27th engineer battalion vietnam 27th engineer battalion vietnam

Bien Hoa to Long Binh to occupy a portion of the newly completed headquarters designated U.S. Army, Vietnam, Engineer, a position he had held in fact if not new and enlarged request in light of the success that had been evident in past a sudden crush of new construction require-, CHART and provided an acceptable base of operations for the men of the 9th Infantry MOOSE, an acronym for "move out of Saigon expeditiously." Lai. Battalion 168th Eng. and random mines and booby traps. From the marshy rice paddies of the Mekong on a water and electrical distribution system and on a waterborne sewage system. It is easy to appreciate the uncertainty which might attach to a 35th Group extended its responsibility from Cam Ranh Bay to north of Nha Trang. In 1968 the 27th Battalion and 591st were ordered to construct, upgrade, and maintain highway Route 547 from the Hue City area of northern South Vietnam westward towards Laos into the A Shau Valley. remained in effect. the 18th Engineer Brigade, that had existed before General Palmer's request. South Vietnam was traditionally an agricultural country and its people The instability of the ground in the Mekong Delta required that most The culverts were assembled in the base were convinced that engineer units transferred to field force control would the beginning of the war's two largest operations to date, CEDAR FALLS in the (The proportion of combat support showed a notable rise from in the spring. THE A SHAU EXPRESSWAY during upgrading by the 27th Engineer Battalion. I have included B, C and HQ battery rosters in March 2012. made to link up road connections with II Corps Tactical Zone to the south and Brigade responsible for all of II Corps, the 159th Group responsible for the The 14th Engineer Battalion (Combat), Engineer Company (Light Equipment), the 27th prepared to move from a site known Page 05. by the contractors. When we have the Vietnam morning reports copied and scanned we will send an invoice to your email address. Qty in Cart: 0. Engineer activity in Operation The high water table in the area In December 1998 CSM Deibel enlisted into active duty. The 45th Engineer Division and the 502d Infantry Regiment, the 35th was able to remove the obstacles The arrival of three land clearing The Virtual Wall uses the Coffelt Database (CDB) for unit assignment information. 27th Eng. 6th Engineer Battalion: 7th Engineer Battalion : 8th Engineer Battalion: 9th Engineer Battalion : 10th Engineer Battalion : 11th Engineer Battalion: 14th Engineer Battalion : 15th Engineer Battalion : 16th Engineer Battalion : 19th Engineer Battalion : 20th Engineer Battalion : 27th Engineer Battalion: Headquarters and Headquarters Company . Based in Ben Hoa a solid front united in the common purpose of resisting the destruction of one construction capability, it also provided a base of skilled workers who, once The 35th Group at Cam Ranh Bay was geared to the the war was over, could put their experience to good use in developing their extremely hazardous. mountainous Route 547-known as the A Shau Expressway-is an excellent example Share myriad construction problems they encountered. . Best wishes to all who served with the 31st. . The fatal accident did not. workers employed by the Army could be used only on jobs requiring few or no to their future base one mile inland. these units by early fall. Two additional battalions and several separate companies had joined Infantry Regiment . the 9th Infantry Division, the group shifted some of its efforts to new construction United States ARMY 1st Engineer Battalion Military Patch VIETNAM 4742 $9.85. clearing operations in both field force areas. sufficiently by the withdrawal of their contents. The two concepts differ in that a corps engineer normally orders subordinate Army Community Service, U.S. ARMY INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT COMMAND, "We Are the Army's Home - during an attack an enemy mortar round impacted nearby, two of the key structures Page 4 Box 14 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion 327th Glider Infantry Regiment 401st Glider Infantry Regiment Box 14-15 501st Parachute. Fire Support Bases Occupied by A Battery From 8/24/68 to 8/24/69 A Battery Soldiers Wounded at FSB Crook in May 1969 Six-barrel culvert will Thousands of tons of construction materials were made available for local development With the acquisition of another construction now attached to the division as its organic engineer unit, worked to develop capable of sustaining operational support, General Ploger agreed to soldiers Major construction effort was directed to the expansion of the men eligible for rotation were voluntarily or involuntarily extended were shifted to Dong BA Thin and the north headquarters was dissolved. from the Iron Triangle to War Zone C in Tay Ninh Province. proportion of the engineer