Company Commander

p114 ‘I signaled for the company…and we plunged into the woods…our packs and equipment rattling loosely as we ran.’

p237 ‘The column moved out, men walking without conversation…their heavy boots and rattling equipment belying their efforts at secrecy.’

p237 ‘The men plowed noisily through the…underbrush. I cautioned those around me to be quiet, but there was no stopping the…curses as branches slapped men in the face or…thorns tore at…hands and faces.’

p295 ‘We were moving too rapidly…The clump-clump of…heavy boots sounded on the hard roadbed, and weapons and equipment rattled noisily.’

p305 ‘I directed both…Platoons forward…The men sounded like cattle thrashing through the underbrush in the darkness.’

The End of the Line

p13 ‘It was not a quiet march….Stealth and tactical finesse, traditional assets of the infantry, were often sacrificed to reconnaissance by fire in Vietnam in the hope that the falling shells might trigger an enemy ambush prematurely. Some officers compared the practice to whistling past a graveyard, but a heavy majority employed it whenever possible. Pocket radios blaring Beatles’ songs, frequent visits by helicopters with mail or hot food or curious battalion commanders, the loud whacking of machetes, and the constant How’s-it-going?-Seen-anything-yet? radio chit-chat of units in the field had pretty much eliminated stealth as an American tactic, anyway.’

Fields of Fire

p91 ‘The column seemed to jet along through the knee-deep rice…Too fast, he mused loudly…We’ll walk right into them and when we get five feet away they’ll kill us all…Can’t hear anything but clonks of LAAWs and bandoleers and rice swish… Goodrich…fell down…the echoes of his bandoleers a scream inside…his helmet… He softly clicked his weapon off “safe,” then thought of tripping over Ottenburger again and accidentally killing him, and clicked it back… Goodrich’s ears were filled with clonking metal, whispered curses, and his own stomps form stumbles into potholes’

p264 ‘Waterbull…wore the third poncho…The poncho hood was over his ears, underneath his helmet. He did not hear the night. He heard himself when his body rustled. He heard the rain’s explosions when he stood still.’

Fighting on Guadalcanal

p9 “We are learning the hard way to move quietly in this jungle.”

p18 “The ‘smoking lamp’ goes out at dark and you have got to be quiet.”

p24 “I practice walking quietly over rocks, twigs, grass, leaves, through vines, etc. I practice this around this bivouac area…When I am scouting and come to an opening in the jungle….I…run across quickly and quietly. Going slow here may cost a scout his life.”

Force Recon Diary, 1969

p70 ‘As Sergeant Schemmel handed the new tags to me he said, “Wrap some electric tape around these, Doc, so that they don’t make any noise. No one in the bush wants to ever give their position away.”’

p99 ‘The temptation to wear the hooded poncho was great, but Sergeant Chapman knew that wearing it would reduce our field of vision and cover our ears, the two senses that our survivability was based upon.’

Inside the LRRPs: Rangers in Vietnam

p6 “I then carefully assembled the gear and taped all parts that might reflect light, or rattle, with flat, black tape… When I was satisfied that everything was in order, I emptied my pockets of all mission nonessential items, put on all the gear, and with weapon in hand jumped up and down to be sure I didn’t make any noise. After adding a little more tape to items that rubbed together, I took a camouflage stick and covered all exposed skin with the black and green greasepaint.”

p152 ‘Any loose items of equipment were taped, and pieces of equipment that might rub together and make noise were padded. This process…was validated on completion by the LRRP, in full equipment, jumping up and down to check for rattles or noise.’

L.R.R.P.: The Professional

p9 ‘We modified our weapons and equipment to eliminate potential noises; taping web-gear…tying loose clothing…to keep the cloth from rustling or pocket items from thumping together…Weapon slings…were removed and sling swivels taped down.’

Marine at War

p239 ‘We all crouched down…The man beside me was shaking so much that his gear rattled.’

The Monk and the Marines

p107 ‘You find yourself moving down one side of a street being careful where you put your feet…all is quiet except for the clink of gear as the men move.’

