Echo Company Two-Seven Tooter
 
Echo Company 2/7
Vietnam Veterans Chapter
1ST Marine Division Association 
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Two-Seven Tooter
Upcoming Events
FMDA Annual Reunion San Antonio
It has taken 13 years but it is time to WELCOME you back to San Antonio. Join us at the El Tropicana Hotel on the famous San Antonio River Walk. Enjoy our unique city and the historic Alamo.
The Alamo Chapter will be working with Armed Forces Reunions Incorporated (AFR) as our Reunion Organizer and Planner. AFR is providing pre-planning, pre-registration, on-site management and reunion tours. More information to follow in upcoming Tooters. It's never ever to early to start planning for the 2010 Reunion in San Antonio Texas.
THE ALAMO CHAPTER WELCOMES THE 63RD ANNUAL
1ST MARINE DIVISION ASSOCIATION REUNION AUGUST 23-29, 2010
Famous Quotes
"We promise you sleep deprivation, mental torment, and muscles so sore you'll puke. But we don't want to sugarcoat it."
~ USMC Slogan
"Old breed? New breed? There's not a damn bit of difference so long as it's the Marine breed."              
~ General Chesty Puller, USMC
"Marines about to go into battle. Some were standing watch, some readied equipment, some slept or rested, but all were quiet. No nervous jabbering, no false bravado, no whining, no melodramatics... they were professionals." 
~ 2nd Lieutenant "Vic" Taylor, USMC Vietnam War
USMC Vietnam War Field Desk 
During the Vietnam War, many will remember pay day from the old Field Desk. Even the medical people used these.
The Marine who sent these pictures of the Field Desk was asked the question of "Where did you get these pictures?" His answer is below. Note: The Marine who sent it in used to fly the President's Helo.
"USMC Archives!  They tagged the field desk pic as one taken in your office by your "orderly" when you were the "G-4" in Nam. It was circa '65, and came in a memorabilia package that included this shot:

http://jlz.com/USMC/USMC/capt_Tolleson.jpg
Echo Company 2/7 
Memorial Monument

88 Fallen Hero's of E 2/7

We have met our goal!!
The memorial fund now stands at $33,045!! This is something of a miracle since it only took about six months to accomplish.
The Echo 2/7 Memorial Fund will close-out on April 30, 2010.
 More information will be posted in the next Tooter as it becomes available.

Semper Fi,
The Monument Committee 
Donate & More Info Here!!
Out and About in Marjeh, Afghanistan
The beautiful Marjeh Hilton

We received this PDF file from Marine Chaplain Andy who spent several weeks with Marines from 1/6 and 3/6 at Camp Dwyer before they invaded Marjeh. They did all their preparatory training there just before they began the invasion.

Here are 15 full-color photos of our brothers at war. Out & About in Marjeh
Please keep praying for our Marines on the front lines. They live under the most austere conditions, but they are still in
good spirits. Each day we see more wounded or killed. The loss of their friends exacts a heavy toll and we pray they continue to be strong and courageous. May they all come back home safely.
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 We look forward to keeping you informed. Semper Fidelis! 
 
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"Ready for Anything 
Counting on Nothing"
 		15 April 2010 
   
Arsenal: The 1:50,000 Scale Map
The 1:50,000 scale map and the ability to read it were the starting point for operations, movement and fire support in the Vietnam War.
 
   
 
The illustration above shows how to use a protractor to measure an azimuth-fundamental but often life-or-death knowledge for Marines in jungles during the Vietnam War.
 
Before the development of Global Positioning System (GPS), Marines fought wars where they were unsure of their exact position. Successful leaders in the Vietnam War were those who worked hard to be sure of their location within a few hundred meters.
 
When the American ground buildup began in 1965, the troops were the first in American history to have good tactical maps available on their arrival in theater. Army engineers had worked hard to make those maps available. From 1959 to 1965, the Army Map Service worked with the Vietnamese to update French surveys and aerial photography - the best available technology for wide area mapping. The AMS produced a series of 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 military maps that covered the entire Republic of South Vietnam. By 1965 they were used by both the South Vietnamese and the Viet Cong, and were soon in the hands of the newly arriving Americans and their North Vietnamese opponents. Topographic engineers would print a flood of maps before the war was over. The maps were less than perfect, though, particularly in the Central Highlands and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where many of the big battles would be fought.
 
