Personal
Memories of the 1st Signal Brigade
The Beginning
LTC Merv Norton (US Army Ret)
Introduction
In order to understand the origin the 1st Signal Brigade you
need to understand some of the major events in the buildup of
communications in Vietnam and Thailand. Much of what is
contained in this narrative is based on personal observations
as well as research of specific government records.
Chorological Events
Phu Lam
Phu Lam was activated in November 1961 when HF transmitters
were relocated from a previous location and activated. Phu Lam
was a field element of the US Army Communications Agency which
ran all of the Army strategic communications systems, world
wide. Most of these systems were high frequency radio.
Backporch
In 1962 Page Communications Engineers was awarded a contract
to install Air Force, 72 channel, AN/MRC-85, Tropo Scatter
terminals at Phu Lam, Nha Trang, Pleiku, Qui Nhon, Da Nang and
Ubon in Thailand.
Wet Wash
In 1962 a submarine cable system was approved to
interconnect the Philippines with Vietnam. This system was
called Wet Wash and was contracted to Page Communications
Engineers. This cable system would greatly improve the
communications out of Vietnam to other US military
installations including Hawaii and Washington.
Bangkok – Saigon Tropo
In 1962 Philco Corporation was awarded a contract to install
a 60 channel tropo scatter link between the US Army
Communications Agency near Bangkok, Thailand (Bang Ping) to Phu
Lam in Saigon.
Bangkok – Saigon Philco Tropo Failure
In early 1963, the Office of the Chief Signal Officer,
Department of the Army, became aware that the recently Philco
Corporation installed tropo scatter link between Bangkok and
Saigon was not operational due to propagation problems. I was
dispatched to develop a solution to this problem. As a result
of this investigation, a plan was developed to reconfigure the
system by relocating the Bangkok terminal to Green Hill in
Thailand and the Saigon terminal to Vung Tau Hill in Vietnam.
From these new locations the circuits would be extended to
Bangkok and Saigon via microwave links. This plan was approved
and the reconfiguration was accomplished in December 1965.
Phu Lam Tape Relay Activated
The Phu Lam Tape Relay facility was activated in early 1964.
STRATCOM
On 1 April 1964 the US Army Communications Agency was
combined with the US Army Signal Engineering Agency to create
the US Army Strategic Communications Command (USASTRATCOM)
commanded by Major General Richard J. Myer, and headquartered
in Washington, DC.
Tonkin Gulf Incident
The Tonkin Gulf incident in August 1964 caused major
communications problems. The HF communications between Saigon
and Hawaii were not capable of caring the load and the Wet Wash
submarine cable system was not yet complete.
Satellite Communications
STRATCOM rushed an experimental satellite ground terminal to
Saigon to bolster the communications capabilities. This
satellite terminal only had a capability of one voice circuit
and one teletype circuit. Two months later STRATCOM rushed a
newer satellite terminal to Vietnam which had a capability of
one voice circuit and 16 teletype circuits.
CINCPAC
The Commander in Chief Pacific (CINCPAC) was aware of the
shortages of communications circuits within Vietnam. During the
summer of 1964 Navy Commander David Ward, of the CINCPAC,
developed a concept for major expansions of the communications
long distance communications in Vietnam and Thailand. He
envisioned the use of Philco tropo scatter equipment for
expansion and improvements in Thailand This equipment was
initially intended for Indonesia and was in storage on the west
coast of the United States. He envisioned using AN/MRC-85 type
equipments for the expansions in Vietnam.
The Philco tropo equipment operated at 2 GZ and there was no
experience in this type of tropo scatter in Thailand. In June
1964 Commander Ward requested some assistance from me as I
began a trip to South East Asia. I had been transferred to
STRATCOM and now was the STRATCOM Radio Officer. Commander Ward
asked if I and my engineer could determine the feasibility of
certain tropo scatter links in Thailand using the Philco
equipment. This feasibility study was done over a weekend and
it was determined that the proposed links were feasible.
Commander Ward did not explain the reason for his request but
did say that he expected to be able to tell me more upon my
return from a trip to the Far East.served
When I returned in July, Commander Ward showed me a draft
message that proposed the Intergraded Wideband Communications
System (IWCS).
