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Summary - April 1969

LZ Jess (Courtesy John Manguso, 1/77th Artllery)

The month began with the construction of LZ Jess at grid coordinates XT189717 in Tay Ninh Province.  After leaving Jess, Comanche ran into heavy contact on Easter Sunday, with the loss of 2 men and many  wounded.  One of the severely wounded was the company commander, CPT Phillip Boatner.  The remainder of the month resulted in numerous small contacts with occasional sightings of Vietnamese civilian wood cutters.  The enemy also lobbed 60mm mortar rounds at the company's night position.  On 13 April, 1SG Richard Soloway left Comanche from the result of injuries sustained during a non-hostile Huey crash.  CPT Douglas Young assumed command of the company during the latter part of April.  LZ Ike was built. (Source:  Journal of 1SG Richard Soloway)


April 6 - Easter Sunday

At 3 PM, while working out of LZ Jess, Comanche came in contact with a large, dug in enemy force.  In the late afternoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion 8th Cavalry CA'd in to assist Comanche.

One of those hit early in the fight was SP5 Jay Phillips, Squad Leader of 1st Squad, 1st Platoon.  Suffering from multiple gunshot and fragment wounds, he was lying on top of an NVA bunker when he was rescued by his Platoon Leader, 1LT Mike Patacca, and another member of Jay's squad named Glen.  (Webmaster note:  If you recall Glen's full name, please forward that information to the webmaster.)  As Mike recalls, "He was on your left shoulder and I was on your right.  I remember he pulled on you while he sat upright and scooted himself backwards.  I thought it was odd that it would attract more attention to us.  Funny what goes through your mind."

Mike goes on: "He was drifting into shock when I pulled him across that grassy field and dusty logging trail on Easter Sunday.  I looked up and saw you (CPT Phillip Boatner) standing and shouting to me to get down as we entered the openness of the trail.  But the enemy gunners saw us too, and a volley of .30 caliber and AK47 fire cracked the air, and I can still see you and the CP going down."  A single volley of fire brought down most of the command group.

(Webmaster note:  In his unpublished book Gypsies, Bob Hutton relates this action in Chapter 71, A Final Deadly Ambush.)

Among the many wounded who were Medevac'd out:

Jim O'Malley (Company RTO)  wrote the following in an email to the Webmaster:

"As for the medivac that night.  I've always thought I went to the 12th Evac in Tay Ninh. A check on the web says that the 12th was in Cu Chi.  The 45th was in Tay Ninh.  I was on the same bird with Captain Boatner, so wherever he went is probably where I went.  After a quick stabilization in the Field Hopital OR (complete with mortar or rocket attack that sent the docs under the operating table) I was put on a bird for the 3rd Army Field Hospital in Saigon.  It was a no frills flight.  I was nude on a stretcher with a blanket over me for the chopper flight to Saigon. I remember being really cold, but euphoric because I knew I was heading home. I had another operation that night and woke up Monday morning in a ward next to guy who had lost both legs and his manhood.  I sure never spent a minute feeling sorry for myself after that wake up.  I saw Cpt. Boatner again a day or two later on a medivac flight to Okinawa (where I spent a week).  I think he stayed on that plane to Japan, but all of it remains a little fuzzy in my brain."

Comanche also lost two fine men that day.  Falling in the field  were

(Source:  Field Tactical Journal of 1SG Richard Soloway, and DA Form 1 Morning Reports dated April 7th, 8th, and 10th, 1969)

1LT "Mike" Patacca took command of the company on a temporary basis until a new CO arrived on April 19th.

More information is available in the 2/5 Cav S3 Journal. for 6 April, 1969.  1st Cav General Orders 4367 for the Purple Heart, Page One and Page Two  (Courtesy Jay Phillips)

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April 8

PFC Ronald Preister joins C Company, coming from B 2/5 Cav.  (Source: DA Form 1 Morning report, dtd 8 April 1969)


April 9

The following are reassigned from B 2/5 Cav to Comanche:

(Source:  DA Form 1 Morning Report dtd 9 April 1969)

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April 13

Landing on a green PZ during a routine combat assault, one of the Hueys develops engine trouble (non-hostile) and crashes, injuring 1SG Soloway.  Top was Medevac'd out. Even though he was not permanently injured, he was reassigned to Headquarters Company for the remainder of his tour.  (Note:  The Morning Report indicated his reassignment took place on April 13th.  Top's personal tactical journal indicated his injury happened on April 13th, but his reassignment happened on April 19th.)  (Source:  DA Form 1 Morning Report dated April 14th. and Field Tactical Journal of 1SG Richard Soloway.)

