August 1967 ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± SWITCHING PATCHES: From the Fourth "Ivy" Division to the Twentyfifth "Tropic Lightning" Division ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± –––––––– 1 AUG 67 Co. A KIA: Pfc. Steven M. Stofko (19) of Highland, IN perished in Tay Ninh Province. Co. A was on patrol when they were ambushed and Private Stofko was killed. 2/12th INFANTRY JOINS 25th DIVISION On the first of August, 1967 the 2/12th – as a unit in the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division – was permanately transfered [assigned] – along with the rest of the 3rd brigade – to the 25th Infantry Division. In effect, the 3rd Brigades of the two divisions swapped divisions. ³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³ The following story appeared in the TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS, Vol. 2, No.32: 3d BDE, 4th INF NOW 3/25th DAU TIENG – After being under the operational control of the 25th Inf Div for more than nine months, the 3rd Bde, 4th Div is now carrying the Tropic Lightning name, as the 3rd Bde, 25th Div. Prior to coming to Vietnam, most of the men of the 3rd Bde were raw recruits, just drafted into the Army. They were sent to Fort Lewis, Wash. where tey received basic and advanced individual training. Twenty-two hundred draftees in December 1965 became te core of the fledgling brigade. In Vietnam, the training continued as the brigade first sent out small unit patrols around the Bear Cat base camp. This progressed into company-sized operations, and then to the first multi-battalion operation–"Bremerton." Designed to clear Viet Cong out of the Rung Sat Special Zone and also to promote the revolutionary development program in that area, the 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf and Btry C, 2nd Bn, 77th Arty continued their search and destroy mission in the Rung Sat while the rest of the brigade moved the base camp to its present location at Dau Tieng. Since the brigade's arrival at Camp Rainer, November 1966, it has been under the control of the 25th Inf Div in such combat operations as "Attleboro, Cedar Falls, Gladsden, Junction City, Ahina," and "Diamondhead." These operations covered large sections of the dense jungle and swampy marshland of War Zone C. In a single engagement during Operation Junction City, the 3rd Bde decimated the Viet Cong's 272nd Regiment in hand-to-hand fighting at asmall fire support base 35 kms northeast of Tay Ninh. When the four-hour battle was over, 647 Viet Cong regulars had lost their lives. The brigade is now responsible for the majority of War Zone C including the Tay Ninh and Dau Tieng base camps and the large expanse of dense jungle north and west of Dau Tieg to the Cambodian border. The 3rd Bde is commanded by COL Kenneth E. Buell and consists of three infantry battalions and one artillery battalion. The 3rd Spt Bn provides logistical support for the large brigade. The 2nd Bn (Mech), 22nd Inf. commanded by LTC Ralph W. Julian provides the mechanized punch for the brigade operations while the two other infantry battalions, the 2nd Bn, 12th Inf, and the 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf, scour the jungles with the thoroughness only the man who is walking, and at times, crawling through the jungle can achive. The 2/12 "White Warriors" are commanded by LTC James F. Greer, while LTC James E. Hilmar leads the 3/22 "Regulars." Artillery supporting fires areprovided by the 2nd Bn, 77th ..... [Remainder of story missing.] [Source: TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS, Vol. 2 No.3 (from Kramarczyk)] ************** ³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³³ ––––––––– 27 AUG 67 "On 27 August 1967 one man of the 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry (25th Infantry Division), was killed when he was hit by machine gun fire from a CH-47 helicopter. The doorgunner of the CH-47 had been hit and killed by enemy ground fire. His death grip on the trigger of the M-60 machine gun caused it to strafe the defensive position of a company of the 2/12th Infantry resulting in the casualty." [Source: Shrader, Charles R. "Amicicide: the problem of friendly fire in modern war." U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Combat Studies Institute, Washington DC 1982] ––––––––– 29 AUG 67 Co. D KIAs: Pfc. Donald L. Gasser (25) of Berkeley, CA and Pfc. Roman Sisneros (22) of Anton Chico, NM perish- ed in Tay Ninh Province.

September 1967 MONTH IN REVIEW: "They took the 1st platoon of Co. A, and two platoons from B & C companies to form Co. D 2/12th." [source: Pete Cullen] When the battalion first arrived in Viet Nam, there was no Delta Company. In September 1967 they took one platoon each from Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Companies to form a new company – Delta. It may also be during this time that they formed Echo Company, but there is no hard confirmation of them taking Recon and the 4.2" mortar platoons from HHC to form Echo. [The Sarge would like it if some officer of the time would fill us in on this.] ––––––––– 11 SEP 67 Co. B KIA: Pfc. Stephen R. Ford (21) of Lisle, IL perished in Binh Duong Province. BACK IN THE WORLD: On September 23, 1967 a severe squall struck the Frankfort / Platte Bay area of northern Lake Michigan. Thousands of small boats fishing for Coho Salmon were subjected to high winds and waves – some as high as twenty-five feet. Many boats capsized or otherwise in distress. Seven sport fisherman drowned in the storm.