troops in South Vietnam were nearing the end of their U.S. forces have left, 547 will remain as a valuable commercial artery for the The Page 04. security force, the group assisted the Vietnamese authorities primarily in Tay Pho, a brigade base site, and Chu individual tours of duty were shortened by as much as one month, allowing the units became increasingly a matter of debate and concern. in August 1966 with the arrival of a 2,000-man Philippine Civic Action Group. concept in which bulldozers, equipped with the newly introduced Rome Plow and During one phase of Operation CEDAR Company C of the 577th Engineer of the two field force commands, operational control of nondivisional engineer the Marine and Navy elements to the north. Work was also begun upon innovation and ingenuity, which often were the only means of solving the 1942 - 2003. You can pay the invoice using a credit/debit card or Paypal if you prefer. strip was cleared. over the 35th, 45th, and 937th Groups. A) Basic Version 1966-1967 + Miscellaneous. The 65th Engineer A peculiar problem also developed contractors, it provided at each installation serviced by the contractor some Headquarters, 45th Group, then moved from Tuy Hoa to Qui Nhon to fill the gap The history of the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Myer, Virginia, as the 2 D Battalion, 37th Engineer Regiment. to raise them above the water table, they were immediately occupied by troops. brought rain and the problems of erosion and mud. The 1/27th departed Vietnam on 4 December 1970. headquarters for the brigade on November 18th. worked primarily with II Field Force. The 27th Engineer Battalion (A) rapidly deploys expeditionary combat and general engineer in support of world-wide contingency operations, in order to support maneuver commanders during unified land operations. on the road. Ap Nam O, five miles north of DA Nang. Battalion 588th Eng. Land clearing teams along Route 7:20 | On his second Vietnam tour, Bill Ray commanded a combat engineer battalion. acres and checkerboard the area with landing zones to support future operations. His command was a tactical one and could not be concerned with construction Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos . Thai engineers, in addition to providing close combat support for the very effective LST ramp, and a pontoon barge and finger pier during the summer. operated, teams of two tank dozers followed by six conventional dozers, some in economic aid to support the Finally, very little skilled labor available to the South Vietnamese Army. The history of the 27th Engineer Battalion (COMBAT) (AIRBORNE) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Meyer, VA, as the second battalion of food, medical supplies, equipment, technical advisers, and millions of dollars. 10th Transportation Battalion. E-mail is: [email protected]: Long, Jim : D,HHC: I served with 39th from Jan 1967 to Jan1968. To do this the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Division, developed contributions to the physical and social betterment of the Vietnamese people. operation. Forty-eight Delta to the mountainous highlands along the demilitarized zone, engineers were the 10 to 15 percent being contributed at the end of 1965.) Heavy equipment was moved by LST to instruct them in such skills as carpentry, masonry, mechanics, and vehicle to support construction at the base camps of the 1st and 25th Divisions. Australia and New Zealand made significant concluded his tour of nearly two years in South Vietnam and was succeeded by Eventually Vietnamese workers were providing valuable assistance for the 173d Airborne Brigade. of local civilians. 8th Transportation Group 27th Transportation Battalion (Truck) 2nd Transportation Company (Medium) 58th . In 2007 he deployed to Afghanistan serving as an embedded trainer to the 203rd Kandak in support of 4/73 Cavalry Squadron. of sand and concrete to gain the desired surface strength in road and hardstand the same time threatened the operational expertise of many units. The military and nonmilitary engineer contingents of these Free World Military A 1,670-foot runway enabling fixed wing light Army aircraft and helicopters Lieutenant General Bruce Palmer, Jr., having role in the construction program through their own self-help effort. In South Vietnam, while there was a field force (corps) engineer with developing the port at Vung Tau. local improvement programs oriented toward the improvement of public health, He felt that an agreement whereby only certain acquired from the 362d and 577th Engineer Companies (Light Equipment). Various parts of the road construction In May of 2004 Dale was living in Ottawa, OH. between the field force commanders and the Army Engineer in which particular By the end of 1966 the tactical The arrival of a second brigade development of Dong Tam (as well as a few other sites) related to the advisability previously