Here are a couple of troopers from the 1st Bn. 11th Infantry, of the 5th Infantry Division in Vietnam. The 5th Division's 1st Brigade (mechanized) was sent to Vietnam after Tet in 1968 and remained there through late 1971. As a mechanized unit, their armor and APC's bolstered the firepower of other units in the northern part of the country. The 1st BDE of the 5th ID is a sort of unsung unit in Vietnam having neither the luxurious history of the more famous units, and being only a detached brigade size combat team, its history is largely lost in the larger context of the war.
These men could easily be grunts from any number of Army infantry units late in the war. By 1970, individual taste from the Woodstock Generation was largely tolerated in the field as long as the men would fight. As one general put it in 1970, "I don't care if they look and act like Tiny Tim as long as they fight!" The men did fight as well as they could under the political circumstances, but survival was paramount and no one wanted to be the last man to die in Vietnam As mechanized infantrymen, their loads are light and geared more toward sharp firefights. Water, chow and other personal items are loaded on to the tracks. Furthermore, the long search and destroy patrols of from early in the war were no more, as the U.S.'s official strategy was to provide security, avoid large scale battles with lots of casualties, and prepare the ARVN to defend their own country.
These men could easily be grunts from any number of Army infantry units late in the war. By 1970, individual taste from the Woodstock Generation was largely tolerated in the field as long as the men would fight. As one general put it in 1970, "I don't care if they look and act like Tiny Tim as long as they fight!" The men did fight as well as they could under the political circumstances, but survival was paramount and no one wanted to be the last man to die in Vietnam As mechanized infantrymen, their loads are light and geared more toward sharp firefights. Water, chow and other personal items are loaded on to the tracks. Furthermore, the long search and destroy patrols of from early in the war were no more, as the U.S.'s official strategy was to provide security, avoid large scale battles with lots of casualties, and prepare the ARVN to defend their own country.