The remainder of the battalion moved in behind Charlie Company. It was D-Day, May 1, 1970. The entire world would soon focus on the 1st Cav and units under its operational control as American troops plunged across the border looking for the enemy's major food and ammo sanctuaries.

As President Nixon announced his decision to attack NVA ammo caches and other enemy sanctuaries, segments of the joint ARVN-US task force element moved across the border, led by elements of the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry (Mechanized) and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, both under operational control of the 1st Air Cav.

The day before, D-Day minus one, Skytroopers were able to boast of being first in Manila, Tokyo, Pyongyang, and the first U.S. division to receive the Presidential Unit Citation in Vietnam. Now, another first was to be recorded by the Cav--the first U.S. division to fight in Cambodia.

On D-Day the men of the 2nd Bn, 7th Cav built Fire Support Base X-Ray, the first artillery fire base in Cambodia. X-Ray was named for the base where the Cav's first major battle in Vietnam took place in the Central Highlands during the 1965 Pleiku Campaign.

Other Cav units quickly moved into Cambodia's Fishhook to reinforce the operation. D-Day plus one brought Charlie Company, 2nd Bn, 5th Cav to X-Ray. The following day the 1st of the 5th combat assaulted into the northern sector of the Fishhook, setting up FSB Terri Lynn. The 1st Bn, 12th Cav established FSB Evans on D-Day plus four.

Completing the first week, D-Day plus six, two additional battalions of Skytroopers smashed into Cambodia northwest of Song Be and established firebases north of Phuoc Long and Binh Long provinces. The Skytroopers moved from the bases to search for enemy sanctuaries. The new units were the 2nd Brigade's 2nd Bn, 12th Cav at FSB Myron and the 5th Bn, 7th Cav at FSB Brown.

Even before the Cav's ground troops were in Cambodia the Cobras and LOHs of the 1st Sqdn, 9th Cav were in the air, their sharp-eyed crews scouring the ground below for signs of enemy activity. They spotted plenty of movement, mostly Communists rapidly retreating from the contact area. Time after time the Hunter-Killer teams swooped down on the fleeing foe, accounting for many of the enemy killed by the Cav in the operation. The Pink Teams also frequently spotted the enemy complexes that contained huge stores of supplies.

D-Day plus one, May 2, 1970, Hunter Killers of Bravo Troop, 1st of the 9th, found a major NVA military installation, soon to be nicknamed "The City," consisting of more than 300 buildings complete with all-weather bamboo walkways winding through the complex.

Warrant Officer James Cyrus, a LOH pilot with Bravo Troop, discovered the complex during a routine mission.

"We found the building complex almost by accident, 12 kilometers west and 25 north of the Cambodian border. We were looking for something in the area, but didn't see anything at first."

"Then I spotted one hootch well camouflaged. Unless you were at treetop level, it would be almost invisible."

"I just followed the bamboo walks from hootch to hootch, and saw the street signs, bridges with walkways and ropes and what looked like a motor pool and lumber yard," he added.

The 1st Bn, 5th Cav was inserted the following afternoon in an area four kilometers north of the complex area. Charlie Company deployed and swept toward the huge military installation.

Refugees, flooding Highway 7 near the new FSB Terri Lynn in an attempt to escape North Vietnamese forces, confirmed the location of the installation and further described it as a major supply depot.

Charlie Company moved out of the LZ and down Highway 7 toward the suspected enemy complex. Leaving the road, they entered extremely heavy underbrush, slowing movement to a crawl. Overhead, a light observation helicopter from Bravo Troop circled and called directions to the grunts below, leading them toward the gigantic complex.

That first night, Charlie Company Skytroopers set up their NDP (night defensive position) less than a kilometer from the installation's perimeter. The under growth below the triple canopy jungle was so dense that it took the company the entire following morning to move the final kilometer to the complex.