RELIABLE ACADEMY
Forget everything they taught you in basic training.
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THE RELAIBLE ACADEMY - APR 69

Replacements assigned to the 9th Infantry Division's 9th Adjutant General Administrative Battalion and traveling from the 90th Replacement Battalion were delivered by bus to an awaiting USAF, C-7A Caribou, utility transport aircraft at Bien Hoa Airbase. The short 40-mile flight southwest to Dong Tam terminated at the base's fixed-wing airfield. Troops were then trucked to the Reliable Academy where they were assigned to a class and a bunk in one of the academy's barracks. The Welcome to the Delta Combat course lasted for a period of five days and began with the instruction: Forget everything they taught you in basic training. Topics covered were the M-16A1 rifle (sighting in, shooting, and field maintenance), using explosives including moldable C-4 and explosive rope - use of the LAW (light anti-tank weapon) - proper setting and firing of the Claymore mine - firing the M-60 machinegun and M-79 grenade launcher - throwing the M-29 fragmentation hand grenade (also referred to as the baseball grenade because its light weight permitted it to be thrown overhand like a baseball) - booby-traps and small unit tactics - and health and hygiene in a humid, wet, unsanitary environment.
ON THE DISCOM BANDSTAND AT DONG TAM

 

Before the term was fashionable, the band had its very own groupie and an officer no less! This young infantry lieutenant (on the bandmaster's podium) hung around the band during his-off duty hours. He had caused me some alarm when he had picked me up at the Reliable Airfield the day I arrived at the 9th Infantry Division. I thought I was going to be pounding ground but, no, he was doing a favor for the bandmaster who wanted to look me over before I started at the Reliable Academy. Had this officer more exposure with the band he would have made a passable conductor. He shipped out of Dong Tam with his unit. Officers served 6 months in a combat branch (infantry, armor, artillery) and 6 months in a combat support unit.

  

I felt fairly protected at the academy. It was definitely a make all of your mistakes here environment. The academy compound was across the street from the DISCOM area. Being situated on the harbor was very scenic and interesting, it was also on the edge of where the VC avoided delivering their mortars - no sense putting them into the water. Because of this, the areas bordering the turning basin took more than their share of hits. At 2330 hours (11:30 PM) the night of January 10, 1969 (my first night in the Delta), the Communist dropped two mortar rounds into the Reliable Academy. One hit the roof of the barracks I was in. It apparently vectored in on such a complementary trajectory to the pitch of the corrugated roof that it belly flopped in one of the troughs, slid along the metal until it reached the edge, and fell to the ground in a shattering explosion. Needless to say, it thoroughly spooked everyone in the barracks and, I am sorry to reiterate, induced a panic in the rush to the personnel shelters that resulted in several injuries. Rumors buzzed that there had been fatalities but the Army had a way of downplaying that aspect of war. I know that the company commander was wounded, I and several others tripped over his writhing body as he dragged himself to safety from the wrecked orderly room.

Background Sound: "I Heard it Through the Grape Vine" - Marvin Gaye 1968           RETURN TO DONG TAM