Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:00 | Dick Sklar went back to Vietnam to serve as the Senior Adviser to the 101st Airborne Division, where he commanded the battalion in charge of a large portion of the bombing done over Vietnam.
Keywords : dense jungle Cam Ranh Bay advisor Airborne situation combat support assets battalion palace fighting bombing
After training at West Point, Dick Sklar took a train out to San Francisco and shipped out to head to Vietnam. Landing in Cam Ranh Bay, Sklar and his battalion had to scout the area and start their departure into the mainland of the country.
After leaving Cam Ranh Bay, Sklar and his company set up base camp at Phan Rang with very minimal supplies. While trying to clear their camp for safe settlement, they faced some of the booby traps left behind by their enemy.
While stationed near Phan Rang, Dick Sklar combined forces with another battalion to make the Tiger force, which worked together to clear out sweeps of the forest in the surrounding areas.
Dick Sklar and his company had to face a lot of fire while stationed in South Vietnam. After fighting back as best they could, they were able to push the enemy back. During this firefight, some of his friends and colleagues lost their lives.
Dick Sklar went through a number of close encounters that he considers himself to be very lucky for making it through. After one particular arm incident, he was sent back to the States to go get heal up.
Dick Sklar remembers his commander who he credits for his success in the air as they coordinated air raids over Vietnam. While in combat, they had a few funny stories that passed the time for them.
Dick Sklar remembers his time spent over Cambodia with his airborne division. Here, they had to set up a base for American troops out of absolutely nothing.
At one point, Dick Sklar had to make a difficult decision regarding his fellow commander that ultimately ended up alright for him and his company.
On one specific day on the border of Cambodia and Vietnam, Sklar and his division had a particularly successful day capturing supplies and resources.
After returning to the States, Sklar attended for the Commander General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and then headed off to Training and Doctorate Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia.
