Vietnam War Timeline

83
2 May 1970
Bravo 2/35th
Submitted by: Jim

MAY 2

On May 2nd, 1970 we (Company B and others of the 2/35th Inf.) were operating in the jungles somewhere out of An Khe (Binh Dinh Province) off of FSB Racquel. We were operating in a company size operation (which was fairly unusual during early 1970 as we had been operating as independent platoons for the previous 4 months.

On this day our platoon (1st platoon) was sent out on a sweep of the area. It was a miserable steamy day with intermittent rain.

The area was mixed lots of low growth on the fringes (thick groves of young trees 1 to 2 inches in diameter and 10 to 15 feet tall): mixed growth closer in which was fairly thick and kept your line of sight down to a minimum; and double canopy in the hilly areas and ravines.

We stuck pretty much to the double canopy areas that day. These were areas where above your head the canopy of the trees closed in to pretty well block out all direct sunlight. This makes the area very dark which makes it hard to focus on anything in the surroundings.. In addition to the canopy above there was a thin distribution of much smaller trees (3 to 5 inches thick and maybe 10 to 12 ft. high) which broke up your line of site somewhat.

On this miserable day our platoon seemed to fall apart some mentally. We were generally pretty comfortable (comfort is a relative term) with the way we operated together as a team. But on this day it seemed that we could not get our act together. When I say we conducted a sweep, I'd generally mean that we performed as a cohesive unit. But on this day we seemed to stumble about as individuals and it was distressing for all of us though we just couldn't seem to get in sync.

We stumbled about (taking and retaking map coordinates) for several hours. At one point we came across a bunker complex that was located down in a ravine. From the rim of the surrounding hills it didn't appear that the bunkers were occupied but we couldn't say that with a certainty. Normally we would of reported the find and investigated but on this day I think that we all realized it was better to leave well enough alone. We just walked away.

About an hour or so later we came to an area where the path of our march joined 2 hill saddles that rose fairly quickly on both sides. We had a couple of brand new guys who were alternating on point. I don't recall the names but one of them led us straight down the middle of these 2 saddles. This left us with high ground on both sides which is not a position that you ever want to be in.

We probably had advanced a couple of hundred yards up this lower ground when Lt. Vos called a halt to talk to the squad leader (Phil Lorino on this day, I think). They conferred and agreed to climb the hill to our left to get to some high ground. We started off this way by angling left (which meant that we were moving forward and climbing left at the same time. We had gotten less than half way up this hill when automatic fire opened up on us from the hill on the right.

Everyone dove for whatever scant cover we could find on the side of that hill. Personally I dove maybe 5 feet and found a 3 inch diameter tree but since you had to lay sideways parallel to the hill this meant that I hardly had as much as my belt line behind cover. Most others were in the same boat.

At the first lull in the firing I called out my normal "Is anyone hit"? Miraculously no one was. We were sitting ducks on the side of that hill.

At this point we finally came alive. Not being an infantryman myself (and not being a big fan of Army training) I always marveled about how their training kicked in at times like this. Platoon Sgt Jack Adami and the squad leaders got them quickly organized and everyone jumped to their feet and stormed the hill by their advance and fire method they were trained for.

We quickly swept the hill but the enemy had already gone. We called in artillery fire. After the artillery we swept the area but found no evidence of enemy alive or dead.

Again I found that no one was hurt on our side and to my knowledge no one was hurt on theirs. This was amazing but not untypical in our experience. We expended hundreds of rounds of bullets and took about 1/2 of that ourselves and yet no one was hit.

I start off with the above story because I think it sets the table for what happened a week later in Cambodia. The point being that it was an unfortunate time to have new point people. But that was the nature of the position. You came in country without really knowing anything and scared and you became the point man. This allowed the previous point men the opportunity to move into another (presumably safer) position.

MAY 3

The next day (May 3rd) we got orders very early to find an LZ that was big enough to extract the whole company. It was decided that we would cut an LZ out of the thick groves of small trees just outside of our night logger. Machetes were produced and the LZ was ready in a couple of hours.

We were taken back to Camp Radcliffe in An Khe and trucked to our battalion area. Here we were put up in tents and got to shower and shave (always a welcome luxury). The usual cases of soda and beer (usual for those rare times that we got to the rear) were purchased and put on ice. And we got a cooked meal (again welcome and rare).

Lt. Vos and SSG. Adami were given an initial briefing that we were going on a big mission. They said that they weren't given our destination but most of us had a pretty good idea.

MAY 4 - 5

We were given more stuff to hump than we had ever been issued before. Each infantryman was loaded up with maybe double the normal ammunition and frag grenades. Several LAWS were issued to each squad. We never carried these before.

