Steel Soldiers MV of the month - January VOTE HERE!

[Another Ahab]

I witnessed Ron hugging a baby, at the GA rally!

Running for office?

Vote early, and vote often!

 

[Bighurt]

Zout retracted his post but I felt he made a valid point.

There are no categories to judge. Which makes it all the more reason its just one month, and just 10 entries. In fact if it was up to me no MV's would be allowed to be nominated more than once in a given year, and a monthly winner would not be allowed a re-entry, aside from an annual vote of all 12 winners. Surely we have enough to to nominate 120 trucks within a given year.

Regardless I think I think each voter should just base their vote on their feeling at the moment.

For example I nominated Soni's FEMTT. My reason's were based on'

-Uniqueness of the vehicle, Soni's works are truly one off fabrication while still feeling as though Uncle Sam owned them.
-Effort put into the vehicle, having visited the compound I can attest to the work he puts into every part of the vehicle (aside from cab interior...LOL)
-Fondness for the vehicle type, I'm a big truck kinda guy and clearly am addicted to trailers.
-Complete, it would be an injustice to nominate a work in progress, although most things change over time.

My vote however went to Papabear and aside from factors similar to the above. What the vehicle stands for and the simple fact that if this was a one time deal it best represents us (or me). Proud American should really strikes a cord with most of our members. I could think of nothing better to symbolize the site.

No offense to those members outside the US, the above is a representation of my feelings and opinions and in no way reflects that of the site administrator or any members without consent.

 

[patracy]

Zout retracted his post but I felt he made a valid point.

There are no categories to judge. Which makes it all the more reason its just one month, and just 10 entries. In fact if it was up to me no MV's would be allowed to be nominated more than once in a given year, and a monthly winner would not be allowed a re-entry, aside from an annual vote of all 12 winners. Surely we have enough to to nominate 120 trucks within a given year.

Regardless I think I think each voter should just base their vote on their feeling at the moment.

For example I nominated Soni's FEMTT. My reason's were based on'

-Uniqueness of the vehicle, Soni's works are truly one off fabrication while still feeling as though Uncle Sam owned them.
-Effort put into the vehicle, having visited the compound I can attest to the work he puts into every part of the vehicle (aside from cab interior...LOL)
-Fondness for the vehicle type, I'm a big truck kinda guy and clearly am addicted to trailers.
-Complete, it would be an injustice to nominate a work in progress, although most things change over time.

My vote however went to Papabear and aside from factors similar to the above. What the vehicle stands for and the simple fact that if this was a one time deal it best represents us (or me). Proud American should really strikes a cord with most of our members. I could think of nothing better to symbolize the site.

No offense to those members outside the US, the above is a representation of my feelings and opinions and in no way reflects that of the site administrator or any members without consent.

There's more than 10 in this poll. I had to tweak things because I didn't catch the 10 limit in time. I've setup polls now to have up to 20 options. As I listed in the first thread, winners aren't allowed another nomination for that year.

 

[Bighurt]

There's more than 10 in this poll. I had to tweak things because I didn't catch the 10 limit in time

I realized that and figured that was why, I was mearly speaking in generalities, my point being there is nor should there be any defined parameters in which to judge the truck.

As I listed in the first thread, winners aren't allowed another nomination for that year.

I realize that as well which is why I added the stipulation "if it were up to me". I won't begin to tell you how to run your thread, poll or site. However I will provide my feelings on matters without expecting compensation, credit or recognition for any of the babble to which I speak.

Cheers...were is that other six-pack...

 

[papabear]

There's more than 10 in this poll. I had to tweak things because I didn't catch the 10 limit in time. I've setup polls now to have up to 20 options. As I listed in the first thread, winners aren't allowed another nomination for that year.

Hey, it's the first one ever...so it's gotta be "tweaked" as needed!

I'm not sure I agree with the one nomination per winner per year though. What happens if a winner finds a super MV and does it justice?

BUT...you be da boss...

 

[sigo]

They are all great vehicles! I appreciate them all. The nominee list for the first MV of the month club reads like a top 12 list of all the vehicles on SS. So hard to choose, but Proud American got my vote not only for what it represents, but also for how great it looks and for how much effort clearly went into the build. Parking next to her at the '12 rally made my truck look like a chump.

