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Summary February 1971
Except for a three day stand-down in Bien Hoa, the company operated out of FSB Sandra near Tan Linh in Binh Tuy Province northeast of Saigon.
February 1
Charlie Company flew from the field by Huey to secure Fire Support Base Sandra. Battalion Headquarters moved to FSB Sandra with the mission of locating and destroying elements of the Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 33rd North Vietnamese Regiment. 1LT Romeo Trevino joined the company as the 2nd Platoon Leader. (Sources: Battalion Newsletter February 1971 and Romeo Trevino)
February 3
A low-approaching Chinook set off trip flares which in turn started a fire. After bringing in the Claymores, 2nd Platoon went out the fight the fire. 1LT Trevino saw one Claymore was left, but when he went to remove the fuse, the fire detonated, sending him sailing. Except for a sore knee, he was unhurt. (Source: Romeo Trevino)
During a normal airmobile combat assault, Charlie Company lost PFC Johnny Mack Tinney. He was killed, and three others injured, when the Huey they were in suffered a mechanical failure as the helicopter was coming into a single ship LZ. The loss of the tail rotor caused the bird to hit a tree eighty feet above the ground. Others who saw the wreck believe Johnny Mack was killed by a tree limb as the helicopter fell to the ground. (Sources: Bob Moore, 2/5 Cav Operations Report for Period 1 Nov 70 - 30 April 71 dtd 29 April 1971, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association.)
February 8
The company went back to the field via UH-1H Hueys from FSB Sandra to conduct normal search and destroy operations in a free fire zone. (Source: Romeo Trevino)
February 20
After leaving the field on slicks to the Tan Linh Air field, the company boarded Air Force Caribou twin-engine fixed wing aircraft and flew to Bien Hoa for a three day stand down. (Source: Romeo Trevino)
February 23
It was back to the field. After a flight on Caribou aircraft to Tan Linh, the company boarded Chinooks and flew to FSB Sandra, then by Hueys to the field for search and destroy. The company landed in a large grassy area with the mission of clearing the valley floor and a stream. While LT Al Vaxmonski's 1st Platoon had the left flank, LT Trevino's 2nd Platoon had responsibility for the stream and the right flank. The sweep was not productive, and as evening approached, each platoon began to set up its night defensive positions. One of 2nd Platoon's sentries spotted two Viet Cong drawing water and retrieving traps from the stream. The VC fled up the steep stream bank, and LT Trevino organized a squad sized element to pursue them, keeping the main part of the platoon back in the NDP. CPT Connelly held the pursuit squad in position until 1st Platoon pulled its defensive claymores. The squad then crossed the stream and deployed along both sides the hard-packed trail until they came to an abandoned campsite. After clearing the site and setting up a perimeter, the squad found woven baskets, small animal traps, a rice sifter, fish traps, and two hammocks. They brought the items back to the night-time forward operating base. All but the hammocks were turned over to the S2 the following day. The hammocks were kept by the troopers as they were compact and easy to set up. (Source: Romeo Trevino)
February 24
Mike Combs is awarded his second Army Commendation Medal per 1st Cavalry Division General Order 3580
February - Exact Date
Unknown
|
Courtesy Gerhard McBride |
Comanche Home History Main Reunions Guest Book Stories Search
1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
January
1971 March
1971 April 1971 May 1971
June 1971
July 1971
August 1971
September
1971 October 1971
November
1971 December 1971
Updated October 29, 2009
