Class of: 1965
Brick: yes
Email: [email protected]

At Stetson I graduated from Fort Lauderdale’s Stranahan High School in 1961. I chose to attend Stetson rather than the U of FL or UNC as the financial aid package offered by Stetson made it less expensive to attend there. Originally a physics major, I had to take chemistry first and liked it. Minored in biology (botany). I lettered as a freshman on the Stetson track and field team (pole vaulter). They discontinued track as a sport after my freshman year, so I joined the tennis team and lettered my sophomore and junior years. I joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity as a sophomore. Not sure why I joined the ROTC program but it just seemed that everyone else was. I was the first in my family to complete college. As a chemistry major, I asked if I could be commissioned an officer in the army’s chemical corps and guess what they did. I was commissioned in late May 1965. Memories of Vietnam As time passes, so do one’s recollections of past events. This is what I most remember about my visit to the Republic of Vietnam during 1966-1967. In November 1965 I was assigned to Fort Sill, OK, as the commander of the 43rd Chemical Detachment that was part of a one-star commanded artillery unit (III Corps Artillery). I received orders dated Feb. 7, 1966 to proceed to Fort Hood, TX, where I was to be assigned to the 22nd Chemical Company for “movement to a restricted area” (read RVN). My company commander was CPT Curtis Unger. The company first sergeant was ISG Colvard. By Feb. 25 I had received further orders assigning me to be the 4th Platoon leader, company communications officer, intelligence officer, motor officer, maintenance office, censorship officer (and other duties). On March 1 I received further orders assigning me to be the company’s voting officer, unit insurance officer, postal officer, and assistant train transportation officer (I guess we were going to be going somewhere via train). We spent most of the time from when I arrived at Fort Hood until we left receiving new equipment and filling out the platoon’s Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE) with people. I had three squads in my platoon (one was a decontamination squad with several large truck-mounted decontamination apparatuses, one was a biological and radiological survey squad with multiple survey teams each with its own jeep and detection instrumentation/equipment, one was a chemical equipment repair team and I had four people in my platoon Hqtrs-43 people total (when we deployed). SSG Barnett was my platoon sergeant-at least 15 years my senior. All of my squad leaders were older than me. We were an army that still utilized the draft. Five of my platoon members (privates) were college graduates. About half of my platoon were draftees. I tried the best I could to utilize their educational smarts. We did leave by troop train in late March from Fort Hood with all of our company personnel and equipment headed for San Diego, CA, for loading there onto a troop ship. We had a large contingent of Marines on our troop ship (about 1,000 jarheads). I remember that there was a major event held involving these Marines when the troop ship passed over the International Date Line. Our ship made one stop along the way-that being Naha, Okinawa. I remember that only the officers on board the ship (me included) were allowed to go ashore during the refueling/reloading stop. I guess rank had its privileges. It took us almost three weeks to make the ocean voyage to Vung Tau where we were off-loaded and then moved the company directly to the Long Binh area (on the outskirts of Saigon). We were set up and operational in Long Binh by the end of April. In May of 1966, then MAJ Unger was reassigned with a CPT Southworth replacing him. Some of the comments made on my “efficiency” report of May 26 by MAJ Unger were as follows, “I have rated this officer as exceptional because of the exemplary manner in which he performed during the preparation of the 22nd Chemical Company for deployment to Vietnam. He was energetic in his approach to all situations; an example of this is the fact that he arrived at the company with a broad knowledge of a direct support chemical company which he had gained by detailed study of the TOE before reporting to duty. As platoon leader he was in full control of his platoon of 40 men and gained the respect of its members by remaining with them almost constantly and supervising closely when they were involved in any activity. He led his platoon through several readiness inspections prior to deployment. LT Bambini is a very conscientious and aggressive officer. LT Bambini is physically qualified to serve in a combat zone.”