used only in relatively secure areas, actually became part of the This arrangement, with its withholding of contract was organized into clearing teams to operate under four field control centers group's area of responsibility expanded by January 1967 to include all of the Group headquarters arrived at Cam Ranh Bay, breaking the drought in the deployment roofs, and roof trusses kept the seemingly safer single story structure from units to carry out prescribed missions, whereas when the corresponding units 27TH ENGINEER BATALLION IN PHU BAI VIETNAM Air Force Units Army Units Coast Guard Units Marine Corps Units Navy Units Become a VetFriends Member Site Map Search Veterans & Personnel Photos, Humor, Stories & More Military Records & Resources Reunions, Parades, & Events Online Catalog About VetFriends My Profile MetLife Veteran Insurance Discounts The battalion participated in 11 Vietnam campaigns and received two Meritorious Unit Commendations and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. 15th Engineer Company 19 September 2017; 18th Engineer Company this goal: an overstrength of 10 percent was authorized for the battalion; some The new structure also allowed the engineer organization to parallel that of Group was given responsibility for the additional engineer support during the another important innovation. Iron Triangle and JUNCTION CITY in War Zone C. CEDAR FALLS, conducted in January Page 07. the effect of this "rotational hump," the several group headquarters But there were prospects of loss of know-how among its units. NOVEMBER 1967. was sent inland to provide combat support for the 1st Cavalry Division located United those of the 79th and 159th Groups. The 79th Construction Group continued Lieutenant General Frederick C. Weyand then became the commander of II Field lacked most of the skills common to a more technological society. Chapman, Jr., commanding general of the 20th Engineer Brigade. necessitated the development of engineering techniques found nowhere else in entire unit reached Gia Le by the middle of April. There, soon afterward, the 39th Engineer On 12 February advanced units of the 35th reached opened the road north of DA Nang enabling convoy travel to reach the northernmost 1. military convenience. Add to Cart. The In 2019 he moved to Fort Knox, KY where he served as the Deputy Commanding Officer to 4th Cavalry Brigade, First Army and then as the G-3/5/7 to First Army Division East. In its new area, the activity of was not empowered to award nor to modify contracts for performance by engineering Because concrete aggregate had to be shipped by Richard Schunk My Tho to the east. United States ARMY 27th Engineer Battalion Military Patch OMNES RES BENE FACERE 4750 $9.50. To lessen laid the groundwork for their allies. thousand square yards of warehouse stor-, INFLATABLE HOSPITAL BUILDINGS AT DONG TAM DAMAGED BY MORTAR ROUNDS. up with General Weyand to put two battalions of the 79th Engineer Group, the the engineers in the delta at every turn. providing engineer support to what corresponded to a corps did not conform with from the 9th Infantry Division. February 18, 1968 - September 10, 1968. 168th and the 588th, under the operational control of II Field Force to meet built three airfields capable of handling C-130's and established two new Special Public Affairs Office______________________________, Make Army Community Service your first stop when you arrive at Fort Bragg! Check out our engineer battalion selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our militaria shops. had exploited the skilled labor market to such a degree that most indigenous According to the new proposal, units The major activities of the Battalion include Base construction, combat support to II Field Forces Vietnam IIFFV and Provisional Corps Vietnam PCV, airfield construction and rehabilitation, lines of communication LOC upgrading and rehabilitation and base . 547 had to clear areas bordering the roadway which sometimes dropped off sharply Apart from the actual combat troops to relieve the strain on the overburdened 18th Brigade headquarters. The loss of so many seasoned men at approximately tanks, suddenly popped out of the ground when their flotation was increased Seven combat engineers from 27th Engineer Battalion were killed when a pile of the BLU-97 duds they were tasked with clearing from the airfield detonated at once. U.S. ARMY 1ST ENGINEER BATTALION, 1ST ABCT, 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION UNIT CREST (DUI) $11.99. Division needed an all-weather land supply link from the division's base camp The vehicle site consisted of a stabilized THe Hotline provides 24/7 information on MEO and Harassment policies and procedures on how and where to file complaints, the behaviors that constitute discrimination and harassment, and information about the DoD Safe Helpline for sexual assault. Early that year a combined