Troops of Australian 1RAR (Royal Australian Regiment) move through paddy fields as American helicopters fly overhead after landing them during a search and destroy operation, Bien Hoa, January 1966. 1 RAR made up entirely of regular soldiers, was attached to the US 173rd Airborne Brigade at Bien Hoa.
September 2, 1966, Bien Hoa, Vietnam. In this 1966 photo, Berlin-born paratrooper Ruediger Richter patrols in the jungle northeast of what is now called Ho Chi Minh City as a member of the U.S. Army's 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade. As a boy, Richter saw bodies in the streets of Hitler's Germany, where he spent his childhood. He then became a professional killer, first as a member of the French Foreign Legion and later as a member of the U.S. Army. A gunshot through the head ended his Vietnam combat service in 1967, leaving him with a shattered face and a heart hollowed out by anger and addictions. He has since found his peace living in the rural Southern United States near Columbus, Georgia. Photo by Henri Huet KIA Feb. 10 1971 over Laos.
Recon 1/502 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam 1969-70. Photo by Ruben Yzaguirre The 502nd Infantry Regiment (502nd INF), previously titled the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (502nd PIR), is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment was established shortly after the American entry into World War II, and was assigned as a regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, "The Screaming Eagles", one of the most decorated formations of the U.S. Army. The regiment saw substantial action in the European Theater of World War II and was deactivated in 1945, shortly after the end of the war. Reactivating in a new form in 1956, the 502nd Infantry has served in the Vietnam War, the first Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. It was removed from parachute status with the rest of the 101st Airborne Division in 1969, and since 1974, the regiment has been classified as an Air Assault unit. Currently, its 1st and 2nd battalions are active. Both battalions are assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) 2nd Battalion served almost seven years in the Republic of Vietnam. 1st Battalion did five years. Fighting scattered actions under two different brigade headquarters from the Mekong River delta in the south to the DMZ up north, they earned 27 campaign streamers, six American, and eight Vietnamese unit citations between them, including two Presidential Unit Citations earned by 2nd Battalion for An Khe and Dak To. 1/502 fought in the A Shau Valley and the Rescue of Dustoff 65. Three 2nd Battalion soldiers earned the Medal of Honor. Specialist Dale E. Wayrynen, Private First Class Milton A. Lee, and Corporal Frank R. Fratellenico all have Fort Campbell landmarks named for them. In December 1971, after having drawn down in country, the 101st began returning home to Fort Campbell.
101st Aviation Battalion Headquarters. "My parking spot at Battalion HQ. Camp Eagle, Vietnam. I traded my Jeep for 10 cases of Jack Daniels & 50 lbs.of lobster tails from some local Navy guy." -Tom Everhart. Photo by Tom Everhart.
Attached is a photo of some members of "Bad Boy" Recon (that was our call sign in the field) at Eagle Beach in 1969. "Our Platoon Sgt. Jorge Otero is second from left. I am second from right. Sgt. Jorge Otero a brave soldier from Puerto Rico. He served 5 hard combat tours in Vietnam in the field, not at some rear firebase. I served with him during his last two tours (69-70). I am so proud to have served with this outstanding soldier." -Ruben Yzaguirre. Photo by Ruben Yzaguirre, Recon 1/502 101st Airborne Division, Viet Nam 1969-1970.
