Six men, one unit; two combat patches decades apart
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By Spc. Autumn Grimsley
QAYARRAH, Iraq -- Earning two combat patches from two different wars is quite a feat. Earning them nearly four decades apart is even more amazing.
Many Soldiers serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom II weren’t born until after 1970; however, six Soldiers from the Army National Guard’s Columbia, S.C.-based 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment were not only alive, but had served at least one tour in Vietnam by then.
These men, who arrived in northern Iraq in November, will inevitably earn the right to wear the 25th Infantry Division patch on their right shoulder, symbolizing their service in a combat zone. Because one of the men served in Vietnam as a Marine, he will earn his first Army combat patch. The others will be earning a second combat patch, if not a third, in support of the Fort Lewis, Wash.-based 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team).
Ranging in ages from 53 to 56, these men are just as patriotic now as they ever were.
Sgt. Ken Simpson signed up in 1969 because he wanted to jump out of airplanes. Less than a year after joining, he left for Vietnam where he served two consecutive years as a door gunner/mechanic on a UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) helicopter.
“I had a 10-year break in service before rejoining in 2002 strictly for this [Operation Iraqi Freedom],” said Simpson, who lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn., with his wife of 27 years, Charlene.
He rejoined after the attacks of September 11 because he felt he had an obligation to fulfill to his country. He is now a mechanic on an AH-64A Apache attack helicopter for the 151st.
Simpson’s mission in Vietnam with the 118th Assault Helicopter Company was to support the 25th Infantry Division just as he is doing now in Iraq.
“I went in serving the 25th and I am going out doing the same,” said the 53-year-old Simpson. He arrived in both Vietnam and Iraq in the chilly month of November.
Sgt. Maj. John Brown, command sergeant major of the 151st, deployed to Vietnam two years earlier than Simpson, in 1967, with the 134th Assault Helicopter Company. He also served as a door gunner/mechanic on a Huey.
Brown lives in Bishopville, S.C., with his wife of 36 years, Jenni. He has had one break in service since 1966, from 1969-1976.
“The difference now is that I think about the dangers more than I did then,” said the 55-year-old Brown. “But I would rather be here beating the enemy on their soil, than have them threaten my family on ours. We have to pursue the enemy 100 percent.”
While Brown values this deployment just as much as his first one, he will continue to wear his first combat patch.
“It helps us identify each other. We recognize the patch,” Brown said. Three of the men wear the 1st Aviation Brigade combat patch and two wear the 1st Cavalry Division combat patch.
Master Sgt. Eugene Mitchell said he will also continue to wear his first combat patch.
“While I value this deployment just as much, my first combat patch was more significant and most life changing for me,” Mitchell said. He was drafted in 1970 and left that same year for Vietnam. He served one year with the 1st Air Cavalry Division as a point man for an infantry squad.
The 54-year-old Mitchell has 34 years of service. While in Iraq, he is the sergeant of the guard for the 151st. He and his wife of 25 years, Josephine, live in West Columbia, S.C.
Sgt. Fred Anderson was deployed as a computer operator/programmer with the 1st Signal Brigade and worked with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam.
Anderson, the oldest of the group at 56, volunteered for this deployment to Iraq. The Maryville, Tenn., native is an aircraft electrician for the 151st.
“Vietnam showed me what I was made of then. This deployment is a representation of what I am made of and where my heart has been for the U.S.,” Anderson said.
Chief Warrant Officer Jack Dalton is doing the same thing in Operation Iraqi Freedom as he did in Vietnam.
“I go out and look for insurgents,” Dalton said. He started out flying Cobras during Vietnam, completed a tour in Grenada and is now flying an AH-64A Apache attack helicopter in Iraq.
After 35 years of flying, the 54-year-old Dalton said he continues to fly because he still enjoys it. He and his wife of 36 years, Dee, live in Fayetteville, S.C.
Warrant Officer David Sexton served in Vietnam as an aviation maintenance technician in the Marine Corps. After he completed his four-year commitment to the Marine Corps, he joined the Army Reserve.
The 55-year-old Sexton has 38 years of service. He continues to serve his country because of his faith in God and the American way.
“Soldiers are all alike in that they are made up of the same fabric and weave: patriotism, loyalty, courage, faithfulness, fear of God, humility, care and love. I want to be with this type of men and women, so I have stayed these many years with them all, young and old,” Sexton said.
Sexton is the task force aviation safety officer for the 151st. He volunteered for the mission. He and his wife, Catherine, live in Columbia, S.C.
These six men have been around the world a time or two and continue to lace up their combat boots every morning. They can discuss the similarities and differences between Vietnam and Iraq, but they don’t. They are here to get the job done and get all of their Soldiers back home safely.
“The old guys are here because we have brought the experience that enables us to mentor,” Sexton said. “We are here because we are patriots.”
An AH-64A Apache Attack helicopter from the 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment flies over the streets of Mosul. The 151st has six Vietnam vets currently serving in Iraq.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Fred Minnick)
Sgt. Ken Simpson, an Apache helicopter mechanic with 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, inspects the #2 gear box of an Apache helicopter before performing flight operations at Forward Operation Base Endurance in northern Iraq.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Aaron Ritter)
Six members of the Columbia, S.C., Army National Guard-based 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, served in Vietnam and currently are serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pictured from left to right: Chief Warrant Officer Jack Dalton, Master Sgt. Eugene Mitchell, Sgt. Ken Simpson, Sgt. Major John Brown, Warrant Officer David Sexton and Sgt. Fred Anderson.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Autumn Grimsley)
