Colonel Willard (Wil) Esplin
Served 26 years in the US Army but this section tells of his 2 tours in Vietnam. His daughter Holli Joyce supplied me a treasure box (4 of them) of material her father saved over the decades, and landed on her front porch when he died. To date we have found an audio tape, several letters, awards from the Vietnamese Army, a report by a Vietnamese Colonel or General on the battle for Kontum in 1972, a 24 page introduction for men newly assigned to the 1st Infantry Division in 1966 and other materials still to be found. August 16, 2011.
Welcome to Vietnam
This handbook was prepared by the 1st Infantry Division to inform new arrivals about the Divisions history and prepare them for Vietnam. It covered Vietnamese history, geography and that it was subdivided into provinces and [...]
Wil Esplin Audio Tape
Audio Tape, (58 minutes) Wil Esplin recorded this tape in 1972. The later part of the tape is an audio diary but the tape begins with him recalling the early months of 1972, of the [...]
Appointment letter from General William Westmoreland
A letter from General William Westmoreland offering an appointment to Wil Esplin A letter of appointment from the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, William Westmoreland, offering an appointment to Col. [...]
The Sentinel, Fall of 1985
The Sentinel, fall 1985 edition. This is the newsletter of the Society of the First Division. The story of the First Divisions tour of duty in Vietnam from 1965 to 1970. This article is a [...]
The Sentinel, Summer of 1985
The Sentinel, summer edition 1985, newsletter of the Society of the First Division. The story of the pre-deployment preparation, then the 1st Division's deployment to Vietnam. November 1, 1965 is the official date the division [...]
After Action Report on Cedar Falls Operation
This map is not associated with the 3 page Battle Report to all First Division members, by 1st Infantry Commander by General W. E. DePuy. The map shows the area of operation for the 1st [...]
Montagnard Knife and Scabbard
The knife and case are works of art, I hope these pictures show the details of this unique award for service. It is possible this is a standard gift to Americans working with the highlanders [...]
Vietnamese Medals
The information about these medals is my understanding a translation reported to me in broken Vietnamese/English. The last three are Vietnamese Bronze Stars for courage in the Kontum region during February 1973, awarded by three different [...]