1 - One Month not at War – November 1967
In October 1967 the New Zealand Government decided to deploy a second rifle company to South Vietnam. In the early part of November 1967 the company was established in Malaysia from two groups of soldiers all on two year overseas postings. Some were soldiers who had spent almost a year in Malaysia and were near the end of their first year. Others were soldiers who had just arrived in Malaysia at the beginning of their two year posting. The company was made up from many different types of serving soldiers. Some were drivers who became gunners and soldiers who had been in the Army less than a year became riflemen and scouts.
Whiskey Company not only had the task of familiarising itself with the normal tasks of a rifle company, with officers that were almost strangers to most of us, but we also had the task of getting to know and live with other soldiers who were in our section, in our platoon and in the rest of the company. All this occurred before we were posted on active service to Vietnam later on the 16th and 17th of December 1967 the following month. In the final days of our tour in Vietnam many became infected with Malaria and a group of about 20 in number were flown to a hospital in Penang, which is in the northern part of Malaysia, to recuperate. Some of our company were posted back to New Zealand to different units and different camps and others were discharged. Those of the company that still had a year to serve in Terendak Camp, Malaysia were posted to different parts of the Battalion. A couple were even posted to units outside of the NZ Battalion.
Whiskey Company was organised as a rifle company in a month, posted to Vietnam on active service then separated after our time in Vietnam. Not including our time on active service in Vietnam, Whiskey Company spent only one month together before being deployed to Vietnam and were disbanded basically in Vietnam at the end of the tour.
2 - One Year – Together
Whiskey Company were also the first rifle company to be posted on a “one year” posting to Vietnam, our year was December 1967 until November 1968. If you add to this the month we had already spent in coming together as a company our total time together was in fact 1 year.
Victor Company were posted in May 1967 on a six month posting until November 1967. They were replaced by Victor 2 who were relieved by Victor 3 in May 1968. Victor 3 were the first of the Victor companies to do a one year posting. Victor 3 were in Vietnam from May 1968 to May 1969. So Victor 2 and Victor 3 both did six months of 1968 along with Whiskey Company. Whiskey Company served a “one year” deployment in South Vietnam from December 1967 through to November 1968.
3 - THE YEAR 1968
The major offensive during the whole of the Vietnam War began on 31 January 1968, the Tet Offensive. This offensive was a catastrophe for the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong, who lost 37,000 fighters during that year. But it was also a serious blow for the United States, who lost 2,500 men during the Tet offensive. Phase Two of the offensive was an assault on Saigon, complete with rocket attacks, was launched in May 1968. Through these and other nationwide attacks the Communists kept up pressure in order to strengthen their position in a projected series of four party peace talks scheduled to be held in Paris. The talks were to begin in January 1969 between the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front, or Viet Cong as we knew them. In 1967 records show that there were 485,600 US Troops in service in Vietnam as well as 785,600 South Vietnamese Troops in service.
The US statistics also show 11,153 US service personnel were killed in Vietnam in 1967.
1968 - THE WORST YEAR OF THE WAR
Then to add even more to that eleven month tour you will find it interesting to research the spraying of Agent Orange in Vietnam. In particular the spraying of chemical herbicides in the Phouc Tuy Province.
"During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed nearly 20,000,000 U.S. gallons (75,700,000 L) of chemical herbicides and defoliants in Vietnam, eastern Laos, and parts of Cambodia as part of the aerial defoliation program known as Operation Ranch Hand, reaching its peak from 1967 to 1969."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
"The product was tested in Vietnam in the early 1960's, and brought into ever widening use during the height of the war (1967-68), though its use was diminished and eventually discontinued in 1971."
http://cybersarges.tripod.com/aospraymap.html
“A 1968 image taken from inside an Australian Iroquois helicopter in flight. A spray boom for defoliant extends from the helicopter beneath the machine gunner, who is on the right of the image. Defoliant was loaded onto helicopters in 30-gallon tanks. Agent Orange was named for the orange stripe on such tanks."
http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/aftermath/agent-orange.php