These are the original Blue Ghosts that were constituted as Troop C, 7/17 Cavalry at Fort Knox, Ky. in 1967 and deployed as a unit to RVN in October of that year. These men remained together as a combat unit from early 1967 until late 1968. It has been said that the primary reason for the great record of this unit was the fact that it remained virtually intact for almost two years.
"We were so lucky to have been deployed as a unit. I have often thought what that did for us in building bonds. Most of the WO pilots had been together for almost 18 months before we set foot in Qui Nhon and the enlisted and RLO's had been a unit for at least a period of months. The Army learned that you don't fight for your country or your flag - you fight for the guy next to you and they abandoned individual rotations in the '80's. But we knew it in '67 and proved it repeatedly." Quote from John Shepardson, Blue Ghost 1967-68.
This is great, but if you notice none of the Weapons Platoon Crewchiefs are in the book of the 14th Combat Aviation Battalion. We must have been very busy the day the pictures were taken.
ReplyDeleteWe were out fighting the days the pictures were taken, almost none of us were in the book. I have a roster of all the orig Blue Ghosts when we left Fr Knox if anyone is interested in seeing it i can get it on somehow.
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