A Troop 4/12th Cav

Spybuck 30 June 2002

M/Sgt. Spybuck back to camera

 

Thomas Woodrow "Chief" Spybuck died 30 June 2002. He served with 2nd platoon of the 4/12th Cav in Vietnam from 1968 - 69.

Remembrances


From: Bill McShane
Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 8:31 AM
Thanks for the copy on Spybuck. Interesting guy. Remember one time being in the trenches with him in Dong Ha during a shelling. Have you ever seen a white Indian? Big big smile. Would like to have talked with him one more time. Tried calling with no luck some months ago, and then the news of his condition came. Thanks.

From: James Kershner
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 4:02 PM
Sgt Spybuck was a hell of a good man and even though I haven't seen him for 30 some years, I have never forgotten him and I will miss him, Rest in peace brother.
Charlie Brown.

Subject: PSGT Spybuck

I found your site recently and wanted to comment that it is excellent. I greatly enjoyed seeing it.

I was not a member of A Troop, 4th of the 12th in Vietnam, but was later when it was reconstituted at FT Polk in 1975, as a part of the newly
reformed 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized). When I reported in I was made the Platoon Leader of of 1st Platoon. A few weeks later my platoon
sergeant arrived, SFC Thomas Spybuck. Yes, this was the same Sergeant Spybuck from A Troop in 1968. He was an excellent soldier and just the platoon sergeant a wet-behind-the-ears second lieutenant like me needed. The two of us worked together for over a year, and he taught me a lot about being a good officer, a good leader and how to lead a cavalry platoon. He moulded the platoon into a cohesive unit that was highly capable of performing its mission. During our tenure, our scout squads took first and second place in the squadron in the mounted scout proficiency course, our rifle squad was first in the MISPC, our Sheridan crews shot 1st, 2nd and 4th in Squadron gunnery and our mortar crew was 2nd in mortar gunnery. I attribute all of this to Chief's experience and leadership. Considering that when we got there, the platoon consisted of mostly 11B10s from the Infantry Training Center, and we had no equipment, weapons or vehicles, and a year later we had successfully completed all this training plus platoon ARTEPs, this was quite an accomplishment. Chief was the main factor in making it happen. I still remember him saying at our first meeting, "now sir, if you just listen to me and do what I say this platoon will do just fine." Thankfully, I was smart enough to take his advice. He was one helluva soldier and one of the finest NCOs I've ever had the privilege to work with.

Chuck Wohlrab
A Troop 4/12 Cav
1975-77


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