Charles Clarence Smith, Jr
Specialist Four
C TRP, 3RD SQDN, 5TH CAVALRY, 9TH INF DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
Saugus, California
August 31, 1949 to April 18, 1969
CHARLES C SMITH Jr is on the Wall at Panel W26, Line 4

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Charles C Smith
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9TH INFANTRY DIVISION
DMZ BRANCH

The 3rd/5th Cavalry was dismounted in February, 1943, and re-organized under Infantry Tables of Organization and Equipment. It was re-organized wholly as Infantry in July, 1945, but retained its Cavalry designation. After Korea, the 3rd/5th Cavalry was de-activated in 1958. In 1966, it was activated for duty with the 9th Infantry Division "Old Reliables". Upon arrival, the Black Knights joined in the Division's first major contact of the war -- Operation Colby in 1967.

After the grim Tet attacks (1968), General Westmoreland reassigned Troops A, B and C, 3rd/5th Armored Cavalry to the DMZ to bolster armored firepower there.

The 9th Division unit was sent to Wunder Beach, 15 miles south of the DMZ, making it the northern-most 9th Division unit. For tactical purposes, the Cavalry units were under the operational control of I Corps. Unique is the fact that the bulk of the 9th Division remained in the Mekong Delta south of Saigon.

While the men wore the 9th Division patch, they fought with many other divisional elements in the northern provinces, including the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions, the 5th Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne, and the 1st Air Cavalry.


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