Army Reporter Articles 1

CU CHI, (25th INF-IO)-The co-pilot of a UH-1D "Huey" sat tightly in his seat as he approached Trang Bang, a quiet village eight miles west of here.

The Huey, one of the many just arriving from the United States for use of the 25th Avn. Bn., featured a new, 168-pound armor-plated steel seat.

Automatic weapon fire from a Viet Cong sniper sent one bullet through the floor of the low-flying chopper. It bounced off the bottom of the captain's seat and ricochetted off to the rear. There were no casualties.

CU CHI, (25tH INF-IO) - "We can sink river traffic on a moonless night within two minutes after spotting it without any trouble using the "Lightning Bug,", Major Ronald C. Vines was talking about the 1,750,00 candles in the sky now being used to halt the flow of VC men and materiel on the waterways of South Vietnam.

Major Vines, gunship section leader of Company B, 25th Aviation Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, is the man primarily responsible for the "Lightning Bug" project here.

"Lightning Bug" is the name of a combined arms" team of three UH-1B helicopters carrying weapons, flares and bright lights. The light ship has seven landing lights mounted on an adjustable frame on the ship's side. One of the two gunners in the ship doubles as the light operator.

The team's primary mission is to stop river traffic. As the light sweeps along the water, most of it is reflected back; the water looks silvery. But when the light hits a sampan or some other major obstruction, it doesn't reflect the light back. The object appears as a dark shape in sharp contrast against the silvery water.

Now the need for even more light has been established and one of the other ships fires a flare. Then the gunship comes in [to] blast the Viet Cong. The three ships have a devastating combination of 7.62mm machine guns, 2.75 inch aerial rockets, .50 caliber machine guns and 40 mm grenade launchers.

Major James R. Vance, Company B Commander, is particularly proud of his men and their skill in operating this new addition to his company's equipment. Almost all of the men of his unit are involved in operational training to work in coordination with the "Lightning Bug" team.

The Viet Cong now have one less sanctuary as the men of the "Tropic Lightning" Division air arm pursue them into the shadows of the night with the "lightning Bug."

CU CHI, (25th INF-IO) A luminous artillery flare hangs in the wet night air, its brief light silhouetting the forms of five men riding in a helicopter.

The men quickly checkout the rice paddy terrain below, for once the flare has burned out they must work in total darkness. Their mission is to establish a landing zone, using only small landing lights, for a night air attack to be carried out by an infantry unit of the 25th Division.

The five men assigned this most difficult task wear the well known black cap of the 25th Aviation Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. With the reputation of "First in, Last out," they are widely respected by the fighting men of the 25th Division, for without the Pathfinders to show the way the air attacks which have proved so effective would be nearly impossible.

As the chopper hovers over the paddies, 1st Lt. James A. Hill and his team jump down into the knee-deep water. There is no need for Hill to bark out orders because each Pathfinder knows exactly what he must do so he silently fades into the darkness.

Suddenly one by one the small lights appear on the narrow berms of the paddies. In a matter of moments, the individual lights take the shape of a landing pad visible to the incoming aircraft, yet much more subdued to enemy detection than the spotlights normally used by the choppers during a night landing.

With the light set out, Cpl. Talmadge Dobbs takes his place at the front of the landing zone. "It's hard enough," explained Hill, "To land one of those whirly-birds during the day, to say nothing about landing one at night with a minimum of lighting."

However, with the guidance of the Pathfinders and the experience of top-notch 25th Avn. pilots wave after wave of choppers loaded with Tropic Lightning troops are landed without a trace of difficulty. Once the infantry has landed, it is the responsibility of the Pathfinders to maintain the landing zone for getting the troops out as they return from their mission. This is often the most risky part of a mission for the Pathfinders, since it is sometimes done under intensive enemy fire. Again the Pathfinders show the way, making sure that every man in aboard a chopper and on his way back to base camp.

08Oct66-Photo Caption-UNLOADING AMMO- Men of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, unload Bangalore Torpedoes from a supply helicopter during a battalion-sized operation south of the Division's base camp in Cu Chi. (Photo by Sp4 Wallace Stachera, 125th SIG-IO)

11Nov66-Photo Caption - DROP AND HIT IT - UH-1D helicopters from Company B, 25th Aviation Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, lift from a landing zone after dropping troops of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade during a recent search and destroy operation south of Tay Ninh. (Photo by Sp4 Todd C. Darch, 25th INF-IO)

17Dec66-Photo Caption - HAULING AMMUNITION - A ground handler attaches a sling load of 2000 pounds of artillery ammunition to the cargo hook of an 11th Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Group CH-47 Chinook during action in Operation Attleboro. (Photo by 53rd Signal Battalion)

CU CHI, (25th INF-IO) - A record number of sorties were flown in a one-day period by four aviation helicopter companies during Operation Attleboro in the Viet Cong infested jungles of War Zone C.

As the missions for the day flowed into the 25th Infantry Division Tactical Operations Center (DTOC), each was quickly coordinated with the various aviation companies. This was the job of Army aviation personnel working in the DTOC. "It was our responsibility," explained Maj. Leslie A. Layne, 25th Aviation Battalion, "to get the choppers to the right place at the right time."

The first mission of the day was handed to the Little Bears of the of the 25th Aviation Battalion and the Thunderbirds of the 118th Aviation Company. The mission was to transport the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry, 25th Inf. Div. to a forward support base. Battery C, 1st Battalion, 8th Artillery, which was supporting the 2nd Bn. was also lifted to this time by four CH-47 Chinooks.

Every chopper that was flyable was airborne. While the Hornets from the 116th Aviation Battalion lifted elements of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, and the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, both of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, the 175th Aviation Battalion Outlaws were hauling supplies to the Tropic Lightning 2nd Brigade forward command post, plus three other forward bases.

With the missions mounting and the need for more choppers increasing, the 127th Aviation Battalion Mustangs were committed to the action. The four aviation companies which had been placed under the operational control of the 145th Aviation Battalion then began to lift the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Wolfhounds, who were involved in a combat assault.

Shortly after noon, with the battle plans changing at higher headquarters, the Thunderbirds and the Hornets started to extract the morning drops of the 2nd Bn. and the supporting artillery. At the same time the Wolfhounds called for extraction and were lifted back to the forward base. The rest of the day was used for resupplying five 25th Division Inf. Div. forward battalions.

The statistics for the four aviation companies totaled 350 combat sorties, 100 resupply missions and 2400 combat troops transported. The four Chinooks from the 178th Aviation Battalion had moved two artillery batteries and flown 30 resupply missions which totaled more than 75 tons of ammunition and supplies.

But shortly after 7 p.m. as the Little Bears were enjoying their supper, a call was received from a Special Forces headquarters requesting helicopter support for a Civilian Irregular Defense Group, engaged with a VC force three miles west of Tay Ninh.

Jumping back into their ships, they returned to make a night combat assault to reinforce the CIDG unit in contact. In the hours to follow they hauled troops and ammunition and evacuated the wounded to the Tay Ninh base camp.

CU CHI, (25th INF-IO) - Captain Charles A. Robinson, helicopter pilot in the 25th Infantry Division, dug his face into the soft dirt of the bunker and waited.

He squirmed as red ants began to crawl inside his fatigues, biting him as they moved. Once more, from outside, came the deadly whooshing sound, then the explosion.

The first round from the VC barrage had landed on the edge of the trees, just beyond two tents where the helicopter crews were sleeping. Fragments had made a ripping sound against the canvas.

The second round had exploded less than 100 meters away, on the far side of two parked gunships, the VC gunners had a bracket with the tents and the helicopters in the middle.

The next mortar round failed to split the bracket. Pilots and crews sprang from the bunker, ran to the two aircraft, and began to pull a pre-flight inspection for damage, ignoring the rounds which continued to fall close by.

Team leader, Capt. Francis X. Delvy, spearheaded the attack, his weapons systems spitting rockets and solid tracer from the pylon-mounted machineguns. Hot on his tail was Robinson's ship, which blasted the area with rockets and 40mm grenades.

The gunship pilots had more to worry about than mortars. The VC were executing coordinated ground attacks on several isolated outposts outside the perimeter of the camp.

As the pilots swooped in low to lay fire into the enemy positions, the VC turned their automatic weapons skyward. "Every now and then I'd hear a crack," recalled door gunner Sgt. Robert E. Price. Each door gunner fired some 5000 rounds that night.

The armed helicopters of Troop D, based here, provide nighttime counter-mortar standby teams for both Cu Chi and Dau Tieng base camps on a regular schedule. They share this duty with the 25th Aviation Battalion and the 116th Hornets Aviation Company.