NAM

p111 ‘Marines are the noisiest motherfuckers at night. People tripping and cursing. We were…scared …We were yelling out for one another. “Hey, Joe, where are you?” “Hey, over here, man, over here.” Thank God, the Vietnamese out there that night didn’t speak English. They figured we were just crazy, running around in the dark…hollering.’

p156 ‘We were…extremely professional…the only troops…who had total light and noise discipline. All the moving parts on the rifles were taped down. Trigger guards were removed for ease in firing. No noise at all. You’d never know we were moving.’

p210 ‘My dog tags were stuck in my boots. You unlace your boot and put one dog tag on each foot so they don’t make…sound at night when you’re moving.’

“One Place, Three Wars: Part 1”

“Rain hitting our ponchos created another kind of noise, a metallic sound the enemy could hear.”

RECONDO: LRRPs in the 101st Airborne

p3 ‘Even the basic things were drummed in-never remove your equipment, even while sleeping. Our rifles were taped to prevent the slightest rattle. Extra tape was carried on the stock to cover the mouths of any Vietcong prisoners we might capture…No insect repellent was carried on missions because of its scent.’

p38 ‘Ten minutes later, Byron woke me. “You’re snoring!” he whispered. He told me to sleep on my stomach.’

p79 ‘By cupping my hands behind each ear and aiming them towards the enemy position, the sounds coming from the jungle below were amplified.’

p90 ‘Our chopper banked into a steep descent…we all jumped out and sprinted for the wood line…No one moved, no one spoke. We listened for any telltale sounds that the enemy was around: the rustle of a branch, the snap of a twig, the snap of an AK-47 safety switching to fire…After twenty minutes of total silence, we felt out insertion was secure.’

p172 ‘It looked more like a Boy Scout Jamboree than an army encampment. Wet uniforms were drying in the trees. Rice was bubbling over cooking fires; this was the first time I had ever camped with a company-sized unit…I could see how people got that false sense of security…they may have had a hundred…guys stomping around close by… Getting started that morning was a…freak show. The noise was unbelievable.’

p193 ‘I could hear the jungle birds calling up ahead…they would…warn you when company was coming. Their calls were normal, unexcited. The enemy column had continued on up the crest of the ridge.’

p196 ‘I didn’t like moving. It was risky in a heavy downpour. It took away sight and sound and pushed the odds in the enemy’s favor.’

A Rumor of War

p79 ‘With the aircraft gone…the only sounds were the gurgling of the river…Walking around the perimeter…I crashed through a thicket of elephant grass and heard a taut voice cry out, “Who’s there? Who’s that?”’

p79 “Roger, Charley six, I read back…Roger, Six, This is Two out.”… “Sir, the Six say…” “I heard what the Six said, Widener. Every VC inside of ten miles must have heard it. Keep your fucking voice down, will you.”

p108 ‘Helmets bouncing against our heads, canteens against our hips, rifle slings and bandoliers juggling, we sounded like a platoon of junkmen.’

Sword Point

p1 ‘Only upon closer inspection of the tree line south of the track could the steel-blue barrels of several rifles and machine guns be seen…Duncan watched the track from his position…Duncan’s mind…was brought back to the problem at hand by a report form the platoon’s forward security element, located one hundred meters down the trail. Using a sound-powered phone, they reported movement to their front…The first sign that told them the OPFOR was near was the crunching of sand beneath boots and the sound of someone scurrying about in the grass and the bushes…From the machine-gun position to his left, the sudden beep-beep-beep of a digital watch announced that it was 1700 hours. Duncan, his eyes as wide as saucers, turned to the source of the noise…Further reports from the security element were cut short by the popping of small-arms fire. Without hesitation, Duncan turned to his lieutenant and shouted, “We’ve blown the ambush!” then yelled to the squad leaders, “Break contact and move to the rally point, now!”’

They Jumped at Midnight

p41 ‘The airborne men, as noiselessly as possible…took up firing positions along the dark beach. Despite efforts to the contrary, there was much rattling of weapons and rustling of equipment. “For Chrissake, quit making all that goddamned racket,” a voice called out in the darkness in a stage whisper.’

p49 ‘The…scout craft was so near…that the Americans could…hear the occasional shout of a Wehrmacht officer calling to his grenadiers. Despite strict orders…Germans dug in along the water line nervously lighted cigarettes, and the quick flickers of illumination were seen by Ensign Anderson… Anderson and his men, to avoid detection from the shore, were wearing special rubber-soled shoes and all personal equipment which might rattle was securely taped to their outer clothing. Special pains were taken to see that all lights were extinguished below deck.’