Army Reporter Articles 2

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.

CHU LAI - His legs were useless, his arm broken. He was armed only with a bayonet and was stranded in the middle of a company of enemy soldiers. But he made it back.

Perhaps the luckiest man in the Americal Division is Sgt. Talamoni Talamoni,26, who was stranded for 18 hours in "no man's land."

Talamoni, a member of Co, D, 1st Cav., was part of a aerial reconnaissance mission with F Troop, 8th Cav., near Hiep Duc.

The plan called for two helicopters carrying ARPs (aerial reconnaissance patrols) to land on the hill simultaneously, while a number of other gunships provided cover.

The first helicopter, under a barrage of small arms fire, had problems because of limited space for insertion and crashed. Its tail rotor had snagged a tree stump.

With Talamoni on board, the second ship was hovering a few feet off the ground when it was hit by enemy fire. The chopper went into an uncontrollable spin, throwing Talamoni from the ship to the ground, about 50 meters away from where the ship finally crashed.

the rest of the crew, the support helicopters dropped down to recover the ARP's and took them to Tien Phuoc for medical care, leaving Talamoni alone.

When he regained consciousness, Talamoni said, "I could see nothing but LOH's (light observation helicopters) firing on enemy positions. And I couldn't see anyone from the helicopters we had been on. I thought I'd try to move back to the helicopter to get a smoke grenade to signal for help, but then the LOHs

were running out of fuel and had to leave. I knew Charlie was somewhere around so I moved so the enemy couldn't get me."

With a broken left leg and right arm, Talamoni, armed with nothing but a bayonet, dragged himself farther from the enemy, where he dug a foxhole.

Talamoni continued: "I lay in the foxhole and couldn't see anything. It was getting dark. I lay there until about 9 (p.m.) when I heard some movement.

Someone was talking. It was the VC moving west. They were about 25 meters from me, but they couldn't see me because I was in my foxhole with some rocks over the top."

After the Viet Cong left the vicinity of Talamoni's foxhole, he slept until about 5 the next morning. "I crawled back to the helicopter to get some smoke grenades. My legs were no use at all. I couldn't use them. But I couldn't find any smoke. I knew if I stayed there, Charlie would find me. I moved so that if the LOHs came they could spot me in the area."

About 7:30, two LOHs from 1st Bn., 1st Cav., did come. Talamoni, who still had his cigaret lighter in his pocket, built a small fire for the observation choppers to spot. They saw it and radioed an eight-man rescue Huey, which let a rescue team down to set up a defensive position while a medevac helicopter was called in to recover Talamoni.

If the rescue helicopters by some chance hadn't spotted Talamoni, he said that he was planning to crawl to a landing zone eight miles away, where he had recently visited. "I tied two sticks around my leg." Talamoni said.

The troops who engaged the enemy on the hill the day before Talamoni's rescue thought there had been at least a company-size element of Viet Cong in the area.

LZ HAWK HILL - In a tense firefight 23 miles west of Tam Ky, an Americal Division company fought off an attempted encirclement by a large NVA force, killing 15 enemy in the process.

The infantrymen from Co. C, 1st Bn., 46th Inf., 196th Inf. Bde., were supported throughout the day by helicopter gunships, air strikes and artillery.

"We were on a search and clear mission and had stopped to set up day laagers to eat chow," said Capt. David Sheehorn, Co. C's commanding officer.

Sheehorn had split the company into platoon maneuver elements and each was establishing a separate laager. After chow, the company was rejoining when the second platoon hit the NVA force entrenched in well-camouflaged bunkers and spider holes.

The Professionals laid down a barrage of small arms fire and tossed grenade after grenade at the hidden enemy.

"It was on a little knoll, but the NVA were well dug in and the terrain was so thick we couldn't see where they were," said Pfc. Romie C. Thompson.

The larger NVA force made repeated attempts to encircle the infantrymen, but Co. C managed to keep its freedom of movement. The infantry continued to return heavy fire.

"There was a clearing about five meters wide," said Hyland. "We placed two machine guns there and kept them firing."

MONTAGNARD REFUGEES are greeted by Maj. Clarence Cubia (foreground), the 4th Infantry Division civil actions officer, as they are given transportation to Montagnard Heights. (Helicopter shown on left of photo).

A single gun strike by crews of the 191st Assault Helicopter Co. resulted in the deaths of 15 Viet Cong and the destruction of a large arms supply near Bac Lieu.

Capt. Nicholas L. Miller estimated that his combat package engaged a company-size unit which was "pretty well spread out." The area hit with rockets and machine gun fire was a treeline which was being used to cover

In other 191st action, prowling gunship crews discovered and killed seven Viet Cong approximately 20 miles west of Bac Lieu in the IV Corps Tactical Zone.

"The gunships were just looking around," remarked Maj. Victor S. Conners, the company commander. "They caught two groups of people in the open, running towards bunkers."

There were four VC in the first group and three in the second. In each case the enemy troops successfully reached the bunkers, only to have them destroyed by Boomerang aircraft.

Seven enemy fell to the guns of the 221st Utility Airplane Co. Crews from that unit killed four enemy troops, two of them about 20 miles east of Tra Vinh and two more approximately 10 miles south of Can Tho. One enemy was downed 10 miles south of Can Tho.

A lone enemy soldier died from action by C Troop, 16th Air Cav., 15 miles south of Can Tho, and the 336th Assault Helicopter Co. killed another soldier five miles west of Rach Soi.

Operating in what mission commander Capt. Charles P. Hart described as a "very hairy area," the crews encountered local Viet Cong approximately six miles south of Vi Thanh.

"They were in a well-fortified area," Hart added. "We had to use rockets to flush them out of the bunkers and hit the same area with machine guns."

In morning action about 10 miles south of Ca Mau, the same unit killed three Viet Cong as they were carrying ammunition boxes from one bunker to another.

Elements of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) were the most active, with actions throughout their area of operations.

Crewmen of the 1st Aviation Brigade saw relatively limited action during the week, primarily in the southern portion of the Republic, while the paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade killed 34 enemy soldiers during the third week in July.

Light action also characterized the period for both the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) and the soldiers of the Americal Division operating in I Corps.

In IV Corps, crews from the 13th Combat Avn. Bn. killed 15 enemy soldiers July 14 in scattered Mekong Delta action.

Seven of the Communists were killed by crews of the 221st Airplane Co. Four of the enemy were killed 15 miles northwest of Bac Lieu and another three were killed 10 miles southeast of Can Tho.

Ten miles southwest of Long Thanh, helicopters from the 240th Assault Helicopter Co., 214th Combat Avn. Bn., engaged an estimated 15 enemy, killing 14 and capturing three individual weapons.

Five enemy soldiers were killed by crews from the 162nd Assault Helicopter Co. July 17, two in an area about 20 miles northwest of Tra Vinh and three near Vinh Long. Crews of the 221st Reconnaissance Airplane Co., killed five enemy 15 miles southeast of Can Tho.

In IV Corps July 18, crewmen of the 13th Combat Avn. Bn. killed four Communist soldiers, two of the m in the U Minh Forest. The other two enemy soldiers were killed about five miles southeast of Can Tho.

Helicopter crews of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cav., and the 2nd Bn., 20th Arty., killed three enemy soldiers in a bunker-dotted area 26 miles northeast of Song Be.

Operating 18 miles west of Phuoc Vinh, troopers of Co. A, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., found the bodies of four enemy soldiers killed in earlier action. Three enemy soldiers were killed in the same area the previous day and four AK47 rifles, six B40 rockets, one rocket launcher and nine hand grenades were captured by the company.

