Montagnards (French = "mountain people") are tribal people, ethnically different from the Vietnamese, who live in the mountainous areas west of the Vietnam coast.
0107 Montagnard Village
While from the outside village life looked like it might have been unchanged for thousands of years, a closer look revealed adaptations to the war.
0132 Montagnard Horns
Occasionally in order to deny the enemy access to their food and resources, the authorities determined it was necessary to move a Montagnard village and consolidate it in a larger, more easily defended area.
One morning while flying over a Montagnard village, I wrote a poem called "Tranquility". Some veterans are now working with Montagnards in the Central Highlands of Vietnam through Friends of the Central Highlands.
About this time, I was eligible for an R&R, and took a military R&R flight to Singapore. A letter written 6 January lets my parents know I should be in Singapore January 20 or 21. By this pre-arrangement, my parents, who worked in Indonesia, were there, and my mother took pictures of the plane from the terminal.
Soldiers bound for R&R disembark at Singapore
Returning to Vietnam
The Unit Files for 6/29th Artillery report, "During the first two weeks of January 1969, activity was light in Kontum Province....On 21 January 1969, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division terminated operations in that area and established a new Brigade Forward Command Post at FSB McNerney."
0104 Chaplain Tent
Brigades were portable, tents and all. Here we've moved to Firebase McNerney and the chaplain's tent has been pitched in a grassy field. Photo was developed 2/69.
0148 Montagnards at the chaplain tent
Soon after the tent was put up, friends showed up for a housewarming. And sandbag filling.
0101 Chaplain (Maj) Alan Brown, the Brigade Chaplain, was Episcopalian. He took his duties very seriously and made sure his chaplains were nominated for every ribbon for which they were eligible. He had us keep track of the hours we spent in helicopters flying over hostile territory, and when we qualified, he successfully put us in for Air Medals.
0100 Father Lynch, the Roman Catholic Chaplain was down to earth and popular among the soldiers. As the only Roman Catholic Chaplain, he had to visit all of the units in the Brigade.
Events going on in this month:
