76TH FIELD ARTILLERY VIET NAM

Greg,
My name is Bill Gore and I served with the 76th Artillery in Viet Nam. I am looking for information on the 76th while it was stationed in Nam and I'd like to make contact with anyone who can help me in this research.

The information I have so far is: The 76th in Viet Nam was assigned to the II FFORCEV ARTILLERY. The internet info I found goes like this, "The following units are assigned to HQ, II FFORCEV ARTILLERY HEADQUARTERS and HEADQUARTERS BATTERY, 25th ARTILLERY. The following units are assigned to the 8th TAB, 25th ARTILLERY and further attached or placed OPCON as indicated. Then it list all the Counter Mortar detachments used in Viet Nam. This information comes from a declassified confidential report put out in 1968. It list these sites alphabetically and the 76th is listed under (D) 76th Field Artillery Detachment (Radar) OPCON Song Dong Nai.

I was advised to check out the library and look for a book called, "Viet Nam, Order of Battle" by Shelby Stanton because it covers all the units that served in Nam. I got the book, but the Radar Detachments are not listed in the book. The book is supposed to cover all the units that served in Nam, but it does not.

My CO was a Warrant Officer and when I first got to the unit (detachment) there was only 5 guys counting myself. When I first got to Nam I was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, but was held up in Long Bien. I later learned that I couldn't go to the 1st, because I already had a brother serving in the 1st. The Army changed my orders to a Hawk Missile Battalion near Saigon. I was there for about 3 weeks and they pawned me off to a Hawk Missile Battalion near Bien Hoe. I was there for about 3 weeks and my CO (Warrant Officer) found me and took me to the 76th.

When I arrived at the Hawk Missile site in Saigon, they had just moved into the are in April of 1966 and they were clearing the area of jungle. We worked 12 days and pulled guard at night. It was hot and sweaty I was away from showers and developed a heat rash in my groin area which was so bad I couldn't walk. The medics gave me some anti septic powder and that was it.I fought this rash for about 8 or 9 years after returning State side and later learned that I had an Asian fungus called Tinia Rubrem. It had spread from my groin to my feet, legs and hands. I was treated for this condition for about 10 years. I went to Pittsburgh Va in the 70s and they denied me a claim stating I had to prove it came from Nam, so I did not pursue the claim any further. In my early 40's I developed heart problems and I've been on Nitro Patches for past 30 years and two years ago I had open heart.

The Warrant Officer built the man power up to 13 guys which was divided into two groups. One group manned the Radar (24 hrs) and the other group worked in upkeep of the camp. We scanned for incoming in the Song Dong Nai Sensitivity Area along the Song Dong Nai River closed to the Eastern tip of the "Iron Triangle".

Several months after I came home I heard that my outfit of 13 men had been over ran and wiped out. I did not try to research this or anything else. I just wanted to forget. I worked for 10 years as a police officer, and went into security for 27 years and the place I worked went bankrupted and I lost everything. I started going to the VA for help and meds and they are the ones responsible for me writing this letter today. They are a great bunch of people. Thanks to all of you and God bless you all and our great country.

Sincerely, Bill Gore

Bill Gore served with the 76th Artillery in Viet Nam. Pl. Plaque reads: To SP5 William H. Gore for Outstanding Service from March 1966 to March 1967. Dong Nai Sensitive Area Bien Hoa.

Note; Story in regards to the above Plaque reads: To SP5 William H. Gore for Outstanding Service from March 1966 to March 1967. Dong Nai Sensitive Area Bien Hoa.

Hi Greg,
It was a pleasure talking to you on the phone. Here's my story.

We were 13 guys stationed in what was called the Dong Nai Sensitivity Area. The rest of the 76th Field Artillery was in Korea fighting the war there. We had a ARVIN (Vietnamese) outpost not far from us that had about 6 men. I think this is why our records where somewhat lost. Around January of 1967 My CO (a chief warrant officer) came to me and ask if I would go with him to a confidential meeting.

We drove to the Song Dong Nai River where we caught a Seabee boat (see pictures) and traveled to an Island in the middle of the river. I don't remember who all was there but there were about 6 or 7 big shots. The Russians had given the Viet Cong rockets and a launching pad to use against us.

