The MEDEVAC, from A Company, 15th Medical Battalion, was hovering over jungle north of Fire Support Base Vicky in support of the 4th Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd ARVN Airborne Brigade, when the chopper suddenly took heavy AK fire and went down.

"We knew we were in between the ARVNs and the NVA, but we didn't have our bearings yet," recalled Private First Class Chris Burgess, the bird's medic. "I guess we were still shaken from the 40 foot fall."

"Then someone appeared out of the bamboo and waved an M-16, signaling us to follow him quickly. We were lucky he was friendly, because the NVA weren't far behind in the race to our ship," said PFC Burgess.

The crew was taken to a nearby ARVN perimeter, from which they watched the fighting proceed, both on the ground and from the air. American support in the form of aerial rocket artillery and air strikes poured in. In very close bunker to bunker contact, the ARVNs were employing psychological warfare to chase the NVA out of their hiding places.

"One ARVN soldier stood up and blew a whistle," explained Specialist Four Daniel Smith, the MEDEVAC's crew chief, "and the others jumped up and charged the NVA-occupied bunkers, screaming as loud as they could, throwing grenades. Their strategy must have worked, because they managed to secure and cut a pad to get the wounded and us out of there."

The ARVN Airborne's bold strategy, combined with 1st Cav and Air Force support, also worked enough to kill 22 NVA and to capture seven AK47s, one .30 caliber machine gun and a considerable amount of ammunition.