The bodies of 12 enemy soldiers were found 18 miles northeast of Song Be by men of Co. D, 1st Bn., 12th Cav.

In early evening action July 18, a unit of the 1st Cav.'s 8th Engr. Bn., on a convoy with vehicles from the 20th Engr. Bde. and escorted by elements of the Cav's 1st Squadron, 9th Cav., came under heavy enemy fire along a road 19 miles northeast of Quan Loi.

Air strikes and aerial rocket artillery support from the 2nd Bn., 20th Arty., accounted for 14 enemy killed in that area.

Also on the same day, elements of the 1st Bn., 12th Cav., battled with an unknown-size enemy force in bunkers 18 miles northeast of Song Be. During the 40-minute clash the Skytroopers received small arms and automatic weapons fire. The Skytroopers received support from artillery and aerial rocket artillery gunships.

Earlier in the same area the element discovered an NVA soldier who was killed the previous day. One AK47 and a 15-pound land mine were found.

Skytroopers of Co. D, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., discovered a bunker-tunnel complex 12 miles east-southeast of Phuoc Vinh. The soldiers found a 12-gauge shotgun and medical supplies.

Members of Co. A, 2nd Bn., 8th Cav., operating near the Cambodian border 21 miles northeast of Song Be. Another enemy soldier was killed by the unit in the jungle 12 miles northeast of Song Be.

Skytroopers from Co. D, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., found a cache 12 miles east of Phuoc Vinh. The items included nine individual weapons, 500 AK47 rounds, 83 60mm mortar rounds, two sewing machines, one typewriter and 100 pounds of assorted foodstuffs.

Soldiers from Co. B, 1st Bn., 8th Cav., found and evacuated an arms cache six miles northwest of Bu Gia Map.

The following items were evacuated: 199 SKS rifles; five Chicom light machine guns; 92,040 7.62mm rounds; 8,585 .51-caliber rounds and 1,200 pounds of C4 plastic explosive.

Skytroopers killed seven enemy soldiers July 15 and captured three individual weapons during the day's actions.

Four Communists were reported killed by an air strike which followed a Ranger team contact with an unknown-size enemy force 12 miles northeast of Song Be in Phuoc Long Province.

Co. B, 1st Bn., 7th Cav., soldiers killed three Viet Cong soldiers nine miles southeast of Phuoc Vinh. Three Chicom pistols were captured and an M16 rifle was recovered.

Skytroopers from Co. A, 1st Bn., 8th Cav., turned up an enemy cache near the Cambodian border 21 miles northeast of Song Be July 14. The unit found 240 57mm recoilless rifle rounds, 200 Chicom grenades, 150 AK47 magazines, 50 Soviet light machine gun magazines, 400 feet of time cord and 1,260 7.62mm pistol rounds.

On the same day, elements of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cav., killed three enemy soldiers. The action took place 30 miles northeast of Song Be after six enemy were spotted in the jungle.

Operating in an area 10 miles west of Vinh Long, crewmen of A Troop, 7th Squadron, killed seven VC while supporting ARVN units.

Skytroopers killed two Communists July 14 in three contacts 21 miles north of Quan Loi. Crews of C Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cav., killed two enemy soldiers 24 miles northeast of Phuoc Vinh.

The 199th Light Infantry Brigade began its week when men of Co. C, 3rd Bn., 7th Inf., found a cache eight miles northeast of Ham Tan containing 14.25 tons of flour.

The 199th found another cache June 16. This time elements of the 3rd Bn., 7th Inf., discovered and evacuated eight tons of wheat flour.

Eighteen miles northwest of Ham Tan Redcatchers from the 2nd Bn., 3rd Inf., received RPG, small arms and automatic weapons fire June 17 and drove off an unknown-size enemy force. On the same day, elements from Co. C, 3rd Bn., 7th Inf., found and evacuated 11.8 tons of wheat flour eight miles to the northeast of Ham Tan.

The next day Co. D, 3rd Bn., 7th Inf., found and destroyed 1.1 tons of rice and 800 pounds of salt seven miles northeast of Ham Tan. The same unit found another cache the following day in the same area. This time the find was 1.1 tons of rice and 800 pounds of salt.

In several isolated actions, the paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade killed 34 enemy soldiers, captured five small arms, detained one individual and destroyed 15 enemy base camps during the third week in July.

The day of heaviest action was July 16, when eight enemy bodies were found in northern Tam Quan District as a result of air strikes in the area the previous day. During that day, the paratroopers engaged various enemy elements and reported killing eight enemy soldiers.

Men of C Troop, 7th Bn., 17th Air Cav., spotted seven enemy bodies on the ground after a strike by their own gunships July 14.

Screaming Eagles of Co. B, 2nd Bn., 501st Inf., 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), engaged an unknown-size enemy force July 14 in bunkers about 26 miles west of Hue.

Five enemy soldiers were killed in the action and one crew-served weapon was captured by elements of the division.

Twenty-four miles west of Hue, the night defensive position of Co. D, 2nd Bn., 501st Inf., received small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire from a Communist force.

The Screaming Eagle troops received artillery and air support. Three of the enemy were killed and individual weapon was captured.

Americal Division soldiers engaged and killed four enemy and detained 10 suspects nine miles southeast of Duc Pho in Quang Ngai Province July 16 in action involving the Reconnaissance Platoon, 4th Bn., 21st Inf.

Division soldiers of Co. D, 4th Bn., 31st Inf., found and evacuated two tons of locally grown, unpolished rice 23 miles southwest of Tam Ky July 15.

Elements of the division found two rice caches July 13 outside Quang Ngai City. The 3rd Bn., 1st Inf., found and evacuated a 2.5-ton cache.

THE VERSATILITY of the Chinook helicopter is shown during this 4th Infantry Division maneuver. Stationed at a remote fire support base, the men of the 6th Bn., 29th Arty., receive a howitzer via the Chinook.

CAMP HOCHMUTH - It's a long way from singing at the Playboy Club to making a Cobra gunship "sing" on a gun run, but for CWO Ron Gibbs, that's life.

Gibbs, a pilot with C Troop, 2nd Squadron 17th Cav., 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), has done both. He was a member of the "Winstons," a singing group that has appeared at Playboy Clubs in Miami, Atlanta and Louisville, as well as at other nightclubs across the United States. The entertainment group is best remembered for its recording of "Color Him Father," a tune that remained high on the popular music charts for a number of months. Gibbs sang the lead in the song.

At age 23 Gibbs has compiles an impressive record in the music field. Twelve years ago he joined some of his friends in a folk music group that entertained in the Augusta Ga., region. By the time he was 15, Gibbs had

He continued his musical studies and attended the University of Georgia where he was graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in music. Then came his successful association with "The Winstons," which has been interrupted by military service.

in soft Georgia accents. "There is something about it. Once you start working with music, especially in front of a live audience, then there is just nothing else. It gets under your skin and into your blood.

"To me, music is a challenging and rewarding business," he continued. "It's a challenge to face an audience and to give them what they want to hear. You have to please your audience. If I can do that, then they will let me

The Screaming Eagle aviator has not stopped making music since entering the Army. "I joined a group while I was at Fort Eustis Virginia, and we played around the military bases in the area-club shows and the like. Since coming to Vietnam, I've done some singing in various clubs in the 101st. If I can find some instruments to use, I'll try to start a group here and maybe do some club shows."

