Alpha Troop: Men of Iron, Steeds of Steel
17
Lt. Col. John Norton, came to Captain Poindexter with an odd request. Someone “up the line� had directed that the 1st Squadron detach one of its troops to be temporarily assigned to an infantry unit, in this case the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). This same someone had also decided, apparently, that this combination of otherwise incompatible arms would be an experiment in the disparate branches working together in the harsh jungle environment. The aims were not terribly clear to the on-scene commanders, but there it was. Would Poindexter be interested in taking his troop deep into War Zone C and giving it a try? Given his reputation for spirited participation, Poindexter could hardly refuse. Thus began a series of hookups and engagements between Alpha Troop and one company or another of the 2nd of the 8th, usually Company A or the soon to be prominent Charlie Company. This combined arms team was directed to conduct tactical sweeps in War Zone C. Poindexter had three platoons under his direct command. The 1st Platoon was being temporarily led by SFC William McNew, a twenty-year regular army veteran. On the cusp of being too old for this sort of arduous field duty, McNew had been pressed into service as a platoon leader in the absence of an available commissioned officer. Perpetually pink from too much Southeast Asian sun and partly balding, McNew was an old-school NCO (noncommissioned officer): army proud, profane, hard-drinking, tough on his men, but not afraid of a fight. The 2nd Platoon was led by 1st Lt. Mike Healey, twenty-four, from Flint, Michigan. Healey was the senior platoon leader, but not by much. At least he had a few firefights under his belt and was known to be solid, dependable, and fearless. He had attended New Mexico Military Institute, then the University of South Carolina, where he graduated in 1967. His ambition was to go to law school, but he was certain he was going to be drafted, so he enlisted instead, hoping to get a slot in OCS. He made it and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in 1968. After one year stationed at Fort Hood,