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John Girardeau was commissioned a 2Lt after
graduating from Georgia Tech ROTC in 1964. He spent two years on
active duty. On October 4, 1965 he was on the troop ship, USNS
General W. Gordon as it set sail on its thirty-day crossing to
Vietnam. During his twelve month tour he served with HHB 6/27th
Artillery at Phouc Vinh, primarily as a forward observer with B 1/4
Calvary as well as Special Forces at Xom Cat, where he remembers he
“caught one hell of case of “crotch rot: swimming in the Song Be
River”. He also served with the 35th ARVN Ranger Battalion out of
Bien Hoa. He recalled that someone once said that “he was the most
shot at man in the Battalion”.
In his spare time, when not out in the “boonies” as a Forward
Observer, John was an Air Observer, Battalion Fire Direction
Officer, or Assistant S-2. with the 6/27th Artillery.
When asked about his memories of the ocean crossing on the General
Gordon, he recalled the one incident while the ship docked at White
Beach, Okinawa where a soldier died and two others suffered
smoke inhalation, as a result of a fire a soldier had set
while drunk and in the ship’s brig.
“As I recall, Lt Cecil Gardiner, our battalion Motor Office, was the
Officer of the Day and was on the ship while we were on shore. When
the fire broke out, Cecil and those detailed to help him could not
find the key to the brig. If they had the key, they might have been
able to save the soldier trapped in the brig.”
(See A LEGACY OF HONOR 6TH
BATTALION, 27TH ARTILLERY’, Page 18 in the PDF [16 in the History]
for more information regarding this incident.)
See a Legacy of Honor in PDF Format or visit:
http://www.quanloi.org/ABattery15OneandOneSite/VisitABattery/A
Legacy of Honor/A Legacy of Honor Home Start.htm
(See also Ron Altier’s “Memory of Shipping to Vietnam”)
http://www.quanloi.org/ABattery12OneandOneSite/Photo Gallery 12
Alpha Btry 65-66/Alpha Btry 65-66 Ron Altier Memory.htm
John also recalled “…a significant battle in
which [he] and the batteries at Phouc Vinh participated. I was the
forward observer with B Troop, 1/4 Cav. We held the south side of
the perimeter with 9 tanks, 21 APC's and a company of infantry. The
NVA made the mistake of attacking directly into our front. The
brigade had 11 KIA. We lost count of NVA KIA at about 360.
I have quite a few tales I can write about what happened that
night.....Things like watching a battery of 105's dueling with NVA
recoilless rifles across an open field at a range of ~100 meters,
and the loss of 2 of our tanks......one by a mortar round down the
hatch and the other by recoilless rifle rounds through the engine.
Our batteries at Phouc Vinh provided counter mortar fires along the
brigade's eastern flank.”
(See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Suoi_Bong_Trang for more
information)
John spent nineteen years in the Army Reserves: 80th
Division (Training) serving as platoon leader, company commander,
battalion adjutant, assistant Inspector General, Infantry Team fire
support coordinator, Artillery Team deputy team chief. He served in
Army Branches of Field Artillery, Military Police, Infantry,
Inspector General and also branch specific training for Chemical
Corps. He retired from the reserves in 1985 at the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel.
John has been married to his wife, Betty, for 50 years and has three
children and three grandchildren. While serving in the Army Reserves
John also worked at a civilian job for 26 years at E. I. DuPont as
Manufacturing Supervisor in the Teflon Fibers Division and
design/process/maintenance engineer in nylon, Teflon Fibers, Kevlar,
Nomex, and Tyvek in Richmond,
VA before he retired in 1993.
John says he has recently acquired a slide scanner which will enable
him to scan and digitize his slides and we should look forward to
more photos from his time in Vietnam. We thank John for sharing his
photos and experiences in Vietnam with us.
John Girardeau
Then and
Now
HHB 6/27th Artillery
Oct 65 to Oct 66
Sadly John passed away on
January 23, 2017
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