Why would a dedicated musician become a helicopter pilot? "Well, I had flown in college, the private license type of thing, and I certainly enjoyed it," continued Gibbs. "You might say that flying is my second love."

Gibbs is qualified to fly the UH1H slick helicopter and the AH1G Cobra gunship, and has flown both during his 10 months in Vietnam. At present, he is supervising maintenance for C Troop aircraft. "I don't fly too much

CAMP RADCLIFF - They call her "The Little Old Lady of Armageddon" and she seems to have a penchant for helicopters. The 75-year-old Montagnard woman has logged quite a few-hours in U.S. Army slicks since being adopted by the 1st Bn., 12th Inf.

It all started when an element of the Red Warriors' Co. B discovered her sitting all alone on a bunker in the middle of the jungle north of An Khe. She was extracted from there by helicopter to Landing Zone Armageddon, then flown to Camp Radcliff for questioning.

After displaying a lot of spirit, but no knowledge of enemy activities, when she was flown back to LZ Armageddon. The medics there noticed that she appeared to be ill, so the 2nd Bde. S5 officer, Capt. David O'Brien, arranged for medical treatment.

O'Brien saw to it that another slick was engaged to get the Montagnard woman to the An Tuc dispensary for treatment. After receiving her medication there, she disappeared for two days. When she was found at an interpreter's house nearby, another slick was engaged to take her out to LZ Armageddon.

At last report, a platoon of Ivymen was being sent out to secure the area where she was originally picked up, so she could be reinserted by helicopter among her own people. After that, her flying days may be over for awhile.

O'Brien had this observation, "She's been in the air so much that if I hear of her riding in one of our choppers again, I think I'll put her in for the Air Medal!"

DA NANG - Operation Dong Chen 510 lasted 10 days and accounted for 69 enemy fatalities. The 2nd Bn., 5th Regt., 2nd ARVN Division, was involved in the operation and swept into Vinh Huy Valley, 20 miles northwest of Tam Ky.

The battalion fought on the enemy's home ground, in country where sometimes it was hard to see 20 feet ahead because of the dense vegetation. Supported by tactical air and artillery units, the battalion also captured 11 prisoners.

The photographer, Sfc. Tu Vu of the I Corps Information Office, went with the front elements of the battalion. His photographs, therefore, are of the "tell it like it is" variety. They were taken where the action was, as it

One of the photographs is of a 16-year-old refugee girl. When the battalion occupied a formerly Viet Cong-controlled village, the girl and others like her begged for transportation away from the Communists. When, due to military priorities, that was impossible, the girl decided that going with the battalion on its sweep was safer than remaining within reach of the Viet Cong.

Tu's photo shows her striking back at the Viet Cong as best she can. She helped with the wounded and provided assistance to her ARVN protectors by rushing out into the middle of a firefight to retrieve M16 rifles left behind by two wounded ARVN soldiers. Carrying the M16s by the straps so as not to be mistaken for a Viet Cong, she made it safely to cover. Two days later she was taken to a safe area.

Another of the photos, that of the NVA soldier surrendering, came after the sniper had been holding up advancing ARVN troops. As the ARVN drew nearer, the man from North Vietnam pulled back into a hollow he had dug into the bank of his shellhole below the water level. Completely submerged he might have escaped capture but for the alertness of one of the South Vietnamese.

The ARVN trooper noticed ripples on the surface of the muddy water and suspicious, fired into the murk with his M16. Up arose one wet, humble version of an NVA soldier, and it was that moment that Tu Vu captured on film.

DA NANG - Going home in a few weeks, huh? But you have a problem. You want to know how to get that million-watt, super duper stereo set and 20 Hong Kong-made suits home without it costing you a month's pay in duty and mailing charges.

No problem. That is if you take your loot (meaning the articles you've collected over the past 365 days) to the Personal Property Branch (PPB) near the Air Force Exchange in Da Nang.

The Da Nang PPB - largest baggage point in Vietnam - serves more than 5,000 returnees monthly, from all branches of the service, and ships nearly one million pounds of baggage during that time.

Recently taken over from the Navy, the PPB is now a subordinate unit of the US. Army Support Command, Da Nang.

The best selling point the PPB has for its services is the price. If you stay within the determined guidelines, the cost of shipping your goods home will be absolutely nothing. And you've got to admit, that price is right!

How do you initiate the shipment? Easy! Just stuff seven copies of your orders in your pocket and present yourself to the counter at the PPB.

From there, your baggage will be examined by customs inspectors while you're filling out the necessary forms. Remember, certain items cannot be sent home. So don't try to hide a pornographic picture of your favorite pin-up girl or a section from an enemy 82mm rocket that just missed you.

It's noted by the authorities at PPB, however, that contact should be made with your local provost marshal concerning certain taboo articles. With the proper paperwork, certain war souvenirs may be shipped home legally.

Baggage allowances vary according to branch of service and rank. Army personnel in grades E4 and below are allowed 200 pounds. In the Army, E4s with four years or more service are given an allowance of 400 pounds. The figure for all other services for E4s and up is 1000. Officer weight allowances range from 600 to 1,000 pounds, according to rank.

The unaccompanied baggage is flown to three different points in the United States, depending on where the final destination happens to be.

Travis Air Force Base in California serves those in the western half of the States, depending on where the final destination happens to be.

Travis Air Force Base in California serves those in the western half of the States, while the other two bases are located at Dover, Del., for the northern states and Charleston, S.C., for the southeastern United States. Air Force C141s jet the goods home from Da Nang.

According to officials at the PPB, most servicemen receive their baggage within 20 days, depending again on where it is sent. "If it's on some rural route in the sticks, it'll take awhile longer, but it will get there,"

On arriving in the States, one of four freight forwarders will haul the baggage to the individual's designated home address or duty station.

So whether you're assigned to a chopper crew in Da Nang or a pipeline crew near the DMZ, you can be certain your baggage can be sent home safely-without charge.

CHU LAI - Nineteen hours, a relatively short period of time, can become an eternity for a couple of men, especially when they are objects of an intensive manhunt.

Lieutenants Henry L. Ballance Jr. and Peter R. Perez, both assigned to the Americal Div. Arty., recently experienced such and ordeal.

Ballance, the pilot of an OH6 light observation helicopter and Perez the air observer, were cast in their perilous predicament when their chopper crashed on the side of a mountain after taking enemy machine gun fire.

The incident, which claimed the life of the door gunner, occurred in the dense jungle north of FSB Siberia, in an area still very much infested by the enemy.

"We came down about 100 feet above a river," said 24-year old Ballance as he recalled the outset of what was to become a determined struggle for survival.

Perez received a minor but painful burn on his right forearm in the brief flash fire that erupted in the crash. Ballance emerged from the wreckage with only minor scratches and bruises.

"We could hear the enemy laughing and jabbering below us and on the other side of the river," said Ballance. "They began spraying the area with .51-caliber rounds, hoping that we would return the fire so they could locate us and move in on use."

Ballance and Perez had only a few white phosphorus and incendiary grenades with which to signal rescue aircraft. They settled upon a hiding spot some 15 meters from a clearing that was a bomb crater.

"We figured that the crater would be an ideal spot for a rescue should a helicopter get to us before the enemy found us," Ballance said.

The men were forced to lie on an approximately 60-degree slope to avoid detection Capture or even death seemed inevitable.

"We could hear them rustling in the bushes all around us," said Ballance. It was the beginning of the search that would eventually bring one enemy to within three feet of the two lieutenants.

