Part 1.
Submitted by Captain Miller, Operations Officer, C Co/159th in late
1980s.
159th Aviation Battalion History "Press On"
Let me tell you two versions of what I know of the formation of the "Press
On" 159th Aviation Battalion. First will be the official stuff from
the history books, then some of my personal history with the battalion.
In the book Aviation from the Center for Military History, United States
Army, Army Lineage Series, we find the official information. "Constituted 1 July 1968 in the Regular
Army as the 159th Aviation Battalion, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division,
and activated (less Company C) in Vietnam. (Company C activated 24 July
1968 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; inactivated 15 September 1980 at Fort Campbell,
Kentucky.)"
Now this description sounds like it was a simple matter of someone in the
Pentagon signing an order and Shazamm, a battalion was formed. Believe me
the Battalion's roots are far more complicated and far-reaching than that.
Late in 1966, a CH-47 Chinook Company was being formed at Fort Benning, Georgia
that ultimately became the 200th Assault Support Helicopter Company. The
unit under the command of LTC William Lang arrived in Vietnam 15 March 1967.
The unit was assigned to the 214th Aviation Battalion and found its home
at Bear Cat, which was located in the III Corps Tactical Zone (IIICTZ).
The company primarily supported the 9th Infantry Division, the 11th
Armored Cavalry Regiment and other smaller units in IIICTZ and IVCTZ.
LTC Lang and the commander of the 611th Transportation Detachment,
MAJ Wally Franklin selected the call sign "Pachyderm" from an
approved list from the 12th Combat Aviation Group.
There was a program in Vietnam called "infusion" which simply meant
that new units arriving in country would trade approximately fifty percent of
their personnel MOS by MOS to units already in country. This process
assured that no unit would loss all of its personnel when their one year
anniversary in country arrived. Thus, unbeknown to me at the time, began
my odyssey with the 159th. I was transferred from another Chinook outfit
to the 200th about half way through my combat tour. This is not a history
of the 200th but I must say that it was a fine unit and it performed honorably
for its approximately one year existence. In October 1967, I left Vietnam
with orders to the 154th Aviation Company (MH) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
In March 1968, the 200th ASHC, Pachyderm, was transferred to the 308th Combat
Aviation Battalion at Bien Hoa. At the time the battalion was assigned to
the 12th Combat Aviation Group, but was soon transferred to the 16th CAG.
The battalion moved to ICTZ between March and April 1968 and was in Hue
Phu Bai by 12 April 68.
Digressing to Fort Sill in late 67, I was checked out in the CH-47B as an IP.
At the time, the 154th was in the process of building a new Chinook company,
the 272nd ASHC. The 272nd deployed to Vietnam arriving 21 May 1968 assigned to
the 222nd CAB and located at Bear Cat in the same location recently vacated by
the 200th. In June 68, like the 200th, the company was assigned to the
308th CAB and moved north to its new home at Camp Eagle in the ICTZ.
Somewhere along the line the call sign "Varsity" was chosen.
Again back to Fort Sill. No sooner had the 272nd left the area, the 154th
began building a new unit, C Company, 159th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne
Division. This was the first many of us knew that the 101st was to become
Airmobile and similar to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Before the company left Fort Sill, the commander had selected
"Playtex" as its call sign. One of my students in this company
was a 19-year-old WO1 who looked every bit as old as any 16-year-old. He was definitely one of my success stories.
Back in Vietnam, the 308th was inactivated 1 July 1968, with its assets
transferred to the 160th Aviation Group. This group was formed to
facilitate the conversion of the 101st to an Airmobile Division. On 1
July 1968, the 160th became the 101st Aviation Group with its 101st, 158th,
159th Aviation Battalions and the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry.
The 200th ASHC became A Company, the 272nd ASHC became B Company and C Company
arrived in country from Fort Sill.
In its nearly four-year tour in Vietnam, the Battalion participated in eight
campaigns listed below –
Counter Offensive, Phase V Winter-Spring 1970
Counter Offensive, Phase VI Sanctuary Counteroffensive
Tet 69/Counteroffensive Consolidation I
Summer-Fall 1969 Consolidation II
In addition, A Company as the 200th participated in four other
campaigns –
Counteroffensive Phase II,
Counteroffensive Phase III,
Tet Counteroffensive and Counteroffensive Phase IV.
B Company as the 272nd also participated in Counteroffensive Phase
IV.
For its service in Vietnam the Battalion was awarded five decorations listed
below -
Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered THUA THIEN PROVENCE.
Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Streamer embroidered VIETNAM
1968-1969.
Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Stream embroidered Vietnam
1971.
Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal, First Class Streamer embroidered
VIETNAM 1968-1970.
Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal, First Class Streamer embroidered
VIETNAM 1970.
The Battalion stood down and departed Vietnam 8 February 1972 and reactivated
at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
After my tour at Fort Sill, I was sent to fixed wing transition and served
another tour in Vietnam from May 1970 through May 1971. Flying airplanes
in Vietnam was all right but after the excitement of combat in helicopters I
found it rather boring. Stateside again I found myself in a fixed wing
assignment and I began to plot my way back into Chinooks. My opportunity
came during the Warrant Officer Senior Course. The dean of students was
one of my fellow IPs from the 154th days and I was able to glom onto one of the
assignments to the 101st. Reporting to Fort Campbell I ran into another
old buddy that got me to the 159th and A Company. After nearly seven
years, I was again a Pachyderm. My tour as a Pachyderm was short-lived.
The division was short of money and flight time was at a premium.
After standing around the flight-planning table for two months the fixed
wing side of the field looked good. The airfield flight detachment held
my interest until the division got back on its feet and I transferred back to
the 159th, this time in C Company. The assignment was one of the most
rewarding in my twenty-year aviation career. I served as an Aircraft
Commander, Flight Section Leader, Assistant Operations and Operations Officer.
My biggest claim to fame was changing the call sign from Playtex to
Haulmark.