 Near Long Bin, damage is assessed at the 3rd Ordinance Ammunition Depot in the grim aftermath of a VC night attack. An ammunition pad with 6,000 howitzer shells was detonated during the attack, gouging out a crater nearly 200 feet across and almost 30 feet deep. The huge fireball from the blast was visible in Saigon, 22 kilometers away, where buildings were shaken and windows broken. Such was its force that a quarter mile away, this truck loaded with shells was flipped over like a toy. The mammoth blast set off secondary explosions and fires at other ammunition pads. But although thousands of shells were burned, there were no other major detonations. The attack in which two men were killed and nine wounded began when a patrol in the depot was hit by rifle fire. It was not determined if the big explosion was caused by a mortar shell or a time bomb, but the following day a crewed TNT satchel charge was recovered from another ammunition pad. Its wristwatch timing mechanism had failed only 50 minutes before detonation. With the shattering explosion still fresh in their minds, salvage crews begin recovery and removal of scores of scattered shells and broken crates. The first step toward bringing the hard-hit depot back to normal. On 3 November, U.S. Army Commander William C. Westmoreland arrives at Benoit to present a distinguished unit citation to the first battalion, 503rd Infantry of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The unit is being honored for its extraordinary heroism during an engagement in November of 1965. After trooping the line, General Westmoreland and Major General Paul Smith, commander of the 173rd, mount the reviewing stand to hear the presidential citation read. It states in part, despite the constant Viet Cong assaults, their continued attack in human waves and the many casualties sustained by the American unit, the gallant and determined troops of the first battalion, 503rd Infantry, repulsed the Viet Cong and inflicted severe losses on them. After the reading, an honor guard brings the unit's flag forward as General Westmoreland steps down to affix the distinguished unit citation streamer. This is the second such citation for the unit which earned its first on Corregidor during World War II. Returning to the stand, General Westmoreland addresses the men. General Smith, General Brownlee, officers and troopers of the first battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry. I have just had the great pleasure of pinning on your colors a streamer signifying that you have earned the distinction of the award of the presidential unit citation. This is the highest unit award that a unit of the Armed Forces of the United States can receive. It is my privilege in behalf of the President of the United States to make this presentation today. I congratulate you on your fast performance and will continue to expect great things of this distinguished organization, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, in the future. Then to the strains of a stirring march, the men of the heroic battalion proudly pass in review. At Natrong, units from the Vietnamese and United States Army and the Vietnamese Navy gather in celebration of National Independence Day, November 1st. Amidst a large crowd of onlookers, the troops stand at attention and salute as an honor guard raises the Vietnamese flag, symbol of the Second Republic founded three years ago. The Con Hoa Province Chief, an airborne troop commander, is on hand to deliver an address expressing the nation's gratitude for United States aid in the struggle to maintain independence. Then, distinguished individuals from both American and Vietnamese units come forward to receive decorations. A high-ranking officer receives the Vietnamese Medal of Honor Second Class from the Province Chief, as does Master Sergeant Donald Scherz, a MacV Intelligence Advisor. Members of a distinguished paratrooper unit are also awarded similar honors. Then the men reassemble to pass in review, climaxing several days of National Day celebrations in the area. On the northwest coast of Taiwan, Generalissimo Zheng Kai-shek and a host of dignitaries, including members of the U.S. Military Advisory Assistance Group, prepare to observe Exercise Nan Chang. A combined sea air and land operation, the exercise is the Republic of China's annual Armed Forces demonstration. Held on the 19th of October, this year's program demonstrates Nationalist China's military invasion capability. Well-drilled infantry advance inland, supported by a massive artillery bombardment from the beachhead. Machine guns and flamethrowers hit mock defense positions. In the frontal attack, concrete tank traps are used for cover by the advancing forces, as a naval bombardment supports. The invasion demonstration concludes as crack airborne units cascade behind the secondary defense. Observers agree that the 600,000 some-odd military force of Chiang Kai-shek's command is in a high state of preparedness due to constant training. I am Sergeant First Class John E. Garrison Enlisted Operations Advisor assigned to the Northern Advisory Team, Training Advisory