Darkness finally came, but did not bring the relief that Ballance had first judged. "I had hoped that we would be able to move to a better position at night," said Ballance, "But when it got dark, all noise ceased. It was as

Ballance, who was lying in "an almost vertical position," strained to prevent sliding down the slope by digging in with his toes and grasping a root above his head. In addition to this misery, a few hundred black ants

"It's a pretty weird feeling to have ants crawling around inside your ear and not being able to move to get them out," said Ballance."

Shortly before dawn, Ballance and Perez spotted an enemy soldier only 10 feet from their position. "He was wearing a black pajama top," said Ballance. "It was unbuttoned, and he was holding an AK47. By this time

I had already resolved that I was going to die. I only hoped that it would be a quick death and that they would not torture me."

Members of the artillery aviation section had volunteered to fly all the choppers available in hopes of finding their lost comrades. Leaving the comfort of their beds, the pilots began their search at the first light of

Calling on their reserve strength, the two men stumbled toward the crater where they signaled the chopper with their white phosphorus grenades.

"A chopper passed over and threw us a first aid kit and seconds later a survival radio and a grenade launcher," said Ballance.

More than an hour later the CH53 helicopter, more commonly known as a Jolly Green Giant, arrived and hoisted the men to safety, but it was all anticlimactic as the gunships above provided the happy officers with more than ample firepower for protection.

FSB JAMIE - A 25th Infantry Division Infantry company recently evicted four NVA from their residence in the middle of an American fire support base.

The Warriors of Co. D, 2nd Bn., 12th Inf., were moving in to secure former Fire Support Base Jamie, when they discovered the "residents" and made the eviction - in the process, killing all four of the enemy.

The unaware Warriors, arriving on the scene by choppers, landed approximately 40 meters outside the wire at Jamie. Everything was going according to schedule until personnel aboard battalion commander Lt. Col.

Sheppard H. Phillips' command and control helicopter spotted several enemy insider the perimeter. Guns aboard the chopper, immediately engaged the fleeing enemy, killing one while the others vanished into nearby bunkers.

The company moved cautiously toward the suspected enemy positions, which were marked by smoke dropped from the C and C ship.

"The situation was really something else," commented 2nd Platoon Sgt. Mikel Schow, "It's the first time I've had to assault one of our own perimeters."

The elusive enemy was apparently at home inside Jamie. Sgt. Jim Miller, while looking through a bunker, kicked aside a couple of floorboards and discovered two armed NVA.

"They had a good position and wouldn't rally," said Miller. He called in several of his buddies and, with a few grenades, they made a short business of silencing the two armed NVA.

A short time later, a medic, Spec. 4 Dennis Truscott stumbled onto an NVA soldier occupying a similar underground position. Once again the Warriors used the "indirect approach" to evict the last of the unwanted boarders.

DRIVING RAIN doesn't hinder a pathfinder of the 68th Assault Helicopter Co. as he takes a last look at the landing zone before popping smoke so choppers can insert 199th Light Infantry Brigade troopers.

Activity during the week ending July 26 again focused on I Military Region, the northern quarter of South Vietnam.

In the mountainous jungles of western Thua Thien Province July 23, an element of the 2nd Bn., 506th Inf., of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), was hit with RPG, 82mm mortar and small arms fire from an unknown-size enemy force. Artillery and air strikes supported the Screaming Eagles in the battle 25 miles west of Hue.

Action increased sharply for soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division during the week ending July 26. Division troops killed a total of 43 enemy soldiers in Military Region July 24 alone.

An element of the 7th Squadron, 17th Cav., working in support of the 1st Bn., 12th Inf., made contact with an enemy element of undetermined size 18 miles northwest of An Khe.

Repeated contacts ensued through out the afternoon in the area. Supported by artillery and air strikes, the battalion's infantrymen killed 39 enemy

In other division action that day, a Ranger team from Co. K, 75th Inf. killed four enemy soldiers in Tuy An District of Phu Yen Province. They also captured three AK47 rifles.

In three scattered incidents in the Central Highlands July 25, division elements killed four enemy soldiers and detained one.

Infantrymen from Co. C, 1st Bn., 12th Inf., killed two enemy troops and detained 1 17 miles northeast of An Khe. Later, Companies A and B, 1st Bn.,14th Inf., each killed one enemy soldier.

Skytroopers from the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) reported killing 24 enemy soldiers in two separate action July 24.

Operating 19 miles east of Phuoc Vinh, the troopers from Co. A, 2nd Bn.,7th Cav., established contact with an enemy force of undetermined size. Airstrikes and artillery supported the men. Twenty enemy soldiers were reported killed in the action.

Enemy cache sites located in the area yielded two mortar tubes, one heavy machine gun, six 122mm rockets and 475 rounds of assorted ammunition.

Units of the division's 2nd Bde., supported by air strikes, killed 15 enemy soldiers on an old trail system 13 miles northeast of Song Be July 25.

Crews from the 1st Cav's 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., accounted for six enemy soldiers killed in action throughout the Skytroopers' Military Region area of operations. Three of the enemy killed were engaged 19 miles east of Phuoc Vinh after being spotted during an aerial reconnaissance flight.

Division soldiers from Co. A, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., located an enemy cache 20 miles east-northeast of Phuoc Vinh July 22. The cache yielded 76 120mm mortar rounds, 124 60mm mortar rounds, 197 75mm recoilless rifle rounds, 162 rifle grenades, 76 57mm recoilless rifle rounds, two 82mm mortar rounds, three double 107mm rocket launchers, 25 pounds of explosives, five RPG rounds and nine cases of fuses and charges.

Throughout the division's area that day, 17 enemy soldiers were reported killed by helicopter crews. Twelve of the enemy were killed by crews from the 1st Squadron, 9th Cav., six miles southeast of Duc Thong.

Helicopter crews from C Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., killed five enemy soldiers 15 miles east of Phuoc Vinh.

Twenty-eight miles southeast of Song Be, crews from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav., killed five enemy soldiers 15 miles east of Phuoc Vinh.

Twenty-eight miles southeast of Song Be, crews from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav, killed a lone enemy soldier after spotting three enemy soldiers in buildings. A damage assessment of air strikes in the area revealed three additional enemy soldiers killed.

Three more Communists were killed by Skytroopers in scattered actions throughout the division's operational area.

Troops from Co. A, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., operating 13 miles east of Phuoc Vinh that day, found an enemy cache containing 78 mortar rounds, 13 B41 rockets and 56 hand grenades.

Operating 300 yards from the cache site discovered July 21, Co. A found another cache yielding an 82mm mortar, a 60mm mortar, a .51 caliber machine gun and six 122mm rockets.

Making a sweep of the same general area July 26, the Co. A Skytroopers located another enemy cache, this one containing 164 SKS rifles, 74 bangalore torpedoes, six Chicom claymore mines, 164 sets of NVA web gear, 200 picks, 200 shovels and 75 wire cutters. One enemy soldier was killed by Skytroopers that day.

In their II Military Region are of operations July 21, Redcatchers from the 199th Light Infantry Brigade's Co. B, 5th Bn., 12th Inf., found and destroyed a cache containing 1.5 tons of rice 14 miles northeast of Tanh Linh.

Gunships from B Troop, 2nd Squadron 17th Air Cav., flying in support of Screaming Eagles of the 1st Bde., 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), killed two enemy soldiers who were manning a machine gun position 25 miles west of Hue July 20, just three days before the division killed 61 enemy in the same area.

Aviators of the 221st Reconnaissance Airplane Co. accounted for another nine of the enemy killed. Four were killed five miles southeast of Can Tho and three more 20 miles southeast of Soc Trang. the other two 221st enemy kills occurred in the southern tip of An Xuyen Province.

