quote:

---

Originally posted by Farmer40

I was a platoon leader, team leader amd company commander with both coventional and unconventional units in RVN. Despite what you read in whatever you read, FNG's were never made RTO's. RTO's required lots of stamina and experience, assets hard to find in someone just off the resupply bird. It was not uncommon, when we lost a platoon leader, for the RTO to assume leadership until the fog cleared. Believe it or not, it was also a reward position - RTO's didn't pull OP, LP or point(another place FNG's were not placed, contrary to popular belief). In summary, remember Move, Shoot, Communicate. Most can move, some can shoot, only a few can communicate. Select them carefully. BTW, in the infantry units, all of these guys were 11x's.

---

Evil Unchecked Grows, and Evil Tolerated Poisens The Entire System. Jahwal Nehru

-------------------------------------------------------------

In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
Mark Twain.

quote:

---

Originally posted by commando wannabe

This type of mis-info, whether by mistake, or on purpose is why I have'nt been reading those VN era
LRP/LRRP books in a few months.

For example, as Ranger2 mentioned, you had to memorize codes, and then leave the book back at base. Which is logical. However, in these same books, these guys are talking about how they brought the books with them. SOI phrase book, if I remember correctly is what it was called.

Which Brings to mind a story related in one of the SOF books I have, about an RTO who forgot his codes for that day, and when they made contact, and KIA'ed the NVA, they took a bicycle from the dead guy, and called back to base asking for an evac bird for a survivng EPW(pow). He said, I also have a bicycle, I repeat I have a bicycle, what do I do with it. According to his story, the code word bicycle for the previous day meant (have enemy supplies or something to that effect.)

Well on this day, Bicycle happend to mean, NVA General. Base called back asking, to confirm the presence of a 'bicycle' in American hands, the RTO confirmed it, saying well what do you want us to do with it, leave it behind? Stick a grenade to it? Negative, Negative, we will be sending a helo, just for the bicycle, he rerepeated and they waited for the bird. He brought they bicycle over, and handed it to the waiting General on the bird. After that, he spoke of the huge embarresmeant that it caused.

Farmer, thanks for the intell. I'm inclined to belive stories like the one above, I know there may be a certain amount of emmbellishment, but from what I'm reading in these LRP/LRRP books, it's beggining to look like that's all it is.
The story above is NOT from a LRP/LRRP book. It's from an SOF book, I'm pretty sure it's SOG, by Plaster. I can double check if anyone would like.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by JMPMASTR

Remembering an SOI for a 24 or 48 hour period is no big thing but when your missions last 10 days to months forget it. We toted SAVSUPSER IIIs with us and guarded them with the Team XO's life...heh-heh. Then there were things we could do can't say much more cause of OPSEC,in case the SAVSUPSER III became compromised or lost. I don't miss fooling with one time pads or trigraphs anymore though! LRRP ops are usually short duration and during the Nam anything was possible depending on the time frame.

[82nd][E7][E6][uswingm]

---