Recondo School in Vietnam Provides Rigorous Training, South Vietnam

Description

OF DEPARTMENT NEWSFILM RELEASE OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS) WASHINGTON, D.C. - 20301 OF PLEASE NOTE DATE May 6, 1963 IMMEDIATE RELEASE Footage: 72' Time: 2:00 OXford 7-5111 Number: V-138-68 16mm color composite print Room 2E 771 "RECONDO" SCHOOL IN VIETNAM PROVIDES RIGOROUS TRAINING (Official Department of Defense motion picture film by the U.S. Navy under the direction of the MAC V Office of Information.) Training for successful long-range reconnaissance operations in Vietnam is the prime purpose of the MAC V Recondo School, located at Nha Trang. The word "Recondo" was coined by General Westmoreland and is derived from three well-known soldiering terms: "Reconnaissance", "Commando", and "Doughboy". The school was opened in September of 1966. The students are trained to infiltrate deep into the jungle and sustain them- selves for a period of a week or more. Their reconnaissance targets are enemy infil- tration routes, cache sites, base areas and way stations. They also are trained to direct air strikes and artillery fire and to guide reaction forces to a target. They learn the best ways of doing the job and then withdrawing in the face of heavy enemy contact. They also become thoroughly familiar with booby traps, helicopter slings and other devices peculiar to jungle warfare. The Recondo school is staffed with a cadre of veteran U.S., Australian and Korean Army officers and senior enlisted men. The students are from the U.S., Australian and Korean armies and U.S. Marine Corps units based in Vietnam. SEQUENCES FOOTAGE VIDEO AUDIO 5 (a) Booby traps Wild track 7 (b) Rubber boat propelled by trainees 11 4 (c) Rappeling tower 11 4 (d) Trainee descending from copter 11 6 (e) 3-man sling used with copter 11 3 (f) Helicopter pickup air-to-air 11 6 (g) Men jump from copter close to ground 11 3 (h) Men explore brush 11 5 (i) Man steps over trip wire to booby trap 11 4 (j) Men probe brush 11 5 (k) Simulated fire fight, retreat " 4 (1) Men call in helicopter 11 13 (m) Copter picks up men " 11/2 (n) CU men in copter II 11/2 (o) Copter in flight air-to-air 11 NOTE TO EDITOR: 72' 16mm color composite print released to NBC-TV, CBS-TV, ABC-TV, UPI-Newsfilm, Telenews, and a master and optical track to Deluxe Laboratory. Print released also to Fox Movietone, EDITORS: PLEASE CREDIT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN TITLE OR COMMENTARY. This is a series color composite print released to each individual DOD pool member and is available commercially to non-pool members and other authorized agencies from Deluxe Laboratories, 850 Tenth Avenue, New York City, telephone CIrcle 7-3220.

Collection

Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Series

Filmed News Releases