Great idea for the MV of the month contest.

 

[swiss]

We need more voting and less Chatter

 

[Bighurt]

I'm not sure I agree with the one nomination per winner per year though. What happens if a winner finds a super MV and does it justice?

That isn't the current policy and my intent on was for the MV not the owner. My rationale was to prevent someone from nominating the same vehicle each month till it won. If it doesn't win better luck next year. To prevent super MV's from sweeping the series each year once a winner it would loose the ability to run again. I see monthly winners as a hall of fame, once in there it it looses the point in further nomination.

 

[papabear]

That isn't the current policy and my intent on was for the MV not the owner. My rationale was to prevent someone from nominating the same vehicle each month till it won. If it doesn't win better luck next year. To prevent super MV's from sweeping the series each year once a winner it would loose the ability to run again. I see monthly winners as a hall of fame, once in there it it looses the point in further nomination.

I'm sorry Sir, I misunderstood. I agree with you.

 

[mbehne]

I'm sorry, that was a tough decision!!! Absolutely love all the trucks...didn't read any of the thread before voting, As I have always thought Proud American should be the MV of the planet, decade, century, galaxy, ect. I think reo54 came in 1st and 1/2 with the others too close to call, so tied for 2nd!!!

 

[patracy]

Soni was away when I sent him a PM about his pic and wanted me to update the thread. So here's a better pic.

 

[swiss]

That is just nasty sick over the top beautiful.


That said I will vote next time for Soni after the Proud American takes the honor of first official SS MV.

 

[swiss]

Proud American

Some of you may know the history of the Proud American and many of you may not. To understand the history is to understand the passion and why the Proud American gets my vote as the first MV of the month for SS. This truck represents PapaBears memorial to all those who fought and died for American freedom. He built this truck for no other reason than paying his respect to the men who risked risked their life and many ultimately died in a war that was lost in its purpose and the american public.

Here is some background on the Proud American but more importantly the situation and history of the men of the Gun Trucks during Vietnam.

This is written by Red from the 523 transportation Company (This is written to preserve history of what happened at the time, it is not perfect english and structure but an important part of history)

PapaBear needs to provide more background on Red.

The complete link to the whole story is below:
http://www.vietnam-guntrucks.com/lamson-719/

Operation Lam Son 719.
Vietnam Offensive Feb 8-March 25th 1971

By 1971, the gun truck design and doctrine had reached fruition. Experimentation had ended. The 515th had Baby Sitters, the 585th had Hardcore and the 805th had Lil‟ Sure Shot. The 523rd Transportation Company (Medium Truck), which had run line haul up the most ambushed road in Vietnam, Route 19 in the Central Highlands, brought six gun trucks; Satan‟s Lil‟ Angel, Ace of Spades, Black Widow, Uncle Meat, King Kong and Eve of Destruction.

Each of the three platoons had two gun trucks. By then, new crew members were volunteers selected by consensus of the other crew members. The gun truck crews felt elite but the 523rd believed that by assigning two gun trucks to each platoon, rather than to their own platoon, they felt more like members of the company. They lived with the drivers who they had to protect. Since they were the best, much was expected of them and if they failed to defend the trucks then they would have to face their brothers when they returned to the barracks at night.

Gun Trucks of the 523rd
Gun Truck “Ace of Spades” (DESTROYED) 2-16-71
Gun Truck “Black Widow”
Gun Truck “Satans LiL Angel” (DESTROYED) 2-20-71 ////used to build Proud Amercian
Gun Truck “Proud Amercian” (DESTROYED) 3-12-71 ////used to rebuild Ace of Spades
Gun Truck “Uncle Meat”
Gun Truck “King Kong”
Gun Truck “Eve of Destruction”

This late in the war, there was a shortage of Transportation Corps officers. Second lieutenants made first lieutenant in one year then captain in the next. The rapid promotion and other duties caused a shortage of lieutenants in the truck companies. The burden of leading convoys fell heavily on the NCOs. However, during 1970, the Army assigned three infantry officers to the 523rd. 1LT Ralph Fuller, an airborne Ranger qualified infantry officer, had recently served in the 25th Infantry Division but when it was inactivated, he still had part of his one-year tour to complete, so he, like many of its officers who had not completed their one-year tours, was assigned to the 523rd.

