FRED G. HUDGEONS

Patriot, Chapter 1919

 Army, Vietnam

He completed Basic and Infantry Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Ord, California in April 1962 and was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for Airborne training. After earning his “jump wings,” Fred arrived at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, home of the 101st Airborne in June 1962 and was further assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry in 2nd Brigade.  Only eight weeks into his airborne career, he sustained injuries to his left leg during a tactical training jump that took him off parachute status permanently.  He was soon put on orders for Korea.

He served a 13 month tour in Korea in 2nd Battle Group, 32nd Infantry, 7th Infantry Division, then returned to the United States in 1963, assigned to the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas.  He arrived just in time to go with the 2nd Battalion, 41st Infantry when the entire division deployed to Germany on Operation “Big Lift,” an early version of what later became the “Reforger” annual training exercises in Europe.  Soon after their return to Fort Hood, In December 1963, Fred reenlisted for Fort Ord, California.  He was with the Trainfire Committee there, during the early years of difficulties with the Trainfire system, until receiving an assignment to Hawaii in 1965.

Shortly after arrival in his new home at Schofield Barracks with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, he was sent on a 90 day TDY training mission to Vietnam.  He arrived back from temporary duty only to go back again, that time for good, as the entire division deployed to CU CHI in January 1966.  He was wounded by a sniper February 2, 1966, only a few days after arrival. He was shot through both feet, the bullet going through his left ankle and across the bones in his right ankle.

With massive damage to his left ankle, Fred was medevac’d to Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver, Colorado.  He says, “I couldn’t do anything but crawl at first. I had to learn how to walk all over again, and I was in Fitzsimmons for a full year. Then I had to fight to avoid being medically retired. The medical board agreed to let me out on a limited duty profile, but only close to the hospital where it would be easy for them to call me back for reevaluation. So, I trained AIT’s at Fort Carson until 1968 and then received orders for Europe to the Berlin Command, despite the fact that I was still on Temporary Profile. In fact I remained on Temporary Profile for a number of years.”

Fred arrived in his assignment to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry of the Berlin Brigade, but after being there only about three months all the medical profiles, he among them, were screened out and reassigned elsewhere in United States Army Europe (USAREUR). Fred was sent to Aschaffenburg and the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division.

Describing it today, Fred says, “Aschaffenburg was a good assignment, but the next year, 1969, I volunteered for an inter-theatre transfer to go back to Vietnam.  I was assigned to the 1st Logistics Command and sent to the Long Binh Depot where I became the ranking NCO for the Depot’s Open Storage. That was the Army’s biggest Open Storage Area anywhere in the world at that time and I was supervisor of the work force of 97 U.S. military and 63 Vietnamese civilian employees. In early 1970, March or April, I don’t recall the date, it was during the night and I was in the barracks when we came under attack with mortar rounds being fired into our area.  I was hit in the left leg by shrapnel and was quickly treated in the hospital there at Long Binh. It was a substantial wound that has left me with a ten inch scar, but I refused to stay in the hospital, I didn’t intend to go through that again. I went back to my unit the next day and resumed my duties, hobbling around on crutches for about eight or nine weeks. When my tour was up in 1970, I rotated home to Fort Carson, Colorado”

Fred was a Platoon Sergeant in the 620th Supply Depot at Fort Carson until 1975, then was sent to Fort Greely, Alaska to the Artic Test Center of Materiel Readiness Command.  In 1977 he was assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky working in the 101st Airborne Division’s Materiel Management Center (DMMC) and he went with them on two deployments to Europe for “Reforger” exercises, and once to Panama on TDY, training the units there. In 1979, Fred received orders back to Germany.

TOP PHOTO

PVT. FRED G. HUDGEONS

1962