In other battalion action that day, crews of the 16th Air Cav. killed five enemy soldiers in a battle 10 miles southwest of Can Tho.

Thirteen enemy soldiers were killed by men from C Troop, 7th Squadron, 1st Air Cav., in other IV Military Region action seven miles southeast of Ben Tra.

Seven of the enemy killed were credited to crews of the 221st who were operating about 10 miles southeast of Can Tho.

In other action, gunship crewmen from the 336th Assault Helicopter Co. killed four enemy soldiers five miles south of Vi Thanh, and men of D Troop, 7th Squadron, 1st Air Cav., killed five more enemy seven miles southeast of Sa Dec.

Approximately 15 miles west of Phung Hiep, five enemy soldiers were killed by crews of the 162nd Assault Helicopter Co.

Battalion firepower killed nine enemy soldiers July 23. Six of the enemy killed were credited to the crews of the 121st Assault Helicopter Co. The action took place 10 miles southeast of Can Tho.

In other action that day, crews from C Troop, 7th Squadron, 1st Air Cav., killed a single enemy soldier seven miles southeast of My An.

Another four enemy soldiers fell before battalion guns July 24. Three were accounted for by rocket-firing Birddogs of the 221st. The fourth was killed by crews of the 16th Air Cav., 10 miles south of Vi Thanh.

Aviators of the 221st reported killing three enemy soldiers five miles southwest of Phung Hiep July 26. Two miles east of Phung Hiep, crews from the 162nd killed one additional enemy soldier.

Battalion crews from the 221st killed three enemy soldiers July 22. The enemy were killed in separate actions 10 miles west of Soc Trang, 10 miles southeast of Soc Trang and 15 miles southeast of Vi Thanh.

In other battalion action, men from the 191st Assault Helicopter Co. killed a lone enemy soldier five miles southwest of Ca Mau.

KONTUM - A quick-acting team of Huey helicopters saved the lives of two injured Special Forces soldiers caught in an enemy ambush near here.

In the early evening the 170th Assault Helicopter Co., 52d Bn., 17th Combat Avn. Gp., received a call from the 5th Special Forces unit there. One of there jeeps returning to Kontum was receiving heavy fire from an

ambush about six miles south of town and needed the slicks to insert a quick reaction force to aid the men in the jeep.

The 170th scrambled three Buccaneer Hueys, which picked up the force and rushed to the area. The lead ship, flown by Lt. Bruce Lawonn, inserted the team and picked up three of four injured men and sped them to the 71st Evac. Hosp. in Pleiku.

MONKEY MOUNTAIN--The men of Monkey Mountain worry as much about their transportation as a high school boy with his first automobile. And the reasons are not hard to discover.

On the average, two of the five vehicles - two deuce-and-a-halfs, a three-quarter ton, and two jeeps - at the site are in for maintenance at any given time, primarily because of the steep and winding mile-and-a-half road which connects the site with the bottom of the hill. The men must travel to the bottom for meals and mail.

Also to be considered is the nearness of China Beach, an in-country R&R center five miles from the bottom of the mountain and a favorite spot of off-duty mountaineers, whose transportation problems usually necessitate the use of their thumbs.

They share the huge mountain just outside Da Nang with Navy and Air Force radar sites, a Navy radio relay detachment and a detachment from AFVN.

Below, the peninsula holding most of the military establishment at Da Nang stretches like a toy city bounded by Da Nang harbor and the South China Sea. Freighters mingling with native fishing boats under bright blue skies fraught with screaming jets and air-slapping helicopters make the view and sights unforgettable. China Beach shines near the water like a long, white light.

All working areas on the mountain are air-conditioned and most equipment is in modern steel buildings landscaped with sloping rock retaining walls.

Capt. Robert M. Fitz is in charge of the detachment, which is part of Co. B, 361st Sig. Bn. Sfc Charles O'Malley is the energetic NCO who keeps things hopping.

There are both Navy shore patrolmen and military policemen on the site. The MPs handle all security responsibilities including gate guard, perimeter guard and occasional sweeps around the area.

Tropospheric scatter shots and VHF are operated from Monkey Mountain to several other sites in Vietnam and Thailand. The detachment terminates and acts as technical control for telephone and teletype circuits used on the mountain.

Marine patrols operate over the backside of the mountain away from the installations and keep the jungle secured.

FSB MUSKET - This desolate hilltop fire support base, 29 miles northwest of Da Nang, rocked recently as Btry, B, 1st Bn., 321st Arty., conducted an extensive artillery raid aimed at suspected enemy positions 25 miles northwest of Da Nang.

Within five minutes after the first 105mm howitzer landed at this isolated fire support base from the battery's temporary home at FSB Los Banos, a round was fired at the predesignated target. AT day's end, a total of 130 enemy targets had been engaged by the redlegs of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile).

The targets, which could not have been reached with the artillery on any of the active Screaming Eagle fire bases, were discovered by air and ground reconnaissance teams from the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cav.

The first No Slack troopers to combat-assault onto the base were from Co. C, 2nd Bn., 327th Inf., who provided security during the raid. Meanwhile, Screaming Eagles from Co. C, 326th Engr. Bn., cleared the fire base of enemy mines and booby traps.

The first members of Btry. B arrived at FSB Musket about 45 minutes after the initial assault of the infantrymen and engineers onto the base. Shortly afterwards, the base howitzers arrived.

Chinook helicopters from Co C, 159th Avn B., made dozens of sorties to the fire base during the first hours it was open.

Shortly after the guns were set up, a deep fog shrouded the hilltop. The fire base was scheduled to be cleared at 4:30 p.m., but the men knew that zero visibility meant an overnight stay.

The sky began to clear shortly before 5 p.m. and the 2nd Bde.'s Brandy Flight pilots began landing at the fire base to extract everyone not required to defend it.

Finally, at 7 p.m. the sky cleared completely, and 30 minutes later the 159th Avn had the last howitzer airborne to FSB Los Banos.

CAM RANH BAY - Linehaul members of the 670th and 442nd Transportation Companies here returned from Bu Prang near the Cambodian border recently to complete one of the longest continuous supply convoys of the war, according to the U.S. Army Support Command here.

The convoy was run to supply American engineers with lumber needed for the construction of a CIDG-Special Forces camp near Bu Prang.

The other major problem, besides the roads, were the Viet Bong and North Vietnamese regulars. Since the NVA's extended assault on the Special Forces camps of Duc Lap and Bu Prang in November of last year, the enemy has been increasingly active in the areas the convoy traveled.

The first 160 miles to the mountain city of Ban Me Thuot is a regular run for the experienced linehaulers of the command. The push reached the city in early evening. It was then that final preparations began in earnest for the remaining contested 120 miles to the construction site.

The following morning, with the spotter plane up, gunships in the air and convoy personnel alert from hours of restful sleep, Capt. Michael Brown of the 670th Transportation Co. gave the word to crank up and push out.

The first span of paved road laced toward Duc Lap through the densely forested Plateau du Darlac in the highlands.

The convoy spent its second night on a small airstrip at the Nanh Co. Special Forces camp, just 20 miles south of the final destination. However, those 20 miles were to be the toughest the men had to encounter.

Before the convoy left the following morning, the area was swept by Montagnard and American Special Forces soldiers. At the lineup site 120 Montagnard soldiers distributed themselves among the convoy vehicles and rode shotgun wherever they could hold onto a load.