CU CHI, (25th INF-IO) An elusive snake, slithering around the controls of a helicopter, prompted a 25th Infantry Division aircraft commander to radio in that as far as he was concerned his aircraft was down.

While flying a mission for the 25th Aviation Battalion, Capt. Thomas Fickle felt a snake crawling across his right foot. Pilot WO George Harrison took over the controls allowing Fickle to rid himself of the snake.

Moments later Fickle regained the controls of the aircraft, because it was Harrison's turn to chase the four-foot long snake from his feet.

As the aircraft neared Bien Hoa, the snake slithered under the floor plates. After landing the crew removed all the inspection plates from the fuselage, found the snake, but couldn't reach it because of all the small compartments.

Fickle resumed the flight, and while over Long Binh, the snake reappeared by poking its head out of an opening in the left door.

At this point Fickle radioed to battalion operations stating, ".... as far as I'm concerned this aircraft is down." and immediately returned to the airfield here where he picked up another helicopter.

Ground crew personnel worked four hours with tools, aerosol sprays, and fire extinguishers before capturing and destroying the snake.

Deane, 37, is a major, a 10-year Army veteran, commander of the U.S. Army Japan Aviation Det., a rated helicopter and airplane pilot and instructor, a Vietnam veteran, and a holder of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The missing, one, the right, was smashed into uselessness one summer day a year ago 10 feet above a dried-up rice paddy in some forgotten corner of Vietnam by a Chinese submachine gun bullet. They took it off in a dingy, Army quonset-hut field hospital a few hours later.

"There are a lot of people who never even walk again after losing something like a foot. The rolls of rehabilitation centers and disability discharge rosters are full of their names, but Howie Deane's is not on them.

Sitting in his office between flights in his unit's four helicopters, he has to handle the delicate task of telling some of the highest-ranking VIPs in Japan that they just CAN't be flown in an Army helicopter today because the weather won't permit. Deane remembers back to the day fate couldn't like him.

"We spent the morning putting two platoons of the 25th Inf. Div. into an area down by the Oriental River, but nothing much was going on down there."

About noon, Deane's flight of 10 Delta-model "Huey" choppers from the A Co., 25th Aviation bn. "Little Bears" got orders on the battalion command radio to pull the troopers out and head for new hunting grounds.

The birds, each carrying about eight combat-equipped infantrymen, flew northward 20 miles to a heavily wooded area near Trun Lap, about 50 miles above Saigon. The escorting gunships picked a likely area, a dried-up paddy field, and pulled the "slicks" down in to the area. It was quiet-like a hornets' nest before you hit it.

The area was a Viet Cong battalion headquarters, and Deane's flight had dropped the platoon strictly by chance, straight between two companies of hard-core VC. They were sandwiched in, and the Yankees were the "meat." But no one knew it yet. There was light ground fire on the way out- "the usual stuff."

The 25th's 105mm howitzers, dug in around an old Japanese airfield at nearby Trang Bang, were still silent when Deane's flight came in and picked up the second platoon. There still was no hint.

Back again in the landing zone, there still was little activity. But this time, the ground fire increased slightly, and one chopper took a hit in the tail rotor that sent it scurrying back to Cu Chi with heavy tail vibrations.

Deane's flight headed back to Trang Bang to stand by, but a curious message came over the radio. "Stand by in orbit over Trang Lap Ranger Camp. You'll be extracting casualties."

"Casualties? We just dropped them in there," Deane said to his 20-year-old copilot, Tommy Hutchins. In back, husky Jim Easterling, crew chief, glanced at his door gunner, a new kid who had been in the company less than a week. They said nothing.

After 10 minutes, the word came, and back they went. Deane was flying today in the number three slot, because flight leader's radio had gone out and that chopper had to drop back in the flight. Ground fire was thick and fast.

"There was a lotta chatter, lotta hits, lotta things goin' on. Both men in the back opened up with M60s (machine guns), and kept firing after we'd landed. It was the first time in my young life I'd seen door gunners firing on the ground."

Tracers were flying everywhere, and the infantrymen ran for their lives into the copter. Deane, who didn't get the word to extract the troops, was surprised. He pulled the chopper out and they made for Cu Chi, to deliver wounded and dead to the hospital there. There were a lot of them.

They gassed up hurriedly at Cu Chi, then back to the battle. This time, coming in, they could really see what was going on.

"We saw a pair of Navy jets slide in just overhead, getting ready for airstrikes. I told Hutchins 'those are mortars in the LZ', and we could really see 'em goin' off. Then I saw the black pajamas moving up at the other end of the paddies. It was the first time I really saw Viet Cong."

Troops on the ground were seeing plenty of them. Deane heard on the radio from another chopper as they came in "They won't come! They won't come! I'm waving 'em on, but they won't come!" Fire was so intense that every time a man raised his head, he got it shot off. The soldiers were paralyzed with fear.

Ten feet off the deck, a spray of AK 47 bullets ripped into Little Bear Three. Deane felt a "mighty sting" in his right foot and looked down. Blood was spilling out of two holes through his foot, just in front of his ankle. "I'm hit," he said on the intercom, "you've got it." Seconds later, Hutchins said, "I think our hydraulics are out." The ship started to drop, fast.

Deane flipped the hydraulics switch to off and wrestled the controls. The chopper flared in for a perfect landing. "Let's see if we can get this thing out of here," Deane said, ignoring his foot. The radio crackled: it was the chopper behind them. "Hey three, you're on fire. Get out of there fast." Deane said. "Let's go," and everyone moved.

Hutchins jumped out. He saw bullets kicking up spurts of dirt all around him, and he froze. He stood there for seconds, watching in helpless fascination the fight rage around him. Then he ran like hell.

Deane staggered out on one foot, waving his .45 pistol. He looked up and saw the next chopper pull up alongside. He remembers spotting the helmeted face of Ira Hartwell watching him from the pilot's window - then he fell flat on his face. He started crawling. Behind him, Easterling was dismounting his machine gun and shouldering its ammo. He was hidden behind the chopper and no one knew where he was.

Two crewmen from Hartwell's bird ran out and grabbed Deane, dragging him into the copter. Just as they were about to take off, Easterling walked out around his helicopter, staggering like a drunk under the weight of the gun. He would have been left behind if Howie Deane hadn't fallen down.

As Hartwell took off, Deane tried to forget the pain in his foot and fired his .45 out of the door. It was a horrible ride back to Cu Chi.

They flew him to the 93rd Medical Evacuation Hospital at Bien Hoa, and there he found out about the foot. "I'd been wounded before, and didn't think it was serious. But everyone who came by kept feeling my toes, and wouldn't tell me what was wrong. Finally, the doctor just said "It's pretty bad - I'll do what I can for it." When they dumped me back in my bed after surgery. I looked down and saw the foot was gone. That bullet had just churned up everything inside."

"I tried not to tell her, but she knew something was wrong. But she didn't care-she said she was just glad to have me back, no matter what was wrong with me." Deane also learned that, of all the men who didn't get off the ground that night, none survived. Their bodies were found lying in the paddies the next morning.

While Deane was lying in Walter Reed he was surprised that everyone kept asking him if he was going to get out. "Why, do I have to?" he answered. "I just never thought of it any other way. I wanted to go back to flying, and that was all I kept asking, and finally I found someone who sent me to Ft. Rucker, Ala. for flying tests. "Deane had spent 10 months in the hospital, but he passed his flying tests, and acquired an instrument instructor's rating to boot. "I just never doubted that I'd fly again at all. I want to keep flying still I retire."

So now, here he is, in Japan, commanding his own aviation detachment (all four of his pilots have won the Distinguished Flying Cross in Vietnam). Sharing the Tokyo airways with the 587th Medical Det., which itself has flown over 25,000 Vietnam patients from airfields to hospitals in Japan, he says he's not afraid of Vietnam. "I'll take my turn again if I'm called upon."

He flies everything from ambassadors to privates now-a far cry from the days when he taxied battle weary troops to and from bullet-strewn fields and forests, but the man with one foot and a lot of guts has the feeling that he'll be seeing a lot more mission before they put him out to pasture

The toe of the light observation helicopter's right skid perched precariously on a boulder. The rotor blade chomped furiously at nearby trees. The chopper's body hung menacingly to the cliff's edge.

At the base of the cliff nestled a Viet Cong base camp. The six man long range patrol (LRP) realized their fate hung on the cliff with the chopper. They were out of food and water, and the VC knew they were there.

The series of events bringing the courageous pilot to this perilous mountainside began four days earlier, when a 25th Inf. Div. patrol left the U.S. base on the 3,200-foot summit of Nui Ba Den in Tay Ninh Province.

