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Tom Briggs | all galleries >> Galleries >> 1966 Vietnam > Patrol into the Mekong Delta
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1966 tom briggs

Patrol into the Mekong Delta

Vietnam

That's "yours truly" (without the helmet) as we were about to embark on a patrol into the Mekong Delta to retrieve a truck that had been ambushed by the Viet Cong and all passengers killed. These are machine-gun jeeps ... note also the sandbags on all vehicles (some protection against mines)... and the wire cutters on the front of each jeep (the perpendicular attachment to the front bumber) designed to cut any wires strung across the roadway which were, obviously, intended to decapitate the driver and passenger. As you can see, I kept my head (for whatever that's worth) ...


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Dan Greenberg20-Jul-2019 17:23
Incredibly fascinating image and story. A nice bit of info both on the traps and challenges as well as the methods employed to defeat them. ~V~
GOUVEIA 14-Jan-2013 23:33
I was down in the Mekong Delta (land of wet) 1969 , with the 1st Signal Bde. I was a POW guard. And sand bags were a way of life.
Long Bach Nguyen24-May-2009 14:17
You had sandbags for protection and now new Hummers are totally encase in protections. Look good in those days :-)
David Parsley04-Jan-2009 14:28
Yes we also had the wire cutters on our jeeps and added locks on the gas caps to keep rubber banded hand grenades from being dropped into the tank. It is amazing just how clever an American GI can be when he modifies his equipment to do what the original engineers never thought of. But then the engineers life was not on the line when they were thinking about what was needed.
Dave Berry26-Apr-2008 07:27
Great photo Tom. I know for a fact that those sandbags weren't much protection. I'm glad that you survived your forays into the hostile countryside. I know you made a lot of them. You got my vote.
Dave
XiaoBernard9916-Jan-2008 18:31
Very interesting pict and comment.Tom is an historian in this gallery.I like to learn like this.
veraferia14-Oct-2007 03:04
Impressive!
Elmer Quianio05-Aug-2007 23:46
Tom, Awesome photography!
Cindi Smith03-Aug-2007 13:41
I'm betting that you got the red x on the last shot. Again, thank you for your service to our country, Tom!
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