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April 19

CPT Douglas Young assumed command of Comanche.


April 20 - 28

While OPCON to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, Charlie company conducted a combat assault into an open field.  It was to become LZ Ike.  Two members of the company suffered broken ankles during the assault. 

As soon as possible after we secured the field,  "A" Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Artillery came in to set up house.  Upper left is the Fire Direction Center off-loading equipment from a Chinook.  Upper right is a few days later after bunkers had been built.

Comanche_LZ_Ike_2-77_FA_FDC_Unloads_April_69_from_Manguso.jpg (14923 bytes)

Comanche_LZ_Ike_2-77_FA_April_69_from_Manguso.jpg (26838 bytes)

Click on Photos to See Larger Version
(Courtesy John Manguso)

 

1st Squad, 2nd Platoon took a break while building Ike.    Standing from left to right:  Sherman Olson (who DEROSd at the end of the month),  Jim "Biff" Kopp,  Don Williams, and Donnie Bulloch or William C. Hudson.  (We have received two different identifications.)  Kneeling left to right:  Dennis Stutler and, Eddy J. Richardson?  (Identifications from Jim Machin and Don Williams.)

Comanche_1st_Squad_2nd_Platoon_April_69_from_Machin.jpg (30827 bytes)
Click on Photo to See Larger Version
Courtesy Jim "Tree" Machin

Comanche built LZ Ike until departing for a well earned three day stand-down at Tay Ninh base camp. (Source:  2/5 Cav S3 Journals dtd 20 and 21 April 1969, and 28 April)

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April 25

The following FNGs joined Comanche:

But - -these guys got to return to "The World."

(Source: DA Form 1 Morning report dtd 22 April 1969)

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April 26

These guys got to go home:

Source:  DA Form 1 Morning Report dtd 26 April 1969)

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April - Exact Date Unknown

Nui Ba Den (known to Americans as the Black Virgin Mountain) from the big Tay Ninh base camp.

Comanche_Tay_Ninh_to_Nui_Ba_Den_1969_Terry_Black.jpg (11212 bytes)
Click on Photo to See Larger version

Courtesy Terry Black

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April - Exact Date Unknown 

Squad Leader  SP4 Jim Kopp, and PFC Eric Neumann, both of 2nd Platoon, on LZ Jess, in front of their bunker.

Comanche_LZ_Terry_Kopp_and_Neuman_from_Czyscon_1969.jpg (48865 bytes)
Click on Photo to See Larger Version

Courtesy Larry Czyscon

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April - Exact Date Unknown

Going home to the world!  Mark Kunk and Pete Johnson do a little partying as Mark's DEROS approaches.

Comanche_Kunk_and_Johnson_from_Wilkison.jpg (33297 bytes)
Click on Photo to See Larger Version

Courtesy Mel Wilkison

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April - Exact Date Unknown

Mortar Platoon:

Standing rear L to R:  Sierra, Moore, Wiltz, Bob Hrncirik, Hayworth, Stevens.
Front:  Bassi, Shy. 
Sitting in rear:  Hudson

(Webmaster note:  At this time in the history of C 2/5 Cav in Viet Nam, the Mortar "Platoon" was really just a squad, and usually made up of short-timers.  Only one tube was carried, and that was often a 60mm mortar. Often, only illumination rounds were carried.  They also functioned as the "field log pennies", meaning they off-loaded the log birds.  The Mortar Platoon dug in each night, but inside the perimeter where they could function as a ready reaction force.)

Comanche_Squad_Pix_April_69_from_Hrncirik.jpg (27847 bytes)
Click on Photo to See Larger Version

Courtesy Bobby Hrncirik


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