VIETNAM PHOTO COLLECTION, 1966-67
Operation Diamond Head, Late June, early July, 1967
Photos taken by SP4 Brant Olds
This is a fine black and white photo collection that was taken by a photographer from battalion in late June, early July 1967, during Operation Diamond Head.
Ed Smith describes these photos this way:
The photographer was with us a short while and most of the photos were taken then. Some may have been taken at another time. I was given a set of the photos in Battalion Headquarters as I processed out to rotate home..
In the first photo you can view myself and Platoon Leader Bernie Quick reviewing maps. Pictures 1,2,3 were taken on June 30, 1967. We were moving that morning and stopped to verify our position before making a change in direction. We had a USAF Forward Air Controller overhead and popped smoke to have him give us a location. We also had Roys Willenbring, our Forward Observer, have the artillery fire White Phosphorous rounds at two different locations, 200 meters height of burst. We did a resection with the compass as another check. We made our turn and probably 15 – 20 minutes later, SFC Norwood, leading our 3d Platoon, the lead platoon, called a halt while he checked a trail and wicker fence that they found. While we waited, we heard a burst of automatic weapons fire. As I was there, belly down on the jungle floor, the exact thought that ran through my mind was “what the hell am I doing here. I go home in a week and here’s Norwood, trying to start Word War III.” Later, when I talked to SFC Norwood, he explained that as he checked the area, a VC wearing the typical black pajamas and carrying a US .30 Carbine walked right up on him. Norwood took him under fire, hit the VC and knocked him down. The VC got up and ran off. 3d Platoon followed him for just a very few yards but broke the chase off because we didn’t want to take the chance of running into an ambush. We recovered a blood covered notebook that the VC dropped.
In picture 4 you can see Don Haynes, artillery FO. Walter Kelley, who carried the Battalion Network radio for the C.O. is pictured in picture 5. Picture 7 shows Bernie Quick, Platoon Leader and soon the be Company Commander. The last photo in this series show Brently Zieg. The remaining men have yet to be identified.