Most viewed - The Mighty Ninth

Most viewed

J_Orr-27a.JPG35th Reunion - 2011128 viewsBig smile from Mike Kurtgis, a reunion "regular" along with lovely friend Lorraine Knight.

JCook21.jpg"Base Camp" - Jan 1966128 viewsThis is our FDC location at Base Camp, Pleiku, 11Jan66. Sp4 Larry L. Black is half-turned to the camera, Sp4 James McBrayer, Jr is using the pick to make foxholes, Huckaby is by the "Pink Kitty". The "Pink Kitty" is the FDC training trailer that we brought over from Hawaii. We decided later that a plywood FDC trailer above ground was not a smart move. The picture is looking north, northwest.

JCook27.JPG"Base Camp" Haircut128 viewsGetting a haircut while part of my wash (see the green fatigues?) is hanging in the background. Note the 2/9th insignia on the barber's cap.

JCook43.JPGLt Herrick, 2/9th FA staff; Lt James A. Mager, Corps of Engineers128 viewsJoe poses with two Lieutenants. The sign overhead reads: "Bravo Ever Ready" and "Mighty Ninth Sir" with the unit designation and the 25th Inf Div Tropic Lightning patch in the center.

L to R: Lt Chris Q. Herrick and Lt James A. Meger (Corps of Engineers) on either side of Sgt Joe Cook.

Joe_and_the_Medic_2.JPG128 viewsI wasn't doing a good job, so the Medic took over. Note the surgical precision he uses to cut the bread. Medic Riddle was the same guy who attended to SSG David Spears who was KIA during a firing incident.

JCook2a.JPG"B" Battery Officers128 viewsSame photo, minus the cardboard slide frame. Captains Barron, Rice & Osborne.

JCook22d.JPGUnderground Bunker - the orginal CONEX FDC concept128 viewsThe next change for our FDC operations was CONEX containers. We buried two (2) CONEX containers in Base Camp. They were dug in with the help of a bulldozer. They were facing each other, dropped into the hole and covered with sandbags. We made a "sandbag staircase" to get back to the surface. I don't know how this would work out in monsoon season. Inside the containers, we used red lights at night and white lights during the day. We moved in our standard field tables for the charts and placed the radios on ammo boxes.

JCook11a.jpgGI Coffee128 viewsAt least I can make coffee! Hard boil water, add grounds, turn off. Let grounds settle; scoop from top. That's GOOD black coffee. It is brown if not boiled hard.