Division Army Section MAG. In the background you have the entrance to the First NCO Academy, a portion of the Chinese First Field Army. Unlike NCO schools, as we know them, the primary mission of this school is to give the students a high school education, at the same time preparing them for a military career as non-commissioned officers. At the successful completion of the course, the students are given a rank of corporal and must serve six years on active duty. The school under its present concept was started in May of 1965. At that time, funds from the military assistance program were used for the construction of the building. However, since that time, the Chinese Army has taken over the maintenance and construction of new facilities. There are no U.S. advisors assigned permanently to the school. However, the advisors of the Northern Advisory Team are always available to offer assistance or advice when needed. Academic curriculum for the NCO candidates is similar to that taught in U.S. high schools. Algebra and geometry prepare the students for difficult technical training which lies ahead. To better understand their American military advisors, the trainees learn to read, write and speak English. I know what to say. I know what to say. When to talk. I know when to talk. When to go. I know when to go. In the field of sciences, basic chemistry gives the student a fundamental background in the use of chemicals as they conduct classroom experiments. Through his biology studies, the NCO candidate gains an understanding of the bodily processes of man and the effective germs upon living cells. Here at Zhongli, particular stress is given to physical fitness. The wave drill limbers up legs and torsos. Fundamentally, a military academy, the school teaches a full schedule of military courses, including sand table tactics. Weaponry classes provide instruction on such automatic weapons as the machine gun, both 30 and 50 caliber. Arms used by the nationalist Chinese or a U.S. manufacturer and American Army advisors direct maintenance. Standard U.S. Army 45 is also the handgun issued to these NCO trainees. Many are expert shots. Motor drills turn out highly proficient teams with a clear understanding of the weapons used. At nearby Chang'an is the Republic of China Armored Center and School. Operated by the Chinese First Armored Division, the center offers complex courses covering the entire spectrum of the Army's armored vehicles and their communications network. In a class devoted to the study of communications equipment, armor students learn how to operate and perform simple maintenance on several models of American-made military radios. Heart of all student research is the Armor Academy Library. Technical books, manuals, and pamphlets printed in both Chinese and English are to be found here. Constantly growing, the library poses a problem. A new wing has recently been added and still more shelf space is required. Practical application of classroom training is the next step, as eager students are permitted to begin maintenance procedures on armored vehicles and engines of World War II vintage. Tanks and other vehicles are supplied by the United States Army. Elsewhere at the school's fire direction center, trainees learn to plot fire emissions for such artillery weapons as the 105-millimeter Howitzer mounted on a World War II M7 chassis. However, it is in new condition. In final stages of training, new tank men are put through their paces with their M41 tanks during firing exercises. To the observer, it is clear the U.S. commitment in Army advisors and materiel has not been wasted. Today, the military posture of the Republic of China is a major factor in the affairs of Southeast Asia. At Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, President Lyndon B. Johnson is welcomed enthusiastically on 29 October, the second day of a three-day visit to that nation. The President enters the university auditorium and dons academic robes to receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Political Science with King Phumifol Aduhiyodet among those present. My nation today is bearing a heavy load in the Vietnamese conflict alongside of your nation. The central tragedy of our times is the human and material waste. That goes into war. It is my hope and my firm expectation that as soon as Hanoi accepts reality and the war in Vietnam ends, it will be possible to devote substantially greater funds to the relief of all human need in the world. To the enrichment of life. And in that larger effort, we believe that Southeast Asia will have its full share because we know that you believe as we do that we would much prefer to take our material resources and put them in bread for babies and to put them in bullets and bombs. On 30 October at Don Muang Airport, Flower Girl strew petals in the path of the first U.S. President to visit Thailand and his first lady as they bid farewell to their hosts. The Royal Thai Air Force Band plays as U.S. Air Force One glistening in the early morning sunlight takes off for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One hour and 32 minutes later, Air