C 2/5 Cav - July 1965

Summary July 1965

July is the month of transition - from C 2/38^th Infantry to C 2/5^th Cavalry - from the M14 to the M16 - from garrison duty to preparation for Vietnam. Though no official announcement of the division's assignment to Vietnam had been made, it was the worst kept secret in the Army.

July 1

Company C, 2^nd Battalion 38^th Infantry, once a part of the the 2^nd Infantry Division and the 11^th Air Assault Division (Test) at Ft. Benning, Georgia, became Company C, 2^nd Battalion 5^th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). CPT Edward A. Boyt had assumed command of C 2/38 Infantry in December of 1964, and became the commander of C 2/5 Cavalry after its guidon was transferred from Korea. Interestingly, the first Morning Report at Ft. Benning is signed by 1LT Anthony A. Pattarozzi Jr. as the commander, with the first entry showing CPT Boyt as an "Assigned Gain." The company remained garrisoned on Kelley Hill at Ft. Benning. (Source: DA Form 1, dtd 1 July 1965, and Ed Boyt.)

July 28

In a radio address, President Johnson announced "I am today ordering the airmobile division to Vietnam." However, he did not declare a national emergency. That meant that all personnel who had less than sixty days to go before their military obligation expired would not go to Vietnam. In the case of C 2/5 Cav, that meant all the officers, except CPT Boyt and 2LT Marvin Sprouse would not go, but would be replaced by recent graduates of the Infantry Officer Candidate School. 1LT Anthony Pattarozzi, and 1LT Rodney Rountree, did not deploy, but 1LT Alphonso Conetto, 2LT James Mullen and 2LT Donald O'Keefe were added to the roster. 1LT Donald St. John was later assigned to the company and made the trip to Vietnam as the Executive Officer. (Source: Special Orders Number 181, 11th Air Assault Division, dtd 30 June 1965, and Letter Order 331 1st cavalry Division (Airmobile) dtd 30 July 1965)

Ed Boyt believes this did not affect the overall ability of the company because the inexperience of the new officers was offset by the high quality of the non-commissioned officers (sergeants) who remained with the company. Some had been with the company for over two years - some for as long as five years. As an example, Platoon Sergeant Parnell "Bones" Bethune had been with the company as far back as 1963, even when it had been deployed in Germany. By contrast, Don O'Keefe had never been in a helicopter, much less had any experience with airmobility. (Source: Conversation with Ed Boyt, J. D. Coleman, Jim Mullen, and Don O'Keefe on April 28, 2001)

July 30

Letter Order 331 was cut by 1^st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) Headquarters at Ft. Benning - subject "Permanent Change of Station. These are the orders used to send Company C, 2^nd Battalion, 5^th Cavalry to Vietnam.

Attached to these orders was a letter from the Commanding Officer, Company C, 2/5th Cavalry to the Battalion Commander of the 2/5th Cavalry. The subject is "Deployable Personnel." Essentially, it is a company roster of those deployable to Vietnam. Read it here.

Webmaster Note: Though the original is in the hands of the webmaster, it is not reproduced here as it contains personnel serial numbers, which is private information.

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Courtesy Ed Boyt

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Updated September 08, 2006