# A Happy Little Gunfight



## Gunz (Oct 15, 2015)

One of those rare times when everything goes right, the bad guys die, the good guys walk away unscathed and get a case of beer delivered by CH46.

Here's the original entry in the 2nd Combined Action Group Command Chronologies (from the Texas Tech Archives, thanks to @Freefalling) for 2 February 1971.  As an exercise I'm going to break it down into component parts and relate the actual events underneath. There are some discrepancies in the numbers in the entry.







*...CAP 2-7-10 patrol...*

Sunny, hot and humid, about 1300hrs. 10th Platoon, 7th Co, 2nd Combined Action Group, receives intel from its Kit Carson Scout (VC defector), that a small enemy force has been seen in the open just west of the Song Vinh Dien river. Six Marines and their Navy Corpsman, led by Sgt Elmer Thomas, accompanied by six South Vietnamese Regional Force counterparts, gear up and go mobile toward the suspected enemy position. Using cover and concealment, they maneuver into a position in a treeline where they observe seven enemy personnel, with weapons, sitting in a clearing near what appears to be a tunnel entrance, eating rice. Sgt Thomas orders a machine gun team and two RFs to hook right in a flanking/blocking move to cover the river bank to the east.

*...initiated OWF on (3) VC in a treeline at grid BT 045645...*

The remaining Marines and their Counterparts open fire with rifles at seven VC at a range of approximately 40 yards.

*...The VC return SAF and fled E across river...*

Four VC are immediately shot dead, two grab their weapons and return fire while a third VC dives into the tunnel entrance. One of the defending Viet Cong is shot dead; the other, wounded, disappears down the tunnel entrance. The machine gun team and its Counterparts, having moved into a position to observe the river, see two individuals swimming. After ascertaining that no friendlies are in the river, the MG team opens fire, killing the swimmers.

*...A sweep of the area disclosed (5) VC KIA, (2) VC POWs, (2) AK-47* *rifles, (1) M-16 rifle, (6) M-26 grenades, and (1) tunnel complex which was blown...*

Five VC are dead in front of the tunnel entrance. Two more are dead in the river. After a sweep, two badly wounded VC are discovered in the treeline between the tunnel entrance and the river and are taken prisoner. The WIA POWs are removed to a safe area where they can be attended to by the CAP Corpsman.

The MG team and Counterparts sweep the riverbank and discover a tunnel exit dug into the riverbank two feet underwater. Purple smoke grenades are then thrown into the tunnel entrance which is then covered by a poncho. After a time the smoke drifts up the tunnel air-vents in the treeline deliniating the extent of the complex. C4 charges are place down each air vent and the complex is blown.

*...A further search of the blown complex revealed (2) VC KIA, (1) M-16 rifle, and (1) NVA flag. Two CAP RFs were WIA minor during the contact...*

The RFs were treated by the CAP Corpsman.
_______________________________________

This was a great day. I was there that day. Nobody got hurt bad. We got bods, we got POWs and we got beer. Sometimes, things go the way they're supposed to, sometimes Murphy stays home.


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## CDG (Oct 17, 2015)

Dude..... Do more of these!


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## JK07 (Oct 17, 2015)

Good post.


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## Grunt (Oct 17, 2015)

Outstanding post, OO! 

Keep those coming!


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## Gunz (Oct 20, 2015)

Here's one more.*

Original entry, 2nd CAG Command Chronologies, 10 Jan 71:






*CAP 2-7-10 patrol initiated OWF on 4 VC with weapons at grid BT047637...*

Overcast, hot and humid, around noon. A combat patrol led by Corporal Boutwell consisting of four Marines, one Navy Corpsman and four Regional Force South Vietnamese troops spots four Viet Cong with weapons at approximately 200 meters across an open rice paddy. Marines and RFs immediately open fire.

*...VC returned fire and fled east...*

An AK round hits Tran, the RF team leader, in the thigh. The VC flee east into a treeline. A priority medevac is requested. A foot-react is requested. Sgt. Thomas, back at the CAP Day Haven, goes mobile and soon arrives with six RFs to secure the LZ. The CAP Corpsman attends to the WIA while the remainder of the patrol continues pursuit across the rice paddy toward the treeline, taking some inaccurate small arms fire from the treeline and returning organic weapons fire.

*...Sweep of the area revealed 2 VC KIA, 6 M-26 grenades and propaganda papers...*

Sweeping through the treeline, Marines and counterparts discover two of the Viet Cong dead, some M-26 grenades, a 9mm pistol. Documents are found on one of the bodies.

*...the ordnance was blown in place and the documents were delivered to District Headquarters...*

Marines called for a Fire-in-the-Hole and detonate the grenades. The documents are kept by the patrol leader and delivered (the next day) to the 7th Company XO who subsequently turns them over to the 2nd CAG intel officer for evaluation and analysis.

*...One RF was WIA and evaced by helicopter...*

The WIA is stabilized by the CAP Corpsman. An Army Huey Dust-Off arrives from Red Beach, Danang, lands at the LZ and the casualty is loaded aboard. The helo departs immediately.

*...Continuing the sweep the CAP received SAF from 10 VC at grid BT 044637...*

Following the medevac, all patrol members and remaining counterparts continue the sweep of the area, moving east through a dense treeline and out into open rice paddies on the other side. Upon emerging from the treeline, the patrol comes under small arms fire from a sizeable enemy force in another treeline 300 meters to the southeast.

*...The CAP returned fire and called a helicopter gunship mission on the VC. VC fled east across the river...*

The Marines and counterparts take cover behind a low earthen dike and return fire.  A helicopter gunship mission is immediately requested. The Marines and counterparts continue suppressive fire on the enemy position until the arrival of a Cobra gunship. At the approach of the gunship, the enemy appears to break off contact and flee the area. The gunship is requested to work the treeline and conducts several gun-runs on the last known enemy position.  The gunship conducts an aerial search while the treeline is swept with negative results. The enemy is believed to have fled east across the river.


* My original post account of this was in error. I read it over the phone to another participant and he was kind enough to correct my memory of the events that took place in this second entry, with respect to Sgt Thomas's foot-react, the number of gunships (1, not 2), and the position of the larger enemy force. -- OO


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## x SF med (Oct 20, 2015)

Ocoka One said:


> I've got some more *happy-ending gunfights* I can scan



You might want to re-think the name....  You were USMC, not Navy or Village People...  just sayin...


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## Gunz (Oct 20, 2015)

x SF med said:


> You might want to re-think the name....  You were USMC, not Navy or Village People...  just sayin...


 
Jesus, now that you mention it...


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## Gunz (Oct 20, 2015)

CDG said:


> Dude..... Do more of these!


 
Not many more "good"ones...It's nice to get some revenge on the bastards who've been setting tripwires and pressure plates on your trails...

More than a few people here can identify with that...


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