Comments on: Sapper Attack in the A Shau During the Vietnam War http://www.historynet.com/sapper-attack-in-the-a-shau-during-the-vietnam-war.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:03:12 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Chip Reid http://www.historynet.com/sapper-attack-in-the-a-shau-during-the-vietnam-war.htm/comment-page-1#comment-80613 Chip Reid Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:47:03 +0000 #comment-80613 This is an excellent recollection of what happened to us that night. I was at FSB Cunningham when this attack occurred. My 15th ITT sub-team was with the 9th Marines on Operation Dewey Canyon. A small personal side story: Also we got an NVA radio from one of the dead sappers(who was wearing a marines helment that he had picked up during the attack. He was killed by a marine about 5 feet behind my position, saving my life). The marine (unknown to me)was wounded in the arm when the sappers' grenade exploded as he tried to throw it. They used the radio to keep their attack command group informed of the progress. We tried to listen to further communications but they had pulled back. At daylight we searched the jungle around the perimeter and found drag marks where they had hauled away many more dead and wounded. Lt. Joe Wheeler, Sgt. Scott Sibley and our ARVN Interpreter SSgt Thang were with me. Chip Reid (15th Interrogation Translation Team) This is an excellent recollection of what happened to us that night. I was at FSB Cunningham when this attack occurred. My 15th ITT sub-team was with the 9th Marines on Operation Dewey Canyon. A small personal side story: Also we got an NVA radio from one of the dead sappers(who was wearing a marines helment that he had picked up during the attack. He was killed by a marine about 5 feet behind my position, saving my life). The marine (unknown to me)was wounded in the arm when the sappers’ grenade exploded as he tried to throw it. They used the radio to keep their attack command group informed of the progress. We tried to listen to further communications but they had pulled back. At daylight we searched the jungle around the perimeter and found drag marks where they had hauled away many more dead and wounded. Lt. Joe Wheeler, Sgt. Scott Sibley and our ARVN Interpreter SSgt Thang were with me. Chip Reid (15th Interrogation Translation Team)

]]> By: Jack Johnstone http://www.historynet.com/sapper-attack-in-the-a-shau-during-the-vietnam-war.htm/comment-page-1#comment-51771 Jack Johnstone Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:35:20 +0000 #comment-51771 It's interesting that the media during the war gave little attention to the NVA and Viet Congs use of drugs. However they gave a lot of attention to drug use by our own troops. Conroy's information on the drug's recovered from the NVA packs, coincides with information I gathered, while working with DOD contractors, from 1966 to 1973, in Viet Nam. In 1969 a Vietnamese woman told me that her 15 year old cousin was recruited into the the Viet Cong, from a market place in Saigon. He was taken to a training camp in the Mekong Delta region. He was given some training and then ordered to attack a police station in Can Tho. He was given two hand grenades, along with a Chicom pistol. She said he was also given a large white pill and told to take it 15 or 20 minutes before he attacked. Instead of following their orders he became a Chu Hoi and returned to the South Vietnamese cause. He was rewarded with money for his weapons. In 1968 not long after the Tet Offensive, I was at the roof top bar of a hotel in Saigon. I met an Australian father who was visiting his son at the 7th Field Hospital in Saigon. His son had been seriously wounded, when there unit was over run at Bear Cat, near Vung Tao. He conveyed to me the following incident as it was told to him by his son. In the early morning hours his unit came under attack by Viet Cong forces. A VC ran up on his position and he pointed his weapon and pulled the trigger. His weapon was empty. While he pulled out the spent clip and reloaded his weapon, the VC stood over him laughing like a mad man. He was able to shoot and kill him while he laughed. These incident's along with Conroy's disclosure of the contents of the Sapper packs in the A Shau are more than a slight indication of the wide spread use of drugs by NVA and VC forces. It’s interesting that the media during the war gave little attention to
the NVA and Viet Congs use of drugs. However they gave a lot of attention to drug use by our own troops. Conroy’s information on the drug’s recovered from the NVA packs, coincides with information
I gathered, while working with DOD contractors, from 1966 to 1973, in Viet Nam.

In 1969 a Vietnamese woman told me that her 15 year old cousin was recruited into the the Viet Cong, from a market place in Saigon.
He was taken to a training camp in the Mekong Delta region. He was
given some training and then ordered to attack a police station in
Can Tho. He was given two hand grenades, along with a Chicom
pistol. She said he was also given a large white pill and told to take it 15 or 20 minutes before he attacked. Instead of following
their orders he became a Chu Hoi and returned to the South Vietnamese cause. He was rewarded with money for his weapons.

In 1968 not long after the Tet Offensive, I was at the roof top bar of a hotel in Saigon. I met an Australian father who was visiting
his son at the 7th Field Hospital in Saigon. His son had been seriously wounded, when there unit was over run at Bear Cat,
near Vung Tao. He conveyed to me the following incident as it
was told to him by his son. In the early morning hours his unit
came under attack by Viet Cong forces. A VC ran up on his position and he pointed his weapon and pulled the trigger. His
weapon was empty. While he pulled out the spent clip and reloaded his weapon, the VC stood over him laughing like a mad
man. He was able to shoot and kill him while he laughed.

These incident’s along with Conroy’s disclosure of the contents of
the Sapper packs in the A Shau are more than a slight indication
of the wide spread use of drugs by NVA and VC forces.

]]> By: Fred Carroll http://www.historynet.com/sapper-attack-in-the-a-shau-during-the-vietnam-war.htm/comment-page-1#comment-553 Fred Carroll Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:06:30 +0000 #comment-553 I joined Lima 3/9 in March 1969, at the end of Dewey Canyon. I'm trying to find Milton J. Teixeira, my first platoon commander. If anyone knows his whereabouts, please contact me. Memebers of 2nd platoon has had five reunions since 1994. We plan another one the last of July in Branson. Fred Carroll 832/876-3103 email: Golf48@aol.com I joined Lima 3/9 in March 1969, at the end of Dewey Canyon. I’m trying to find Milton J. Teixeira, my first platoon commander. If anyone knows his whereabouts, please contact me. Memebers of 2nd platoon has had five reunions since 1994. We plan another one the last of July in Branson.

Fred Carroll 832/876-3103 email: Golf48@aol.com

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