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The middle of February we were issued large
amounts of ammunition and supplies and assembled at Payable’s LZ. A large
number of CH-47 helicopters flew in and lowered their tail ramps and we were
loaded in. We flew northwest out into the mountains where we were deposited
on a grassy knoll surrounded by jungle. For the next several days we hiked
up and down trails in the area. Except for patches which had been
devastated by bombing, the jungle was beautiful and the trails well
established. 
After humping higher into the hills and
toward evening we had come across a lone NVA soldier up in a tree. He was
quickly killed. His body and rucksack were searched and he had with him a
great deal of money and a record book. The rumor was that he was a pay
master. We continued further up the ridge and then dug in for the night.
Radioman LCpl Richard Lynn and I shared an
improvised tent made out of one of our ponchos. The clouds enveloped the
mountain and we spent one of the coldest nights I could remember.
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Inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on
Operation Prairie III. The muzzle of an M-14 rifle is in the foreground.
(Shortly after that we were issued the new M-16.)
The Marine is the helicopter crew
chief. The pilot is located behind him. (Because they are in aviation and
not the infantry, they are referred to as "Airedales", not as
"grunts").
The spiral cord is connected to his
headset allowing him to walk the entire length of the interior of the
chopper and maintain communication with the rest of the crew. Also note the
handles on the 50 caliber machine gun on the right.
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In
the morning one of the squads started down into a gorge alongside the
ridge. They had barely started down the trail when they found a cache of
weapons, ammo, and rockets buried in a tunnel.
While
they were investigating the cache, 2d Platoon started following a trail
leading from the cache headed up the side of the gorge up into the trees.
We found hooches built against the hillside and the interiors had rooms dug
into the side of the hill with abandoned rucksacks and other personal
items. Pots of rice were still on the fire. Word came from the point that a
group NVA was headed up the hill ahead of 2d Platoon. We had evidently
interrupted their breakfast. Our artillery Forward Observer called for
support. For the previous several days artillery was frequently called in
on areas before we would proceed. I had gotten used to the sound of the
rounds passing over our heads and landing near us. Proceeding up the hill,
I heard the report of incoming artillery, but it did not sound right.
Normally I would hear the guns firing in the distance, a short moment of
silence, and then the unmistakable sound of the incoming artillery round.
Usually the further away from the target you were, the greater the moment
of silence. This time I heard no silent moment, meaning to me that the
shell would hit very close. I dove straight down the hill and into the
doorway of one of the hooches. As I hit the ground, I heard an explosion
that made my ears ring the ground shake. The shell hit about 15 yards up
the hill where our squad was in pursuit of the NVA. The next thing I heard
were voices calling for "corpsman up!". As I went up the path I
found what was left of our guys. A couple of other Marines and I started
attending to our guys. Three of the squad were obviously beyond help. All
of those who survived were in shock. I put a battle dressing on one of the wounded
and helped him back down the hill to the door of the hooch where I had
taken cover and then returned up the hill. By that time most of the wounded
had battle dressings applied by their
buddies. Word came to get all casualties down to one staging area. We had 3
dead and 9 wounded. A medevac was called for and we started preparing a LZ.
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