March 19, 1967, our Battalion minus ‘C Company’ deployed from Dau Tieng by fixed-wing air transport to a staging area near Soui Da Vietnam, this was the beginning of Operation Junction City II in preparation for our units to assault into Landing Zone Gold. We were not alerted to the possibility of it being a “Hot LZ” or that enemy resistance was expected. The flight time to the LZ was short, I was on the 5th Chopper sitting on the floor with my feet on the skids, in a flight of 10 aircraft, and as we approached the LZ it was obviously a very “Hot” landing. The Chopper to my front was hit and exploded mid landing about 25 feet in the air, the blast and concussion blew me out of the chopper some 10-15 feet up. I hit the ground hard, my rucksack over my head and helmet blown off, rifle in the dirt and hit my head on something hard.
The enemy snipers were firing from the nearby tree line, leaving no time to gather myself or assess my injuries or pain, fear and adrenalin raging, confusion and reaction firing my weapon into the tree line suppressing any enemy fire if that were possible. The flights of choppers continued coming in, three of the downed choppers were burning, bodies and parts from the explosion were everywhere. The morning wore on and the enemy action reduced and ended, but the day was far from over. I was detailed to take my weapons platoon and assist in picking up our dead and gathering the body part of those in the choppers blown up. I was stunned and still somewhat dazed, from the hard fall, sore knee, stiff neck, and a crease in my skull still there today 52 plus years later. The bodies were difficult to gather, one was a soldier torn in half, the skin of the upper torso yellowed like a neoprene rubber, the lower half still with his pants and boots on sickened me. My first real introduction to the horrors of war.
This is one soldier’s story:
On 19 March 1967 elements of the 3d Brigade made an opposed airmobile assault into a small clearing near the abandoned village of Suoi Tre in central War Zone C, Republic of Viet Nam, at coordinates XT385708. Their mission was to establish a Fire Support Base at the location of the air landing to support further offensive operations. The Fire Support Base was code-named “Gold” after the code name of the landing zone. By late afternoon on 19 March the 2d Bn 77th Artillery (105mm) had been airlifted into position. On 20 March the 2d Bn 12th Inf, under the command of LTC Joe F. Elliot, had moved west on a search and destroy mission against Viet Cong forces suspected to be in the area. Less than two battalions of U. S. Troops now remained at Fire Support Base Gold, the 3d Bn 22d Inf (minus Company C), commanded by LTC John A. Bender, and the 2d Bn, 77th Artillery, commanded by LTC Jack Vessey. Total complement of U. S. troops at Fire Support Base Gold was less than 450. To the south, the 2d Bn 22d Inf (M) under the command of LTC Ralph Julian, and the 2d Bn 34th Armor (minus company B) under the command of LTC Raymond L. Stailey were attempting to cross the Suoi Samat River and join the 2d Bn 12th Inf in an offensive sweep to the west. During the afternoon of 20 March the Brigade Commander observed 30 – 35 Viet Cong 2,000 meters southwest at Fire Support Base Gold. The enemy was engaged with artillery and all units were alerted to the possibility of enemy activity.
At first light on 21 March 1967, in accordance with standing operating procedures, a stand-to was conducted in FSB Gold and a security patrol from 3d Bn, 22d Inf began a sweep of the perimeter. This action prematurely triggered an attack on FSB Gold which subsequently proved to be the largest single attack and the most catastrophic enemy defeat of the war to date.
