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Howie Bachman

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Howie Bachman had no training as an ARVN advisor but there he was, advisor to a Vietnamese armored cavalry unit. They were based in the lowlands between the mountains and the sea. Their primary vehicle was the M113 armored personnel carrier, tricked out with extra machine guns. (7:35)

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The first activity of note, after Howie Bachman joined the ARVN unit he was advising, was a devastating friendly fire incident. No one in his unit was hurt, but there were scores of casualties in the infantry unit they were reinforcing. (10:12)

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ARVN advisor Howie Bachman returned the fork his counterpart gave him at chow time and asked for chopsticks, since everyone else was eating with chopsticks. This gained him a lot of respect. When they were at a village, two laughing little girls were doubtful that he was a real American and their reasoning surprised him. (6:04)

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Near the end of his tour, ARVN advisor Howie Bachman was patrolling in an unfamiliar area when the vehicle in front of him was hit by an anti-tank rocket. A platoon of Montagnards was wiped out and when the Vietnamese wouldn't touch them because of cultural prejudice, he had to step in. (8:13)

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Howie Bachman didn't experience any anti-war protests when he returned from his first tour of Vietnam but he did drop to the floor when his wife scared him at home. A little adjusting was needed. He got command of a tank company at Fort Hood but was then tapped as an aide-de-camp, a job he was not suited for. He started making it known to armor branch that he was available for another combat command. (6:11)

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Howie Bachman arrived well prepared and experienced but his second tour of Vietnam was not starting off well. He was locked into an insulting job and reluctantly put his head down and worked. In the course of his mundane duties, he met Mustang, the commander of the 3-5 Cavalry. Sir, I'm a prisoner at a staff job. I will take any position in your fine unit. (11:29)

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Rescued from his lowly staff job, Howie Bachman visited each company of his new unit, the 3-5 Cav. The last one was actually an attached company, Dreadnaught Charlie. It's commander did not run a tight ship and his job was in jeopardy. (8:44)

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Dreadnaught Charlie was a mess. The tank company had been run in a lax manner but new company commander Howie Bachman had them shaping up fast. It earned him an uncomplimentary nickname but then the men saw that he ate what they ate and slept where they slept. Then came the infamous overheard radio conversation that really earned their respect. (10:33)

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The brass didn't like to send out the big tank recovery vehicles so when one of Howie Bachman's tank commanders got stuck by a creek, he used his own resources instead. One of his clever plans backfired, though, when a booby trapped Claymore he was preparing exploded in his hand. Evacuate to Okinawa? No way! (8:19)

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No one in armor had ever done it. When he assumed command of C Troop of the 3-5 Cav, Howie Bachman had his second combat command in a row. He began to assert his usual leadership style which meant that the men hated him at first. That would change. (8:56)