Author: Jack Burr (Page 2 of 12)

MY LAST COMBAT ASSIGNMENT

I found a document in my personal files describing a combat assault conducted in the Central Highlands, South Vietnam in 1969.  I thought it might be interesting to my readers.

I’m in the middle, Artillery FO on left and I don’t remember the Major on the right.  Picture taken in fall of 1969 at LZ Oasis.

As I recall, the area of operation was in the vicinity of LZ Oasis, Plieku, South Vietnam.  I was assigned to the  1/35,  Infantry Battalion as the operations officer responsible for planning and executing the combat assault and subsequent operations.

AFTER ACTION REPORT:

OASIS — In the largest combat assault of the year, the Famous Fighting Fourth’s 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry flew 500 men and support equipment 12 miles south of The Oasis for an operation that has led to the discovery of enemy caches and huts.

Four companies and a command element were lifted by 15 Hueys.  Five Chinooks from the fixed-wing air field at the Oasis were used to transport heavy equipment.

Companies were picked up from various locations and inserted in designated areas and assigned an area of operation to search for enemy caches as they worked their way back to LZ Oasis.   The command element was situated at Plei Mei.  The airlift was completed within an hour.

During the first day of operations Bravo Company found and destroyed two well camouflaged huts, each capable of sleeping nine men. “The only consistently effective method of finding well hidden hootches,” stated 1st Lieutenant John Kelly, the 3rd Platoon leader, “is to search the thickest vegetation and keep away from used trails.”

On the second day of the operation, Bravo Company found two rice caches. Over 6,700 pounds of rice were in holes that had been concealed by two feet of overhead camouflage.

During the entire operation, companies reported a large number of the enemy’s anti-personnel devices (booby traps) which had decayed or were no longer functioning. One such booby trap consisted of a whip like piece of bamboo which, when functioning, projected an arrow along a well worn path.

In order to find hidden enemy supplies, the fighting Gypsies probed swamps with bamboo poles and searched stream banks for tunnels and caves.

Once the operation was complete, the enemy was minus a food source and supplies.  More importantly, we were certain the enemy was no longer using the area from which to launch attacks on LZ Oasis.

This is the last story I intend to write about my time in Vietnam.

 COMPANY COMMANDER ON CALL

On the 3rd of May, 1967, C Company CO, Captain Joseph Caudillo was killed by a sniper bullet fired by VC hiding behind a haystack.  AT 2311 hours the Battalion Commander was notified that Captain Caudillo passed away atQui Nhon Hospital.

Captain Caudillo was a respected leader, well liked by his contemporaries and especially by the men in Company C.  Therefore, morale would likely be an issue.

Jack Burr South Vietnam 1967, LTC Moore on left

I was told to take command until a replacement could be found..  LTC Moore directed that I implement a training program for the company until a new commander could be located.

We both knew that inactivity would be the worse thing for morale.

As I remember,  the new commander took command a few days later and I returned to my job as S-2.

Next, A Company Commander left on a two week leave to tend to an emergency back home.  Again, LTC Moore directed that I take over the company for the two week period.  Any thought that the Battalion Commander would take it easy on the company was fool hardy.

That was alright with me since I knew many of the soldiers in A Company because I was 3rd Platoon Leader for about 7 months.  I had learned that the best way to minimize casualties was insisting on alertness and good security.  Two weeks ended with only a few enemy sightings and frequent use of indirect fires.

When the commander returned,  I went back to my full time  job of S-2 for the remainder of my first tour.  I spent much of my time in the Battalion’s Light Observation Helicopter gathering intelligence about the enemy and passing it directly to friendly forces on the ground.

NOTE:  I returned to Vietnam a year later and was assigned to the same Battalion, in the same AO and commanded B Company.  This time I was with with B Company for several months.