Fuller also had 15 years prior service as an enlisted man. 2LTs Jim Baird and Tom Callahan had both graduated from OCS 2-70 and were assigned directly to the 523rd. The only logical reason they could conclude why the Army assigned infantry officers to truck companies were the gun trucks. This hinted that the Army felt that gun trucks were a combat arms mission. For whatever reason they were assigned there, the officers identified with the gun trucks and loved the men who crewed them. As combat arms officers they felt their place was on the road. Many preferred to ride in the gun trucks, endearing them with the crews.

CPT Donald Voightritter commanded the company. He was a fair and respected officer. His brother Ronald, another TC officer, had already earned the Silver Star Medal for valor. The personality of commanders defines the character of their commands. Voightritter created an atmosphere of mutual respect and camaraderie. This was the strongest asset of the company. The officers would discuss informally with the gun truck crews what they had done during ambushes. No two ambushes were the same and the gun truck crews reacted differently to each one. These discussions inspired confidence with the lieutenants in their crews.

While CPT Voightritter closed down the company at Qui Nhon, he sent the trucks north under the responsibility of LT Fuller. When he received instructions to lead the convoy north, he had no idea what was going on. He confessed that to his men and asked them what he had to do. They liked him even more after that and would not let him fail.

The convoy consisted of over a hundred trucks and all six gun trucks in the company. The convoy spent the night at Da Nang. Fuller told everyone to write home. The next day they convoyed to Quang Tri. Once at Quang Tri, the company became attached to LTC Alvin Ellis‟ 39th Battalion. The battalion became known as “Big Al and his Money Makers.”

There CPT Voightritter joined up with his 523rd. They received instructions to paint over the yellow noses on their trucks. At about 10:00 in the morning, the convoy left for Camp Vandergrift. The convoy turned left at Dong Ha and paralleled the DMZ along Route 9. They arrived at Vandergrift about one week after the 515th. Vandergrift was located in a valley surrounded on three sides by higher ground. They spent the night at Vandergrift. Meanwhile the engineers had reopened the road between Vandergrift and Khe Sanh. Khe Sanh had not been occupied since the Marines evacuated it in 1968. The road to Khe Sanh was a winding road with hairpin turns.

The demand for supplies required the two light truck companies to deliver cargo around the clock, day and night. To prevent driving off the road at night, the trucks rolled with their lights on giving the enemy ample warning of their arrival. The steep slopes with thick jungle vegetation growing right up to the road made this ideal ambush terrain. During Lam Son, the guerrillas stepped up the frequency and ferocity of their attacks ambushes hoping to starve off the American support.

The advance party of the 572nd Medium Truck left Newport by LST in December 1970. It had belonged to the 6th Battalion at Long Binh. The rest of the company arrived a few weeks later and set up operations at Quang Tri. It was attached to the 39th Battalion from 29 January to 15 February. It acquired the name “Gypsy Bandits” because the company was relocated all over Vietnam. After 15 February, it was then attached to the 57th Battalion. From Quang Tri the 572nd delivered cargo to FSA I and FSA II. Although not a part of the battalion, the 528th Quartermaster Petroleum Supply Company delivered fuel to the forward base camps under the escort of 39th Battalion gun trucks.

From 16 February, the 39th Battalion had control of the following companies:
C/23rd S&T Company (5-ton cargo)
57th Transportation Company (Medium Truck)
515th Transportation Company (Medium Truck) at Vandergrift
523rd Transportation Company (Light Truck) at Vandergrift
666th Transportation Company (Light Truck) at Gia Le
XXIV Corps Company (Provisional)
FLC LT Truck (USMC)
506th Transportation Detachment (Terminal Transfer Point)

On 16 February, the 57th Transportation Battalion assumed the line haul mission to Vandergrift as well as other missions of the 39th Battalion. The 666th Light Truck, however, continued its direct and general support mission to the 101st Airborne Division. The 57th Medium Truck Company had three gun trucks: The Justifier, The Assassins, and The Protector.