The counter mortar radar that we operated (I can't remember the name) tracked mortars by their fins and the rockets that the Russians had donated did not have fins and consequently were erratic when fired. The meeting was in reference to if we could track these rockets. My CO couldn't answer the question and i was asked my opinion and, I told them I thought we could but it would be hard because the rockets didn't have fins.

We (Americans) had already intercepted and received information of the rockets. One man could carry the launcher and one rocket and others could carry 2 rockets.

I had always worked with my squad of 5 guys counting myself we were 6. It was late one night around 2 or 3 in the morning and I took a turn on the radar scope and let the men nap. This was around the beginning of March 1967. I picked up enemy fire, very faint, on the radar scope. i ran the computer and called 173rd Air Born to confirm and before the VC could load another rocket onto the launcher and fire the second round 173rd turned their howitzers toward the coordinates i had given them and took out VC.

When I was ready to come home my CO called me in and gave me the plaque. He stated, "I didn't have the time to sent to Korea and get you a letter of accommodation so I went to Ben Hoi and got you this plaque".

I came home and being young and full of hate I forgot the war or tried to. I put everything away and never told anyone I had served. Our country was in turmoil so I'll leave this subject now. So this is my one of my stories about the war and the reason I received the plaque. I leave this and my story which I've written to my family.

God bless you Greg for the things you do. You have found your calling.

- Bill Gore, Nov 18, 2023

This picture is interesting for two reasons. One: read the bumper; it says: United States Army Republic Viet Nam 76th Field Artillery. Also, look at the patch on my right pocket. It's the patch of the 76th insignia. I had forgotten about it and I believe I still have one or two up in the attic on my old fatigues.

76th Field Artillery Coat of Arms as worn on Bill's right chest pocket in above image.

These first few photos will be of the 76th Field Artillery Radar Site in Viet Nam. This site was in the Song Dong Nai Sensitivity Area. This photo shows the drive off the dirt road leading into the site.

We were building a pad for the generator to keep it out of the weather, especially the Monsoon Season.

Me on my cot taking a nap, because we worked 12 hours on and 12 hours off. The dogs name is "Dammit". Notice the cot is on pallets because of the Monsoon rain and critters. I saw it rain so hard that sometimes the water was almost up to the top of the pallet.

Pfc Duncan atop our bunker pulling lookout and guard duty. (Good way to get shot) I took this picture of him watching an air strike near our location.

This is the front drive to the site. We had to use this metal (in the foreground) all the time. When the Monsoon rain came the dirt would get wet and stick to everything like glue. The more you walked the higher your boots got.

The generator is sitting next to the radar bunker. One doorway to enter the bunker is just to the right of the generator (you can see canvas over the doorway to keep out light so the screen could be seen more clearly). Another entrance or doorway is on the other side of the bunker, almost straight across from this one. That is a fuel bunker to the upper left of the picture in front of the trailer.

The radar scope is the green square. The rest is the computer system and our radio was to the left. We used the radio to call for support and give coordinates of incoming mortar rounds. Exit doors were to the left and right. The radar worked on azimuth and range. I wish I could remember the Model number, but it's been too long ago.

This is a much better picture of the fuel bunker. The weeds and field in the back ground is an old grown up rice paddy.

Another picture of the fuel bunker.

Another photo of the future generator site and fuel station. In the back ground is grown up rice fields. We would have three Boa Constrictors crawl out of there, (15 ft. 14ft. and 12ft.) I took pictures of them, but they were lost or stolen, because they never made it home.

This room was built onto the radar bunker about 2 months before I left. This was the right doorway to the radar operator's room. That's an M79 grenade launcher on the upper shelf and 4 M-14s in the bottom rack. We also had ARs and 45s.

This photo was taken near Saigon, when I was at a Hawk Missile Battalion. The plane is a Chinook. When I first got in country I was assigned to 1st Infantry, but I already had a brother in the 1st. At the time I didn't know why they held me back for so long and changed my orders. Later I learned that two brothers could not serve in the same war zone outfit together, so they sent me to a Hawk Missile Battalion in Saigon. I was there about 2-3 weeks and they sent me up North to another Hawk Missile Battalion. I was there about 2-3 weeks and one day my CO (Chief Warrant Officer) was visiting the Hawk Missiles and found out my MOS was 17B20 (counter mortar radar operator). Well the next thing I knew I was on my way to the 76th Field Artillery Radar site. I'm glad I ended up there, because it was a good bunch of guys.

