It’s like yesterday to me .I think of that place a dozen times a day. I can even find a small part of humor as we all can if we look for it,, so I’m going to hit on it , just a little and hope it doesn’t offend any one. All hell broke after we got back inside (the perimeter). CAPT BAZANTZ, was standing behind this tree, two radios, one in one ear, one in the other. I seen this nice position earlier, in the morning , and said man they made a nice fighting hole and deep too. Well the fire fight was going good now so I hit that position, it had a good field of fire, and in it I went. After I fired a few rounds, I smelt something that took my mind off the war. I said to myself, "some one shit in this hole." I fired a few more rounds and I said "no wonder no one was in this goddamn hole , who the hell could stand it." I was about to leave it when I got company, landed in there with me. and a few seconds went by and he said "are you that scared?? "Hell no man, it isn’t me" He didn’t believe me. He said he would "rather to get shot than stay in there with me," the dirty bastard left me there. I figure I may as well go get shot too , so I left it also. After the fight was over I checked on this position and found only the exposed tree roots dripping this awful sap that smelled like a 2 week old slit trench. But I’m glad we don’t have them trees here in sunny Calif. I REMEMBER YOU ALL GUYS AND THINK OF YOU ALL OFTEN.. AND I DO MISS YOU, AND HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN SOME DAY .. RUSSELL CRAWFORD RTO 3RD PLATOON CO A 1/35

I was back at 11A listening to some of the radio chatter. However, it seems to me that the artillery prep for the assault on 10A was fired into the wrong place. That gave the first lift the chance to get in unopposed. The NVA on the ground were surprised because the prep went elsewhere. If I think of some more I'll try to add on.

(Note: This is one of many accounts of the wrong LZ being prepped – ED)

The person you want to contact is Col Stanley Tyson.  He took command the first afternoon and really held the the units together. Also you might want to note that the rest of the 2/35 that was at LZ 11A and providing artillery fire for 10A came under attack two nights in a row but to a much lesser extent than at 10A. 

I was the BN S-2 during the fight and then took over B Co in June so any knowledge was second hand. I do know that there were a great number of individual heroes. In particular I remember stories about two of the platoon sergeants SFC Johnson and MSGT Crookham who eliminated the machine gun positions mentioned in the account. There was an SP4 from Detroit whose name I can not remember who spent the entire night by himself in a foxhole and in the morning he was alive with more than 10 dead NVA around his position. I will also never forget listening to Stan Tyson on the radio calling the forward air controller in a cool, calm voice after an A1E had just napalmed his position with I quote "Horse, we don't need any more of that here"

The sad part of the story is that we lost some good people.
Good Luck with the story
Jim McQuillen

Hi, when I opened my e-mail this morning and saw LZ 10 A, I got a chill, a ghost from the past. First, I was not there on the LZ, I was back at BN. Commo. listening to it unfold on the radios, we monitored all the 1st 35th freqs. I had good friends out there, some of us had been together since the early 60s at Schofield. Sgt. George H. Mikal had been in BN. Commo. till his transfer to A Co. in mid. 1965 to be the Co. Commo Chief. On LZ 10 Alpha George was Alpha '6' RTO, it was hard to listen to him after a while, they were hurting. A day or so after the LZ was secured, George sent his PRC 25 in to the Tea Plantation for a replacement radio. I took a picture of it, which I am sending, bullet hole and all. This all I can contribute. Tom Lindquist 1/35, Jan. 63-Dec 66

I served with the 1st/35 C Company during the time of this battle. I can offer some details but my memory is somewhat vague and it would seem to me that I may differ with the dates. We had just ended a hump of about 13 clicks, set up a base camp, and heard distant gunfire. It became increasingly intense when our CO told us that A Company had made heavy contact with a PAVN unit. We were told to "saddle up" and as we jumped into the Hueys, I kinda figured that this might be pretty rough. We flew for some time and as the ship banked to the left, I noticed that the distant LZ was surrounded by red smoke. I figured it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. As the Hueys approached the LZ we took on some fire and obviously did not wait for it to land. When we jumped into the LZ, we assembled and began maneuvering into a perimeter position. Fortunately for us A Company had driven the enemy back and assumed fire superiority. Except for some sniper fire and an occasional mortar round (which took out one Huey), the LZ was basically secure. We discovered several enemy dead, shoveled some dirt on them and set up a base camp. I thought that we had dodged a bullet but later I learned that our outer perimeter had been hit. 

We all share memories of Vietnam, and we all remember our fallen comrades. Sometimes one particular loss is difficult to understand and even harder to rationalize. HP Rogers was one such person. A deeply religious man, an excellent athlete and someone whose faith was as strong as his devotion to his fellow
soldiers. Horace Pope Rogers was one of the men killed during this attack. His date of death is listed as June 24 which seem to differ from the dates in your recollections. It seemed to me that he was killed shortly after our arrival at 10 Alpha. Also we had several CO's during my tour in Vietnam, January 1-Dec 18, 1966. The best was Capt. Alvino Cortez. I'm not sure if he was with us at 10 Alpha but he was a most respected officer and I was proud to be under his command.

Peace,
Ernest E. "Turk" Starniri jr.

ED Note - Horace Pope Rogers was KIA at another battle on 24 June 1966. Mike Kellermeyer has written an account of that action. It can be found on the AAR Index. After 30 plus years a slight misjudgment in time is understandable.

Actually, I thought it was A, 2/35 on the LZ with B, 2/35. The 2/35 won PUC for this action. I think 1/35 came in the second day. The LZ was selected at the edge of artillery support. However, some mountains between the artillery and LZ reduced support to one side of the LZ only - the side, fortunately, the NVA attacked from. After initial heavy contact in the late morning of day one by initial elements of B, 2/35 the remainder of the company was inserted about noon along with a, 2 (i thought)/35. Battle ranged off and on throughout the afternoon and early evening. Heavy attack from NVA occurred early morning hours of the second day and continued through the night. Snipers on first and second day took out several including 2LT Mike Glynn, B, 2/35. Both companies took about 50% casualties killed and wounded. Mortars played biggest role for 2/35 up to that point thanks to LTC Phil Feir foresight to bring in extensive mortar ammunition resupply to the LZ. Also probably first extensive use of gunships in close support by the 2/35 and the Vietnamese AF dropped napalm in the middle of the LZ and took out B, 2/35 1SG and Arty FO along with others.

I don't recall C,2/35 being on the LZ, at least not during the primary part of the battle and I thought it was A, 2/35 but my memory could be failing me here.

Ray Pollard