As the security patrol moved to sweep the perimeter, the enemy force began a heavy mortar attack at 0640 hours followed minutes later by a ground assault from the north, east, and south. This enemy force was later determined to be approximately 2,500 men strong, composed of three battalions of the 272d VC Main Force Regiment reinforced by two attritional battalions, and supported by the U-80 Artillery Regiment. The mortar attack consisted of some 500-700 rounds of both 60mm and 82mm. At Brigade Headquarters, thirteen thousand meters southwest, an alert that FSB Gold was under attack was relayed to all elements of the Brigade. B Btry, 3/13 Arty (115 SP), C Btry 1/8 Arty (105mm), B Btry, 2/32 Arty (8-inch and 175mm), B Btry, 2/35 Arty (155 SP), all located within supporting distance of FSB Gold, commenced firing preplanned defensive fires into every clearing large enough for the enemy to use as a mortar position around Fire Support Base Gold. The Brigade Commander, Colonel Marshall B. Garth, and the Brigade Sergeant Major, AMG Bill V. Woods, boarded the only available aircraft, an OH 23-G helicopter, and flew from Soui Da to the scene of the battle.
Simultaneously, the Forward Air Controller from Dau Tieng and fighter pilots from Bien Hoa Airbase scrambled their aircraft. Less than 20 minutes from the impact of the first mortar round, the small force at FSB Gold was engaged in a bitter, hand-to-hand struggle with the enemy.
The situation inside FSB Gold had by this time become so critical that howitzers within the perimeter were lowered to fire directly into the waves of advancing enemy soldiers. The tenaciously held perimeter of the Fire Support Base had been penetrated in the north and southeast by 0751 hours. During this penetration, the enemy succeeded in overrunning and destroying one M-55 Quad .50 caliber machine gun and penetrating one of the howitzer positions. The other Quad .50 MG had been destroyed by an anti-tank round during the initial attack. In all, two howitzers were destroyed by mortar and anti-tank rounds, and nine others were damaged. In addition, many of the more than 500 RPG-II anti-tank rounds were fired into the support base and landed in the ammunition stores. In spite of the withering small arms fire and the exploding stores of 105mm ammunition, the gun crews remained at their guns, cannibalizing the destroyed howitzers to keep the damaged guns firing. Crew members from the destroyed guns carried ammunition and stepped in to fill vacancies as casualties occurred in the operating crews. All cooks, clerks, and other available personnel of the artillery battalion which had been formed into a preplanned reaction force, now moved to block the penetration of the infantry’s perimeter. By this time the infantry soldiers on the perimeter of the FSB who were subjected to the brunt of the assault were fighting from isolated positions as the determined enemy force penetrated and encircled the U.S. defensive positions. Small elements of the U. S. soldiers fighting fiercely in hand-to-hand combat continued to resist the assaulting enemy. As the fighting intensified and ammunition stocks depleted friendly troops reacted quickly to the situation, seizing weapons and ammunition from the dead and wounded enemy. During the action, the penetrating Viet Cong threatened the Command Post of the 3d Battalion, 22d Infantry and the Fire Direction Center of the 2d Battalion, 77th Artillery. These positions were successfully defended, however, and the enemy assault was repulsed after suffering numerous casualties. Twenty-six dead Viet Cong soldiers were found within 50 meters of the artillery Fire Direction Center. By the time the relief force reached the scene of the battle, it was estimated that over half of the troops on the eastern portion of the perimeter had exhausted their own ammunition and were using captured AK-47s and Chicom carbines.
Airstrikes were called in on the outskirts of the perimeter and all supporting artillery units were firing final protective fires around the support base. Nearly 4,100 rounds of varying caliber were used in the accomplishment of their mission. When the Forward Air Controller directing U.S. fighter planes was shot down by enemy antiaircraft weapons, another plane was made available at Dau Tieng and a replacement FAC was on station within minutes.
Alerted at 0655 hours and ordered to move to the aid of the beleaguered defenders of FSB Gold, the 2/12 Inf, 2/22d Inf (M), and 2/34 Armor pressed on from positions as far away as 3,000 meters. As they started to move, the 2d Bn 12th Inf was subjected to heavy concentrations of enemy mortar fire in an attempt to delay their progress. Treating their wounded on the move, the 2d Bn 12th Inf continued to push on through 2,500 meters of heavy bamboo and underbrush toward their objective at FSB Gold. Harassed by sniper fire and blocked by security elements of the enemy’s main attack force, the 2d Bn 12th Inf continued to advance, moving the 2,500 meters overland through dense jungle against a determined enemy in less than two hours. The first elements of the 2d Bn, 12th Inf entered the southwestern part of the perimeter minutes before the mechanized elements arrived at 0900 hours.
