RickGrimes1
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Vietnam

May 19, 1969-May 23, 1970

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Vietnam Bio of Richard P. (Rick) Grimes

I​ graduated Texas A&M University in 1968 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.  I attended Infantry Officer Basic Candidate school (IOBC), U.S. Army Ranger School and Airborne School.  After a three month stint as a platoon leader in Fort Hood, Texas (2d Armored Division), I was shipped off to Vietnam...How did I feel about the war? Irrelevant.  Accomplish the mission.  Get everyone home--alive and in one piece. 

These photos were taken by me (or taken of me) during my Vietnam tour.  I welcome your experiences, memories, any corrections or comments in general.  (Comments above; Forums below.)
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Ranger Teams went on missions in the Central Highlands three or four times a month for 3 to 5 days at a time. Ranger Teams were surreptitiously inserted by helicopter (flying at tree-top level) into 'enemy' territory. A Command and Control aircraft flew high above directing the helicopters to their landing zones. The helicopters would be on the ground for 15-30 seconds while the team scrambled off and into the jungle.
On February 1, 1969, the Merrill's Marauders unit from the Burma Campaign in WWII was re-commissioned in Vietnam as the 75th Infantry (Airborne) Rangers. They formed 13 companies that were attached to various units throughout Vietnam.

​I was assigned to C Company which was attached to the Fir
st Field Force in the Central Highlands. There were 4-5 Ranger Teams (of 5-6 members each) in each of 4 platoons. All the team members had earned their jump wings (with 5 parachute jumps or more) and had special training in jungle warfare and long range patrol tactics. They were all hand-picked from volunteers who stepped up from infantry line units for these special operations: hunter/killer and long range patrol.
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Sitting in the co-pilot's seat, I took the stick of an Air Force 0-2 Skymaster so the real pilot could take my picture (!) We are reconnoitering landing zones to insert Ranger Teams.

P.S. ​Follow this link to other photos of C Company Rangers.
​Do you know someone in any of these photos? Is this you? Let me know.

