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Just A Little Walk In The Woods
Infantry, Arty Chew Up NVA Unit
From the Screaming Eagle, 1968
By Spec. 4 Charles Bailey
HUE – There are time in combat when the heroics have more significance to a unit than the numbers of enemy who died. Such was the memory recently when paratroopers of D Co., 2nd Bn. (Abn), 501st Inf. Relaxed in the aftermath of a seven hour battle north of here.
The bitter fighting began when elements of D Co. moved toward a hamlet in search of enemy mortar positions.
Company commander, Capt. Charles W. McMenamy, suspected an ambush as his forces approached a rice paddy. His troops moved with caution.
It was 9:30 a.m.
As the point element advanced, enemy small arms and automatic weapons opened fire.
The "Delta Raiders" withdrew to the paddy edge and laid down a base of fire.
Medic Busy – Company medic, Spec. 4 Alex Spivey, aided by another trooper, rushed back into the paddy to aid and evacuate wounded in the point element. The two men, despite heavy enemy fire, succeeded in treating and removing to safety their wounded friends. The trooper helping Spivey was later wounded and had to be evacuated.
"We began to run low on ammunition around noon," recalled McMenamy. "The enemy apparently sensed our situation and tried to flank and surround us."
RESUPPLIED – Minutes later, however, the ‘Delta Raiders’ were resupplied by a helicopter and the enemy fell back.
As the afternoon wore on, paratroopers continued to lace the enemy positions with all available firepower while others secured a helicopter landing zone (LZ) to the rear.
Carefully plotting the enemy positions, D Co. relayed the information to an artillery battery at a nearby ARVN compound. The data was computed. The howitzers were ready to fire.
Wounded who had refused to be evacuated earlier in the day carried the equipment and litters of the more serious to the LZ.
In a carefully coordinated action, helicopters flew into the LZ and picked up the ‘Raiders.’
As the last chopper cleared the area, artillery rounds blasted the Communists who tried to attack.
"Enemy bodies were flying in every direction as the artillery shells exploded," McMenamy recalled that night as his company rested.
The long day was over.
Raider Writings
Hill 100 | Delta Raiders Overrun Outpost | Infantry, Arty Chew Up NVA Unit
Going Home | Heavy Fighting Near Bastogne | Hill 805, A First Sergeant Remembers
The Introduction | Across The River & Into... | Raiders "Lighten The Load"
You should know Joe Hooper | Most decorated soldier dies | The List
Airborne Trooper Saves Girl | Flashback | Night Sweats | 'Grunt' More Than A Name
Delta Raiders Ambushed Near Firebase Bastogne | To My Dad on Veterans Day
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