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Old 02-05-2013, 14:10   #1
Reynaldo Castro
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SF Vets that served with F.A.N.K 1972

My name is Reynaldo Castro graduated SGT from USAIMA NCO Candidate Course at Ft. Bragg on 27 May 1971. Was sent to Vietnam in Jan 1972, primarily as an instructor to Forces Army National Khmer (F.A.N.K). That was my only crowning achievement in SF. Would like to make contact with SGT Benjamin Morales, Capt. Michael D. Munroe, or anyone that served at Long Hai Training Battalion.
If anyone would like to learn more about F.A.N.K. Here is a link to a Historical Study of our mission. Written by then LTC Kenneth R. Bowra. I understand he retired Major General in '05 . Here is that link to that study:
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA233669
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Old 02-05-2013, 14:50   #2
Trapper John
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My name is Reynaldo Castro graduated SGT from USAIMA NCO Candidate Course at Ft. Bragg on 27 May 1971. Was sent to Vietnam in Jan 1972, primarily as an instructor to Forces Army National Khmer (F.A.N.K). That was my only crowning achievement in SF. Would like to make contact with SGT Benjamin Morales, Capt. Michael D. Munroe, or anyone that served at Long Hai Training Battalion.
If anyone would like to learn more about F.A.N.K. Here is a link to a Historical Study of our mission. Written by then LTC Kenneth R. Bowra. I understand he retired Major General in '05 . Here is that link to that study:
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA233669
Reynaldo- My screen name is the same as my call sign when I was at B36/USARVITG in '71 (A362). I was a medic at the camp. Tom Rowe was also there and later so was George Miller Knew Ken Bowra when he was the Phouc Tuy camp commander. I posted Bowra's discussion of the FID mission we had in another thread. Great read.

Been looking for SGM Johnny Miller too. Heard he was a preacher in TN. Connected with another Brother there at the same time. He was SGM Hillmann's right hand guy. Were you there when Hillmann shot himself in the foot? I think I remember you, but not sure.

I have been corresponding with some of the higher command for the USARVITG and FANK support programs. Very interesting shit!

Send me a PM with your email address and I can send you some pics and we can discuss all of this.

Great to hear from you. Welcome!
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Old 02-05-2013, 15:31   #3
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Originally Posted by Reynaldo Castro View Post
My name is Reynaldo Castro graduated SGT from USAIMA NCO Candidate Course at Ft. Bragg on 27 May 1971. Was sent to Vietnam in Jan 1972, primarily as an instructor to Forces Army National Khmer (F.A.N.K). That was my only crowning achievement in SF. Would like to make contact with SGT Benjamin Morales, Capt. Michael D. Munroe, or anyone that served at Long Hai Training Battalion.
If anyone would like to learn more about F.A.N.K. Here is a link to a Historical Study of our mission. Written by then LTC Kenneth R. Bowra. I understand he retired Major General in '05 . Here is that link to that study:
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA233669
Welcome to the Site.

Please Re Read your e-mail you recieved and Post an Intro as ALL are required before posting in threads....... Looking forward to future interaction and debate......
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Old 01-04-2014, 15:02   #4
Fat Albert
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Hey Castro,

I trained with you at Ft Bragg and Ft Huachuca. I remember Ben Morales as a real good guy but I haven't had any contact with him since Ft Bragg...if memory serves.

Hope you are doin' well and mother nature has treated you gently over the last 40 somethin' years. Some of us have grown bald and fat due to all the soft living, lol.

Most of my days, of late, are spent in my basement workshop making furniture for my kids and toys for the grandkids. It keeps me out of the bars so the MMFIC (wife) stays happy and off my back, lol.

Last edited by Fat Albert; 01-04-2014 at 21:52.
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Old 01-05-2014, 09:22   #5
Trapper John
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Youse guys will enjoy these.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Transport Team '71.jpg (42.0 KB, 487 views)
File Type: jpg Dolby, Gorman, et al..jpg (39.1 KB, 473 views)
Attached Files
File Type: pdf USARVITG circa Jan 72.pdf (489.3 KB, 137 views)
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Old 01-12-2014, 12:38   #6
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Trapper John,

My first job with B 36 was at a place called Xyuen Moc until we were thrown out of there. When we arrived at Long Hai I was assigned to A362 commanded by Cpt Tedrick. Later, I went to a mobile training team just before Long Hai was closed.

