You be the judge

[PHO127]

It was during the month of December 1970 and we had moved from Cu Chi to down below Fire Base Blackhorse about 7 or 8 Ks. We had been getting notified of a lot of radio intercepts in an area about 8Ks to our northwest almost due west of Blackhorse.
I had flown some low level visual recons in the area and had a pretty good feeling that there was a buildup going or there was a NVA/VC unit in the general area. LTC Johnston, CO of the 1/27th and I talked about it and he decided to have a looksee. We put in 2 platoons to sweep the area. The 2nd day one of the platoons came into medium contact, and the 2nd platoon started to move to them to reinforce them, They came under heavy fire and took over 50% casualties within 30 minutes. It took the rest of the day to join the two platoons and late that afternoon we put in the whole company. We were able to get out the initial casualties but as the fighting went into the second day we were being hit by everything. There were some reinforced bunkers with MGs in them that would not let us move. I started working the area over with our 105s but they would not penetrate the bunkers. The bunkers were only about 50 to 60 yards in front and to our right flank. Every time we tried to move they pinned us and we could not get dust off ships in to get the wounded out. I asked for the closest 155 battery to come up and shoot the replot data from the 105s. It was a danger close mission with a first round Fire for effect. then adjust, I requested the 155s shoot once to a dump grid before FFE. The S3 of the 155s requested the infantry company commanders initials for approval and I gave them, He then came back requesting the BN COs initials for the mission and I gave them. He then refused to fire the mission due to high risk.
At that point I told him if I got out alive I was going to kill him. I started the 105s again and we were able to work our way out of the KZ. I don't remember how many exactly KIA we had but there were 28 total Casualties somewhere around 15 I think. I think that if he would have fired we could have taken out the bunkers and withdrawn with fewer casualties and saved some of the wounded that died because we could not get them out. Sure the DC mission was high risk but it was based on proven Artillery procedure. A replot is the exact coordinates that the last rounds actually hit. Even though I was changing calibers of guns it should have been good. We would have been within the killing radius of the 155s when they came in but on the edge and considered the risk acceptable. A week later Major Brown came to our fire base to read me my rights for a courts martial for threatening to kill him. I was reaching for my 45 when LTC Johnston stopped me and gave him 60 seconds to get off the fire base. We never saw him again. As with some of you I will always wonder if I could have done something different. Those men we lost haunt me.