Memories of the
5th of May 1968
(The Battle of An Bao)
By Bob
BihariCopyright
2004: Bob Bihari. All rights reserved. (Copy permission at bottom)
The tracks pulled back into the dry paddies in about the formation shown in Map 3 (I've indicated the track I was in). Then we broke for Lunch!!! I may have been just a lowly grunt, but I remember thinking that this was about the most idiotic thing anyone came up with.
The map is pretty much as I remember it, hills and tall tree line to the South, large open area (dried up ride paddies and dikes) that we were in, surrounded by scrub and vegetation, with an opening to the West (direction I saw the movement, Left in the drawing) and one to the North-East (Upper right in the drawing). A perfect place for an ambush. They certainly had us pegged.
I didn't chow down right away. I remember taking a look at the .50, checked the headspace and feed mechanism because of the jams, then I walked out in front of the track to take a look at the tree line.
The area was hard packed dried paddies with a very tall tree line (Palms?) and scrub in front of us (where the people we spotted ran too). I don't recall why I did that, but I remember feeling very uneasy; that feeling of being "in the sights". Anyway, I just stepped into the brush for a few meters, and into a fairly open area, that was full of spider holes, but they looked old. I really started to get the "willies" (Hair on the back of my head started standing up). I started heading back to the track to talk to someone about the holes, but only got about even with the front of the track when the surrounding area opened up with small arms fire, and the first rockets started coming in. The report said they were recoilless rounds, but I distinctly remember rocket trails going by, toward the CP area (center of the drawing).
Things get very confusing at this point. I remember "snapshots" of things that happened, not really a continuous flow, so it may not jibe with the reports. I remember jumping into the track and getting on the .50, the driver jumped in as well (It may have been Wayne Sodam, we're still comparing notes), but I'm positive it was the track that I identified in the drawing (Wayne remembers it as well). The Driver fired the track up, and started to back it up away from the tree line, and I started firing the .50, but it jammed again after just a few rounds. At this point, we were starting to get very heavy fire from numerous places; I remember rounds hitting the back of the TC hatch (from the rear), and thinking it was friendly fire. We had only pulled back a few meters when the track took a rocket or recoilless round in the front. The round must have exploded in the engine compartment, because luckily, no shrapnel came into the crew compartment, though the driver was burned, but alive. I immediately went out the top of the TC hatch, over the left side of the track, and hit the ground hard. I don't know if it was the concussion from the explosion, or just falling from the track, but I was a little stunned for a few minutes.
I remember thinking I wanted to get back in the track to grab a sixteen (I had a .45 and a flack jacket on, no helmet or shirt), but at that moment, another rocket round hit the track. I remember scooting around to the front of the track on all fours, and found the driver. He was burned, but ok (again, haven't confirmed it yet, but it was probably Wayne). We worked our way around to the right, and away from the track toward the West, and into an area of brush and a few low paddy dikes that offered a little cover. Saw the track that was originally to our right (far left track in the drawing) pulling back, don't think it was hit, at least it was moving.
We ran into a small group of our people from other tracks in that area as well. One of the guys was a driver from another track I think in second platoon I knew as "Goat" His arms were really badly burned, but I remember he just gave me a really funny smile, and said he was fine (like I said, I remember "snapshots" very clearly). Found out at that point that Lt Hinton had taken a head shot and was KIA (Don't know if it was Quint or not, seem to remember he had a radio, again, can't put this all together in a smooth time line). During this time, the fire was getting heavier, and was coming in from all around us. People were trying to return fire, but most of us had been driven away from our tracks within the first few minutes, so we had very little to work with.
I think at this point, an air strike came in on the hills to the South, but can't be sure of the timing. I know there were some big ones that came in at some point; I could feel the heat and concussions as they rolled through. I can't remember if we had any gun ships working the area, but I'll never forget the air strikes (very close). We were in this area for a while (it could have been just a few minutes, but I think it was longer, a lot of things were happening, and the adrenaline was definitely pumping), plus we could see NVA coming into what was originally the perimeter at the base of the hill (definitely NVA, and well equipped, new uniforms, I remember that distinctly).
