SGT. Louis “Phil” Mayrand, Jr.
U.S. Army
Co. F 75th Infantry (Airborne) Ranger
Vietnam ’68 – ‘70
U.S. Army
Co. F 75th Infantry (Airborne) Ranger
Vietnam ’68 – ‘70
Phil Mayrand was born in 1946 in Greensboro, NC where he lived until the 5th grade. His family then moved a short way to Winston-Salem where he graduated from Reynolds High School. Phil’s father was a pharmaceutical chemist, and his mother started her own real estate business. Phil describes himself as the skinny kid who always got picked on and like many others, was drawn to the bravado of the military. At that time, President Kennedy was placing greater emphasis on the Special Forces and Phil wanted to become an Airborne Ranger Green Beret. Phil went to the local recruiting office to enlist but when the recruiter called his house, his father answered the phone. At the end of the call Phil was told in no uncertain terms he was going to college.
Phil went off to college and was drafted in early 1968. He was able to get the draft board to allow him to complete the school year so he could complete his associates degree in Civil Technology. Phil had a college sweetheart and wanted to get his service obligation over as soon as possible and he entered the military in June ’68 with a two year commitment. He recalls that he had a hard time in basic training. He wasn’t in good physical condition and barely based the PT requirements. Phil thought the worst thing that could happen to him at the end of basic training was to receive an assignment as a combat engineer based on his associates degree. However, he was assigned to Advanced Infantry Training at Ft. Polk Louisiana which had the worst reputation for the training experience. While he was there, he managed to get himself into Non-Commissioned Officer Training School so he could get the rank of NCO. At the end of school, he had the choice of serving as a platoon sergeant and taking a new platoon through another training cycle of Advanced Infantry Training or go to Ranger School. Phil chose Ranger School. He knew he was headed to Vietnam, and he wanted the best training possible.
Ranger School was very demanding. The entire purpose of the 1st phase is to break you down. Early to bed and very early to rise. Each day consisted of physical training and classroom work. The men were constantly pushed to their physical and mental breaking points to build SOG operators that would not quit in the face of the most extreme adversity. Sleep deprivation, food deprivation, extreme temperature changes and more, all designed to help a Ranger handle any situation that could ever present itself in the field. Phil recalls lots of candidates dropping out. “I barely made it through Ranger School”.
Phil deployed to Vietnam and his first stop was Cam Rahn Bay. When they opened the door, he could hear the artillery in the background. After one night there he boarded a plane to Cu Chi where he was to receive his assignment to Company F 75th, Infantry (Airborne) Ranger. When he reported to the Commanding Officer, he was told that he had been “volunteered” for Company F based on his small arms infantry training. He told Phil, he would be assigned to Long Range Patrols which were extremely dangerous and in locations only accessible by boat or air. The Rangers were primarily inserted by helicopters or by boats. They operated very closely with the “Brown Water Navy” who drew their name from the muddy waterways in Vietnam. All but two of Phil’s mission insertions were done by boat.
The Commanding Officer told Phil that if he stayed, he could guarantee two things. First, Phil would be on back-to-back three-day four-night missions for 11 ½ months and the second was he would receive a Purple Heart because that unit had a 90% casualty rate. At that time the Rangers mission was to gather intelligence by monitoring and reporting enemy movements and when possible, to engage them in combat. They were on the ground division level intelligence for the 25th Infantry Division. They would go in heavily armed, be completely silenced and completely camouflaged. The Rangers were so effective, the enemy had a $2,500 bounty on the head of each Ranger. In the end, Phil chose to stay with the group because of the high morale and the brotherhood that formed from being part of such an elite group.
I asked Phil if he was every scared. “I was terrified the entire time I was there.” “Patrols were scary as hell……you couldn’t see any of the present dangers at night”.
After being in country for 3 months Phi’s until was assigned a mission which turned out to be his last. They were to go in “heavy” with an eight-man team which was larger than the normal Ranger Team. They would be inserted at night by Navy Patrol Boats River (PBR) on to the bank of the Vam Co Dong River just east of the Cambodian border. This was the main inlet to the Ho Chi Minh Trail where the NVA were bringing in supplies and troops for fighting in South Vietnam including attacks on Saigon.