The 523rd Light Truck convoyed to Khe Sanh. It was an eerie place. There were no remnants of any structures left as the engineers had bulldozed the entire camp down when the marines evacuated. Only tall grass and thick dust covered the area. The drivers did see lots of little parachutes for flares hanging in trees without foliage. The trucks off loaded their cargo on the PSP. C-130 aircraft began to land on the once again operational air strip. Khe Sanh became the forward logistic base for operations. From there, the convoys delivered fuel and ammunition.

The living conditions were very austere at the camps. At Khe Sanh, the men simply dug holes and lived like moles when they remained over night. At Vandergrift, they could at least erect tents and sleep above ground. The 515th Company set up GP Large for its headquarters and most of the men slept in the Bedrock Hotel, a bunker with a solid aircraft landing sheet as a deck and protected vents to see the outside. Other than that, there were few amenities that they had become accustomed to at their original base camps.

Route 9 was the life line for the ARVN offensive and American support. As soon as line haul operations began, the NVA made a concerted effort to shut down the supply line with ambushes. The thick jungle that grew right up to the road made it ideal for ambushes and the fact that convoys had to run both day and night made ambushes easier. The 1st Brigade, 5th Mechanized Infantry Division had responsibility for the security of that section of the road.

During the big push, the 523rd received a priority call for a night convoy to the border. An artillery unit was nearly out of ammunition. If they did not reach the artillery fire base by 6:00 in the morning then the unit would be out of ammunition. Fuller briefed his drivers. It was a critical convoy and they only had to take two right turns. They had to be real quiet.

The Eve of Destruction and Uncle Meat were in Fuller‟s platoon. Fuller was especially fond of the gun truck crews. He liked to ride with them instead of in his 3/4-ton gun jeep, Daughter of Darkness. He felt better when he could stand up and look out. At night he would string his hammock between the two gun trucks to sleep.

The convoy started out at around 10:00 that night with nearly a hundred vehicles. Fuller rode in the Eve in the back of the convoy. After a couple of hours on the road, they reached the intersection where they were supposed to turn right and cross the bridge. The trucks behind the Eve took the wrong turn in the dark. Fuller called ahead to the convoy commander, “Six, be advise that the cargo truck behind me took a left.” The Eve raced back down the road and caught up with the lead truck. Fuller told them to turn around. The trucks turned around and Fuller called ahead to Uncle Meat to be watching for them. They reached the fire base just before first light. Sure enough the artillery unit had exhausted all its ammunition. The convoy had their replacement ammunition.

The Eve led out on the return trip. Uncle Meat closed up the rear of the convoy. Fuller heard an explosion. Uncle Meat had run over a mine and blew out its left rear duals and air tank. David Rose, the driver, climbed out of the cab to assess the damage. David was a draftee from California. No one was seriously injured but the axle was resting on the ground. They could not drive with it in that condition. The Eve came back. Fuller got out and checked the area. He saw the sandal tracks of a lone VC who had planted the mine. He did not expect more but knew they could not stay in the area long. He told the crew of Uncle Meat to blow up the truck so they enemy could not use it and abandon it. The crew felt too loyal to their gun truck to abandon it to the enemy. David Rose told his lieutenant, “Give us a minute, sir.” He had an idea. He had seen an old Western where a wheel on a wagon had broken and the axle was also resting on the ground. They used ropes and tied up the axle so it would not drag. They tried the same with Uncle Meat. They chained up the axle to the frame and hooked up the gun truck to a tow truck. They towed Uncle Meat all the way back to Vendergrift after the convoy stopped at Khe Sanh. The crew disconnected the gun box and placed it on the frame of a new truck. Uncle Meat was operational again.

