I came in-country in January of 1969 originally slotted as an advisor to ARVN LRRPS but was moved to MAT II-36.

Our MAT was part of Province Advisory Team 45, Headquartered in Phan Rang.

We worked directly under Major Tom Ray, the DSA for Buu Son District in Ninh Thuan Province. Initially we rode circuit on the different hamlets in Buu Son, working with the PF to make life difficult for the VCI and discourage incursions by local VC main force units. There were no USARV units operating around Phan Rang (except for Phan Rang AFB) and so we needed to be careful not to bite off more than we could chew when in contact. 

Our Province team had 5 MAT's. Our primary protection was constant movement and unpredictability. Two of those MATs were over run during the time I was in charge of II-36. One was wiped out and the other had three of the five team members wounded when the hamlet they were in was over run. The evening that action took place, our DSA put together a QRF composed of 5 of us leaving one US at the District HQ to coordinate radio. We went out to get our guys with the  help of the local PF and the montagnard body guards (assigned to the District Team). We were able to exfiltrate the MAT alive.

After a few months of riding circuit we were ordered to go and locate (on a static basis) with an RF Battalion based at a place called Ca Na.

Ca Na was on the coast north of Phan Thiet and located on QL1. The village was composed of two hamlets and was significant because it had salt flats controlled by dikes. They would let the water in, close the dikes and let the sea water evaporate. The salt was one of the few exports that the GVN could use to generate cash. It was south of a mountain range that purportedly had two NVA base camps. We later found out that there were bad guys in those hills. Once we moved to Ca Na and set up in a fixed base, we were forced to do some trading with the USAF guys at Phan Rang to obtain several "off menu" items (for instance an 81mm mortar) which would, we felt help make us more secure. Our efforts adequate for the interim but once we were visited by higher ups they were able to get some Army engineers to build us a decent compound