C 2/5 Cav - April 1969

Summary - April 1969

LZ Jess (Courtesy John Manguso, 1/77th Artllery)

The month began with the construction of LZ Jess at grid coordinates XT189717 in Tay Ninh Province. After leaving Jess, Comanche ran into heavy contact on Easter Sunday, with the loss of 2 men and many wounded. One of the severely wounded was the company commander, CPT Phillip Boatner. The remainder of the month resulted in numerous small contacts with occasional sightings of Vietnamese civilian wood cutters. The enemy also lobbed 60mm mortar rounds at the company's night position. On 13 April, 1SG Richard Soloway left Comanche from the result of injuries sustained during a non-hostile Huey crash. CPT Douglas Young assumed command of the company during the latter part of April. LZ Ike was built. (Source: Journal of 1SG Richard Soloway)

April 6 - Easter Sunday

At 3 PM, while working out of LZ Jess, Comanche came in contact with a large, dug in enemy force. In the late afternoon, Company A, 2^nd Battalion 8^th Cavalry CA'd in to assist Comanche.

One of those hit early in the fight was SP5 Jay Phillips, Squad Leader of 1^stSquad, 1^st Platoon. Suffering from multiple gunshot and fragment wounds, he was lying on top of an NVA bunker when he was rescued by his Platoon Leader, 1LT Mike Patacca, and another member of Jay's squad named Glen. (Webmaster note: If you recall Glen's full name, please forward that information to the webmaster.) As Mike recalls, "He was on your left shoulder and I was on your right. I remember he pulled on you while he sat upright and scooted himself backwards. I thought it was odd that it would attract more attention to us. Funny what goes through your mind."

Mike goes on: "He was drifting into shock when I pulled him across that grassy field and dusty logging trail on Easter Sunday. I looked up and saw you (CPT Phillip Boatner) standing and shouting to me to get down as we entered the openness of the trail. But the enemy gunners saw us too, and a volley of .30 caliber and AK47 fire cracked the air, and I can still see you and the CP going down." A single volley of fire brought down most of the command group.

(Webmaster note: In his unpublished book Gypsies, Bob Hutton relates this action in Chapter 71, A Final Deadly Ambush.)

Among the many wounded who were Medevac'd out:

CPT Phillip Boatner (Hit first in the left ear. After shooting three NVA in the head, he was strafed down the left side, hip, thigh, and calf by AK-47 fire.) (Source regarding the wounds: Phil Boatner)
LT John Prinkey, Forward Observer attached to C 2/5 Cav from Battery A, 1/77th Artillery
Platoon Sergeant Erwin Albert (frag wounds to the right leg)
SGT John Jarmuz (unknown wounds - information from 1st Cav Div General Orders 4367 dated 9 April 1969, Purple Heart)
SP5 Jay Phillips (Squad Leader, 1^st Platoon, gunshot wounds to the left leg, left arm, right hand and left chest, and shrapnel wounds (RPG) more or less from head to toe. According to 1st Cav Div General Orders 4367 dated 9 April 1969, this was Jay's second Purple Heart. (Source regarding wounds: Jay Phillips)
SP4 Dennis Resinger (frag wounds left side of chest, returned to the company on April 14^th. He was killed in action on June 19th, 1969)
SP4 James O'Malley, one of CPT Boatner's RTOs (multiple frag wounds left leg)
PFC James Leggitt (multiple frag wounds left arm and back)
PFC William Routhier (unknown wounds - information from 1st Cav Div General Orders 4367 dated 9 April 1969, Purple Heart)

Jim O'Malley (Company RTO) wrote the following in an email to the Webmaster:

"As for the medivac that night. I've always thought I went to the 12th Evac in Tay Ninh. A check on the web says that the 12th was in Cu Chi. The 45th was in Tay Ninh. I was on the same bird with Captain Boatner, so wherever he went is probably where I went. After a quick stabilization in the Field Hopital OR (complete with mortar or rocket attack that sent the docs under the operating table) I was put on a bird for the 3rd Army Field Hospital in Saigon. It was a no frills flight. I was nude on a stretcher with a blanket over me for the chopper flight to Saigon. I remember being really cold, but euphoric because I knew I was heading home. I had another operation that night and woke up Monday morning in a ward next to guy who had lost both legs and his manhood. I sure never spent a minute feeling sorry for myself after that wake up. I saw Cpt. Boatner again a day or two later on a medivac flight to Okinawa (where I spent a week). I think he stayed on that plane to Japan, but all of it remains a little fuzzy in my brain."

Comanche also lost two fine men that day. Falling in the field were

SP4 Melvin Lee
PFC Angelo Figueroa, who left a widow behind.

