The 2nd Civil Affairs Company (2nd CA) was activated in late June 1966 at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia.  The 2nd Civil Affairs was assigned to the 95th Civil Affairs Group also at Fort Gordon which then included only the 42nd Civil Affairs Company.

     In Vietnam,  the 2nd CA was assigned to II-Field Force - Vietnam (II-FFV) which controlled U.S. Army operations in the  III Corps  and the IV Corps areas of the Republic of Vietnam.  In 1969, the unit’s assigned strength was estimated to be  185 ±.  The 2nd CA was deactivated  27 July 1971.

     The mission of the  2nd Civil Affairs Company  was  “To Seal the Victory” in the secure areas of Vietnam by “Winning the Hearts and Minds" of the Vietnamese - to get the  Vietnamese civilian population  to support their national government in Saigon.

     Civil Affairs soldiers are trained to be culturally oriented and linguistically capable to provide functional expertise to foreign internal defense operations, unconventional warfare operations and to support direct action missions.

    The other U.S. Army Civil Affairs Companies then known to be on active duty in 1965-1973 era were:  the 1st CA Company at Fort Bragg, N.C.;  the 29th CA Company in I Corps, Vietnam;   the 41st CA Company in II Corps, Vietnam  and the  42nd CA Company at Fort Gordon, GA.

     The Table of Organization & Equipment (TO&E) for the 2nd CA changed several times - officially and provisionally (P).  The original organizational concept was similar to the U.S. Army Special Forces unit configurations. There were: C Detachments (95th CA Group);  B Detachments (2nd CA Company Headquarters elements);  AA Platoons (in the CA Companies)  and A Teams  (special function teams within a Company - Medical, Public Safety, Food & Agricultural, Civilian Supply & Transport  and  possibly others).

     The original configuration of the 2nd CA at Fort Gordon consisted of a Company Headquarters with a Mess Team and a Motor Maintenance Team; three AA Platoons   and  several Teams  (at least,  one Public Health Team; one Public Safety Team;  two Food & Agricultural Teams;  one Civilian Supply & Transport Team  and  possibly others now forgotten).

    The 2nd CA Company was formed in late June and early July of 1966. The early arriving Officers attended the U.S. Army Civil Affairs School at Fort Gordon while the enlisted members had orientation and training in the company area.  Vietnamese language classes were taught several nights per week.  The months of August, September and part of October were spent on Company Field Training Exercises.

    Shortly before deployment, the 2nd CA Company was reorganized: the Motor Maintenance Team  was disbanded and their equipment was left behind at Fort Gordon;  the Mess Detachment was disbanded – only one cook volunteered to deployed with the unit.  The authorized size of the unit was increased but the unit was not fully staffed. The elements of the Company began deployment to Vietnam in October and November of 1966.

    Some additional NCOs and Enlisted Men were assigned to the unit in late October but were not Civil Affairs trained.  These late arriving members were called the “Second Increment”.  Simultaneously, two 1st Lieutenants became non-deployable because they were then “90 Days Losses”.  One Lieutenant became the  Officer-In-Charge  of training of the “Second Increment”.

     The first element to depart Fort Gordon at Augusta, Georgia was the Equipment Ship Group.  During the Summer of 1966,  the Company had just one Jeep (M-151);  just three or four ¾ Tons Trucks (M-37)  and  three 2-½ Ton Trucks (M-35 multi-fuel).  The evening before and in the dark early hours of the morning before  the Equipment Group  was to depart for the port of embarkation,  the Fort Gordon Supply Group levied the missing vehicles and equipment from other units on base.  The Company departed with 39 Jeeps, 13  ¾ Ton Trucks, three 2-½ Ton Trucks but without certain authorized TO&E equipment (Radios, M-79 Grenade Launchers and others miscellaneous tools).  The Company’s Equipment was convoyed to Savannah, Georgia where the vehicles  and  ConEx Containers (12 ±)  were loaded onto the USNS General Simon B. Buckner (T-AP-123) (a Military Sea Transport Service ship - with a DOD civilian crew - retired Navy).  The ship departed in October 1966 sailing first to Norfolk, VA  to pick up additional deck cargo, thence via   the Mediterranean  and through the Suez Canal,  stopping at Aden in South Arabia for refueling, then steaming to Nha Thrang (to offload deck cargo) and the ship finally arrived at Saigon at the Cholon Docks, in the old French Pier area, sometime in late November 1966.