To be honest, I can't remember all the details of what went on in this area, or exactly how long we were there. A lot of confusion, small groups of people were trying to return fire and trying to keep from being overrun (there sure were a lot of NVA). We had a number of WIA, but I think the Medic track was one of the first hit. The NVA were pushing in hard from the South and West, and I remember someone telling us to pull back to the North (I think it was Lt Webb, but I can't be sure), to try to set up a defensive position. A number of us took off to the North toward An Bao…but we really only saw another line of brush. I remember another vivid "snapshot" of a track on fire, really burning hard, definitely not a normal diesel, I don't remember if we had a Flame track with us, or if it was a gasoline burning track (I know we still had a few of those) but the flames were burning really high, There was a Command track next to it (taller type) with what looked like an older guy standing in front of it (Sgt. Dulac ?), no shirt, just a steel pot, just standing there dazed, Strange how I remember that, just looked so weird.
We worked our way back to an area to the North of where the original contact was (as indicated in the map -in line with the "gap" I mentioned earlier), the area had what looked like old paddy dikes that gave us a little cover to get behind. At this point I don't recall how many of us were in this position, because I personally only saw about six others. We were aligned along an East-West paddy dike, but still in the open. After a few minutes, someone behind me yelled that the NVA were working their way to our right (North), I remember rolling on my back (we were prone against the dike) and looking to the West (the gap I mentioned before) and seeing a bunch of NVA running across the gap to get in behind us. I remember thinking that I had never seen them running out in the open like that before. I popped a few rounds toward them with the .45 and at that point was hit. The round hit me from the North; so obviously, there were already NVA all around us.
Things get very confused at this point, but one of my strongest memories is a very calm voice from my right front (east) telling me to gently put the .45 down (I think it was Lt Webb, not sure though) .I drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, and at one point, I remember starting to pray out loud, and the same voice told someone to go over and help me out. Again, I think it was Lt Webb, but I was pretty well "out of it" at that point, I was having trouble breathing (sucking chest wound), and someone came over to give me a hand. I would really like to find out who that guy was. I was on my belly, couldn't turn around, but I'm sure he saved my life. He stayed with me and held the flack jacket over my wounds so I could breathe, and we were still under intense small arms fire the entire time.
I know we were there for quite a while, because I think it wasn't until late afternoon before C Company, and some Armor came through to get us out (1/69?) (I think it was late afternoon, I was still drifting in and out then…lots of other "snapshots", but they are pretty jumbled up…just remember talking to the guy with me off and on. Really would like to know if he made it out. I lost contact with him when two guys from C Company came along, threw me in a poncho, and dragged me over to one of their tracks and threw me in the back. Never even saw his face, but if anyone deserved a medal, he did.
I remember lying on the floor of the track with a number of others that they picked up, thinking about all the B40/70 s flying around, when one of the M60 gunners on top of the track opened up, and all the hot brass started falling all over us inside the track. I think that was more painful than the gunshot wound. Strange what sticks out in my mind! Anyway, they brought us back to an area where they were doing the Dust-offs. That's when I realized how bad the situation was, the dust-off was a Chinook, and it was filled with WIA and KIA. I don't ever remember seeing that many casualties, where they needed that big a bird to get the people out.
From there, they took us to the aid station at Uplift. I remember seeing a few other WIA that I recognized, but can't remember names, there was a guy on the table next to me that I knew, he was an older black E-7. I remember working with him on the Sweep with the ROKs (Operation Cochise?). Don't know if he made it or not, I think he lost his leg though, all very "muddled up" once they started with the morphine. That was really the first time we received any real medical attention, all our Medics were out of action pretty early on.
Afraid I don't have a lot more to add, with all the medication that they gave me, I was basically in "dreamland" for quite some time. I was at the aid station in Uplift for a while, then medevaced to Qui Nhon that evening, spent a few weeks in the hospital there, then off to the Philippines for about a week, then up to Okinawa for about four months, then Stateside. I spent my last year in the Army at Ft. Carson, Colorado (as an MP of all things!) if you knew me, you'd know how funny that is!
I'm sorry I don't know much more, I should have probably written a lot of this down many years ago when it was still a little fresher, but I think I've spent most of my life trying to consciously forget about this, not remember it. I'm really surprised at how much I wrote, once I got started, it just came rushing out. There are a lot of other little bits and pieces that seem to pop up, but to be honest, I can't really put them into perspective, so much of what happened is still a jumbled mess, but this is the best I can remember at this point.