Their mission was to gather intelligence as they moved down the 45-degree, enemy-infested slopes. They were to call for extraction two days later in the rice paddies at the base of the mountain.

On the second day, the men neared the bottom only to find their planned exit blocked by a VC base camp. "We couldn't get through "Charlie so we tried to go back up and around and come down again," explained Sgt. Willard R. Ethridge, 19, of Atlanta, leader of the F Co., 50th Inf., patrol.

Finally, on the third day, they stopped in a rocky gulch one third up the mountain and radioed for help. One man's leg had been injured by a falling rock. Another man had suffered heat exhaustion.

"We were out of food and water. When it rained we would catch the water running off the rocks in our canteens - a little dirty, but it was good." said Sped. 4 Joseph Hitchens, 20, of New Orleans.

Two other LRP's at the foot of the mountain started moving toward the trapped patrol. They both ran into enemy .50-cal. machine-gun and rocket-grenade fire and had to be extracted.

A 25-man reaction force from F Co. got 200 meters up the mountain before nightfall. The next day they tried to reach their beleaguered buddies but got pinned down in a fire fight with the VC.

Shortly before noon, two Huey Cobra gunships from D Troop, 3rd Sq., 4th Cav., arrived and began spewing hot lead and rockets on the enemy in an attempt to clear the area for a helicopter extraction.

A medevac chopper arrived to get the injured man out first. There was no clearing near the six men large enough for the "slick's" big rotor blade, and the plan was to drop a hoist for the man. The pilot hovered over twice, but both times enemy fire drove him off.

Maj. Fred R. Michelson, 35 commanding officer of D Troop from Clayton, Mo., was flying "command and control" in the OH-6A Cayuse light observation helicopter (LOH). He called for more fire power.

Two Cobras from B. Co. of the 25th Aviation Bn., two Huey gunships form the 4th Cavalry Sq., and two Air Force tactical jets soon joined the other Cobras in pounding the enemy.

A second dust-off ship with a hoist arrived. As the pilot tried to get in close enough to drop his lift, enemy sniper fire knocked out the communications between the pilot and the hoist operator.

To add to the problems, the clouds opened up, and a tropical downpour forced the helicopters to return to the 25th Div.'s base camp at Tay Ninh.

By the time the storm cleared it was nearing dusk. "Michelson decided that the only choice was to try to resupply the patrol and hope they could make it through the night.

The gunships again lit up the foot of the mountain with their rockets and mini-guns as W.O. Stephen R. Patterson piloted the LOH in over the men.

Michelson leaned out on the skid and swung a bag of food, water and radio batteries toward a granite ledge. It bounced, fell over the cliff and rolled into the Viet Cong base camp below.

"I hovered down and put the toe of my right skid on the rock to steady the aircraft because of the bad updrafts. The LRP's handed out the injured man to Michelson," said Patterson.

Alone this time, he again perched his bird on the rock. Two more men leaped from the rock to the skid and into the chopper.

"Every time they jumped on the aircraft, it would lurch, and I'd cut down a few small trees with my rotor," recalled the pilot.

Three men were left, and it was getting dark. They had one more smoke grenade. Patterson radioed them to save it in case he didn't make the third try. He began hunting the mountainside for the spot. At one point he flew right over the VC base camp but did not draw any fire.

Finally, he found the ledge and hovered in again. The men threw on their radio and packs. Two men jumped on first. To the last man, Pfc. Merilan Henry, 20, the tiny helicopter looked full. And Patterson was fighting to recover the ship from a lurch caused by the weight.

"I couldn't wait. I just dove in," Henry said. "All I could do was throw my feet on- the rest of my body was hanging over the side. I had my right hand up on the pilot's chair, and the team leader was holding on to my left hand."

With Henry hanging out the side, the LOH lifted away from the steep slope 1,200 feet up. What had looked impossible had been accomplished not once but three times. Modestly Patterson admitted: "It did get a little hairy there for a while.

Helicopter gunships from the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and artillery combined with U.S. Air Force jets in a day-long battle on Nov. 29 to kill 69 NVA troops on a ridgeline 12 miles southeast of Song Be.

Returning to the rolling hills which the Skytroopers had been patrolling for a week, a 2nd Bde. light observation helicopter and a gunship from Co. D, 229th Assault Helicopter Co. began receiving enemy fire.

Artillery and Air Force jets were called in and after eight hours of fighting, 2nd Bde. LOHs reported seeing 40 bodies.Ninety minutes later, the LOHs spotted an unknown number of NVA soldiers carrying the bodies of several of the fallen Communists from an area about 900 yards from the ridgeline. The helicopter crews opened up with minigun and rocket fire and reported observing the bodies of 29 enemy soldiers.

In heavy fighting on Nov. 25, infantrymen of Co. D, 3rd Bn., 22nd Inf. 25th Infantry Division, artillery from II Field Force, helicopter gunships of Co. B, 25th Aviation Bn., and the 187th Assault Helicopter Co. and Air Force tactical air strikes pounded enemy hideouts in a day-long battle in the foothills of Nui Ba Den, killing 25 NVA regulars.

On Nov. 26, eight enemy were killed by men of the 3rd Bn., 22nd Inf. patrolling the marshes four miles west of Nui Ba Den.

Two days later, riflemen of Co. C, 1st Bn., 5th Inf. and gunships killed five enemy soldiers two miles southeast of Trang Bang.

Elsewhere, soldiers of Co. A, 1st Bn., 5th Inf. found an abandoned enemy bunker complex four miles west of Cu Chi. Hidden in the bunkers were 22 RPG grenade rounds, 20 boxes of .51-caliber ammunition, 35 Chicom grenades, 20 Chicom anti-personnel mines and eight pounds of TNT.

Further south, soldiers of Co. B, 1st Bn., 27th Inf. found 82 Chicom grenades, seven boxes of 82mm fuses, 20 pounds of C4 plastic explosive and three RPG rounds.

The same day, gunships working with elements of the 2nd bn., 14th Inf. killed three more NVA soldiers defending three bunkers nine miles northwest of Cu Chi.

Two enemy were killed on Nov. 24 by elements of the 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. in the tall elephant grass five miles north of Trang Bang.

Twenty-three enemy soldiers were killed on Nov. 27 by soldiers of the 1st Bn., 61st Inf. and 1st Bn., 11th Inf., 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division, gunships in an all day battle three miles south of the DMZ and less than 900 yards west of the area where the Red Devils killed about 200 members of an NVA battalion in a four-day battle earlier this month. Two Chicom light machine guns, two RPG grenade launchers and 36 Chicom hand grenades were captured in the action.

Twenty-three NVA soldiers were killed by artillery from the 1st Cavalry Division FB Mary and U.S. Air Forces jets on Nov. 28 in an area 30 miles west of Quan Loi.

In a series of unrelated contacts throughout the day, hunter-killer teams from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., netted six NVA soldiers near FBs Rita and Caroline, 25 miles north and east, respectively, of Tay Ninh.

A day earlier, artillery at AF Ellen and U.S. Air Force jets joined gunships of the 2nd Bde., and Co. D, 229th Assault Helicopter Bn., to kill 21 enemy soldiers in the jungle southeast of FB Ellen.

The same day, a hunter-killer team from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav. accounted for six NVA soldiers along a trail 22 miles northeast of Tay Ninh.

On Nov. 26, 11 NVA troops were killed by a hunter-killer team from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cav., 22 miles north of Tay Ninh. rocket-firing Cobras arriving on the scene killed four more and artillery accounted for an additional two enemy kills.

An aerial rifle platoon from A Troop then swept through the are, killing two more and later the same evening hunter-killer teams again entered the area killing an additional two enemy soldiers.

In an unrelated action the same day, gunships of the 227th Assault Helicopter Co. killed 10 enemy and destroyed two 12.7mm machine guns in action four miles northwest of Song Be City.

Six NVA soldiers were killed in an ambush by men of Co. C, 1st Bn., 7th Cav., on a trail three miles north of FB Jerri on Nov. 25.

Elsewhere, five NVA soldiers were killed about 14 miles northeast of FB Jerri on the Song Be by a hunter-killer team of C Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cav.

A day earlier a hunter-killer team from B Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., killed seven enemy soldiers in Tay Ninh Province.

In the afternoon, 33 enemy were reported killed in the jungles less than two miles north of Bu Dop by hunter-killer teams, artillery and air strikes.

On Nov. 24, helicopter gunships of the 307th Combat Aviation Bn., 1st Aviation Brigade, reported killing 24 VC during a three-hour operation in the Mekong Delta, 17 miles north of Soc Trang.