For the 2/22d Inf (M) and the 2/34th Armor, the order to reinforce meant crossing the Suoi Samat River which had already halted their advance for 24 hours while they searched for a suitable crossing site the previous day. The success of the enemy effort was dependent upon this natural obstacle to prevent the reinforcement of FSB Gold. Realizing the urgency of the situation, a personnel carrier was quickly brought forward with the idea of sinking it in the river to serve as an expedient bridge for the remaining elements. Meanwhile, A Co, 2/22d Inf (M), attached to the 2/34th Armor, located a possible crossing site and had pushed one APC across. The first armored vehicle reached the far side of the river at approximately 0745 hours. The lighter Personnel Carriers were pushed through first and the heavier tanks of the 2d Bn, 34th
Armor brought up the rear.
Having been repulsed on their first attempt to overrun the FSB, the enemy mortared the objective once again and launched a second determined ground assault. This second assault was interrupted as mechanized columns of the 2/22d Inf (M) and foot elements of the 2/12th Inf almost simultaneously broke into the clearing at 0900 hours, trapping the enemy in a murderous crossfire. The 2/34th Armor was trailing and swept in immediately behind the mechanized battalion. Both the mechanized and armored elements passed through the 2d Bn, 12th Inf and swept around the southern and eastern half of the FSB while enemy troops swarmed over the APCs. The heavy guns of the tanks were firing direct fire at point-blank range into the teeming mass of troops as the enemy panicked and attempted to flee. After the mechanized units assisted in breaking the force of the attack in the eastern and southern flanks, the 2d Bn, 12th Inf moved in on the west and northwest, sweeping the entire perimeter and neutralizing the small remaining pockets of resistance. The full force of available air and artillery support was brought to bear against the Viet Cong force which was now desperately trying to break contact.
At 0931 hours, during the first lull in the fighting, with dazed VC still wandering inside the perimeter, the Brigade Commander directed his UH1-D Command ship to land in the center of the battle area. Without hesitation, Colonel Garth directed that his helicopter be used to evacuate the wounded while he remained at FSB Gold to personally direct the conduct of the action.
Behind the scenes of the fighting in Suoi Tre there was another kind of battle going on, one that drew on the resources and ingenuity of all support personnel in the Brigade. All available ammunition stores for both howitzers and small arms were rapidly being depleted. Thousands of meters away, at Dau Tieng Base Camp, at Suoi Da, and at Tay Ninh, the support and service elements of the Brigade were moving and loading tons of ammunition on UH1-d and CH-47 helicopters which flew, despite a heavy cloud cover, to begin the tedious and dangerous task of resupplying ammunition to the engaged units. At FSB Bronze, the primary support base for FSB Gold, the first resupply of howitzer ammunition was airlifted in minutes before the last on-hand round was slammed into the breach of a howitzer of C Btry, 1st Bn, 8th Arty.
By 1145 hours the intensity of the fight had tapered off and there remained only the slow task of clearing the battlefield. The scope of the battle was so vast that five days later security and ambush patrols from FSB Gold found weapons and bodies and captured wounded prisoners up to 1500 meters away.
Total U. S. casualties for the battle of Suoi Tre were 31 KIA and 187 wounded in action, 92 of which were evacuated. The remaining wounded were treated on the scene and returned to duty. By mid-afternoon of 21 March all U. S. personnel were accounted for with none missing or captured.
The enemy killed numbered 647 by body count. Ten prisoners, including one wounded prisoner found two days later, were captured. Two of the prisoners later died of wounds. From the patrol reports of the 2d Bn 22d Infantry and interrogation of prisoners and defectors, it was conservatively estimated that at least 200 more of the enemy were killed and evacuated.
