Roy Milton Smith

Roy was our machine-gunner for the 3rd plt. of C Co, 4/3, 11th Inf. Bde., Americal Div. I was the RTO for the squad.

We had been traversing a long ridgeline north of the Rockpile all day and the terrain was steep and treacherous. Our Alpha Company had been pinned down for about 3 days by the NVA and they needed reinforcements. We could not get to them from the top of the ridge as we were under heavy fire from the NVA whenever we tried to reach the Alpha element which was on the other side of a large clearing on the ridgeline. The only way to get to them was to proceed part way down the south side of the ridge and traverse over to their location climbing the precarious height to the top. When we finally made it to our destination we were greeted by an element from the 101st Airborne who had just been Combat Assaulted in and the last of Alpha was seen flying out by helicopter. We had no more than reached the top and when we were assaulted by mortars from the NVA. Roy jumped into an old bomb crater to clear himself from the barrage. A mortar found that location though and I don't know that Roy ever knew what hit him.

Robert Rosane
rosane@charter.net