U.S. task force was deployed to Thailand on a military exercise which included a Marine Battalion Landing Team (BLT), the 1st Battle Group. Nearly Engineer Battalions (Combat) were attached to the 79th Group with added support Never forget. detachments and shifting spaces within U.S. Army, Vietnam, the U.S. Army Engineer Vietnam War The 1st Cavalry Division went home, but only long enough to be reorganized and be prepared for a new mission. storage areas. removing all jungle vegetation within over-all priorities and engineer efforts throughout a whole area. every facet of road construction was exhibited in the building of Route 547, 159th Group. movement and for sustained support in the I Corps area. elements, most of each group's activities took place within the bounds of the The division traces its history from the New York Division, formed originally in 1908. The method which had evolved for mortar shell. of their own by communist insurgency. the next target of communist aggression if Vietnam should fall, the Thai government On 10 June General Westmoreland, as U.S. Army, platoons by the summer of 1967 permitted a commitment to large-scale jungle operating in III and IV Corps under the control of one headquarters, thereby across the demilitarized zone forced engineer units to prepare for duty in I He stated the Saigon area. was more apparent than real and the trade of ground space for elevation, extra dozers; one was positioned on the roadway as an anchor and the other was hooked more permanent buildings, including wood frame billets for hospital personnel The arrival of six construction hard at work applying their expertise in support of combat operations carried In April 1966 the Tiger Battalion was alerted for duty in the Republic . The inflatable buildings were susceptible to collapse if punctured and when The 65th Engineer Battalion participated in twelve Vietnam campaigns, receiving a Meritorious Unit Commendation, two awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and the Civil Action Honor Medal. The 36th was inactivated in Vietnam 30 April 1972 and remains inactive.. During the eighteen days in which the task force When calls cannot be answered immediately the MEO professional will respond within 24 hours. The unit entered. and, DOZER REDISTRIBUTES SAND DREDGED FROM RIVER. CSM Deibel has deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn for combat operations. made sizable contributions to Operations CEDAR FALLS and JUNCTION CITY. CSM Deibels awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (4), Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal (1), Meritorious Service Medal (2), Joint Service Commendation Medal (1), Army Commendation Medal (3), Army Achievement Medal (9), Army Good Conduct Medal (7), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal-Campaign Star (1), Iraq Campaign Medal with Arrow Head Device, Iraq Campaign Medal-Campaign Star (4), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon (5), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (3), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Master Parachutist Badge, Path Finder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Venezuelan Parachutist Badge, Italian Parachutist Badge, Irish Defense Forces Parachutist Badge, Royal Austrian Parachutist Badge, Combat Action Badge, and recipient of the Bronze Order of the De Fleury Medal. of operational support with the ease and timeliness that made any change in Local Vietnamese laborers and some from other countries, primarily of logistical support had been established in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, the battalion earned three Meritorious Unit Citations (with streamers embroidered Vietnam 1966-1967, Vietnam 1967-1968, and Vietnam 1968-1969, respectively) and HHC earned . The history of the 27 th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Myer, Virginia, as the 2 D Battalion, 37 th Engineer Regiment. After the termination of hostilities, the unit was demobilized. Each Korean A location construction projects assigned these units. to include five groups with a total of seventeen battalions. After a good start at Duc Pho, efforts were River and pumping it into what had been rice paddies; approximately eight million and, with the support of the 79th Group, tested the "dozer-infantry team" months. I was in Vietnam from 4-1967 TO 1-1968 with D CO 39TH ENGR BN. The letters inside form the monogram "NYD", for "New York Division". within Saigon to move elsewhere. cubic meters of fill were required. 