Vietnam War Timeline

392
20 January 1967
HHC 1/35th
Submitted by: Alonso Jones

There was a KIA/MIA (Recon Plt) in Jan or Feb l967, near Bong Son. There was a Staff Sergeant, from Recon Platoon, that became MIA, I think, during a firefight. He had been missing for a few days and Company B, was set up on a narrow ridge (bluff on both sides), and my Platoon had an OP out and set up on a large rock and facing down the trail that we had just come up. There were two men on the OP when one of the men opened up with a burst of fire. I took a few men and hurried down to investigate. I climbed up on the rock where the OP was set up. The men informed me that what appeared to be an American came up the trail/ridge, one of the men commanded HALT but he kept coming on and that was when he was taken under fire. I went down to where the body was and it was a PAVN Soldier, with the Staff Sergeants uniform on, complete with Helmet, M-l6 and all. I never knew whether the Staff Sergeants\' body was ever recovered or not. I never knew the SSG personally, but I remember what he looked like and always wondered, if his body was ever recovered. Have you seen anything on this. Captain Edgar Nealon was Co B CO and 1SG Herbert Tinnat was Co B First Sergeant, on that day. I\'ve looked at the KIA list and the SSG may have been Ronald Kent. As I recall, we spent several days patrolling the area in search of his body. Just thought I would mention this while I was thinking about it.

Alonzo Jones