Vietnam artillery veterans reunite at Fort Sill

By Jeff Crawley, Fort Sill CannoneerMarch 27, 2014

Bastogne gun
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – World War II veteran George Wilson unveils a Pack 75mm howitzer during the dedication of the 321st Field Artillery Regimental Room March 22, 2014, at Snow Hall here. The room is dedicated to all the batteries of the regiment, which has a history of c... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Vets mingle
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. (March 27, 2014) -- Veteran George Whitehouse, age 66, of Silver Spring, Md., remembered being drafted as a 23-year old with an accounting degree from American University. He was offered officer candidate school, but that would mean three years of service to the Army instead of two as an enlisted man.

"One more year doesn't seem long now, but back then as a kid it did," Whitehouse said.

So he chose to be enlisted and attended the Fire Direction Specialist school at Fort Sill. In his eighth week of Advanced Individual Training, he and other Soldiers with degrees were offered noncommissioned officer school upon graduation. That would mean four more months of training at the schoolhouse which was across the street, and then going to Vietnam as an E-5 for one year, he said.

"I went into the Army December first (1970) and by July, I was an E-5 and I only had to do a two-year enlistment," said Whitehouse, a certified public accountant.

Retired Maj. Jim Taylor recalled his time as a fire direction officer with A Battery, 1st Battalion, 321st Field Artillery. It was January 1968, during the Tet Offensive, one of the largest battles of the Vietnam War.

"We were firing constantly, 24 hours a day supporting the infantry, who were doing the big fighting," said Taylor, who is the 1-321st FA Vietnam Veterans Association president.

Taylor and Whitehouse were two of about 35 veterans who served with the 1-321st FA and met at Fort Sill March 20-22 for a unit reunion.

The 1-321st FA fought in World War I, was decorated for its heroics during World War II and most recently fought in the current campaign.

During the reunion, the vets and their families saw a live fire demonstration, attended a cookout, heard a briefing about the current state of field artillery and participated in the dedication of the 321st FA Regimental Room at Snow Hall here.

DEDICATION

Room 217 is dedicated to all the battalions of the 321st FA. Inside are photographs and memorabilia documenting the unit's illustrious history.

"I think it's great, it's a permanent memorial for the unit," said Whitehouse, who volunteers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and assists vets with Veteran Affairs claims.

Col. Gene Meredith, 428th FA Brigade commander, began a push for the dedicated 321st room a couple years ago. He spoke about the unit's combat history at Bastogne, Belgium, during World War II.

"It's the 321st Field Artillery that saves the day in that action with their Pack 75 howitzers firing in the direct-fire modes against the German Panzers," said Meredith, who commanded the 1-321st FA from 2007 to 2010. "The unit received the Presidential Unit Citation, which is really a Medal of Honor for a unit."

Taylor said he donated photographs for the room.

"The importance is the fact that there is a room dedicated to a unit which has a long lineage of combat excellence," he said.

Veteran Marc Carr, of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., said the dedication of the 321st Regimental Room took on special significance because it was just a couple weeks ago (March 14), that the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 321st FA cased, (deactivated) its colors at Fort Bragg, N.C.

LAST 'NAM ROUND

Carr recalled the last artillery round fired in Vietnam Aug. 10, 1972. The field artillerymen of 1-321st heard that was going to happen sometime, and when a bunch of reporters came out to their fire base they realized that was the day.

There was a lot of 105mm rounds and anything that wasn't fired would have to be hauled back, so the artillerymen made it a point to fire it all, Carr said.

The last round was supposed to be a white phosphorous ceremonial round fired 400 meters in the air over Fire Base Linda, Whitehouse said.

"When we pulled the lanyard it was a dud," Whitehouse said. "So we had to go find another round and fire that. It was kind of a fitting end to the war."