The road was paved and cleared on both sides for the first few miles of the trek, but without any warning, the highway vanished and the jungle closed in upon the convoy.

The going was extremely tough and slow. The overgrown jungle made vehicles crawl and men sweat, but hard-core experience and determination proved the deciding element over the tropical forest.

At the construction site, American engineers had cleared away enough timber and earth for a small but efficient off-loading point. The flatbed trailers were emptied easily. The engineers even had a hot lunch ready for the linehaulers.

Over the meal, Brown spoke of the convoy, "I must say this has been the most meticulously planned, well-organized and sharply executed convoy I have commanded. I cannot say enough about the men and the fantastic cooperation and above all, the confidence and determination inherent in all the personnel."

By now the men's thoughts had turned to the trip homeward. They had come 280 miles over every imaginable kind of road or path and now they would have to do it all over again, the only difference being there was more to look forward to on the opposite end of the return journey.

The convoy moved steadily over the roads through the mountain passes and valleys, and 2 1/2 days later the truckers found themselves triumphantly steaming through the gates of My Ca and onto the Cam Ranh Peninsula.

TAN AN - Body odor, not usually considered a problem in a combat zone, is giving the enemy plenty to sweat about, thanks to a vacuum cleaner-like device which is being used to sniff out his presence.

Two mechanical bloodhounds, known as "people sniffers" are being used in the 3d Bde., 9th Infantry Division area of operations, aboard helicopters and just recently, air cushioned vehicles.

The sniffers are operated by the seven-man staff of the 39th Chemical Det. The complicated devices scoop up air samples and analyze them. If anyone has been in the area recently, a telltale trace of body odor will cause a meter on the machine to flutter like a Geiger counter on top of a uranium deposit.

According to Sgt. Phillip Allen, the machine will not react to the odors from the bodies of water buffalo and other animals. Allen, who usually rides with one of the chemical detachment's sniffer units, has been flying sniffer missions for almost a year now.

"However," he said, "the machine will register gasses given off from a campfire, even if it is several days old.

"When we go out on a mission," Allen said, "we usually get two or three readings. The readings not only pinpoint the enemy's location but also give a rough estimate of the number of personnel involved.

"Lower readings indicate a group of six or fewer persons. So when we get a maximum reading, the area is given priority for insertion of infantrymen to check it out," Allen said.

Sometimes the sniffer team can bring fire on the suspected enemy location immediately if it is riding in a minigun-armed ACV or aboard a Cobra-escorted slick.

Allen explained that since the sniffer machines cannot distinguish between friend and foe it is most effective in areas with little or no civilian population such as the Plain of Reeds or the swampy nipapalm thickets along Delta waterways.

Sniffing operations have been used in Vietnam for less than two years. Allen added that one of the first big successes for the sniffers occurred while the 9th Infantry was at Dong Tam. "More than 300 enemy were discovered hiding along the banks of a river," he said, "After that the Army started really pushing people-sniffing."

KONTUM - Twelve years ago Pat Smith, a graduate of the University of Seattle Medical School, volunteered to do some missionary work before returning to school for advanced medical studies. She was dispatched to a small unknown country called Vietnam.

Pat Smith is still here on what started off to be a two-year tour of helping nuns at a small mission. It has evolved into a 100-bed hospital which treats up to 200 patients daily. For the thousands of Montagnard

around Kontum, it is their primary source of medical attention. Much of the success of the hospital can be attributed to the 52nd Combat Avn. Bn.'s 170th Assault Helicopter Co., which is stationed at Kontum.

There is little portable water in Kontum. The hospital's 1,200-gallon daily supply comes from the deep wells inside the helicopter compound. After being treated by 170th medics, the water is moved to the hospital in a water tanker.

The man show drives the water truck Pfc. Michael Jackson, says, "I really enjoy driving for the hospital; the people are hardworking and really appreciate what little I do for them. It's really nice to be thanked warmly."

Spec. 4 John Kennlham, a generator repairman assigned to the 170th, spends much of his time doing electrical repair work for the hospital.

Says Kenniham, "During the warm season we arrive at the hospital with a full tank of water around 4 o'clock in the afternoon and shower time begins in moments. The truck would be surrounded by little kids trying to get washed and playing in the water."

Medics naturally supply much of the technical assistance needed for a large hospital. Spec 4 Brian Ming and Spec. 5 James Cherry have both spent hundreds of hours helping train the Montagnards as lab technicians.

Cherry notes, "When I first started helping at Pat Smith's hospital, I noticed that the men working in the lab were careless in their work habits. This caused problems in their work. The first thing I had to teach them was clean, neat work habits."

To fill a graduate course requirement, Spec. 5 Cherry visited several villages in Kontum. In his studies, the medic found that 80 per cent of the Montagnards over two years old have hookworm-a direct cause of anemia. Nearly 34 per cent have hookworm, roundworm and tapeworm. Montagnard are free of these diseases until they are two years old.

That would save a lot of time in the hospital; however, transportation to the villages is difficult to obtain and security isn't always assured.

Before the recent elections, there was a series of terrorist attacks on the local villages. The enlisted men of the 170th not on flight status volunteered several pints of blood to the villagers. Montagnards cannot

The 170th also donates whatever supplies they can spare. The motor pool sees so much of their white jeep that they have nicknamed it the White Elephant.

The monsoon is an especially busy time of year for the hospital. A recent measles epidemic caught the hospital short on oxygen. The 170th ships made emergency runs to Pleiku to replenish their supply. Several of the 170th missions have been in direct support of the hospital.

Pat Smith's hospital is another good example of the 1st Aviation Brigade's efforts to increase partners for peace.

VINH LONG - WO R.C. Boyd, a member of Hq. Co. of the 214th Combat Avn. Bn. recently received a check for $765 from the U.S. Coast Guard for one of his ideas.

Following graduation from Purdue University with a BS degree in physics, he entered the Coast Guard and was assigned to the Aircraft Repair and Service Center (ARSC) in Detroit.

"When I entered the service," said Boyd, "the Coast Guard was using three radios in its aircraft which required very lengthy procedures to set up and keep operating. It took a man of experience to work on these radios, and the center was having trouble finding qualified personnel. I felt the radios were poorly designed and thought that I could alleviate the problem if a design change were adopted." Boyd took the three radios home with him one night, and in his spare time drew up the plans for a more simplified design for each of them.

I turned the project into a hobby," he continued. "I worked on the designs off and on for a few months, then submitted the final paperwork through Coast Guard channels. Apparently they liked my ideas, because the designs were adopted, and I've received $765 in the mail for my efforts.

Along with the paycheck, Boyd received a report from the Coast Guard stating that his ideas would save the government $18,534 annually! "That's not bad for just realigning a few pieces of equipment," he said.

Boyd served with the Coast Guard for five years, then entered the Army one year ago. This is his second tour in Vietnam, but only his first with the military. He spent 12 months here before as a civilian worker.

CAMP HOLLOWAY - A two day battle nine miles east of here claimed the lives of 39 North Vietnamese Army soldiers.

Late on the first afternoon elements of A Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cav., 17th Combat Avn. Gp., encountered a battalion-size NVA sapper unit east of Pleiku.

Capt. Douglas Flenniken, flying the lead LOH in support of the 4th Infantry Division, spotted 75 enemy soldiers dressed in khakis and pith helmets moving up a trail to a bunker complex.

"I popped over a hill and there they were," said Flenniken. "They looked up and started firing. My observer returned fire with his M60 while I called for our Cobra gunships."

Cobra pilot Capt. Raymond Connally claimed one kill in his initial pass over the complex as the NVA scrambled for the nearby bunker.

