101st AIRBORNE DIVISION SCREAMING EAGLES	AIRBORNE! ALL THE WAY! 1/101 - THE LAST ALL PARATROOPER SCREAMING EAGLE UNIT TO DEFEAT AN ENEMY ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE This page is dedicated to the Veterans of The First Brigade (Separate) of the 101st Airborne Division "THE ALWAYS 1ST BRIGADE"

THE ODYSSEY BEGINS
Major General Stanley R. Larsen, (then) Commanding General, I Field Force Vietnam, on a trip to the United States, publicly stated, "The First Brigade, 101st Airborne Division is the best fighting unit in Vietnam!" "The First Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division had only 19 days without combat during its first year in Vietnam." (Army Green Book, October - 1966) ANGELS AND EAGLES A poem by Peter S. Griffin Dedicated to the brave paratroopers of the "Always First Brigade" of the world famous 101st Airborne Division. "For God and country!"   "Saint Michael" "THE ARCHANGEL" Angels protect and defend, What is sacred to the end.... Always fighting to amend, Evil acts destroying men.... Angels guard Heaven's gate, They pull patrols to ensure our fate.... Devils and demons quake in fear, When and wherever, angels appear.... Evil lurks all over our sphere, Creating chaos and spreading fear.... Thus, the reasons angels enlist, Courageous soldiers, for an assist.... Eagles, those who are true of heart, The angels earthly counterparts.... Eagles, proud and brave, Soldiers who fight, inspite of the grave.... To join the angels in their fight, To aid the oppressed in their plight.... To right the wrongs of evil doing, To kill the seeds, before their spewing....! 2/502nd Infantry STRIKE FORCE! To STRIKE, the devil, hard and fast, To make his pain, forever last.... To make him curse, his evil past, To make him suffer and breathe his last.... To promote health and healing, To give to men, the right of kneeling.... To pray to God, sincere in feeling, To thank Him for, their very being.... ANGELS AND EAGLES, joined together, Forming a bond, that lasts forever.... ANGELS AND EAGLES, who fight and toil, Protecting God's most precious spoils.... To pick up the sword, to take the risk, To spread their wings, to make a fist.... To STRIKE a blow, for what is right, To give their lives for mankind's strife....     ANGELS AND EAGLES, surely, the best, Engaged in God's most holy quest.... Evil's battles will lose their zest, To ANGELS AND EAGLES, ABOVE THE REST.... 1/327th Infantry ABOVE THE REST! To make our world, a better place, To spread to all, God's saving grace.... To put a smile on His face, To see His warriors, interlaced.... Nothing less, can make God cry, The precious loss, of His allies.... Still they fight and will preserve, Freedom's song of heavenly words.... Righteousness will prevail, ANGELS AND EAGLES, will not fail.... Peace on earth, is their goal, Protecting lives and saving souls.... ANGELS AND EAGLES, both AIRBORNE, All God's enemies, be forwarned.... Evil will most surely die, From attack, from on high.... 2/327th Infantry SECOND TO NONE! ANGELS AND EAGLES, SECOND TO NONE, The glorious day, all wars are won.... Perhaps that day, for what they've done, Heaven and earth, will be as one...! Peter S. Griffin Co. A, 2/502nd Infantry 101st Airborne Division Viet Nam, 1965-66 THAT RUSTING CRATE A poem by Peter S. Griffin Art work by SGT Robert Finney and PFC Raymond Brown (Courtesy of Ivan Worrell) The odyssey begins... Orders were cut, the men well trained, The 1st Brigade of 101st Airborne fame.... 3700 Paratroopers, all hand picked, To Viet Nam, they'd soon be shipped.... In early July of 1965, At Oakland Terminal, we did arrive.... Thoughts of combat, we had surmised, But not the hulk, that met our eyes.... "Donut Dollies", cheerfully, gave us their wares, As if to lessen, our growing fears.... Donuts and coffee, not enough to relieve, Life on land, we'd soon grieve.... Moored to the dock, THE "USNS GENERAL LEROY ELTINGE", On THAT RUSTING CRATE our lives would hinge...! A mothballed troopship, of years gone by, Crossing on it, would we survive...? Was it seaworthy?, would it stay afloat...?, Drowned in saltwater, our bodies would bloat.... All envisioned a watery grave, Against a shark, could you be brave...? Only 510 feet from bow to stearn, Of personal space, all would yearn.... Fighting the crowd, to get to a rail, Bumping each other, like cows corraled.... Moored in place, for two long nights, Staring at the city's lights.... San Francisco, a great place to be, But California, we had not come to see.... Finally, we were underway, Passing Alcatraz, along the way.... Then, under the Golden Gate, we passed, Wondering, how long, this voyage, to last...? Entering, the Pacific, oh so blue, Thousands of jellyfish, of many hues.... Flying fish led the way, From this prison, none would stray.... Chowlines ringed the ship, all the long day, Standing at tables, we ate that way.... As soldiers regurgitated, in their trays, The swaying