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An area which looks very similar to the jungle area where we were trying to medevac our casualties on 19 February 1967- Photo by David Althoff

There were no areas where a helicopter could land so C-4 (an explosive that can be molded like clay) was used to blow out trees so that the choppers could lower a basket in. I seem to remember that we got some of them out, but then the clouds got too thick and the medevac was not possible. In the interim the hooches were searched. I returned to the hooch that I had taken cover in and found a large basket of Chi-Com grenades (a grenade with a bamboo handle usually made in China) just inside the door. It's a wonder that none of them exploded when I hit the basket when I dove in earlier. We collected all of the NVA’s personal gear, ammo, and weapons, placed them in a pile and destroyed them with C-4. We then were informed that the clouds were too thick for the choppers to get back to us.

$Description: C:\Users\Rus\Desktop\Website\My Story\page13b.jpg$ Plan B was to hump (carry) our remaining casualties down the mountain to an area below the cloud ceiling. One of the guys had a piece of shrapnel near his spine. We rigged a field stretcher for him from materials found in the NVA compound and inflated a rubber lady to carry him on to ease the jarring ride down the hill. After several hours descending the steep trail we got down to a valley filled with elephant grass where the choppers came in and we were able to get them out.

When we returned to Payable, Mike Company was sent into the field, and Lima was directed to take over their position at the Punch Bowl until their return. We had been on a successful mission but our major casualties were from our own artillery. Moral was pretty low.

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Sitting Marine is Cpl. Tony Williams, squad leader 2^nd Squad, 2d Platoon