6 May 1969

[Packo]

In the early morning darkness of 6 May, the NVA retaliated with an intensive rocket and mortar barrage, followed by a massive 95th Regiment pincer grand assault against 2 sides of the base an hour later. LZ Carolyn's garrison was reduced by the absence of several line companies on patrol, and the withering defensive fires of the battalion's COMPANY C and E were unable to prevent the onrushing battalions from storming through the wire and into the LZ from both directions. Six perimeter bunkers were overrun, one of the medium howitzers was captured, and the enemy threatened to slice through the center of the base.

The Americans counterattacked with all available personnel, the officers involved being killed at the head of their troops. Artillerymen, supply and signal personnel, and engineers fought and died as emergency infantry reserves. The counterattacks were hurled agains both enemy penetrations, but the most violent fighting occurred on the northern side, where a seesaw battle raged for possession of the 155mm howitzer position. During the course of the battle, this weapon exchanged hands 3 times in hand-to-hand fighting deceded at close range with rifles and E-tools.

Overhead, rocket-firing AH1G Cobra helicopters rolled in, ignoring heavy flak, and blasted the NVA with rockets and miniguns. Air Force AC47 SPOOKY and AC119 SHADOW aircraft, supported by fighter-bombers, were employed against the numerous enemy antiaircraft weapons ringing the perimeter.

Controlled and uncontrolled fires were raging everywhere, and it seemed that the LZ was ablaze throughout its entire length. Waves of NVA infantry charging into the southern lines were met by defending troops who took advantage of the aviation gasoline storage area. They shot holes in the fuel drums and ignited them to create a flaming barrier, which effectively blocked further enemy penetration. In the LZ's opposite sector, a medium howitzer gun pit received 3 direct hits which touched off a fire in its powder bunker, yet the crew calmly stood by its weapon and employed it throughout the night.

Both 105's ammunition points were exploded by enemy fire around 0330, and shrapnel from more than 600 disintegrating rounds in the 2 dumps sprayed the entire LZ for more than 4 hours. LZ Carolyn appeared threatened with total destruction as the thundering conflagration tossed detonating arty projectiles to shower men and equipment with flying rounds and burning shell fragments.

END PART 1

[Packo]

The defending artillerymen and mortar crews fought in desperation heightened by the loss of commo between most weapons and their fire direction centers. The initial enemy barrage destroyed commo from the 155 gun sections to their FDC, forcing crews to individually engage targets on their own volition by leveling tubes full of BEE HIVE or HE charges. When telephone lines from the mortar tubes to their FDC were severed, the direction personnel switched to a bullhorn to relay fire commands across the deafening noise of the battlefield. The battalion mortar platoon's four tubes fired 1500 rounds, ranging from critical illumination to searing WP. In all cases effective fire support was maintained.

Ammunition shortages quickly developed. As on-hand mortar ammunition beside the weapons was exhausted, volunteers dashed through fire-swept open areas to retrieve more rounds from storage bunkers. The destruction of the 105 ammo points caused an immediate crisis in the light howitzer pits. The cannon cockers were fored to redistribute ammo by crawling from one gun section to another under a hail of enemy direct fire and spinning shrapnel form the exploding dump. The crews continued rendering direct fire, even though they were often embroiled in defending their own weapons. One light howitzer section caught in an enemy cross fire between a heavy machine gun and rifles, until the artillerymen managed to turn their lowered muzzle and pump BEE HIVE flechettes into the enemy. All automatic weapons fire against the howitzer was instantly silenced. Cavalry counterattacks reestablished the perimeter, and the enemy force began withdrawing, breaking contact at 0600.



It was the longest night of my life. Thanks Doc Fred, many of us ended up with you. Thanks Air Force and thanks Red Team for the Cobras.

In Memory of all those brave Troopers that night!

Never Prouder to be a Paratrooper and a Sky Trooper!

Packo

C Co. 2nd Bn. 8th Cav (Airborne)
1st Air Cav Division (Airmobile)

C CO AND E WERE BOTH AWARDED THE VALOUS UNIT AWARD for that night.

[Packo]

the 8th Cav motto:

HONOR AND COURAGE!

That, I think says it all.

PS: This all happened during operation MONTANA SCOUT/MONTANA RAIDER series. We lost 567 troopers KIA and 3,555 wounded. This was from November of 68' to June 23rd of 69. Now, what's this THC was saying about us being loosers?

Packo

[phuloi]

My head is spinning and my heart is pounding.The sense of pride to be here in the company of unwilting commitment and bravery is overwhelming.Losers My Ass!Thanks,Packo..

[Gimpy]

6 May, 2002---and every 6 May from this day forward that the good Lord see's fit to allow me to stick around---I'll be thinking and prayin for you and your (and mine) buddies that were there.

Welcome home my Southern brother.

[Andy]

Well, I guess that?s why they paid us so much extra money for being in RVN. The polite thing would be to say, I wish you weren?t there. However it was probably a good thing you were and that evening has most likely made you the man you are.

There?s not doubt you, like some of us, have spent your life since then thinking, ?why, why the hell did I live?? Don?t over think it. Just live as though you were living for yourself and your bros. Or as someone famous said, ?live everyday as though it were your last, for one day you are sure to be right.?