One of your pictures looks like it was taken at Vung Tau.
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Old 03-02-2014, 12:26   #7
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This has been an interesting week! I heard from 2 of my A362 team mates and was given an update on a couple of others. First the bad news, the team sgt "Sweetback" was killed in an car accident after attending O&I school at FT. Huachuca but I wasn't given a time frame or location of the accident. The team CO "Flintstone", had passed away a few years ago from cancer. The good news is that I spoke to "Spitfire", the other team 11B, on the phone for 40 or so minutes last Tuesday. He has certainly had a very exciting life and he is planning a trip back to Long Hai in the spring. On Thursday, I received an e-mail from "Trashcan" our team medic. He only sent a few lines but at least I know he's still sucking air.

I had never realized how mundane my military career turn out until talking to these guys.
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Old 03-02-2014, 15:39   #8
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This has been an interesting week! I heard from 2 of my A362 team mates and was given an update on a couple of others. First the bad news, the team sgt "Sweetback" was killed in an car accident after attending O&I school at FT. Huachuca but I wasn't given a time frame or location of the accident. The team CO "Flintstone", had passed away a few years ago from cancer. The good news is that I spoke to "Spitfire", the other team 11B, on the phone for 40 or so minutes last Tuesday. He has certainly had a very exciting life and he is planning a trip back to Long Hai in the spring. On Thursday, I received an e-mail from "Trashcan" our team medic. He only sent a few lines but at least I know he's still sucking air.

I had never realized how mundane my military career turn out until talking to these guys.
Albert, I was the A362 medic '71. SGM Johnny Miller and Frank Hillman were there when I was. Volunteered for FANK support inside Cambodia '72. Logistical support was through MEDTC commanded by BG Mataxis. His son was my team CO in 5th Group at Bragg in '73 (A535). Anyway that op inside Cambodia turned into a real CF. I knew several former SOG guys, 1st Group guys, and 46th Co guys that were TDY on that too - most notably Charlie Beckwith (RIP Brother).

I seem to recall CPT Tedrick before I left. The pic on the tarmac was either just outside our camp at Long Hai but I don't recall the buildings in the background so maybe it was at Vung Tau . The other I think was taken at either Phuoc Tuy or Long Hai. Gorman was the 11B on A362. I have another pic of Dolby at Long Hai holding the skull.
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Old 03-02-2014, 15:45   #9
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Old 03-02-2014, 16:14   #10
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Albert - one more thing. Did you know SFC Charlie Collins? He is pictured (I think) standing far left back row with his boonie cap over his eyes in the pic of the transport team. I owe him big time and if he is still kickin' I would love to connect with him. He saved my ass when my 'bodes and I were moving to an ambush site hoping to catch a VC Company moving through the AO and came a little to close to an RF/PF outpost. They (the RF/PF) thought we were the VC and called in artillery fire on our position. Artillery had us bracketed and fortunately Collins was on duty at the TOC back in Long Hai. He was able to get the fire lifted before that third round came in on our asses.

Gorman, pictured in the other pic was in the 'bode battalion RON position. When we got back he couldn't help himself and was rolling on the ground laughing. I really didn't see the humor in it . Well, at least not until I could look back on it a few years later - it was kinda funny in a sick SF sorta way.

Any way if you know anything about Charlie Collins let me know.
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Old 03-02-2014, 19:06   #11
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Trapper,

I didn't know any of the guys you asked about but I will certainly ask the others. However, I did know an E6 at Bragg named Johnny Miller. We had belonged to the Green Beret Skydiving Club together in '71 before my deployment to RVN. Since I was initially posted at Xuyen Moc I probably missed Collins before coming to A362. IF I remember correctly, I arrived on A362 in the April-May '72 time frame.

The sad news is that Cpt Tedrick passed ,a while back, according to Spitfire at his home in WV. He didn't have much information but I was glad to hear even a small tidbit about anyone. I'll keep you up on any intel that I come across.

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Old 03-03-2014, 07:18   #12
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Albert,

Man I am sorry to hear about CPT Tedrick (RIP Brother). He and I were from the same AO back in WV as was SGM Johnny Miller. I got a letter from him sometime in '73-'74 when I was back at Bragg. IIRC he said that there had been a series of rocket attacks on the camp in the summer of '72 and that he was wounded (leg I think). I don't recall the details, but I am left with the impression that this was a fairly serious attack and his wounds were career ending.

