“2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd/18th Infantry, 1st ID.

III Corps Tactical Zone with a focus on the area around Loc Ninh.

Primary divisional mission is to stop enemy infiltration into the Saigon area, the Division will conduct extensive reconnaissance-in-force and ambush operations in the Iron Triangle and Trapezoid jungle areas as well as in the vicinity of An Loc.

Bravo Company will operate out of Firebase Gela approximately 17 km northwest of Lai Khê.”

First mission… two squads, PHQ and an M60 team from 2nd platoon to conduct a search sweep of the abandoned plantation northeast of Lai Khê. The area is LIMA threat, so low level enemy.

Unfortunately for the US platoon, the cards selected for the VC turned out to include a regional command post, which in turn led to a doubling of the VC forces available. So although only a LIMA scenario, they would be walking into a hot bed of resistance from local VC stiffened by Main Force VC around a small command bunker.

The US point teams made first contact, challenging two civilians on the main road to the plantation. As one stood still, the other leapt forward with a grenade at the Pointman. The small blast from the grenade did little other than kill the VC infilitrator, the US soldier somehow escaping without a scratch from the small VC homemade device.

This however kicked off rifle fire from the plantation house, and the line VC snipers first shot dropped the Pointman with a shot to the chest. However his rifle also fouled up after this shot, so he was limited to a pistol!

The lead fire team now came under small arms fire and an RPG, but it did little, and under the cover of fire from the grenadiers M79 and one man’s M16, they were able to drag the seriously wounded Pointman into cover behind the statues along the road as a drawn out, but ineffectual, firefight developed.

As more US troops arrived the other squad pushed to flank the VC position through the plantation and ran into a three man VC cell with SMGs, who pinned down the leading team with automatic fire. This carried on until the M60 team got into position along the ditch by the road, and combined with fire from the teams M79, pinned down the VC who were seen to withdraw into the plantation.

As the US platoon HQ requested a fire mission from the company mortars, the medic finally got to the wounded man who had been dragged out of the firefight on the road. It turned out to be too late, and on examination Private Miller was found to be dead from his wound.

However, the company mortars slammed a fire mission into the plantation area and killed and pinned down some VC, giving the team on the road time to get into better positions and lay down fire, but just as more VC emerged from the woods to try and flank them.

In general though, the US pushed forward. Inside the rubber plantation, concentrated fire took down a VC soldier, and more fire from the Blooper pinned down the rest. Well aimed fire from Sgt. Ducote cut down a VC soldier in one of the houses. Things looked to be going to the way of US forces…

Then the VC command post came into play and used its single fire support request to call in a shoot from its nearby mortar. Usually ineffective, two rounds landed doing nothing. But the third round landed squarely among third squad, whose two fire teams, and the M60 team had all bunched up over the road as they prepared to enter the rubber trees.

The mortar bomb landed among a mass of men, and many were very lucky, either saved by the cover they had taken, or in one case by his flak vest. The luck didnt last for those near the point of impact however.

Private Reaves, new in country and on his first mission was killed outright by the blast, while Private Begody, who had done so much work with his M79, was killed by shrapnel. Private Pressley, a third member of Third Squad was also lightly wounded by shrapnel, while PFC Pitt on the M60 took a serious stomach wound from a shard of flying metal.

This brought an abrupt end to the US mission and they pulled out to evacuate the dead and wounded.

Post battle saw a grim report for the US commander. No replacements arrived, though luckily no other losses were incurred over the rest of the month, and command redesignated their area as MIKE threat level. The body count was reported a 4 killed, but with 3 of their own KIA it was a poor tally. Second Squad however got some experience, and Sgt Ducote now found his team upgraded to veteran status.

Next month, the platoon will be conducting a security sweep of the area to ascertain the enemy forces arrayed against them.