unit history information
for A/2/20 ARA
B/2/20 ARA

For date 660330


A/2/20 ARA was a US Army unit
B/2/20 ARA was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation LINCOLN
Pleiku Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Chu Pong Mountains
Description: The battalion history states that on the afternoon of the 30th, during LINCOLN, several company size units of the 1st Cav became heavily engaged with a large enemy force south of the Chu Pong mountain near the Cambodian border. The units were under constant pressure from the superior enemy force. Neither extraction nor reinforcement was feasible. Three assault helicopters had been shot down by enemy fire. At 1700H ARA support was requested and by 1710H A Battery reinforced by B Battery had entered the battle. From that time until 0730H on the 31st, the ARA maintained continuous fire in support of the hard pressed infantry units, despite solid layers of fog and haze up to 5000 feet. A total of 1250 rockets were fired that night. The enemy thus was prevented from massing their forces to over run the trapped friendly unit. Of the 447 enemy soldiers confirmed killed in western Pleiku Province by the 1st Cav, 138 were credited to the 2/20th. It was estimated that the battalion inflicted an additional 75 casualties on the enemy.

Additional information from Weaver Barkman

This information on the March 30, 1966 battle at Chu Pong (Operation Lincoln) is much appreciated. There was only one company engaged with the NVA that afternoon and throughout the night. That was Company A, 1/12th (ABN), of which I was a member. We had gone on a rescue mission to help recover and evacuate a 1/9th platoon that had been engaged and took serious losses, including several chopper pilots and crews. The platoon survivors were evacuated. Almost immediately we engaged a regimental sized NVA unit. That night, we were out of ammo, down to bayonets. There is no doubt the ARA saved our bacon. One of the gunship pilots was Chip Parker.

The source for this information was 2/20 ARA History 1966 by MAJ Emil F. Moller


Additional information is available on CD-ROM.

Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023