History

5th Battalion (Mechanized), 60th Infantry Regiment, 3rd (Go Devils) Brigade,
9th Infantry Division
from 20 December 1966 - October 1968

Bandido Charlie Company arrived in III Corps Tactical Zone of Vietnam fully mechanized with the 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry in the 9th Division on December 20, 1966.

The Division swept through Dinh Tuong Province which included the village of My Tho on January 8 - May 31, 1967 in Operation Palm Beach. The Division spent February and March, 1967 in the Long An Province which included the village of Tan Ann. In 1968 the 9th Infantry Division engaged in heavy fighting in the Saigon area during and after the famous 1968 TET Offensive.

The History of Bandido Charlie, 5th Bn (Mech) 60th Inf. is not a dry regurgitation of events of long ago. It is the story of men thrown together in a mechanized infantry company in the Mekong Delta Region of South Vietnam, December of 1966 to September of 1968. They found a means to distinguish themselves from other units by the use of the name Bandido Charlie, proudly displaying the skull and cross sabers on their tracks, flags, and pocket patches.

The 9th Infantry Division was the birth place of Bandido Charlie Company. In the 9th Infantry Division Bandido Charlie Company called home to several places in the Delta of South Vietnam. Dong Tam, the USS Colleton (Mobile Riverine Force), Binh Phuoc, many Fire Support Bases, and any place we parked our tracks for the night. After many bloody, deadly battles from inside Saigon to My Tho and beyond, Bandido Charlie Company left Binh Phuoc and the 9th Infantry Division on 13 September, 1968, when it was reassigned to the 1st. Infantry Division. The history that Bandido Charlie Company bestowed upon the 9th Infantry Division is to be honored and remembered.

After an early morning ceremony of retiring the Company Flag with all it's many streamers on it, Bandido Charlie Company left the 9th Infantry Division at Binh Phuoc on 13 September, 1968 during reorganization. The entire Company, armored personnel carriers, jeeps, company records and everything traveled to Lie Khe and arrived that same evening at it's new home.

1st Battalion (Mechanized)(Iron Rangers) , 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade,
1st Infantry Division
from October 1968 - April 1970

The Company was greeted in person by the Base Commander and the 1st Division Band at the main gate to Lai Khe on the evening of 13 September, 1968.

On 21 October, 1968 Bandido Charlie Company officially became part of the 1st. Infantry Division. And the "Rangers" designation for the leg infantry that we replaced was changed to "Iron Rangers." This was the very beginning of the Mechanized Infantry for the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment of today.

Lai Khe Base was originally constructed inside of a rubber plantation. The tall trees helped protect the men and buildings during rocket attacks. The Base had it own radar, perimeter defense towers, big guns and everything needed to defend the Base.

The transition from fighting in the rice paddies of the Delta to fighting on the dry land of the rubber plantations was one that Bandido Charlie Company made easily. We were involved in the Vietnamization process, and saw combat in and around areas like the Iron Triangle, Michelin Rubber Plantation, the Catcher's Mitt, Ben Cat and Lai Khe where we participated in ambush patrols and sealed off villages.

Bandido Charlie Company remained at Lai Khe until it left Vietnam with the rest of the 1st. Infantry Division.

1st (Iron Rangers) Battalion (Mechanized)
16th Infantry Regiment
3rd Brigade
1st Infantry Division
from April, 1970 -April, 1995

The Company, along with the rest of the Battalion, was sent to Augsburg, Germany until it's participation in Desert Storm in 1991, then returned to Fort Riley, Kansas to be the only active element of the 16th Infantry Regiment.

1st (Iron Ranger) Battalion
16th Infantry Regiment
1st BCT
1st Infantry Division
from April, 1995 - November, 2003

In September of 2003 the 16th Infantry Regiment was called upon to go to Iraq. Charlie Company was attached to the Marines and was stationed in and around the dreaded town of Falluja.

In November, 2004 Charlie Company returned to Fort Riley, Kansas. And on 13 January, 2005, the original Company name of Bandido Charlie was officially restored thanks to the hard work of Woody Goldberg and Phil Greenwell, both past Company Commanders of Bandido Charlie Company,
Doug Ludlow and Al Herrera, both past NCO's of Bandido Charlie Company, and members of Charlie Company.

The Mechanized Bandido Charlie Company from the 9th Infantry Division was a part of the very beginnings of the now current "Iron Ranger" Battalion of today when the 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division was "reorganized" into the 1st Battalion (Mech), 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division in October, 1968. Both of these above mentioned Battalions originated from the same place in the States at Fort Riley, Kansas.

1st Battalion (Iron Ranger)
16th Infantry Regiment

The 1st Battalion of today is one of the most historic and decorated units in the oldest Division in the United States Army. The Iron Ranger Battalion traces it's heritage to the 11th Infantry Regiment of the Civil War. And the 16th Infantry Regiment has fought in every major conflict since the Civil War except for Korea.

