I believe the young man in center of pic is Walter A Koch

OFFICERS ATTENDING THE 16 may 1969..
Note Lt. Richard Jacobs in back Row.. One of the tallest of the officers attending the Commander's conference at TSN ... See other pictures provided by Jacobs...

LTC Talbott had a worrisome time during Tet. He had 50 tons of cryptographic materials on hand with no way to evacuate them, a mere handful of weapons to defend them, and 1 borrowed case of thermite grenades to destroy them. For a man close to retirement, it would have been difficult to explain away their capture by the enemy.

Bill Thomas

Jan '68 to Sept '68

Mr Cram was the only person to successfully teach me how to drive a stick shift. I am forever indebted to him for this knowledge.

Bill Thomas
Jan 1968 to Sept 1968

This was Mr Beard's 3 war. He was the senior chief warrant officer in the entire US Army at this time and had been given a special dispensation from Westmorland to stay in the army past mandatory retirement.

comment by Bill Thomas (arrived in the 706th in January)

The crude firing port in the front of the bunker had to be dismantled due to concerns of the Vietnamese unit protecting vice president Ky's compound, which faced the firing port.


Comment by Bill Thomas who arrived in the unit in Jan '68.

The tall guy is Ron Panyko. I served with him when the unit was located in Long Binh.

2nd Row 7th from left Lt. Richard R. Ryan

Recollections from 1969 regarding.
I lived in the building on the left while there in 1969. Spent many evening on the roof watching the flares illuminate the night. The building across the street at that time housed some Filipino USO entertainment troops who would sometimes practice on the roof.

In 1969 there was a bunker by the front door manned by a couple of ARVN's. None of us harbored any illusion that they would defend their post if needed. My room was on the first floor. Just a slab with a mattress for a bed. No AC. No screens. Bare bulb hanging from the ceiling for light.

One of the buildings on the left housed a small saloon where many of us first experienced being squeezed by a Saigon B-Girl. "You buy me Saigon Tea GI?".

SP5 Val Bender believes he's the fellow with his back to the group. He was with the CLSCV Command section that would have placed him with the Old Man's jeep. Help is needed here to ID the others.