A relationship between salt intake and the incidence of booby trap casualties has been noted by 9th Division medical authorities. Casualty reports reveal that many anti-personnel and booby trap wounds occur during the afternoon—the hottest part of the day when infantrymen seem to be fatigued and less responsive to danger. From these statistics, the Division Surgeon's office theorized that salt depletion and sodium loss caused by excessive perspiration resulted in a dulling of the senses causing careless movement and the increased number of booby trap incidents.
     To substantiate this theory, a review of 90 days of salt consumption by a unit plagued by afternoon booby trap casualties showed an average of .7 salt tablets taken per day by each infantryman. This observation coupled with the times recorded for each casualty lead to the conclusion that salt depletion can increase afternoon casualties.
     A recommended minimum of 4 to 6 tablets per man each day will result in greater efficiency and alertness in the tropical heat and a corresponding decrease in casualties.

     The inverted "V" has proven to be the most effective formation for road clearing operations.
     The base of the "V" is formed by the mine sweeping teams scanning the road. The rest of the "V" is formed by security personnel who have the additional responsibility of detecting wires to command detonated mines which may lie ahead of the sweepers.

     The United States Army Infantry School provides military correspondence courses of instruction to over 35,000 students throughout the free world. Available courses range from those designed for potential non-commissioned officers through those designed for the development of Infantry career officers. Among the courses offered are those on leadership, military tactics, airmobile operations, and weapons (from the grenade launcher to the nuclear weapon); all of them are closely patterned after the courses pursued by the student in residence at the school. The courses are free to eligible military personnel, and have proven to be an effective means by which military personnel can improve their professional knowledge. For additional information write to the Director of Non-Resident Instruction, United States Army Infantry School,  ATTN:  Deputy for Army Extension Courses, Fort Benning, Georgia 31905

     Increased educational assistance is one of the major provisions of the "Veterans' Pension and Readjustment Assistance Act of 1967" signed into law by the President. Allowances for veterans who served after Jan. 31, 1967 have been upped from $100 to $130 per month for a single veteran taking full-time courses, to $155 for veterans with one dependent, to $175 for veterans with two dependents with and additional $10 per month for each dependent in excess of two. Allowances for on-the-job training, farm cooperative training and flight training have also been increased. Under other major provisions of the act:
     Veterans of the Vietnam era (which began August 5, 1964) receive compensation for disabilities at full wartime rates.
     Vietnam era veterans qualify for nonservice connected pension on the same basis as older veterans.
     An allowance of $250 for burial and funeral expenses of deceased individuals who served in the Vietnam era became available beginning October 1, 1967.

     Over the years unfounded myths have developed regarding a major personnel management tool—the Preference Statement. DA Form 483 for officers and DA Form 2635 for enlisted soldiers. To set the record straight, preference statements are considered carefully in determining every assignment. Even now, with the high incidence of personnel movement, your career management officer can arrange for a surprisingly high percentage of assignments to coincide with individual preferences. You must though, insure that your preference statement is current, and that you be realistic when you prepare it. For example, select geographical areas which logically coincide with duty preferences, and duty preferences which are appropriate to your grade, experience level, and career needs.

     Soldiers in Vietnam are now taking rest and recreation trips to Australia's R & R Center in Sydney. A second center is scheduled to open around Jan. 1 at Brisbane.

     Hostile fire, foreign duty and family separation pay are extras you will not receive when reassigned to the United States. If you have allotments to cover this extra pay, you should have them discontinued before returning home. The month prior to DEROS you must fill out an Allotment Authorization, DA Form 1341, discontinuing additional pay allotment, so that you will not overdraw your stateside earnings. This should be done through the Division finance office.

     If you have money in the Soldiers Savings Program and want it waiting for you when you arrive home from Vietnam, you must apply prior to your DEROS. Before you leave Vietnam an Accelerated Withdrawal, DA Form 2082, must be filled out, which will allow time for the paper work to be processed and the money to be sent to your home address. If you wish to draw the additional interest, you may continue the savings program for a period of 90 days after leaving Vietnam. After the 90 day period the withdrawal form should be processed through the Finance Office at your new duty station. .

