Video Log Gene Steven Pianka Vietnam War U.S. Army Born: 01/02/1947 Interview Date: 06/22/2012 Interviewed By: Owen Rogers

Transcription

1 Video Log Gene Steven Pianka Vietnam War U.S. Army Born: 01/02/1947 Interview Date: 06/22/2012 Interviewed By: Owen Rogers 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:38 Gene S. Pianka served in the Army during the Vietnam War, earning the rank of E-5. 00:00:50 He was stationed in Da Nang, RVN. 00:01:00 Pianka was drafted into the Army. He volunteered for the draft after he dropped out of school. Aware of the military draft, he called his local draft board and told them he was ready for service. He was living in Hartford, CT, at the time. 00:01:30 He entered service in 11/02/1966. He entered the Army, although at the time of his enrollment, other drafted men were being assigned to the Marine Corps. 00:02:17 From New Haven, CT, they were bussed to the Siemens Institute in New York. From there, they flew to Fort Jackson, SC. His basic training lasted eight weeks, after which, he was sent to Fort Holabird in Baltimore, MD, for an Imagery Interpretation Course. 00:03:21 He is not aware of any personal skills that directed him towards this MOS. He Assumes that during his vocational testing, the scores aligned with those Desired of photographic interpreters. 00:03:57 Pianka describes basic training, which he did not feel was very difficult. As his training took place in December, the mornings and evenings were very cold, but the South Carolina climate was very hot during the day. He did not enjoy the Collective punishment assigned to training platoons. If someone did not complete Their assignments or duty, they would be made to crawl under the barracks buildings as punishment. 00:05:04 He recalls his drill instructors, both a Sergeant Black and a Sergeant Dean. Interestingly enough, he met with Sergeant Black again when he was in Vietnam. He was at an EM (Enlisted Man s) Club and bought his Drill Sergeant a drink. 00:05:55 He passed through basic training, feeling it was not physically or mentally exhausting. His father served in World War II and did not want to embarrass him by not completing his training. He recalls that there were many truck transits, rather than the long hikes he was expecting.

2 00:06:34 After basic training, he was sent to Maryland for a thirteen week photo interpretation course. The first few weeks were math based, ranging from multiplication and division to trigonometry. They would also examine reconnaissance photographs, which would be analyzed with the help of keys, which allowed them to determine the height and scale of objects. As he was trained during the Cold War, he was taught to detect Russian tanks using telltale signs or qualities. His keys for Southeast Asia consisted of various tree types, which would be used to determine the size of surrounding jungle objects. 00:07:50 The keys were primarily developed for use in Europe, where a land war would be dominated by mechanized divisions and armored columns. 00:08:33 He enjoyed military life. He had dropped out of university education several times and felt no direction at the time. It was more interesting than civilian life and enjoyed the adventure. 00:08:58 Pianka describes a typical day in uniform. His training at Fort Holabird felt like his time spent at university, with all day classes, then breaks in the evening. The fort had a theatre and was close to Baltimore, MD. The classes were pass/fail and the students were graded on a curve and he doesn t recall any homework. 00:11:39 In country, he had a five day work schedule, Monday through Friday, then maintained equipment on Saturdays. As photo interpreters, they would work in small groups, one analyst examining the photos and another plotting the photo on a map. Every five photos, one would plot it on a map. After their shift, they would change into civilian clothes and then go to a restaurant or an EM Club. They club would close at 11 PM, the soldiers would return to their hotels, and then the next day would start all over again. 00:13:10 Pianka lived in a hotel in the city of Da Nang. It wasn t advised to wander around the city, but overall it was safe. After six months in country, they were sent to a Marine barracks, and then on to a more modern hotel. After the Tet Offensive, he carried a weapon in the city. Before Tet, they were rarely used or carried. 00:14:24 He first entered Vietnam through Bien Hoa. There was a large replacement center, where he waited for orders for several days. He was eventually assigned to the 1 st MIB(ARS) HQ (Military Intelligence Battalion Aerial Reconnaissance and Support). The main headquarters was in Saigon, from there he was sent to Detachment B in Da Nang. He flew up with another Detachment B soldier. 00:16:00 At Fort Holabird, he was assigned to a psychological testing unit in Fort Monroe, VA. The Army was interested in the difference between individual photo analysis and group photo analysis in order to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of either approach. There was another computer based test that was designed to test whether a computer would be helpful in designing coursework. Due to these tests, he arrived in Vietnam 1-2 weeks after his unit. 00:17:27 After graduating from Fort Holabird in May of 1967, he was granted a month s leave, at which time he returned to Hartford. 00:18:02 Enroute to Vietnam, they stopped in Hawaii, the Philippines, and perhaps Guam. 00:18:36 He was issued an M-14 once he arrived in country. 00:18:53 After Tet, the photo recon mission analysis amplified greatly. They went from eight hour shifts, five days a week, to 18 on / 12 off shifts or 12 on / 12 off, seven days a week. At that time, they were assigned more staff, most of whom came from the Michigan National Guard. The unit size was approximately doubled at that point. 00:19:42 The analysts would examine photographs for signs of infiltration routes, foxholes, or activity around hot areas like Khe Sanh.

