Bought a book at the local library for .25 cents, titled STEEL MY SOLDIERS' HEARTS, by Colonel David H. Hackworth, U.S. Army (Ret.) and Eilhys England.
This book is about:
U.S, Army, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, Vietnam
9th Division Headquarters,
Dong Tam, Vietnam
Dates 15 Jan 1969 to 25 May 1969
Just finished it, and page 340,
gives an account of two U.S. Navy Seawolf Gunships coming to their assistance.
Probably breaking some copyright stuff here, but wanted to tell the story to see if any of you might recall the mission or the guys who were on the mission.
The only "Seawolf 26" I show is CDR Mike Artuso, but he didn't arrive until 4/4/1970, after this mission.
It may have been DAT CDR William J. Price, who CDR Artuso relieved, but who were co-pilot & crewmen.They also mentioned how unsecure Dong Tam was and the ammo dump explosions...
Specific Date of “
Seawolf 26” incident
28 Apr 1969, pg 340;
It reads in part:
Ground Commander couldn’t get any choppers to lift Dagger’s
["D" Company] two reaction platoons, 9th Division birds were still tied up.
Finally, able to get two U.S. Navy Seawolf gunships to come for assistance.
“They got on station in record time, darting in and out of friendly artillery fire and air strikes, putting effective rocket and machine-gun fire on the enemy.”
“Stingray
[Seawolf] 26 arrived exactly at the most critical moment of the fight and saved the day because our asses were really hanging out there,”
“Dusk was settling in, and the battlefield was still a roar of gunfire, grenades and artillery explosions. Bright flashes lit the jungle and gun smoke hung low to the earth.
Just when we thought the VC were going to assault, they broke off. Perhaps it was the air strikes and artillery and the gunships combined.
Whatever it was, we were damn glad they broke off. Next, I shifted the artillery to their likely avenues of escape and brought in the Navy Huey gunships to work the area in close to us with machine-gun fire.”
“Then it was quiet," “except for the artillery shells crunching in and the thump, thump, thump of the Navy birds flying over us.”
“Trees forty to seventy feet high surrounded the battle area, leaving just enough room to bring a single Huey helicopter – if it came straight down and left straight up.
One of the Navy gunship pilots told Clark he’d give it a try. Down he came in near darkness, clipping small limbs with his rotor blades, VC bullets snapping around him.
As soon as he landed, he off-loaded his door gunners, machine guns and ammo, then lifted out Clark’s seriously wounded.
On the second trip, he took Dagger’s extra gear and the dead.
On his third extraordinary landing, he dropped off ammo and water Takahashi had thrown on at Danger
[Fire Support Base (FSB) near Giao Duc], recovered his crew and weapons, lifted off and rejoined the second Navy gunship, whose crew had been putting down suppressive fire throughout this incredibly difficult feat of flying.”
“Had the Navy not taken out our dead,, which really tied us down, I’d have had to opt for waiting it out till light, Clark says. “I already knew where I’d go – north behind the VC and into a thicket. They wouldn’t have expected that.”
“Thirty two years later, Clark still refights that battle.”
Postscript at bottom of page 341 reads:
*Clark and the men of the 2nd Platoon
recommended the pilots and crew of “Stingray” [Seawolf] 26” – the Navy chopper that landed and saved them – for awards for heroism. Theirs was an incredible series of acts of extraordinary bravery. Imagine how those two sailors must have felt down on the ground with the grunts, surrounded by the VC, watching their bird fly away.Made a report of Det 2 personnel who could have been there on that date:
Here is the Area Of Operations:
Dan
Locked