     The Main Body flew from Augusta, Georgia to Oakland, California and then by ship USNS General W.S. Gordon (T-AP-117) across the Pacific, with a detour to Okinawa and stops at Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Cam Ranh Bay and finally reaching Vung Tau.  The Main Body was air-lifted from Vung Tau to Bien Hoa Airfield by USAF C-123s.  Everyone appreciated being off the ship and onto dry land.  Between the C-123's Rear Ramp and the first Jeep,  the Troop Ship Commander requested beer and booze for everyone because the trip across the Pacific Ocean had been  "very long"  and the " boat was dry ". The Main Body arrived  "in country"  on  6 Dec 1966.

    The Advance Party (AP) departed Georgia on or after  17 Nov 1966, flying from Augusta to Atlanta, through Dallas, and unto San Francisco via commercial airliner.  The AP transferred to chartered Boeing 707 (a Piedmont-Northwest Orient Airlines 707) at Travis AFB near Stockton, CA which flew to Seattle, then to Tokyo (we were not allowed to get off the plane by the Japanese Government - the Japanese did not want their Sacred Soil stained by American Soldiers going to Vietnam)  thence to Tan Son Nhut Airport at Saigon arriving after midnight on 18 Nov 1966.  The Advance Party stayed at the famous (or infamous) Camp Alpha – on a hot, steamy, smelly night. Welcome to Vietnam !  The travel time was estimated at 27 Hours (±).

     The Advance Party moved from Camp Alpha to the Plantation Base Camp in Long Binh where it was hosted and assisted by the 53rd Signal Battalion. Ultimately, the 9th Transportation Company (Airborne) provided mess facilities for the 2nd CA Headquarters Detachment.  The Post Office was APO 96266  and the unit identification code was  (W) A8GAA.  The original Telephone Number was 145, in the later years  Plantation 5355 and 5716,  and an unauthorized  Radio Call Sign  was "Plantation 54".

     When the Advance Party arrived,  the 2nd CA Company Commander was advised that the 2nd CA would  not  function as organized and trained in the U.S.A. and that the CA platoons would be distributed to the brigade headquarters of the various maneuver brigades in the III and IV Corps areas of Vietnam and within the Second Field Force Vietnam (II-FFV) area of operations.  From the original stateside configuration of three platoon and several specialists teams, the 2nd CA was re-organized initially into 14 platoons.  Included in this reorganization were three platoons from the 41st Civil Affairs Company who were transferred into the 2nd CA Company by the end of December 1966.  They had been working with and continued to work with 1st Infantry Division although officers and men from both units were intermixed to share and to gain experience.  The Officers and Men from the 41st CA were welcomed and well respected as seasoned veterans with three months of field operations. 

     The Second Increment or Rear Detachment left behind at Fort Gordon Georgia arrived in January 1967.  During the balance of the first year in country (1966-1967),  an additional  ten AA platoons  were created with arrival of new personnel and the splitting up of the now seasoned 2nd CA personnel. By the end of August 1967,   24 AA  platoons or teams had been deployed. 

     After the unsuccessful 1968 TET Offensive,  the Civil Affairs platoons were withdrawn from the maneuver brigades and assigned to work with the MACV District Advisory Teams.  Some of the available documents suggest the Platoons were reconfigured and that some Platoons were renumbered.

     In 1970,  ten platoons (or Refugee Assistance Teams) from the 2nd Civil Affairs Company  entered into Cambodia  and  supported operations by the 1st Infantry Division, the 25th Infantry Division and the 11th Armored Cavalry.    

    At various times after 1970, at least two Platoons were periodically deactivated and then reactivated because of conflicting phase withdrawal orders.  Most Platoons and Teams were understaffed.

    Someone, please help with the names of other unit members and the record of accomplishments for 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971.

    OK, enough with the unit history. I need a Map to find out exactly where was I stationed ?   A legitimate request.   There are U.S. Army Tactical Maps for most of (not all of) the  III Corps and IV Corps  areas of RVN exists at the web address below.

Maps of Vietnam

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/indochina_and_thailand/

     Select map  NC 48-7 SAIGON  for the greater Saigon and Long Binh area; or map NC 48-3 FREY VENG  which covers the Tay Ninh and Dau Tieng;  or map NC 48-4 AN LOC  which covers  Lai Khe, An Loc and Song Be.   At the bottom of each map, there is a layout of the adjacent maps for other areas.

     Alternately,  GOOGLE  and type  Map NC 48-7  find the maps listed above at the Library of the University of Texas.

