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176
3 June 1968
Charlie 1/35th
Submitted by: Forrest J. Olea (DOC)
Three companies from the 1/35th A, B, C ended a 4 day hump on a hill approximately 1 clik from the Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam border. Just before dark, two troops from one of the companies engaged and exchanged small arms fire with two NVA. Shortly after the initial contact, we were mortared.
The mortar attack was followed by a 5 to 6 hour ground attack with automatic weapons, chicom grenades & snipers. Charlie company sustained 3 KIAs and numerous WIAs. One of the KIAs was 1Lt Steven Gillmer, the 2nd platoon leader. Another, Sp4 Delbert Brockmeyer, was victim of a chicom in his foxhole, and died from multiple fragmentation wounds.
The medic that was organizing the wounded was Don (DOC) Davis. Although I was medic for the second platoon, I worked on men from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd platoons that night. I remember a troop with shrapnel in his eyes from the chicom grenade that took the life of Sgt Harry Butler.
As it got light a 2nd platoon member killed a sniper with his M-79, and a little later in the morning we received air support from jet fighter bombers. Some NVA were found not more than 20 yards from the crest of the hill and our perimeter. I recall one of the NVA being over 6 feet tall.
The size of the NVA unit was estimated to be a full battalion. Delta Company was approximately 1/2 clik from us that night. A member of Delta told me later that they listened to troop movement below their hill position for over a solid hour. We were informed several days after this fire fight that the estimated NVA force in the area at the time was one full division.
177
3 June 1968
Charlie 1/35th
Submitted by: Rick Blomberg
June 3rd was a pretty tough night. I have thought about the guys we lost and the ones that helped me. After several phone conversations with our platoon leader, Jim Cooke, I have recalled more details. My first recollection is crossing a stream after our platoon took over the point position. As we headed up the hill we found commo wire and very fresh foot prints. Once we were on top of the hill we began to set up for the night. We dug two man holes and shortly thereafter I was sent out on LP with Bob Maltby and one other guy.
Some time after dark our trip flare went off and we saw a couple of dinks. Maltby fired a couple of 79 rounds and I fired a few rounds from my 16 and the other guy ran like hell towards the perimeter. Later that night all hell broke loose. I jumped into my two man hole only to find two guys already there. They were Phil Steinke and Dave Schmitke. Needless to say it was crowded. I remember our trip flares going off and in the light I saw the NVA walking towards us shoulder to shoulder, What a sight! We started taking mortars and heavy automatic weapons fire from the ground as well as from the trees. At one point Maltby raised up to fire his 79 when he was shot in the head. I saw his pot fly off as he fell backwards. What a lucky guy, the round pierced his pot and the liner. Bob later said it felt like getting hit in the head with a large hammer.
I don\'t know when Brockmeyer and Butler got hit, but at some point I was wounded by a Chicom. Phil said that I was blown out of the hole and when he reached out to pull me back in there were tracers flying all around me. Sometime later someone came out to the perimeter to get me. As I now know it was Joe Olea. Doc took me off the perimeter and left me. Obviously he had something else to do. As I was lying there I could hear and feel rounds landing all around me. For some reason I thought I could be seen. I remember hearing someone comming through the grass. Not knowing who it was, I stayed very still. A few seconds passed and someone said that he was Lt. Gilmer, and that he would be back to get me, and to stay put. He never came back. Later Doc Olea came back and took me the area
where the other wounded were.
I was placed with Brockmeyer and told not to let him roll over. I talked with him about going home and he was somewhat coherent for a short time, but his breathing kept getting more shallow and finally it stopped. I know that he was hurting, but the medics I think relieved him of a lot of pain. Butler died instantly as I found out latter. Jim Cooke was also wounded that night trying to get to Brockmeyer and Butler, but he stayed on the perimeter the remainder of the night. Jim said that the next morning the tall grass on the hill looked like it was mowed down by a mower.
I remember one other guy named Williams and as I recall he was wounded in both shoulders. Jim said that if they had hit us again that they would probably would have overrun our position, because at the outset there were only 20 of us and with two dead and several wounded we were a little thin to say the least.
As I look back, there are some people I wish to thank. Jim Cooke for being and outstanding platoon leader, Joe Olea for helping me and Phil Steinke for pulling me back into our hole.
I also need to thank the God for letting us get through the night because we were greatly out-gunned and out-numbered, but we prevailed.
December 22, 2003
As a post script to the above story, I would like to add that when I think about Lt. Gilmer, I wounder about the thoughts that must have gone through his mind. He made a consious decision to do what ever he could to help. He didn\'t have to do anything. He could have stayed with his men, instead of doing that Lt. Gilmer chose to help. That choice cost him his life. I wonder if I could have made that choice. I don\'t know the answer. Lt. Gilmer, I salute you and stand in awe of the choice you made.
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