Americal Daily News Sheets information
for 23 INF DIV
For date 690108
23 INF DIV was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Chu Lai
Description: The following is an edited version from the Americal Daily News Sheets Vol. 3. No. 9 Thursday January 9.
CHU LAI (AMERICAL IO) - Two companies of the 4-3 Inf. were involved in half the day's action as Americal Division forces reported killing one NVA and 18 VC, finding one VC body, detaining 21 VC suspects, and capturing two individual weapons in southern I Corps yesterday. "Old Guard" companies B and C killed eight VC and found a VC body in six incidents in the 11th Inf. Bde. area where other units killed an NVA and another VC, detained 20 VC suspects, and seized two weapons. Co. C, led by 1LT Ralph Durkhart (Kansas City, MO), killed five VC and discovered the two-day-old grave of a VC killed by small arms fire in four incidents six miles south of Duc Pho below Highway 1. Co. C engaged and killed one VC at 0840 hours, engaged six and killed three at 1230, and engaged four and killed one at 1430. Four VC suspects were rounded up in the encounters. Co. B, led by CPT Jack Pryor (Fresno, CA), detected noise and furtive movement on its night perimeter at 0430 hours, then surprised and killed two VC trying to infiltrate. At 1420 hours, Co. B took on five VC and killed one. Both actions occurred six to eight miles south of Duc Pho. Eleven more VC suspects were detained by Co. B, its Short Range Patrol, and Co. A.
Twenty-five miles west of Duc Pho, Cos. B and C, 4-21. accounted for the remaining kills. Co. B called for support from the 6-11 Arty. to kill two of 30 VC seen moving in the area. The dead VC wore khaki uniforms, web gear, and packs. Co. C engaged three NVA, killed one, and took two K-44 rifles in the same area.
Six VC were killed in three incidents involving two companies of the 196th Inf. Bde.
D/2-1 Inf. killed four VC in a firefight 28 miles northwest of Tam Ky and took packs containing clothing and documents which were extracted.
A/3-21 Inf. killed a VC running north and later killed a VC wearing khaki clothing and trying to flee a hootch. Both actions occurred 15 miles northwest of Tam Ky.
Cos. A and C of the 1-52 Inf. each killed a VC in the only battle action in the 198th Inf. Bde. area where the civic action program again was spotlighted.
Shortly before noon, Co. C engaged and killed a VC six miles southwest of Tam Ky. Later a VC suspects was detained in the same area. A mile further southwest, Co. A killed a VC at 1425 hours.
The 1-6 Inf. treated 49 Vietnamese in a MEDCAP at Hill 54, and three Vietnamese nurses trained by the 1-6 medical platoon treated 72 patients at Ky Chanh.
One Americal Division soldier was killed, and two were wounded and evacuated for medical treatment, according to an initial report.
The death was the fifth reported in the Division in the first eight days of 1969. In that time, 151 NVA and VC have been killed.
The source for this information was NEWS6901.AML & AVN supplied by Les Hines
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
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Last updated
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023