Yesterday's Yesterday: 

    The 2nd Civil Affairs Company was deactivated on  July 27, 1971

Special  Acknowledgements:

    The Officers and Men of the 53rd Signal Battalion for hosting the Advance Party and for the initial supply of tentage, cots and wood dunnage for flooring and home-made furniture before the arrival of the Equipment Ship and the receipt of the WABTOC kit. 

     The Officers and Men of the 9th Transportation Company (Airborne) for sharing their mess facilities and providing electric power from their much overworked generators.

Civil Affairs Units  -  Yesterday: 

     The Vietnam Era active duty Civil Affairs Companies have now pasted into military history - 1st CA,  2nd CA,  29th CA,  41st CA  and  42nd CA  are gone but not forgotten.

     In 1968, the authorized strength of the Civil Affairs units in Vietnam was: the 2nd with 171 men;  the 29th with 117 men  and   the 41st with 140 men thus totaling 428.  The U.S. military strength in Vietnam was 536,000 and ARVN strength was 820,000.  The VC and NVA strength including base camp housekeepers, carpenters, day laborers and translators remains a mystery to all - then and now.

Civil Affairs Units  -  Today:

     The 95th Civil Affairs Group has been renamed the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) and the active duty subordinate units are 91st Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) (EUCOM/AFRICOM);  the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) (CENTCOM);  97th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) (PACOM) and the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) (SOUTHCOM)  plus the 96th Psychological Warfare Battalion (Airborne).  They are part of the XVIII (18th) Corps (Airborne)  in the  U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

     Today, the Civil Affairs units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are drawn from the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Components.  The current CIVIL AFFAIRS units (battalions and companies) have unit numbers in the 300-400 series.

From "Lessons Learned":

     From the available "Lessons Learned", the 2nd CA Commanders always requested from higher headquarters, additional trained manpower especially second tour officers who had subsequently attended the U.S. Army Civil Affairs School.  In the 1969-1970 reports, only one prior tour Captain was assigned to the 2nd CA Company who attended  U.S. Civil Affairs School and the other ten new Lieutenants did not attend U.S. Civil Affairs school.

     The establishment of a Civil Affairs  Military Occupation Specialty  (MOS) for NCOs and Enlisted Personnel was suggested but not approved.

Recent Internet Search Information:

    DA Pamphlet 672-3 is a listing of  UNIT CITATIONS and CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT REGISTER for the Vietnam Era.  In addition to the anticipated listings for the  2nd,  29th  and  41st  Civil Affairs Companies, this pamphlet lists the 51st CA Platoon  with the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)  [DAGO 1970-39]  as well as the  51st, 53rd, and 54th  Civil Affairs Companies with the XXIV (24th) Corps  [DAGO 1973-20].   However, in the 1970 Lessons Learned for the 29th Civil Affairs Company, these units are referred to as the "five attached platoon" in addition to their own nine organic platoons and specialty teams.  Does anyone have any additional information about these units ?

Recent E-Mail Advice:

     Since this web site has been live (June 2008), the following information has been received about the existence of other  Civil Affairs  Companies, Battalions and Groups  in the 1960-1970 era:  the 18th CA Company  with the XVIII Corps (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC;  the 36th CA Company  with the 96th CA Group assigned to the 22nd FASCOM (Field Army Support Command) at Fort Lee, VA;  and  finally the 1st CA Company initially with the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, NC  and then later  relocated to Okinawa where it was re designated as the 1st CA Battalion, assigned to the 97th CA Group which was organic to the 1st Special Forces Group on Okinawa.  Other units could have elsewhere.  The unit status (active or carrier), the mission, and the staffing of these organizations is presently unknown. Most units were activated in 1967 and deactivated by 1974.

     Opinion: In retrospect, one must question the wisdom of the staffing of the two stateside units when the work that needed to be done was in South Vietnam.  If the U.S. Army  really wanted the  "civil affairs mission accomplished"  in Vietnam, then the U.S. Army should have assigned the men with the proper experience and education to do the job in Vietnam.

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It is possible that when you arrived home after serving in Vietnam,
you were not welcomed home  or  under appreciated

by family, friends and neighbors.
On behalf of the silent majority, then and now, a belated

THANK YOU

for serving your country.

- - - - - -

Your contributions of

new names,  dates,  team pictures  and  project pictures

are welcome.

Please contact

Joe Napp

JNapp@2ndCivilAffairs.com

Work Hours EST-EDT @ 1-800-773-5127

PM @ 973-731-5732