Army Reserve honors its Vietnam veterans

Courtesy Photo | A photograph of Capt. Drew Troxler, 319th Transportation Company commander, U.S. Army Reserve, in Vietnam, was shown during a Vietnam commemoration ceremony at the U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters, Feb. 6, 2015, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The ceremony, marking the 50th anniversary, was the first of many that will be hosted by the Office of Army Reserve History across the United States this year. (Courtesy photo/Office of Army Reserve History)  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

02.05.2015

Story by Timothy Hale  

U.S. Army Reserve Command

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Several U.S. Army Reserve veterans, who served with distinction, were honored at a ceremony here, marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam.

Members of the 319th Transportation Company, based in Augusta, Georgia, recalled their tour of duty from 1968 to 1969.

The unit still serves today, most recently in 2011 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According to U.S. Army Reserve History Office documents, the 319th was ambushed seven times while hauling supplies between September 1968 and July 1969. They suffered one casualty and received a meritorious unit citation and numerous individual awards.

“In the end, 42 U.S. Army Reserve units – 5,689 men and women – received the call to arms; of these, 35 units would go to Vietnam,” said Dr. John A Boyd, U.S. Army Reserve History director and command historian. “Most learned of their mobilization through local radio and television rather than official Army channels.”

George Lively and Tim Campbell served in the 319th.

Lively, from Augusta, and Campbell, from across the Savannah River in North Augusta, S.C., attended the ceremony.

Lively said the unit operated out of Long Binh but they saw plenty of South Vietnam, running every class of supplies imaginable – pretty much anything you could shoot, move, wear, or drop by air.

“You’d pray that you didn't have a flat tire to change,” said Lively, now a financial planner. “We drove more than 1 million miles, as a company. I've forgotten now, but it was lots and lots of tons (of supplies).”

Lively said he feels that he led a “pretty charmed life” while serving in Vietnam and was never in any “really bad” ambushes. That said, he did discover a surprise after one ambush.

“I found a bullet hole in my truck,” he said. “I was in the front half of the convoy and we just pressed on.”

In their year in country, the unit only lost one Soldier.

“It shows that we were well-trained, we did what we were supposed to do, and we were real lucky,” he said.

After one ambush, Campbell and the other members hit upon an idea to make them a little less likely to be attacked.

“I decided the white star on the side of our door was not a good idea, and it put a bulls eye on me,” Campbell said. “I vehemently had a discussion with some of the folks back in the motor pool. Within a day or two, I was pulled off the road and given a can of black paint and a stencil and we went ‘blackout.’ I think the 319th was probably the first unit in Vietnam that went ‘blackout.’”

Campbell said it wasn't long before other Army units followed suit and covered the white paint vehicle markings with black paint.

Unlike many Vietnam veterans who returned home only to be spat on in airports and taunted by passersby on the street, the members of the 319th returned to Augusta as a unit.

“We were met by a U.S. Army band at the airport, (and) the mayor (of Augusta) came out in the middle of the night to greet us,” Lively said.

James Cardo, U.S. Army Reserve Ambassador for North Carolina, said ceremonies commemorating the efforts and sacrifices are long over-due for Vietnam veterans.

“I don’t think the 2.5 million people who served there (Vietnam) got the recognition they deserved,” said Cardo, who also served in Vietnam as an infantry officer and retired from the Army Reserve after 30 years of military service.

“It was a divisive time in the country,” Cardo said. “I think it took time for the country to come around to not talk about the politics of it, or whether it was a good war or a bad war, but to realize the veterans had gone and done their best and come home without a lot of recognition.”

Cardo said the Army learned from the past and today’s programs like Yellow Ribbon, Fort Family, and Strong Bonds provide help for today’s veterans that his fellow Vietnam veterans never experienced.

“The Army has learned and the communities have learned that we've got to do a better job of trying to reintegrate people when they come back from something that traumatic,” he said.

Boyd said Army Reserve Soldiers served with distinction throughout the conflict, and the award records reflect their service. One Silver Star, five Legions of Merit, 384 Bronze Stars and 20 Purple Hearts were among those earned. In addition, the 231st Transportation Company (Medium Boat) was the Army’s outstanding transportation unit in 1969 and received the National Defense Transportation Award. Two other units were recommended for the Presidential Unit Citation, 13 Meritorious Unit Citations, and one for the Unit Cross of Gallantry.

• Date Taken: 02.05.2015
• Date Posted: 02.06.2015 11:38
• Story ID: 153767
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US
• Hometown: AUGUSTA, GA, US
• Hometown: CHARLOTTE, NC, US
• Hometown: JOHNS ISLAND, SC, US
• Hometown: NORTH AUGUSTA, SC, US