CONTENTS 1. Battalion Commanders 2. Battalion Sergeants Major 3. Company Commanders

During the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry's time in combat in the Republic of Vietnam, eight men commanded the Battalion.. They were:

Thumbnail (CLICK for Bio)	Description	Thumbnail (CLICK for Bio)	Description
	Albert L. Hutson, Jr. Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry September 1967-January 1968 Blue Dolphin 6, first commander of the 1st Bn (Mech), 50th Infantry in Vietnam, brought the battalion to Vietnam from Fort Hood, Texas.		Cheney L. Bertholf, Jr. Lieutenant Colonel, Armor February 1968-July 1968 Silverfox 6 was second commander of the 1st Bn (Mech), 50th Infantry in Vietnam.
	John B. Carter Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry July 1968-December 1968 LTC Carter was third commander of the 1st Bn (Mech), 50th Infantry in Vietnam.		James R. Woodall Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry December 1968-June 1969 Cowboy 6 was fourth commander of the 1st Bn (Mech), 50th Infantry in Vietnam.
	Oren R. Culpepper. Major, Infantry June 1969-July 1969 Upon LTC Woodall's departure, the XO MAJ Culpepper assumed command of the 1st Bn (Mech), 50th Infantry until LTC Gilbert arrived.		John M. Gilbert Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry July 1969-January 1970 LTC Gilbert commanded the battalion during a period which included the shift of the battalion from Binh Dinh Province to Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan Province.
	Robert H. Luck Lieutenant Colonel, Armor January 1970-June 1970 LTC Luck was seventh commander of the 1st Bn (Mech), 50th Infantry in Vietnam.		Richard D. Hooker Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry June 1970-December 1970 LTC Hooker, the final commander of the 1st Bn (Mech), 50th Infantry in Vietnam, returned the battalion to Fort Hood, Texas.
Note: Except where noted, the above photos are Public Domain and may be freely copied or downloaded.

The Battalion Commanders were ably assisted in their command functions by the Battalion Command Sergeant Major. The role of the command sergeant major is to provide calm, settled and unequivocally accurate counsel with an energy and enthusiasm that never wanes, even in the worst of times. The command sergeant major carries out policies and standards of the performance, training, appearance, and conduct of enlisted personnel. The command sergeant major advises and initiates recommendations to the commander and staff in matters pertaining to the NCOs and enlisted men. For enlisted soldiers there is no greater honor than to be entrusted with this role in a combat unit.

The following men held the post of Command Sergeant Major, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry.

Notes: * Acting CSM until August 68; promoted to E9 on 9 Jul 69.
     ** Returned to States on Emergency Leave after two weeks.

Battalion Staff Officers and Senior NCOs of the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry are shown on the Photos_HQ page.

Company Commanders* of the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry in Vietnam were:

Unit	Name	Rank	Branch	Rank, Branch	From	To
	Ron Dennis			Captain, Infantry	Sep 67	Jan 68
	Tom Schroeder			Captain, Infantry	Jan 68	Jul 68
	James H. Lee			Captain, Infantry	Jul 68	Jan 69
	Otis D. Ponds Jr			Captain, Infantry	Jan 69	Feb 69
	Forrest L. Horn			Captain, Infantry	Feb 69	Jun 69
	James Edge			Captain, Armor	Jun 69	Nov 69
	John Walsh			Captain, Infantry
	John Topper			Captain, Infantry	Sep 67	Dec 67
	Mike Dash			Captain, Infantry	Dec 67	Jan 68
	Mort Murphy			Captain, Infantry	Feb 68	Apr 68
	Donald D. Blair			Captain, Infantry	May 68	Aug 68
	Walter D. Kinard			Captain, Infantry	Aug 68	Jan 69
	Anthony V. Neglia			Captain, Infantry	Jan 69	Jul 69
	Lawrence J. DeMeo, Jr.			Captain, Armor	Jul 69	Aug 69
	Robert E. Camors, Jr.			Captain, Infantry	Sep 69	Oct 69
	James Parker				Oct 69	Jan 70?
	Richard Guthrie			Captain, Infantry	Sep 67	Jan 68
	Ron Dennis			Captain, Infantry	Jan 68	Jul 68
	John D. Dortch			Captain, Infantry	Jul 68	Jan 69
	Jimmie D. Chaney			Captain, Armor	Jan 69
	Robert F. Hagen			Captain, Infantry		Oct 69
	Robert E. Camors, Jr.			Captain, Infantry	Oct 69	Aug 70
	John Carney			Captain, Infantry	Aug 70	Dec 70
	Herb Randall			Captain, Infantry	Sep 67	Jan 68
	Jay Copley			Captain, Infantry	Jan 68	May 68
	John Martin			1LT, Infantry	May 68	Jun 68
	Myron X. Dummitt			Captain, Armor	Jun 68	Aug 68
	Otis D. Ponds Jr.			Captain, Infantry	Aug 68	Jan 69
	James Lockhart, Jr			Captain, Infantry	Jan 69	Jul 69
	Raymond Jancso			Captain, Infantry	Jun 69	Jan 70
	Raymond W. Sarlin			Captain, Armor	Jan 70	May 70
	Jim O. Llewellin			Captain, Armor	May 70	Jul 70
	Albert E. Vernon, III			Captain, Infantry	Jul 70	Dec 70
	Bruce Braun			Captain, Infantry	Nov 67	9 Mar 68
	Tom Schroeder			Captain, Infantry	Mar 68	Jul 68
	Otis D. Ponds, Jr			Captain, Infantry	Jul 68	Aug 68
	Myron X. Dummitt			Captain, Armor	Aug 68	Mar 69
	Theodore J. Dennis			Captain, Infantry	Mar 69	Jul 69
	Raymond W. Sarlin			Captain, Armor	Jul 69	Oct 69

Note: *Many thanks to Jim Woodall and John Topper for the excellent start to this section. Send proposed additions to the Webmaster.
© 2003-2005, ichiban1.org and the individual contributors represented. All Rights Reserved. Ichiban1.org is the website of the Association of the 1st Battalion 50th Infantry. No photograph may be downloader, copied or used in any way without the express written permission of the copyright holders. Please refer to our Copyright Policy.

[ Home ] [ Bn KIA's ] [ News ] [ Stand-down ] [ History ] [ Photographs ] [  Reunion ] [ Message Board ] [ 1/50 Association ] [ Email Members ] [ PX ] [ Constitution ] [ Online Application ] [ Links ] [ © 2003, ichiban1.org ]