Garrett "Moose" Marcinkowski with input from Tom Flemiing, Bill Chiaramonte, Bruce Powell
Who was above the D Troop Commander? Who was his Rater? Who was responsible for assigning missions to the troop?
Who made the decisions as to which personnel went to D Troop vs the 25th Avn Bn?
How did all this work with F Troop and it's assignment to the 1st Avn Brigade?
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
When I arrived in the troop in July 1968 Fred Michelson made me the Operations Officer. During my indoctrination I was surprised to learn that we were under control of Division Hq. and we received all our taskings from them. There was no squadron filter. We were not OPCON to anyone but were treated as a division asset. While we were unique in the division, and a relatively new concept in armored combat, it didn't seem right that squadron was bypassed. The squadron commander at the time was Clemons Riley and he was more concerned with having a C&C slick, with console, ready for his use every day. I don't think he had any interest in using Delta Troop as part of the squadron. Probably because the book was still being written on how a commander could integrate aviation and armor assets in unit combat.
That changed when Bob McGowan became the squadron commander. He was very interested in having the entire squadron under his control in combat. The first thing he did was ditch the Huey with console in favor of an OH-6 with fewer radios. This was great because it freed up a slick for other missions. He came to the troop several times asking about our capabilities and how he could best use our assets, many of which were elucidated in papers sent to squadron Hq in an attempt to educate the S-3. Bob went to division and made the case for bringing the troop back under his control which was successfully accomplished. The upshot was that all taskings now had to come through his S-3. In all honesty we still supported every other unit in the division AO but Bob had control of our assets and could control the missions.
I remember one instance when one of the ground troops made significant contact with an NVA force. Bob used the ground troop as a base and built a box with our gunships as one side of the box, Air Force fighter/bombers as the head, and one of our slicks dropping flame bath (homemade napalm) on the other side. Charlie had no place to go. He controlled all of this in a LOH.
So while I can't say why Don Starry's paper had us OPCON to the Aviation Bn when we were not during my time in the troop, I can say that being under control of Squadron was beneficial to both the Squadron and Troop. It stayed that way until I left in July 1969.
Tom Fleming: Great write up on control of D Troop. I wonder what happened after LTC McGowen left and another Squadron Cdr took over. The control of D Troop seems to have changed with each change of Squadron command.
From what I understand when D Troop first arrived in country the 25th Avn Bn Cdr LTC “Black Sam” Kalagen was hot to have D Troop under his control and that there was a hot and open struggle for control. As far as I know the Squadron Cdrs up through LTC Otis considered D Troop as an integral component of their combined arms capability.
When the “Armor in Vietnam” was being written it appears unfortunate that the information they used was from a period when the troop was under Division control. It will be interesting to hear from follow on observers on who and how D Troop was tactically controlled.
One thin to bear in mind was the resourcing of the troop. All aviation personnel inbound to the 25th INF Division first went to the reception center where their records were sent to the 25th AVN Bn S-1 who assigned them to the AVN BN, BDE, DivArty, & D Troop. Keeping those they wanted or need first and passing on the remainder. The 25th AVN BN also was the Intermediate Rater for the CDR of E Co 725th Maint Co and he set the priority of air craft maintenance that E Co would follow.
While I was at USARV AVN Officer Assignments and following D and F troop command assignments I found that the D Troop Cdr was assigned by the 25th Avn S-1, usually the incumbent DAO or Bn S-3.
In1970 as the Armor over watcher (Armor Branch lacky) and aviator assignment officer. I would send armor aviators to the 25th with instructions that they should go to air cav assignments. The avn bn kept what they wanted and transfered trouble makers out of the Little Bears or Diamond Heads to D Troop. I personally know two of them. Both retired as LTC & COL. - Tom
Garrett Marcinkowski: Tom, you're right about the aviation bn commander trying to control officer assignments. When I had my interview with him he said I would be going to the Little Bears. "Wrong answer" I sez to him I sez. My orders say 3/4 Cav, I'm an armor officer, that's an armor assignment so that's where I'm going. I was more than willing to fight his assignment so he relented. Best fight I ever won. - Moose
Bill Chiaramonte: My in processing closely followed yours. When the aviation flesh peddler proudly announced he was going to give me a dream assignment with the Little Bears and possible career enhancing assignment to the General's C&C. I too informed him that I was a Cavalryman that was already AH-1 rated and wanted to go to the 3/4 Cav. I believe he said something like "Oh, another one of those - you'll be sorry!" I never was. - Bill C
Bruce Powell: This is a great thread and is answering many of my questions. Please keep it going.
It is now easier to understand how some folks thought that D Troop was a subelement of the 25 Avn Bn or at least Opcon to them.
It makes sense that the 25th Div Commander would have his senior aviator (25th Avn Bn Cdr) assign incoming aviators. Who else at Division level would have the qualifications? This put that person in a position that allowed filling his own battalion first and providing any extras or perceived misfits to the Cav. It backfired in many cases in that misfits are often the better warriors.
The 25th Avn Bn received the "Best Flying Unit in the Army" award from the AAAA in Nov 1969 (go to http://25thaviation.org/scrapbook/id1024.htm and scroll down). I have to wonder that when the statistics were put together for that award if the data from the "Centaurs" was included as if they were 25th Avn Bn accomplishments.
I have the greatest respect for the 25th Avn Bn; and had a lot of friends who flew with them. They did a great job. My cynicism comes from the often inferred or stated "Orphan" status of D Troop and the 3/4 Cav by some senior officers of the 25th Infantry Division and the sometimes "not qualified" historians that followed (including Starry).
How were things in 1965 and 66 in Hawaii before the deployment? Was there even a 25th Aviation Battalion then? How did you guys get assigned to the Cav? (Listen to the 4th assigned Centaur, Harlin Cooper for some background).
F Troop Centaurs!! How does this discussion transfer to you all? Who assigned you to the Troop? Were you Opcon? Attached? Who gave you your missions?