On August 6th, 1969 they were inserted by two PBR’s and made their way to the position designated for them to observe the enemy and engage them if possible. When they arrived they found the position was flooded. The Rangers had to move back toward to the river to set up a new position. The team set up a temporary position in an artillery shell crater and set up a perimeter with claymore mines. Just after daylight the team was discovered by a Vietnamese woman and child who were looking to set up fishing nets. The team leader gave the order to kill both to protect the team, but the two Ranger couldn’t bring himself to shoot them because they were unarmed. The team leader radioed the Ranger operations center in Cu Chi multiple times that day advising they had been compromised and requesting extraction. They were denied and told to continue with the mission.
That night they could hear the enemy approaching. Phil said the claymore mines come with instructions to stay 100 meters away to avoid back-blast injury. That night the mines were only 5 meters outside their perimeter. When the enemy reached the perimeter, the signal was given, and they detonated 10 claymore mines. “When that many claymore mines go off at the same time it sounds like the end of the world.” Standard operating procedure after firing the claymores is to engage the enemy with 20 minutes of suppressive fire. A massive fire fight ensued. Phil expended so many rounds he was unable to hold his rifle without wrapping a towel around it.
The enemy threw a satchel charges into their position and sent off a devasting explosion which also set off some of the Rangers munitions. Phil was on his knees firing his weapon when the explosion occurred, and he was thrown to his left into the crater bank. Two men were mortally wounded and later died from their injuries. The remaining six were also wounded. The team leader was wounded so badly he could not continue to command the unit. Phil was the assistant team leader, and it was up to him to handle the situation. Despite the ringing in his ears and the right side of his body peppered with shrapnel, he was able to radio the operations center. He advised the operations center that they had been badly hit and they needed Illumination to provide an accurate situational report. The illumination was provided and three Navy PBR’s were able to engage the enemy with suppressive fire and move into position to evacuate the Rangers.
Phil had to get the more seriously wounded loaded on to the PBR’s. He looked to a teammate who was on his knees crying “we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die!” Phil back handed him across the face, told him they were not going to die and they were going to load the wounded men on to the boats and get out of there. The PBR’s took the Rangers across the river to an area where they could be medevac’d out. Phil boarded the last chopper and headed for Cu Chi. All the Rangers were recovered.
When they arrived at the 12th Evacuation Hospital in Cu Chi the medic asked Phil if he was feeling ok. Phil said yes and insisted they tend to the more badly wounded. The medic continued to check on Phil and at one point told Phil he was as white as a sheet. They x-rayed him and found that he was bleeding internally from his wounds. Adrenalin had allowed Phil to continue to execute his team’s extraction. After a week Phil was sent to a military hospital in Yokohama, Japan. Phil had seen his last combat mission. After two months he recovered from his wounds and was sent to Korat, Thailand for the remainder of his of his time overseas. For his actions which resulted in saving the lives of several team members, Phil was awarded the Silver Star.
At the conclusion of his tour of duty, Phil was discharged and returned home. There was no hero’s welcome, and he remembers a woman coming up to him and spitting on him. Phil went back to school and went on to have a career in construction materials and real estate. Phil suffers from survivors’ guilt that stems from not volunteering to return to his brother Rangers. This led to abusing alcohol and marijuana and until he was hospitalized and told that he would die if he didn’t change his ways. Phil thought, “If the VC/NVA didn’t kill me then I’m not going to let this kill me”. Phil was able to achieve sobriety, but it took him 30 years before he could get the VA to recognize his PTSD and help him get it under control. Unfortunately, during that 30-year period his first marriage and his business both failed. He eventually got his life under control and met a wonderful woman, found love and remarried at the age of 62.
Phil is proud of his training and the brothers he served with. He gives credit to his Ranger training for saving his life and the lives of the men of Ranger Team 2-1. “Back then I would have given a million dollars not to go but after living through it I wouldn’t trade the experience for a million dollars”. While proud of his service, “the war, not so much.”