The whole idea of the map is, of course, to reduce something big into something small, while showing the important features. The scale of 1:50,000 reduce large physical areas by a factor of 50,000. Vietnam was the first war fought by the United States using the metric system. The vertical and horizontal lines on a 1:50,000 maps represented a grid square or "klick" (kilometer) on each side.
 
In Vietnam, knowing your location on a map was not just a one-time problem but a continuous one. Even at a slow rate of foot travel in the jungle, one can get lost quickly. As each minute of movement can add up to 50 meters to a location error, it might take less than 15 minutes to walk completely out of a grid square.
 
Contact with the enemy and call for support with a correct grid location were the payoff for good map reading. If the land navigator survived initial contact, a good grid could produce supporting fire quickly. If the call for support could not start with a good grid, it was a different situation. Heliborne commanders could start only from the roughest of probable locations and eventually spot a lost unit's location with the request to "pop smoke" - but this took up precious time. All of this highlighted the fact that the sharpest weapon in the hands of the unit commander was a simple map and the ability to use it.
Compass Deficiencies In Vietnam
Compass and map skills were fundamental to Marines in the jungles of Vietnam. 
Fear of being separated and becoming lost alone in the jungle motivates jungle infantrymen without individual compasses to keep hazardously close together. In a tangle of tropical vegetation a man can lose sight of his buddies only a few feet away. Usually he can't see sun, moon or stars. In the jungle he can't find north by observing which side of tree trunks has the most moss, for moss is on all sides. A jungle Marine without a compass realizes that if he becomes separated from his squad leader and second in command, who typically are the only squad members issued a compass, he will not know which way to go.
 
A Marine's compass used in Vietnam featured a rear sight lens that allowed the dial to be read whilst using the cover's sighting wire to line up an object. The dial was illuminated by radioactive tritium vials, which depleted after several years. The compass also featured a straight edge graduated at 1:25,000 meters (later models were made with a 1:50,000 scale) to measure distances on a map.
The overwhelming majority of Marines in Vietnam did not have compasses, although many recognized the need. Furthermore, most compasses were not moisture-proof or waterproof. They often became unserviceable, above all in the Mekong Delta and rain-soaked Quang Tri Province. In LCDR Thomas J. Cutler's book Brown Water, Black Berets, a sobering book on the Navy's fresh-to-brackish water forces in South Vietnam, on page 253 we read "...compass components froze up with regularity."

The Lensatic Compass, the most common military instrument for measuring direction, was first issued during World War II, an evolution of the Vietnam War Compass. At that time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were responsible for compass procurement so most models had "Corps of Engineers" stamped on the case. During the war, these compasses were manufactured by Superior Magneto Corp. (Long Island City, NY) and W. & L.E. Gurley (Troy, N.Y), with the "Corps of Engineers/US Army" markings. Unfortunately this compass design was not moisture-proof or waterproof, leading to problems in the field in Vietnam. Like all magnetic compasses, the needle aligns itself with the local magnetic field and is attracted by nearby objects containing iron or electric circuits. If it is tilted only a few degrees off level, significant azimuth errors are introduced. The readings by two users can differ significantly and errors in transcribing the reading are easy to make.
Compass and map skills were fundamental to Marines in the jungles of Vietnam. The compass was the basic instrument for unit leaders, artillerymen, and scouts since colonial times. A trained soldier with map and compass is never lost and will reach his planned objective. Magnetic compasses are suitable for military units for reconnoitering, determining direction, orienting maps, fire control, and other uses. During World War I and through the early days of World War II, U.S. military compasses were in the form of a pocket watch. The modern "lensatic compass" was developed from earlier "prismatic compass" designs, a line that ended with the M-1938 model. The most common modern compass for land navigation is the improved lensatic compass, carried by U.S. soldiers and Marines in World War II and throughout the Vietnam War.
The 7th Marines
Magnificent Seventh
In 1965, the 7th Marines participated in the first major engagements for American ground troops in South Vietnam. March 1966 saw the 1st Marine Division Headquarters established at Chu Lai. By June, the entire Division was in South Vietnam; its zone of operation - the southern two provinces of I Corps - Quang Tin and Quang Ngai. Between March 1966 and May 1967, the Division conducted 44 named and unnamed operations. Major engagements included Operations HASTINGS and UNION I and II. 
During the 1968 Tet Offensive, the Division was involved in fierce fighting with both Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army elements. It successfully beat back and decimated every enemy assault in its area of operations, pursuing the enemy into his sanctuaries.
In 1965, the regiment was deployed to Vietnam. The regiment left Vietnam in March 1973. The 7th Marine Regiment now calls home at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Nicknamed the "Magnificent Seventh", they fall under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force.
Unexploded Ordinance
Still dangerous after all these years, unexploded ordnance a lethal problem in Vietnam.
Over a third of the land in six central Vietnamese provinces is lethally contaminated with unexploded bombs and land mines left over from the Vietnam War, a study released from Bloomberg.com said. The report by Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) and Vietnam's Ministry of Defense, found that 10,529 people have been killed and over 12,000 wounded in the six provinces since the war ended in 1975.

Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) are still deadly threats many encounter on a daily basis. A significant number of people missing limbs can be seen in the countryside and the city streets, often begging or selling lottery tickets. According to the Viet Nam News, "statistics show 20.2 per cent or 6.6 million ha of land are affected by unexploded ordinance in Viet Nam. About 104,000 people have been injured or killed this way since 1975."

In total, perhaps six million unexploded bombs are still scattered across Vietnam, one of the most heavily bombed countries ever. According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, about one-third of all casualties related to unexploded wartime ordnance in Vietnam are from cluster bombs. Because cluster bombs are designed to scatter, they often hit civilian as well as military areas, and because of their wide range, they are extremely difficult to find and account for.

The Vietnamese military is ostensibly in charge of demining the country, but money is in short supply and there are not enough trained personnel to achieve a complete national clean-up. An added complication is that detonating explosives in ground contaminated by dioxin (the poison found in Agent Orange) can reactivate the chemical, so demining must be followed by decontamination to make the land safe.

 
While there are many organizations, both local and international, dedicated to clearing Vietnam of UXO and landmines, resources are scarce and progress - so far - very slow. With 20% of Vietnam's land contaminated by UXO and an estimated 800,000 devices still lying in the ground, it is thought total clearance will take billions of dollars and hundreds of years to complete at the current rate of progress.
America's Finest Heroes
Every day is Vietnam Veteran's Day
If you make it out of here, every day, the rest of your life, is gravy
The Vietnam War was our country's longest and most controversial war. Our warriors fought with honor only to come back to mixed feelings amongst its fellow countrymen.
The battles of Vietnam still continue, as do the causalities. Here are some statistics. You may have seen these before, but they are worth repeating:
During Vietnam, 2.9 million American military served in combat.
Over 58,000 lost their lives during the war.
303,704 were wounded, 153,329 were hospitalized.
75,000 were severely disabled.
23,214 were 100% disabled. 5,283 lost limbs.
1,081 sustained multiple amputations.
The remaining warriors continue to be taken due to agent orange, the lesser known agent purple, and many other deadly desires arrived from the jungles and other problems resulting in divorce and incarceration.
To date, over 130,000 have committed suicide.
Today, less than 800,000 are still alive. In 2010 the Navel Health Research Center released the study stating that a staggering 390 Vietnam combat veterans are dying each day in this county, that's 16 every hour. Three Vietnam Veterans have passed since you began reading this Tooter, and 4 more will die before you sign-off today. The math suggests that by 2015 there may not be any Vietnam Combat Veterans left alive. For most, their deserving "Welcome Home" never came. But it don't mean nuti'n. We unselfishly gave our service and sacrifice. We served honorably, we served proudly, and we served well. Vietnam Veterans are the most loyal and patriotic Americans of all. America's finest heroes. We have never asked for recognition, and we never will. We alone give ourselves the tribute we deserve. We are proud of our service in the call of our country at its time of need. We are still and will always be United States Marines.

Semper Fi,
Echo Company 2/7 Vietnam Veterans Chapter