1st Brigade (Devils)

The current members of Bandido Charlie Company should be aware of their own history in Vietnam onward. These web pages are here to show the members of Charlie Company where they originally came from, to remind them of the sacrifices of the past to preserve everyone's freedom, and to show the future members of Charlie Company what we expect of them.

We, the former and current members of Bandido Charle Company, have damned well earned the right to say -

No mission to difficult
No sacrifice too great.
Duty first.

Semper Paratus

The Big Red 1

Battle of Binh Long Province

Cantigny Military History Series
Blood and Sacrifice - by Steven E. Clay
Page 315
Battle of Binh Long Provence
August 12, 1969

Over the next thirty days, the Iron Rangers fought two major actions and numerous minor engagements. The first major action was a battle five kilometers northwest of An Loc on August 12. For the five days prior to that mission, the 1st Battalion (for this mission consisting of the Headquarters Company, and A and C Companies only) was primarily utilized to secure a series of FSBs in areas between Quon Loi and An Loc. On August 10, a platoon from Captain Robert R. Olson's A Company, in coordination with an ARVN company from the 4th Battalion, 9th ARVN Regiment, conducted an air assault near An Loc. The combined U.S./ARVN force, accompanied by Colonel Cassels, went into a LZ defended by NVA troops. Cassels recalled that this landing was the "hottest LZ I was ever in. I'm sure the chopper took bullets as it rose from the LZ."

Upon landing, the Iron Rangers immediately engaged an NVA unit and killed twenty-three of them. Four enemy soldiers were captured, and "singing like turkeys," indicated that the units of the 9th Division were indeed moving into the area.

The next evening, Cassels assembled his battalion, less Olson's A Company, at FSB Allons II about eight kilometers north of An Loc, as the RRF for the 11th ACR. Given the diminished size of the Iron Rangers for this operation, Colonel Leach attached D Company, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, that afternoon to Cassels to give him additional firepower. Even with the additional rifle company, Cassels commanded just over three hundred men for the impending operation.

While C Company guarded Allons II, Olson's A Company pulled security for FSB Thunder IV just northeast of An Loc. On the morning of August 12, Cassels was directed to bring his units to the vicinity of FSB Eagle II, there to counterattack an enemy force that had attacked the fire base a couple of hours earlier.

Moving in the darkness, the battalion's elements linked up at Eagle II about dawn without encountering the expected enemy resistance. Cassels then decided to move along the enemy's suspected withdrawal route to the southwest. The Iron Rangers moved out with Olson's A Company in the lead. Captain Phillip Greenwell's C Company following, and the troops of the 7th Cavalry riding on the tops of the C Company tracks (APCs).

Encountering a suspicious ford at a small stream, Olson's men took a great deal of time to reconnoiter the area before crossing. Cassels, impatient with the delay, moved forward to push the company across. With the battalion commander's urging, Olson finally moved A Company across the ford and Cassels' track joined the column about five vehicles back from the front.

After traveling about four kilometers, Olson's lead elements were hit by RPG and automatic weapons fire about 7:05 a.m. The first track in the column, the platoon leader's, was struck by an RPG round, and just seconds later, struck again by a 57mm recoilless round that killed the driver and set the vehicle on fire. The platoon leader was blown clear of the vehicle, but only slightly dazed. After the lieutenant made his way back to Cassels' track, the battalion commander directed him to mount another of his platoon's tracks and get a base of fire started at the enemy. Within minutes, the Iron Rangers were engaged against a six hundred-man battalion of the 272nd Regiment.

Though outnumbered two to one, Cassels deployed the battalion to attack in a southerly direction, with C Company on the right, A on the left, and his command track between the two. The .50 caliber machine-guns laid down a base of fire, as the D Company grunts scrambled off of the tops of the tracks and deployed forward. The infantrymen from A and C Companies also deployed and added their fire to that of the tracks, but the enemy fire steadily increased, and the advance of the battalion was stopped. Cassels called for air support and artillery.

After about forty minutes of intense fighting, Cassles' tracks as well as those of the two mech company commanders, had been disabled by enemy fire. All three commanders scrambled to other vehicles to continue the fight. Soon, the enemy force attempted to flank the battalion, but the Iron Rangers countered the move and drove the enemy eastward in an attempt to drive them into a clearing where the choppers of the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery (Aerial Rocket) could attack the NVA troops.

By noon, three more APCs had been knocked out of action, and the enemy continued the fight. About 2:00 p.m., the battalion's command and control chopper carrying the S3, Major James Harris, was shot down by a .51-caliber machine gun. Harris was subsequently rescued, and by 3:00 p.m., was back in the air helping to control the battle. Fighting continued until 4:00 p.m., when Leach directed the battalion to break contact. The subsequent sweeps located twenty-nine bodies of the 272nd Regiment and numerous weapons and ammunition. The fighting cost the Iron Rangers two KIA, twenty-seven wounded, and five APCs destroyed.

