199th Light
Infantry Brigade
(Light)
(Separate)
"Redcatcher"
Lineage and Honors
The
199th Light Infantry Brigade (Light) (Separate)
arrived
in Vietnam from Fort Benning, Georgia on
10
Dec 66 and departed on 11 Oct 70.
Commanders:
| BG??
George D.
Rehkopf????????
Apr. 66 - Nov. 66 BG??
Charles W. Ryder
??????????Nov.
66 - Mar. 67
BG?? John F.
Fruend???????????????
?Mar. 67 - Sep. 67
BG?? Robert C.
Forbes???????????
??Sep. 67 - May 68
BG?? Franklin M.
Davis
Jr.??????
May 68 - Sep. 68
BG?? Frederic E.
Davison???????
??Sep. 68 - May 69
BG?? Warren K.
Bennett??????????
May 69 - Nov. 69
BG?? William R. Bond
*????????????
Nov. 69 - Apr. 70
Col.? Robert W.
Selton???????????????
Apr. 70 - Jul. 70
Col. ?Joseph E.
Collins???????????
?????Jul. 70 -
Sep. 70
Ltc. ?George E.
Williams????????
??Sep. 70 - Oct. 70
|
*KIA
Brigade
Headquarters
Song
Be Dec 66 - Feb 67
Long Binh Mar 67
Bien Hoa Apr 67 - Jun 67
Long Binh Jul 67 - Feb 68
Gao Ho Nai Mar 68 - Jun 68
Long Binh Jul 68 - Oct 70
........LIGHT...........SWIFT..........ACCURATE.......
Pressed
for a rapid buildup of United States
ground forces in Vietnam in 1966, the
U.S. Army built a separate Light Infantry
Brigade around four elite Infantry units
with a glorious past. Redisignated 23rd
March 1966, the 2nd Battalion 3rd
Infantry, 3rd Battalion 7th Infantry, and
the 4th & 5th Battalions 12th
Infantry, and Troop D. 17th Cavalry were
assigned to the newly formed 199th
(Separate) Light Infantry Brigade out of
Fort Benning Georgia.
The Motto was, Light, Swift, and
Accurate. The Brigade would live up to
this Motto from the very start. Pressed
for rapid deployment in November 1966 for
Vietnam, the unit was swiftly formed and
rushed into training before it?s
ranks were fully filled, truly making the
unit light on personnel. After a brief
period of training at Kelly Field in Fort
Benning, Georgia the unit was moved by
ground transportation to the World War II
training camp of Shelby, Mississippi in
September 1966 for advanced training.
Following the intense training in
Mississippi, the 199th Light Infantry
Brigade was rushed into deployment in
Vietnam that November of 1966 in five
groups by sea and air, landing at the
port of Vung Tau. The 199th Light
Infantry Brigade took up permanent
residence at the north east corner of
Long Binh. The Brigade main base camp was
called camp Frensell-Jones. The 199th
LIB?s responsibility was to secure
the main infiltration routes into and
around Saigon, Long Binh, and Bien Hoa.
Despite not being fully equipped, its
Battalions were farmed out immediately in
Operation UNIONTOWN. There in Vietnam the
Brigade continued its wartime preparation
on the battle field. Its first airmobile
mission was an actual combat air assault
conducted December 17th by the 4th
Battalion 12th Infantry. The units
special training in counter intelligence
help turn the tide of the TET offensive
in 1968.
For a unit rapidly formed without proper
training, the courage and spirit of the
men who filled the ranks of the 199th
Light Infantry Brigade helped stop the
274 & 275 VC regiments dead in their
tracks during TET 68. The units
importance in the defense of Long Binh,
Bien Hoa, and Saigon earned it the
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the
Valorous Unit Award, and the Presidential
Unit Citation.
The distinctive patch worn on the
shoulder of the men of the 199th Light
Infantry Brigade was a flaming spear with
a red ball of fire in the middle giving
the appearance of a REDCATCHER, which was
descriptive of the units purpose in
Vietnam, and the name stuck. It soon
became apparent to the VC and NVA units
working in the areas of War Zone D, Xuan
Luc, Bien Hoa, the pineapple plantation,
and Saigon to fear the spear.
After four glorious years of valor in
Vietnam the unit was transferred to Fort
Benning Georgia to have their colors
re-furled and deactivated in 1970. |
199TH
LIGHT INFANTRY BRIGADE VIETNAM
ORDER OF BATTLE
To
view Lineage and Honors click on unit
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Thanks
Clay |
Hqs & Hqs
Company 199th
2nd
Battalion 3rd Infantry
3rd Battalion
7th Infantry
4th Battalion
12th Infantry
5th Battalion
12th Infantry
Troop D, 17th
Cavalry
Company M, 75th
Infantry
2nd Battalion
40th Artillery
7th Support
Battalion
44th Military History Detachment
87th Engineer
Company
179th Military Intelligence
Detachment
856
Army Security Agency Detachment
76th Infantry
Combat Tracker Dog Detachment
71st Infantry
Long Range Patrol Detachment
| I need info on
the following units |
40th Public
Information Detachment
49th Scout
Dog Platoon
Company F,
51st Infantry
152nd Military Police Platoon
313th
Signal Company
503rd
Chemical Detachment
HHC MP Combined Reaction
Infantry Platoon
Please sign the
Guestbook
Thanks
CLAY
|
 ??????????
Clay Crowder
(SFC Retired)
HHC 199th Light
Infantry Brigade (Sep.) (Light)
105 Hudson Court
Ozark, AL 36360
Telephone: 334-774-9531
Send Me
 E-mail
|
This
Website is not an "OFFICIAL"
voice
of the
199th
Light Infantry Brigade
The site
is maintained and edited by
Clay
Crowder (HHC 199th
March 1968- May 1969). |
? Copyright 1995
- 2000 Clay Crowder
|
