 At a field encampment in the southern part of Fuyen Province, troops of the 101st Airborne Division prepare for Operation Geronimo. Phase one being launched on the last day of October is to be a night mission. The area where the search and destroy mission will be carried out is discussed as a recon platoon is brief. Terrain features are pointed out on a map. Equipment to be taken on the sweep is given a final check. Black grease paint will help to hide the troopers from enemy eyes in the darkness. Finally, the airborne troopers move out. During the night, the area around Tui Hoa is searched and scattered enemy resistance is met. Now on the morning of November 1, the airborne units begin working their way back toward the landing zone. The probing continues on the way out. Bundles of clothing and other personal belongings left behind by the fleeing Viet Cong are examined. 17 of the enemy were killed during the night long sweep. Bags of rice also left behind by the VC are opened and the contents destroyed. In a brief rest period, some men try to sleep while others just sit down somewhere. Now in full daylight, the night operators file out of the jungle and reach the open field where the helicopters will pick them up. A smoke signal brings the troop lift choppers and the leg weary jungle fighters begin the 64 kilometer flight back to their camp. At Cong Son, weapons taken from the enemy during the night are put on display. Operation Geronimo phase one has been successful. A daily ground support mission is about to get underway as two gunships of the 48th aviation company take off from their base at Tui Hoa. Today, the 23rd of October will be different. 35 kilometers north of their base, the gunships are given an urgent new assignment. An Army 01 spotter plane is down. Gunships of Joker platoon are to assist in the search and provide cover for the Medevac chopper. The wrecked aircraft is spotted within 30 minutes and the two armed choppers circle the area. Dustoff arrives, sliding downward toward the crash site to pick up the injured pilot. The gunships continue to cover. A suspicious movement is seen below as the wrecked aircraft is set afire. The gunships will refuel at Tui An, then return for a better look at the area where the crash occurred. Landing at Tui An, the refueling commences at once while the two aircraft commanders quickly discuss the plan of action. Then the gunships of Joker platoon are once again in the air. Alert to the possibility of enemy troop movement in the area, the sector is closely scrutinized and photographs are taken of all suspicious localities. Then ground fire is encountered. The gunships go into action, raking the edge of the jungle with machine gun fire as each helicopter makes a pass. Next time around, the enemy position is hit with rocket fire. The target, marked by smoke bombs, is again blasted with machine guns and all ground fire ceases. It's all over. And the Jokers go home. Halfway between Phu Cot and Hammond airfield lies a holding camp for Vietnamese refugees. Established by the First Air Cavalry Division, its primary function is to take care of civilians uprooted from their villages during Operation Irving. Male refugees construct permanent type dwellings with materials supplied by the first Cav. Although the camp will be their home only until they can be moved to resettlement villages. However, for the time being, many still live in tents. Anything of value which they can salvage is put aside for their future homes. Meanwhile, as they wait to begin new lives, each family cooks and eats its meals out of doors. During the month of October, approximately 2,800 displaced civilians have been given refuge here, in addition to the livestock which will help them begin anew. A short distance away, nearer Phu Cot, at a compound established by a United States MP company, prisoners taken during Operation Irving are given an ID check. As soon as they are checked in, these Viet Cong captured by the First Air Cavalry Division are taken to one of the compound buildings for interrogation. A U.S. lieutenant and an ARV interpreter team up to interrogate one of the prisoners. A wounded prisoner has his head bandaged by a medic while he is put through an intensive interrogation to make certain he is a Viet Cong and to exact information that will assist the First Cav in its search and destroy operations. As soon as the prisoners are confirmed as VCs and their interrogation is completed, they are led into the wire-enclosed compound where they are kept under tight security. This hut serves as their sleeping quarters. Although only 20 are being held here at the moment, as many as 400 a day have been brought in during Operation Irving, they line up outside for dinner. On the left are Chieu Hois, who surrendered voluntarily. In the center is a North Vietnamese regular and on the right are Vici Guerrillas. The Bill of Fair consists of familiar hot rice and unfamiliar sea rations. Some eat only the rice prepared by local Vietnamese