3 00:20:06 Their role as analysts contributed to operational planning. They would monitor activity before a patrol was inserted. 00:20:40 The photographs would reveal enemy activity in the forms of foxholes, machine gun emplacements, bunkers, storage areas, and trails. If there was a lot of foot activity on a trail, the ground would become harder and it would appear white on film. On rare occasion, tire tracks and vehicle parks would be seen. In coastal areas, there were strings of foxholes along roads. If a foxhole appeared brighter on film, it indicated that it was freshly dug. They tended to see more indications of activity in coastal areas. Further into the country, there was triple jungle canopy, which made it difficult to detect movement or manmade material. For reference, they would have to match terrain characteristics with topographic maps or local landmarks. 00:22:54 The film they examined would have been photographed as recent as the day before. 00:23:03 They would look at black and white transparencies of various scales. The smallest scale was 1:500, in which you could see people and faces. The largest scale was 1:50,000, which was about a 10 square mile grid. Most of the images they analyzed were 1:5,000 scale. 00:23:56 As an analyst, it was difficult to feel personally connected to the images he saw. To them, they were doing their duty and trying their best to observe anything that might be helpful for operational planners. The unit also performed hand held camera missions, in which a soldier would fly in a small observation plane and snap low level photographs. After his tour, he recalls reading an article about a pilot from Putnam, CT, who had been shot down on a similar mission. The observer/photographer on the mission was someone from 1 st MIBARS. 00:25:18 The photo recon missions employed a variety of film types, which included infrared, SLAR (side looking airborne radar) that picked up moving objects and camouflaged objects, as well as standard black and white. While Pianka was there, he mostly worked with black and white. They also had an oblique camera that looked forward to enable analysts to see under the treeline. 00:26:43 During Tet, they would examine ten film runs or more. During the siege at Khe Sanh, they would examine a high frequency of film shot over the same location. In the same time period, they looked at film from a Special Forces camp at Lang Vei, which was overrun by PT-76 tanks. It was the first time North Vietnamese tanks were used during the war. There was also an Army airborne division fighting its way to relieve Khe Sanh. The observers could watch their progress through the film reels. 00:27:55 During the battle for Khe Sang, they watched the trench lines get nearer and nearer to the firebase. Also, the jungle surroundings of the base were reduced to a moonscape, following countless artillery and air support missions. In this moonscape, the observers could see the paths of the NVA that renewed their assault on the base. 00:28:40 They also examined Hue City during the Tet Offensive. The urban imagery was very difficult to interpret enemy activity among the rubble. Hue was very different from their typical rural jungle missions.

