Page 32 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2018- Online Magazine
P. 32
Thomas Brown
Going and Going
By Gwen Morgan
homas L. Brown was born Brown’s unit fought
in 1942 in Plainview, Texas. From March against the Viet Cong
THe and his wife of 54 years, 1967 to July units that attacked
Rosemary Hyde Brown, have four 1968, Brown outposts and dropped
children (Amy, Andy, Angela, and completed mortars in or on villages.
Aaron), three of whom followed in infantry training These units were civilian
their father’s footsteps, serving in at Ft. Polk by day and Viet Cong
the Army. and was sent at night. In one year,
to Vietnam, over 30 outposts had
On September 15, 1966, after just assigned been overrun by Viet
two years of marriage, Tom was to the 90th Cong, but his unit
drafted into the U.S. Army. Sent Replacement managed to strengthen
to Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas for Depot-MACV these outposts and
three months of Basic Training, (Military cut down Viet Cong
he became a Squad Leader at the Assistance activity. The men
young age of 24. By November, he Command often ate fish, chicken,
was assigned to Light Weapons Vietnam) in Vinh Long province. duck, rat, dog and rice with the
Infantry Training at Ft. Polk, He was the radio man in Minh South Vietnamese soldiers. These
Louisiana. Shortly afterward, he Duc for the American Advisory experiences taught Tom about
was assigned two weeks of Squad Unit, a five- man team of American the Vietnamese people and their
Leader training before starting Advisors with three battalions of customs and culture, and because
Infantry Advanced Training. South Vietnamese. Tom explains he came to have many Vietnamese
When he arrived back in Lubbock that they had one Major, one CPT, friends, he learned to speak their
for Christmas leave, people were one Sgt. 1st Class, one Staff Sgt.- language. The TET Offensive of
surprised to see that he was 25 Medic and Tom, the PFC radio 1968 took place while Tom was
pounds heavier than when he left man. He carried a 35 lb. radio in Vietnam, but fortunately, he
in September! and all its bulky equipment. As survived without even being
the Advisory Unit, they wounded. One of the highlights of
accompanied Vietnamese his service in the Army was when
troops on operations he met Commander-in-Charge,
and were responsible General Westmoreland.
for keeping bridges and
roads open and secure
in a heavily-populated,
triangular area surrounded
by large rivers and canals,
rice paddies, and farmland.
Tom laughs that he was
the “gofer” for everyone
in the unit because officers
and upper NCOs weren’t
supposed to work; he
cooked, hauled water, filled
sandbags, carried the radio,
drove the jeep, and made all
the needed repairs!
32 Lubbock Senior Link