A 45 and a flashlight

[smokey-seven]

I hope he made it home. I know not who he is.

Big guys for heavy weapons, little guys for tunnels.

 

[greencobra]

little guys for tunnels

and forrest gump. he was a tunnel rat.

 

[MisterHappy]

I read a book, where a Tunnel Rat borrowed another person's .45, and went in the hole.

Some distance in, he took a shot, then came scrambling back out, yelling, "Grenade."

No boom. He said, "I saw the grenade's fuse burning." Turns out that the guy that had lent the pistol had it loaded with tracer ammo.

 

[Andy in NH]

Immense amounts of courage required to accomplish that task.

This page identified him as Sgt. Ronald Payne, Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment.
This page listed him as KIA on Nov. 7th, 1967 due to small arms fire.

RIP.

 

[Rat187]

Battle of Loc Ninh....a little factoid for you/us Vets, The Stryker vehicle was named after this MOH winner: On Nov 7, 1967 same date, company and platoon as Sgt. Ronald Payne

Specialist Fourth Class Robert Francis Stryker

Loc Ninh, Vietnam
Photo
Bio
Date of Birth	November 9, 1944
Where Born	Auburn, New York
Award Action Date	November 7, 1967
Citation	The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Specialist Fourth Class Robert Francis Stryker (ASN: 12678792), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in action against enemy aggressor forces in the Republic of Vietnam, on 7 November 1967. Specialist Fourth Class Stryker was serving as a grenadier in a multi-company reconnaissance in force near Loc Ninh. As his unit moved through the dense underbrush, it was suddenly met with a hail of rocket, automatic weapons and small arms fire from enemy forces concealed in fortified bunkers and in the surrounding trees. Reacting quickly, Specialist Fourth Class Stryker fired into the enemy positions with his grenade launcher. During the devastating exchange of fire, Specialist Fourth Class Stryker detected enemy elements attempting to encircle his company and isolate it from the main body of the friendly force. Undaunted by the enemy machinegun and small-arms fire, Specialist Fourth Class Stryker repeatedly fired grenades into the trees, killing enemy snipers and enabling his comrades to sever the attempted encirclement. As the battle continued, Specialist Fourth Class Stryker observed several wounded members of his squad in the killing zone of an enemy claymore mine. With complete disregard for his safety, he threw himself upon the mine as it was detonated. He was mortally wounded as his body absorbed the blast and shielded his comrades from the explosion. His unselfish actions were responsible for saving the lives of at least six of his fellow soldiers. Specialist Fourth Class Stryker's great personal bravery was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Award Authority	Department of the Army, General Orders No. 72 (November 20, 1969)
Award Presentation	Presented to his Family At the White House by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew on November 04, 1969
Company	Company C
Battalion	1st Battalion
Regiment	26th Infantry Regiment
Division	1st Infantry Division
Date of Death	KIA: November 7, 1967
Cemetery	Pine Hill Cemetery
Where Buried	Throopsville, New York

 

[dustoff22]

Was there. Spent many hours evacuating many casualties. Went through several pilots, one who asked me to drop him off at our company headquarters in Long Binh in order to turn in his wings. Never saw him again. Scared the living $hit out of me as well being shot at with a quad 50 or 51 whatever the commie version is. Fortunately, they missed.

 

[Rat187]

Was there. Spent many hours evacuating many casualties. Went through several pilots, one who asked me to drop him off at our company headquarters in Long Binh in order to turn in his wings. Never saw him again. Scared the living $hit out of me as well being shot at with a quad 50 or 51 whatever the commie version is. Fortunately, they missed.

Was there as well....845 PAVN (NVA) body count. Xin Loi

 

[Rat187]

(General) Hay ordered the 1st Brigade to move its headquarters to Quần Lợi Base Camp to prepare for a renewed attack on Loc Ninh. Just after midnight on 31 October, rockets and mortar shells began pounding the district compound, the Special Forces camp, and the airstrip artillery firebase. As the barrage ended, helicopter gunships and an AC-47 arrived over Loc Ninh and began firing on suspected assembly areas. They were met by heavy machine gun fire from the PAVN 208th Anti-Aircraft Battalion which a forward air controller later said was the heaviest antiaircraft fire he had ever seen in South Vietnam.

 

[dustoff22]

Went back there a couple days later and witnessed multiple NVA and VC bloated charcoal black bodies rotting in the sun. What a mess!

 

[Theoldhag88]

Went back there a couple days later and witnessed multiple NVA and VC bloated charcoal black bodies rotting in the sun. What a mess!

Didn’t they usually police up their dead? My uncle always said they found plenty of blood but very few bodies after a firefight.

 

[Andy in NH]

Didn’t they usually police up their dead? My uncle always said they found plenty of blood but very few bodies after a firefight.

If you kill enough of them, there's no one to drag the dead away.
Or, to quote Curtis LeMay, "If you kill enough of them, they stop fighting."

 

[Rat187]

Didn’t they usually police up their dead? My uncle always said they found plenty of blood but very few bodies after a firefight.

True, but when a Division attacks a small Special Forces/CIDG Camp sometimes there are not enough bodies, to carry the bodies off. With 845 NVA dead BC at least three times that number were wounded.