women, while others embarking on an entirely new adventure in eating bravely struggle with the sea rations. The Mekong River and the monsoon season add up to an inescapable fact of life in the Mekong Delta, flooded farmlands, villages, and cities. In Chau Doc province, 190 kilometers southwest of Saigon, the annual flood damage is much worse than usual this year. With their homes virtually afloat, thousands of inhabitants have had to flee to higher ground. In these communities, some as close as 1800 meters to the Cambodian border, wading on Main Street is a seasonal way of life. US military vehicles trying to help are bogged down. US special forces personnel stationed in the Delta team up with the Navy and USAID to fly emergency medical supplies and food to the refugees. Thousands of typhoid and cholera shots will be administered to prevent epidemics. The rescue crews discuss loading problems, since helicopters must take off, carrying an overload of as much as 500 pounds. The floodwaters came last year and will almost surely come next. And as long as they're in the area, US Army personnel will do all they can to help. Another contingent of the Philippine Civic Action Group arrives at Tainin on the 19th of October. Here, 80 kilometers northwest of Saigon, the new hospital group is greeted by other members of the Civic Action Team, who had arrived during September. Several nurses are among those who are being greeted. The village head man joins in the hearty welcome for the nurses and other medical personnel. Work on the Tainin Station Hospital was begun by the Filipino engineers soon after their arrival. This building, one of three in the hospital complex, will house the outpatient clinic and dispensary. The temporary dental clinic already services some 300 patients per day. Most work is extraction. At the adjoining dispensary, patients are registered in and medics take care of them. A high percentage of the patients are children. Nearby, the old Tainin school is undergoing remodeling and expansion. Improved educational facilities rank high on the program of activities. Viet Nationals assist in the work. At the village of Tainin, a short distance away, food is distributed to the needy residents by one of the Philippine Civic Action Teams. On the outskirts, members of the security battalion stand guard. The village is located in Warzone C. The 29th of October is a banner day for the people of Phukuong Village, 32 kilometers north of Saigon. They are celebrating the start of a new road building project. Civilian dignitaries gather from near and far for the occasion. Flower garlands go to the Filipino engineers who will build the road. The commander of the Philippine Civic Action Group explains the construction program and pledges assistance for the district. A Filipino engineer and a Vietnamese highway worker symbolize the United Construction Effort as a parade of road building equipment is staged by the Philippine Civic Action Group during the ceremonies. The Philippine commander bids farewell to the villagers and the new Civic Action Project is officially launched. Despite an attempt by the Viet Cong to turn celebration into tragedy, the Vietnamese National Day Parade is held right on schedule in Saigon on November 1st. Premier Qi, Chief of State too, and other high-ranking dignitaries take their place on the reviewing stand. The day's events get underway with a military flyby. Only an hour before, terrorists fired several recoilless rifle shells into the area, but they fell short and caused little damage. The Vietnamese infantry troops carrying their unit colors proudly lead the parade down Phong Nhat Boulevard as a crowd estimated at nearly 100,000 looks on. Loudest applause of the day is won by the colorful and primitive Montagnard tribesmen of the Central Highlands and their elaborately decorated elephants. Not to be outdone, the Montagnard tribes women also put in an appearance. Another popular group is a band of 500 former Viet Cong who came over to fight on the government side. A crack military drill team makes an impressive showing. As does a Royal Australian Army Band leading a combined company of Aussie and New Zealand forces. Vietnamese paratroopers demonstrate their free fall techniques. They are followed by elements of the Philippine Civic Action Battalion. Just about every type of Allied fighting unit in Vietnam makes an appearance, even a scout dog platoon. The hour long parade climaxes 18 days of celebration, commemorating the overthrow of the Diem regime in 1963 and the establishment of a new republic. But even more, it demonstrates once again the determination of both Vietnamese and Allies to defend the independence of that republic. On the morning of four November, disaster strikes throughout Northern Italy when recent alpine snows too quickly melted by warm rains sends torrents of water cascading madly down the mountainside. A normally dry creek bed running through the resort of Fiera di Premiero is suddenly transformed into