5 Nov 2002 "He was a soldier in my company. He was the best soldier. Hell, he was the only soldier." -- James Jones -- J. Hudson gonville1@yahoo.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall The "El Paso" operations in Binh Long Province during the period 19 May - 03 Sep 1966 were intended to locate, pin, and destroy the 271st, 272nd, and 273rd Regiments of the 9th VC Division and by so doing secure Highway 13 and protect the city of An Loc from enemy attack. The battles of Ap Tau O (08 June), Srok Dong (30 June - 02 July), and An Hoa (09 July) were fought in this campaign. In the first major encounter on 08 June, the 272nd VC Regiment ambushed A Troop, 1/4 Cavalry, on Route 13. The infantry arrived too late to be a factor, but did kill around 100 of the enemy. Later, the 2/28th Infantry fought the 273rd VC Regiment northwest of Loc Ninh. On 30 June, an ambush by the 271st VC Regiment at Srok Dong along Route 13 heavily damaged B Troop, 1/4 Cavalry. C Troop, 1/4 Cav, and the infantrymen of 2/28 Infantry joined what became a three-day battle. Thirty-seven American soldiers are known to have died in the fight, but the VC left 270 bodies on the field and there were 15 VC POWs. On 02 July 1966 the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry, lost 18 men - five from Headquarters Company, ten from A Company, and three from C Company. They were A Company: SGT Charles V. Howard, Brimley, MI SP4 Michael F. Jack, Monson, MA SP4 James E. Vause, Wenonah, NJ PFC Gerald L. Berg, Reading, PA PFC Hansel Brown, Council, NC PFC Anthony Capriglione, Ozone Park, NY PFC Bernard E. Curtis, Upper Marlboro, MD PFC Gary L. Newport, Roseburg, OR PFC Frank Ogburn, Burlington, NJ PFC Jay W. Reynolds, Indianapolis, IN C Company: SP4 Dennis L. Burton, West Lafayette, IN PFC Charles L. Chatmon, Ailey, GA PFC Eliazar E. Garza, San Antonio, TX HQ Company: SGT James B. Bartlett, Portsmouth, NH CPL David E. Herbert, Rupert, ID PFC John E. Hopkins, Washington, DC PFC Linwood B. Krug, Baltimore, MD PFC Russell J. Peek, Pensacola, FL

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