VIETNAM DIARY SKYTROOPERS HOMEPAGE
| February 25, 1970 Wednesday - We found a trotter (trail)
with fresh signs of usage by enemy soldiers. The enemy uses these trails at night to move
supplies. At each end of our perimeter we have M-60 machine guns facing down the trotter.
After a quick, but careful search of the area, we found places to set up automatic
ambushes with claymore mines. Now it was time to set up our night defensive perimeter some
distance from the trotter. We will be here for awhile so everyone gets a chance to rest
and we all need it. All of us are very alert and know we have to maintain good noise
discipline. Too much movement or noise could give our position away and increase the
chances of being ambushed. One of the automatic ambushes went off with a loud explosion
about 1:00 in the morning. Everyone is awake and ready in case we may be attacked. February 26, 1970 Thursday - In the morning a patrol was sent out to pick up one automatic ambush and check the automatic that went off. The one automatic ambush was gone. The enemy must have found it or they saw us setting it up and waited until we left and then they disarmed it and took it. We got out of there fast in case they moved it and turned it around to blow on us. Where the other automatic went off they found a body and a bicycle. One of the M-60 machine guns opened up and got 2 enemy soldiers coming down the trotter. Started receiving AK fire from the left front and returning heavy volume of fire. Getting too close to dark, the patrol had to return to the perimeter before checking for more bodies. Have to send out a patrol in the morning to check the area. About 23:45 (11:45 p.m.) AK fire came from about 100-200 meters out and everyone figured it was a signal to probe our perimeter. A trip flare on our perimeter in front of Cat platoon went off and they blew 4 claymores. Everyone on 100% alert. I doubt anyone was sleeping anyway. February 27, 1970 Friday - We had to push out early and find an open area we could secure for the log birds (resupply choppers) to land. Range was pointing as we moved out to pickup an automatic ambush and go around our previous night location to where we are supposed to get logged. Instead of going around the previous night location the point man walked right into it. Six (Lieutenant platoon leader) had the point team turn around just as the NVA blew some claymores on them and started firing their AK-47's. There was a small firefight before the NVA broke contact. We think they used the claymores they stole from the automatic ambush the day before. Luckily no one was hurt. We got online and did a recon by fire but didn't take any return fire. Finally we backed off and pushed on to the log site. Then we moved 200 meters and set up our night defensive perimeter. Range platoon was sent out on patrol to find another trotter. They didn't find any trotters but did find a small bunker complex of six bunkers. We received orders to set up our night defensive perimeter in the bunker complex. I have a very bad feeling that something is going to happen. |