Around 19 February, 2LT Baird had been sent back to Phu Bai to pick up 17 brand new 5-ton trucks. They returned after dark. The convoy doctrine at the time was to limit convoys to no more than 30 trucks with a gun truck ratio of 1:10. Uncle Meat led the convoy with King Kong in the middle and Satan‟s Lil‟ Angel in the rear. All gun trucks had three M2 .50 caliber machineguns. The M2 .50 was the most successful design in American weapons and had seen very little change in its design since its original issue in 1919.
This time Baird rode close to the rear in a ¾-ton gun beep with twin M60 machineguns. He noticed that some Transportation Corps officers preferred to ride up front. He knew that if there was trouble it would invariably occur in the rear and that is where the key decisions would be made. If an ambush split the convoy, by doctrine the trucks out of the kill zone would continue to role of to the next security check point or camp. If the convoy commander was in the lead then the commander in would be unable to make the key decisions for the rest of the convoy either trapped in the kill zone or behind. 1LT David R. Wilson was killed trying to reenter the kill zone in an unprotected jeep.

It was dark on 20 February as the convoy neared Camp Vandergrift. The mountain ridge to the south came within yards of Highway 9 and a valley of tall elephant grass covered the valley to the ridge line to the north. Around midnight a mile and a half from their destination, Baird heard an explosion followed by an intense volume of small arms fire from the jungle on the ridge to his left. An RPG had struck Satan‟s Lil‟ Angel‟s gun box from the north side of the road, killing right rear gunner, SP4 Richard B. Frazier, and wounded left gunner and NCOIC, SGT Chester Israel. Small arms fire shot out the tires of the gun truck. The NVA had learned to take out the gun trucks first before they went after the rest of the trucks. Without a crew to fire back, the driver of Satan‟s Lil‟ Angel drove his truck on rims out of the kill zone.

Baird raced ahead and passed a disabled 5-ton cargo truck in the ditch. He ordered his driver to stop so they could check on the driver. They came to a halt a hundred feet ahead of the truck. He did not want to leave the disabled truck until he was sure that its driver was safe. To do so required him to wait in the middle of the kill zone. As soon as his gunner tried to return fire, both M60s failed to fire. Evidently, he had put the gas plugs in backwards when he reassembled them. The three men only had one M79 grenade launcher and their M16s to defend against an NVA company. Baird immediately radioed the two lead gun trucks and told them to come back. The one thing that Baird could depend on was the loyalty of his gun truck to rescue him or any other truck in trouble.

Neither the crew of Uncle Meat nor King Kong had heard the gun fire behind them. The majority of the convoy had continued to Vandergrift as nothing had happened. Uncle Meat had already entered the compound and King Kong had just made the right hand turn into Vandergrift when they heard Baird‟s call for help. Immediately backed up, turned around and raced as fast as their trucks would let them back to the kill zone.

Baird knew his gun truck crews and had confidence in their judgment. He also knew that too much jabber on the radio would cause confusion and tie up the radio net. He quickly and precisely informed the gun trucks of the situation. Satan‟s Lil‟ Angel had been hit, his gun jeep and one 5-ton were still in the kill zone. The crews asked which side of the road the enemy was on and Baird informed them that he was taking small arms fire from the ridge to his south and the field of elephant grass to his north. The enemy was close enough to throw hand grenades at his vehicle. He then quit talking. He would count on their judgment as what to do.

Ten minutes of steady small arms fire had elapsed since the beginning of the ambush. By then Baird was taking fire from both sides of the road. Enemy was closing in from the elephant grass while others fired down on them from the ridge to the south. His gunner, Downer, tapped him on the shoulder and said, “I see one. What do I do?” Baird turned, looked back down the road and saw an enemy soldier about 15 meters away on a berm alongside the road loading an RPG. He told his gunner to shoot him. The gunner fired his M79 grenade launcher at him. The enemy soldier was too close for the 40mm grenade to arm in flight. It struck him with enough velocity to either kill or incapacitate him, because he did not fire his rocket.

Around ten minutes after the initiation of the ambush, King Kong raced up to their convoy commander‟s ¾-ton, parking right in front of it at an angle facing to the north. Uncle Meat similarly parked near Satan‟s Lil‟ Angel. Baird was never as glad as when he saw the tracers of those .50s. There was a reassurance that everything would turn out alright. He knew his gun truck crews knew what to do. Baird called on the radio, “They‟re in the ditches. They‟re in the ditches.” The gunners on the Kong swung their .50s around and sprayed the ditches.

