LZ Nancy

06 July 69
LZ Nancy 2nd and 3rd Platoon back in – 1st Platoon due back the 7th

07 July 69
LZ Nancy Went to LZ Sharon to turn in old Tank

08 July 69
LZ Sharon Back to LZ Nancy with new Tank

09 July 69
LZ Nancy Doc took sitches out a grunt from 1/61 C Company; he had been wounded by sharpnel from a RPG at Khan Shun
assigned to track 29(Taylor)

10 July 69
LZ Nancy Took new Tankers out to familiarize and test firing of weapons 17:30 return to LZ just in time to receive orders to move out in 25 minutes for a screening mission. It was 21:00 before moved out and we could not see a damn thing, tracks were getting wire in their tracks and tangled up with anything hanging over the side of the track. 24:30 made it to our location just in time for it to start raining

11 July 69
Troy and W.P. left for the world.
company went out on ambushes from LZ Nancy, assigned to 23 M60 gunner (Taylor).

12 July 69
Still on screening mission, went out to pick up some grunts and A13 threw a track. We stayed behind to help; rest moved on. About twenty minutes later they received a change of mission and return to LZ Nancy before moving on to Publeo, leaving my track and A13 behind. About 12:00 hrs made it back to LZ Nancy hooked up A12, A15, A31 and A39 and took off to catch up rest of Troop. It started raining again and the hills were beginning to get slippery. A13 threw another track A12 and my track stay with him; had to call A18 to help tow A 13 up the hill so other tracks go around us. It was dark by the time we had A13 running; we had to locate our platoon during this process we manage to slide down and turn sideways on the way to the bottom of this very steep hill ( the brakes would not slow us down enough Jordan tried his best to kept it straight) after the rest of the tracks regroup at the bottom of the hill we continue on our way. As if sliding sideways in the dark to the bottom of a hill wasn’t enough, a little later we slide off the side of a hill and threw a track. Brown came over and it took about an hour to throw the track back on, otherwise we would have had to sit there all night. 

WILLIAM’S GLADE 12 July – 26 July 1969 

Excerpts from COAAR 

  • ( C ) TASK ORGANIZATION: 

Task Force 1-61: 1-61 Inf (M) (-1 Co), A/4-12 Cav, A/1-11 Inf, 2 teams P/75 th Inf, and 1 team 407 th RRD 

1-4 Marines 

  1. ( C ) CONCEPT OF OPERATION: From 12 July to 24 July 1969 elements of the 1 st Brigade, 5 th Infantry Division (M) with 1 st Battalion, 4 th Marine Regiment, 3 rd Marine Division under its OPCON conducted a joint operation in the area east of Highway 558 and west of QTCB. From 24 July to 26 July elements of the 1 st Brigade in coordination with 3 rd Marine Division and ARVN forces conducted a search and clear operation and established a cordon to provide security for the departure ceremony of the 9 th Marine Regimental Landing Team, 3 rd Marine Division on 25 July 1969 . 

13 July 69
Another exciting day of hurry and wait; we are to sit here the next couple of days. Tanks went to knockdown the undergrowth around our location; during this we drove off into a ravine and A16 burned out a final drive. About 21:30 I was over at A15 when one of the trip flares went off; talk about hauling ass back to your track. No action, it may have been the wind or an animal.

15 July 69
Joint sweep with Marnies (grunts), one of them had a sun stroke. We went out to get him but a stream was blocking our way; a chopter came to pick him up. An M88 was on its way out, to work on A16, and its brakes went out as it was going down a hill. Took three tanks to pull it back up the hill. Barham came back from a 3 day R&R; he brought a little something back with him he did not want.

IROQUOIS GROVE Combat Operations After Action Report 15 June – 25 September 1969 

excerpts 

Task Organization to COAAR, Brigade control: 

HHC, 1 st Inf Bde, 5 th Inf Div (M) 

A/4-12 Cav 

5-4 Arty 

P/75 th Ranger 

A/7 th Engr 

75 th Supt Bn 

298 th Signal Co 

407 RRD 

517 MID 

86 th Chem Det 

43d Inf Plat (Scout Dog) 

48 th PI Det 

  1. (C) EXECUTION: 
  • The following is a chronological list of significant events which occurred during operation Iroquis Grove: 

(2) 16 June 1969 3/A/4-12 Cav, while providing security for the Cua Viet Naval Base, sighted five frogmen emerging from the water at YD358658. The enemy were engaged with negative results. A naval mine sweeper later located and destroyed two mines in the mouth of the Cua Viet River . 

(10) 30 June 1969 A tank from A/4-12 Cav detonated a mine at YD432398 while moving into an ambush location. There were no casualties. 

(29) 3 August 1969 A/4-12 Cav made contact with an estimated ten NVA. One APC was hit by an RPG and was subsequently declared a combat loss. Five US were WIA (E) and three NVA were KIA. 

(31) 11 August 1969 In two contacts by A/4-12 Cav at YD351418 two NVA were killed and one RPG with two rounds was captured. 

(37) 24 August 1969 In the vicinity of YD066683, A/4-12 Cav found 15 NVA bodies approximately three days old. 

(40) 30 August 1969 A/4-12 Cav received two 60mm mortar rounds. An aerial observer came on station and guided the ground elements to a point from which the area of operations had observed fire. Results of the contact were two NVA KIA, two PWs, five AK$&s and a 60mm mortar baseplate captured 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUES: 

  1. Radar (PPS-5 and PPS25), night vision devices (XM-43), aquabuoy devices and sensors were used in defensive roles throughout the brigade AO. These devices have been proven of great value in giving early warning of enemy movement and have been instrumental in inflicting casualties on the enemy by artillery fire. 

