Presentation from Sgt Thompson for
Sgt Buba July-2023
Camp Pendleton CA Meeting
Last
updated: June 9, 2023
Sgt. David B. Thompson
During his 3 and 1/2 years active duty (1966-1969 in the U.S. Marine
Corps, Sgt. Thompson served in 5th Force Reconnaissance (state side
1967) and 1st Force Reconnaissance (Vietnam 1968-1969)
MOS
0326 Reconnaissance Man, Parachute and Combatant Diver Qualified
Sgt Thompson's personal decorations
include:
Scuba Badge
Navy/Marine Parachutist
Silver Star Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation
Stateside 5th Force Training
- Jump School
- Amphibious Reconnaissance School LFTC PAC
- Forward Observer and Artillery School
- Mountain Warfare School
- NCO Leadership School
- Scuba School
- Sub Training
- Swift boats
Vietnam 1968-1969 1st Force Reconnaissance
Total Patrols: 30 Total
Dives: 5
Vietnam 1st Dive to Last Dive
Hue City Tet 1968 My First Combat Dive
Front: LCpl William SHAW, Cpl Edward UNKEL, Capt.Frederick VOGEL, Cpl David B.THOMPSON
Rear: LCpl Robert SCHMITT, Cpl Robert BUDA, HM3 Robert SCHOELKOPF, Sgt Robert HUGHES,Cpl Clifford DOBSON
These
photographs were from 1st Force Recon Dive Team under team leader and
Dive Officer, Capt. F.J. Vogel. Tasked to conduct combat diving
operations in support of OPERATION HUE CITY to determine the presence
and location of enemy explosive charges rigged on eight different
bridges. The team consisted of 1 officer, 7 enlisted marines and 1 USN
Corpsman, leaving from Phu Bai via convoy on 24Feb and returning 26 Feb
1968. The one thing I remember the most was the water was damn
cold diving on the Perfume River bridge (aka White Bridge) on Feb. 24th
but I did seem to "warm up" with the incoming enemy small arms and
mortar fire.
Dive
Order
D01-68 Diving Mission Capt VOGEL,FJ 54.5hrs
24-Feb-68 26-Feb-68 Phu Bai,RVN
An Hoi - My Last Combat Dive - Feb 1969
Sgt Thompson preparing for Dive My
buddy diver & security w/hut over shoulder Our
support going after NVA
right before NVA .51 Cal opened up where .51 cal walked rounds
across the water at us
No
Dive
Order found
Tasked with the recovery of three USMC grunts who drown crossing
the river.
Due that the "SECURE AREA" was not Secure, another dive
team recovered the three Marines the next day.
And soon after "short timer" Sgt Thompson would head to Danang to catch
his flight home after his 13 month tour
An Hoi - My Last Patrol -
January 11, 1969 to January 12, 1969
Here are two of my Team photos as there is not one for the 2-69
Patrol
Front Sgt David THOMPSON**,Cpl Kenneth FEO, PFC Jon "Frenchy" GREENE**,PFC Robert MARR**
Rear PFC Richard FLEMING**, Cpl McGUIRE,HM3 Armond TRAINO Corpsman,Cpl Joseph MURPHY Sec. Radioman
The ** shows who was on the 2-69
Patrol
Front PFC Robert Thurman**, PFC Robert MARR**
Middle PFC Richard FLEMING**, PFC Jon "Frenchy" GREENE**, PFC Edward J. BOWMAN
Rear Sgt. John McDonough (Sgt Thompson's replacement), PFC Glenn GRIGGS**, PFC GRANT**
Photographs
were from 1st Force Recon Company at An Hoa, practicing the use, what
most called the SIMMONS Ladder (got it's name for Major R.E. Simmons
our CO). I called it the "flying ladder" but in truth it was it was the
"life saver from the sky" when on January 12, 1969, on a nasty mission
all my Team Forefather made it out alive, due to ladder, my friend Sgt.
Robert Buda (who received his third PURPLE HEART from that trip) from
1st Force Recon who rigged the ladder and came along to assist CH-46
chopper pilot on both trips.