PHOTOGRAPHERS

1LT Howard Kirk 2LT Charles Ashton SP5 John Millaire SP4 Gary Bipes SP4 Don Cordi SP4 Bela Keresztes-Fischer   SP4 James Melton SP4 John Olson SP4 Fred Staal PFC Robert Kalsey

Headquarters 9th Division Editor 9th Signal Battalion 9th Signal Battalion 9th Signal Battalion 9th Signal Battalion Division Information Office Pacific Stars and Stripes 9th Signal Battalion 9th Signal Battalion

US ARMY PHOTO

December 19, 1966 - The Old Reliables arrive in Vietnam

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The Old Reliables Once Again In Combat By SP4 Jim Moroney

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A year later - Vietnam combat veterans	MELTON

     Major triumphs have been scored by units of the 9th Infantry Division since combat and support units began operations in Vietnam last December. Milestones achieved by the Division include numerous lopsided victories over Main Force Viet Cong units, the initiation of sustained operation in the Mekong Delta region, the formation of a Mobile Riverine Force, and the discovery of the largest enemy weapons cache found to date on Vietnamese soil. Other 9th Division activities have reduced Viet Cong control in four populous provinces and paved the way for civic action programs to aid the Vietnamese and to foster a spirit of co-operation between the Government and its citizens.

     The 9th Division became the first division to be organized, equipped and trained for deployment to an overseas combat theater since World War II when the Department of the Army reactivated the Old Reliable Division on February 1, 1966. Nine months later, the first contingent of the Division— the 15th Engineer Battalion— landed in Vietnam and began the task of preparing a base camp for the entire 16,000 man division. Two months later, the first 5,000 man increment arrived at Vung Tau, marking the official entry of the Division into Vietnam. Barely one year from the reactivation date, the entire 9th Infantry Division was in Vietnam conducting limited combat operations.

  ^{US ARMY PHOTO}             West-bound troop train pulls out of Fort Riley

Old Reliables boarded ships in California for Vietnam

^{US ARMY PHOTO}

less than a year after reactivation, Division was on its way into COMBAT

     Following the reactivation of the 9th Division, men and equipment began arriving at Ft. Riley, Kans., its new home. During the succeeding weeks, the Division, commanded by Major General George S. Eckhardt, initiated intensified training designed to familiarize the men with the rigors of combat they would face in Vietnam. After demonstrating their combat capabilities on Army Training Tests conducted during the fall of 1966, the Old Reliables began preparation for deployment. With this came the task of packing all equipment, making necessary modifications in the Division's original organizational structure, and co-ordinating plans for shipment.
     On December 19, following three weeks aboard naval transport ships crossing the Pacific Ocean, a ceremony was held at the South China Sea port city of Vung Tau as General Eckhardt led the first increment of the 9th Division onto the beach and was welcomed by General William C. Westmoreland. When the ceremony was concluded, the men proceeded to Camp Bearcat, also known as Camp Martin Cox, 20 miles east of Saigon and began programs of camp development and limited Combat operations.

15th Engineers push back jungle
_{15th ENGINEER PHOTO}      to create a base camp  

Awaiting the newly arrived Old Reliables were base camp facilities cleared from dense tropical jungle growth by the 15th Engineer Battalion. Working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the engineers had cleared 720 acres of jungle, established an internal road system, and erected shower points, latrines and mess halls to accommodate the Division.

