LRRP with the 75th Infantry Rangers
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On my first day in the 25th Div at CuChi, I'm with my dad, CSM John W. Norton, Jr.
The bird Colonel in the back ground whose face you cannot see was Colonel Robert Hammerquist, who was dad's CO at the time in the support unit dad served in (can't remember the unit designation. Dad was also a WWII and Korean war veteran. He arrived in Nam 6 months before I got there in September 1969 so when I arrived at the repo depot at Long Binh I asked for the 25th and dad & I got to visit on occassion until he returned home.
Colonel Hammerquist was infantry and a soldier's leader whom dad respected a great deal; so when I extended for my 2nd year in Nam I asked to serve under him as his HQ Company Commander. He was at that time the Commander of HQ MACV Support, Long Binh Post. He was a very fine CO & a fine man.
Below is a picture of me with my two sons, taken in 2013 on the grounds of the Texas state capital in Austin.
My oldest son, John, was finishing up a 5 year comtract with the Marines and my youngest son, Joshua was serving at that time with an Air National Guard squadron at Dobbins AFRB in Marrietta, Ga. It was John's idea to get us together where he had been commissioned in 2008 on front lawn of the state capital.
My only non standard dress was the red beret. I chose to wear it because that was what Rangers in F Company wore in Nam.