The same day elements of the 8th Regiment, 5th Inf., Army of the Republic of Vietnam, working with riflemen of the 3rd Bde., 1st Infantry Division, killed three NVA regulars in the thick vegetation five miles southeast of Dau Tieng.

A day earlier, elements of Companies A and C, 2nd Bn., 28th Inf., found 10 enemy bodies in the jungle four miles southwest of Dau Tieng killed earlier in the week. One thousand AK47 rounds, three RPG boosters and an RPG launcher were also found.

On Nov. 27, men of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Armored Cav., while patrolling 10 miles southwest of Lai Khe with a Popular Forces platoon, discovered 5,491 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, and 2,535 rounds of .51-caliber ammunition.

Soldiers of the 2nd Bn., 47th Inf., 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division with the aid of artillery overran a NVA base camp and aid station after a three-hour battle with an unknown-sized Communist force nine miles southeast of Tan An on Nov. 30. Thirteen NVA soldiers were killed in the artillery strike.

Earlier in the day, men of the 2nd Bn., 47th Inf., patrolling nine miles southwest of Tan An found the bodies of two NVA regulars killed in a previous night's contact and killed two more enemy soldiers.

On Nov. 24, members of Co. E, 5th Bn., 60th Inf., patrolling a tributary of the Vam Co Dong River, eight miles north of Tan an, engaged and killed three enemy moving along the banks.

The same day men of the 2nd Bn., 47th Inf. killed three more Communist soldiers in as many contacts as they swept an open rice paddy area five miles southeast of their Tan An base camp.

Elements of Co. C, 2nd Bn., 3rd Inf., 199th Light Infantry Brigade, destroyed 10 bunkers in the jungle 10 miles southeast of Xuan Loc and killed five enemy soldiers fleeing the area on Nov. 29.

The same day, riflemen of Co. C, 3rd Bn., 7th Inf. exchanged small arms and automatic weapons fie with a squad-sized enemy force in the jungle eight miles east of Xuan Loc, killing three enemy.

Elsewhere, men of Co. B, 3rd Bn., 7th Inf., discovered 60 abandoned bunkers while searching the jungle 11 miles east of Xuan Loc.

On Nov 28, four enemy soldiers were killed by the men of Co. A, 2nd Bn., 3rd Inf., in the jungles 10 miles south of Xuan Loc.

Americal Div - Men of D Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Armored Cav., Americal Division patrolling 12 miles south of Chu Lai on Nov. 30, killed three VC and detained another two.

Other gunships from Troop D patrolling nearby located a hidden enemy compound and accounted for seven enemy dead and detained another five suspected VC.

Twelve Communists were killed the same day by other Troop D gunships, helping to cover the departure of a patrol of Co. C, 3rd Bn., 1st Inf., eight miles southwest of Tam Ky.

On Nov. 29, a patrol from Co. C, 4th Bn., 21st Inf., killed eight enemy soldiers and captured three SKS rifles in a battle four miles southeast of Duc Pho.

Patrolling in the rain-soaked hills about 13 miles southeast of Camp Eagle on Nov. 27, infantrymen of Co. D, 2nd Bn., 327th Inf., 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), killed one NVA regular.

A ranger team from Co. K, 75th Rangers, 4th Infantry Division killed two NVA regulars in a fight on Nov, 27, 13 miles northwest of Pleiku when the enemy soldiers walked past the concealed infantrymen and sat down in a clearing.

On Nov. 25, D Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cav., uncovered an enemy rice cache. The rice found in an area 16 miles west of Pleiku. The find consisted of seven huts, each containing 100 pounds of rice.

A ground sweep on Nov. 30 by members of the 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf., 173rd Airborne Brigade, disclosed the bodies of nine enemy soldiers one mile west of FB English. The enemy were killed earlier in the week by minigun fire from a reconning helicopter force and artillery.

Two AK47s, six loaded magazines, 26 Chicom grenades, one B40 rocket and a small quantity of rice and clothing were captured in the sweep.

THE ARMY REPORTER is an authorized weekly publication of the Army, published by the information Office, U.S. Army Vietnam, APO 96375 (telephone Long Binh 4204(4819), The command newspaper circulates 95,000 copies and is printed by PACIFIC STARS AND STRIPES, Tokyo, Japan. Opinions expressed in the Army Reporter are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army. The services of the Armed Forces News Bureau and Army News Features are used.

St. Ladd Kelley, Editor; Spec. 5 Steve Brennan, Spec. 5 Bryan Heliker, Spec. 4 Mike Goldman, Spec. 4 Charles Hanley, Spec 4 Larry McQuillian, Spec. 4 Dale Schriever, Production Chief. Spec. 4 David K. Rasweiler, Spec. 5 Douglas Prine, Illustrators, Photos contributed by unit photographers and USARV Audio-Visual staff.

CAMBODIA - Battle action in Cambodia declined significantly as U.S. Army troopers moving into their fourth week of across-the-border fighting killed approximately 275 Communist soldiers.

But the enemy's supply stores diminished while plundering Army units continued to uncover caches of Communist weapons and ammunition, vehicles, medical supplies and other equipment.

In the largest battle action on the week, 70 enemy soldiers were killed when Cobra pilots of the 336th Assault Helicopter Co. swept down on a VC base camp near the Cambodian town of Kampong Trach, about 10 miles north of the Gulf of Siam and nine miles inside Cambodia. Forty Cambodian government troops held captive in the camp were freed.

"It was an old French cantonment area," explained Maj. Thomas H. Kilpatrick, commander of the 336th. "I landed after the battle and the area was really torn asunder."

The same day 25th Division soldiers of C Troop, 3rd Bn., 17th Cav., operating six and a half miles north of the Dog Face region, discovered an enemy motor pool. The troopers destroyed five 2 1/2 ton trucks and a 30-by-40 foot bunker. In addition, they found 50 bicycles, several motorcycles and various other items of equipment in the area.

Meanwhile during the week. 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) troopers finished tabulating finds in the two biggest caches uncovered so far during Cambodian operations-"The City" and "Rock Island East."

Uncovered in "The City" cache were 1,315 individual weapons, 136 heavy machine guns and mortar tubes and more than two million rounds of various caliber ammunition.

Also found by Skytroopers from Co. C, 1st Bn., 5th Cav., were 51,000 pounds of C2 explosive compound, 21,000 pounds of granulated explosives, 250 cases of detonating cord, 144,000 non-electrical blasting cords, 2,700 fuze lighters, 200 electrical blasting caps and 22 cases of antipersonnel mines.

The Skytroopers also turned up four cases of AK47 repair parts, 18 cases of 106mm recoilless rifle breech block repair kits, 27 gunner quadrants, 20 60mm mortar sights, 14 82mm mortar service kits and 20 60mm mortar service kits.

Another cavalry unit, the 2nd Bn., 12th Cav., at the same time closed down what may prove to be the largest cache of ammunition ever captured in the Vietnam war, a find that totaled seven million round of ammunition in the "Rock Island East" arsenal.

The number of weapons found at the arsenal could not match the number recovered from "The City," but the ammunition captured there takes a back seat to nobody.

A total of 851 weapons were pulled out of the arsenal, including 110 AK47s, 147 SKS rifles, 100 SK50s, 106 Russian Mausers, 114 CKCs, 210 7.60mm pistols, 12 7.62mm machine guns, 33 .30 caliber machine guns and 19 122mm rocket launchers.

The roll call of captured ammunition included 6,538,894 rounds of .51-caliber ammunition, 259,200 rounds of 7.92mm [sic] machine gun ammo, 281,600

Rockets captured totaled 369 122mm rounds, the largest in the enemy's arsenal, along with 4,002 B40 rounds. Recoilless rifle rounds numbered 3,634 57mm and 1,052 75mm projectiles.

Mortar ammunition included 310 120mm, 1,437 82mm and 1,740 60mm rounds, bringing the total ammo count to more than seven million rounds-seven million rounds that will never be fired at allied forces in the Republic of Vietnam.

As the Cambodian campaign entered its fourth week, the tempo slowed and American troops settled down to the task of uncovering and evacuating food and munitions caches.

In the largest contact of the week ending May 24, Cobra pilots swept down on a VC base camp near the Cambodian town of Kampong Trach, about 10 miles north of the Gulf of Siam and nine miles inside Cambodia, and killed 70 enemy soldiers.

The camp-an old French cantonment area was unprepared for an aerial attack. Its lone .51 caliber machine gun was knocked out early in the battle.

Nine more enemy troops were killed by crewmen from the 16th Air Cav. when the[y] spotted a group of VC at Tuk Meas, about 10 miles north of Kampong Trach on Route 16.

