From LTC(R) Mike Farquhar (Mortar Battery, 1st ABG, 1963-1964; HHC, 1st ABN, 506th, 1964):

Greetings All,

Aah for those blessed simple days when our worst enemy wore a ridged helmet liner and the cursed CircleTrigon!

Kennedy was still president, and VicePres LBJ was doing no harm.

A new pair of Corcorans cost under $20.00 and every gung-ho trooper owned a set of TWs [usually w/Marine Corps stripes sewn on] as their going home warsuit. Remember the silver dollar sewn inside your glider patch? Remember the fun of initiating cherry jumpers?

Anybody remember trying to paint the tails of C119s while exiting? That was a good jumping airplane, in the summer!

For you young'ens, Swift Strike II pitted the 101st and the 5th Mech from Fort Reilly against the 82nd and the 2nd ID from Benning.

The Army was amid change then, the 101st had M-14s and M-60s, the 82nd still had M-1s and Cal.30s. There was no love lost between these units. Three days into the game and everybody was sleep-deprived and fully caught up in the fray.

At one point the 506th did one of the first air assaults into an 82nd held airstrip, and we captured a bunch of their folks. I was directed to watch a big lieutenant, and I ordered him to have a seat on the forks of a jeep trailer. He refused, and his third refusal was the charm, - PFC Farquhar butt-stroked him.

I have forever thanked some rough and wise NCOs who saved my young Airborne Ass from a court martial that afternoon. At first I didn't see anything wrong with what I'd done. It took awhile before I could understand the difference between a training war game, and a punishable assault. I ~ may ~ have been saved by the fact that the 82nd lieutenant wasn't wearing his CircleTrigon rank that day. But I was most certainly saved by my NCOs. I've always felt sorry for the LT who fell victim to overly gung-ho skinny PFC from the 101st!

From Roger Wilgus (HHC, 1st ABG, 1961-1962):

I missed Swift Strike I since I didn't join the 101st until late June 1960. And I'll always remember Swift Strike II because I leaned my weapon against a jeep on the DZ while LT Lerch and I were de-rigging the BG commander's jeep. About that time, a 3/4 streamered in and hit the first jeep and my weapon dead center, destroying both. Despite LT Lerch's best efforts, I was forced to sign a Statement of Charges for the weapon.

From Jim Overman (E Co, 1st ABG, 1961-1964; E Co, 1st ABN, 506th, 1964):

I made my cherry jump on Operation Swift Strike. Out the door and all I could see was trees. Hanging in the tree, with a rigger down below telling me how to get down, then you could hear the 130's coming with the heavy drops, the rigger hollers up at me and says that's all he can do, and hauls ass. Boy I had fun. Still having fun down here at Wampee, SC, catching fish.

From Paul Poirier (A/HHC Co, 1st ABG, 1961-1962):

I was a member of the 82nd during Swift Strike I, and jumped twice as a member of Company A, 1-506th in Swift Strike II. The second jump was made on a watermelon patch in Cheraw, SC. I was released from active duty in February of 1962 after we blasted in Turkey in September of 1961 with the 327th in Operation Checkmate, which was a NATO excercise.

From Bill Willey (B Co, 1st ABG, 1960-1963):

I was in 3rd Platoon and remember jumping in a watermelon patch in Cheraw, SC, and eating a lot of melons. We set up in Dillon, SC, cut off and captured some 82nd Airborne troops, also captured a chow truck, we all took care of the food. I also remember myself and two buddies being invited to dinner at a local resident's home in Cheraw, SC. We really enjoyed the people's hospitality. God bless good memories. Once a paratrooper always a paratrooper.

From COL(R) Tom Kiernan (B Co, 1st ABG, 1960-1962):

Wow! Does that bring back memories!

Like some of you, I was privileged to serve in B Company, 1st ABG, 506th Infantry from June 1960 to June 1962. I came as a young and very green 2LT right out of college without even Infantry Officers Basic or Jump School. The 506th "allowed" me to go to Jump School in July 1960 at Fort Campbell and then TDY to IOB at Benning, followed by Ranger School.

I returned to Bravo Company in November 1960. I was the Platoon Leader in a Rifle platoon (forget which one), followed by the Weapons Platoon, and then finally Company XO. I was in awe of the NCO's serving in Bravo Company then and doubt I met their like again. And the Troopers!! I was convinced that those troopers could do anything if the brass just got out of our way.