Sometime in the June 1966 timeframe our company got the mission to help one of the newly deployed combat units (the 1st Infantry). Seems that one of their brigade-sized base camps 20-30 miles from our location was having a problem with mosquitoes. My platoon, which had two truck-mounted decontamination apparatuses assigned to it, was given the task to load the water tanks on these two trucks with insecticide and to proceed to the 1st Inf. Division location. I had talked via radio with my 1st Div. POC and was told where to meet him so that he could escort us to the exact unit location. My “convoy” for this mission was two 2 1/2 ton trucks (power-driven decontamination apparatuses) and two jeeps. There is an expression which goes something like “give a lieutenant a map and watch out.” That was certainly the case with me on this mission. Seems that I missed the rendezvous location and charged on down the road and through an Army of Vietnam (ARVN) check point-they just waved us through. Sometime later we ended up on a rice patty dike with little maneuver room. It took us some time to get turned around and headed back up the road we had taken, back through the ARVN check point and finally locating the rendezvous location. Seems that I had traveled at least 15 miles into Viet Cong held territory. Very lucky. I had my pearl-handled 38 caliber pistol ready should I have needed it for self-defense. While in Long Binh there, one of my platoon’s 3/4 ton trucks came up missing. It was later spotted not far from our base camp and it had been repainted a bright yellow. Whoever stole the truck just repainted the whole truck without removing the identifying decals. We had no way of repainting the truck (after we reclaimed it) so it just stayed in the motor pool. As part of on-going reorganization of US army support forces (called COSTAR) (combat support to the Army forces), my platoon of 40 men was assigned in June 1966 to the Cam Ranh Bay area to help with the establishment of a logistical base there. My platoon helped with the erection of a number of large warehouses and the movement of supplies into them. The beach there at Cam Ranh Bay was beautiful. I collected some native orchids while there and mailed them back to Hollywood, FL, where my parents lived. In July, 1966 while in the Cam Ranh Bay area of Vietnam (up the coast from Saigon) I was given the further duty as the 22nd Chemical Company’s explosive ordnance reconnaissance officer. In mid-late July, the army decided that it no longer needed separate chemical platoons but wanted to integrate our various platoon functions into other units. I was given the opportunity to find a job. I asked if I could go a combat unit.

On July 22 I received orders reassigning me to the HHC, 25th Infantry Division located in Cu Chi. On July 31, I was “officially” assigned as the 25th Division’s Assistant Division Chemical Officer. When we received word that the 22nd Chemical Company was going to be inactivated and its assets distributed/integrated into other units, the lieutenants in the company decided that we wanted to take a trip to a coastal town north of Can Ranh Bay for a little R& R. I was the guy who got to write the personnel action request asking the company CO that LTs Bambini, Todd, Hassler and Short be allowed the use of a company jeep and drive to Na Trang for an overnight stay. I listed 15 reasons why we should be allowed to go. I could not get all the other lieutenants to sign off on the request so I “faked” a few signatures. CPT Southworth, the CO, and with tongue in cheek then responded in writing to our request disapproving the personnel action mentioning in his response that we were under investigation for forgery. The four of us did go to Na Trang and had a great time. When I got to Cu Chi and in the capacity of Assistant Division Chemical Officer I was given responsibility for the planning and execution of all large area defoliation operations within the division’s area of operations (1/4 of Vietnam at the time). I worked with the division’s operations personnel (G-3) to determine how best to utilize USAF C-130/123 cargo airplanes outfitted with 2,000 gallon defoliation spray tanks (operation Ranch Hand) to prepare certain areas (kill the vegetation) before combat operations were carried out there. I have no idea how many thousands of gallons of Agent Orange, White, and Blue were employed (sprayed) at my direction/recommendation. Agent Orange was used on the most heavily forested jungle areas. Agent White was used on crops (rice mainly) It was evident from my several aerial reconnaissances of areas previously defoliated that the process was hit-or-miss at best. We certainly tried to avoid applying defoliants to areas controlled by friendly forces. I remember once instance when a USAF C-130 pilot mistakenly flushed out his tanks of remaining defoliant over a rubber tree plantation very near Cu Chi. The damage was almost immediate and extensive. Seems that rubber trees are particularly susceptible to Agent Orange. One of my jobs was to use aerial photography of the plantation to determine how many trees were defoliated or damaged. As I remember, the US government reimbursed the plantation owner $30 per tree damaged. In early August I was assigned to replace CPT Ryan as the commander of the 9th Chemical Detachment located there at Cu Chi. He had gotten sick and had to be medically evacuated. The 9th Chemical Detachment was small in size-the most we ever had at one time was seven people. My detachment NCOIC was SFC Sammy Caruthers. Our assigned mission was to do whatever was asked of us. Our “book” mission was to advise the division commander on all matters chemical, biological and nuclear. Not a whole lot of nuclear and biological stuff going on at the time. What we as a detachment did was multi-faceted. We helped with tunnel clearance/denial operations by configuring (wrapping with detonation cord) 7 pound packets of CS tear gas to be exploded at the entrance to or within the network of tunnels in the area of Cu Chi. We used Chinook helicopters for dropping 55 gallon drums of tear gas over areas suspected of housing Viet Cong or as a means to deny them the use of certain areas (avenues of approach). The drums were configured with a central detonator in each drum and each drum set to detonate at or near tree top height. We typically dropped 30 such drums per sortie. A number of “people sniffing” devices were being developed at this time to help US forces locate underground personnel and ammunition stores. The 9th Chemical Detachment became the onsite field evaluation site for many of these developmental items. The test of one of these items most sticks in my memory. The base camp at Cu Chi was built on a number of Viet Cong dug tunnels, most of them were destroyed before or right after our troops moved in to occupy Cu Chi. I am all of 5’8″ tall and weighed 160 pounds at the time and was small enough to fit into the tunnel system. I was asked to investigate a tunnel that started within the Cu Chi base camp but was thought to have been destroyed/closed off. The plan was to have certain “people sniffing” machines see if they could detect human activity underground (me within the tunnel complex). Armed with a GI flashlight and my 38 caliber pistol I entered this particular tunnel (I must have been crazy to do this). I remember coming to a section of tunnel that led to another deeper level. There was enough room to turn around if I wanted to. I plodded on not sure what was ahead when there was a light (the sun) just down/up from where I was. I poked my head up and then realized that I was at least 100 yards beyond/outside the Cu Chi base camp barbed wire perimeter. Although there were anti-personnel mines in the area near where I surfaced, it was still possible that “Charlie” The 9th Chemical Detachment configured a helicopter mounted defoliation apparatus made up of a two 50 gallon drums of defoliant, a 20 foot wide spray bar attached to the skids of a UH-1 helicopter with a flamethrower’s compressed air canister forcing the defoliant out. We used this homemade device to defoliate areas around our base camp so that we could expand the fields of fire. Word of our home-made small area defoliation device got to the 1st ID (infantry division) who asked if we might try to kill the vegetation growing around their base camp perimeter. We loaded up the chopper and flew to their location. One of the 1st ID NBC NCOs was our “spotter”; the guy who via a head set told the pilot where to fly to get the best possible coverage. I and one other 9th Chemical Detachment person were in the body of the chopper controlling the amount of defoliant being sprayed. Seemed pretty routine until we started to hear “pinging” as shrapnel began hitting the bottom of the chopper. Seems that we never checked to see what kind of “pressure sensitive” personnel landmines might have been positioned around the base camp and the rotor wash (pressure from the chopper’s rotors) was sufficient to detonate them. The guy from the 1st ID who had his head out the side of the chopper directing the chopper did get slightly wounded. I liked to play tennis; I played on my college team. No tennis courts at Cu Chi. One day another lieutenant moved into my tent (there were 5-8 LTs and CPTs in my GP medium tent at any one time). He was working in the G5 area (civil affairs). Seems that Dennis Coupe was a pretty good tennis player having played his college tennis at UCLA. We made plans to catch a chopper ride into Bien Hoa on a Friday afternoon and cram as much tennis in as we could at the officer’s club courts located there (near the Saigon airport). We did just that returning at mid-day Sunday to the Cu Chi helipad. My NCOIC was waiting for us when we arrived. Seems that while I was “AWOL” playing tennis, the detachment had gotten a tear gas drop mission and my boss was livid (I had told no one that I was going to sneak out for some tennis except my detachment NCOIC). I made my way reluctantly to MAJ Evan’s tent. He was the division chemical officer and my direct boss. I left part of my rear end in his tent that day and knew that my short army career was pretty much over as I was certain to get a bad officer rating. A few months later when MAJ Evans was to leave RVN, he did evaluate me and by that time I had made some amends for not being there when duty called. I got less than the maximum rating on 14 of the 20 personnel qualities which a rater evaluates on an officer. What saved me were some nice words he added to the narrative of my efficiency report such as, “He has been particularly effective in maintaining a high standard of neatness in his unit’s area. His effectiveness as a detachment commander was also exemplified by the constant high morale of his unit. He has been instrumental in developing and testing new concepts for chemical operations.” He ended his written remarks by saying “LT Bambini has made rapid progress toward maturity during this period.” What saved my possible “career” was that I still had another five months to go and I worked very well with the new division chemical officer, LTC Bergeron and the assistant division chemical officer CPT John Gibbs.

