The Last Act of CAP Six

[Gunz]

This was an account of a personal experience that I shouldn't have posted here. In retrospect it seemed inappropriate. I'd be obliged if the staff could delete the thread.

 

[104TN]

I ask your forgiveness for posting a war story. I've debated with myself if I should post it or not but decided to go ahead as a little window into history (and to help rid myself of a few demons.) I drew a map of this action some time ago based on memory and old tactical maps in my possession, and included the official after-action report from the 2nd Combined Action Group Command Chronologies. I'll let the map and the document tell the story of that night.

This was an operation by a small Combined Action Platoon that had split into two elements, Six Alpha and Six Bravo, and the objective was to set up mutually supporting ambush sites along a trail frequently used by infiltrating Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces. As you can see by the map, we never got that far.

It may interest you that the "USA" personnel mentioned in the official document was a single Army Ranger Captain and his South Vietnamese counterparts, who came to our assistance from a little compound called "Delta One." The Captain, who's name I forget, was instrumental in arranging our withdrawal and medevac, and I can't thank him enough. It's another reason I hold Rangers in my heart. I was with the Bravo element and this was my last firefight.

SAF is Small Arms Fire.
USEF is Unspecified Enemy Force
OWF is Organic Weapons Fire

View attachment 16740

We gave better than we got. One of my brothers, Gerard Henkle, who was hit in the chest that night by an AK round, survived, and some years later became an Army Paratrooper. Sad to say, he died in 2005 of natural causes.

I know I'm speaking for more than myself when I tell you I'm happy to hear every story you've got. Thank you for sharing. Massive balls on the lot of you.