Bulldozers plowed their way through dense jungles May 19 and opened a path to a 210-ton rice cache found May 18 by men of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Soldiers from Co. A, 5th Bn., 12th Inf., found the cache between two fire bases, FB Brown and FB Myron, established during the Cambodian operations. The rice is being evacuated now that better access to the site has been provided.

The reconnaissance platoon of a 199th Light Infantry Brigade unit uncovered an arms cache May 23 in III Corps, 14 miles northeast of Vo Dat. Redcatchers from the 4th Bn., 12th Inf., found six Chicom light machine guns, 22 AK47 rifles, two .51 caliber machine guns with two extra barrels, 50 AK47 magazines, 11 60mm mortar tubes, 10 60mm mortar sights, 55 pieces of web gear and 20 ammo pouches.

Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division in Cambodia killed six enemy soldiers, uncovered a small arms cache and found a former enemy camp May 20.

The only division unit to make contact with the enemy that days was the 1st Bn., 5th Inf. The infantrymen were operating six miles southwest of the Cambodian village of Memot in the Fishhook area when they received small arms and RPG fire from an unknown-size enemy force. When the Americans swept the area, they once again received enemy fire and a bitter fire fight ensued. Six enemy soldiers were killed.

A recon element of the 1st Bn., 27th Inf., found the small arms cache in a highly wooded area three miles west of the Dog Face.

During a midday sweep five miles north of Katum inside the Fishhook, men from Co. A. 2nd Bn., 12th Inf., found a former enemy camp with 24 hootches and three bunkers. The camp was complete with mess halls and showers.

Tropic Lightning soldiers found an enemy hospital complex on the border west of the Fishhook area May 19. Men from the 1st Bn., 5th Inf., were sweeping a heavily wooded area 28 miles north of Tay Ninh when they found the complex composed of 50 hootches. 130-150 bunkers, and three kitchens. The facility had been recently evacuated.

Units of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) operating in Cambodia found a large rice cache and killed 47 enemy soldiers May 18.

Contact with enemy forces by the 1st Cav task force that day was limited mainly to helicopter actions. Flying over dense jungles 34 miles north of Quan Loi, hunter-killer teams from b Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., made repeated sightings of NVA soldiers and reported killing 20 enemy in the area.

Division troopers found the rice cache 23 miles north-northeast of Song Be. As the skytroopers destroyed the supplies, 33 tons of rice and one ton of corn, (end of column does not seem to continue to next?)

Skytroopers operating northeast of the Fishhook and 14 miles southeast of O Rang found a huge rice cache in 25 hootches constructed beneath triple-canopy jungle. The troopers from Co. C, 1st Bn., 8th Cav., were on a ground reconnaissance mission through the area's rolling hills when they spotted the neatly camouflaged tin-roofed structures. The cache is estimated to weigh 154 tons. Ninety tons of rice were destroyed and the rest was readied for evacuation.

Eight flintlock rifles were among a small arms cache discovered by the division soldiers 16 miles southeast of Karatie opposite Vietnam's Phuoc Long Province May 21. Skytroopers of Co. E, 1st Bn., 5th Cav., found the arms and also counted 120 rounds of unknown type 40mm ammunition, 150 mortar charges, 100 mortar fuses, one utility tractor, one 3/4-ton truck and 900 pounds of rice.

Division units killed 20 enemy soldiers in scattered contacts May 21. Hunter-killer teams from B Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., sighted a group of enemy soldiers near a stream bed winding through dense jungle 21 miles north-northwest of An Loc. Eight enemy soldiers were reported killed by the swooping gunship crews.

Skytroopers from Co. C, 1st Bn., 5th Cav., uncovered an arms cache 37 miles northeast of Song Be May 23. The cache contained 65 81 mm mortar rounds, 24 rifle grenades, 32 hand grenades, 32 incendiary grenades, 16 smoke grenades, 288 mortar rounds, 800 rounds of .30-caliber machine gun ammunition, 3,200 other .30-caliber rounds, all 60mm mortar rounds, 80 .50-caliber rounds, eight B40 rounds, one 75mm recoilless rifle, five 82mm mortar plates and one automatic rifle.

In their Long An Province area of operations May 19, elements of the 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, were fired on from a sampan as it floated on the Vam Co Dong River 12 miles northwest of Ben Luc. Soldiers from Co. B, 6th Bn., 32st Inf., returned the fire, destroying the boat and killing four enemy soldiers.

Go Devils engaged an unknown-sized enemy force 13 miles north of Tan Tru May 21. A sweep of the area disclosed two NVA killed.

Brigade Rangers engaged an unknown-sized enemy force in several contacts eight miles west of Tan An may 24. A total of five enemy soldiers were killed in the contacts.

A recon platoon from the 2nd Bn., 1st Inf., was cutting its way through thick vegetation nine miles northwest of Tam Ky when their point man heard voices from the other side of a hedgerow. The platoon's Kit Carson scout determined that the voices belonged to VC, who were working on a large garden capable of supplying a battalion of soldiers. The Legionnaires broke through the hedgerow and came face to face with 15 enemy soldiers. Seven of the enemy were killed in the brief fire fight that followed. The infantrymen also found a battalion-sized bunker complex in the area.

Division infantrymen killed 32 enemy soldiers and captured six individual weapons during scattered contacts May 20. Ten enemy soldiers were killed by men from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cav., Americal Division, who were operating 23 miles west of Tam Ky when they were engaged by an unknown-sized enemy force.

Another 19 enemy soldiers were killed by division troops in scattered incidents May 23. Men from Co. A, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf., of the 196th Inf. Bde., found 1,000 pounds of polished rice in a village 10 miles northwest of Tam Ky.

In II Corps' Binh Tuy Province May 22, 17th Air Cav. gunship crews killed 20 enemy soldiers 17 miles north of Ham Tan. The chopper crews, from C Troop 23rd Squadron, were supported by tactical air strikes. In IV Corps that day, 13 Combat Avn. Bn. pilots killed eight enemy soldiers during three engagements.

In the Se San base area of Cambodia May 22, other crews of the 17th Air Cav., flying in support of ARVN forces, found three NVA bunker complexes. Twenty-nine of the bunkers found by the Ruthless Rider pilots were destroyed or damaged.

Crewmen of the 13th Combat Avn. Bn. spent May 20-21 sifting through a cache found by the 16th Air Cav. near a swampy stream bed about 10 miles inside Cambodia and north of the town of Kampong Trach. Found were more than 400 rounds of 82mm mortar shells, 84 cases of gelatin dynamite, 30 cases of fuses, 10 cases of blasting caps and an undetermined amount of small arms and ammunition.

Chopper crews from the 17th Combat Avn. Bn., killed three NVA soldiers and destroyed 13 hootches and nine bunkers while supporting ARVN troops in the Se San border area west of Pleiku. Ruthless Riders from B Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cav., were on a reconnaissance mission over the area nine miles west of Duc Co, Vietnam, when a LOH pilot skimmed over a recently used trail winding into the bunker and hootch complex.

Fourth Infantry Division soldiers reported killing three khaki-clad NVA regulars in a contact 42 miles west of Pleiku May 23.

Another five enemy soldiers were killed by the Ivymen during scattered action in the Central Highlands May 19, and three more were killed May 21.

Troopers of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) killed 14 enemy soldiers in scattered actions in their northern I Corps area of operations May 21. Crewmen of the 4th Bn., 77th Arty, (Aerial Rocket Artillery), and gunships of the 2nd Squadron, 17th Air Cav,., engaged a group of enemy soldiers moving through double-canopy jungle 40 miles north-northwest of Hue. Eight of the enemy were killed in the action.

Screaming Eagles of Co. A, 2nd Bn., 502nd Inf., were on a recon in force mission May 23 when they found the bodies of 12 enemy soldiers and assorted munitions in a well-camouflaged cache 20 miles southwest of Hue.

SMOKE FLARES MARK the landing spot as a Screaming Eagle trooper from the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) guides a Medevac helicopter onto the edge of a recently made bomb crater. The infantryman, from the 2nd Bn., 501st Inf., was on a reconnaissance-in-force mission 32 miles west of Hue

LZ ENGLISH - It doesn't look like a super shopping center amid Vietnam's coastal plains but if you're a soldier stationed near here and need supplies, the Logistical Support Activity (LSA) 539-1 is where to get them.

Sharing this base camp with the headquarters of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and units of the 4th Infantry Division, Qui Nhon Support Command's LSA 593-1 is the main support area for Army units strung along the northern coast of Upper II Corps Tactical Zone.