Many of the members of the 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi when I was there had served with the division when it was assigned to Scholfield Barracks, Hawaii, and had deployed to RVN with them. A lot of the guys were native Hawaiians. Cooking a pig in the ground was the centerpiece for several “celebrations” we had. Hot rocks placed on/over a palm frond covered whole pig that was buried in the ground for 6-8 hours seems to work just fine. Our personal shower was some tubing hung from/connected to old aircraft fuel tank. Once a day a water truck would come on by and refill it with water. We tried not to take long showers so that everyone wanting a shower could get one. Not sure how it was that my detachment NCOIC got tasked for or volunteered to run the officer’s club-which was another GP medium tent not far from my “hooch”. The O-club was open only after 5 PM and closed by 10 PM. The upside of his duty at the “O-club” was that he was occasionally sent into Saigon to get some “real food” like steaks for the officers which of course he shared with his boss–me. One of my monthly duties was to pay my troops (that was called being the Class A agent for the unit). Nobody got much pay as most of us had most of our pay sent home-we just needed some spending money. Each month with an armed guard at my side (one of my detachment enlisted members), I would be given a satchel of cash and would deliver (dispense) those funds to the members of my unit. Kinda like being Santa Claus. The 9th Chemical Detachment was completely housed in one GP medium tent (16′ X 32′), I think. The enlisted members of the detachment bunked in the rear of the tent with the front 1/3 being our “office.” About halfway through my tenure as the detachment OIC, SFC Caruthers decided to double the sandbags around the detachment’s tent. We already had sandbagged the entire outside of the tent to about four feet high. He added another row of sandbags-only a direct mortar hit would have caused us any damage. The guys in the unit were not happy as they had to fill another thousand or so sand bags. Every few sleeping tents there was a sandbagged “bunker” where we moved to when mortar rounds were incoming. The bad guys always seemed to drop in a few rounds when most of us were trying to sleep. I do remember one mortar attack on our base camp in which a guy was killed just two days before he was to leave Vietnam. On October 1, I was promoted to ILT (about 16 months as a 2LT) In late October, I was able to leave RVN for one week for an R&R (rest and relaxation) stay in Singapore. Beautiful. On November 20, I asked that my tour of duty in Vietnam be extended for another six months. No sure what I was thinking at the time! In November of 1966 I was notified that I had been selected to become a member of the regular army (versus) being a reserve components officer as I had been. Simultaneously I “came down on orders” for the 82nd Airborne Division located at Fort Bragg, NC. I had completed airborne training right after my basic chemical officer’s course before going to Fort Sill. I had asked for an airborne assignment. I had asked for an extension of active duty (beyond my two year commitment) so that I could get this assignment. We all looked forward with great excitement when we learned that the Bob Hope USO show was coming to Cu Chi on Christmas Eve day (the 24th). From 3-about 5 in the afternoon we (almost every available soldier at Cu Chi Base camp-about 10,000) were gathered mainly to see the bevy of beautiful young ladies that accompanied Bob Hope. Also on the show were Phyllis Diller, Vic Damone, Bob’s wife Delores, and Anita Bryant. A very emotional time for all. Every wounded soldier at the Cu Chi field hospital that could be was brought to the show location to watch the Hope show. As it should be, the performers spoke directl I got a Christmas message (something like a Christmas card) from then Lt. Gen. Nguyen-Van-Thieu who at the time was the ARVN chief of staff. In his words to the allied forces assisting in his country’s defense, he said, “This war has been imposed upon us by the forces of oppression, which do not conceal their eventual hope to establish throughout the world a godless society based on fear, oppression and hatred. In defending freedom in Viet-Nam your loved ones are also defending the possibility for free people everywhere to celebrate Christmas and other Christmases to come, in safety, human dignity and brotherly love.” In March 1967, I was able to tak Don’t remember exactly when it happened but somehow my former college/fraternity roommate, Dick “Zero” Childs and I met in Saigon. He was also an ROTC graduate and was flying helicopters as his job. We shared a beer or two and then went our separate ways. I have not