OPERATION THAYER II, Suoi Ca Valley

 I was assigned 3rd platoon leader , A Company, 1/35th Infantry Battalion,  for about 3 months when we were attached to 1st Cavalry Division.  I was as comfortable as one could be fighting NVA in the central highlands, Pleiku, South Vietnam.  

My platoon remained with A Company until the 19th of January when we were assigned a reconnaissance mission deeper into the mountainous range West of Pleiku near the Cambodian border.

Talking to a squad leader, Central Highlands, South Vietnam

The following account was extracted from the Combat Operations After Action Report for Operation THAYER II, January 3- February 12, 1967.   The area of the operation generally followed the  Suoi Ca Valley about 20 miles south of Bong Son in the Binh Dinh Province.  The valley is named for the Suoi Ca stream that meanders through the craggy valley.

Operation THAYER II was conducted under the command and control of the 1st Cavalry Division and units from 3rd Brigade, 25th Inf Div. 

1^st Cavalry Division (airmobile) employed the 3^rd Brigade, 25^th Infantry Division task force in offensive operations in Suoi Ca Valley. First priority mission was to search for and destroy the 18^th North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Regiment. Second priority mission was to search the eastern portion of the Couoi Ca Valley for enemy activity.

Between 4-9 Jan- Immediately upon the introduction of the combat forces of the 3rd BDE TF into the Suoi Ca Valley-Vinh Thanh Mountain range AO, several small contacts occurred.  Friendly forces repeatedly engaged small numbers of enemy in sharp, short contacts.

Indicaions were that a very large force had recent]tly vacated the area.  However the enemy, principally VC, began a terror and harassing campaign against the civilian populace along Highway One and against the main routes of communications.

On 9 January, 1967,…A Company, 1/35^th Infantry Battalion made contact with a squad size unit capturing a great deal of equipment, maps and propaganda literature. The enemy left the items behind and fled…

On 10 January, 1967 in the vicinity of BR739645, 3^rdPlatoon, A Company, 1/35^thmade contat with five VC wearing US steel helmets, OD shirts, VC caps (under their helmets) and ponchos. Apparently attempting to infiltrate the area.

Previously, C Company found several ladders which were probably used as early warning observation posts which seemed to fit the notion of infiltration.

A company made contact with one NVA and recovered a large medical bag in a hut. Later an individual dressed in khakis ran into another hut and from there into a cave.

At this time a large number of contacts with other NVA and VC were made in the same area.  In addition, the pressure exerted by the 3^rd Brigade task forces caused the enemy to start exfiltrating at a faster pace and in small groups, aided by local VC.

Two hundred sixty-five enemy were killed and seventy three captured attempting to exfiltrate out of the area during the operation.

This confirmed that the VC infrastruacture and NVA forces (believed to be the 18^th NVA Regiment) were coordinating operations.

Information gained from a captured high level officer revealed a weapons and ammunitions procurement and storage  location, a blacksmith shop which made grenades and booby traps and a manufacturing shop for making small tools . A limited weapons repair capability was also maintained.

A Company was given the mission of destroying the blackshop facility and B Company destroyed the ammunitions and remaining items.

A Company was then airlifted to provide security for 1/35th Infantry Battalion for a week and then the battalion was given a surveillance mission in the southern portion of Suoi Ca Valley in accordance with the TET truce.

Intelligence indicted that the 18th NVA regimental HQ had relocated to the Northwest to Nghia Diem Valley …between 5-10 January as a direct result of the insertion of the 3rd Brigade Task Force into the THAYER II AO.

In an effort to obtain more information about the enemy, I was ordered to take two squads of my platoon and conduct a reconnaissance to gather information about the enemy’s locations and strength in an enemy stronghold.  The only information I was given about where we were going was it would be rugged mountainous terrain near the Cambodian/South Vietnam border.

On the 19th of January, 1967, two Slicks (like the one above) mistakenly inserted our team of 14 men into an LZ, approximately 7 km from the one that was planned.  The next morning the enemy found us.  See stories the “Longest Day” and the Darkest Night”.