CPT Jim Burris was the Company CO, followed by CPT Art Fisher. 1SG Bill Markham was our "Top". Bill Schwartz and Phil Shepard were other Platoon Leaders, XO but had been there a while. I believe COL Roberts was the ABG CO.

I got to go on Swift Strike II as I recall. Didn't we make a River Crossing over the great Pee Dee River in SC? The biggest thing I remember is the jump and seeing my first live chicken - having grown up in NYC - which you guys never let me forget.

And how useless the "mechanical mules" they had issued us were. The best thing about being in the Weapons Platoon was they had the 2 "RR" Jeeps we could sneak off in - if the CO or Top wasn't watching.

I have retired to wonderful SC and hit the Pub occasionally.

From LTC(R) William L. Schwartz [HHC/B/E (Recon), 1st ABG, 1960-1962]

I've enjoyed the discussions on Swift Strike stories. Brings back a lot of memories. I joined Bravo Company in January 1960 and left in November 1960 shortly after Tom returned from his schooling stint to take over the Recon Platoon. While in Bravo Company I was platoon leader of 3rd platoon and was also Weapons Platoon leader. CPT Schroeder was my first CO. He was followed by Jim Burris. Phil Shepard was another rifle platoon leader, and Dave Bourland and Ned Digh were the XOs. Bill Markham, one of the finest NCOs I've ever met was 1st Sergeant. My rifle platoon sergeant was SFC Kaiser, and some of the other NCOs were SSG Rucker and SSG Mendoza. And you're right Tom, we had some great NCOs in that company.

During Swift Strike II, I commanded E Company, and I do remember jumping into those watermelon patches. E Company and B Company made an air assault which the aviators screwed up and placed us 10 kilometers behind 82nd lines. That was not the plan.

Jim Burris and I conned some local into driving us at night, in borrowed civvies, through the 82nd lines to find COL Elvy Roberts, the BTLGP CO, who was about 12 kilometers away, to find out what he wanted us to do besides try to disrupt 82nd vehicle movement.

Roberts told us to make our way through the 82nd and link up with him. Fortunately the exercise was cancelled before we had to execute the movement. Can still remember COL Roberts chewing my ass because some of our troops were rolling bowling balls down the main drag of Shaw Air Force Base in the days prior to the jump.

I also had some great NCOs in the Recon Platoon--9 to be exact. Unfortunately, the superb Recon Platoon Sergeant, SFC (later CSM) Bill Tapp, and I were the only leaders to survive repetitive tours in Vietnam. Needless to say, E Company also had more than its share of great NCOs and troopers. I retired after 21 years of service and live in Oakland, CA. Some of us should write some stories of those days to post on the [506th Association] web site. As I write this, more and more come flooding back.

From Paul Poirier (A/HHC Co, 1st ABG, 1961-1962):

That scene at Shaw AFB is one that I can add much to. We were marshalled out in the boonies, I think near the airstrip. Company A, 506th and A. B. Cannon, our First Sergeant, said there would be 50% passes on our first day there. Well I knew full well that if I didn't get to go then, that I would never see the post, but I got lucky.

First we commandeered the PX and took all the beer out of the coolers and drank it, all the while 2 APs were nervously just watching us, as were the PX help. Finally an Air Force jeep pulled up, and the occupants came running in, eyes bulging out of their heads, to get the 2 APs who were witnessing helplessly the insanity in the PX.

Seems that some of the Troopers had already been to the bowling alley and had invaded the dependents swimming pool and were tossing bowling balls at each other from the high diving board into the pool at its occupants. When the APs turned to get in the jeep, it was being driven off by a couple of Troopers, so they just hauled ass.

Later on we flagged down a deuce and a half and stole the fire extinguisher from it and sprayed everyone in the cab when we disembarked.

We then went to a stockaded beer garden and barred ourselves in, tipped over the beer house, drank all the beer, fought with each other etc. until the APs surrounded the compound, at which time some troopers had climbed the trees in the beer garden and were directing fire of the beer pitchers, which were being hurled from inside the compund making direct hits on several jeeps etc.

Finally COL Roberts showed up and ended all the fun. It was one of the most memorable happenings I have ever been involved in or witnessed!!

From Charles Gould (D Co, 1st ABG, 1962-1964; A Co, 2nd ABN, 506th, 1964-1965):

Swift Strike II was August 1962. Jumped and was expecting a heavy drop 45 minutes later . . . we flew longer than supposed to and looked up to see next chutes and wondered why they were "dusty" when they opened . . . turned out it was the heavy drop. Jeeps dropped in middle of trees.