Iron Ranger Newsletter
25 August, 1969
Edition 34-69

1. OPEN LETTER TO HANOI HANNA: Just a note to let you know we are alive and live in the jungle near An Loc. Contrary to your radio broadcast on 15 August, we did not get annihilated by the 272 NVA Regiment on the 12th, and are willing to prove it. Too bad about your friends who were killed or taken prisoner, but all is fair in love and war. Remember the glorious time we had together during the 1968 Tet Offensive? More of the same awaits your return. If you want to send along a few extra battalions, we can always call in AWFUL ALPHA and BUSHMASTER BRAVO to make it a good old fashioned IRON RANGER Pow Wow. Whenever more of your men are tired of living, just send them on over; always glad to be of service. CHIEU HOI now and avoid the Christmas rush. Sincerely yours, BANDIDO CHARLIE.

2. BANDIDO CHARLIE RIDES AGAIN: AN LOC, Republic of Viet Nam (1-16/IO)--
Bandido Charlie, whom Radio Hanoi claimed had been wiped out on 12 August 1969, got a chance to prove they were still alive today, August 21, 1969. The 2nd platoon of Company C, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 16th Infantry was providing convoy escort for the 1st Air Calvary Division (Air Mobile) Engineers between AN LOC and LOC NINH near the Cambodian border when they were ambushed along both sides of highway 13 by a reinforced platoon of NVA soldiers. In less than 10 minutes the Iron Ranger Battalion Operations Officer, Major James Harris of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was overhead in a HU-1D command and control helicopter and the remainder of Bandido Charlie was in a northerly direction. The ambushed platoon continued on through the ambush kill zone, laying down a heavy volume of fire, dropped off the engineer element, and made an immediate about-face, returning to the contact area. With a mechanized platoon returning from the north and the remainder of the company coming up from the south, the NVA forces had no choice but to flee into the heavy jungle along the west side of the road. When Charlie Company Commander, Captain Phillip Greenwell, of Johnson City, Tennessee linked up with his 3rd platoon, he deployed his Iron Rangers against the fleeing bad guys from Hanoi. When the .50 caliber machine guns had cooled, 11 NVA bodies lay in their wake and 1 detainee was graciously telling all he knew about his base camp. Nearby, as Company A of the Iron Ranger battalion joined the search, a complete sweep of the area was made, several bunkers destroyed and a list of equipment as long as a .50 caliber machine gun barrel had been captured. Some of the more important items were 5 AK-47 rifles, 1 AKM Soviet assault rifle, 1 75mm Recoilless Rifle, 8 B-40 rockets with boosters, 14 CHICON grenades and numerous other items. Upon return to their night defensive position, 14 Iron Ranger men were greeted with a special surprise as Brigadier General George W. Casey, Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Air Calvary Division was on hand to present 4 Silver Stars, 7 Bronze Stars, 1 Air Medal and 2 Army Commendation Medals, all for valor on 12 and 21 August 1969. To quote Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth G. Cassels of Plant City, Florida, the Iron Ranger Commander, "just another day for the 1st Infantry Division's finest."

AUGUST 12TH, 1969 My day of infamy

Written by Ronald W. Mackedanz

On August 12th, 1969, my unit (Charlie Company 1st of the 16th (mechanized infantry) was on the move around An Loc and Loc Nihn, South Vietnam. Viet Cong and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) activity had been on the increase in the area between these villages and the Cambodian border. This area was known as “The Fish Hook”

I was assigned to drive the armed personnel carrier for the company commander. (Captain Phillip Greenwell). Our mission on this day was to transport a company of grunts (foot soldiers), westward toward the Cambodian border and drop them off. Our company, along with Company A, 1st of the 16th (mech), and the Battalion headquarters unit would all be involved. This operation would involve approximately forty armed personnel carriers, each with four to six assigned infantrymen and approximately six more grunts on each track (carrier).

We moved out shortly after daylight and headed westward thru an old French rubber plantation. The local people were out working in various parts of the plantation, gathering rubber syrup from the trees. They do this, much the same as maple syrup is collected. The trees in these plantations are planted in the same fashion that farmers used to plant checked corn, back in the forties and fifties. You can see down the rows at ninety degree and forty-five degree angles.

Shortly after entering the plantation, possibly a mile or so, three or four NVA regulars ran across the road just ahead of our column. Our battalion commander ordered four tracks, (a platoon) to go after these NVA. As the rest of us waited on the road, the platoon in pursuit starting taking intense small arms and rocket fire.

