1st Platoon Search & Destroy Patrol
After Action Report - 1st Platoon Patrol
November 18, 1967
Nang Tri Province, Republic of South Vietnam (I Corps)
Unit(s):
1st Platoon, Hotel Company, 2nd Battalion
Commanding Officer - 2nd Lt. Jeffrey French
Report Prepared By & Witnesses
2nd Lt. Jeffrey French
Staff Sgt. Cornelius Betts
Corporal Donald Gold
Private Riley Stone
Mission Orders
We were given the orders to do a walking search and destroy patrol from our newly established forward operating base. We were to go 2 klicks outside of the defensive perimeter and do a search of the area on the east side of the base. We left the base at 0900 hours and were to conduct our patrol until dark then set up ambush positions.
Terrain
Outside of the base the terrain was wooded to dense jungle with spots of tall grass. No enemy structures had been seen in our patrol area from aerial recon.
After Action Report
We had been on patrol all day and were looking for a good place to set up an overnight ambush. Our search and destroy mission was unsuccessful since we hadn’t found any enemy soldiers or structures on our patrol. We continued east through a wooded area with a trail running east to west through it, we had picked up the trail several hours previous. 3rd Squad lead by Sgt. Tyrell Jackson was to the south of the trail with Corporal Donald Gold on point. Behind 3rd Squad was 1st Squad lead by Sgt. Matthew Potts. To the north of the trail was Sgt. Robert McMann leading 2nd Squad with Corporal Oscar Wells on point. I was behind 2nd Squad with my RTO and Corpsman. Staff Sgt. Cornelius Betts was between 3rd and 1st Squad.
With daylight fading we continued moving through the jungle to see if we could find a spot to set up an ambush along the trail for the night.
I ordered my men to stop for a quick breather as our Marines on point scanned the jungle ahead. Still no sign of the enemy. Earlier in the day it sounded like 2nd Platoon had gotten into a firefight with the enemy to the west of our base but so far nothing in our area and we were wondering when it was our turn.
Our men on point decided to hold us up just a little longer while my RTO, Lance Corporal Brad Lewis, and a few of the veterans of the platoon started getting anxious and wanted me to push the platoon to find a spot since night would be coming very soon.
As I was about to order my platoon to move out the point men started moving again. As Corporal Gold from 3rd Squad started to move out on point, he notice a tunnel opening and had 3rd and 1st Squads halt while he checked it out. At the same time 2nd Squad and my headquarters section minus Staff Sgt. Betts continued to move on unaware of Corporal Gold’s discovery. As Corporal Wells, who was on point for 2nd Squad passed a tree a shot rang out and he went down hit in the left hip with a very serious wound. The rest of 2nd Squad and my section started looking for the sniper that just shot Corporal Wells.
Shouts of “Corpsman” could be heard as Hospitalman 3rd Class Neil Roberts started running towards the downed Corporal. Private First Class Paul Ford started to set up his M60 behind the tree Corporal Wells had passed before he was shot and Private Lawrence Key joined him to assist in feeding him belts of ammo. Private Michael Van Burren, with the squad’s M79 took cover to the right of the M60 team with Private Scott Murdock in between them and Lance Corporal Bruce Stone to the left of the M60 team. My men couldn’t see the sniper and for some reason didn’t open fire to provide cover for our Corpsman.
3rd Squad took the nearest cover they could find at the sounds of the sniper’s shot. Corporal Gold armed a grenade and yelled fire in the hole as he prepared to blow the tunnel. 1st Squad took the nearest cover they could find as well to cover 3rd Squad. Staff Sgt. Betts ran up to join 3rd Squad and direct the fight when it started.
Staff Sgt. Betts had made it to 3rd Squad’s position about the time Corporal Gold blew the tunnel entrance. 1st Squad decided to stay and provide support to 3rd Squad in case things got worse.
The men of 2nd Squad, who had set up a firing line behind the wounded Corporal Wells, spotted the area where the sniper had to be and opened fire. Lance Corporal Stone fired his M16 scoring two hits, Private First Class Ford fired his M60 but his rounds hit the tree not the sniper, Private Van Burren fired his M79 but the round landed past it’s target, and Private Murdock fired his M16 but missed also. Lance Corporal Stone’s shots hit the VC sniper in the right hip and knocked him out of the tree with a serious wound. Hospitalman 3rd Class Roberts reached the wounded Marine and started treatment.
I ordered 2nd Squad’s firing line to move forward and try to capture the wounded VC before he got away. Lance Corporal Stone and Private Murdock advanced toward the area where the VC fell while Private First Class Ford covered them with his M60 and Private Van Burren readied his M79. Sgt. Jackson had the remaining men from 2nd Squad take up positions where the two just left. I joined 2nd Squad with my RTO and checked the area. As Lance Corporal Stone was advancing to the fallen VC’s location he let out a yell and fell to the ground. Our Corpsman looked towards his location to see what happened and was torn between stabilizing Corporal Wells or checking on Lance Corporal Stone. He decided to stabilize Wells.
Staff Sgt. Betts had 3rd Squad move on but told them to proceed with caution and 1st Squad followed.
Private Murdock of 2nd Squad stopped in his tracks when he heard Lance Corporal Stone yell and fall to the ground. He was looking around to see what was going on and yelling “Corpsman!” Hospitalman 3rd Class Roberts was having a hard time stabilizing Corporal Wells and yelled that we needed to get him out of there ASAP! Private Riley Stone walked cautiously towards where Lance Corporal Stone was laying and saw a small tree sapling with a string tied around it next to the Lance Corporal.
Lance Corporal Lewis got on the radio and called for a medi-vac. He was able to get a pilot on the radio and was told there was a medi-vac chopper in the area that was half loaded and would have room for two wounded but it would be awhile before they would arrive.
3rd Squad and 1st Squad continued advancing east without any contact.
At this point my platoon decided to stop and check the surroundings for noise or movement. But there wasn’t anything. The medi-vac about 20 minutes out.
3rd Squad decided to continue to move on with 1st Squad following. Staff Sgt. Betts was between the squads encouraging them on.
Private Murdock decided to go get the VC that had wounded Corporal Wells. Private Stone saw what happened to Lance Corporal Stone. The VC had tied a pit viper to the tree sapling and Lance Corporal Stone just happened to walk too close to it and now he was dead. Private Stone made sure the viper was KIA and started to grab the Lance Corporal to bring him back to the Corpsman.
2nd Squad and I decided to move out towards the sniper’s position.
Private Murdock reached the area where the sniper fell. He was still there and unable to put up a fight. The rest of 2nd Squad and I continued to where Private Murdock was to decide what we wanted to do with the captured VC. While we were advancing Private Key found that he was standing right next to another tunnel opening and yelled at Private First Class Daniel Bush to stop or he was going to walk right over the opening.
Since it was getting dark and the discovery of two tunnel openings in a small area I ordered my platoon to set up defensive positions just off the trail with 3rd Squad along the trail and we blew the second tunnel opening. It was just about dark when the medi-vac chopper arrived and we had to use litter baskets to have the wounded Corporal Wells and the wounded VC sniper taken from the field. We had been ordered to send the sniper back to be interrogated by headquarters and Lance Corporal Stone‘s body would be taken out in the morning. My men finished setting up defensive positions and settled in for the upcoming night.
US casualties: 1 KIA and 1 WIA. Enemy casualties: 1 WIA (captured). Captured 1 sniper rifle.