962-1971%20PCN 19000309

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