We used to run security patrols in the Long Hai mountains and the mountains north of Phuoc Tuy. IIRC there was evidence early in '72 of increased enemy activity in those mountains. On one of those ops we found a large cache of ammunition and rockets in a cave in the mountains north of Phuoc Tuy. This was about a month before I left. It was looking like there was going to be some shit coming down in the near future. I guess it did?
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Old 03-03-2014, 10:36   #13
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Trapper,

I went on R&R in September '72 and Tedrick was OK then. All the team members had a plaque made for him and I was to send it to Parkersburg when I got home. This was in anticipation of his return to the "world." If he was wounded it must have been in September time frame because when I returned from R&R I never returned to Long Hai.

The only op that I was on around the mountains was between Nui Ba Dien and the small mountain just south of the camp (don't remember it's name). We ran into a large area of pottery mines so Sweetback and I set time pencils and backed out of the area because the brass didn't want any wounded cambods. We continued south for a few days just southwest of Van Keip. WE did run into about 17 VC/NVA coming north. Being the recon element we just called in the mortars and exited the area without contact. No BDA was done.

April and May were active months due to the Easter Offensive. My camp at Xuyen Moc was hit twice, once by 82mm mortars (about a half dozen rounds) and finally by mortar and infantry but we thought that the attack was very light for a coordinated assault. When the sun came up we saw that they had mortared their assault team on their approach to the front gate. The CO at the C det. ordered us out of Xuyen Moc after that contact. Long Hai had taken a mortar attack around the same time and to my understanding the round all landed in the northern part of the camp around the barracks and Co Lac Bo next to the Vietnamese flagpole. I don't know the number of rounds received or the type but they had determined that the rounds were fired between B-36 and B-43 at the base of Nui Ba Dien. Between May and the end of August the camp was not hit but several firefights were handled by the camp security teams mostly south and west of B-36. I never heard of any action to the north of B-43.

This was the total of my experience with A 362 because when I returned from R&R I was assigned to mobile training team 2 that operated in the Song Bei and Can Tho AO. I never had the opportunity to get back to B-36.

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Old 03-03-2014, 13:40   #14
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Trapper,

I went on R&R in September '72 and Tedrick was OK then. All the team members had a plaque made for him and I was to send it to Parkersburg when I got home. This was in anticipation of his return to the "world." If he was wounded it must have been in September time frame because when I returned from R&R I never returned to Long Hai.

The only op that I was on around the mountains was between Nui Ba Dien and the small mountain just south of the camp (don't remember it's name). We ran into a large area of pottery mines so Sweetback and I set time pencils and backed out of the AO because the brass didn't want any wounded cambods. We continued south for a few days just west of Van Keip. WE did run into about 17 VC/NVA coming north. Being the recon element we just called in the mortars and exited the AO. No BDA was done.

Gotta run so I'll be back later!
Albert-

Quote:
The only op that I was on around the mountains was between Nui Ba Dien and the small mountain just south of the camp (don't remember it's name). We ran into a large area of pottery mines so Sweetback and I set time pencils and backed out of the AO because the brass didn't want any wounded cambods.
Very interesting, I was up on that same small mountain with a recon element and ran into a shit pile of those f'kers. They were everywhere. Our AAR pointed that out and concluded that no enemy could set up to use that mountain as an attack point without alerting us to their presence. I think we concluded that this area was secure. I guess that little tid-bit of information never was read or believed after the change of command.

As to Tedrick, I am pretty sure he was wounded in September/October. BTW I was from Parkersburg too and that is how we connected in camp before I left a month or so later.

Do you recall a large area devoid of vegetation on the mountain looking West and slightly North from the 50-cal tower? Interesting story how it got that way.
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Old 03-03-2014, 17:40   #15
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I might have a picture of that area around here somewhere. I'll have to dig through some boxes of junk to find it.

If think the communication was bad...We reported that one of the VC we saw by Van Kiep had a very unique set of pajamas which we later saw at the RF/PF outpost southeast of the front gate at Long Hai. Nothing was done! A few months later one of our convoys were ambushed by the same group.
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