Phil thank you for your sacrifices and enduring the physical and mental wounds of a very difficult war. In the face of extreme danger, you kept your cool, saved your teammates and displayed true bravery and selflessness. You are an example for all of us to follow. In the end, God smiled on you and gave you a wife after a very long wait. You and the rest of the Rangers set a high bar for the rest of us.
Phil went off to college and was drafted in early 1968. He was able to get the draft board to allow him to complete the school year so he could complete his associates degree in Civil Technology. Phil had a college sweetheart and wanted to get his service obligation over as soon as possible and he entered the military in June ’68 with a two year commitment. He recalls that he had a hard time in basic training. He wasn’t in good physical condition and barely based the PT requirements. Phil thought the worst thing that could happen to him at the end of basic training was to receive an assignment as a combat engineer based on his associates degree. However, he was assigned to Advanced Infantry Training at Ft. Polk Louisiana which had the worst reputation for the training experience. While he was there, he managed to get himself into Non-Commissioned Officer Training School so he could get the rank of NCO. At the end of school, he had the choice of serving as a platoon sergeant and taking a new platoon through another training cycle of Advanced Infantry Training or go to Ranger School. Phil chose Ranger School. He knew he was headed to Vietnam, and he wanted the best training possible.
Ranger School was very demanding. The entire purpose of the 1st phase is to break you down. Early to bed and very early to rise. Each day consisted of physical training and classroom work. The men were constantly pushed to their physical and mental breaking points to build SOG operators that would not quit in the face of the most extreme adversity. Sleep deprivation, food deprivation, extreme temperature changes and more, all designed to help a Ranger handle any situation that could ever present itself in the field. Phil recalls lots of candidates dropping out. “I barely made it through Ranger School”.
Phil deployed to Vietnam and his first stop was Cam Rahn Bay. When they opened the door, he could hear the artillery in the background. After one night there he boarded a plane to Cu Chi where he was to receive his assignment to Company F 75th, Infantry (Airborne) Ranger. When he reported to the Commanding Officer, he was told that he had been “volunteered” for Company F based on his small arms infantry training. He told Phil, he would be assigned to Long Range Patrols which were extremely dangerous and in locations only accessible by boat or air. The Rangers were primarily inserted by helicopters or by boats. They operated very closely with the “Brown Water Navy” who drew their name from the muddy waterways in Vietnam. All but two of Phil’s mission insertions were done by boat.
The Commanding Officer told Phil that if he stayed, he could guarantee two things. First, Phil would be on back-to-back three-day four-night missions for 11 ½ months and the second was he would receive a Purple Heart because that unit had a 90% casualty rate. At that time the Rangers mission was to gather intelligence by monitoring and reporting enemy movements and when possible, to engage them in combat. They were on the ground division level intelligence for the 25th Infantry Division. They would go in heavily armed, be completely silenced and completely camouflaged. The Rangers were so effective, the enemy had a $2,500 bounty on the head of each Ranger. In the end, Phil chose to stay with the group because of the high morale and the brotherhood that formed from being part of such an elite group.
I asked Phil if he was every scared. “I was terrified the entire time I was there.” “Patrols were scary as hell……you couldn’t see any of the present dangers at night”.
After being in country for 3 months Phi’s until was assigned a mission which turned out to be his last. They were to go in “heavy” with an eight-man team which was larger than the normal Ranger Team. They would be inserted at night by Navy Patrol Boats River (PBR) on to the bank of the Vam Co Dong River just east of the Cambodian border. This was the main inlet to the Ho Chi Minh Trail where the NVA were bringing in supplies and troops for fighting in South Vietnam including attacks on Saigon.
