Army Reporter information
for 1/46 INF
For date 710322
1/46 INF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
South Vietnam
Location, LZ Hawk Hill
Description: 22Mar71 Standdown at last
LZ HAWK [HILL] - A seeming conspiracy of weather and enemy soldiers attempted to thwart the efforts of Co. B, 1st Bn., 46th Inf., 196th Inf. Bde., to return for a long-awaited standdown in Chu Lai. The company's initial efforts to return to its rear area in Chu Lai by helicopter airlift were stymied by unrelenting seasonal rains. After four days of futile waiting for the weather to clear, the 23rd Infantry Division soldiers were told to return to the battalion base of operations on Landing Zone Young, and from there to proceed by convoy to Chu Lai. "We had to cover about 13 klicks (about eight miles) in two days to catch the convoy going back to Chu Lai for standdown," explained Sgt. Steve Turner. Before securing their long-deserved rest, however, the men of Co. B would first confront the enemy five more times. The first encounter with the enemy came when the Professionals sighted a Viet Cong filling his canteen at a nearby river late in the afternoon. The point squad opened fire at a distance of 100 yards and killed the unsuspecting VC soldier. The next morning with the 1st platoon as point element, the men of Co. B confronted another VC not more than 200 yards from their night defensive position. After giving warning to the rest of his element, the point man, Pfc. David M. Hebein, opened fire on the VC, killing him before he could escape. "We started traveling along a river and went about 100 yards," related Turner, "before we spotted about 15 VC walking down a trail at the edge of a rice paddy, about 300 yards away. We opened fire with our machine gun, and then the 2nd platoon sent out a small patrol." The 2nd platoon made contact with the enemy, and a brief fire fight resulted. After completing the sweep of the area, the company moved forward a short distance and took a break to change point squads. "I was called up to the front of the element to watch the trail we were on," recalled Pfc. Donald Grantham, an M60 machine gunner for 1st platoon. "I had a funny feeling something would be coming down the trail." Grantham's suspicions were confirmed when two NVA, one with a radio and the other carrying rice and potatoes, came walking down the trail. "The lead NVA spotted us and motioned back to his radio man to go back; but it was too late; we already had them zeroed in." A burst of M60 machine gun and small arms fire claimed the lives of two more enemy." We moved up about 200 yards to a suitable LZ for the resupply," said Turner, "prepping the area before setting up security." As the company moved into defensive positions around the landing zone, the point element moved beyond the man element to secure a nearby trail. "We had been sitting there for about 45 minutes when three more NVA, including an officer, came down the trail we were guarding," said Turner. "We killed one of the enemy and badly wounded the officer, who later died after being dusted off." After being resupplied, the company moved into its night defensive position late that evening and reached LZ Young the following day, in time to catch a convoy to Chu Lai.
The source for this information was 7103AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines
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Date posted on this site:
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