of ship, slid it your way.... Saltwater showers, soap, no lather, On the decks, friends, struggled, to gather.... On THAT RUSTING CRATE, there were no latrines...! "Oh My God", I heard someone scream...! Sweltering holes, in the bowels of the ship, Personal space, just did not exist.... Stacked four high, on canvass cots, Swaying of sea, stomachs in knots.... The man above you, empties his guts, Drenched in vomit, just your luck.... Wiping yourself, with your last towel, Thanking God, it be not, his bowels.... Everyday, they broke up fights, Hoping no one, pulled a knife.... Quarters too cramped, nerves too frayed, To keep the peace, our Chaplains prayed...! Boredom became everyones enemy, Gambling, not considered obsenity.... Not much to do, see or read, A fight or two, to make them bleed...! One day, all fought for the rails, Excitement!, the carcass of a whale.... In it's center, a huge, bloody crater, Feeding Albatrosses, was "Mother Nature".... Across the ocean, we plodded along, Of Terra Firma, we did long.... Ten long days and nights, at sea, No gravy, in this damned navy.... There was no laundry, on the boat, We tied our fatigues, to a rope.... Across the water, they would skip, Saltwater stained, as they dripped..... No room at the bow, but....we attempted PT, Like the Macarena, barely, could touch our knees.... By the numbers, one, two, three, four, "Tell the people, what she wore".... Only peanut brittle, sold at the ships store, Boxes of "Pecos Pete", we did hoard.... "Crunch, crunch, crunch", became an annoying sound, One more bite, we'd go twelve rounds...! On clear nights, a movie, some saw, Only a small unit, could answer that call.... Too many men, for all to see, A sudden downpour, our first fatality...! A trooper asleep, on a lower deck, The stairwell crowded, getting wet.... Unknowingly, a soldier leapt, Landing full force, crushing his chest...! No space, so into the brig, his body went, No airconditioning to purge deaths scent.... Suddenly all was quiet, not a sound, The engines failed, our hearts did pound.... For a solid day, we were adrift, Prayed for something, anything, to give us a lift.... Finally, the crew, got us underway, Another prayer, to keep us going our way.... Into Subic Bay, for repairs and rest, They docked the ship, three abreast.... Ashore for just two hours, but it was swell, Enough to down, some "San Miguels".... Our casuality disembarked with prayers, As mechanics completed, much needed repairs.... Never had I seen a place so green, As we said "goodbye", to the Philipines.... Only two days from Cam Ranh Bay, New anxieties, came our way.... Can you kill?, are you prepared to die...? "Ours is but to do and die, not ours to reason, WHY?"...? One day out, miraculously, the struggling stopped, For each other, suddenly, we cared a lot.... On that ship, a band of brothers, we became, Calling each other, by first names.... Suddenly, a fighter plane, flew by, Tilting it's wings, a welcoming "Hi".... An immediate bond, to other military branches, The NVA would fight, all our lances...! Excitedly!, someone shouted, "LAND", Of mountainous jungles, palms and sand.... As evening fell, "The Eltinge" docked, Reality!, Viet Nam, now our lot.... THAT RUSTING CRATE, now a refuge, one last night, Concussion grenades, boomed, to morning light.... Into a hostile land, we disembarked to meet our fate, A sentimental, "GOODBYE", to THAT RUSTING CRATE...! The above poem was inspired by my lifelong friend, Jim Soprano, who proudly served with HQ, 1/327 Infantry. Jim and I went to the Nam on the Eltinge. We also flew home on the same plane after our tour was over. I was suffering from a relapse of Malaria during the trip and he took care of me all the way to my house in upstate New York! He was an "ABOVE THE REST!" paratrooper and he is that same caliber of a person and friend. Thanks for everything, Jim. Sincerely, Grif. Jim pictured with his lovely wife, Joanne The USNS General Leroy Eltinge arrives at Cam Ranh Bay, Republic of South Vietnam, July 29, 1965. Photos by Larry Hatcher Larry served with an Army stevedore unit at Cam Ranh Bay for two tours. His job was to load and unload vessels, some of the cargo he handled was 50 gallon drums of Agent Orange. He died in his early 40's of cancer of the spine which was related to his exposure to that chemical. He is buried in West Virginia. The above pictures were taken by Ernest Melby who served on the Eltinge before the 1st Brigade's odyssey began. He said during his assignment the ship was in A1 condition, everything was spit shined and no rust was evident anywhere. The dry dock pictures were taken at the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, N.Y. in the fall of 1954. Ernest located some more photos of the Eltinge and was kind enough to share. THANKS Ernie! Left to right: The Eltinge at Staten Island, New York, Ernie in his younger days in the Eltinge engine room (thats the prop shaft he is