On August 6th, 1969 they were inserted by two PBR’s and made their way to the position designated for them to observe the enemy and engage them if possible. When they arrived they found the position was flooded. The Rangers had to move back toward to the river to set up a new position. The team set up a temporary position in an artillery shell crater and set up a perimeter with claymore mines. Just after daylight the team was discovered by a Vietnamese woman and child who were looking to set up fishing nets. The team leader gave the order to kill both to protect the team, but the two Ranger couldn’t bring himself to shoot them because they were unarmed. The team leader radioed the Ranger operations center in Cu Chi multiple times that day advising they had been compromised and requesting extraction. They were denied and told to continue with the mission.
That night they could hear the enemy approaching. Phil said the claymore mines come with instructions to stay 100 meters away to avoid back-blast injury. That night the mines were only 5 meters outside their perimeter. When the enemy reached the perimeter, the signal was given, and they detonated 10 claymore mines. “When that many claymore mines go off at the same time it sounds like the end of the world.” Standard operating procedure after firing the claymores is to engage the enemy with 20 minutes of suppressive fire. A massive fire fight ensued. Phil expended so many rounds he was unable to hold his rifle without wrapping a towel around it.
The enemy threw a satchel charges into their position and sent off a devasting explosion which also set off some of the Rangers munitions. Phil was on his knees firing his weapon when the explosion occurred, and he was thrown to his left into the crater bank. Two men were mortally wounded and later died from their injuries. The remaining six were also wounded. The team leader was wounded so badly he could not continue to command the unit. Phil was the assistant team leader, and it was up to him to handle the situation. Despite the ringing in his ears and the right side of his body peppered with shrapnel, he was able to radio the operations center. He advised the operations center that they had been badly hit and they needed Illumination to provide an accurate situational report. The illumination was provided and three Navy PBR’s were able to engage the enemy with suppressive fire and move into position to evacuate the Rangers.
Phil had to get the more seriously wounded loaded on to the PBR’s. He looked to a teammate who was on his knees crying “we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die!” Phil back handed him across the face, told him they were not going to die and they were going to load the wounded men on to the boats and get out of there. The PBR’s took the Rangers across the river to an area where they could be medevac’d out. Phil boarded the last chopper and headed for Cu Chi. All the Rangers were recovered.
When they arrived at the 12th Evacuation Hospital in Cu Chi the medic asked Phil if he was feeling ok. Phil said yes and insisted they tend to the more badly wounded. The medic continued to check on Phil and at one point told Phil he was as white as a sheet. They x-rayed him and found that he was bleeding internally from his wounds. Adrenalin had allowed Phil to continue to execute his team’s extraction. After a week Phil was sent to a military hospital in Yokohama, Japan. Phil had seen his last combat mission. After two months he recovered from his wounds and was sent to Korat, Thailand for the remainder of his of his time overseas. For his actions which resulted in saving the lives of several team members, Phil was awarded the Silver Star.
At the conclusion of his tour of duty, Phil was discharged and returned home. There was no hero’s welcome, and he remembers a woman coming up to him and spitting on him. Phil went back to school and went on to have a career in construction materials and real estate. Phil suffers from survivors’ guilt that stems from not volunteering to return to his brother Rangers. This led to abusing alcohol and marijuana and until he was hospitalized and told that he would die if he didn’t change his ways. Phil thought, “If the VC/NVA didn’t kill me then I’m not going to let this kill me”. Phil was able to achieve sobriety, but it took him 30 years before he could get the VA to recognize his PTSD and help him get it under control. Unfortunately, during that 30-year period his first marriage and his business both failed. He eventually got his life under control and met a wonderful woman, found love and remarried at the age of 62.
Phil is proud of his training and the brothers he served with. He gives credit to his Ranger training for saving his life and the lives of the men of Ranger Team 2-1. “Back then I would have given a million dollars not to go but after living through it I wouldn’t trade the experience for a million dollars”. While proud of his service, “the war, not so much.”
Phil thank you for your sacrifices and enduring the physical and mental wounds of a very difficult war. In the face of extreme danger, you kept your cool, saved your teammates and displayed true bravery and selflessness. You are an example for all of us to follow. In the end, God smiled on you and gave you a wife after a very long wait. You and the rest of the Rangers set a high bar for the rest of us.