The following month, August 1964, CINCPAC officially
proposed the IWCS to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
DCA Approval
The Defense Communications Agency (DCA) created a plan for
the IWCS and submitted the plan to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
(JCS) in December 1964.
Defense Communications Agency – Southeast Asia
Mainland (DCA-SAM)
The Defense Communications Agency established a center in
Vietnam in April 1965. In September this center was
re-designated the Defense Communications Agency – Southeast
Asia Mainland (DCA-SAM).
Funding and Approval by the JCS
The US Army Communications Systems Agency (USACSA) at Fort
Monmouth was responsible for the procurement of major
communication systems. The Commander was Lieutenant Colonel
Hugh F. Foster Jr. (later 1st Signal Brigade Commander as a
Major General). His staff officer for the procurement was Major
Emmett Paige Jr. (later Chief of the IWCS element of the 1st
Signal Brigade Communications Engineering and Management Agency
as a Lieutenant Colonel and still later Commander of US Army
Communication Command (formally STRATCOM) as a Major General
and still later a Lieutenant General). The US Army Strategic
Communications Command (STRATCOM) was responsible for the
engineering. The Director of Engineering was Colonel Kinji Hino
and his Deputy was Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Keefer. I was
responsible for the engineering.
Major Paige took the lead to brief Army, Air Force, Navy,
Marine and JCS staffs on the IWCS and the need for the required
funding. His efforts were successful and the IWCS was approved
by the JCS in August 1965.
IWCS Procurement Specifications
Prior to the official approval, I together with Major Paige
and two STRATCOM engineers, created the procurement
specifications for the IWCS. We made two additions to the IWCS
that were not in the original plan. We added a microwave system
for the Saigon area and a Communications Control Center that
was later turned over to the Defense Communications Agency-
Southeast Asia (DCA-SAM).
Contract Award
They said it couldn’t be done and he did it. Major Paige
said he would award contracts in 30 days and everyone said it
couldn’t be done. Contracts were awarded in September, 30 days
after JCS approval.
STRATCOM –Southeast Asia
During the months prior to contract award, STRATCOM was
planning a new headquarters in Saigon to command all of the
existing long lines units and the additional that would be
required to operate the IWCS. In August 1965, Major Albert
Cervini was transferred from STRATCOM to Saigon as the advance
party to arrange for facilities. Colonel Henry Schneider and I
were transferred to Saigon in September. We three became the
first members of STRATCOM – SEA which was located in a villa
off of Plantation Road between Cholon and Tan Son Nhut. The
11th Signal Group and the Phu Lam facility were the first units
under the command of STRATCOM-SEA.
During the latter part of 1965 information was received that
Colonel Robert D. Terry would arrive in January to create a
signal brigade. Colonel Terry had been selected for promotion
to Bridger General (later a Major Genera).
Colonel Schneider had to return to the United States in
December 1965 due to a medical problem and his replacement was
Colonel Gordon Cauble (later Bridger General)
Brigade Planning Group
Colonel Terry and staff of several officers arrived in
January and began the planning on a Signal Brigade. The initial
plan was that this new commander would be responsible for all
communications in Vietnam. Colonel Terry would have a Deputy at
the Brigade and a Deputy on the US Army Vietnam staff.
Colonel Terry and his staff were all “airborne” Signal
Officers. They wore fatigues and combat boots. This was in
contrast to the STRATCOM personnel who wore kaki and low
quarter shoes. STRATCOM was not a combat outfit. There was some
concern among the STRATCOM personnel that these “combat
soldiers” did not have the background and experience to command
a Brigade that was primarily composed of fixed station, long
distance, strategic communication systems. This view only
lasted a few weeks when it became very apparent that Colonel
Terry and his planning staff were all outstanding officers and
well qualified. STRATCOM personnel began to identify with them.
It did not take long before for all STRATCOM personnel begin to
wear fatigues and combat boots and became a part of this new
endeavor.
IWCS Engineering and Management
Office
Approximately one month prior the activation of the 1st
Signal Brigade, Colonel Terry directed the establishment of the
IWCS Engineering and Maintenance Office (IWCS Office) to manage
the installation of the IWCS systems. The IWCS Office was
quickly staffed with 23 men and officers. Each Thursday I gave
a two to three hour briefing to Colonel Terry on the
installation progress and problems of the previous week.
