Tiger Force atrocities???
 

Here in Europe, the main newspaper Ive been reading is the Herald Tribune
Todays headline is about a "Tiger Force allegedly stationed in the Central Highlands in 1967; They are quoting a newspaper called the Blade fron somewhere in Ohio, believe its in Cincinnati.
There is a long story about this unit commiting atrocities--its the good old "Everybody wore a necklace of ears and fingers" stuff. Evidently, according to the story, these people committed many atrocities, egged on by their leaders. They were supposed to force the local people to leava their lands to go to refugee canps and often executed them if they did not--the article talks of hundreds of atrocities committed and talks further about an Army investigation that ended in the mid 70s
I don't hav the article with me as I write, left it back in the hotel, but the article implies that its big news back in the USA. A google search finds nothing about it but you can find the article at
http://www.iht.com/articles/114376.html

The whole thing sounds like a bunch of bullsht to me--I spent over 6 months in the central highlands as a lrrp from late 67 to APR 68 and I never HEARD of these people there--it was all lrrps and SF (Yes and 4th Div, Ron, they held our packs 'lol}; The only tiger force I ever heard of was the 1st/327/101st battalion recon team, a platoon.I served in ACo/1st/327 as a grunt and I know for a fact that this unit was not in the area described at the time described. This just could not be or I'm completely nuts-- I know for sure that during early 67--at least from April 67 when I joined the 1st/327, that Tiger Force, the recon unit, was working with the rest of the unit around Duc Pho in Quang Ngai province which is a loooooong way from the central Highlands and they were doing recon, not village eradication
I know this: I never saw anyone with a necklace of ears and fingers and anyone who wore one in any of the units I ever served with or anyone who did such things would have been drummed out of the unit and I mean pronto. For one thing body parts stink after not too long. For another, the people I served with were not the atrocity committing kind, just some kickass soldiers.
Friscokid: I know you were in the 101 while they were in the Central Highlands--did you ever HEAr of this stuff? A good buddy of mine went into tiger force about the same time I went LRRP and I met him later in Bragg--He wound up as the E6 platoon sgt of tigers, starting in Nam as a pfc--he never talked about this stuff and I can't imagine him doing this stuff-- this is not the 101st I knew at all
Packo, if your reading this you might ask Dan--bet he says he never heard of this either
So what do you guys think?? complete bullsht or where theres smoke theres fire? I vote for the bullsht aspect. Is this getting any play in the US??


James

Hey exlurrp
 

MontanaKid here. The story is getting a lot of play here. It's a series in four parts in the Toledo (OH) Blade and most papers and broadcast news are picking up through the Associated Press. The alleged incidents did happen in Quang Ngai and Quang Tin Provinces. The newspaper has misidentified the area as part of the Central Highlands. They have also misidentified the old Quang Tin Province as "Quang Nam." So they lack some background on the war and Vietnam. None of the reporters is old enough to be a veteran of the war. The Quang Nam mistake is easy to make for one who does not research deep enough into the war. The old Quang Tin Province, with Tam Ky as its capital, is now part of Quang Nam. The communist government combined the two provinces shortly after they took charge. Danang was capital of Quang Nam and was originally made capital of the combined province. But the goverment has made Danang an independent city government and the capital of the combined province is now back in Tam Ky.
As we know, the "Central Highlands" as they were regarded in the Vietnam War, were in II Corps, not I Corps, where Quang Nam and Quang Tin provinces are.
What you say seems to confirm what I originally suspected. Though they describe Tiger Force as some kind of super-elite, hand-picked bully-boy unit, it did appear to me that they were probably no more than the Echo Company, Recon Platoon that every infantry battalion had. In our battalion, you did have to be a line company vet to be in recon. They didn't assign FNGs to Recon. But to make them out to be some kind of specially-trained elite force seems to be a stretch. I'm following this and will do some National Archives searching myself.

James
 

One of our LTs was a sick dude. He orderd us to cut off the heads of some dead VC that walked into our ambush. I didn't take part. Our Machine gunner cut one off with his mashettie and put it on his sholder, He said "look, two heads are better than one" We took the heads with us and through them away down the trail somewhere, It was a superstition that they couldn't go to heaven unless there head was attached? I just thought it was sick. but like most things that went on, you just didn't say anything. Our interperetor was going to start a ear neclkless, he cut one off, and the LT made him through it away.


Ron

I think this story is a little bit Hollywood make believe i.e. "Apocalypse Now" mixed with a few accounts of vets by reporters trying to fabricate a story for the press."A little knowledge is a dangerous thing" :x:

LIKE JAMES SAID,
 

this is NOT the 101st that I knew. I'm wondering if this isn't some vets enhancing some war stories for some reporters. If this was going on at the scale stated, I can't believe this could have been kept quiet within the battalion, not even getting into the rumor mills that the Army is famous for.

I too, never saw any necklaces of ears or fingers. Like James said, who the Hell would want to smell rotting flesh hanging around your neck, assuming the officers or NCOs would permit it. I'm labeling this "BULLSHIT" until something more confirmed as documented surfaces. :d:

Read this yesterday
 

in the Beaufort paper. I felt right away that it sounded like made up stuff.....the ear necklaces etc. Nobody I know would have done that and it was not permissable. Anyway, I couldn't wait to see this on the P-files. Dan has to work in Hilton Head all next week so he will be staying in Beaufort. We will certainly have a discussion about this.

I agree with Frisco et.al that this sounds a little bit like embellishment on the part of some. Wasn't 101 but can't believe these guys just went around killing villagers. The article I read said that there had been "wink, wink" investigations, all inconclusive.

Nice to see the Montana Kid on board again. Welcome home.

Since the statute of limitations is supposedly up on this, would love to hear from any of these "real Tigers". Watch for the phoney's to jump on this, and now a bunch of homeless "combat vets" will claim to have been these infamous "Tigers". Anyone wanna bet?

Packo

I agree with Kid and Paco -

Wouldn`t touch that bet,Packo!Did I ever mention that I was Tiger Force?

Hi guys
 

I commented on this over in Larrys post--just can't understand this-- think its a little resume inflation to justfy PTSD claims or possibly a book

I know what I did and didn't see and did and didnt do and I think people aho know me will say tht I would say it happened if it did but it didnt

Packo say hi to Dan for me, I'll drop him a line when I get back from Europe

James

did you know Dan Clint?? he was with me in A Co/1sr/327 before he went to the Tigers, this would have been summer of 67

James