As never before in the history of modern warfare, military units in vietnam are separated from their own divisional and non-divisional support. The 1st Logistical Command in Vietnam has responded to this tactical situation by establishing Forward Support Activities (FSAs.) Drawing directly from the assets of the "downtown" supply complexes, FSAs operate in a field situation as a miniature support command.

When continued support is needed as here at LZ English, the FSA becomes a semi-permanent LSA. Qui Nhon Support Command's 593rd General Support Gp. controls LSA 593-1 and others at An Khe and Phu Hiep. It can also establish FSAs as the tactical situation requires.

Service from this compact support center is nearly complete and more efficient than from a distant main supply base. A small detachment of men, for instance, repairs everything from water heaters to artillery barrels and often dispatches contact teams for on-location repairs. Special parts or unusual repairs receive almost immediate attention through the detachment's parent unit, the 5th Maintenance Bn. in Qui Nhon.

In much the same manner general supplies are requisitioned from the U.S. Army Depot, Qui Nhon, the ammo from the 184th Ordnance Bn. and the fuel from the 240th Quartermaster Bn. Daily convoys from Qui Nhon by the 8th Transportation Gp. make one-day service a matter of routine and nearby helicopter support enables nearly instantaneous resupply in a tactical emergency.

Still an LSA is not a suburban shopping center but a supply activity for soldiers at war. Though the two are very similar, the necessity of a mobile support force constitutes a major difference. The 243rd Field Service Co., the mainstay of the operations here, was at Dak To early last year and later transferred to Pleiku before coming here.

CAMP EVANS - "Here we go again!", was the thought of a Medevac helicopter pilot as his aircraft was hit by enemy fire for the third time in 24 hours.

Lt. Larry A. Blackwood, a dustoff pilot for the 326th Med. Bn., 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile,), recently "lost" three choppers while on three separate missions near here.

Things started happening early that day when Blackwood and his crew were instructed to pick up two wounded soldiers at a fire base west of Hue. the fire base was under heavy mortar attack, but the Medevac helicopter was able to fly in, pick up the casualties and evacuate them.

Within an hour Blackwood and his crew were on their way back to base for another pick-up. Again under heavy mortar fire, Blackwood landed about 1,000 meters from the fire base, where the wounded individuals were located.. AS the chopper landed, an officer ran toward the helicopter dodging the mortar rounds. "He was waving his hands, warning us to clear out," said Blackwood.

"by this time the fire base was receiving extremely heavy mortar fire and the NVA seemed to be using the helicopter as a target. We abandoned the ship and helped the medics give aid to the casualties," he said.

Another dustoff helicopter, piloted by WO Barry Barker came in, picked up all the casualties and flew them to Co. C, 326th Med Bn., then returned to pick up Blackwood and his crew. Back at Co. C, Blackwood was given another chopper and soon received an urgent call to return to the fire base.

Because of the continued mortar attack, Blackwood had to make five passes before he could land, but enemy fire had already struck the bottom side of the shopper. Five casualties were picked up and evacuated to Co. C., but the damaged helicopter could not be flown out for another mission. So once again Blackwood and his co-pilot, WO Louie A. Lewis were given another Medevac bird.

Once over the area, Blackwood dropped his chopper into the clouds and hovered over the rugged mountainside within five feet of the treetops while one of the wounded was hoisted up.

Suddenly from about 25 yards away, the dustoff ship began receiving heavy AK47 fire from the ground. Blackwood, following flight safety regulations, quickly flew out of the hot area. Because of the aircraft damage he returned to the company and for the third time he was without an operating chopper. Another Medevac helicopter in the area was immediately sent in for the remaining two casualties.

"We were fired at 10 times within that 24-hour period by mortars and AK47s," said Blackwell. "But after our third bird was hit," he smiled," we go the rest of the day off."

SOC TRANG - Things are supposed to come in threes, but the 13th Combat Aviation Bn., 1st Aviation Brigade, will settle for two of a kind when it comes up with suspected Viet Cong detainees picked up in bizarre ways.

Who would have thought that when the locking pin broke on the machine gun of doorgunner Pvt. Dennis W. Hale the end result would be a detained suspect?

The pin broke while the 336th Assault Helicopter Co. was operating in the An Xuyen Province, and when the M60 plummeted to the earth, the ship was forced to drop down and pick it up. While the crew was retrieving the weapon, the suspect suddenly burst from a nearby tree line with his hands extended skyward. Apparently he thought the troops were preparing to assault his position.

If that isn't enough for a day's effort, two pilots from the 16th Air Cav. were test flying when they encountered a suspect who decided to turn himself in.

Capt. Owen L. Hoskins and Lt. Dennis J. Braddock were testing a light observation helicopter and a Huey when they passed over a sampan within four miles of the Army air field here. As they passed over the vessel a second time, the occupant, wearing blue shorts, jumped out and waded ashore with his hands in the air.

Braddock dropped down to pick up the suspect, who later admitted under questioning that he had been part of a hamlet guerilla force. However, the VC authorities had pressed him into service in a local force unit. He said he was unwilling to leave his family for that purpose.

CAMBODIA - Communist supply losses continued to mount as U.S. Army units wrapped up their fourth week of plundering enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia.

The latest major find was uncovered by 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) troopers approximately 26 miles north-northeast of Song Be. The latest figures form the area, now called "the Country Store" by men of Co. B, 5th Bn., 7th Cav., who made the discovery, show the captured of 533 individual weapons, five Chicom light machine guns, 51 120mm mortar rounds, 243 82mm mortar rounds, 122 75mm recoilless rifle rounds, 175 57mm recoilless rifle rounds, 484 RPG2s and 444 RPG7 projectiles.

In the largest single battle action in a week which claimed approximately 160 Communist lives, Cavalry Cobras and light observation helicopter Pink Teams poured rocket and machine gun fire on enemy trooper near the northern edge of the Cavalry's 3rd Bde. area of operations, killing 32. Seven more kills were credited to aerial rocket artillery.

LOH pilot CWO Richard Gilmore spotted the enemy first. "We were following a trail that had lots of bicycle tracks and footprints," Gilmore said, "and when it rant into a thicker path of woods, we circled but didn't see anything. We had started back south along the trail when the observer spotted several enemy under the trees sleeping on the ground and in hammocks. Our door gunner woke them up with his M60.

The machine gun jammed, however, and the pilot started backing away from the enemy to give the door gunner a chance to clear his gun.

"As we were backing off, we just kept seeing more and more people," Gilmore said. "They were running around on the ground like ants. In one place we could see rucksacks all set up in rows the way used to see gear lined up in basic training.

"We figured there must be at least a company so we dropped a smoke grenade in the middle of them for a marker," Gilmore continued, "and then we moved out of the way and let our Cobra roll in."

The Cobra pilot, CWO Marvin Metcalf, made his first run, while another Pink Team was called in to lend firepower. Rockets from Metcalf's ship released their puffs of smoke as salvo after salvo pounded the enemy below. His Cobra recovered altitude quickly and then came in at the enemy again.

On this pass, he put out six pairs of rockets. One of them blew off a big tree at the base and it came crashing down, pinning five NVA soldiers under it as it fell.

After the battle, involving close coordination between the two Pink Teams, 39 enemy dead were counted. The B Troop pilots also captured several documents by lifting out rucksacks with the use of log hooks.

Soldiers of Fire Base Sun-two miles south of Tay Linh in Binh Tuy Province-killed 43 enemy soldiers during an abortive attack on the fire base May 29. It was the heaviest contact of the week ending May 31.

The battle began at 11 p.m. May 28 when the enemy fired less than 25 mortar rounds at the base manned by elements of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, gunners of the 2nd Bn., 35th Arty., and two Regional Force companies. The enemy then opened up with recoilless rifle, machine gun and small arms fire as the sappers attempted to breach the perimeter.

Redcatchers from Companies A and E, 3rd Bn., 7th Inf., returned the fire and cannoneers employed direct fire with their 155mm howitzers. Gunships and flareships supported the ground forces.

Across the border, as the Cambodian campaign ended its first month, American units met less resistance but continued to find sizeable caches of food and supplies.

In the early morning hours of May 30, elements of the 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, operating on the Vietnam side of the border, encountered small arms fire 10 miles east of the Angel's Wing. An element of the 4th Field Arty, pounded the position and a Nighthawk flight over the area later confirmed one enemy soldier killed. Later in the afternoon the brigade's Ranger Team 24 engaged two enemy soldiers in an area five miles south of Tan An. They called in artillery support, which killed the two.

An element of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment combing an area 22 miles northeast of Katum May 28 found and evacuated a 9,450-pound rice cache and 7 1/2 tons of corn.