Thanks for the opportunity to let this out. Over the years, I always felt that no one really gave a damn about what happened in the Nam, only those of us that were there, and, like I said, I'm afraid most of us have spent the time trying to forget, not remember.
Bob Bihari
July 4, 2003
Permission is hereby granted to copy this story to print or
on web pages at no charge provided the line below is included:
Reprinted from the 1st Bn (Mech) 50th Infantry website http://www.ichiban1.org/
( web sites should make the url a link or may also just link to this page )
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Introduction
Here's
what I remember about what I learned recently to be called the Battle
of An Bao. After almost 35 years, some of it is extremely fuzzy,
but a lot of it is crystal clear. Most of it seems to fit with the
reports although I remember some a bit differently, and I can only
relate things from my perspective. The reports help fill in a lot
of holes that have become "lost" over the years. I'm afraid
I don't remember a lot of specific names of individuals, other than
the few that I know for certain. Tthere were men we worked with
over there that we only knew by nicknames. I was also only with
the 1/50 for a few months, so I was still basically an FNG.I modified and inserted a few maps to help with the location and orientation of the area in which the battle took place. Thanks to Don Spaulding; Unit historian for the 1/69 Armor, (researching An Bao also). He did the drawing of the battlefield itself (Map 3), with my input added. |
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I remember
leaving LZ Uplift in the A.M. (I Remember it was a Sunday), but
I don't think it was the entire A Company…some of the guys
remained at Uplift. I don't recall why we were going out, things
had been relatively quiet for a few days around Uplift, other
than a few minor contacts in the area, and all I remember was
that they wanted us to head up to LZ Ollie to check a few things
out. I think we were getting bored sitting around Uplift anyway,
so I remember the mood was pretty good, but I was just a PFC grunt,
didn't know any better. Again, this is the way things happened from my perspective after many years of blocking this stuff out of my mind, so it may not be totally accurate, but it's what came through the "fog" after all these years. We headed up Hwy 1 for a while, then headed off to the west. It wasn't that far from Uplift, but I can't remember how far. I think the tracks were spread out, but I distinctly remember coming over a slight hill and hearing the first track (or someone on the ground) open fire to the left (South). I was in the TC hatch on the 50 right next to it. Someone yelled that there were gooks running away from us toward the tree-line in front of us (South). I didn't see them, but we opened up on the tree line for a few seconds (my 50 jammed after about 5-6 rounds), without return fire, and we didn't hit them before they disappeared. The drawing from the After Action Report shows this as the initial contact point (A Hill), pretty much as I remember it. I think the other tracks came on-line on the crest of the hill, and some of the guys on the ground found a fresh spider hole. I think it was Davis who spotted it, he was dismounted with a few others, if I recall. I only remember them saying that they saw two guys running toward the tree line, (I think the report said fifteen in black pj's, but I remember two), I also remember seeing a large amount of movement way off in the distance to my right front (West) in the direction of the "The Gap" in Map 3 - there was a gap in the brush/trees there, but the "word" came down that it was just a bunch of villagers running from the area, obviously not so, but they were quite a ways off. We advanced toward the tree line to the left (South) doing a recon by fire, but no return fire, or anything else. I seem to remember an artillery, or mortar strike being called in on the hills behind the tree line at this point. I remember everyone being told to "button up" during the strike. Map
1. 1/50(M) Area of Operations (early 1968).
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Map
2. General Avenue of Advance.
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Map
3. Map of the Battle Area.
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The tracks pulled back into the dry paddies in about the formation shown in Map 3 (I've indicated the track I was in). Then we broke for Lunch!!! I may have been just a lowly grunt, but I remember thinking that this was about the most idiotic thing anyone came up with.
The map is pretty much as I remember it, hills and tall tree line to the South, large open area (dried up ride paddies and dikes) that we were in, surrounded by scrub and vegetation, with an opening to the West (direction I saw the movement, Left in the drawing) and one to the North-East (Upper right in the drawing). A perfect place for an ambush. They certainly had us pegged.