Meanwhile, two defensive ambush patrols from 3d Bn, 22d Inf, composed of 15 men from Company A, 3d Bn, 22d Infantry at XT384709 and 12 men from Company B, 3d Bn, 22d Infantry at XT388702 reported “hundreds” of Viet Cong all-around their positions. The patrols were told to remain in their ambush sites and move back to the perimeter at the first opportunity. Prior to their withdrawal, they reported enemy carrying parties pulling “hundreds” of dead and wounded VC to the rear. Both patrols eventually made it back to the perimeter, however, nearly half their original number were either dead or wounded.
The next few hours the euphoria of the unit was overwhelming. The day is a blur, not sure if the Generals were there before or after we collected the bodies and parts of the enemy. The newspaper article said there were 423 bodies, but that was in the first few hours, as the mass grave that was dug had over 647 bodies and parts in it, looking like a scene from newsreels of the WWII Holocaust. My inner humanity suffered a huge tear in the fabric of what I have always believed, “Thou Shall Not Kill” to me even a small animal being killed was offensive, and here I am looking into a hole in the ground with 647 bodies that we killed. Yes, the reality is nearly certain that if we had not killed those enemy soldiers in front of that 105, most of the remaining 380 of our unit may have died. Even so, that does not reduce the feelings of guilt that I feel.
Information for this article was obtained from MARSHALL B. GARTH, Colonel, Infantry, and Michael D. Doolittle and can be reviewed: https://www.vietnamtripledeuce.org/battles.htm#SuoiTre
*****
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Accurate account of the battle. I was with the relief force, B Co, 2/22 Infantry(M), 4th ID, entering the battlefield clearing in APCs in tandem with armor support to sweep south and east on the battlefield. Recall platoon Sgt. Tate pulling his APC over a foxhole in which 5-6 dead US troops were pulled out from the foxhole and laid out respectfully. They were part of an early AM security patrol from FB Gold who had been overrun when the initial enemy assault had begun. They had all dived into the hole as the VC rapidly charged, firing into the hole and killing all but one who allegedly had been at the bottom of the pile of patrol members. I recall a VC prisoner sitting stark naked hand tied and trembling uncontrollably from the shock of the fight. Meanwhile we helped clear our area of the battlefield, and recall passing by pile of VC dead as the tank with scoop prepared to prepare a mass burial site. It was emotionally disturbing to say the least passing by the stack of corpses. We then patrolled in force outward ( with no contact) from the battlefield until we came across what appeared to be a VC attack staging area with a chalkboard standing in a small clearing. Then company commander radio-called our unit to cease pursuit.
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Great post. I too was part of Operation Junction City, a gunner of a 105 howitizer assigned to Battery A, 1st Infantry Division. Our Battery Commander was Cspt. Ernest. On April 9, 1967, our position was being overrun and as a result we’re firing a charge 2, when a round misfired in an open breach. Now 55 years later, I am alive due to a brave Dustoff Pilot and a surgeon name Dr. Robert S. Brown, who operated on me for over eight hours. Thank you again for your detailed post.
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I lost my brother Sp 4 James Dale Brewer in that battle He was with A.Co 3/22. While defending the northern section quad 50. The survivor that was on the bottom of the fox hole was Pfc. Edward Watson.
I have a copy of his written account that he gave on how he survived and what he experienced. sadly after returning home from his service Edward lost his life in a car accident in canada in early 1970’s.
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I think part of the article has disappeared as the discussion of the battle itself is not that there. Can you send me the original text?
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John,
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Something did compromise the article and half was deleted. I was able to locate some of the lost material and had to add new commentary to make it complete. / John
On Sun, Apr 10, 2022 at 9:04 PM CherriesWriter – Vietnam War website wrote:
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Paul Head. Excellent article. I was in this battle as a radio RTO for Co B 22nd inf 3 bridge 4th inf div I was on the 2nd chopper on the 2nd wave. I have a copy of the painting that is in this article. We lost a lot of good men that day. My heart goes out to their families
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Brave brave men but very sad to
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There will be a 55th reunion of the “ battle of Soui Tre “ at Fort Carson, Colorado from 3/17/22 to 3/21/22. I read this in the American Legion magazine.