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During 1969 and 1970, C Company, 75th Rangers (Airborne) was detached to, among other places, An Khe, Pleiku, and Phan Thiet. This photo shows the C Company headquarter near Phan Thiet. The company sat on the edge of LZ Betty (overlooking the South China Sea) from which all Ranger operations were staged.
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Task Force South HQ, First Field Force
These are O-1 Bird Dogs and an 0-2 Skymaster. These were used for command and control (C&C) flying high above helicopters--directing them to landing zones.
A "slick" soon to be loaded with a team and ready to take off. A slick was used to transport Ranger Teams to and from their missions with support by helicopter gunships.
This is an air reconnaissance mission. Find best place to insert Ranger Teams
Pre-mission briefing by one of the Ranger Company platoon leaders. The briefing included the Ranger Teams, all helicopter pilots and crew (including supporting gunship crews).
SP4 Terry Jackson awaiting a misson. Later he was wounded and evacuated to the states. Today he's a prominent lawyer in Tucson, AZ
SP4 Terry Jackson getting ready to go.
Ready to go. Sgt. Jim Snider (and me.)
Ready to go. Among other armament, he's sporting an M-16 with silencer and an M-79 Grenade launcher in his belt
Second platoon team ready for mission. Sgt. Groenwald in center; Johnny Joe to left of Groenwald.
This is my Car-15 and .45 pistol that I carried when I was in a Command and Control capacity (i.e., in a helicopter or O-1 or 0-2 fixed wing airplane .)
Always good to be covered by an Air Force 0-2. When a team was in trouble, they put in white smoke when needed so that F-4 Phantom jets could see their targets around the team.
From time-to-time we would call on U.S. Naval warships to provide cover when land-based artillery was not available.
Command operations ready to go...
Team enroute to be inserted...
Gunships escorting teams to LZ
Preparing to be inserted...
Pock marks from prior mission adjacent to farmland...
View from helicopter with right door gunner's M-60 Machine Gun in foreground.
Platoon Leader (me) in an 0-1 Bird-Dog flying C&C vectoring helicopters flying at tree-top level to their LZs where the Ranger Teams would be inserted.
Team inserted at treeline. Go, go, go...!!! Get off quick and disappear....
Get off quick and disappear in the bush...
More Rangers in the grass...Helicopter taking off...
Helicopter gone. Very quiet. On this day, I'm with one of my 2nd Platoon teams.
Quiet. Let's get organized...
Just before dark, Ranger Teams would move into very thick jungle to spend the night.
Rotating shifts as night. One of my shifts is about daybreak and so I took some photos...
Snoozing...
Snoozing.
A selfie before they were fashionable.
Triple canopy jungle down there...
My view from the back seat of an 0-1 Bird Dog. In this case, he is diving to fire white smoke near a team in trouble.
A team in contact with the enemy and a gunship providing support. The Cobra gunship (center right) is firing his mini-gun as directed by the Team on the ground.
After four days in the boonies, time to come home. Yellow smoke marks the Ranger Team position.
0-1 Bird Dog with a Ranger Team platoon leader Lt. Brian O'Donnell serving as C&C flies over our team to get a fix on our position.
Team advances to a clearing
Leaving the LZ. The yellow smoke used to identify the team's position started a fire on the side of the hill
First Platoon Leader Dennis Rosenberry (West Point grad) flying C&C on another mission.
Team member aboard a helicopter taking him out after four days in the jungle.
Flying low near the coast.
Team 23 after completing a mission. I am second from left. Perkhiser, McDonald, Marchiando,
Huey gunship escorts the slicks carrying the Ranger Teams.
Army encampment in the background. Left door gunners M-60 in the foreground.
Damage from incoming enemy fire overnight. These sandbags did their job. No one hurt or killed. (An Khe)
Sgt David Dolby earned the Congressional Medal of Honor on his first tour. When he came back for a second tour, he was assigned to my platoon as a Team Leader. Very easy-going, very well liked by all. (CLICK ON PHOTO)
This AK-47 'acquired' by one of our 2d Platoon Ranger Teams.
Practice, practice, practice...Mostly Ranger Teams were inserted by landing a helicopter in a clearing. When not possible, they rappelled in by rope.
Misson complete. We just landed in an 0-1 Bird-Dog after extracting several teams and inserting others.
After mission, Ranger Team member shows off captured weapons to O-1 Pilot Byrd(?)Chinese-made AK-47 and a 9mm pistol.
In Sgt. Hogan's tent. Backdrop of Playboy pinups has been air-brushed out of the photo for political correctness and overly sensitive visitors...
Helicopter pilot Hoss Colbert and friend.
Hoss Colbert, a gunship pilot and a Ranger Team member.
Griffin and friend
Horsing around. Platoon Leaders rian O'Donnell (3d Platoon), Dennis Rosenberry (1st Platoon), and Rick Grimes (2nd Platoon) along with Operations Officer Capt Colson.
Lt. Brian O'Donnell
2d Platoon after memorial service for Ranger Team 25's Harold D. Williams (DSC) and Frank Walthers (Silver Star).
Honoring SGT Keith Mason Parr and CPL Walter Guy Burkhart.
More about Keith Parr here and Walter Burkhart here.
​See more about Ranger Team 25 here.
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Click here and help identify these Rangers.

Random Photos in no particular order (right now, anyway.)

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  • Home
  • My War
  • Photos of Rangers
  • Ranger Team 25
  • Other Vietnam Photos
    • Hoss Colbert
  • Comments?
  • Rolling Thunder
    • Bike Art from Rolling Thunder
    • Jessie Fletcher Video and Speech
  • 50 Years Ago Today
    • July 20, 1969
    • August 1, 1969
  • Roster 2nd Platoon 69-70
  • July 20, 1969