. ^{9th Signal Battalion Photos}

MG O'Connor assumed command June 1, 1967
noting steady progress in pacification

MG Eckhardt led the division to Vietnam
became II Field Force deputy commander

    On January 20, the 1st Brigade headed by elements of the 3d Squadron, 5th Cavalry, began Operation COLBY, a cordon and search mission in the Phuoc Chi  Secret Zone. It was during this operation that the Division made its first significant contact with the Viet Cong. In a brief encounter, the Operation COLBY units accounted for 14 enemy killed.
     With the entire 16,000 man Division available for combat and support missions, the 9th Division's area of operations expanded to 7,000 square miles and Mekong Delta operations were underway.
     On February 13, the 3d Battalion, 39th Infantry initiated Operation ENTERPRISE when they relieved a battalion of the 25th Infantry Division in the Mekong Delta's Long An Province. The operation was expanded two weeks later when the 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry also moved into the Delta province. The undertaking was designed to destroy the Viet Cong units and infrastructure that had gained control of the rich lowlands of the province.  Missions conducted in support of ENTERPRISE have resulted in over 1,400 enemy killed and more than 260 weapons captured during the continuing operation.
     Although the Division was primarily concerned with integrating various elements into its area of operation, commitments did not preclude the direct support of other combat actions by members of the 9th Division. While participating in the multi-division Operation JUNCTION CITY, the 3d Squadron, 5th Cavalry secured roads along Highway 13 north of Saigon. On the night of March 19, Troop A was attacked by the 273d Viet Cong Regiment near Ap Bau Bang. During a one-sided battle that raged for six hours, the enemy was pounded with 26 air strikes and more than 2,900 rounds of artillery. The battered VC regiment lost 230 men

in the attack while friendly losses amounted to four men killed and 67 wounded.
     As the Division continued to expand operations in the Mekong Delta, its strength was tested frequently. Operating in an area where the Viet Cong had formerly run unchecked, Division units were in contact with enemy forces determined to maintain control of the fertile rice lands. In the delta, the Old Riliables proved themselves superior fighting men as they steadily sapped the enemy's strength.
     The first major battle in Operation ENTERPRISE took place near Doi Mai Creek, April 9. The encounter began when a pre-planned air strike exposed underground enemy positions and the Viet Cong were forced to flee their damaged bunkers. In immediate response to the Air Force report, the 3d Battalion, 39th Infantry, together with the 2d, 3d, and 5th Battalions, 60th Infantry, quickly boxed in the disorganized unit and killed 209 members of the Viet Cong force.
     Although Mekong Delta operations continued with no lapse, the division made no major enemy contact during the rest of April. On May 2, elements of the 2d Brigade clashed with a force from the 514th Viet Cong Battalion. Displaying typical resourcefulness, the 3d Battalion, 47th Infantry and the 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry encircled the unit. Caught in a death trap, the enemy was wracked with fire from helicopter gunships and fighter-bombers. A search of the battlefield by the infantrymen confirmed 181 Viet Cong killed.
     During mid-May the Cam Son Secret Zone, an area 20 miles west of Dong Tam, was the target of a combined search and destroy mission. In this sweep, the 3d and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry, along with elements of the 7th Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Division, and several naval river assault teams netted 113 enemy kills.

A NEW COMMANDER

     June 1 marked another milestone in the history of the 9th Division. On that day, Major General George G. O'Connor assumed command of the Old Reliables and Major General Eckhardt departed to become the deputy commander of II Field Force, Vietnam. General Eckhardt had commanded the Division for 15 months, from the first day of the new Division at Ft. Riley, through all the phases of training, deployment and initial combat success in Vietnam.
     Under the direction of the new Division commander, coperations in the lowlands of Long An Province, Dinh Tuong Province and the jungle area surrounding the Bearcat base camp continued.

COMBAT - JUNE through OCTOBER

     Months of Delta fighting had taught the 9th Division that in order to avoid being reduced to a limited role they must continue their efforts toward mobility. For the first time in 105 years, the U.S. Army and Navy teamed up to form a mobile waterborne fighting unit. Called the Mobile Riverine Force (MRF), the striking force is made up of two battalions from the 2d Brigade and Naval Task Force 117. Operating from a fleet of 100 naval vessels, the MRF conducts combat operation in the marshlands of the Mekong Delta

   General William C. Westmoreland sites in a captured Russian sniper rifle
    part of the largest arms cache ever seized on Vietnamese soil

^OLSON
9th Div officers display captured VC colors
found in the sizable ACRON III cache

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                                                    ^OLSON
Giant anti-aircraft weapons siezed
   found in the sizable ACRON III cache
 

^STAAL  
Gen Westmoreland, MACV Commander  
inspects latest supplies unearthed  .

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Greasegun displayed on communist flag  
weapons in the huge haul number 1,400   ^STAAL  

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TRAINING
FORT RILEY
1966

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^{9th SIGNAL BATTALION PHOTO}

^{US ARMY PHOTO}       

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COMBAT
VIETNAM
1967

PORTABLE PLATFORMS
Portable firing platforms designed for artillery units operating in the marshlands of the Mekong Delta are currently being used by 9th Division artillerymen. The huge aluminum stands are lifted into position by transport helicopter to provide a firm firing table in areas too soft to support artillery pieces. Here, a gun crew prepares to fire their platform-mounted 105mm howitzer in support of a delta operation.