Force One touches down at Kuala Lumpur's International Airport. The Malaysians extend an elaborate welcome to the first United States President to visit their nation and to Mrs. Johnson. Among the dignitaries on hand to greet them are Malaysia's King and Queen. An Honor Guard stands by as the King escorts President Johnson to the dais followed by the Queen and First Lady. The 101 man Honor Guard is from the Royal Malay Regiment. The United States Chief Executive responds to the warm welcome given to him upon his arrival. You valiantly subdued a communist insurgency in your own nation. And then from the very same room where you once planned battle strategy, you planned the works of peace. You began building a free and prosperous countryside that can relieve the poverty and the apathy upon which communism so often thrives. Your achievement in this respect, I believe, has the greatest significance for our struggle in Vietnam today. You have shown that military action can stop communist aggression and that while the aggression is being stopped, and even more strongly when it is stopped, the peace as well as the war can be won. Your example offers us hope for the future. It is a great pleasure to be here and to see firsthand. And Ms. Johnson, I look forward to the great pleasure to our stay with you. Thank you very much. That night, a glittering state banquet is held at Parliament House in honor of the President. One highlight is the colorful Malaysian ballet performance. In his final speech before flying to South Korea, the President makes his first direct comment on the latest Chinese nuclear test. I have been in Asia. The Communist Chinese have exploded another nuclear weapon, which they state was attached to a missile. The pursuit of a national nuclear capability not only makes international arms control, including a nuclear test ban and a non-proliferation treaty vastly more difficult. It also invites danger to China itself. For the leaders of China must realize that any nuclear capability they can develop can and will be deterred. We have already declared that nations which do not seek national nuclear weapons can be sure that they will have our strong support if they need it against any threat of any nuclear blackmail. Activities of a U.S. mobile training team within Bolivia are varied and wide. The mission of the three-man team from 8th Special Forces Group Airborne stationed at Fort Gulik Canal Zone is to give general training to male and female nurses working at the Bolivian Military Hospital in La Paz. The team supervises a six-week training course, including both classroom and practical work in the hospital. The director and Captain Joseph Maher pause for a look at some of the outpatients. Captain Maher and his team are honored in a formal ceremony held on the grounds of the hospital. The occasion is attended by Bolivian and American notables along with hospital personnel. It reflects a measure of the appreciation and wholehearted cooperation on the part of the Bolivian government as expressed by the Bolivian Minister of Defense. At the School of the Army in Kokobamba, another mobile training team under Major Patsy A. Milantoni teaches a course in counterinsurgency. The 26 students, all graduates of the Bolivian General Staff School, welcome the course in interior defense and development as they prefer to call it. Although members of the team conduct most of the instruction, guest speakers are frequently included in the program. Enrollment is limited to only the most deserving career officers. At graduation ceremonies, Major Milantoni delivers an address to the class and attending notables, which include General Guzman, the Minister of National Defense, and Colonel Kenneth Masak, Chief of the U.S. Army Mission to Bolivia. Major Milantoni then presents diplomas to the graduates. Concrete evidence of the excellent rapport established between the mobile training team and students with a common goal. Santa Cruz is the setting for another activity of the mobile training team. The hog project has been built under the supervision of MTT. On hand for the dedication are officers from the U.S. Army Mission and officials from the Agency for International Development along with members of the MTT. A commemorating plaque is unveiled by Colonel Lawrence Horace, Chief Military Group. Following the dedication, the officials take a tour of the farm. The project, started in April 1965, will provide more than 1,000 fat hogs per year. Yet another activity of MTT is an interest in Bolivia's Boys Town, located near La Paz. On one of the frequent visits, team leader Captain Maher accompanies Major C.A. Wiskowski, Medical Advisor of the U.S. Army Mission to Bolivia. These boys are waiting for medical treatment. Captain Maher is present on his off-duty time to learn and to offer any assistance possible. Scrapes and cut fingers are common among active youngsters. And it doesn't hurt a bit. Major Wiskowski does the honors in distributing bars of soap to the boys. Their brief but very welcome visit concluded, Major Wiskowski and Captain Maher take their leave. Adios amigos, come again soon.