We were loaded up with D handled shovels; machetes; extra M-79 grenade launchers; new gas masks; and many other supplies. I personally was given extra bandages, I.V. bottles (of Ringer's Lactate) and extra cutter sets (tubes with intravenous needles for the I.V. bottles.)

We also received several new people who came from our mortar platoon which was disbanded and its men parceled out to the line platoons. These were guys that for the most part weren't used to operating as platoon infantrymen.

We were told that where we were going we could expect just about anything from large forces of infantry to tanks to enemy planes. They provided us with some refreshment training. I don't remember all of it but I do remember that we went to a firing range and practice fired those LAWS.

Still we weren't told where we were going , only that it was a big operation. Altogether they succeeded in making us extremely apprehensive (whether they intended to or not) . Most of us kept it in and put our minds to the moment when we had good food and drinks; a sort of bed to sleep in (cots); movies and a USO show happened to be in camp; and we could even visit the PX. Dick Matheis, however, became pretty depressed and withdrawn. I can remember sitting on top of a small out building with Dick and 3 or 4 others watching a USO show and Dick was extremely quiet and glum. We tried to cheer him up but he really didn't take to it. He told us that he didn't think that he would make it back from wherever we were going. We tried to kid him out of this notion but he just remained quiet.

MAY 6

On May 6 we were loaded on to trucks and convoyed through the high mountain passes between An Khe and Pleiku. This was as usual a beautiful scenic trip although pretty dangerous from threat of ambush.

We passed by our old base camp (Camp Enari) outside of Pleiku going west. We suddenly entered flat somewhat open land just west of Pleiku. We passed any number of villages with the little kids lined up beside the road to beg for cans of c-rations or cigarettes. Some guys would toss them between the moving trucks in about as mean a display as I ever saw them make.

We passed LZ Oasis heading west and finally we arrived at something called Camp Meredith. It was merely a small firebase out in the middle of a low flat area. Here we set up for the night and dug in along with several other Companies.

It was still afternoon when we got dug in and we found the locals coming around with their motorcycles selling souvenirs, soda, pineapple, and various other things. I'm sure that they were also trying to collect whatever intelligence that they could.

As dark came we settled in to our positions and flares lit up the sky all night long. But it was an uneventful night.

MAY 7

The next day (May 7 Dick Matheis' 20th birthday) we waited for choppers to come in and pick us up to take us across the border to Cambodia. It was a long wait for us as many other companies went in before us. There were dozens of choppers coming in again and again and taking off loaded with soldiers.

Finally it was our turn and we were crammed in with all our extra equipment. After a flight of 15 or 20 minutes we approached an LZ that consisted of an open area of felled trees. It looked like a new clearing that some farmer had made to plant his "potato" crop (these weren't really potatoes but were bulbs on the roots of small trees that looked somewhat like large size potatoes and even had a similar taste and texture). When farmers made these clearings they merely felled the trees and let them lie where they fell with the idea of providing sunlight for their crop.

As we approached this clearing we found a "Pathfinder" on the ground to guide us in We were dropped off here and instructed to set up a perimeter and dig in. It was early afternoon and though we had thus far met no resistance we were all extremely apprehensive.

MAY 8

We passed a nervous wakeful night here with no incident. The next morning (May 8) we broke camp and started a sweep in company formation. This again was very unusual for us but in hindsight I guess that this is what we were preparing for when they had us all together about a week before.

One of our other platoons took the point as we moved out into fairly dense triple canopy jungle ( ie. Some low trees; some medium size trees; and lots of high trees that blocked out light). We curved around to our left out of camp following a trail that they found there.

We'd moved a few hundred yards when a halt was called and we were told to get down. After a short period we were told that there was a village up ahead (any village we found here would be an enemy village). One of our squads led by Dutch Schultz was ordered to check out this village.

As a medic normal procedure would be for me to remain with the largest unit whenever we broke up. This meant that the largest unit always had medical support and could get me to wherever I was needed in case the other squad had need for me. This provided the most protection for the most people. In this case though I went along with Dutch's squad because there were other medics with other platoons with us to provide any needed medical attention.

We'd only moved out a hundred yards or so along a well worn trail (actually there were 2 parallel trails about 10 feet apart with one a little higher than the other) when we spotted the village. It was a fairly large village of typical construction of small logs and woven walls and roof on stilts. It was situated under double canopy where it would be difficult to see from the air. It was very dark under this canopy making details difficult to pick out over any distance. What was very apparent though was that the villagers had just left (or were hiding in tunnels below the village). Cooking fires were still burning strong. Pigs and chickens were running all over the village. If our stomaches were already knotted they became double knotted at this point. We moved in carefully to check out the village. We found no person there. A cursory search of the huts yielded little and to tell the truth we weren't very good in spotting tunnel entrances because we seldom operated around villages. My guess today is that they were probably there in the tunnels below us but we never found them.