"I knew we had stumbled across something big," said Capt. peter Blake, who was flying A Troop command and control. "B Troop responded immediately to our call by sending four Cobras and the Air Force assured me they had F4s on the way."

Observation craft continued scouting the heavily forested area, and everywhere they went they drew small arms fire. Blake estimated 200 enemy were in the area.

Meanwhile WO Robert Jackson, a Birddog pilot with the 219th Reconnaissance Airplane Co., 223rd Avn. Bn., discovered an enormous bunker complex two kilometers away and directed the LOHs there. "Fire was so intense, however, that the LOHs could make only one pass, so I called for 4th Infantry Division artillery from Fire Support Base Black Hawk," Blake continued.

Artillery and tactical air strikes pounded the area throughout the night, letting up only to allow Air Force shadow gunships to rake the area.

Early next morning, A Troop returned to the area and inserted an aero-rifle platoon. After the infantrymen were extracted, Cobras rolled in over the area, destroying six bunkers and causing two major secondary explosions.

CAMP HOLLOWAY - A former Furman University track star ran the biggest race of his life recently-and won. He outraced death to free a fellow aviator trapped in a burning helicopter only seconds before it exploded.

Lonnie "Skip" Poole, a slightly built lieutenant who starred as a distance runner at Furman, was an observer in a LOH from Troop C, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cav., 17th Combat Avn. Gp., on a two-ship mission for the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

"The lead LOH announced he had spotted what appeared to be an enemy weapon and was hovering closer for a better look," recalled Poole. "But suddenly he began receiving AK47 fire. Smoke began pouring from the back of the aircraft and the pilot shouted he was hit and was going down."

Poole's pilot WO Len Smith, followed his partner to a forced landing. "As we touched down near the flaming helicopter, we were still receiving AK47 fire," Poole said. "I jumped from the ship and sprayed the area with my M16. I could see enemy movement in the treeline to my right."

"I immediately began trying to free him," Poole said. "I had nothing to work with but my hands and the fire grew more intense by the minute. It was melting my flight gloves."

As Poole frantically tried to free the man by prying away the hot steel and plexiglass, the command and control ship, piloted by Capt. Lee J. Asselin, set down in the embattled area. The crew chief Spec. 5 Van R. Jones, ran to help Poole.

"By this time rounds were cooking off and the heat was unbearable. I was certain a smoke grenade would go off at any second and that would be the end of it," Poole said. "Somehow Jones and I managed to rip away the metal with our hands and get to the wounded aviator. As we pulled him about 10 feet

Within minutes, the injured pilot was on his way to medical facilities, where his chances for recovery were listed as good.

"I did a lot of running and a lot of winning in my college days," Poole recalled, "but nothing has given me as much satisfaction as this."

A general stepdown in activity prevailed throughout the four military regions of the Republic of Vietnam during the week ending Aug. 2.

The largest actions centered on the operations of the 1st Aviation Brigade in the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands.

During a heated battle 23 miles south of Pleiku July 30, air and ground elements of A Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cav., supported by tactical air strikes, killed 44 NVA soldiers.

Skytroopers of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) killed eight enemy soldiers in several unrelated actions Aug. 1.

Two of the enemy were killed 28 miles northeast of Song Be by men of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cav. Working 15 miles northwest of that contact, Skytroopers of Co. A, 5th Bn.,7th Cav., killed two more enemy soldiers and captured two AK47 rifles and 240 rounds. Four more enemy troops were killed in other small skirmishes that day in the Cav's area of operations.

In their II Military Region are of operations July 31, division soldiers killed four enemy troops during light contact and uncovered an arms cache.

Skytroopers from Co. A, 1st Bn., 5th Cav., were operating 20 miles north of Dinh Quan when they found supplies that included five 105mm artillery rounds, six 122mm rockets, 5,780 AK47 rifle rounds and 15 submachine gun magazines.

The division's Co. A, 1st Bn., 12th Cav., killed two VC soldiers in jungled hills 11 miles east-northeast of Rang Rang. One SKS rifle was captured.

A Skytrooper Ranger team from the 75th Inf. found an enemy munitions cache 20 miles northeast of Rang Rang July 28. The cache included three .51-caliber machine guns, 290 SKS rifles, 35 rifles of an undetermined type, 12 boxes of .51-caliber ammunition and an undetermined amount of small arms ammunition.

Crews of the 1st Cav's C Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cav., killed a single enemy soldier 20 miles northeast of Phuoc Vinh that day.

Skytroopers found a small enemy cache four miles east-northeast of Rang Rang July 29. Co. A, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., soldiers located the bunker complex, which yielded 11 AK47 rifles, seven Chicom grenades and six RPG launchers.

In action that day 10 miles southwest of Phuoc Vinh, the reconnaissance element of the 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., spotted and killed a lone enemy soldier.

Uncovering further cache sites in an enemy bunker complex 19 miles east of Phuoc Vinh July 27, Skytroopers from Co. A, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., located the following items: 14 SKS rifles, a CKC carbine, eight flame throwers, two 120mm mortar rounds, 53 rounds for 60mm mortars, 65 RPG rounds, 240 rounds

for 75mm recoilless rifles, 3,000 AK47 rounds, 28 bangalore torpedoes, 19 Chicom claymore mines, 500 pounds of TNT, 4,000 pounds of explosives and 6,500 blasting caps.

Division troopers found an arms cache seven miles northeast of Rang Rang in Long Khanh Province Aug. 2. The find was made by soldiers of Co. C, 2nd Bn., 7th Cav., during an early afternoon sweep of the area.

The following items were found in the two-bunker cache: one 122mm rocket, two 57mm recoilless rifles, one 75mm recoilless rifle, one light machine gun, two AK47 rifles, four carbines, two submachine guns, 11 pistols, 20 Chicom grenades, 100 rifle stocks, seven crew-served weapons sights, eight 57mm rounds, five RPGs, and 10 pairs of binoculars.

Elements of the 4th Infantry Division killed six enemy soldiers during three contacts in the Central Highlands Aug. 2. In the largest, four enemy soldiers were killed 35 miles north of the division base camp, Camp Radcliff.

Working about 30 miles southwest of Camp Radcliff July 30, soldiers from Co. K, 75th Inf., engaged a small enemy force, killing two enemy soldiers.

Operating in Tay Ninh Province 10 miles northeast of Go Dau Hau Aug. 1,Tropic Lightning troopers of the 25th Infantry Division's Co. C, 3rd Bn., 22nd Inf., spotted 23 individuals carrying rice moving north out of Trang Bang. After detaining 12 women and 11 children the men captured 1.6 tons of rice, 100 pounds of meat, three five-pound bags of fish, two cans of powdered eggs, 40 pounds of soap and 13 bicycles.

Crews from the 13th Combat Avn. Bn. killed a total of 31 enemy soldiers July 27 in their IV Military Region area of operations.

Working five miles west of Kien Long that day, crews of the 16th Air Cav. killed 15 enemy soldiers in three separate actions.

Eight miles south of Can Tho Aug. 1, crews from the 16th Air Cav. killed three enemy soldiers. And men of the 191st Assault Helicopter Co., rolling in over the Mekong Delta five miles west of Vi Thanh, killed a lone enemy soldier with minigun fire.

Two more enemy soldiers were killed by helicopter crews of the 7th Squadron,1st Air Cav., as they piloted their Cobra gunships six miles west of Tri Ton.

Ten enemy soldiers were killed by men of the 191st Assault Helicopter Co. The daylong action occurred five miles southwest of Phung Hiep.