4 00:29:56 Da Nang was attacked the night before Tet began. Pianka believes that this was due to a miscommunication between units. As such, a unit attacked the I Corps compound in advance of a larger mobilization. About a dozen infiltrators were killed in the compound. The next day, Pianka could still hear the fighting over the walls of the compound. For the first time, he could see and hear A-4 Skyhawks performing close air support missions in his vicinity. After the battle, the enemy dead were carried to the helipad across the street for everyone to see. After the attack, Pianka stood guard duty for the first time. It was especially frightening, for there were rumors that the NLF would resume local combat. 00:32:12 He never saw combat and his unit suffered one non-combat injury. One or two analysts from a different detachment may have been killed during Tet. Other than for the few days around Tet, he felt relatively safe. After this point, however, he began to carry a weapon around Da Nang. One of his fears, a story circulated around troops in Vietnam, was that a grenade would be thrown into the back of a troop carrier, where the confined space would allow for multiple casualties. 00:34:25 During the attack, there were many MIBARS staff that wanted to rush down and defend the compound. Pianka s thoughts were that since they had no combat role, they should wait for base security to quell the assault. He would sometime sbe concerned in the evening, for most of the base guards were ARVN, who had a bad reputation as soldiers. They were thought to be ineffective base defenders and their intelligence network compromised. 00:35:50 There were few ROKs in the area (Republic of Korea) forces. 00:36:25 Pianka describes the first hotel where he was billeted. There were 2-3 people per room, there was hot water from 4:00-4:30. There was a well in the back that could be used for bathwater. The entire hotel was used for housing Army personnel. The modern hotel was three stories and had both fans and indoor plumbing. The Marine barracks weren t bad, it was more or less like his basic training accommodations. 00:38:00 Most of the off duty hours were spent at the EM Club having adult libations. 00:38:17 He earned the rank of E-5 after only two years in the service. In the interpretation unit, soldiers progressed through the ranks quickly. At E-5, analysts would be team leaders. The unit had three interpretation vans, so three teams of analysts could work at one time. After Tet, this proved helpful, as there were more missions flown and each role of film contained negatives. The 1:5.000 scale negatives were 9 x 18 inches, so each roll of film was about ¾ of a mile long. 00:40:04 The negatives came on a spool. The first slide told the analyst where the mission was flown and the scale of the image. 00:40:43 If they were looking at jungle imagery, it could take a half hour to two and a half hours to look through a spool, sometimes it would take longer if there were specifics they were looking for. At 1:50,000 scale, the analysts would move through it quickly, for it was difficult to assess anything from that height. 00:41:26 He does not recall performing any bomb damage assessment (BDA) film evaluations. When the special forces camp at Lang Vei was overrun, they examined the film, looking for any potential survivors. There was a major infiltration route through the A Shau Valley, where B-52s would frequently attempt to knock out the supply road. The analysts would report the state of the road after these airstrikes and if there were any new trails or repairs that were built.

5 00:43:22 He earned the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnamese Medal of Honor 1 st Class. His unit earned four Meritorious Unit Citation and a Presidential Unit Citation. 00:43:59 He was never wounded. 00:44:09 He sent letters to his family and received mail. He wrote once a week to his parents and occasionally, to his brother. His family would send care packages and issues of the Hartford Courant. He would also receive food packages, his special request being Claxton fruitcakes, which was good, because no one else liked them! He recalls that even animals wouldn t eat them. 00:44:45 In Da Nang, they had a well stocked commissary and a meal allowance. They bought breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They had a $75/month meal allowance and were spending about $65 on food. On Saturday nights, soldiers had a choice of steak or lobster, which cost $2. 00:45:25 He didn t try the indigenous cooking, mainly due to the unsanitary (open air) food preparation. 00:45:47 The food in the commissary was great. They had real milk and real ice cream. It was better than he ever had at home, which attributed to him gaining about twenty five pounds while he was in country. 00:46:20 At night, they would sometimes eat C-Rations, which he wasn t fond of. He would eat the fruit and the pound cake. As they were well fed, it was only required as a snack. 00:46:43 The film analysts felt pressure in trying to meet the demands of photographic flights. The multitude of missions were much more demanding when compared to his earlier tour, in which they had weekends off. 00:47:32 He enjoyed his time there and was happy to have this particular duty assignment. He thought he was doing something worthwhile for the military. 00:48:08 He didn t do anything special for good luck. As he worked a day-to-day job, he never felt like he was in any kind of dangerous situation. 00:48:43 After work, they would eat dinner and then go upstairs to the EM Club. On the roof of the hotel, they would project movies, which weren t first run films, but weren t that old either. Also, various bands would play, local Vietnamese bands would tour and phonetically sing popular American songs. He remembers signing in Marines who had just recently returned from the field. To enter the club, you had to be a member, so he would sign in troopers on local R n R. Even when he made E-4, he opted to go to the EM Club, rather than the NCO Club. 00:51:24 He saw the 1967 Bob Hope USO show. One morning, they were working in the interpretation vans and someone came inside and told them they were going to go see Bob Hope. They drove to Freedom Hill and were about a half mile from the stage. 00:52:41 Near the end of his tour he went to Penang, Malaysia and did whatever normal GIs did. He was so near the end of his tour that many of the R n R locales were already booked. He originally wanted to go to Australia, but was very happy that he went to Malaysia instead. He appreciated oriental culture, having first been exposed to it in Saigon. 00:54:18 He grew up in Hartford, CT and the farthest he traveled was Boston, MA, and New York, NY. Seeing the temples and different culture made him appreciate Asian culture and after the war, he returned to Asia with his wife and vacationed in Japan.