The success of an ambush depended upon surprise and extreme violence. The gun truck crews had learned to turn the fight back on the enemy as fast as they could with even more violence. This would take the psychological advantage away from the enemy forcing them to break contact. The .50s blazed away in four to six round bursts at the muzzle flashes to their left and right. The gunners poured 30-weight oil from plastic canteens to help cool the barrels and ensure the smooth function of their breaches after firing off about three to four boxes of ammunition.

An RPG hit the rear duals right and exploded in all the colors of the rainbow under left rear gunner, James Cochran, knocking him backwards on Larson who manned the right .50. Cochran then jumped back up, grabbed his .50 and went back to work. King Kong was an APC gun truck. Large chunks of hot shrapnel had come up through the aluminum floor of the hull and lodged in the top of the box right under his machinegun. One piece of shrapnel had burned a hole in the charging handle and others had left five or six holes in the barrel, but it still fired.

The one advantage to fighting at night, the gunners fired in the direction of the enemy muzzle flashes, which betrayed their positions. There was no concealment in the dark once one fired his weapon. The tactic worked. After about ten minutes of firing, Uncle Meat and King Kong had turned the fight back on the enemy and they broke contact. During the fight, the driver of the disabled 5-ton had run to his convoy commander‟s vehicle. That close to Vandergrift, Uncle Meat loaded the wounded from Satan‟s Lil‟ Angel into their gun truck then drove off the road and backed up to Baird‟s vehicle. The drive shaft had broken and the vehicle could not drive. The crew of Uncle Meat hooked up the ¾-ton to Uncle Meat, which towed it into Vandergrift. The two gun trucks that came to the rescue also received damage but could roll under their own power. After the initial volley of fire, no other casualties were taken. King Kong limped back to Vandergrift on its rims.

The sweep of the area the next day discovered four enemy dead and one wounded NVA soldier 25 meters from the road. The enemy usually made great effort to recover their dead and conceal their losses, so no one could accurately determine the total enemy losses. These were the only confirmed enemy kills by the 39th Transportation Battalion Soldiers during Lam Son 719.

On 12 March, Lieutenant Baird led a convoy from Vandergrift to Khe Sanh. Just in case the enemy tried to ambush a convoy, the detail left behind kept a reaction force. Fuller had all the gun trucks lined up ready to go.

A B-40 rocket hit the gun truck, Proud America, between the cab and the gun box on the driver‟s side mortally wounding the driver, SP4 Robert W. Thorne. Thorne steered the truck into the hillside instead of down the steep cliff into the creek. This saved the rest of the crew. Unfortunately, LT Baird had been kneeling by the radio mounted in the left front corner of the box when the rocket hit. He received multiple fragmentary wounds and lost his left arm.

Fuller heard the call, “contact, contact, contact,” on the radio and led his convoy of gun trucks. He rode in the Daughter of Darkness. An engineer stopped him saying that there was an ambush up the road. They drove past. Lieutenant Callahan laid Baird on a stretcher and drove him to a better location near the bridge for the medevac helicopter to land. The helicopter arrived but was afraid to land, instead, the men lifted the stretcher up to the bird. Fuller told the medevac crew, “Take care of him. He was a good one.” They placed Thorne‟s body in the Black Widow and took it back to Vandergrift.

 

[marchplumber]

Thanks

God bless,
Tony

 

[M920]

Swiss,

Thank you for this post! I am humbled by the incredible bravery of these men and their trucks! I gave my vote to 'Jerseyhick' since I love the look of his creation, but I do totally agree, that the 'Proud American' needs to be the first MV of the month!!!

Soni

 

[swiss]

This is copied from a post that PapaBear did in the past that provides more detail behind the Proud American.

Link to Original Post:
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?71238-Proud-American-Guntruck-History


Someone recently asked a friend (more like a brother) why we built the Proud American Guntruck Tribute.

My only answer is....after reading about how she came to be and meeting some of her crew...we just had to:

20 February 1971 Richard B. Frazier (right gunner) was killed during an ambush of the gun truck, Satan’s Lil’ Angel near Fire Support Base Vandergriff, South Vietnam. Chester Israel the NCOIC was severly wounded and medically evacuated by helicopter.