This is a photo of the radar screen and as you can see we were in the process of building the bunker. The metal boxes you see in the fore building the bunker. The metal boxes you see in the fore ground we filled with to keep bullets and shrapnel from hitting the screen. The boxes were actually rocket boxes, I believe, and we got them from the air force

Photo of the new out house, and the bunker being built.

Building the bunker, You can see the radar screen to the upper right.

Photo of the operations van/truck, where the operator used to sit, and two portable generators in the front of the truck. Almost in the middle of the picture is the outhouse that Duncan and I built and to the right is a new grave. It was the grave of the first dog we rescued while we were there. (I don't remember his name).

This photo is interesting to me. It is a mine field near Saigon at the first Hawk Missile site I was at. I saw a Vietnamese Sgt. and a US Sgt. got their legs blown off in this mine field. I later took this photo as a reminder. The French who were in Viet Nam at least 20 years before us, laid these mines and when they pulled out of Nam took the blue prints with them. So we had no knowledge of how the mines were laid.

I was walking through the jungle with others when I took this photo. We were on our way to an island in the Song Dong Nai River for a big meeting over Russian Rockets that was being supplied to the North Vietnamese. I went there with my CO and the meeting was about whether we could track the rockets. This was early 1967 and it contradicts the report I sent to you reference the rockets being used in 1968. They were in use before the report. All the photos (on) the Song Dong Nai River were taken on the Seabee Patrol Boat on our way to the meeting site.

I remember going into one of these "houses" and seeing a baby boy (about 2 yrs old) walking around butt ass naked. In the center of the metal wall was a pole length wise holding up the building and a rat was walking along the support pole. The rat was about a foot long. I came very close to shooting the rat, but thought maybe they were raising it for food. I liked taking pictures of the houses or hooch's and I took them whenever I could.

Another photo of a village and I think that if the picture were clearer you could probably see bananas hanging from one of the trees. I was always fascinated seeing bananas growing, because I'd never seen it before. I was always afraid to pick the bananas because of the snakes and insects.

Photo taken along Highway 1 going north from Saigon. I think I was heading to the 97th Ordinance Company.

This is an old French concrete bunker. It looks like the people moved in and took it over.

These are some of the nicest rice fields I'd seen in Viet Nam. I think that's why I took the photo.

I was walking when I took some photos so some may seem a little blurry. I believe this photo was taken on the island I went to with my CO when he had his pow wow reference the rockets.

Some of these houses or huts were on an island in the Song Dong Nai. It,s hard to believe how these people lived in such places. It's too bad the rest of our society doesn't see things like this. They'd really appreciate the USA.

I know some of the pictures of the country look great, but what I saw of it I thought it stunk. It reminded me of stagnate water or a fish market.

I like this picture because it depicts grass huts and if you look closely they are near a Buddhist shrine which is almost in the middle of the photo. It'd probably been there for years.

It was sometimes hard taking pictures. Not only was I 22 years old and not thinking, but time wasn't always convenient. I didn't like to take pictures of wounds or people that were hurt. Like I said before, I really like taking pictures of the way the people lived.

When you look at these pictures it has to make you feel bad knowing people live in places like this, with rats and insects. But, they have learned to adapt. I bet its different now. These poor people were at war for many, many years. I remember as a child in W. Virginia my parents owning cows and farm animals and they were kept in places nicer than these houses.

The cameraman wasn't very good! This is how we shift gears. Ha Ha.

No that's not a tiled roof, but it is sod, and it's just another shack in Viet Nam.

I took this picture because I thought this place was cool. I think this was a Vietnamese Officer's home. (I'm certain, but not absolutely sure) I also believe it was taken near Saigon. In Saigon everything looked different. Maybe because of the population? Outside of Saigon things sure were different.

There's a civilian (maybe a Charlie by night) squatting in the doorway.

The next set of pictures is of Villages & Towns.

Two Vietnamese soldiers I met while traveling through the Jungle in Viet Nam. I think we were on our way to the Song Dong Nai Island.

Having lunch on the Island.

Sorry, but I'm not a cameraman. I've got several pictures this way where I didn't focus the amount of light. This girl was a maid that cleaned the sleeping quarters of one of the hooch's at the Hawk Missile site.