leaning against, about 24 inches in diameter) and the Eltinge at sea, probably the Mediterranean. U.S.S. GENERAL LEROY ELTINGE (AP-154) United States ship history General LeRoy Eltinge (AP-154) was launched 20 September 1944 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. Inc. Yard 3, Richmond, California; acquired by the Navy and commissioned 21 February 1954, Capt. W. Wakefield in command. General LeRoy Eltinge departed San Pedro 23 March with 3,100 troops for Calcutta, India. She sailed 20 June for “Magic-Carpet” duty in the Atlantic, arriving Norfolk 14 July. Between 30 July and 14 September she made two round trips from Norfolk to Marseilles, France, to transport 6,206 home-bound veterans. And on 29 September she departed Norfolk for Karachi, India, where she embarked veterans for “Magic-Carpet” passage to the United States, arriving New York 11 November. General LeRoy Eltinge carried replacement troops to the Canal Zone, proceeded to Shanghi and the Philippines and returned to Seattle Wash., 26 January 1946 with veterans embarked at Manila. On a voyage from 3 March to 6 April she carried rotation troops to Korea and returned veterans to Seattle. She arrived 13 May, decommissioned 29 May, was returned to the Maritime Commission and stricken from the Navy list June 1946. Reacquired 20 July 1950, from Maritime Commission General LeRoy Eltinge joined MSTS 1 August while operating in the western Pacific. For more than a year she transported troops from Seattle and San Francisco to Japan and Korea. In October 1951 she supported the International Refugee, making two trips from New York to Bremerhaven, Germany. The following year she made several runs for the United Nations, including the transportation of Dutch troops from Rotterdam to Korea. During 1953 she carried additional refugees from Bremerhaven to New York and transported Ethiopian and Greek troops to Korea. Her MSTS service continued until she was placed in reduce operational status 26 November 1955 at New York. General LeRoy Eltinge resumed operations between the United States and Europe 18 May 1956. Following the gallant Hungarian Revolution 23 October-4 November, she supported the refugee relief program. From May to September 1957, she made U. N. runs to Turkey and Thailand. After the Lebanon crises of July 1958, she conducted two voyages to Beirut during October to return troops to France and Germany. She continued to operate in support U.N. programs through 1959. While enroute from New York to Izmir, Turkey, 24 August 1960 she assisted in the rescue of 26 survivors from SS Halcyon Mediterranean, which had collided with SS Esso Switzerland off the cost of Spain. Following the outbreak of violence in the Belgium Congo in July 1960, General LeRoy Eltinge departed New York 20 February 1961 to support the U.N. peace mission. After lifting a cargo of famine relief supplies to Pointe Noire, Congo Republic 11 March; to Bombay, India to embark 1207 troops for the U.N. Congo operations. Departing Bombay 15 April, she debarked troops and supplied at Mombassa, Kenya, and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika. After operating along the African coast from Nigeria to South Africa, she was released from U.N. operations and departed Capetown for the United States 13 May, arriving New York 30 May. She returned to reduce operational status 29 June. Departing New York 16 July 1962, she sailed via the Panama Canal to San Francisco where she arrived 1 August to resume reserve status. In response to the mounting crisis in Vietnam, she returned to service 13 May 1965 and embarked 2,497 troops for Southeast Asia During 1966 General LeRoy Eltinge supported America’s determination to contain Communism in Vietnam and Southeast Asia through sealifts of men and supplies from west coast ports to the Far East. She returned to San Francisco from Vietnam in January 1967, and was placed in Ready Reserve Status. HOP ON THE JEEP TO VISIT THE GENERAL AND HIS WONDERFUL FAMILY CONTINUE THE ODYSSEY You can now order "When You Hear The Bugle Call" from Amazon.com by clicking the above cover. Please read THOUGHTS, MEMORIES AND TEARS customer reviews at Amazon.Com. Now might be a good time to place your order, thanks for considering. AWARD - THE PCSD PURPLE HEART LAIR COMMOHUT GRIFFIN'S LAIR WELCOME PAGE HEROES FIGHT TERROR NO FREEDOMS! GRIFFIN'S LAIR TABLE OF CONTENTS THE AIRBORNE SPIRIT COMMENTARY PAGE - REMEMBER SEPTEMBER! UNITED WE MUST STAND! PLEASE HELP THE DEGA THOUGHTS, MEMORIES AND TEARS BROTHERS THREE THOUGHTS ABOUT PTSD MEMORIES OF MY BROTHERS' SERVICE WW II NAVY DIARY TEARS FOR OUR MOMS DALE F. YEE, U.S. PARATROOPER THE ODYSSEY BEGINS THE ODYSSEY CONTINUES ATTACK COMPANY WIDOWMAKERS 1 WIDOWMAKERS 2 AN AFTERNOON IN VIETNAM HONORING THE 327TH INFANTRY HONOR ROLL-COMPANY G, 187th ARCT PARATROOPER HEAVEN VIETNAM CHRONOLOGY THANK YOU VETERANS THE GOLDEN GRIFFIN AWARD LINKS AND WEBRINGS JUMP SCHOOL PHOTO ALBUM    Or Select a Site