a raging river causing landslides and destroying homes and bridges. In a courageous attempt to divert the rampaging river, the people of the town band together to form a human chain for passing rocks along during the construction of a dam. For three days, the onslaught continues. All roads are washed out, communication disrupted. Totally isolated, the community exists without heat, electricity, or drinking water. Responding to a plea for help, helicopters of the US Army SeaTap Aviation Company, stationed near Verona, begin a shuttle of needed supplies into Fiera di Premiero, including blankets, food, and tools. Known as the Angels of Mercy because of their aid during other disasters, the Army aviators evacuate many of the injured as well. With at least seven dead, scores injured, and damage running into millions of dollars, residents believe it will take many years before the tourist resort returns to normal. Feeling right at home in the rarefied atmosphere of the world's highest commercial airport, astronauts Richard Gordon and Neil Armstrong arrive in La Paz, Bolivia to continue their goodwill tour of Latin America. After meeting local officials, the astronauts and their party begin a 45-minute descent from the airport, which lies over two and a half miles above sea level in the Andes. Along the route, they are greeted by thousands of cheering Bolivians. Lieutenant Commander Gordon flew with Gemini 11, which set the altitude record, while Armstrong's Gemini 9 was the first to accomplish docking in space. In the center of town, an official ceremony is held, during which the astronauts place a commemorative wreath at the statue of Simon Bolivar, liberator and founder of Bolivia. Then they wade into the crowd, meeting as many people as possible before departing on the next leg of their 10-nation tour. Several days later, it's much the same story as the astronauts reach Panama City, last stop on their busy agenda. After a motor cave through the city, the astronauts and their wives are welcomed at City Hall. The mayor in typical Latin fashion greets them warmly. They, in turn, present him with a scale model of their Gemini spacecraft, as well as a color photo of the capsule as it orbited the earth. Next stop is Cathedral Plaza, where the astronauts, accompanied by American Ambassador Adair, once again place a commemorative wreath, this time beneath the bust of Panama's founder and first president, Dr. Manuel Amador Guerrero. As the hectic three-week tour winds up, the astronauts look forward to the more leisurely business of piloting spacecraft. This prototype of the UH-1 universal particle separator is being installed in a UH-1D helicopter. Developed by the Army Materiel Command, it is designed to reduce erosion of the T-53 engine used to power the UH-1B, UH-1B 540, and the UH-1D. After the particle separator is installed, the primary test aircraft takes off at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and aims directly for the first test area. Sand and dust are the primary causes of the engine erosion, which is seriously affecting helicopter operations in Vietnam. At the second test area, the particle separator is tested for its effectiveness in preventing ingestion of long blades of grass, which cause engine failures when they become lodged in the inlet guide vanes. This grass is trapped in the separator. Throughout the tests, temperature-sensitive paints applied to the driveshaft are checked to see if installation of the particle separator reduces air cooling. The third test area provides dust conditions more typical of operational flights in South Vietnam. Under normal conditions, the T-53 engine has a time between overhaul of 1,100 hours. In unprepared, dusty areas in Vietnam, T-53 engines have required replacement in as little as 300 hours. If the UH-1 universal particle separator proves itself under these varied conditions, it is expected that engine failure in Vietnam will be greatly reduced. The XM-166, a full-track air defense vehicle, represents the marriage of a standard M-42 twin 40-millimeter gun turret mounted on an M-548 chassis. In tests conducted on the Dona Ana Range, El Paso, Texas, the XM-166 is put through its paces. The weapon fires at towed and fixed ground targets. The XM-166 proves its maneuverability in cross-country tests. Combat loaded with five men aboard, the vehicle weighs 29,000 pounds, half the weight of the present M-42. The current tests reflect firing damage to the operator's cab, equipment, and tie-down belts. It is expected that these deficiencies will be corrected. Put through a series of stability tests with hydraulic system stabilizers in on and off positions, the XM-166 displays a fine degree of stability. When all tests have been completed and evaluated, it is expected that the XM-166 will replace the M-42 and provide air defense with an air-droppable amphibious full-track vehicle, and at the same time, represent a dollar savings, since the chassis itself is presently in the Army inventory.