The other six enemy soldiers killed by the 13th were engaged by crews of the 336th Assault Helicopter Co., three miles southwest of Thoi Binh.

Crews from C Troop, 7th Bn., 1st Air Cav., operating seven miles northwest of Moc Hoa in IV Military Region killed a pair of enemy that day.

The most significant action took place five miles southeast of Kien Long,where crews of the 16th Air Cav. killed 10 enemy soldiers.

The men of the 121st Assault Helicopter Co. killed a single enemy soldier in the southern tip of the U Minh Forest that day.

Cobra crews of the 16th Air Cav. killed six enemy soldiers five miles south of Kien Long. Rocket-firing Birddogs of the 221st Reconnaissance Airplane Co. killed three enemy soldiers during sightings in Ba Xuyen and Bac Lieu Provinces. One enemy soldier was killed by crews of the 121st Assault Helicopter Co. 15 miles south of Can Tho.

Operating 10 miles east of Can Tho, crews from the 221st Reconnaissance Airplane Co. killed one enemy soldier. One enemy soldier was killed by crews from the 16th Air Cav. in An Xuyen Province.

Another six enemy soldiers were killed by men from D Troop, 3rd Squadron, 1st Air Cav., that day in action 30 miles south of Can Tho.

In their I Military Region are of operations July 27, an element of the 1st Bn., 46th Inf., of the Americal Division, was engaged by an estimated company 21 miles southwest of Tam Ky. Enemy casualties were undetermined.

Men of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) working in their I Military Region July 31, discovered a cache secreted in the heavy jungle 35 miles west of Hue. Screaming Eagles of Co. C, 1st Bn., 506th Inf.,

counted 24 bunkers containing 300 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, 800 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 38 rifle grenades and one 82mm mortar base plate.

Action for the paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in northern Binh Dinh Province was mild during the last week in July.

The paratroopers killed 12 enemy soldiers in scattered action throughout the province. One crew-served and 10 individual weapons were captured during the several small-unit engagements.

AS THE FOOTBALL term this man's gesture indicates, a helicopter makes a touchdown carrying troopers of the 2nd Bn. 3rd Inf., 199th Infantry Brigade.

CAN THO - A crew from the 235th Aerial Weapons Co. has accomplished a feat which may never be duplicated. Four Devil pilots went out on a mission, two each in AH1G Cobras, and returned together except that when they came back, four were inside one Cobra-two of them being rescued and flown back on the ammo bay doors.

A light fire team of Cobras piloted by WOs Gregory Helsel and John Davis scrambled out of Can Tho Army Airfield to place strikes in an area about 11 miles from their home base. A team of two Birddogs from the 221st Surveillance Airplane Co., also of Can Tho, had been visually reconning the area when they saw eight Viet Cong jump out of a sampan and run into a bunker. The Cobra crews remained in the area making low-level rocket and minigun runs for 45 minutes.

"WE went down on a low level and destroyed some of the hootches and bunkers that were camouflaged and couldn't be seen during the strikes," said Davis. "WE were just about expended when Mr. Helsel took rounds and his engine caught on fire."

The ship was struck several times, with one round causing the engine to fail but Helsel made a successful landing in an open, thickly grassed field approximately 500 meters from the area of contact. This left Helsel and his gunner, Lt. Stephen Black, on the ground and seemingly in the hands of the enemy, who moved very quickly toward the chopper crew.

The rescue attempt began immediately. The airborne Cobra crew know that all their ammunition was gone and they couldn't provide suppressive fire to protect their buddies, who were in extreme danger.

Davis tried to get down the first time, but when the chopper hard landed, they were waved away by Helsel, who said they were receiving fire and was afraid that the second Cobra might also get shot down. Thus, Davis had to circle a second time.

"Helsel and Black jumped on the aircraft when I landed and sat on the ammo bay doors," said Davis. "As I was taking-off, I could hear both men shooting their .38s at the VC."

CAMP EVANS -- "Hac Bao, Hac Bao!" members of the spirited Vietnamese fighting unit chant, then quickly seat themselves on the ground in an Indian squatting position. They are perched on a hill outside Camp Evans, waiting to be instructed on the use of demolitions.

The Hac Bao are a unit of special Vietnamese soldiers undergoing a session of training in platoon tactics at the Screaming Eagles Replacement Training School (SETS).

The Hac Bao, translated as the Black Panthers, are an elite company of troops used as a strike force in northern I Military Region.

A special group of U.S. Army Rangers from Co. L, 75th Inf., along with selected SERTS personnel, work together to instruct the six Hac Bao platoons eight-day training cycles.

During the program the black-bereted ARVNs receive instruction in such areas as repelling, ambush and patrol tactics, map reading and artillery adjustment.

To climax the week of instruction, the Hac Bao are put to the test to gauge their success as a platoon-size force. With expectations of making contact with enemy forces, the Hac Baso are then sent on an actual 36-hour operation somewhere in Thua Thien Province.

JUMPING CLEAR of the supplies, an Americal Division soldier has just finished securing a load to the Chinook helicopter hovering above.

Staff Sgt. Robert Adkins, NCOIC of the USARV Installation Stockade counseling section, must have a good ear after listening to the variety of problems at the USARV confinement facility.

"Counseling starts when a man enters the sally port (entrance to the stockade). We give him an orientation on what to expect her: the services offered, information on the custodial staff, chaplain, staff judge advocate's offices, mental hygiene and dispensary facilities, the USARV IG and the services offered by the American Red Cross," stated Adkins.

Prisoners in confinement then may request an interview with representatives of these agencies. Requests are processed through the counselor's office and, "We either contact the agency or representative involved by mail or phone, informing them that the inmate has requested an interview or assistance," commented the NCOIC.

If the inmate needs help with pay, personal property, health or legal assistance, he comes to the counselor assigned to his area of the stockade. It's the function of the MP counselors to find out the problems and get the man on the right course for solving them, trying as far as possible to let the individual solve his problems with the counselors' assistance and guidance.

"The problems may seem small, but we allow the man to get it all out. We let the soldier solve his own problems, when possible; build up his confidence, a self-help type of program," added the staff sergeant.

The counselor section of the USARV Installation Stockade is staffed by an officer in charge, Lt. Andrew Tropko, who has an MA in guidance and counseling; the NCOIC; an MP enlisted man, Spec. 4 Vincent Spence; and an Air Force liaison, Staff Sgt. Charlie Marbs.

Rehabilitation is the goal of the counseling section. "Today it is advantageous for both the military and the individual to resolve a prisoner's future quickly in one of two ways: either return the man to duty in an MOS-related job or terminate his relationship with the service," commented Adkins.

"It's no use sending a man back to duty if his attitude makes it impossible for him to be an asset to his unit. He's no good in combat and a risk to himself and others," added the counselor. During talks with the inmate, the MP counselors, as well as the legal advisers, stress the disadvantages to a punitive-type discharge, the

educational, monetary and social benefits lost. "But we don't demand, we don't pressure. We give them the facts and allow the men to make their own decisions."

On counseling in the Army, Adkins said, "Satisfied? Of course. I wouldn't be here doing this if I weren't. Every day there is something new, someone who needs me and my guidance."

Those prisoners whose approved sentences require them to travel to the States to serve sentences at the United States disciplinary barracks meet with the counselors a last time. "We don't lie or mince words. We tell these men where they are going-to prison, behind bars. They're understandably scared.

"But truth about what they should expect, about the services offered at the disciplinary barracks, about vocational training and about p