Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Vaughn O'Laughlin, Charlie Company 1/39 Inf (M), Baumholder FRG 1968-1969

Here's an interesting post from one of our Viet Nam era vets, Vaughn O'Laughlin

I arrived in C Co in Baumholder in June of 1968. We had a new Company Commander named Roy C Morrow. Since I had college and could type, I was made the new Company Clerk.

When I got there, Co C was just beginning to get replacements. In fact, the Battalion got 40 some men, all artillery trained. The Battalion Sgt Major Tracy and First Sgt Holsopple, along with Spec5 Waghorn from Battalion, were instrumental in my learning the job, as well as making the job fulfilling, and, dare I say, fun. Those were good times.

The Battalion had just returned from Luxembourg not long before I got there. I was married so lived in a German home, had a beat up VW,and had a son born there.

I can relate to the shortage of Officers, as at one time we had the CO and a 2nd lt, who of course was made XO as well. He got his own jeep, and that pleased him to no end lol.

The "old hands" all talked about Worms, but I never got to experience anything other than the Rock. The very first day I was in Baumholder I walked downtown, and saw a high school classmate of mine walking up the sidewalk toward me.

I left Baumholder in December of 1969, and have always meant to go back, but haven't. 

Must say, Baumholder in 1968 had to have been a lot more pleasant than the Mekong Delta, where the rest of the 39th Regiment were situated at the time.

AAAO!

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UPDATE: turns out Tom Marsh remembers CSM Tracy, too.

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