15 July 69
been out for 4 days as a blocking force whole troop, north of Nancy. (Taylor)

16 July 69
LZ Angel Shadow comes up to tank and wants one man for AP; I went because 2 of my crew are on R& R and the third is new. This will be my first AP, out of eight men seven were first timers on AP. I stay awake almost all night.

17 July 69
LZ Angel Came in from AP 07:00, Shadow sends me and A13 out to help a couple of M88 ( one has a throw track and the mags are out on the other one). A13 and I end up spending the night on a hill guarding these two M88.

18 July 69
Track back on one M88, another M88 came out and we help to pull the M88 into LZ Sharon. Brakes are bad on our tank, so it makes it a little interesting going down the hills. A13 broke down in Sharon, we return to the platoon with the night log run.

19 July 69
New Lt. arrives, we take the log run back to Sharon. A18 took out the nightly AP and threw a track; we went out and help him back in (back in camp 21:30).

20 July 69
Help A36 with it’s housing, it was giving them trouble last night. Took the log run and Mr. Cool located us a cooler. On the way back it started to rain, back at camp I was informed we would lead a mounted AP tonight. Went to the wrong location the first time; relocated and now the brakes will not hold, had to put a roadwheel in between the wheels to hold us in place.

been out for 9 days, LZ Angel, Cam Lo, gave rides to Marines, one of them tripped one of our flares and started a fire. Three claymores blew, burned our bunkers, and almost our tracks. Marines caused it I was on 23 as a gunner and 25 as M79 man (Taylor)

21 July 69
Return to camp 06:30, talk too new Lt. (he is ROTC) seems OK. Hung out at A15 track most of the day; shooting the breeze. 

22 July 69
LZ Sharon Rained all last night, started the day off with a sweep around Pedro and return to Sharon that afternoon (out in the field 12 days this time). Some people in 2nd platoon started shooting of flares and started a fire around a radar tower and if that wasn’t enough they started shooting them at 5/4 arty. one landed in a ammo dump. Boy did we have some pissed CO’s come over. Rained last night. 

23 July 69
had a couple of Sgt. Majors come looking around this morning. Went down to C 1/77 to eat supper, Anderson and I went over to the 1/61 NCO Club. If J.B., Hursch, and Pete hadn’t been there I don’t think we would have made it back that night. But of course we all hung together or should I say hung on to each other.

LZ Sharon, 12th day out, shot flares at arty unit a Sharon, big drunk! (Taylor)


24 July 69
LZ Angel Leave Sharon at 07:00, we have another new platoon leader today, we are to go about 4 clicks north of Angel and sit up a mounted AP and Blair will sit up two hill tops away as a dismounted AP. Blair had to blow his ambush (he heard movement and one of his guys saw some movement) about 22:00. He called for reinforcements; we took our Tank and haul ass, it was so dark that we could not see shit and drove our Tank off into a ravine, it was one hell of a ride. Made it to the ambush site and searched the area; did not find anything. We were out for about an hour and half but it only seem like 15 or 20 twenty minutes.

25 July 69
around 12:00 headed into the French Fort for chow; someone had started a grass fire and it was causing old mines to blow. A19 and A13 broke down. House-man ask me if he was in this journal, he is since he has been my driver for the last 13 days 

26 July 69
2 tanks and a PC went a sweep down to the stream; we sit up on the hilltop by ourselves. Moved to our night location, A16 threw a track. Jordon and Brown came back from R&R. 

27 July 69
Platoon return to Sharon to top off and then moved out to secure engineers location. Upon arrival we test fired our weapons had a little trouble with the 73, tube fires a little to the left and the 50 was dead on target.

28 July 69
up at 06:30 went out with A18, A13, and A11 to guard dozers. A13 broke a U joint and final drive. A18 and my Tank hooked up to tow it back in. A18 was in front and we were in the back (acting as the brake). Coming down a hill A18 had to stop, this was not a problem, went A18 started again we did not– something had to give and it was part of the rear ramp of A13. We tore a nice big chuck of metal out of the ramp. We made it back to Sharon without tearing anything else up. While we were in Sharon we paid a little visit to C 1/77 and acquired a few little items (two real nice ice chests). That night Six called Ten and told him we had to return the ice chest or 1/77would call CID in to solve the matter. 

29 July 69
went out withA18, A15, and A12 to guard dozers. Engineers finished their job this morning we should go in tomorrow. Word is that we should move from LZ Nancy to Quang Tri around August 15. Around 02:45 Dave was having some kind of fit and they could not medivac him due to the wind. A11, A12 and my Tank took off for Sharon. We made it in about 30 minutes. Took him to 1/11, they did not have a doctor so A11 and A12 carried him into Quang Tri. (We were at LZ Mohawk ~ Pineapple) 

30 July 69
LZ Sharon Keith came out this afternoon we went to the NCO Club.

driving 24, second platoon got a new Lt. ( Bossom?) (Taylor) **I think it was Lt. Styles, actually, because Canda came to 1st Platoon and replaced him ~Pineapple 

31 July 69
LZ Sharon Pulled maintenance today, helped A18 layout new track for both sides and let me tell you that is a ball-busting job. Went down to 75th to watch a movie, Lt. went with us. Ran into PP and Dan at the club, PP was blown away we took him back to A19.

Carroll Church, Top, arrives in the troop, tells Pineapple that to burn shit properly, the shit must be stirred, and happily demonstrates that. Pineapple demonstrates his gag reflex.

Neil Armstrong walks on the moon. 1st platoon is on dismounted patrol, in a place that also has lots of craters.