Bill Curwick graduated from Marshall High School in 1968 before enlisting and training as an Army Combat Engineer. He deployed to Vietnam in November 1970, serving first with the 26th Engineer Battalion at Chu Lai. Bill extended his tour and the Army reassigned him to Engineer Company (Provisional), which supported units of the 196th Infantry Brigade in Danang.

Bill’s mom did not approve of his decision to extend his Vietnam tour.

“I told my mother it was because I had survived a year in a job that typically ended sooner – the life expectancy for a demolitions specialist was short. I felt I was knowledgeable and good enough to make it longer and I didn’t feel right that someone would take my place. (Bill cleared his throat) That didn’t go over well with Mom.”

He described his new Engineer Company’s base camp.

“The Provisional Company was located two klicks (kilometers) from Danang. It was already established when I got there. Our unit was tucked in close to a ridgeline, which was an advantage because it was difficult for enemy rockets to come in on us. There were two rows of hootches, each with five or six people, for the enlisted personnel. Across the compound, with a basketball court in between, were the officers’ quarters and showers. Our Headquarters was near the entrance of our area. We built a road across a rice paddy to another flat area where we parked and serviced our trucks and equipment.”

Bill explained the significance of the designation of “Demolition Specialist.”

“We said all the experts were dead. Once you think you’re an expert, you think you know it all and make a mistake because you are overconfident. I was always cautious and focused. I called myself a specialist, not an expert.”

Bill formed a group of demolition specialists who deployed in three-man teams anywhere from four days to a couple of weeks to support units of the 196th Infantry Brigade. He described the demolitions equipment he carried going to the field.

“I packed about 80 pounds of C4 plastic explosives and filled my pockets with blasting caps. I usually carried 10 or 12 yards of fuse, so I could cut whatever length I needed. One of the two guys who’d go with me carried 10 to 20 pounds of C4 and the other one carried blocks of TNT. We had a sledge hammer (Used to crack unexploded bombs and recover the higher-quality explosives inside.) I had a special, demolition pliers with a pointed end so you could punch a hole in TNT and dynamite to set your cap. It also had an end to crimp the blasting cap onto a fuse.”

He listed the load common to everyone on the patrol. This included his extra pair of pants and socks, poncho and liner, five days of food, and two canteens of water in his rucksack. He carried a 1½ gallon bladder attached to his rucksack; his M-16A1 rifle and a dozen clips of ammo; and a couple boxes of rounds to reload his clips. He estimated his entire load weighed around 150 pounds.

Once packed and ready, Bill and his team linked up with the infantry unit they were supporting.

“They would take us to the 196th helo pad and meet up with whoever was going out. From there we would chopper out. Sometimes it was short trips, but often it was quite far, close to the Laotian border. I didn’t like those much because you knew (Bill chuckled) you were going to run into somebody. That was (the enemy’s) major highway into Vietnam from the north.”

Bill and his team lived in the field like infantrymen. He explained what that meant.

“You didn’t bathe the whole time you were out. You slept on the ground. If it was raining, two or three of you tied ponchos together as a rain cover. It didn’t mean you weren’t going to get wet that night, it meant that you weren’t going to get real wet. We walked wherever we went. Elephant grass was terrible. It had razor-thin blades that tore at your uniform and skin. If your front men weren’t cutting a wide enough path with machetes, as you brushed against that grass, it would cut your sleeve. That was the only time I wore my sleeves down. Going into the mountains you climbed; walked; climbed some more; and slogged across rice paddies. You didn’t mind crossing streams so much because that was the only bath you’d get. But on the other side you took a break for someone to pick leeches off you and you picked them off yourself and others.”

When the unit encountered a booby trap or unexploded ordnance, Bill described his focus on that demolition task.

“I always had the unit move off a safe distance. If we’re dealing with a bomb, I had them move as far away as possible, while keeping me in sight. If I’m dealing with a land mine or booby trap, 20 meters was okay, if they had something to hide behind. If they didn’t, they’d lay on the ground to reduce the chance of being hit by debris. When I had a suspected mine or booby trap, my job was to clear it for the rest of guys. I was completely focused on that job. If we began taking in-coming rounds, I wouldn’t even notice. If I made a mistake, I could kill myself and others.”

Bill kept returning from these combat patrols and the days kept ticking off his Vietnam tour. He was becoming a short-timer.

©2025 William D. Palmer.