Jan 15th 1968

[39mto39g]

02-05-68
we take a break, I sleep, don't eat, just sleep. we kind of take turns. I thing I can sleep while walking, but don't tell LT. I can remember LT making guys eat. We are walking and Tracers are in the air all around, Fast movers, (jets) are every were. I can't count the choppers. I wrote my mother and told her we were taking a walk along RT9 in northern south Vietnam. When I got home and looked at the door size map she had of VN, there was a stick pin in Lang Vie and then east of Lang Vie along Rt 9 another stick pin, and another, and one next to Hue. My mom is so cool.

Ron

[39mto39g]

Yesterday and today I started to write and hit the X (top right).
OK.
Today we were at the end of a small ridge, overlooking a valley to our rear and a mountain to our front. I was standing at the end of that ridge talking to a guy, I glanced to my left and see a rocket being fired at us, Like in slow motion , I watched that rocket as it left it's origin and headed toward us. I watched as it came within 30 feet of were I was standing,. as it went by, I watched as it went another 2 miles or so out into a field and Booooom.
Now If that NVA gunner had adjusted his windage one click to the right, I would not be telling this story. But that was my VN experience, always just one step, one click, one yard, from being another name on that 58,000 name wall.
Tomorrow we will meet up with some Marines and some 101 guys. The 101 guys were in a place they were not to be. The Marines had a new piece of equipment that a modern Marine told me I didn't see. ??? Ah ,Ok

Ron

[39mto39g]

Why we left Lang Vei

This was taken from Cacti history.

1. (C) GENERAL: During the reporting period 1 February to 30 April l968 the 3d Brigade (TF), 4th Infantry Division participated in Operation Wheeler/Wallowa for 28 days and Operation Patrick for 31 days. On 30 March the 3d Brigade returned under the operational control of the 4th Infantry Division and participated in Operation MacArthur for the remainder of the reporting period. The 3d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division has participated in 722 consecutive days in combat as of 30 April l968.

a. General: During this reporting period, 1 February 1968 through 30 April 1969, enemy activity is categorized in three phases, based on the three separate areas of’ operations.

b. Phase One: 1 February 1968 -28 February 1968, Que Son-Thang Binh area of operation. The beginning of this phase coincided with the "TET Offensive" which found well armed and well disciplined enemy forces attacking almost all friendly installations in the Tam Ky areas to the south of LZ Baldy and the Hoi An - Da Nang area to the north, Local force units in coordination with NVA elements conducted numerous standoff and harassing attacks in the Que Son - LZ Baldy area during this same period. Intelligence sources indicated that the 2nd PAVN Division Headquarters and its three subordinate segments, the 3rd, 1st, and 21st, had moved north from its normal base areas into Duy Xuyen District in order to continue their part of the offensive. The Brigade launched operations in this area in order to interdict any withdrawal or future attack plans of this division. On 6 February 1968 the 3rd NVA Regiment attacked Hoi An and suffered 103 NVA KIA. Elements of the 1st NVA Regiment were engaged by Task Force Miracle elements north of the Song Thu Bon River on 8 February 1968, resulting in 266 NVA KIA. On 9 February 1968, 1-14th and 1-35th Infantry in separate contacts with elements of the 2nd NVA Division Headquarters and 21st NVA Regiment killed 236 NVA and captured or destroyed approximately 100 weapons. After these contacts the 2 nd NVA Division began to withdraw to its base areas in the mountainous jungle area of Que Son and Thang Binh Districts. The remainder of this phase was spent in platoon and company size operations on search and destroy missions directed against the withdrawing enemy. Although the enemy fled in small groups in order to avoid observation and contact, elements of the 3d Brigade killed 129 enemy and captured 32 weapons during the last two weeks of Operation Wheeler/Wallowa.

Here is a map of the area, It's just below Da Nang.

Ron

[39mto39g]

Ok
a glass of "Capt Morgan" and I can post again.
walking east, just below the "What ever" river , south of RT 9 we run into a company? of 101 guys. they were to hold, until relived???? Haaa? didn't that line come from Bastone?
As we went east the river became a river. Here is were the "today" marine told me I didn’t see what I saw/seen?
Around a bend in the now river, came a boat, a air boat sort of, something we had never seen, (later learned it was a hover craft).
The boat pulled up on the shore and our LT went to talk with the boats (LT)?we got on this thing and it drove from the shore to the water and east we went for a couple miles. He was going north and we were going east. The thing said MARINES on the side in 1 foot letters. I wish I would have got some numbers from the (Boat) , but I didn't. We were almost to RT1 and would be heading south to meet up with the 101 guys that were guarding a section of RT1.
If you ever see a picture of some 101 guys on RT1 south of HUE it will probably say " elements of the 4th and 101 guard RT 1”.


Elements of the 4th, Ron

[39mto39g]

Feb 20th 1968
Met up with some 101 guys that had a sandbag road block south east of New city of Hue on Rt 1. We ate their food shared their ammo and told lies to each other. We stayed the night. And it turned out the next night also. BN finally called and told us to "please head south" or something like that. Seems our A-B-and C companies were in a tussle and could use some help from the Best. Just kidding.
They sent choppers to pick us up.


Ron

[39mto39g]

Forgot pics
Ron