Existing comment:
The Grunt:
The United States was at a crossroads in Vietnam in 1970. President Nixon's program of Vietnamization had been launched as American units began to return from Southeast Asia. At the same time, anti-war protesters continued to call for an immediate end to U.S. involvements. More than ever, the boys arriving in Vietnam brought with them the attitudes of America's youth. For those who became the grunts in I Corps and the rest of South Vietnam, the fighting continued unabated.
Ed Beauchamp of Milwaukee landed at Bien Hao Airfield in March 1970. Within a day, he was flown north to join his new unit, Company E, 4-31 Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division (Americal). Initially assigned to the mortar section, manpower shortages soon found Beauchamp carrying the M-60 machine gun for battalion recon. Working from LZ's "West" and "Siberia" in the double and triple canopy jungle of Quang Tin Province, the recon team operated as a blocking force, set ambushes, and conducted sweeps to locate the enemy. The unit also provided security for the villages of Hiep Duc and Son Ha in the area known as Death Valley. In September, Beauchamp returned to mortars for the remainder of his tour. |