I am delighted to find your 199th RAC web site (www.swampfox199thrac.org).  I feel a certain responsibility for maintaining the memory of the unit since I was its first Commander.  I'm glad you took the initiative. I am now retired-retired both from 25 years of military service and 28 years in the retail business in Carmel, California.  When my wife died in 1999 I collected all the letters and memorabilia I had saved since 1968 and wrote a 300+ page, 121,000 word book with 50 photos and charts covering the 199th RAC and the 307th CAB history during 1967 through 1968.  When I signed your guest book I added a brief resume' of the 199th's beginnings.  Since space cut the story short here is the rest of the entry:
      I was a 39 year old Major Commanding the Aviation Company of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany during 1966.  In October 1966 I received orders to proceed to Fort Hood, Texas and organize, equip, train and move the 199th Airplane Company (Lt) to Vinh Long, RVN.  
      There were only four officers present at Fort Hood on 1 February 1967, the day the unit was constituted and allocated to the Regular Army.  The unit was activated under General Order 44, IV Corps and Fort Hood dated 30 January 1967 as an independent reconnaissance airplane company of 24 each  O1-G Bird Dogs.  I signed in on 27 February 1967 as the Department of the Army designated Company Commander.  My First Sergeant, SFC Dwight C. Clark, signed in on 3 March 1967.
From then on we received the balance of the officers, men and equipment and conducted our own training program.
      We started our move in May.  We loaded all our vehicles, equipment and 28 CONEX containers on seven rail cars in one day for shipment out of New Orleans.  The aircraft were flown to Sharp Army Depot in California on 28 June for shipment aboard the USS Kula Gulf which departed for Vung Tau on 5 July.  The main body departed Fort Hood on July 14th and flew out of Bergstrom AFB to Saigon in two C-141 Starlifters.
      Your photo of the "Foxes Den" shows a canopy that did not exist when we arrived in the rainy season.  The building was a shell surrounded by mud.  We set up operations under the tower.  When we arrived in Vietnam we had 24 airplanes, 28 officers, one warrant officer, and 88 enlisted men.  Much to our dismay and blow to our morale we had to break up the company to satisfy the "Infusion" program. We had to swap personnel with other experienced units in the area, primarily with the 221st RAC already in place covering the Delta. Now that there were two airplane companys in the Delta Battalion the 221st covered the southern provinces and the 199th covered the northern provinces.  Each province had its own airfield manned by an aviation section out of the parent company.  The shuffling of areas of responsibility left the larger 199th with 30 airplanes, 31 officers, one warrant officer and 99 enlisted men.
      I was promoted to Lt Col a month after we arrived in Vietnam.  The night of my promotion party the VC attacked the airfield and the Advisor's compound in Vinh Long.  It was quite a fireworks display to add to the party,  We lost one UH1 helicopter and but Charley got his butt kicked.  As a Lt Col I couldn't stay with my beloved 199th.  I was transferred to Can Tho to work with Col Robert L. McDaniel, Delta 6 as his operations officer, Delta 3.
      The forces in Vietnam were growing rapidly.  The Army Aviation elements in the delta were reorganized under a new 164th CAG in December 1967. The old 13th became the Guardians with the four lift companys. A new battalion was formed and the 199th and 221st airplane companys, the 244th Aerial Surveillance Company (OV1-A Mohawks) and the 235 Armed Helicopter Company (AH 1G Cobras) became the new 307th (Phantom) CAB headquarted in Soc Trang.  I was selected to command the new "search and destroy" battalion. I had lost my 199th but I regained it and 3 more companys in the transition.
      My book has more to do with the people and the events of the time.  It is a very detailed chronology of the history of the 199th from activation until it was established in Vinh Long.  Later as battalion commander I still had the 199th in my command.  I gave a copy of my draft to Delta 6 (Col McDaniel) to review.  He told my old 199th Exec, Major (then) Curt Herrick that I covered operations in the Delta with fine detail, with a correct time line and was recording rich history.  I am just now starting to court a book agent.  If you were there, you are probably mentioned.
      I would welcome any contacts with old comrades.  The book can still be amended so if you have any war stories about the 199th during the period 1967-68 that you want to leave to history, let me know.