seen him since One event that I remember was being out in the “field” I suspect overseeing some tunnel clearance/denial operation when a B-52 napalm strafing run occurred to my immediate front-close enough to where I could feel the heat from the napalm. In rereading the letters that I had sent to my folks and which they saved for me, I am struck by how callous I w Although I did a lot of flying via helicopter mainly coordinating defoliation operations within the various provinces, I never thought to keep a log of those hours so that I might qualify for an air medal. I always thought the view of the Vietnam countryside from a helicopter was breathtaking. A week or so before I left for home; I received word that I had been awarded a Bronze Star medal for meritorious service in connection with military operations against a hostile force. The actual award ceremony did not take place until I arrived at the 82nd Airborne Division. Part of the award citation read as follows, “Through his untiring efforts and professional ability, he consistently obtained outstanding results. He was quick to grasp the implications of new problems with which he was faced as a result of the ever-changing situations inherent in a counter insurgency operation. The energetic application of his extensive knowledge has materially contributed to the overall effort of the United States in Vietnam. He was a motivating example to all with whom he came in contact.” I did leave Vietnam on April 14, 1967 via a chartered flight. Feeling the plane take off was exhilarating-the passengers all of whom were going home erupted with whoops and hollers. It was on this flight that I had a drink of real milk for the first time in a year-it was so good. Powdered milk was OK, but the real stuff was like some kind of magical elixir. Right after I got back to the states I received a copy of the officer efficient report written on me covering the last four months of my tour with the 9th Chemical Detachment. Some of the nice things mentioned in that report were these, “Lt Bambini is one of the most competent young officers I have known. He acted as the team commander on riot control agent drops. These drops were highly successful. This officer is a clear, logical thinker. Lt Bambini’s outstanding day by day supervision of all phases of his detachment’s operations led to its receiving a superior rating during the unit’s annual general inspection. Much of his success as detachment commander can be attributed to the sincere interest he took in the welfare of his men. Lt Bambini is a courageous officer who volunteered to locate and search tunnel complexes in support of research activities conducted by the division. By his ingenuity and initiative he was able to complete every assigned task, many times fabricating the means to accomplish the mission. Lt Bambini was appointed herbicide officer for the division. He was extremely effective because of his ability to gain and maintain liaison and coordination.” I write these recollections more than 45 years after they occurred. I am glad I kept lots of the paperwork that was generated at the time. Back Home No real intention to make the military a career-it just happened. After Vietnam I got to jump out of airplanes at Fort Bragg as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. I was the chemical operations staff officer for the division’s artillery forces. Then on to some advanced chemical corps training for nine months. Next I was selected to be the company commander of a chemical unit at Fort Benning, GA. We made smoke (lots of it) to obscure the battlefield. I then got to be the commandant of the nuclear, biological and radiological school there at Fort Benning, Then graduate school at Fla. St. Univ. (MBA) which led to my being assigned to the ROTC program there as an instructor. Then on to Germany as the war plans officer for a general officer command. Back to the US as chief of the studies branch of the US Army’s chemical school (certainly my most influential position). Then back to Florida for a tour as an exchange officer to the USAF on chemical matters at Eglin AF Base. Finally on to Fort Knox KY where I advised all the national guard and army reserve chemical units in 17 states on chemical matters. I ended my career as the assistant chief of staff for the ROTC headquarters located at Fort Knox. Along the way I collected five army commendation medals and two meritorious service medals in addition to my bronze star for service in Vietnam. I am most proud of having written the army’s new (at the time) chemical weapons employment concept and authoring the article entitled “Chemical Warfare and the NATO Alliance’ which has been cited several times by other authors who are/were studying US military policy. October 2015