Monday, 10 July 2006
Riverine Force - Update
Contributed by Zero Ponsdorf

Vietnam vets' experience on boats utilized in Iraq

LITTLE CREEK, Va. — Thomas Cutler's combat experience on a patrol boat in Vietnam is more than 30 years old, yet it couldn't be more relevant to today's Navy.

Cutler, 58, is among a group of Vietnam vets informally advising the Navy as it reconstitutes river patrols. The Navy wants to extend its reach into the shallow brown waters of deltas and rivers, often the frontline in the war against terrorists and insurgents. Next spring, the first sailors since the days of the Vietnam-era swift boats will relieve Marines on river patrols protecting Haditha dam in Iraq.

Contributed by Zero Ponsdorf on July 10, 2006 at 01:12 PM in US Navy, Zero Ponsdorf | Permalink

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