After checking out the villages we called back to our company commander and reported what we'd found (or hadn't found). We were told to return to the main body.

With one of the new guys on point we were having trouble forming up to return to the main group. About this time the squad machine gunner (Ray Dail) expressed his opinion that we should burn the village and kill all the animals so that the enemy couldn't use it again. Dutch called in to the C.O. and asked permission. The C.O. (Capt. Jacobs) told him not to burn the village but to kill all animals that we could kill by hand. He said not to shoot them but club them. (I'd guess that with so many units working so close together he was hesitant to open fire if it wasn't necessary). So a bunch of the guys went around and clubbed what ever chickens and pigs that they could catch.

This went on for a half hour or so. When we were finished Dutch called back to tell the company that we were returning. He received permission to do so. Again we tried to form up but for some reason with the new guy on point we were having trouble getting organized. Dick Matheis, Ole Olsen and I were standing together and I noticed that Dick seemed more relaxed today. Still the disorganization was nerve-racking as we waited to return to the main group. I think that most of us felt that it was not good to be standing here in a small group when we could be back in a much safer large group which was only a couple hundred yards away.

Finally after an interminable delay (out of disgust) I said to Dutch "Come on, I'll walk point just follow me". We'd just walked that short trail and it seemed safe to me to return on it. So I started out.

Guys were always extremely protective of me which was understandable since I was their initial life line. So Dick called me back. He said, "I'll take point Doc" and he lead off. Now mind you Dick had put in his time at point and shouldn't have been there either. But he lead off and I fell in directly behind (which was several positions forward of where they would normally let me walk). But I really felt like the walk back was no big deal.

We were walking on the lower of the 2 parallel trails and had covered less than half the distance back when a shot rang out. We all dove for cover. I dove up toward the higher trail where I found a small tree (maybe 10 feet from where I originally was). After the first shot there was a small salvo of fire. You couldn't determine incoming from outgoing but almost immediately Dutch called for a cease fire and we had that normal initial lull in firing where it is extremely quiet.

I called out to see if anyone was hurt and I heard someone holler "Over here Doc". I looked in that direction and saw someone laying about 30 or 40 feet away. I knew it was Dick because I had been right behind him when the firing started. I jumped up and began running toward him and calling "where you hit Dick". He was laying face down with his face pointing away from me as I came up from behind. He said as I got to about 10 feet away, "Oh my God hurry Doc, I'm hit". He said this in an apprehensive voice but not in a panicked voice, he was merely letting me know that he needed me quickly.

This was the last thing he said. As I knelt behind him I kept asking where he was hit but there was no response. Kneeling there I could see no indication of a wound. I remember that we were in a slightly open area and all the firing had stopped. We were extremely vulnerable in this position. I became aware of someone there with me, it was Ole. He had his weapon up but was not firing. As I reached to turn Dick over I was screaming to Dutch to get some protective fire out there to try and give us some protection. But it never came (for reasons that I would learn later).

With no further response from Dick, I turned him over. When I did I found a gaping wound to his neck caused by a bullet. He had been laying in a large pool of blood that had been hidden beneath his body. The bullet had severed the large artery in his neck and he lost a massive amount of blood in seconds. As I turned him over, his eyes glazed over and he expelled his last breath in what would be called a death rattle.

Over the next half an hour I worked over him with Ole helping me but it was too late and my skills not sufficient to handle this type of wound. Perhaps in a hospital or with a doctor he could have been saved but I think the unfortunate placement of the wound would have made it difficult to handle anywhere. I asked for them to request a doctor to be on the dustoff and I believe that there was one but he was already gone.

My job was to save lives and there was always frustration, pain, and guilt when one of my guys was killed. I don't really know what the others were going through over the maybe 15 minutes we had after the chopper left and before we moved on. I was lost in my own emotions. It was only later that evening that I learned what had happened (at least in all probability).

It seems that one of the new mortar guys was on OP and spotted what he said was a Dink carrying a weapon. He said he fired at the Dink and the Dink fired back. But most of us who were there believed that we heard only one shot. If this were true then that one shot was the one that hit Dick.

This OP became a very unpopular guy from that point on. He remained with us for about another month until he was wounded in the leg and sent to the rear. His life with us during that period was not very pleasant.

For many years most of the platoon members harbored a great distaste for him. Recent reunions with the 35th though, have allowed many of the old guys to get together and talk about this incident. I believe now that we have come to find peace with the belief that he was just a 19 or 20 year old somewhat inexperienced guy who was scared (like all of us) and was put in a bad situation. The OP's may well of not been told that we were on our way back in.

MAY 9 - 12

During the next few days we patrolled constantly along well worn trails and through another large village. We found a little rice and an old weapon or two but really nothing else of any importance.

On May 13th we were extracted to be moved back to Camp Radcliffe for perimeter security.