I didn't chow down right away. I remember taking a look at the .50, checked the headspace and feed mechanism because of the jams, then I walked out in front of the track to take a look at the tree line.
The area was hard packed dried paddies with a very tall tree line (Palms?) and scrub in front of us (where the people we spotted ran too). I don't recall why I did that, but I remember feeling very uneasy; that feeling of being "in the sights". Anyway, I just stepped into the brush for a few meters, and into a fairly open area, that was full of spider holes, but they looked old. I really started to get the "willies" (Hair on the back of my head started standing up). I started heading back to the track to talk to someone about the holes, but only got about even with the front of the track when the surrounding area opened up with small arms fire, and the first rockets started coming in. The report said they were recoilless rounds, but I distinctly remember rocket trails going by, toward the CP area (center of the drawing).
Things get very confusing at this point. I remember "snapshots" of things that happened, not really a continuous flow, so it may not jibe with the reports. I remember jumping into the track and getting on the .50, the driver jumped in as well (It may have been Wayne Sodam, we're still comparing notes), but I'm positive it was the track that I identified in the drawing (Wayne remembers it as well). The Driver fired the track up, and started to back it up away from the tree line, and I started firing the .50, but it jammed again after just a few rounds. At this point, we were starting to get very heavy fire from numerous places; I remember rounds hitting the back of the TC hatch (from the rear), and thinking it was friendly fire. We had only pulled back a few meters when the track took a rocket or recoilless round in the front. The round must have exploded in the engine compartment, because luckily, no shrapnel came into the crew compartment, though the driver was burned, but alive. I immediately went out the top of the TC hatch, over the left side of the track, and hit the ground hard. I don't know if it was the concussion from the explosion, or just falling from the track, but I was a little stunned for a few minutes.
I remember thinking I wanted to get back in the track to grab a sixteen (I had a .45 and a flack jacket on, no helmet or shirt), but at that moment, another rocket round hit the track. I remember scooting around to the front of the track on all fours, and found the driver. He was burned, but ok (again, haven't confirmed it yet, but it was probably Wayne). We worked our way around to the right, and away from the track toward the West, and into an area of brush and a few low paddy dikes that offered a little cover. Saw the track that was originally to our right (far left track in the drawing) pulling back, don't think it was hit, at least it was moving.
We ran into a small group of our people from other tracks in that area as well. One of the guys was a driver from another track I think in second platoon I knew as "Goat" His arms were really badly burned, but I remember he just gave me a really funny smile, and said he was fine (like I said, I remember "snapshots" very clearly). Found out at that point that Lt Hinton had taken a head shot and was KIA (Don't know if it was Quint or not, seem to remember he had a radio, again, can't put this all together in a smooth time line). During this time, the fire was getting heavier, and was coming in from all around us. People were trying to return fire, but most of us had been driven away from our tracks within the first few minutes, so we had very little to work with.
I think at this point, an air strike came in on the hills to the South, but can't be sure of the timing. I know there were some big ones that came in at some point; I could feel the heat and concussions as they rolled through. I can't remember if we had any gun ships working the area, but I'll never forget the air strikes (very close). We were in this area for a while (it could have been just a few minutes, but I think it was longer, a lot of things were happening, and the adrenaline was definitely pumping), plus we could see NVA coming into what was originally the perimeter at the base of the hill (definitely NVA, and well equipped, new uniforms, I remember that distinctly).
To be honest, I can't remember all the details of what went on in this area, or exactly how long we were there. A lot of confusion, small groups of people were trying to return fire and trying to keep from being overrun (there sure were a lot of NVA). We had a number of WIA, but I think the Medic track was one of the first hit. The NVA were pushing in hard from the South and West, and I remember someone telling us to pull back to the North (I think it was Lt Webb, but I can't be sure), to try to set up a defensive position. A number of us took off to the North toward An Bao…but we really only saw another line of brush. I remember another vivid "snapshot" of a track on fire, really burning hard, definitely not a normal diesel, I don't remember if we had a Flame track with us, or if it was a gasoline burning track (I know we still had a few of those) but the flames were burning really high, There was a Command track next to it (taller type) with what looked like an older guy standing in front of it (Sgt. Dulac ?), no shirt, just a steel pot, just standing there dazed, Strange how I remember that, just looked so weird.