Capt. Laurence Adams (for his actions received the NAVY CROSS),
his co-pilot 1stLt Gerald "Gerry" Balckbird and
his crew chief Cpl. James H. Tyler both awarded the Silver Star. They
(and all the others that assisted including one great Patrol Team and
Operations Officer Andy Finlayson were the reason I am here
today! We were the first team from 1st Force Recon to use the
ladder under combat conditions, Cpl Carver shown in a photo below was
the second to use the ladder, but we would not be the last.
Sgt. David B. "Tom" Thompson, Patrol Leader 11th Platoon "Forefather"
And on behalf of the team: PFC Richard Fleming, Private Grant, PFC Jon
Pierre "Frenchie" Greene, PFC Glenn Griggs,
PFC Robert Thurman, PFC Robert Marr and HM3 'Doc' Welch"
A
CH-46
Chopper
The
cable rigging up from the bottom hatch
Rolled
up ladder on the
tail
Mounting
and snap in with rappel seat & clip
Then
up & away - under fire adds other elements Sgt
THOMPSON, Cpl CARVER, Major SIMMONS
explaining the ladder to Lt.General Buse
Those involved but not pictured
Capt.
Laurence Adams (above) along with co-pilot
1stLt Gerald "Gerry" Blackbird and
his crew chief Cpl. James H. Tyler made two trips to retrieve my team,
after the first attempt with another Chopper & crew tried using
with the Jungle Penetrator
failed under the heavy fire. Sgt. Buda was also on board to
assist. Capt Adams & crew plus Sgt Buda knew what they were heading
into but for the SIMMONS
RIG (which never been used nor approved for usage in combat.
My
friend Sgt. Robert Buda (who received his third PURPLE HEART from that
trip -(Bob never always reported his WIA's) from 1st Force Recon who
rigged the ladder and came along to
assist CH-46 chopper pilot on both trips. I was trained by Sgt. Buda
state side with 5th Force Recon and joined up with he later in Vietnam
with 1st Force Recon and we were on Hue City dive in Feb/1968 and he
was helping pull my team out of harms way on my last patrol in
Jan/1969.
Lt.
Andrew FINLAYSON
1st
Force Team Leader of KILLER KANE on second tour of duty was Operations
Officer of 1st Force Recon, and he retired and a Colonel. He was the
person that developed the SIMMONS
RIG,
the training of it's use and the person then ensured that it was
available for our extraction. For those in
Recon.,
Team Killer Kane was the Team that we told stories about.
What starts it all, above the FAG order in this case 2-69 (The 2nd
patrol order of 1969 for 1st Force Recon)
and the white clipping from the OP Order.
After the Team Leader gets the Frag order he lets the team know who
will on the
patrol (I normally other ran a 8 man team) and we all get the material
that will be needed: Food C-rats and water for length of patrol, normal
equipment, ammo, frags, fresh batteries for the two PRC-25, etc.
The team leader get sets of maps for the assigned area and water proofs
them, the radiomen get the Primary/Alt Freqs & call signs for the
team and also for artillery.
Team armed M-16's, 200 rounds ammo for each, Frag, smoke & CS
grenades, gas masks, M-79 and rounds for one man, M1 bag for the
"Doc", 2 Claymore for the team, rope for swiss seat w/ snap link
for all, one 7x50 binoculars for Team leader, plus misc. equipment.
So let's start Sgt Thompson's last long range patrol and see how things
turn out.
Day 1
On Jan 11th 1969 Team Forefather with Team Leader Sgt. Thompson with PFC
Richard Fleming, Private Grant, PFC Jon
Pierre "Frenchie" Greene, PFC Glenn Griggs, PFC Robert Thurman, PFC
Robert Marr and HM3 'Doc' Welch" board
the CH-46 chopper be inserted into our area to conduct our mission to
recon a suspected supply station and monitor all enemy traffic.
We arrived at our insert point, with no landing zone for the chopper so
we
repelled in at 1305 hours to begin our four day mission. There was no
enemy fire during the insert nor when we formed a defense position
waiting for the chopper to depart, then forms up with Point,Backup
Point,
Patrol Leader, Prim Radio man, Doc, patrol member, Sec. Radio
man,Tailend Charile Backup, and Tail Charlie. We started moving out and
found ourselves on a heavy traffic trail so started to move away from
the
trail.
