"One Grunt's Weird Tour": 19 And A Half Months In Vietnam With The 173rd

Rusty Kulp was born in February 1949, and as an Air Force brat, he grew up in a variety of locations with his three siblings, settling in Los Angeles, California, when his father retired from the Air Force. His father began his career in the Army Air Corps, receiving a field commission in 1941 before switching over to the Air Force when that became a separate branch. To receive better benefits, he reverted to the enlisted ranks and eventually became one of the first Sergeants Major in the Air Force. His mother stayed home to raise the children. He remembers spending two years in Japan as a young boy when his father was stationed there. He attended three different high schools and when he was in danger of repeating his senior year, he decided to enlist in the Army instead in February 1967. He completed basic training at Ft. Ord in April and AIT at Ft. Gordon and Camp Crockett before airborne school at Ft. Benning. He took his training seriously and enjoyed basic training and airborne school. Seeing very little news while in training, he did not know what to expect in Vietnam. He flew from Ft. Lewis to Alaska and Japan before landing at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, where he found conditions “hot and humid.” He was expecting to go to the 101st, but the 173rd Airborne Brigade had suffered high casualties at Dak To on November 11, 1967, only days before he arrived in country, and he was reassigned to the 173rd. By his third day in country, he was in combat, and by his fifth day he was fending off a human-wave attack along the perimeter of the airfield at Dak To, where many enemy troops charged without weapons. He describes a typical day in the field, commenting on moving through the jungle and setting NDPs (night defensive positions). On patrols, he preferred being a “flanker,” moving parallel to the main column 25 to 100 meters out to the flank. He discusses fighting the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong, noting that the NVA were ruthless and well-equipped. He remembers visiting a Montagnard village, and discusses the layout of the village and meeting the tribesmen. He recalls securing the village of Ban Me Thuout, including a disagreement he had with his First Sergeant about firing an M-79, and finding an NVA base camp complete with 100 enemy rucksacks and hammocks. He was shocked to find that the NVA had an American radio and were monitoring the Battalion net. He was wounded twice during his tour, once by piece of shrapnel that was especially painful and had to be removed over a month later. He extended his tour, ultimately serving 19 ½ months in Vietnam, but towards the end, he went AWOL because he’d “had enough jungle.” At one point, he requested “to see a shrink,” and he left the unit for two weeks to see a doctor in Qui Nhon, one who would potentially grant his request to get out of the field. When he returned to the unit, he received a court martial and was sentenced to 30 days in LBJ (Long Binh Jail). On his way to the jail, he ran into his father, who was working as a contractor in Saigon. His father arranged for him to sign discharge papers to get out of the Army when his time in LBJ was up. Throughout the interview he shares additional stories about his service in Vietnam, including stopping a potential fragging through the liberal sharing of “dew” (marijuana), doing LSD at a Three Dog Night concert while home on 30 day extension leave, and getting drugged in a bar in Saigon before waking up 5 days later in a Vietnamese house. At the end of the interview, he reflects on what his service means to him, noting his pride in serving his country.