Operating 11 miles south of Snoul May 25, troopers from the regiment's 1st Squadron found the graves of 38 enemy soldiers.

Tropic Lightning soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division met increased enemy resistance May 25 as they continued their search of the Cambodian border region to the west of the Fishhook area and into the Angel's Wing.

In the largest clash, C Troop, 3rd Bn., 17th Cav., while working with an ARVN unit, engaged approximately 70 enemy soldiers in the swampy area south of the Angel's Wing inside Cambodia. A sweep of the area the following morning revealed 32 enemy killed by the combined forces.

"Tomahawks" of Co. C, 4th Bn., 23d Inf. located an enemy cache containing 24 1/2 tons of rice in a heavily wooded area of the Fishhook, some five miles southwest of Memut.

In addition, an element of the 4th Bn., 9th Inf., located an enemy training area seven miles north of Thien Ngen on the border of the Fishhook. There the "Manchu" soldiers found and destroyed 47 bunkers, several hootches and mockups of a tank and helicopter-each approximately 10 feet in length.

Division soldiers also located and destroyed another enemy base camp-this one inside Vietnam, one mile northwest of Thien Ngen. At this camp men of the 1st Bn., 27th Inf., "Wolfhounds" found 15 hootches, one training site and 40 bunkers.

Another element of the 1st of the 27th located an enemy grouping point four miles northwest of Thien Ngen inside Cambodia. The American troops there located 20 hootches and 10 bunkers containing two Chicom grenades, 25 NVA uniforms, one sewing machine and small amounts of bicycle parts and rice.

Sweeping the border near Memut May 25, division troops found 20 tons of rice six miles southeast of the Cambodian town. Tropic Lightning soldiers from co. B, 2nd Bn., 12 Inf., carefully searched the area around the cache site and uncovered several bunkers housing stores of medical supplies.

Among the items found were 1,000 boxes of assorted medical supplies, 41 cans of vitamins, 25 pounds of plaster for cast-making, 150 five-gallon cans of medical supplies, nearly 2 1/2 tons of gauze rolls and pads, 1,300 pounds of bed linen, 10 pounds of surgical instruments and six surgical masks.

Soldiers of the 4th Inf Division uncovered 6,000 pounds of rice and 200 pounds of an unknown type black seed May 28. The cache was evacuated.

Elements of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) reported killing a total of 51 enemy soldiers during scattered action May 28.

Hunter-killer teams working in the rugged Cambodian hills 17 miles northeast of Snoul accounted for 39 enemy dead. Twelve Communists were killed after a LOH crew from B Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., spotted the fatigue and black pajama-clad group resting.

Cobras from the 2d Bn., 20th Arty., reported killing seven enemy soldiers during their operations in the area. Aircrews of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., accounted for five NVA dead 14 miles northeast of Katum.

Fourteen enemy soldiers were killed by crews of two helicopters of the 11th Avn. Gp. A UH-1 and a Cobra gunship from Companies A and D of the 227th Assault Helicopter Bn. were on a reconnaissance mission 15 miles west of O Rang when the Huey received ground fire from an unknown-sized enemy force.

When troopers of the 2nd Bn., 8th Cav., began cutting a landing zone in the jungle 28 miles north of Quan Loi, they received small arms and RPG fire. The Skytroopers killed eight enemy soldiers.

Skytroopers of Co. A, 2nd Bn., 8th Cav., were sweeping the site of a morning fire fight in which four NVA soldiers were killed and three AK47 rifles captured. As the troopers moved through the area 27 miles north of Quan Loi, they found a supply cache containing 1,000 four-by-eight-foot tents, 1,000 shirts, 1,000 pairs of pants, and 2,000 red scarves.

Men from Co. A, 1st Bn., 7th Cav., were operating 20 miles north of Song Be when they found a 20-by-15-foot hut containing 6,000 pounds of polished rice.

A larger cache was found by troopers of the 1st Bn., 9th Air Cav., 12 miles northeast of Katum. Men from A Troop spotted 200 bags of rice, each holding 220 pounds, in a bomb crater. The 44,000-pound cache was near three huts and five bunkers which housed several NVA soldiers, one of whom was killed by air-to-ground fire.

In division action May 27, Skytroopers discovered two caches and killed 19 enemy soldiers. Men from Co. C, 5th Bn., 7th Cav., were on a ground reconnaissance mission five miles inside Cambodia when they found a store of enemy supplies 30 miles north of Quan Loi.

Hidden in two eight-by-ten-foot bunkers were 190 pounds of nails, 162 bars of soap, 911 machetes, 1,560 scythe blades, 50 ax heads, two sewing machines, two desks and three bars of C4 explosive.

About one mile northeast of the site, Skytroopers from Co. C, 2nd Bn., 5th Cav., found a well-preserved cache of about 1,000 tin boxes filled with blasting caps and fuses. Some of the find was evacuated and the rest destroyed.

Chopper pilots of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) reported killing eight enemy soldiers during two engagements in their northern I Corps area of operations May 31.

Soldiers of Co. A, 2nd Bn., 501st Inf., found a supply cache concealed in shallow holes while searching the jungles 20 miles south of Hue May 30.

Americal Division infantrymen killed 59 enemy soldiers during scattered fighting in their southern I Corps area of operations May 29.

Responding to reported movement by two enemy companies that day, gunners from Btry, B, 3rd Bn., 16th Arty., killed 20 VC seven miles southwest of Tam Ky. Five other enemy soldiers were killed in a mortar barrage fired by men of the 2nd Bn., 1st Inf.

Division units reported 26 enemy killed in scattered action May 30. Approximately 500 pounds of rice were uncovered that day.

Two rice caches totaling 7 1/2 tons were found and evacuated May 27 by division soldiers in an area 11 miles northwest of Duc Pho.

Division infantrymen May 31 called in helicopter gunships after elements of Co. B, 2nd B., 1st Inf., received small arms fire from an estimated enemy platoon about four miles west of Tam Ky. Twelve enemy soldiers were killed by the gunships. Division units reported killing 24 enemy that day. An arms cache was found by men from A, 1st Bn., 46th Inf., during a reconnaissance missions 12 miles southwest of Tam Ky. Hidden in a tunnel complex were 155 Chicom grenades and nine RPG rounds, among other munitions.

Gunships from the 13th Combat Avn. Bn. reported nine enemy troops killed in three separate actions in IV Corps May 30. The 16th Air Cav. was conducted a visual recon of the U Minh Forest when they encountered four VC riding in a sampan. As soon as the VC spotted the helicopter they ran to a nearby hootch and returned with weapons. One was killed by the command and control ship and the other three by accompanying LOHs.

The 336th Assault Helicopter Co. reported killing two enemy soldiers that day 12 miles east of Vi Thanh and three more 15 miles southwest of Soc Trang.

Crews of the 13th Combat Avn. Bn. reported killing seven VC in two engagement May 29. The 16th Air Cav. accounted for four enemy killed near the southern tip of the U Minh Forest.

Rocket-firing Birddog pilots of the 221st Utility Airplane Co. killed four enemy soldiers 10 miles southwest of Can Tho during t[w]o engagements May 31.

CAMP HOLLOWAY - Cobra gunships of C Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Cav., joining forces with Air Force jets, killed 11 North Vietnamese Army soldiers and destroyed approximately 40 bunkers and 35 enemy hootches west of Pleiku.

Just after sunrise, the Ruthless Riders of the 17th Combat Aviation Group began reconning through a heavily wooded area bordering the Tonie San River where NVA soldiers had been known to be operating. The gunships were flying in support of operations of the 4th Infantry Division's 2nd Bde.

"I flew over the area in question," said Capt. Barry J. Speare, who was flying the lead light observation helicopter, "and spotted four individuals wearing khakis and carrying AK-47s. We started taking fire, so my observer immediately marked the target with a smoke grenade and the Cobras rolled in."

Both Cobra gunships on stations, flown by Capt. Richard H. Carvill and by WO Dennis H. Redd, expended rocket and minigun fire over the enemy position, killing all four.

The second LOH team on station spotted two more enemy soldiers over the same area; once again the Cobras rolled in, killing both. During this period the scout ships uncovered a large hootch and bunker complex.

After Phantom jets had rolled over the complex, Speare and his wingman returned to conduct a bomb damage assessment of the area.

LZ HAWK HILL - A lone, local Viet Cong huddles in a concealed hootch near his village, a few ounces of rice cooking-his dinner. Above him a light observation helicopter circles. He listens-from the helicopter he hears his name.

And the rest of the broadcast: "Nguyen, your fighting is futile, your are being used by the North Vietnamese-lackeys of Red China. Voluntarily give yourself up, and the Government of Vietnam promises to give your food and a place to live."

