Had a cousin who was a medic in Vietnam. He posted this on Facebook today
And from the Internet
Someone asked him later, where this wasQuote:
Twiggy aka Richard **** called me today. He said we are getting close to the Ides Of March. He said we are getting close to the time 50 years ago when I told you to " beware the Ides of March". We were about to go on a mission. We were 3rd platoon of Charlie company, 3rd battalion 7th infantry, 199th light infantry Brigade. We were a rifle platoon.
We were trucked to the base of a small mountain and set out on our mission around noon. After humping for about two hours, we were told to halt and wait for an artillery prep. I laid on my back and watched the shells pass over us. I could actually see them. After the barrage, we were told to continue, and we made our way to the top of a mountain and were told to hold in place for air prep. Speculation was rampant. Getting arty prep and then air prep. Somethings up. We sat on that mount and watched a Thud use a Vulcan cannon on the valley below wow, what a noise.
We were ordered to go into the valley. Felt like the valley of the shadow of death. We found a stream bed in the valley a strung both squads down the stream bed. At about an hour before sundown 16 NVA soldiers strolled down the stream bed. They faced 20 claymores and 20 scared kids with M- 16s 2 M-60s. And about 50 hand grenades. None came out of the stream bed. 50 years ago on the Ides Of March 1970. I remember, will never forget.
Quote:
it was fsb Mace 1970. Yes I knew you were. The action I described took place in Bihn Tuy providence just east of a big mountain called Nui Ong. We were in the process of moving to fsb Riviera on the coast close to Ham Tan. We worked out of Riviera until the Brigade went home in September of 1970.
Other fsb were Sun, Flower, Libby,. Sun came under attack one night and they had all of Charlie company on the runway at Riviera and said that if Sun were over ran, they would set Charlie company in hot. Everyone was looking forward to that. Sun over came and we were set in to block at sunrise. Sun defenders were credited with 65 bodies.
On April 1, 1970, our commanding general was shot and killed in Long Kahn Providence. Only general officer killed in ground combat in RVN.
And from the Internet
Quote:
The brigade remained in its positions to the north and east of Saigon for the majority of 1970. As part of its planned spring offensive to regain the initiative, the NVA and VC stepped up attacks against allied forces.
On 1 April, during one of these attacks against a supply escort from Troop D, 17th Cavalry, in the southeast portion of War Zone D, Brigadier General William R. Bond was mortally wounded by an enemy sniper as he arrived to inspect the patrol that had made contact with Communist forces in the area. Bond died of his wound within hours of arriving at a field hospital for treatment, making him the first (and only) commander of the 199th to be killed in action, and the fifth Army general officer to be killed during the Vietnam War.