A 2LT did a drawing of the DZ and showed a field, a row of trees, and another field . . . said if you were 7, 8, 9 in the stick, you may hit the trees, otherwise easy jump . . . he had it backwards . . . trees, small clearing, more trees.

I was heading toward a barn . . . the lightning rod got my attention . . . thought I may stand up because I was over a corn field . . . turned out the plants were only about a foot high. Walked for 2 hours to get to the marshalling area, and it turned out to be the barn.

Swift Strike III was in 1963, and we flew down in 119's with the doors open . . . put on Air Force chutes and sat by the open door . . . pretty neat except when they spiraled down from 10K feet . . . ears hurt like never before.

From COL(R) Bob Crittenden [C Co (CO), 1st ABG, 1962-1963]:

I particularly like the news article that speaks about C Company making a "daring night jump" on Swift Strike III. It was supposed to be a late afternoon (dusk) jump (a Sunday afternoon), thus we had no night assembly aids. Afternoon summer thunder storms came up, and the aircraft became disoriented and delayed. The aircraft finally located the DZ and crossed it in the dark and at a diagonal.

The First Sergeant and I hit the DZ. We were in the lead aircraft and in the doors on each side. The remainder of the company went down in the trees. C Company was in great physical condition, and we had no injuries. They assembled swiftly in the dark, without aids, and we moved out to our objectives.

Before we left Fort Campbell, we had been given instructions not to recover our chutes, but just to leave them on the drop zone and move to the assembly area. There was a recover outfit, perhaps Quartermaster, that had the job of getting all those chutes out of the trees. I saw their commander as we moved out to our objectives. He was aggravated! I suspect they spent all night getting about 240 chutes out of trees.

From MSG(R) John A. Morrow [D Co, 1st ABG, 1962-1964; HHC (Mortars), 1st ABN, 506th, 1964-1965]:

Ah memories! This reminded me of an incident during Swift Strike III, when we had trapped a motorized element of 5th Mech just outside Newberry, SC.

Playing by "the Rules" (at first,anyway), we were on a roadblock of sorts outside Newberry, and several 3/4 ton vehicles blew through the roadblock we had, which included an M-60 machine gun. Of course, when they got to us, they continued speeding on, in spite of being blasted on all sides with M-60 (blank) fire and M-14's. Our roadblock consisted of several pine trees across the highway. In a real world situation the vehicles would have been shot to pieces.

What really got our attention was that these jerks were throwing cans of C Rations at us, and our section sergeant (Miller, later killed in a road accident in Nashville) took one of them in the head, which inflicted a bad cut. We were unhappy about this and proceeded to drag an old car chassis out of a nearby cottonfield and placed it in the road, covered with pine branches.

About 15 minutes later, another couple of 5th Mech 3/4 tonners began to run over us again, but swerved at the last moment when they saw the car wreck. The lead truck tipped over in a roadside ditch, and we swarmed into the trucks, dragging them out and tying them up (wrist ties) with commo wire we had in a commo section with us.

We were so p.o.'ed that we ran them crosswise to the plowed cotton field furrows for about a half hour. They weren't very fit, and I remember a number of them begging and crying for us to cut them some slack. Didn't happen . . . they were some hurt puppies when we finally turned them over to whoever it was.

I was just 19 and had never seen men beg and cry before this. Borghum, Snowden, and Pineda will remember this as they were there too.

I heard that a captured officer was tied to the front of a duece & a half (also captured), but he was finally "rescued" by some alarmed umpires - but I can't vouch for it as I missed that one.

That was one long, hot march . . .

From John "AT" Athanasen [E Co (CO), 1st ABG, 1961-1964]:

I was on Swift Strike II and III, and this really brought back some great memories. One of the memories I had of Swift Strike III was when we came out of the woods after the war was over. There, in the middle of an open field, was an element of the 5th Mech getting chewed out by their CO, and I distinctly heard him say to his troops "look to your right and look to you left, those are REAL soldiers". This is not just a story; it is what I heard him say, and R.D. Hill (Raymond) probably heard it too. We were both in weapons platoon of E company of the 506th. Billy Blackmon was there, and Jimmy Overman, and about 250 more of E Company. You can't believe how proud we were after that engagement. I remember always being the bad guys and always winning our part of the war . . . the same for Operation Cold Eagle and Operation Desert Strike.