Shortly spotted 3 NVA on the trail, one with with rifle and two with
heavy packs. Not five minutes later Two NVA silhouetted against skyline.
Still unobserved we moved get further away from the trail and
another 5 minutes we were almost under light cover but for Tailend
Charile Backup, and Tailend Charlie spotted by
six more NVA's with automatic arms, our team opened fire resulting in
two NVA killed and one probable plus two Marines were minor WIA. In the
mean time the Sgt Thompson and Prim radio man PFC Griggs trying to call
in contract and find no Coms so had to switch from whip to fixed long
antenna and got a weak signal and called in SITUATION REPORT (SitRep)
and switch back to whip antenna (can not move in the jungle with long
one) So POOR to No COMMS would stay with us this day.
Patrol up and further away from highly active to continue the mission
and due to a later then normal insert a night harbor. We had no
other sighting now and darkness coming we set into our night position
with two on watch and rotating on one hour watches with no to poor
comms.
Day 2
After
a night of little sleep but also no enemy activity and no Coms, we eat
our C-Rat is buddy team one watch one eat.
And for the first time instead of our normal moving out right away (I
had a feeling that I should not to follow SOP - never done that
before) ,
I stayed in night harbor I knew that Operations in AnHoa
would get a bird in our area for Comms and Lt.
Andrew FINLAYSON
did not disappoint. After a sitrep with Lt.
Andrew FINLAYSON
the team formed up and moved out to continue the mission and hopefully
move to a better commutations area. We are a good two - three
hours behind our normal movement time - as it turned out it may have
saved us from possible planned large NVA ambush site.
After patrolling another two hours we contact at 1200 hours, with
approximately 20 NVA with automatic weapons and one with US M-79,
in a sweeping movement looking for patrol (probable counter
reconnaissance effort) and again the contact with the back portion of
the patrol fired on the NVA. Killing the NVA carrying the M-79. The
patrol moved another 200 meters before setting into a defensive
position, at what time the NVA attempted to assault through the teams
position. This contact continued from 1200 hours to extraction at 1805
hours.
We used small arms, a few M-79 rounds (just to close so use more) and
frags. As artillery was too far away and they can not fire with our air
craft in the area was called in 10 flights of fixed wing aircraft and
UH-1 choppers. {I hate to guess how much of the tax payers money we
sent for that patrol}. By this time we are surrounded on three sides
and the fourth was a large bomb cater just too in inviting for a ambush
and loose of comms
During this time resulting in three addition three NVA KIA and none of
the team were wounded and non killed. One of the NVA KIA's
appeared heavier and much taller then the normal NVA with brownish
beret, camo uniform and boots.
The
exraction were made the first a CH-46 using a hoist - shot out of the
area before hoist got down five feet and then a CH-46 under very heavy
ground fire with the Simmon's rig, things were going well for the team
on the ground with five members on the Simmon's
rig
and snapped on, the patrol with a had on the rig with his radio man
waiting for the slower eighth when the chopper had to pull out due
damage one being comm line from pilot to his crew chief.
So with Sgt Thompson, radioman PFC Griggs (Team leader/ radioman always
board last this has happened to us before) and the slow PFC
Thruman were still on the ground. With darkness and a weather
storm on the way, we moved to a little different position and I am to
be over run. However the NVA thought we all made it out and knew the
once all out that the next step was bombing the whole area.
So Capt Adam dropped the five team at a forward artillery base,
got another CH-46 re-rigged the Simmon's
rig, and came back the second time, WAY ABOVE CALL OF DUTY still
under every heavy fire, and pull all three of us out under the rain
storm that was just started. On his second trip crew
chief Cpl. James H. Tyler and Sgt
Robert Buda were WIA.
This ends this patrol and as Sgt Buda would say "It was a GOOD patrol
as we had no KIA's'
Patrol 2-69 After Action Report
Reference:
http://davidbrentthompson.com/Military/Military.html