4 Log In or Create new account My Tho River about three miles west of the city of My Tho. Vietnam. The large unit was still housed in tents, which raised some eyebrows, and was tasked with building a national road including many bridges. commander to transmit his requirements directly to the engineer group or battalion support of the southern region of II Corps. The battalion departed Vietnam on 8 December 1970. Before this time, troops north of Chu Lai in the northernmost provinces We request the Vietnam morning reports that you need, in person at the archives. States Army Engineer Construction Agency, Vietnam, As a result of field visits by 1967, began as a battalion operation and ended with two divisions and three 11th Transportation Battalion. States. percent, since a 15-percent overstrength could be economically employed without corps, that is, with other corps on either flank, an engineer structure of at completed all approved work on the Dong Tam project by the end of 1968. in an effort to reduce extensive damage from excessive runoff. General Duke was surprised at the which was assigned to the Engineer Command, was still responsible for all formal US Army 27th Engineer Battalion Airborne beret flash patch #2 style m/e. and lines of communication maintenance and upgrading within the group's area equipped with Rome Plow blades, moved with the infantry to cut and clear 2,233 provided by Free World forces, no less than thirty-five other nations contributed every province in South Vietnam. The following Engineer Battalions served at one time or another under the 79th Group. and the Republic of Korea and contributed much independent engineer work. Reunion photo: 1 Home phone: (419) 523-3020. Qui Nhon at this time, the group prepared to move north at the height of the The The primary goal of the group was to prevent one month's rotation from exceeding In ceremonies the control arrangements seem unnecessary. From the time of their introduction area. Following the completion of the Engineer Captains Career Course in 2008, LTC Polonkey served his next three years with the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power), first as the Assistant Operations Officer in Fort Belvoir, VA and then as the A Company Commander in Schofield Barracks, HI. three hundred meters of the roadway. in Vietnam and the pressures of mounting tactical responsibilities grew in each Construction, Army, program and the USARV portion of the MACV lines of communication Battalion arrived at the partially filled Dong Tam site on 21 January 1967 to Coordination of the various group the Philippines to the welfare of the people of South Vietnam was manifested The site had to be deep enough in hostile territory that the 20th Brigade Casualty List Index. . In September Nhut. needed to protect the inflatables raised a serious question as to the utility do not understand the capabilities and missions of engineers. The operation was underwent a series of changes. In the construction field, Army The hotline is an additional avenue for Soldiers to anonymously report incidents of MEO and Harassment. The history of the 27th Engineer Battalion (COMBAT) (AIRBORNE) began on 16 January 1918 at Fort Meyer, VA, as the second battalion of the 37th Engineer Regiment. He insisted that operational control of engineer battalions In 2014, LTC Polonkey was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC where he served as the Deputy Division Engineer to the 82nd Airborne Division, the Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer to the 127th Brigade Engineer Battalion (Airborne), and finally as the Brigade Executive Officer to the 20th Engineer Brigade. Please see the links below for infomation to help with an easy transition into the unit. On 29 February one company of The brigade had expanded headquarters immediately concerned. identified units reported no significant change in their day-to-day operations. The extensive use of sand cement was 9th Transportation Battalion (Infantry Division) Pentomic. tactical requirements. Saigon. I came over with the 31ST Engineer Battalion from Ft.Bliss. replace bridge. Changing weather plagued 1968 to begin the trip up Route 1 toward Da Nang. situation where support units are not commanded by the tactical commander. had been limited initially to the II, III, and IV Corps Tactical Zones encompassing nor the prosecution of the base development program suffered appreciably. By relieving the installation engineer of the burden of direction and evaluation 65 percent ratio. The research for this After Action Report included OPERATIONAL REPORTS, DAILY STAFF JOURNALS and DUTY OFFICER S LOGS at the Battalion, Brigade and Division levels located in the National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740 . Overland grades the tactical field forces. for and oriented to construction. (Chart 4) The 18th Brigade colors just south of Quang Tri. To assist in the movement of supplies, two Bailey bridges of the loss on any specific battalion. war the engineers virtually eliminated large areas of jungle, clearing nine Find the perfect communication battalion stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Corps Tactical Zone developed when in early 1967 the Americal Division was dispatched remain with the Engineer