D Troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment

D Troop 2/17 Cav	D Troop 2/17 Cav Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey	"I can put names on most of the people in the D troop Scout Platoon gunjeep shot (we sometimes referred to these as "Rat Patrol" jeeps, after the ridiculous '60s TV show of the same name). Foreground, L to R are Karacek(spelling?), Bill Dees, and myself. In background leaning on another vehicle is my original platoon SSgt. Sheridan (really!) and his acting replacement in preparation,I think his name was Smith, but I'm not certain." Photo taken October 1971 at the D troop Compound - camp eagle." - Doug Kibbey. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey
This is the roof coming off of the combination "D" Trp. 2/17th Cav/"L" Co. Ranger hangar roof during the combination of Typhoon Agnes and Supertyphoon Bess that struck between 18-21 Sept. '71. The sandbags didn't help much. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey	Aerial shot taken while scouting in I Corps...look closely and you will see another recon helicopter in the exact center of the picture beneath the "shadow" of the rotor blade passing overhead. Taken in I Corps, area of Thua Thien/Quang Tri provinces. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey	Aerial recon overhead of typical farmers hooch & it's all there...water buffalo, earthen jars, and Ma, Pa & Baby relaxing in the back yard (look closely and you can see Papa really relaxing...laying out!). Taken in I Corps, area of Thua Thien/Quang Tri provinces. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey
Aerial view of convergence of two enemy trails (& a perfect spot to set an ambush). Taken in I Corps, area of Thua Thien/Quang Tri provinces. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey	Phu Bai airport from the air. Note numbers marking locations of #1 Nat'l Hiway QL-1 & #2 is the location of the terminal at Phu Bai airport. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey	2/17th Air Cav aerial recon in Thua Thien province - 1971. 1st frame was an area of suspicious activity, 2nd frame shows a lot of grazing water buffalo, 3rd frame contains family gravesites & shadow of our bird Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey
Contact. Engagement with small arms (lower left of bottom exposure) & 81mm mortar fire (middle & left of middle top exposure, extreme right of bottom exposure, which is view slightly to left of top exposure). Thua Thien province, 1971 Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey	Panoaramic of D Troop area, 2/17th Cav., 101 Abn., Camp Eagle-'71 shortly after Typhoon Agnes (note hangar roof is half repaired), view is to the SE. 'L' Co. Rangers area is beyond the hangar & slightly left. Cavalry guidons can just be seen in the peaks of a couple of the Scout (my) section hooches in foreground, Infantry section is the row behind them. Showers are to right of center and the latrine is in the foreground. TOC & mess hall are up the hill to the right. The CONEX boxes between hooches are for heavy weapons, ammo & explosives storage. As a 'ready reaction' unit, we kept our principal weapons at all times. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey	D Troop, 2/17th Cav., 101 Abn., Camp Eagle-'71 the day after Typhoon Agnes (note condition of sandbags on roofs). View up the hill toward mess hall and TOC. Infantry section hooches on the left, Scout section on the right. Emergency artillery shelter (in-coming) in center with storm debris on top Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey
I think this photo vividly shows the day to day life of a Cavalry grunt in I Corps Vietnam. Head bent low under the blades, traveling "light" and in miserable weather. An endless procession of faceless weariness, loading back up on their mounts and heading to the next hill top. The rotor blade was captured at exactly the right moment to frame the image. Image courtesy of Bob Suchke photo, D Troop 2/17 Cavalry Via Randy White

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