We worked our way back to an area to the North of where the original contact was (as indicated in the map -in line with the "gap" I mentioned earlier), the area had what looked like old paddy dikes that gave us a little cover to get behind. At this point I don't recall how many of us were in this position, because I personally only saw about six others. We were aligned along an East-West paddy dike, but still in the open. After a few minutes, someone behind me yelled that the NVA were working their way to our right (North), I remember rolling on my back (we were prone against the dike) and looking to the West (the gap I mentioned before) and seeing a bunch of NVA running across the gap to get in behind us. I remember thinking that I had never seen them running out in the open like that before. I popped a few rounds toward them with the .45 and at that point was hit. The round hit me from the North; so obviously, there were already NVA all around us.
Things get very confused at this point, but one of my strongest memories is a very calm voice from my right front (east) telling me to gently put the .45 down (I think it was Lt Webb, not sure though) .I drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, and at one point, I remember starting to pray out loud, and the same voice told someone to go over and help me out. Again, I think it was Lt Webb, but I was pretty well "out of it" at that point, I was having trouble breathing (sucking chest wound), and someone came over to give me a hand. I would really like to find out who that guy was. I was on my belly, couldn't turn around, but I'm sure he saved my life. He stayed with me and held the flack jacket over my wounds so I could breathe, and we were still under intense small arms fire the entire time.
I know we were there for quite a while, because I think it wasn't until late afternoon before C Company, and some Armor came through to get us out (1/69?) (I think it was late afternoon, I was still drifting in and out then…lots of other "snapshots", but they are pretty jumbled up…just remember talking to the guy with me off and on. Really would like to know if he made it out. I lost contact with him when two guys from C Company came along, threw me in a poncho, and dragged me over to one of their tracks and threw me in the back. Never even saw his face, but if anyone deserved a medal, he did.
I remember lying on the floor of the track with a number of others that they picked up, thinking about all the B40/70 s flying around, when one of the M60 gunners on top of the track opened up, and all the hot brass started falling all over us inside the track. I think that was more painful than the gunshot wound. Strange what sticks out in my mind! Anyway, they brought us back to an area where they were doing the Dust-offs. That's when I realized how bad the situation was, the dust-off was a Chinook, and it was filled with WIA and KIA. I don't ever remember seeing that many casualties, where they needed that big a bird to get the people out.
From there, they took us to the aid station at Uplift. I remember seeing a few other WIA that I recognized, but can't remember names, there was a guy on the table next to me that I knew, he was an older black E-7. I remember working with him on the Sweep with the ROKs (Operation Cochise?). Don't know if he made it or not, I think he lost his leg though, all very "muddled up" once they started with the morphine. That was really the first time we received any real medical attention, all our Medics were out of action pretty early on.
Afraid I don't have a lot more to add, with all the medication that they gave me, I was basically in "dreamland" for quite some time. I was at the aid station in Uplift for a while, then medevaced to Qui Nhon that evening, spent a few weeks in the hospital there, then off to the Philippines for about a week, then up to Okinawa for about four months, then Stateside. I spent my last year in the Army at Ft. Carson, Colorado (as an MP of all things!) if you knew me, you'd know how funny that is!
I'm sorry I don't know much more, I should have probably written a lot of this down many years ago when it was still a little fresher, but I think I've spent most of my life trying to consciously forget about this, not remember it. I'm really surprised at how much I wrote, once I got started, it just came rushing out. There are a lot of other little bits and pieces that seem to pop up, but to be honest, I can't really put them into perspective, so much of what happened is still a jumbled mess, but this is the best I can remember at this point.
Thanks for the opportunity to let this out. Over the years, I always felt that no one really gave a damn about what happened in the Nam, only those of us that were there, and, like I said, I'm afraid most of us have spent the time trying to forget, not remember.
Bob Bihari
July 4, 2003
Copyright 2004, Bob
Bihari. All rights reserved.
rbihari@cfl.rr.com
Permission is hereby granted to copy this story to print or
on web pages at no charge provided the line below is included:
Reprinted from the 1st Bn (Mech) 50th Infantry website http://www.ichiban1.org/
( web sites should make the url a link or may also just link to this page )