AIRCAT
Skimming across the water at almost 48 mph, the Aircat enables men and equipment to reach areas that were previously inaccessible to them. The Old Reliables have learned, through months of Delta fighting, that in order to remain an effective combat team, they must continue increasing their ability to penetrate even the remotest regions. The most recent innovation in this pursuit came when the division introduced a number of Everglade-type airboats to their delta operations. By using these craft the division has extended its maneuverability and fire power over previously impenetrable terrain.

BUOYANT FOOT BRIDGE
In early September a battalion of the 9th Division completed a series of tests designed to establish the technical feasibility of using a new type of river crossing apparatus under Vietnam conditions. Known as the Troop Foot Bridge, this apparatus uses  grapnel hooks with casting lines, and is designed to be deployed and retrieved over streams up to 50-feet wide with out prior access to the opposite shore. The bridge is a flat, flexible, self-buoyant blanket that floats on the water surface. Since each unit weights only 30 pounds, and can be carried on a man's back, the bridge has unlimited potential for use in the watery Mekong Delta.

AIRBORNE RADIO
A 33-foot balloon was maneuvered onto a mooring platform at the headquarters base camp of the 9th Division. Later, the helium-filled balloon, outlined with aircraft warning lights, was secured to a rope 500-feet long, fitted with communications equipment, and allowed to float high above Camp Bearcat to act as a radio tower. The balloon is equipped with a PRC 25, the standard Army radio, and provides improved radio contact with units operating in the dense Bien Hoa jungles surrounding the base camp.

     All present and past members of the 9th Infantry Division are eligible to join the newly formed Octofoil Association, a private organization of the Division. Cost for a lifetime membership in the association is $1.
     Members, both officers and enlisted men, will receive membership cards, a special certificate recognizing their service with the 9th Division in Vietnam, and other material of particular interest to current and former Old Reliables.

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     The association will publish a quarterly newsletter summarizing combat and civic action activities of the Division. Newsletters will enable former members of the command to keep in close touch with those who are presently serving with the Division.
     In the future, the association hopes to sell Division souvenirs including picture post cards of Old Reliables in action, scrapbooks, plaques and mugs bearing the Division insignia. Those wishing to join are asked to send their $1 membership fee to:

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THE OCTOFOIL ASSOCIATION 9th Infantry Division APO San Francisco  96370

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". . . colorful . . ."

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". . .a salty story. . ."

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". . .a must for booklovers."

     The story of the 9th Division's first year in Vietnam will be told in a colorful hard-bound yearbook soon to be published by the M.W. Lads Publishing Company. Award-wining military historian and professional author Edward Hymoff has been contracted to prepare the photographic and textual memento titled The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam.
     Hymoff, a veteran war correspondent has produced yearbooks and histories for numerous other units in Vietnam. He has explained that the 150-page volume will be devoted to capturing in words, "the sights, the sounds and the smells of combat as well as the conditions of extreme heat and choking dust; the monsoon rains and the mud; the massive civic action and the efforts to pacify a nation plagued by a quarter of a century of war."
     Order blanks have been distributed to battalion and separate company organizations and orders will be taken by unit project officers. The hard-bound chronicle measuring 8½ by 11-inches sells for $7.50. Orders may also be sent directly to the M.W. Lads Publishing Co., 11401 Roosevelt Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa., 19154.
     Personal checks or postal money orders are requested since military payment certificates are not accepted when ordering by mail. Individuals should list on the order blank their anticipated address at the end of March 1968 when the books will be forwarded by certified mail by the publishers.

     The OCTOFOIL is a device that dates back to the 15th Century when it was customary for each son to have an individual mark of distinction. Under the rules of heraldry there are eight foils or positions. Heraldic rules gave the OCTOFOIL to the ninth son, a device symbolic of his being surrounded by eight brothers. These rules and the symbolism of the OCTOFOIL make it a logical and correct insignia for the 9th Infantry Division.