February 11, 1944

Frank Corbett Howard III was drafted into the Army and was inducted on February 1, 1968.  He received his basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas.  From Ft. Bliss he was sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for advanced infantry training.  Right before he was to be shipped to Vietnam, he received orders to go to Officers Candidate School at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, where he would receive 23 weeks of officer training. He graduated and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in Military Intelligence. He then received six weeks of Combat Intelligence training and was assigned to six months of Vietnamese language school.  His full language training was cut short when the Army determined that he would not be able to serve a full year in Vietnam before his term would be up.   

In Vietnam he was assigned as an S2 advisor for Advisory Team # 55 in the Kien Giang Province.  This was located in the Mekong Delta.  There were only 34 Americans at this area of operation.  Lt. Howard’s orders were to teach and train the local ARVN troops, how to plan and execute air strikes and to protect their Province from attack by the enemy.  His group also planned the attacks and invasions into Southwestern Cambodia in early 1970.
 
During his term in Vietnam, the ‘free fire zones’ were suspended due to the fact that the Viet Cong  would attack and then place civilians in open lines of fire thus causing loss of civilian life.  

Most nights for seven months or so of his 12 month tour, Lt. Howard would fly command ship in a Huey helicopter with his Vietnamese counterpart. Their mission was to observe and determine target areas and provide support for ground troops under attack.

Coordination with the CIA for intelligence matters were also on his list of work to be accomplished.  Most intelligence was obtained from informants that Howard would pay for information.  Once the information was received, Howard would, along with the S3 operations officer,  plan and conduct ambushes or operations with his Vietnamese counterpart.  His counterpart would then relay the plans to their men via radio.  Howard soon learned that this was not working as planned and found out operations were being compromised by open radio.  The next ambush information given to his counterpart was also sent via radio.  However, his counterpart did not know that the coordinates for the operation he received was incorrect.  The operation was at a different location entirely.  As a result, the ambush was successful and resulted in one of the largest fire fights during Howard’s military tour.  For this ingenuity he received the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry Medal.

Howard also received the Air Medal for his hours of operations aboard the Huey and the Bronze Star for meritorious service.

Howard came home after his 12 months tour of duty and was released in December of 1970.