Montagnards & 9 yards proposal

[Stephen Goranson]

Thanks, Sean Fitzpatrick, for reporting your 5 of 30 Special Forces responses.
Yet the one emphatic response presents a puzzle: a pre-Vietnam phrase claim yet
not heard in Vietnam? Respectfully, I doubt the phrase is pre-1960s. I would
instantly change my mind should any secure pre-1960s written citation be
presented; many have looked. (I think I first heard it in the mid to late 1970s
in Tidewater VA.) I'm merely following the early evidence--all Vietnam related.
(Including later Ft. Bragg, etc. related uses.)  If anyone has an early cite
besides Shepard 1967, Prof. Work (his pilot sources) 1970, Morris, SF 1972,
please share it. Ought one ignore the confluence of full yards, whole yards,
Montagnards, Yards, and photos of them in the 1967 book? (An early quote
with 'yards [with '] spelling would be significant.

Chaplain Robert L. Mole was a prolific writer, I'm learning. He went to SE Asia
in July 1965. May 1966 draft on the 9 Montagnard tribes of I Corps area:

It is anticipated that this material will be utilized for presentations to
Units on a "need to know" basis, as commitments place them in areas where such
information will have practical value. It is expected that terminology
contained herein will be upgraded or revamped in accordance with the level of
understanding of the hearers....The ethnic groups/tribes which are found in I
Corps and discussed herein are nine in number."

best,
Stephen Goranson