My name is Jack Engle
I was with 1LT Tim Richards, XO and acting CO of Co. "B"; Andy Begosh, company clerk, Co. "B", SSG Griffin, squad leader from Co. "B" , a handful of Co. B GIs; a special forces Lt. and a Special Forces NCO. Company "B" had been reorganized as infantry to go to Thien Ngon to protect and assist Co "A" who had taken heavy casualties in previous weeks and was unable to complete the airfield at the CIDG camp. Details I can give you later.
Company "B" was divided into two groups:
The main body at the fire support base up north.
The smaller group that consisted of the guys listed above plus some "mike forces" on our side of the river and ARVN on the other.
We would "sweep" the road north meeting the southbound sweep about midway.
The Captain of "A" company was advised by Lt. Richards, SSG Griffin, the Special Forces, and myself to let the group to the south to "sweep and secure" to the North. Once that was complete, then and only then run the convoy of trucks etc. The Captain was not interested and informed us that he would make the decisions because of his rank, regardless of our experience.
The next morning the Southbound sweepers, with APC’s, and a tank, with the trucks following came down the road. This road was a narrow one-lane road.
The NVA stuck, taking the lead APC units out killing all on the first (I ran by two bodies from it), and three guys of the tank. Our guys (the trucks) were sitting ducks because they nowhere to go!!!!! This was exactly what we had told the "A" Co. Captain the night before. It was a slaughter of everyone in the kill zone.
The following were Co B’s KIA:
Another four were the Inf./Armor guys and two were evidently Co"A" or the 362nd
When we returned to Tay Ninh base camp the company had a "fallen" ceremony on the "parade" area beside the chow hall. I was the one that placed their equipment in place. Andy or I have a picture of the rifles etc.
I have wanted to meet this captain for a "reunion".
I asked Jack if he remembered Lt. Hill carrying a shotgun as his weapon.
Lt. Hill carried a .45 pistol and shotgun. He fell on shotgun and it broke at the breech end of the stock when he killed.
Did not see hill after he was hit.
Co. A CPT got through on west side of road and ordered us back to regroup. The SF Lt. asked if any men were still in the kill zone, the CPT just repeated the order to withdraw. I asked: "are there guys still up there?" He said yes. The SF Lt. and I looked at each other and off we ran up the road with the SF Sgt. and Lt. Richards following.
Ammo of the lead APC was cooking off and the tank driver, the only man left of his crew, was alternating firing the 50 cal on his tank and trying to break out. One side of his tank was damaged but he managed to push around the lead APC and head South. I was always amazed that this tank driver able to manage to drive and fire because the room between turret and driver's
space wouldn't let a small dog through.{Note: the scuttlebutt just after the ambush was that the driver was GETTING OUT of the tank when he would change from shooting to maneuvering} And yet he went back and forth several times.
As we went up the road, we yelled at the guys still down along the sides to get their asses south. Several moved out. I carried a machine gun (M-60) during this mission. I stopped over "one" of the fallen to position the firepower in the zone. Lt. Richards passed me going to the trucks and came back later and said "isn't that (Doc) Fulton". It was then I recognized him and I said "oh, my god!" Because I didn't recognize him--I was just protecting a guy and watching for more movement along the tree line. Lt. Richards must have thought I going to do something rash or something because he told me to cool it.
One of our guys (from the north group) was taken on the east side of the road around the zone It happened like this:
Our "mikes" wore a colored scarf (yellow I think) around their necks for id, that day so did the NVA. This guy went to what he thought were the friendlies and they knocked him down and out. Later back in the states I was stationed at Ft. Mead, MD and read that about six months later after his capture, he escaped and made his way back to Tay Ninh.
I was with the Co 1SG, and Andy Begosh, company clerk from Nov 67 until our movement up to protect "A" co. I was assigned as a squad leader for this mission.
Andy, Lt. Richards, and two squads (mine and SSG Griffin's), the "mikes" and ARVN with an AVLB (tank bridge) crew were at the river location.
Side note-- I made Buck Sgt., 1/68. All the guys on the promotion order except for me were killed that day.
Side note--Andy named his son after me and I named my second son after him. Martin John Begosh was the first GI wounded in Bosnia. He is an MP and his "jeep" (humvee) hit a mine..
