Most of the team had not received their "3" perfix
yet. At the time you had to prove yourself to your team members to received
the Perfix.
The team deployed to RVN in April of 1963 and went to a camp west of
Phan Rang
called Phuc Tien. It was a camp already established and the personnel
that were the Strikers were under a Brother Bosco, a catholic Monk.
The A Team that we relieved were from the 1ST SFG.
In May the camp was closed and we were sent to Da Nang. There we were
told that we were to open a new camp in the Alou Ashau Valley at an
old French outpost. It was across the runway from the 25th ARVN Inf
Bn HQ and IR Plt W/ two Amercian advisors with them.
We had to build the camp with "Yards and Nungs" that were
flown in. They had been trained at a different site by another SF A
Team
Your main mission was to obtain information about VC actives in the
valley and to the west toward Loas.
The camp was built while operations started. Partrols were sent in
every direction. Some contact was made. In fact on the first operation
that SFC William and I went on,was ambushed on the way back to camp.
There was only one SF WIA when the Team Leader stumbled into punjiis
not once but twice.
We were relieved in Oct by another A Team from the 1st SFG. Do not
remember the names or the Team Number.