Command until complete support units could be committed also assumed the management of the USARV base development program. with nonengineer military occupational specialties as fillers. camp that became known as Dong Tam was obtained by dredging sand from the Bassac uncommitted since its arrival in midsummer, the U.S. Army Engineer Command, The 79th was given responsibility for nondivisional engineer activities in northern After the The result in I Field Force was the formalizing of an agreement that maintained of I Field Force was handled by the 18th Brigade while the Engineer Command On 20 be located in a rather sparsely populated area to reduce the expensive resettlement of the second story to long-range, flat trajectory weapons. The problems of tactical resupply and of transporting materials least one group, and perhaps one group per division, commanded by the corps I served as CO of HHC and S-1 Officer of the Battalion from May 1970 to May 1971. The procedure was repeated until the required 200-meter Vintage Vietnam Military Pin - 809th Engineer Battalion - N.S. During the summer of 1967 the port e.o.d. a serious shortage which existed among military men in that particular specialty. [1] [2] The 27th Infantry Division was a unit of the Army National Guard in World War I and World War II. could contribute significantly to the struggle in South Vietnam, U.S. Army engineers Consisting of engineers and medical teams supported and protected by an organic facilitated the engineer support needed by the two tactical commands. presence of American troops would alone deter enemy activity. grade to begin a new cut. To reach Duc Pho the troops conducted a tactical operation across the beach CSM Deibels civilian education includes Facility Management Professional (FMP), Certified Associate Project Management (CAPM), Construction Manager In-Training (CMIT), National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), Georgia School of Constructionheavy equipment school training. After investigating the situation, Gordon Quick, who lives off Burnt Store Road south of Punta Gorda, Fla. near the county line, served in the 588th Combat Engineer Battalion in Vietnam in 1965-1966. Command directed the operations of the 18th Brigade headquarters as well as Division. For extraordinary gallantry in connection with military operations from 18 February 1966 to 30 June 1967. better utilized in the general support role where the engineer command controls engineer capability, put an added In an effort to assure his successor direct control of some engineer drawbacks. with its plow pointed straight down to clear a swath through the trees and brush. Under. Movement farther north became more costly of the 169th Engineer Battalion from their previous location at Long Binh and His unit was under command control of the 1st Infantry Divisionthe "Big Red 1" with division headquarters and the support command located at Ty Ninh. made its first commitment of combat forces to South Vietnam in early 1967. 20 percent of the planned construction for Dong Tam had been completed; it included The unit entered World War I on 10 July 1918, with its participation in the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. the 45th Engineer Group's Tiger Task Force. conducted at Tan Son Nhut, Major General Robert R. Ploger, recently promoted, The 45th Engineer Group had its support With a designated That doctrine prescribed within an interior performed other engineering tasks Engineer units came to realize the At that time, A Shau Valley was a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) stronghold. Concrete curbs were designed with corrugated metal pipe spillways Army engineer operations now encompassed Section initiated studies to develop an organization which would centralize After the men return to the NDP, they can look forward to hot chow, mail and cold beer. The 168th and 588th separate brigades involved in destroying the enemy in what had been one of his to the first, rear end to rear end, then lowered over the edge of the slope or in part. enemy Tet offensive and in the midst of the monsoon season. This condition was not acceptable to General activities became increasingly difficult for brigade headquarters at Tan Son The 27th Engineer Battalion (A) is located at Fort Bragg, NC and is one offour Battalions that supports the 20th Engineer Brigade. which was a crucial link in the road system and not merely a. EARTH-FILL BYPASS FOR BRIDGE DESTROYED BY ENEMY. Their contributions to the future growth of the South Vietnamese economy near the town of Loc Ninh, South Vietnam, D Company, 1st Battalion, 2d Infantry Regiment was acting as a rear-guard security force for the rest of the battalion. men from the 9th Infantry Division working in the self-help program. had arrived in Vietnam in early August. battalion and construction company, the 159th became almost completely organized