The broadcast is an example of the type of tapes now being produced by the Psyops office of the 196th Inf. Bde. Americal Division. The office's library of tapes is being stocked to cover a wide range of situations to more effectively convince enemy soldiers to rally to the GVN.

"Now we have a stock of more than 20 tapes," explained Lt. Don Bernard. "Twelve are targeted specifically for known VC and NVA units in our area of operations. The remainder are directed to known VC and local populace."

The tape scripts, most of which are written by Bernard, are usually recorded by an ARVN interpreter working for the Psyops office. Whenever possible Bernard uses Hoi Chanh to record the messages to their ex-comrades, increasing the credibility of the broadcast and thus its effectiveness.

"Our main objective now," said Bernard, "is to concentrate on isolating the VC from the populace, to decrease their ability to operate rather anonymously in the villages."

The pitch to the NVA emphasizes the futility in fighting in the South, citing the fact that their equipment is inferior and the people in the South do not welcome them. The NVA are promised, as ralliers, comfortable living until the end of the war when they will be allowed to return home.

The specialized tapes have been very effective. In April a defector on Barrier Island, 15 miles north of Tam Ky, turned out to be a local VC leader. The rallier taped a broadcast, including names of his men. Several of them became Hoi Chanh in the next few days.

FB BUTTONS - The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) expedition into Cambodia has brought out a superhuman effort from many Skytroopers, and the members of Co. B, 8th Engr. Bn., are no exception.

Working in support of the division's 2nd Bde., the engineers built six fire bases in one week. They also assumed responsibility for the maintenance of four forward air strips used to shorten supply lines for the Cav.'s charge through Communist sanctuaries.

"The squads on fire bases in our Vietnam area of operations were moving with the first Chinook sorties of the morning," said Capt. Richard Estes, the company commander. "The 1st Platoon moved to Loc Ninh, our first staging area; and then just two hours later they moved out to establish the first Cambodian fire base for the 1st Bn., 5th Cav."

That afternoon the 2nd Platoon moved out with the 1st Bn., 12th Cav., to Loc Ninh. The next morning they were building FB Evans.

Back from Evans, the 2nd Platoon soon went in again, this time with the 5th Bn., 7th Cav., to build FB Brown. The 3rd Platoon built FB Myron further north for the 2nd Bn., 12th Cav., as the company completed two fire bases in one day.

A few days later the 5th Bn., 7th Cav., air assaulted into an NVA complex as the Cav leapfrogged deeper into Cambodia. The 2nd Platoon of the engineer company built FB Neil almost on the ruins of the NVA training area.

"The heavy equipment, which usually goes back to Phuoc Vinh for maintenance after each fire base is constructed, was picked up and moved from fire base to fire base," recalled Estes. "In the last four and one-half months we've built 24 fire bases, one-third of those in the last week."

VINH LONG - Gunships of A Troop, 7th Bn., 1st Cav. Squadron of the 1st Aviation Brigade have killed 109 enemy soldiers in their Communist sanctuary approximately five miles east of Takeo, Cambodia.

In the first day of action, the troopers killed 20 NVA while destroying 52 enemy hootches and damaging 50 others. The gunships destroyed nine metal warehouses within the complex and damaged five others. The Cobra gunships also received credit for destroying two large 2 1/2 ton van-type trucks and five tractors. An estimated 2,000 barrels of fuel were set aflame by the squadron's aerial rockets-sending dense, dark smoke over the enemy encampment as well as bright secondary ordnance explosions.

During the next day's action, the troop was credited with 63 more enemy kills while supporting the 14th Regiment of the 9th ARVN Division, which continued sweeping operations in the area.

IN a three-day wrap-up, gunships of the 1st Aviation Brigade have been credited with 304 kills throughout the Republic of Vietnam and Cambodian operations. The gunships have killed 1,929 enemy since the beginning of the month. Military spokesmen speculate it may be a new high for the 1st Aviation Brigade gunships for a 30-day period-other than Tet of 1968 when the brigade's gunships were credited with 4,129 kills.

Alpha Troop, 3rd Bn., Cav., Squadron killed 34 enemy north of the Elephant's Foot eight miles southwest of Chip Hu. The next day they killed four more in the same area.

The 175th Assault Helicopter Co. killed 15 enemy on the Cambodian side of the Seven Sisters mountain range west of the Mekong Delta, while the 335th Assault Helicopter Co. gunships killed 13 enemy in support of Kien Tuong Province troops south of the Parrot's Beak.

Gunships of the 118th Assault Helicopter Co. engaged a platoon of enemy 10 miles southwest of Tan An, destroying four enemy bunkers and damaging six others.

In II Corps gunships of the 52nd Combat Aviation Bn. killed 28 enemy while supporting a CIDG company operation, 12 miles northwest of Dak To.

In I Corps, the 220th Assault Helicopter Co. killed nine enemy in two engagements north of Quang Tri along the DMZ. In the second engagement, the gunships killed five enemy, destroyed four bunkers and observed four secondary explosions.

TUNING IN ON various frequencies, Spec. 4 Jim McNamara checks the accuracy of a UHF radio from a 4th Avn. Bn. helicopter. The service is performed in the 4th Infantry Division on the radios of every ship brought in for maintenance.

HILL 882 - Strike Force troopers of the 2nd Bn., 502nd Inf., reported at least 79 NVA soldiers killed recently as the result of numerous fire fights, artillery, F4 Phantom strikes and aerial rocket artillery strikes spread over most of two weeks.

Much of the ground fighting occurred from 10 to 15 yards from enemy positions in thick jungle terrain on and near Hill 882. The area is located 20 miles southwest of Hue.

Supporting the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) infantrymen were 155mm howitzers from the 2nd Bn., 11th Arty. When the Strike Force troopers neared an enemy bunker complex, powerful guns from Btry. A, 1st Bn., 83rd Arty., pounded the suspected enemy locations.

Aerial support for the battalion came from Cobras of the 4th Bn., 77th Aerial Rocket Arty., and pink and white LOH reconnaissance teams from the 1st Bde. Aviation Platoon.

During one of the major enemy contacts, and element of Co. C received RPG rounds, automatic weapons and small arms fire from an unknown-sized enemy force about 20 yards to their front. The element returned the fire and held their ground despite grenades and satchel charges being lobbed at them from enemy soldiers perched in trees. After pulling back so artillery, rockets and F4 air strikes could be employed, the Eagles swept the area and found 27 dead NVA.

Two days later, approximately one miles south of Co. C's position, the Screaming Eagles again hit another enemy position while on a reconnaissance-in-force mission. The Cobras were called in again along with artillery and F4 strikes. Eighteen NVA were killed during the contact and one enemy machine gun destroyed.

Meanwhile, on Hill 882, elements of the Reconnaissance Platoon were rappelling in to build a landing zone, while members of Co. A were attempting to storm the hill from the bottom. "The enemy were well entrenched," said Spec. 4 John Creel, a rifleman with Co. A. "It took us three tries to take the hill, but we made it."

SOC TRANG - Helicopter gunships and fixed-wing aircraft from the 13th Combat Avn. Bn., reported killing 24 enemy soldiers June 7 in a series of air-to-ground clashes throughout IV Corps' Mekong Delta area.

Six of the enemy were killed in a morning action when the 121st's Tigers were operating approximately 20 miles south of Can Tho, and the remaining six fell during an afternoon contact 10 miles west of Soc Trang.

"The gunships were taking fire so they put in a couple of rockets," Cowan said referring to the earlier action. "The enemy jumped into a canal trying to escape but we got them with minigun and machine gun fire."

Fixed-wing aircraft of the 221st Utility Airplane Co. accounted for six enemy deaths approximately 10 miles southeast of Can Tho, while the 191st Assault Helicopter Co. killed a lone enemy soldier 60 miles west of Can Tho to bring the battalion's total for the day to 24.

Another 164th Avn. Gp. unit, the 16th Air Cav., added five enemy deaths to the day's total late in the afternoon about 10 miles south of Vi Thang.

The air mission commander, Lt. Dennis J. Braddock, reported that a LOH took fire from enemy forces dug into machine gun positions in the area. Cobra gunships rolled into the area and silenced the machine guns.

Helicopters of the 13th Combat Avn. Bn. accounted Communist dead June 2 during two encounters. Actions occurred between unknown-sized enemy forces and the gunship crewmen of the 121st Assault Helicopter Co. operating in An Xuyen Province.

Fourteen of the kills occurred during the morning when gunships, while searching for enemy mortar positions, observed several small groups of blue-clad enemy soldiers and engaged them with rocket and minigun fire.