1st Signal Brigade Activated on 1
April 1966
The 1st Signal Brigade was activated in Saigon on 1 April
1966. The initial Headquarters was in a compound near Tan Son
Nhut Air Base, which was only a mile from the Vila occupied by
STRATCON-SEA, Regional Communications Group and the IWCS
Engineering and Management Office.
This was a memorable week. Not only was the Brigade
activated but I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel three days
later.
Another Special Event
On May 31st 1966, Colonel Terry, Major Albert Cervini,
Captain Charles Cox and I, made a trip on an L-23 military
aircraft to the 1st Signal Brigade subordinate headquarters in
Bangkok. This was Colonel Terry’s first trip to this
headquarters. We arrived late in the afternoon and were greeted
by Lieutenant Colonel Harold Crochet who told Colonel Terry
that he needed to call Colonel Gordon Cauble, his Deputy in
Saigon. We then went to the STRATCOM – Thailand headquarters so
Colonel Terry could make the call. After the call was
completed, Colonel Terry told us that we had to return to
Saigon the next morning.
What was all of this about? There was a ceremony scheduled
for the next day where Brigadier General Lotz, JUSMAG J6, would
be promoted to Major General and Colonel Terry would be
promoted to Brigadier General. We then had a wonderful dinner
and the team returned to Saigon the next morning.
Original Units
39th Signal Battalion
The 39th Signal Battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Lotus B. Blackwell began to arrive in Vietnam in February 1962.
The 39th was the first major Signal unit to arrive in Vietnam
The mission of the 39th was to operate the Back Porch system,
all telephone systems and communications message centers in
Vietnam.
The major units of the 39th were the 232nd Signal Company in
the Saigon and Mekong Delta areas, the 178th Signal Company in
Da Nang and the 362nd Signal Company which operated all of the
long-lines tropo scatter systems through out Vietnam from their
headquarters in Nha Trang
2nd Signal Group
The 2nd Signal Group commanded by Colonel James J. Moran
began to arrive in Vietnam in May 1965. In June the 41st Signal
Battalion commanded by Colonel James G. Pelland arrived
together with the 593rd Signal Company. The 39th Signal
Battalion was assigned to the 2nd Signal Group. The 362nd
Signal Company was also assigned to the 2nd Signal Group to
operate all of the long-lines tropo scatter systems.
11th Signal Group
The 11th Signal Group, a subordinate unit of STRATCOM,
arrived in Vietnam in June 1965. The 11th was commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Jerry J. Enders.
69th Signal Battalion
The 69th Signal Battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Charles R. Myer (later 1st Signal Brigade Commander as a
Brigadier General and later a Lieutenant General) arrived in
Vietnam in November 1965. The 69th took over all local
communications support in the Saigon-Long Binh area. Two
additional signal companies were attached to the 69th, the
593rd Signal Company which provided communications support in
the Saigon area and the 580th Signal Company which had the
capability to install large fixed cable systems.
40th Signal Battalion
The 40th Signal Battalion (Heavy Construction), under the
command of Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Lamar, arrived from Fort
Bragg in September 1966.
459th Signal Battalion
The 459th Signal Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant
Colonel Kenneth R, Symmes, arrived from Fort Huachuca, AZ in
October 1966.
Additional References
This description of the 1st Signal Brigade covered the
period 1961 through the end of 1966. For a more detailed
description of Communications Electronics in Vietnam read;
- Military Communications, A Test for Technology, by
Colonel John D. Bergen, Center of Military History United
States Army, 1986. Available from the Superintendent of
Documents, Stock No. 008-020-01035-9. It can be purchased
on line at
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ for $45.00.
- For an excellent over all history of the War in Vietnam
see 25-Year War, America’s Military Role in Vietnam by
General Bruce Palmer, Jr., published by the University
Press of Kentucky, 1982.
- Division-Level Communications, 1962-1973 by Lieutenant
General Charles R. Myer.
The complete book can be accessed from:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/DivLevCom/index.htm
- Communications Electronics 1962-1970 by Major General
Thomas Matthews Reinzi,
1st Signal Brigade Commander 1969-1970 (later
Lieutenant General). (141 pages)
The complete book can be accessed from:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/Comm-El/index.htm
A condensed version of General Reiniz’s book
(31 pages) can be accessed from:
http://www.MervNorton.com/Publications.htm