by Jim Sheppard » Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:45 am
I do not have more than a name or two for each APC on my map of the action (a work in progress), but the men I have for APC 412 (1st Platoon, 2nd Squad) are Perez (Joseph) and Leavell as well as Bennett. If anyone can help me by sending me the number of their APC with a list of occupants they can remember (Squad member names) I would appreciate the Information. (Also, if you can tell me where you were located in the perimeter (Using "clock location" with North ...or towards Uplift...being 12 o'clock)...and maybe even which APC you remember (On your left and right facing outward).
Easy enough to identify, from the Daily Staff Journal, 3rd Brigade, 4th ID, are the "official" numbers...which we all know are far from accurate. US: 4 killed, 16 wounded, Enemy: 59 KIA, 6 captured. We estimate well over 100 enemy bodies (counted by more than one individual after daylight). Further Research indicates the unit involved (8th Battalion, 22nd NVA Regiment) had seen action during Tam Quan and was heavily staffed by new replacements at the time of this firefight.
The 4 killed is correct, it goes downhill from there. (Anyone who can add to/correct anything they see here...input is welcome)
1. WIllie B Bradford: (APC 419)
2. Edward M Sternin: (APC 403)
3. Joseph E Perez (APC 412)
4. Melvin R Leavell (APC 412)
I have the General Orders for (purple hearts) the following wounded (Listed Alphabetically):
1. SP4 Bennett
2. PFC Berkley
3. SP4 Bickel
4. SSG Blackburn
5. 1LT Blochberger
6. CPT Braun
7. PFC Burden
8. SGT Cash
9. SP4 Cook
10. SGT Cotter
11. SP4 Craney
12. SP4 Croker (HHC, Flame APC)
13. SP4 Derowitsch
14. CPL Detwiler
15. SP4 Fernandes
16. SP4 Frisbie
17. SGT Gold
18. SP4 Hawkins
19. SGT Johnston
20. SP4 Knapp
21. PFC Miller
22. SP4 Overcasher
23. PFC Pearson
24. SSG Switzer
25. 2LT Tilton
26. PFC Tyler
27. SP4 Walulek
28. PSGT Ward
29. 1LT Bensema (7/13th Arty FO)
30. WO Ogle (Medevac Commander, 498th Med)
31. WO Mancina (Medevac, 498th Med)
32. SP4 Blackwell (Medevac Medic, 498th Med)
33. Unknown name (Medevac Crewchief, 498th Med)
34. PFC Kreider (Shown on GO 1481 as "C" Company...which is most likely an error. "D" Company man Rigo Ordaz remembers Kreider belonging to "D" Company)
I would like to RE-EMPHASIZE that this is not a definative list. These are names I can document SO FAR. If you were wounded at LZ Litts and do not see your name here, it simply means I do not have documentation (yet). Let me know and I will add you in my LZ Litts research. Of Note: I do not have information that would tell me who/if any medics were wounded. Since they were attached to "D" from "HHC", I cannot be sure of their names. I do have 1 man listed from HHC and it has been confirmed that he (James Croker) manned the Flame APC at Litts.
Jim Sheppard
Your Historian