6 00:55:05 Since the reconnaissance film was classified, the analysts had to burn it after evaluation. They would load reels onto a 2 ½ ton truck and then bring it to a dump for burning. The miles up film would be soaked with gasoline and burned. One day, they set the film ablaze without moving their truck away from the fire. They had gone a few miles outside the city to a hot zone and without a truck, it would have been a dangerous walk home. 00:56:47 Early in his tour, he and another soldier had to fill up sandbags, so they went to the beach and filled them. The truck bed was so heavily loaded with sandbags that it couldn t get off the beach! To get back on the road, they unloaded the bags back onto the beach and paid Vietnamese children to drag the bags up to the road. 00:58:01 He does not recall any pranks. His unit has a website and various people have written in and provided memories, so there may be some anecdotes about pranks there. 00:58:45 He loved his fellow soldiers but did not have close contact with the officers. Most of their contact was with the sergeants that ran the day to day operations. As the officers lived in a separate villa in the city, they would only see them at formations. 01:00:06 He didn t keep a journal while he was in the service, but he did have a pen pal in Idaho that he met through the USO. She kept all of his letters and they eventually met, as she came to New Haven, CT, for work. She recently sent him the letters and it was very interesting to reflect on their exchanges. She also sent him several pictures of him on R n R that he had mailed to her in the 1960s. 01:01:15 He left Vietnam through the replacement depot at Da Nang, RVN. He stopped in Japan and Alaska, then flew to Fort Dix, NJ. They arrived in the morning and were processed by the evening. He received $11 travel allowance to get to Hartford and it cost more than that to get a bus from the base to a bus station in Philadelphia. 01:02:14 At his discharge, he was waiting to take a hearing test. He mumbled something to him and line and Pianka could not understand him at first, although he saw that some people he spoke to were leaving while others remained in line. The second time he came around Pianka read his lips can you hear me? He replied correctly and was dismissed from the line. 01:03:19 He spent a few days in Boston, MA, then returned home and worked for a landscaping company until the spring semester at school. 01:03:47 His parents didn t have a car so he walked from the Hartford bus station to his home. 00:01:25 His education was paid for by the GI bill, he had 33 months of benefits. He earned $125 dollars a month as long as he was enrolled for 12 credit hours or more. At the Hartford branch of UConn, that allowance made money for him, as he lived at home. Once he began his studies at UConn in Storrs, the money only lasted him to his last semester. 01:05:26 He made close friendships in Vietnam, but did not continue them after the service, with the exception of one fellow soldier. He did not talk with anyone until a MIBARS soldier tried to contact him for a unit reunion. 01:06:52 They have had two reunions so far and the group maintains a website. 01:07:09 He earned a degree in Accounting and was an auditor for one of the Big 8 CPA accounts. His specialty was in municipal audits. He got a job as the first finance director for the town of Rocky Hill, CT and then the Finance Director for the New Britain school district.

7 01:08:00 He is proud of his service and of people who do serve. He sympathizes for veterans who are injured during war. 01:08:32 Twenty five years after his service ended, he joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars as a life member. The two cub scout leaders in his son s pack were both World War II veterans and invited him to join the post in Wethersfield, CT. 01:09:17 His service made him extremely proud of his country. One of the main things that stayed with him with the concept of working as part of a team and not being an I or me person. 01:09:54 He wishes that he made his father, a World War II veteran, proud for serving in a time of war. 01:10:30 Thank you Gene Pianka for your service and welcome home!