Operation Swift Strike III
July 21-August 16, 1963


photos from MSG(R) John A. Morrow
[D Co, 1st ABG, 1962-1964; HHC (Mortars), 1st ABN, 1964-1965;
author, The Confederate Whitworth Sharpshooters]
John Morrow
John Morrow at Fort Campbell, KY, just before getting aboard the
C-119's that flew the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 506th Infantry, to the
drop zones in South Carolina for the Swift Strike III maneuvers, a
joint exercise conducted in a six-million-acre area of North and South
Carolina. The purpose of this exercise was to train major combat
organizations as a highly mobile, hard-hitting, joint land and air team.


C-119 Flying Boxcars
C-119 Flying Boxcar serials at the Fort Campbell Airfield, ready
to load D Company paratroopers for Operation Swift Strike III


"Watering Up"
As they wait to board the C-119's for Operation Swift Strike III,
D Company paratroopers "water up" from a Lister bag.


"Taking 10"

"Taking 10": the 506th moved non-stop 2 days and 1 night in temperatures that were
around 100 degrees in the shade. Charles Gould is lying next to the M20 3.5-inch
rocket launcher ("bazooka"); on the right is Snowden, a Chippewa Indian from
near the Canadian border.

The 506th outflanked and routed the 5th Mechanized Cavalry Regiment (based out of
Colorado) by surrounding and surprising them at Little Mountain, SC.


"Detainees"
Two "detainees" held at a roadblock in the vicinity of Newberry, SC, by D Company
members Snowden and Bjorgum during Operation Swift Strike III.


In South Carolina
John Morrow in South Carolina, carrying an M-60 machine gun during
Operation Swift Strike III. According to John, "My first ride in a
Caribou aircraft was during this time when one landed in a cotton field
and picked up a squad of us. I've loved that small aircraft ever since."



These pages are maintained by veterans of
The 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association (Airmobile - Air Assault)
Send any changes or corrections to: Hoyt Bruce Moore, III "The Moe"
This page updated 09/26/09