Camp Holloway Discussion Forum Archive 03 - 03/01/01 to 12/31/03

March 11, 1969

We have resumed our morning briefing at Polei-Kleng today. The commanders felt that this will improve morale. It will show the enemy we are not afraid of his weapons and we will continue our mission. All I know is this place scares the hell out of me. If the enemy can shell the firebases with 105mm howitzers he could do the same here. Beside the fact we have no cover in case of an attack. The closest bunker is several hundred yards from where we are staged.

Resent attacks on the firebases by artillery and mortars has inflected casualties and done damage to their defenses. We continue to bring sandbags, wire, claymores and trip flares into these locations. We juggle these supplies with food, water and ammo. Between the six major bases, the amount of supplies that need to be delivered and our depleted number of ships there are not enough hours of daylight to complete the task at hand.

Task Force Swift has deployed into the area of the resent B-52 strikes. They will establish another base of operations which will be called LZ Swift. A small patrol base is prepared and the first of many recon in force patrols enter the target area.

In the YB A/O Hummingbird 1 has drawn fire from an enemy anti-aircraft gun. Cobra fire teams from Troop A 7/17th Cav have returned fire and now artillery from FSB 20 is pounding the area. Elements from the 1/8th continue to crater and destroy sections of the Plei-Trap road. This will disrupt enemy convoys. They also encounter enemy resistance, which has been termed "Light."

Our somewhat quiet day ends at 1420hrs. D/3/12 has run into a buzz saw. A heavily fortified bunker complex. Automatic weapons and mortars has pinned down one platoon and a second is being sent to reinforce. We listen to the radios as the battle increases as the entire company is now in contact. Our guys are tried. They have humped the jungle all day. The only ammo they have is what was on their backs. Something this intense will drain their supplies in no time.

They have pulled back to a bomb crater. They have some very badly wounded men which need to get out now. The first ship on the scene is Gator 409. They had been pulled to do C&C during this operation. They are now to become a Dust-Off. Hovering into the crater the crew guides the ship down. The landing zone is to small for the ship. Carefully the ship drops down, using their main rotor blades to cut the smalled trees out of their way. After ten minutes they are able to get close enough to the land to pick up the wounded. Five men need to get out now. Gator 409 already had four passengers on board before they tried this evacuation. The crew chief orders two of the staff personal off the ship so they can get out. With the wounded aboard Gator 409 departs the area. A second ship arrives and also pulls out another seven wounded.

B/3/12 had been sent to clear an escape route for the embattled company. Once the wounded were out they proceeded out of the area. During this time both companies came under enemy mortar attacks. More casulties were taken. Because of the terrain they had to be carried out along with the dead.

It would be after dark before the troops of Task Force Swift would be out of harm's way. We would remain until it was impossible for us to support them because of darkness. Fifteen more Americans died today.

We returned to Holloway long after the sun had gone down. Our little show this morning to prove to the enemy we were not afraid to use Polei-Kleng as a base back fired this afternoon. While we were dealing with Task Force Swift over fifty 122mm rockets hit the airfield. I wondered where tomorrow's briefing would be had.