Tom Butt
 
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  Happy Veterans Day to the Men of HHC 159th Engineer Group, Wherever You Are
November 11, 2017
 

In March of 1970, when I left Vietnam, the 159th Engineer Group consisted of four battalions, the 34th, 46th, 92nd and 169th plus twelve companies and detachments, consisting of 3,957 Engineer soldiers, commanded by Col. Joseph K. Bratton. For details see Operational Report – Lessons Learned, 159th Engineer Group, Period Ending April 30, 1970.

I was the assistant operations officer and liaison office in the Headquarters of the 159th Engineer Group, meaning that among other things, I had to brief the commanding officer of the 20th Engineer Brigade, Col. Edwin O’Donnell, every Thursday on all the activities of the 159th Engineer Group for the previous week.

I am third from the left, top row, and John Clinton, my co-founding partner at Interactive Resources, is fourth from the left, second row.

These 3,957 Engineer soldiers were mostly 18-24 year olds, working 6 ½ days a week, building highways and bridges, operating heavy equipment, driving trucks, operating quarries and asphalt plants, flying helicopters, constructing every type of building, building fire support bases, sweeping mines, clearing land, and training ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) all while occasionally getting shot at and routinely rocketed and mortared.

 

Happy Veterans Day to the Men of HHC 159th Engineer Group, Wherever You Are
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 159th Engineer Group

For more, see:

See http://www.tombutt.com/forum/2016/16-11-10.html.
For films of Vietnam 1969-70 by Tom Butt, see:

For films of the long trip home, 1970, see:

For my personal story of military service, see “Before and After Vietnam, Military Experiences of Thomas K. (Tom) Butt.”

 

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