Article reads, "LAI KHE, Vietnam-If you see someone riding a horse with a McClellan saddle on it's back around the 1st Sqdn, 4th Cav, "Quarter Horse" rear area, don't be surpraised. The horse is Sam. Also known as "Trooper Sam" and "Super Sam" he is the only real horse in the 1st Div's cavalry unit. MSG Lewis Graff, the Quarter Horse Intelligence NCO, explained the strange turn of events that brought Super Sam from the DMZ to Lai Khe and the Quarter Horse. "Sam was found by ARVN Marines three years ago near the DMZ. He was probably one or two years old at the time and the NVA had been using him as a pack animal" Graff said. "The Vietnamese moved him from one unit to another. Finally he wound up in the ARVN's Marine training camp south of Di An," he continued. "He's a stud and he began to get out of hand. Once they (the ARVN Marines) had to round him up from the impact area of their range. We heard about Trooper Sam several times. He attracted our interest because he's the thing we could find to a quarter," continued the sergeant. CPT John H. Guthridge, then B Trp Commander, and Graff went to SUPER SAM, the mascot of the 1st Div's 1st Sqdn the ARVN camp and horse traded 4th Cav, makes life on the "dogs" a little April. B Trp got a mascot; the easier around the Lai Khe camp. In this case, ARVN Marines got rid of a problem. SSG Shirley Sheets takes advantage of Sam's The saddle? "That's another horsepower and let's him do the walking story," Graff said. He explaned that while he was serving his first tour with the Big Red One in 1967, the Quarter Horse had another mascot named Francis, which later died. "Someone, somewhere had sent a McClellen saddle from the states for Francis and we still don't know who or why." concluded the sergeant.
At the time this article appeared I was assigned as Squadron Operations Sgt.,
Dragoon Three Romeo. Not the Squadron S2 NCO. We acquired "Trooper Sam" in late April
or very early May of 1969. If I remember right we trade parts of an old water trailer
for him. When I held reveille formation at DiAn he would neigh when I would call off his
name. Our Commo Chief, SSG McDonald, really took a liking for old "Trooper Sam." Seemed
that he spent most of his Base Camp time messing with him. He sure made sure that he was
well fed. Plenty to eat and drink, including a occasional beer or two. When the Troop
moved to Lai Khe "Trooper Sam" moved with us. At a later date Sam was moved to Phui Loa
Base Camp, where he appeared in most of the squadron ceremonies. Lew Graff
At the time this article appeared I was assigned as Squadron Operations Sgt., Dragoon Three Romeo. Not the Squadron S2 NCO. We acquired "Trooper Sam" in late April or very early May of 1969. If I remember right we trade parts of an old water trailer for him. When I held reveille formation at DiAn he would neigh when I would call off his name. Our Commo Chief, SSG McDonald, really took a liking for old "Trooper Sam." Seemed that he spent most of his Base Camp time messing with him. He sure made sure that he was well fed. Plenty to eat and drink, including a occasional beer or two. When the Troop moved to Lai Khe "Trooper Sam" moved with us. At a later date Sam was moved to Phui Loa Base Camp, where he appeared in most of the squadron ceremonies. Lew Graff
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