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i got to tha 25th a few weeks after the battle.my good friend was there for the battle.he has since died but during my tour in the nam that battle was talked about many times.the past few years i have read everything i find about soui tre.was in a local club here at home and met a guy who said he was 3/22 at that time.i asked if he heard of soui tre….he said he was there and was blown out of a huey coming into support and had his back fractured.i still see him once in a while,but we are now in our 70s and dont really discuss the nam very much when we meet.oliver west ..25th i.d.67/68.live outside of pittsburgh,pa.
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Very good article.
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Excellent article! BTW, some minor detail are missing, like the loss of two USAF pilots who were directing the air strikes early in the morning of 21 Mar 67. CPT Tony England and 1LT Larry Forbes were my roommates and buds at Dau TIeng. There were shot down early in the AM and I never saw them again, I still miss them to this day. As a very young Army Aviator, they were my mentors when I arrived at Dau Tieng—they showed me all the tricks and short cuts to flying around that area. Many times I was able to return to Dau Tieng in marginal weather because of the little hints and terrain features that enabled a safe return to that air strip. I still owe them for this.
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Any Suoi Tre-LZ Gold veterans that have recollections that may assist the Vietnamese find the second grave of possibly 200 remains, please contact me.
And check out our FB page for that purpose- “Battle of LZ Gold-Suoi Tre”
Richard W. Magner
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Only grave i seen dug out by the M88 tank retriever was to the front of the Howitzers, May have been a 2nd opposite side of L.Z.. but i heard they flooded the whole area, make a lake. could be hear say.
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I know that there were 2 graves dug that day. Check the “Tropical Lightning” newspaper after 03/21/1967. There was many articles about that battle, along with aerial photos. I know that 1 photo showed at least 1 grave. I was there, but don’t recall where 2nd grave was dug
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How one Infantryman feels about the Artillery I was in A battery Gun1 2ND 77TH Artillery 4th I.D during the Battle Soui Tre. I came across this quote.James Holder A/3-22 wrote in his book War Storys Utah To Pleiku . As he recalled the battle of Soui Tre -LZ Gold he was a squad leader and always felt the Infantry was better then the Artillery Troops.But during the battle when we were informed the enemy penetrated the perimeter in three places,I watched the rear of our position.As i looked for the enemy i noticed that amid the 82 mm and rifle fire. the artillery men from the 2-77 were standing in the open without cover loading and firing there howitzers with beehive and HE into the tree line. I saw many of thses fine soldiers hit the ground one at a time and then it hit me like a rock-these men where falling from wounds.I came away that day with a new found pride in the artillery.We had cover they did not,yet they stayed on duty continuing to fire there Guns untill they were silenced or ran out of ammo.My hat is off to the men of the artillery!Keep up that fighting spirit. Go Redlegs Bob Hayes
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Mike, thank you for the post. So many stories behind the story during Operation Junction City. Tom
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The action that culm,inated in the Battle of Soul Tre began on the 19th of March ’67 with the insertion of units. into LZ Gold. The main attack by the NVA 272 came before dawn on 21March’67. Check out the casualty figures if you don”t believe me.
Operation Junction City dragged on for nearly a month during late January and early Feb.
This multi divisional operation produced zero engagements with the NVA even though MACV
had good intelligence that they were in the area. So, the whole thing petered out and everybody went back to base camp, and the boys in Saigon were left justifying an expensive fruitless operation. So, somebody came up with idea of using the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry as bait.
Totally be accident they picked the spot where the NVA 272 was hiding.. It must have really pissed those folk off mightily, and they more than likely though they could wipe out an isolated American unit. With ever the reason – the NVA mooted a massive assault before dawn on the 21st of March.