I'm certain this is the same girl as in the last photo.

Another maid and in the background is the crapper at the Hawk Missile site. I think this was taken at Bien Hoa, Viet Nam.

Diggin' in! Makin' sandbags for what's coming. I believe near Saigon

Back to the Hawk Missile at Bien Hoa. Looks like I started to get better with my Instamatic Camera.

After arriving at the 76th, there was an Arvin Outpost not far from us, maybe half a mile. They were held up in an old French Concrete Bunker maybe half a mile. That is what you are seeing behind the soldier. The rifle he is holding is a BAR, (Browning automatic rifle) and they (about 4 or 5 guys) were really proud of that gun. I always thought it was cool too.

Another one of the Arvins holding the Browning. It's funny, but one on the pythons we killed, about 14 foot, we took it to them to skin so we'd put it above the radar. We saw black smoke coming from their bunker for two days. We checked on them and they were eating the snake. Quite a few of our guys ate some of it too, but not me. I had to settle for c-rations. We didn't have a cook at the 76th, but we did have plenty of c-rations. Not bad, but the Cigarettes were a little stale.

I have no idea if those are choppers or planes dropping bombs or Rockets. I'm certain that its choppers. (Hueys)

These are paratroopers. There weren't too many jumps in Viet Nam, and I think this was a practice or something. Choppers usually brought them in low and fast and they'd jump out of the choppers. These guys were about a mile from us

This is a Douglas A1E which was usually flown by the Vietnamese Air Force. He is diving or strafing not far from our site.

If you look close at this picture you'll see that there's about 13 choppers or Hueys and not two. The rest are at ground level within the tree line and just below skyline level.

This is spotter plane and he's doing a great job. These guys had to have nerves of steel.

F4C phantom flying above some Hawk Missiles.

Huey flying over the 76th. That's our second outhouse that we built.

A picture of Bien Hoa, Viet Nam.

Saigon, 1966

Saigon, 1966

Saigon, 1966. Greg, did you ever ride in a "rickshaw"?

Highway 1, traveling North by Jeep.

His name is Pringle (yea like the potato chips). He was a nice guy and good friend. We both got transferred north toward Bien Hoa to the 97th Ordinance Group which was my second stop in Nam and I never saw him again. I spent 7 days there before continuing my journey to the 76th. I had forgotten about the 97th Ordinance Group.

This photo is of the 97th Ordinance Group just outside Bien Hoa. I was stationed here for 7 days.

97th Ordinance Group.

Just a photo taken while traveling down a dusty road.

I think this was an old French Guard Outpost. It caught my eye so I took a picture of it. The French were in Nam 20 years before us.

The next few pictures are taken from a Seabee boat along the Song Dong Nai River.

We had to keep a close eye on the Sampans because they could lift their covers and have a rocket launcher or 50 caliber hidden out of site. The Seabees were constantly turning their 50 cals toward each sampan we came into contact with.

I know, it looks beautiful, but looks are deceiving. When I look at some of these scenes they remind me of Florida. Maybe cause of the palms.

Those are about 1 inch metal plates behind that guy. They are for the protection of the guy on the 50 caliber machine gun.

Oh yea!!! Guaranteed to do some damage.

The mode of travel (by water way) was a value resource for these people. I don't remember seeing too much moving by land. For one think there was not enough transportation vehicles. There was a lot of bicycles in Nam.

I know why some guys want to go back, because of the connection of friends lost or dead. Also, it's like a part of your youth gone or stolen from you. Myself, I have no desire to return, ever. Probably because that's how I feel. Like my youth was taken from me.

There were very few houses in Nam. I think that's why I took some of these pictures. They said at that time (1966) that if a family had a home with a wooden floor, they were rich. Hewn wood and such was scarce, course now after the Americans pulled out they probably left all kinds of stuff.

These next set of pictures are of me. I'm on the right and PFC Duncan is on the left. We are holding our M14s (I liked the 14 more than the AR. It was more reliable and that's why I kept it) and I think we are sitting atop an old Buddha Temple that was torn down, probably by a bomb or mortar. And, it looks like trash that had been burnt. This was at the 76th Radar Site.

As I said before several times we had some pretty big snakes crawl out of those high weeds. But, it wasn't just snakes that you had to worry about.