Calvin Bennett (gunner) and Robert Thorne (driver) survived. They were asked by Captain Donald Voightritter (Captain V), Commanding officer of the 523[SUP]rd[/SUP] Transportation Company, to rebuild the gun truck.

The Angel’s gun box was put on another truck and the work began, with the help of the 523rd welder. There were a few slight changes. With those complete they began gathering the ammo and weapons that they would need, Thorne would remain the driver and Calvin the rear gunner. Two more crew members were needed and SP4 "Mac" McDonald was chosen as right front gunner along with SP5 Nelson Allen as NCOIC. With everything in place they again began convoy security operations.
The truck would no longer be known as Satan's Lil Angel. Calvin suggested The Proud American.

12 March 1971 a convoy from Khe Sanh returned to Vandergrift, the convoy commander, 1LT Tom Callahan (Tom Terrific), reported to the Battalion Commander, LTC Alvin C. Ellis (Big Al) that they had received fire and in his opinion it would not be safe to run another convoy in that area. Big Al ran the convoy

The convoy commander was 1Lt James Baird (Pig Farmer) on the gun truck, Proud American. As expected, shortly after leaving Vandergrift the call went out "Contact, contact, contact". Along with the crew and Baird, the truck also carried the 523rd commander Capt. V. The officers and men of the 523rd were as one. There didn't seem to be the separation between the groups as there was in other units.

At FSB Vandergriff, 1LT Ralph Fuller (Ranger Ralph) assembled all gun trucks and the crews monitored the radios. 1LT Callahan had told him about the possibility of an ambush. When the call was received there was no holding any of them back. An engineer tried to stop them saying, "There is an ambush up the road". 1LT Fuller on the ¾ gun truck Daughter of Darkness and five 5 ton gun trucks raced to the scene.

The Black Widow was "dead lined" for having no brakes. Leon Vance the NCOIC was still monitoring the radio and told his driver Mike Eischens. "Let’s go! Those boys are getting hit". Mike reminded him that they had no brakes to which Leon said, "We only have to stop once." A lieutenant tried to stop them but was removed from the running board by Leon. There was no way anyone was going to stop them from going to help.

Shortly after the 6 gun trucks rolled in and began lighting up the area, the enemy broke contact. The Proud American was destroyed only 22 days after being built. The only 523rd Gun Truck never having a name painted on the armor.


Calvin, Baird, and Thorne are again in a major ambush. At first contact an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) hit the truck in the cab on the driver’s side. Thorne does not survive. Baird was at the radio behind his driver and sustained major wounds and lost his left arm. McDonald had a wound to his face and Calvin had a wound to his wrist that he never reported.

Callahan got Baird on a stretcher and Fuller called in a Medivac. The chopper couldn't land on the road. Fuller found a bridge to bring the helicopter close to the ground, and they had to lift Baird up into it. Fuller was heard to tell the Medivac crew to "Take care of him he's a good one" as the helicopter went airborne.

Chester, when he picked his crew for Angel had picked Thorne for his driver because he was a skilled mechanic, but on this day, the last day of his life, it was far more then those skills that he exhibited. It was his skill and awareness as a driver that saved the crew. In his last breath that he took in this world, a steep bank on one side of the road and a deep ravine on the other, he chose to drive into the embankment, saving the lives of everyone else on the truck.

Robert Thorne was removed from his truck and was taken to Vandergrift on the gun truck Black Widow. Thorne was from Denver, Colorado and will always be 20 years old.

 

[73m819]

There has to be somebody out there that has not voted PLEASE VOTE at least 1 vote for SWISS'S wheel chock (m1009), it is real bad to get 0 votes, as a act of MERCY , don't worry, it is a secret vote so no one will know you voted for a wc.

A KGR approves this message

 

[swiss]

Ron appreciate the support but I am good with no votes

we have a great group of vehicles in the first round. Voting closes in 22 minutes.

Patracy said we could politic for votes so sorry about all the long posts on the Proud American, I did think it was important that everyone had the facts to make an informed decision.

 

[73m819]

So there still a chance that SWISS will get at least ONE vote, can the voting be extended like GL if we get a flurry of votes at the last minute.

 

[Cucvnut]

One cucv really and like how many deuces ?