Army Reporter information
for 1/506 INF 101 ABN
For date 680727
1/506 INF 101 ABN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Hau Nghia Province, III Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Trang Bang
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Cavalrymen Repel Midnight Assault" dated 13 July 1968.
Editor's note: This was during the brief period when the 101st was redesignated the 101st Air Cav Div but most VHPA documentation continue to use 101st Abn Div nomenclatural.
The 1/506th Abn, 101st Abn Div received a midnight attack on their defensive perimeter three miles north of here, killing 38 enemy in a four-hour fire fight. The battalion had set up its night positions in a huge open field along Highway 6A near several villagers. "My men reported that the villagers appeared to be leaving their homes," said 1LT Arthur J. Short, platoon leader of Company A. "This is usually a good indication that Charlie is in the area." Several hours later SP4 Dan R. Burbeula peered to his front with a starlight scope and spotted "approximately three VC about 150 meters out." The Co. A troopers opened fire briefly, and a period of silence followed. Shortly after midnight the uneasy calm was shattered by a long burst from a machinegun manned by SP4 Robert L. Harvey. "It seemed like they were gathering by a small hut near the corner of the perimeter," said SGT Ken Brokaw. "Harvey's burst dropped a couple and the rest scattered." Mortar and grenade rounds began landing inside the perimeter as an enemy suicide squad assaulted a foxhole and attempted to reach the company's portion of the perimeter. SP4 James E. Burke, already wounded in the hand by a rocket, killed four of the attackers with his rifle. The enemy soldiers fell within five feet of his position. "They were so close that we were tossing grenades between our positions to insure that they wouldn't slip past us," said SP4 Terry Sherman. SP5 Ubaldo Maestas, a medic in Company A was treating a fellow trooper when he glanced up and saw a VC soldiers two yards away. "I emptied a magazine into him and he didn't get back up," Maestas recalled. Two hundred yards away, Company D also was being rushed by the VC. We were set up in a listening post about 250 yards in front of the perimeter when we observed approximately 35 enemy moving toward our position," related PFC Lester D L'Heureux. L'Heureux motioned three other men back, blew Claymore mines and threw grenades at the enemy. "Then we got back to the perimeter fast," he said. The battle raged into the early morning hours. Artillery, helicopter gunships and an Air Force Spooky supplied strong fire support to the Abn infantrymen. At dawn the trooper counted 31 bodies on the perimeter. A sweep of the area revealed seven more. Twenty-five weapons were captured, including 14 rifles, nine rocket launchers and two machineguns. There were no trooper deaths. Sherman, Brokaw, and Maestas received Bronze Stars received Bronze Stars for their heroism.
The source for this information was 6807AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines
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