The perimeter was breached and 105mm field pieces were fired level with flechett rounds.
Col. Grath saved the day by finding a ford in a creek for the tanks of the 34th Amour. The tanks then swept the field and routed the NVA with 50 cal machine gun fire. It was a slaughter and Bradford Delbridge Bromely photographed it – I assume that is one of his photos at the top of your article.
1st Sargent James Jose deserves mention also. He lost part of his right calf muscle while flying into LZ Gold. He went to Dau Tein , got patched up and flew back to Bravo Company 3/22 while the fight was still on.
Mikie.
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It wasn’t Col Garth that found the ford in the Prek Lok river, it was me. I was flying the CO of the 2/22 around in an OH-23, along with the S-3 of the 2/34 armor. I had seen the gravel for two days earlier after the first battle, and took LTC Julian right to it. I was 3rd Bde $th Div Avn Sec. WO-1 and Aviator. All this took place when I was 19 years old and in country about 20 days.
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My unit 2/22 25ID was the reaction force the next day. Many good men were lost.. According to the after battle report. There were many dazed and wounded NVA soldiers wandering around inside. The perimeter. Very good article.
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Thank you for this story as it brought back many memories. I was there and assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, Battery A, 7th Artillery, a 105mm Howitzer Battery during Operation Junction City. On April 9, 1967, I was seriously wounded when my piece misfired as our position was being overrun. So many memories and so many friends lost.
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Excellent description of the battle. I escorted the remains of SP/4 Paul J. McGowan from California to Chicago. He was one of the soldiers killed March 19, 1967 in the initial helicopter insertion. I place an ‘In Memoriam’ in his memory every year in The Chicago Sun Times newspaper. God Bless all those soldiers killed.
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Thanks for taking care of SP/4 McGowan. I escorted another soldier’s remains, SP/5 or Sgt Thompson, after my service in Viet Nam. Strange that I remember his name but not his rank. I’m thinking that the escorts were matched up with the same rank solder, but not sure about that. I was stationed at Fort Knox at the time. It’s a very humbling experience. I always thought that it could have been me in the coffin.
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Very well written article. My unit was: Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor (attached to the 25th Infantry Division). I also returned to Vietnam about 8 years ago. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) selected 10 Purple Heart recipients for an ALL-Expense trip back to Vietnam and I was one of the lucky ones. Our tour guide Mr. Phai took everyone of us as close as he could get us to where we had been wounded during our tour in Vietnam. We started up in Khe Sanh and traveled all the way to the Tay Ninh and Iron Triangle area.
We took the cable tramway up Nui Ba Den that ends up at the Buddhist Temple. Coming down, we could see Tay Ninh, Rubber Plantations, towards the Iron Triangle, towards Soui Tre, and also Cambodia. I asked our tour guide Mr. Phai if we could visit Soui Tre and he said, “Yes”. It seemed haunting and so quiet as we walked around the battlefield. From there we visited Cu Chi and the tunnel complexes. My unit Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion , 34th Armor was also in a big battle on 1 March 1967 (We lost 4 of our Tanker Brothers there) just outside of Dau Tieng very close to the Michelin Rubber Plantation.
Yes, it will be 54 years ago very soon, but it is RECORDED in my mind FOREVER!
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Thanks for sharing this battle. I must admit the events seem just like yesterday. I applaud you for your return to the battlefield, such courage.
I can feel the moral injury that you experienced. I’ve flown with the 25th out of Dau Tieng and on Nui Ba Din. Welcome Home !
240th ASLT.Hel.Co 67-68 Bearcat RVN
Clear-Right !
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It was very interesting, we were in numerous battles but I don’t think any were as savage as what you have described.
I was on a tank in I Corp..
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Impressive story and your feelings of shock, terror and the futility of war are certainly understandable – even to this day. Those flechette rounds really do some serious damage. They clearly saved your life. They were even available for the M79 grenade launcher. We used them a couple of times in ambushes if Claymores failed to do the job. Hell of a weapon. Interesting how the brass all showed up after it was all over – to do what? See the carnage? Give out medals? Celebrate victory? This was a massacre of human life and representative of what so many of us experienced. Welcome home my brother.
