Jackstay - March/April 1966

Information Provided By

Pitcock Smith Hawkins Johnson

This is just some additional (but still sketchy information on Operation Jackstay).  I was part of that, and for me it's hard to remember exact details, after 35 years.  One thing for sure, though is that it definitely spanned early April 1966. 

A good friend of mine Pvt. J.W. Brown died during that operation, by drowning in the swamp. That was like on the last day or so of the operation around April 6.

He was from Maud Texas, and considered by most to be a 'shitbird'.  Which meant he wasn't the 'squared away' marine, but he was a good person, and was sadly proud (my knowing the outcome) of being placed on point for his squad. He wanted to do good and wanted to show that he was more than what some people thought of him.

He was more, and he was brave, although brasso and shoe polish were not his thing.  The point thing was a mistake though, for him, and led to his death.  This was like I said was somewhere around April 6, 1966.  That I'm sure of.

We were in these mangrove swamps, in the delta, it seemed like forever but probably was somewhere around three weeks.  We did the marine thing and had an actual amphibius landing from the ship we were on (which I can't remember either), but in our case it might have been the "Belnap" since we did have some time on a cargo ship by that name (or something close).  We were part of an  "Expeditionary Force" that spent several months cruising the coast.  Anyway, I'm pretty sure that this operation must have started around Mid-March, 1966. We landed on some beach and proceeded inland, and at some point met up with some guides, who took us into the "swamp."  While this operation was fairly long, enemy contact, was minimal and sporadic.  We did seem to arrive at some interesting, places, only recently evacuated.  Camps with "huts" on stilts, well built, and organized.  Viet Cong camps presumably, even though empty, when we got there. 

So we destroyed the structures with incendiary grenades, and stuff, but didn't get to kill anybody.
 
There were occasional skirmishes on the fringes, but we were never (during this operation) heavily engaged.

I can just remember hot, wet, smelly swamp.  Some of the time we were on relatively dry land, but most of the time it was wet, or at least muddy.  We'd set up at night, usually on some incline or slope.  The tide would come in and soak most everything, and there'd be an abundance of little crabs coming out of little holes in the mud we were 'camped' on.

The worse part, and the part that took my friends life was that we'd occasionally find ourselves slogging through water and there would be these drop offs that would catch some of us by surprise. 

I know first hand because I fell into one, with full gear, and momentarily feared drowning.  I did lose my rifle during the incident.  Maybe I let it go, to save myself, but I'm not actually sure if there was a conscious decision.  I do know that losing the rifle, rather than myself, seemed to have been taken as a bad choice by my leaders. I'm sure they meant well.

James W. Brown, my friend, proud to be on point.  He drowned in one of those incidents, and his body was missing for awhile.  We got back on ship, not too long after that.  I'm not sure exactly when he was found.  I just know that his status was changed from missing to dead at some point.

I don't know if 'Jackstay' was deemed a success or failure.  We usually never received that kind of feedback.  From my perspective though, it seemed like a waste.  The VC always seemed to be just a little bit ahead of our arrival, wherever we ended up.  We'd destroy some base camps and huts. Big deal.   

We thankfully had just a small number of casualties.  I don't know if any were from enemy fire.  It seemed such a waste to lose a friend in that way.  I know that if J. W. Brown knew he was going to go, he'd rather it had been from a bullet, instead of being allowed to disappear in the waters of some stinking swamp.

We went on two operations, off ship.  The other one was called by some state Oregon or something. 

After that our unit 1/5 setup base camp, not far from Chu Lai, Hill 51 or 54.  Something like that.  We did a lot of patrols, listening posts and stuff like that.  An occasional full blown operation.  Colorado was one.  I'm not sure what is was about states.  Colorado got a bit hairy at times.
I remember tracer rounds in all directions, some for the Huey's, saving out butt.  I think it was 'A' company that got the worse of that one.

I really hate myself for not remembering more specifics.  Looking back, I wish I had kept a journal, or something. 

I remember McQuinn and Bennett getting killed one night.  Their position was too close to this hedgerow, and there was this long trench that went right up to their post.  Hand grenades started coming over the hedgerows, along with fire from rifles and/or 'grease guns'.  Bennetts' face on one side was blown away, by a grenade, and McQuinn was riddled with .45 slugs.  I have no idea where or exactly when that was.  It had to be '66, I think, maybe around July.

These were just a couple of kids, really, who probably hadn't been with the unit for more than a month.

Although we fired wildly, stupidly, and swept the area for awhile, we didn't avenge these wasted lives. 

I know this didn't provide the desired material.  Maybe you could add the dates on operation Jackstay though as March/April 1966.  While that does not include the exact beginning or end, I am 100% sure, about the fact that it bridged March/April 1966.  I only remember that because I've never forgotten that my friend J.W. Brown was lost and died in early April of that year.