Yep! That's me on the right. My wife who is my second wife and I married when I was about 31 likes this picture. (Wish I looked like that now) This is our first Out House. Later we would build one with better accommodations. The Art work is my handy work. I remember doing it and getting mad at myself for not making the moon a little better.

This is a picture of me while I was a PFC I know it's near the Radar Bunker and in the back ground is grown up rice paddies.

I don't know who took this photo. But, I'm giving Dammit a bath or shower. We got an old fuel tank from one of the jets and built a platform to hold it overhead and made a shower out of it. We got a company not too far from us to bring us water by tanker.

Hey, it's been a long time since I seen a girl this sweet!

Me outside the bunker.

Standing outside the bunker holding Dammit. I guess I made E4. Look how brown I am.

That's me on the left. Morrison on camera and I forget the other guy's name. Yea I made Specialist E4.

At least here you get a better view of the 76th FA patch on my pocket.

Coming out of the bunker.

Me with Morrison

Judging from the smile on my face, I'd say it looks like orders to come home.

Looking at the back ground it must be the classy side of town.

When I first got to the 76th Sgt. O'Reilly was a staff sergeant. We didn't have cooks because the outfit was so small. So, we ate a lot of c-rations. That's my cot that I slept on for about 10 months. When I got there, there were only about 5 of us.

One of the guys, I think his name is Hernandez.

Dammit. I don't know what kind of dog he was. He was a good puppy.

It's crazy how the human mind works. I can only remember a few of the guy's names. I find that strange.

Morrison working on the bunker.

I don't know who this is. If you look close you can see the old out house in the back ground lying down on its side. I think we are in the process of building a hooch for the guys to sleep in.

I think they are filling sand bags. Duncan on the left, DeMuth in the middle and I don't remember the guy on the rights name. DeMuth is the guy my CO and I went to the 1st Infantry to bring back to the 76th site.

The second CO of the 76th in Viet Nam, Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Duncan.

Two of our guys taking pictures.

DeMuth standing by our jeep.

I wish I could remember his name.

Morrison with the camera, I'm on the left and I forget the name of the other guy.

DeMuth and as you can see, he previously served with the 1st Infantry, Viet Nam.

This is a good shot of some of the screen and the frame work of the radar.

Another shot of some of the screen and the frame work of the radar.

I think I took this on the way to a village. I'm glad I took these because it gives you an idea of what the land looked like.

As I said before, much of the jungle reminds me of Florida. Or Florida reminds me of Viet Nam. I just visited my son there and I thought the same thing. If you look at the thickness of the growth of the land than you get an idea of what I mean.

Rice and straw gathered for drying. I once saw a woman in a paddy picking beetles off the rice stalks and eating them. I still think of that to this day.

I think this was the Head Quarters tent at the 97th Ordinance Group near Bien Hoa.

This was an old water well that was on the site of the 76th Field Artillery. We tried to put it back into service so we could get water to make concrete. The next few pictures show you what we found. Three sets of human bones were in the well. One had a bullet hole in the back of the head. The other two were probably thrown into the well and left to die.

While Morrison and I were digging in the well we encountered an unbearable odor and shortly after we found the bones.

Another picture of the bones from the well. They did not appear to be very large, but then the people there aren't huge either. I just hope they weren't children. I believe the CO took the bones to proper authorities.

Plaque reads: To SP5 William H. Gore for Outstanding Service from March 1966 to March 1967. Dong Nai Sensitive Area Bien Hoa

Update February 5, 2015 - I received this email from Bob Morrison

Greg,
I am the "Morrison" in Bill Gore's photos. Can you provide me an e-mail address for Bill? He needs to know that although one radar and some of the crew were lost at Con Tien in the north, those with the second radar which was relocated from Bien Hoa to HQ Battery 56th Hawk Missile Battalion near Long Bien were doing fine when I left in Dec. 1967.

Thanks

Bob M.

Email from Bill Gore:

Greg,
Yes, Bob Morrison did email me and we talked. He also said that he has a lot of information for me an maybe we could add it to your site. He stated that 1 month after I left they received a heavy barrage of mortars. The army then moved them up North an soon as they got there they took on heavy mortar once again. They lost 3 men and everyone else was wounded. The CO took shrapnel in the chest.

Thanks my friend

Bill Gore

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