DUC PHO — When the "Old Man brings smoke," it's a sure bet someone's in trouble.
The "Old Man" in this case was LTC James A. Franklin, commander of the 11th Inf. Bde.'s 3rd Bn., 1st Inf., and the person in trouble was a Viet Cong tax collector.
Franklin, of Plainsville, Ga., was flying over the "Gaza Strip" area north of Duc Pho to mark a landing zone for a combat assault. As he prepared to "pop smoke," he saw a man on the ground trying to hide.
The colonel's chopper was flying at 600 feet when he threw the smoke grenade at the enemy tax collector and hit him on the shin.
An original copy of this document was donated to the Americal Division Veterans Association (ADVA) by LTC Paul Parham who served as Information Officer for the Americal Division.
