The trapped enemy commander had to get out to safety, and the faster the better. The Mieu Mountains were across the river to the west. ‘If I were the enemy commander,’ Root told himself, ‘that’s where I would go.’ With that supposition in mind, Root flew back, picked up the A Company commander, Captain Thomas Fields, and took him on an air recon of the village while briefing him on what he wanted done.

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Fields’ A Company landed to the southwest of the village across the river. The first two platoons came under immediate sniper fire from the north. The company hosed down that sector for a full five minutes. The snipers were silenced. As the lift helicopters departed to refuel, Fields was advised that it would be at least an hour before the rest of his company could be brought in. Root gave him the option of holding or advancing. Fields chose to advance.

The two platoons promptly ran into fire from an enemy trench. While the 1st Platoon deployed, John Sinkovitz, the platoon sergeant, and two others assaulted straight into the enemy position. Around the first bend in the trench, Sinkovitz was shot in the thigh. He immediately fired back, killing three enemy soldiers and sending those farther back scrambling for cover. First a squad and then the rest of the platoon joined the men in the trench and, in a close fight, managed to clear the enemy to their immediate front.

As the 2nd Platoon entered the trench line, they stumbled into an 82mm mortar crew. The three-man crew grabbed the tube and took off for the river, but they were gunned down before they made it.

Another group of enemy soldiers was seen disappearing into the brush along the edge of the river. Several were seen dropping their weapons into the water before dodging out of sight. Captain Fields ordered his platoons to put men in the water to see if they could retrieve any weapons. Specialist James Leva and Pfc John Perry volunteered. Fields reached the river as Leva bobbed to the surface, reporting that he had found a cave full of VC and yelling for an M-16.

Seeing one of his men in such an exposed and hazardous position caused Fields to rethink his order, and he shouted for Leva to get out of the water. Leva refused, saying that he could see five enemy soldiers and could get them if he had a weapon. Fields threw him a rifle.

True to his word, Leva swam out and emptied a magazine into the cave. Perry then went in and pulled out two dead and three wounded.

This success convinced Fields to send a dozen more men into the water, where they relentlessly worked both embankments. In the next hour, they killed 40 and wounded another eight, while suffering only one slight injury among themselves. Above ground, five snipers tied to trees above the trench line were killed.

Root continued to circle overhead in his command bird, calculating his next move. For all practical purposes, he held all the cards and he knew it. His operations officer, Major Leon Biere, clamored to get on the ground, but Root held him in the air, where he could assist in command and control. The battalion executive officer, parked back at LZ Hammond, also sought to join the battle, but Root kept him in place as well. Too many times Root had seen senior leaders get so close to the action that they functionally became little more than individual riflemen. There were times when that kind of leadership was required, but so far this battle did not need it.

Meanwhile, he was working on three requirements: contain the enemy inside Hoa Hoi, build up enough force to successfully finish the fight, and clear the decks of civilians in the village.

The artillery was in place and ready to fire. C Company was standing by, ready to get into the fight. The question was where to put them. In the north was the obvious choice, but whether they should simply displace Anderson’s platoon or reinforce A or B companies required a decision. The problems encountered by A Company when it tried to extend north up the river settled the matter. C Company would go in at the northwest corner. That would reduce the frontage for both A and B companies and close down any escape into the Mieu Mountains. Finally, there was the issue of clearing out the civilians. Although the matter was often ignored, Root felt compelled to give it a try.

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