In my mind, the NVA planned this ambush with a great deal of military genius. As soon as our guys started taking fire, we all turned on line to the right, and started an assault into the ambush. No more than we had started our assault, when all hell broke loose on our left flank. At this point, the APC’s (tracks) swung around to the left and advanced up the hill, straight into the main ambush. The grunts had all dismounted and were on the ground, covering our right flank. As we advanced up the hill, we encountered a sizable NVA force. They were dug in, and some were up in the trees. We were taking a lot of heavy small arms fire and rockets (RPG’s).

I remember seeing an RPG coming right at me. It went over my head by a couple of feet. I didn’t see the next one come. It hit my track, right in the engine compartment, blowing the motor up. Instantly, we were dead in the water, so to speak. The engine room door was blown out, and hit me in the right shoulder. I immediately grabbed my M79 grenade launcher and started firing rounds at the NVA. They were dug in, no more than thirty to fifty yards in front of us.

At this point, I was trapped inside the drivers hatch, pinned down by intense enemy fire. As one NVA soldier jumped out of his bunker and started running away, I put a grenade round right in his back pocket. I never did check him out. Shortly after that. I decided to bail out of the track. The only way out was up through the top of the drivers hatch. It was only days later, after thinking about the reality of the situation, that I realized how fortunate I was to have gotten out of there alive.

My track commander/fifty gunner was gone from the top of the track. The company commander was down inside the track, trying to co-ordinate things. I headed for cover behind my track to find Al Kalchek (my fifty gunner) and Al Herrera (our first sargeant) there. As we hunkered down, trying to decide what to do next, a grenade landed nearby.

Al and Top were both severely wounded. Top was hit under his right arm, and also took a lot of shrapnel in his lower stomach area. Al was hit on his right side. He took a lot of shrapnel in his right arm and leg.

I did what I could to patch up Al, as Top kept pressure on his arm wound. Thankfully a medic got to us and took over. I then crawled up on top of the track and started returning fire with the fifty- caliber machine gun. As it turned out, the barrel was already burned out and the rounds were going all over the place.

I don’t recall exactly what happened next, all I know is that I dropped down into the track. I had been hit with shrapnel from an RPG, in my right hand, neck, shoulder and back. Capt. Greenwell saw me, and said “you’re ok Mack,” I then bailed out of the track, where the medic was still working on Al and Top. He bandaged up my wounds to my neck and my hand. Then he told me to get some guys to help evacuate Al. We got him on a stretcher and four of us started running down the hill toward the Medi Vac track. The guy beside me, John McEldreath, (a big guy from down south) got hit with a bullet through his right side and stomach. He fell, and we both dropped the stretcher, falling right on top of Al. John got to his feet, and we picked up Al and made our way down to hill to the Medi-Vac track.

Once we got Al loaded up, there were quite a few other guys, wounded, waiting to be taken out to the choppers (helicopters). The track was pretty well loaded with wounded guys, and I wasn’t real wild about getting in for the trip out. I figured that the NVA had us cut off. Top ordered me to get on, so I jumped on and we headed out to a clearing where the choppers could get to us.

The choppers got us out to a medical hospital, not unlike the MASH unit that they used to show on TV. We weren’t there very long, when they put us on another chopper and took us to Cu Chi, where they had a bigger hospital facility. While I was in Cu Chi, they took the shrapnel out of my neck, hand and shoulder. Most of it anyway. They didn’t bother giving me anything for the pain; they just went after the shrapnel. I remember calling that doctor everything but a white man. He said, “ The guys from the Big Red One are tough”. Well, tough or not, it still hurt like hell.

While I was in Cu Chi, My wife, Janet received my second Purple Heart, in the mail. There was no explanation with it, she didn’t know if I was dead or alive. I did finally get one of the Red Cross workers to pen a letter for me, to Janet letting her know that I would be okay.

After spending a few days in Cu Chi, they shipped me off to a convalescent hospital in Cam Rahn Bay, South Vietnam. This was a hospital that was run by Air Force personnel. All the nurses that tended to us were Air Force nurses’.

Cam Rahn Bay is northeast of Saigon, right on the South China Sea. It was really quite a nice place, as Vietnam goes. We were right next to the ocean. As I recall, I was at Cam Rahn Bay for about three weeks. During that time, we got hit with sapper attacks twice. Sappers are Viet Cong who sneak through the wire on the perimeter, or come in from the ocean. They usually carried several explosive charges, (schachel charges), that they would throw into bunkers filled with unarmed, wounded GI’s and nurses.

Most of the guys that were supposed to be guarding us were new in country, and had no combat experience. The first time that we got hit, myself and two other guys ran over to supply. We tried to get them to give us weapons, but they wouldn’t give us any. So we ran down to the beach, where the new guys were on guard. We got them to give us their weapons, and let us take over. We figured that after spending ten months in combat, we were not going down without a fight.