"Rog, Yankee. I’m going down for a look."

While Major Smith was making his house to house aerial recon, the brigade aviation section was already pulling pitch with their H23 observation helicopters. Armed with two door gunners, the Alohas could sting as well as see and were feared by the enemy as much as the more heavily armed HUEY gunships, the Sharks.

Thunderball rolled north, joined its three companion tanks and turned to the northwest in a full blown attack against the enemy position now under eyeball contact by Helix two-two. Smitty reported that he saw 10-20 enemy, all armed, moving about positions in the village of An Thach. Hocker deployed on line. The enemy fire increased. A tank on the right was hit. No flame! Two men wounded. Burger called "Medevac." Hocker moved on!

"Cougar six-five, this is five-zero-yankee, over."

"This is six-five, GO!"

"This is five-zero-yankee. Got two whiskey-india-alpha. Not bad. Need Dustoff at coordinates eight-zero-five-four-six-zero. Over."

"This is six-five. Roger that. Come up on Dustoff’s push. Do you need guns? Over."

"This is five-zero-yankee. Standby."

"Six-five, this is yankee. Affirm on those gunships. Six wants them on the Thunderball freq, over."

"This is six-five. Roger. Aloha is airborne and will be coming up on your push. Sharks will be out in about five minutes. Over."

"Five-zero-yankee. Thanks, out."

The hot noonday sun parched the throats of the recon troopers and scorched the decks of their iron pals as they attacked the hamlet, The clank of the tracks was matched by the zing of the bullets as the enemy machine guns chattered away harmlessly at Hocker’s tanks. Reassuringly came the whop, whop, whop of the heavily ladden Shark gunships as they took up orbits around the battle area. The sides were shaping up The enemy had the west half of An Thach. Thunderball had the east. Suddenly Helix spotted several enemy moving along a trench on the south side of the hamlet. Hocker turned Aloha loose while the Sharks stood by.

"Helix two-two, this is Aloha zero-one, would you mark that trench where you saw the dinks?"

"Roger, Aloha. Turning in for a mark now. Mark, away."

"Helix, this is zero-one. I got your whiskey papa just west of that red-roofed hooch?"

"This is Helix. That’s affirm."

"Aloha, zero-seven, this is zero-one. I’m going to make a run down the trench heading west. Cover me on the right."

"Zero-seven, Roger."

"Shark Lead, this is Aloha zero-one. I’ve got a bunch in this trench below me. Can you give me a hand?"

"Zero-one, Shark Lead. Roger, I see ‘em. Move out of the way. We’ll be rolling in from east to west.

"This is zero-one. I’m clear. Give ‘em hell!"

The whoosh of the rockets momentarily drew everyone’s notice as the Sharks poured it on the enemy position. Hocker, realizing that the enemy had more than just a platoon in An Thach. moved one of his platoons further to the north and Krout’s men moved with the tanks to protect them from tank killer teams. The fight raged on. Hocker and Homer pressed their men further into An Thach. The resistance became fanatical, One Viet Cong charged the lead tank firing his BAR, only to be blasted into limbo by the 90 millimeter. Colonel Tiller, overhead in the command and control helicopter decided to throw B Company. moving slowly toward the scene of contact, into the fray. "Bravo" doubled their pace heading south. At the same time, Cougar six directed the A Company commander to get his unit ready for a helicopter pick up. They would be air assaulted near An Thach.

"Thunderball six, this is Cougar six. I’m going to put Alpha in if I can get the lift ships. Where do you want him?"

"Cougar six, this is Thunderball six. It would be