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The story touched me deeply. The courage they showed is be on anything I experienced. You guys rocked ! Was in the Delta/Mobile Riverine Force.
I seen one man body that was blown in half after a mining it has stuck with me way too long.
Your story is nothing short of miracles and true grit.
THANK YOU!!
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Mr. Doolittle, I know it was hard for you to write this and to express your feelings. Thank you for sharing with us. And thank you for maintaining your humanity, which is perhaps the hardest thing of all for us to do.
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Great article, hadn’t thought about this for some time. I was in HHB 2/77 motor pool and was there when this happened.
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What I am wondering about is how come intel did not provide better information. If it was such a hot LZ, the deployment of troops should have been called off!! A great and well written article for all that information. How come gunships were not called in for support or F-4s, etc. Napalm the tree line and those slants would be leaving the country.
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Hey Neal, good questions. As I remember there were gunships above us most of the night. We also had Hueys bringing in additional small arms and 105 ammo. I helped unload the ammo. The tree line was napalmed early in the morning hours, just before dawn I think. It’s been a long time ago so the memories are somewhat fuzzy.
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Larry Bob Hayes seen your post.I ws on Gun 1 A Battery.I’m still in touch with few Joe Ingels Carl Besson.They made it to the 77th reunion in 2015.
Tape you might enjoy.Take care Brother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3UYucwCxkI
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Bob, Thank you so much. / John
On Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 6:10 PM CherriesWriter – Vietnam War website wrote:
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That’s behind my comment (the first one up above). There was an instance when a translation that I did about an planned attack on an ARVN base didn’t get to them because an American major thought something would be compromised. All they had to do strip the source of the info and say “A reliable source has told us that . . . .” and given the intel to them. Two nights later on AFVN’s news we heard that the base had been hit and almost sixty ARVN’s were killed. The next morning we learned about the major. Several of us were irate.
Radio Research units kept track of enemy radios. We’d alert those that should know about sudden or dramatic moves. Infantry divisions had radio research companies assigned to them. My company, 330th RRC, supported II Corps. 4th Division had 374th RRC and 25th had 372nd. Maybe someone can find out what the deal was on the eve of this battle.
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I was part of C company 2/22 mech infantry. I had never seen a battle this intense. It was like something from a John Wayne movie. So much going on at the same time. It was very overwhelming. This article was completely accurate.
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Very good article and pictures, I was there, in that battle. 4th Division, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry. Boat original trained at zFt Lewis, Washington.
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Lost my brother in that battle, He was with A.Co 3/22 4th inf. I was the one who accompanied michael doolittle to visit that battlefield. Very emotional journey for both michael and myself. I finally was able to go stand on that battlefield where I lost my brother
we put a nice big wreath there near the pagoda monument with banner saying “Never Forgotten”
still after all these years and standing there you can still vision the carnage that took place🙁
such a tragedy. Welcome Home Hero’s
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I heard years after the battlefield was flooded into a lake?
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Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am always interested in stories from fellow veterans of Vietnam.
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Very well written. Very sad that all these life’s on both sides were lost. And of course those injured have lived with that day for 52 years now. War is HELL and anyone that experience’s IT can never forget the impact. God Bless our Military.
David 25th ID 1/27th Wolfhounds 69-70
Iron Triangle
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Very graphic description of the art of war, and the meeting of your former enemy🇺🇸
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I forgot to say that I was an interpreter/translator with 330th RRC in Pleiku and Nha Trang, ’69-71.
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It would be interesting to see what information about this area that the Radio Research units in the area had, where the VC units and their forward elements and so on were located. There should have been RD’s (radio designators) for them. I’m imagining a big map on a quonset wall with red and blue labels. 372nd RRC supported 25th ID.
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