Maybe I should know this but I have to ask. You got nailed that night, right? Was it AK or shrapnel? Don?t know why but bullets never bothered me that much unless they were real close to my ear. Rockets were like rolling the dice. But 82mm?s being walked right to your position, that always caused me to be rather more excited that I cared for.

Seems like that night ruined your entire weekend and beyond. Glad you made it. I?m having a J.D. for you and those who can?t have one for themselves. Lest we forget!

We Serve Co. C. 4/23 (Mech) Inf. 25th Division - The guys who saved what was left of the 7th Cav. In 1876.

Andy

[Packo]

Looks like I stayed awake for nothin'. Racin' tomorrow probably.

Any way,

Gimpy.........nuff said bro!

Griz, Thanks bro!

Andy, Ripley would love this....no I actually was one of the ones that they and our own shells missed. I got hit on a milk run later on with the Koreans. As Billy Pilgrim says...."and so it goes". Got through something like that physically unscathed, but mentally, I and Deb have noticed that my mood has changed a bit since yesterday. Happens every year.

122's.....I think that Mr. Chuck was just happy when one of them landed in Vietnam. They were destructive but not accurate. 82's..now that's a different story. I always felt that they were going to drop one of those suckers in my back pocket.

If you guys don't mind, I'd like to say that since THC, then Vets.com, I've only run into one other Trooper that was in that hell hole that night. Some of you might remember him, he showed up on Vets.com as "SpecTexas" or something like that. He was a cannon cocker on Carolyn, not sure which battery. Anyway in some PM's we started talkin' bout Carolyn and 6 May. He was definately there and even remembered our call sign. We didn't get far into the discussion and he di di ed and I've not seen him on the sights since. It was a devistating evening. Thanks to the DAV's forgotton Warrior Project in the 70's and my best friend Dan, (James's bro from the 3 deuce 7th), I have mostly dealt with that experience. Dan and I did it with a bunch of Beefeaters Gin and other condiments and HOURS AND HOURS OF TALK.

The worst part of the battle was the hand to hand...."Mano a Mano". It got real personal which differs so much from firefights. Damn, I thought, this @#$^%$ is trying to KILL ME! FOR REAL! I would love to meet the guy that invented the E-tool. The battle turned Medieval. It was truly a "night to remember". One of the things that kinda pissed me off was that had this been Korea, WWI or II, or any war after Nam, this would have made front page, world news but like the Ia Drang Valley, we kicked their asses and nobody wanted to report that. Had Charles won.....the press would have been all over it. Prisoners told us that the real deal was that the 95th wanted to give Uncle Ho a 1st Cav LZ for a birthday present. They never got over the Ia Drang, and I would bet my pension they never got over Carolyn.

Well guys, and gals, the race has definately been postponed, of couse cause' my boy Ward Burton was kickin' ass, so I'm going to dawdle off to bed. Got lots of work to do in the a.m. so I can watch the race at noon.

Thanks for listening.......ya'll are wonderful and a great place for times like this. Good night!

Packman

HONOR AND COURAGE!

[MARINEVET]

battle I've heard about several times...but...it NEVER came across like this!!!

Hoisting several ice cold Corona's (bore punched with lime) to the 8th Cav and especially you and the Troopers of Charlie and Echo Companies...OOORAHHHHhhhhhh!!!

Hearty Semper Fi SOJER...from a Marine who also proudly wears our Army's Valorous Unit Award....

[DMZ-LT]

I know what I did , I know what we did . I don't care what anyone says

[1CAVCCO15MED]

We were in Quon Loi, a mid sized LZ in Phouc Long Province about ten miles from Cambodia. We had just moved back there after our month in Bien Hoa waiting for the year later Tet offensive that never came. There had been less action after we moved back and it tapered off to practically zero by May. I realize now the NVA were lulling us into a false sense of security and it worked, at least on me. The night of the attaqck was one of the most peaceful and content we had had in the war. I had decided to go to the treatment bunker to visit my buddies on duty. It was across the road from our hootches. The road was perpendicular to the green line which was about 50 yards away. Since I was in the company area I didn't bring my helment, flak jacket or rifle. We played cards, wrote letters and played the radio. Finally we laid on the litters and went to sleep. That is when all hell broke loose. The NVA had infiltrated the green line and came up on the bunkers from the rear and hit them with RPG's and satchel charges. We guys in the bunker had fallen to the floor and discovered no one in the bunker had a weapon. We could hear the NVA outside the bunker and we just laid on the floor waiting to be killed. The terror was like nothing I had ever experienced. Something happened to my brain. I wanted to sink into the center of the earth but couldn't and I felt something tear in my head. I know it was nothing physical but I felt it. What had happened is I dissociated. My mind split in two and part of me stayed cringing on the floor and the other part left my body and rodse up through the roof and went up about a thousand feet into the air. I was calm but I could see my terrified self still in the bunker and felt a kind of pity. I started calling for God over and over. He answered me. I asked him why he allowed such horror. He told me it was not His doing, that man had free will and I had more to do with it than He. He told me to go back down to the ground, that I would not be killed. At that point on the ground I told someone that I didn't think this attack would ever end. He looked at me funny and said it ended three days ago.