Ivy Leaf Famous Fourth information
for A/7/17 CAV
For date 690511
A/7/17 CAV was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Darlac Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Ban Me Thuot
Description: The following is an edited version of an article in Ivy Leaf, Vol. 3, No 19 dated May 11, 1969. The headline reads "Ruthless Riders Smash Infiltrators 30 NVA Killed As Cav Shows Power."
Camp Enari - Thirty NVA soldiers, part of a large enemy infiltration force, were killed 40 kilometers north of Ban Me Thuot when they were spotted by alert men of men of Alpha Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry. The Ruthless Riders were winging their way over sparsely vegetate terrain when a single, armed NVA soldier was spotted by LOH pilot 1LT John W. Posipisil of Mammoth, PA and his observer-gunner, SGT Terry L. Heath of Cleves, Ohio. As the enemy was taken under fire and killed, the men observed four additional NVA sitting in a field. Cavalry gunships entered the action and received heavy ground to air fire. The Ruthless Riders countered with M60 and minigun fire. As the fighting died down, Alpha Troop’s Aero-Rifle Platoon was inserted to sweep the battlefield. The cautious ground troops confirmed 30 NVA kills. They also discovered a wounded NVA, stripped of his weapon and left behind by his fleeing comrades. He was soon evacuated for medical treatment. The ground troops reported that all the enemy soldiers were young and clean shaven with fresh haircuts and were wearing new khaki uniforms and pith helmets. Three AK47s, two SKSs, one light machine gun, 45 packs and assorted pieces of equipment were also found strewn about the battlefield. The Fourth Division air cav unit suffered no casualties in the nine hour operation.
Comments: 1LT Posipisil, John W.; pilot; ;
SGT Heath, Terry L.; observer; ;
The source for this information was Original scanned by Larry Massoletti and sent as an email attachment in Feb, 2000.
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
Return to panel index
Return to Helicopter Pilot KIA index
Return to VHPA Home Page
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
Last updated
02/12/2000
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023