Photos of Bear Cat by Mike Williams
Thank You Mike
1) More Huey chopper nose art The Jayhawk on a map of Kansas People from Kansas have been called Jayhawkers since the American civil war.
2) Local kids and kids from the 709ths civic action village.
3) Damaged equipment arriving at the Bearcat shops. Note
dust raised. This was before the company streets were
improved with crushed laderite gravel and peenaprime
spray sealer, but dust was always a problem.
4) Monsoon season. Dry dirt to standing water in 30 seconds.)
5) Local kids and kids from the 709ths civic action village.
6) Light observation aircraft. There wasa strip for
these near the 709th's area in Bearcat
7) Scene along the main road entering Saigon,
near the airbase.
8) The Vietnamese countryside.
9) I believe this was a SF camp in an old French compound,
or maybe rubber plantation.
10) The streets of Saigon
11) Scenes shot along highways just showing the land and people
12) Sunrise scenes in Bearcat. It could have been
a pretty country
13) US billets in Saigon
14) More battle damage awaiting repair
15) More battle damage awaiting repair
16) HQ & A Co orderly room at Bearcat
17) Scenes shot along highways just showing
the land and people
18) Monsoon clouds -- the rain is coming
19) Scenes shot along highways just showing
the land and people
20) Scenes shot along highways just showing
the land and people
21) The streets of Saigon
22) The streets of Saigon
23) Along road near Black Horse; RFPF observation point
24) Shop area Bearcat -- smoke plume indistance is from sapper attack on Long Binh ammo dump about 12 miles away.
25) Jeep art -- Snoopy was popular back then.
26) Scenes shot along highways just showing
the land and people
27) The monsoon hits - wind and rain, A company street, Bearcat.
28) Scenes shot along highways just showing
the land and people
29) Shop area Bearcat -- M88 unloads damaged M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
30) On a scrounging mission, found a US unit living here
up north. An old warrant officer buddy got me some
switches to run the TOC electrics during attacks
31) Also Saigon -- those beautiful au-dai pantdresses.
32) Shortly after arrival in Bearcat. Maintenance tent going up in HQ&A shop area
33) Dust devil on chopper landing field
34) More dust and choppers - very tricky landing when you can't see the ground
35) Sunrise scenes in Bearcat.It could have been
a pretty country
36) Bearcat berm from outside 709th's area.Note bunker.
These usually got full of snakes, spiders and water.
37) HQ & A Co contact team sites in bad guy country
38) Last resting place of two brave mice who invaded someone's
hooch one night. Another time it was a cobra
39) Sunrise scenes in Bearcat. It could have been
a pretty country
40) The famous F**k - you gecko lizard. His bark was worse than his bite. They would come out at night and croak "f**k you" for hours.
41) Bearcat -- the 709th area was in the upper left, in the corner of the perimiter berm
42) At the request of the infantry, we figured out a way to mount a 106RR on a 113 APC so they would have more firepower. The flechette round was particularly effective.
43) HQ & A Co contact team sites in bad guy country
44) US base camp from air, possibly Long Binh
45) Nose art on air cavalry Huey chopper.
46) Bearcat berm from outside 709th's area.Note bunker.
These usually got full of snakes, spiders and water.
47) Local kids and kids from the 709ths civic action village.
48) Convoys leaving or entering at the berm entrance
49) Monsoon season. Dry dirt to standing water in 30 seconds.
50) A visitor in the outdoor showers
51) President Ky's palace, downtown Saigon
52) Local kids and kids from the 709ths civic action village.
53) These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles
in for repair at the HQ & A Co shops at Bearcat.
It was incredible what the 709th troopers
could fix up.
54) The Bearcat chopper airfield.
55) These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles
in for repair at the HQ & A Co shops at Bearcat.
It was incredible what the 709th troopers
could fix up.
56) These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles
in for repair at the HQ & A Co shops at Bearcat.
It was incredible what the 709th troopers
could fix up.
57) Bearcat from the air. Bearcat was the base camp
for the 9th Inf Division during 1967. Hq & A Co.
and the 709th Bn. HQ were also located there.
58) This is part of the HQ & A Co. area from the air. The long building with the red awning is the mess hall. The building with the tin roof is Co HQ. This was early in the tour before we got tin roof WABTOC buildings to replace the tent billets. The quonset hut upper right was Bn HQ.
59) Convoys leaving or entering at the berm entrance
60) Artillery strike
61) Bearcat from the air. Bearcat was the base camp
for the 9th Inf Division during 1967. Hq & A Co.
and the 709th Bn. HQ were also located there.
62) Barbed wire and the beauty of blooming flowers on the berm
63) The company streets, HQ & A Co. 31 is looking
up the street toward the Bn quonset hut.
64) A visitor in the billets area
65) This is the Bn HQ TOC. Every one of those sandbags took a
lot of sweat. There were only empty bags when we arrived.
66) Convoys leaving or entering at the berm entrance
near the 709th area Bearcat.
67) This is the supply platoon area, Hq & A Co.
Most of the division's repair parts were stocked here.
It was an amazing operation, handling about 73,000
part numbers.
68) The company streets, HQ & A Co. 31 is looking
up the street toward the Bn quonset hut.
Note the corrugated metal for roofing material.
69) US Navy supply and maintenance ship, Da Nang harbor
70) The Saigon waterfront on the Mekong river. Note the
white hospital ship. For some reason I heard this
ship was German.
71) Capt. Mike Williams, HQ & A Co Commander. Assumed
command in Ft Riley about a month before the 709th
deployed, Nov. 66. Departed Nov 67.
72) These are examples of battle-damaged vehicles
in for repair at the HQ & A Co shops at Bearcat.
It was incredible what the 709th troopers
could fix up.
73) HQ & A Co mess hall at Bearcat, late intour
after outdoor BBQ area was built.