(Source: Field Tactical Journal of 1SG Richard Soloway, and DA Form 1 Morning Reports dated April 7^th, 8^th, and 10^th, 1969)

1LT "Mike" Patacca took command of the company on a temporary basis until a new CO arrived on April 19^th.

More information is available in the 2/5 Cav S3 Journal. for 6 April, 1969. 1^stCav General Orders 4367 for the Purple Heart, Page One and Page Two (Courtesy Jay Phillips)

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April 8

PFC Ronald Preister joins C Company, coming from B 2/5 Cav. (Source: DA Form 1 Morning report, dtd 8 April 1969)

April 9

The following are reassigned from B 2/5 Cav to Comanche:

PFC Larry Czyscon

PFC Gary Harold

PFC Robert Pegues

PFC Willie Byrd

PFC John Boyce

PFC Kenneth Gardiner

PFC Glen Geark

(Source: DA Form 1 Morning Report dtd 9 April 1969)

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April 13

Landing on a green PZ during a routine combat assault, one of the Hueys develops engine trouble (non-hostile) and crashes, injuring 1SG Soloway. Top was Medevac'd out. Even though he was not permanently injured, he was reassigned to Headquarters Company for the remainder of his tour. (Note: The Morning Report indicated his reassignment took place on April 13^th. Top's personal tactical journal indicated his injury happened on April 13^th, but his reassignment happened on April 19^th.) (Source: DA Form 1 Morning Report dated April 14^th. and Field Tactical Journal of 1SG Richard Soloway.)

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April 19

CPT Douglas Young assumed command of Comanche.

April 20 - 28

While OPCON to the 1^st Battalion, 8^thCavalry, Charlie company conducted a combat assault into an open field. It was to become LZ Ike. Two members of the company suffered broken ankles during the assault.

As soon as possible after we secured the field, "A" Battery, 1^st Battalion, 77^th Artillery came in to set up house. Upper left is the Fire Direction Center off-loading equipment from a Chinook. Upper right is a few days later after bunkers had been built.

Click on Photos to See Larger Version
(Courtesy John Manguso)

1^stSquad, 2^nd Platoon took a break while building Ike. Standing from left to right: Sherman Olson (who DEROSd at the end of the month), Jim "Biff" Kopp, Don Williams, and Donnie Bulloch or William C. Hudson. (We have received two different identifications.) Kneeling left to right: Dennis Stutler and, Eddy J. Richardson? (Identifications from Jim Machin and Don Williams.)

Click on Photo to See Larger Version
Courtesy Jim "Tree" Machin

Comanche built LZ Ike until departing for a well earned three day stand-down at Tay Ninh base camp. (Source: 2/5 Cav S3 Journals dtd 20 and 21 April 1969, and 28 April)

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April 25

The following FNGs joined Comanche:

PFC Robert Becker

PFC Eric Bromberger

But - -these guys got to return to "The World."

SGT Herbert St. Clair

SGT Michael McNally

SGT Peter Johnson

(Source: DA Form 1 Morning report dtd 22 April 1969)

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April 26

These guys got to go home:

SGT John Walen

SGT Luther Martin

SGT Jose Rusario

SGT Sherman Olson

SGT Robert Hutton

Source: DA Form 1 Morning Report dtd 26 April 1969)

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April - Exact Date Unknown

Nui Ba Den (known to Americans as the Black Virgin Mountain) from the big Tay Ninh base camp.

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Courtesy Terry Black

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April - Exact Date Unknown

Squad Leader SP4 Jim Kopp, and PFC Eric Neumann, both of 2^ndPlatoon, on LZ Jess, in front of their bunker.

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Courtesy Larry Czyscon

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April - Exact Date Unknown

Going home to the world! Mark Kunk and Pete Johnson do a little partying as Mark's DEROS approaches.

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Courtesy Mel Wilkison

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April - Exact Date Unknown

Mortar Platoon:
Standing rear L to R: Sierra, Moore, Wiltz, Bob Hrncirik, Hayworth, Stevens.
Front: Bassi, Shy.
Sitting in rear: Hudson

(Webmaster note: At this time in the history of C 2/5 Cav in Viet Nam, the Mortar "Platoon" was really just a squad, and usually made up of short-timers. Only one tube was carried, and that was often a 60mm mortar. Often, only illumination rounds were carried. They also functioned as the "field log pennies", meaning they off-loaded the log birds. The Mortar Platoon dug in each night, but inside the perimeter where they could function as a ready reaction force.)

Click on Photo to See Larger Version

Courtesy Bobby Hrncirik

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Updated February 15, 2007

As soon as possible after we secured the field, "A" Battery, 1^st Battalion, 77^th Artillery came in to set up house. Upper left is the Fire Direction Center off-loading equipment from a Chinook. Upper right is a few days later after bunkers had been built.
	Click on Photos to See Larger Version (Courtesy John Manguso)