Memorial Day - Remembering and Honoring the Fallen Brothers of First Platoon - You are missed! I included the men of First Platoon that have died since returning home; most died from illnesses related to exposure from Agent Orange.

Company A 3rd Battalion/1st Infantry Regiment 11th Brigade Americal (23rd) Infantry Division
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The song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” by Peter, Paul and Mary is significant to First Platoon. The NVA played this song (one of three) late one night (July 11, 1969) while we were building firebase Hill 4-11. After the songs played, the NVA told us to surrender, leave or get wiped out.
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Turn your speaker on and volume up.

Fire Support Base (FSB) Charlie Brown was the first FSB that Mike Dankert and I reported to when joining our infantry platoon. Surrounded by water, we had to take a navy boat to get to Charlie Brown. This is the FSB that I reported to and flew from to report to my platoon for the first time, and Bruce Tufts the first platoon member I met. During our time operating in this area, we guarded the bridge over the Song Dai river that flowed into the South China Sea, and Mike, only with the platoon for several days, went on his first patrol were they spotted over 17 NVA soldiers. I got to know Juan Ramos and Paul Ponce during our time at the bridge. I hope the Buddhist Monastery, where the strange music played at night, is still located near the bridge.

GOOGLE MAP - Click to View
FSB Charlie Brown
Bridge
Patrol
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Military Map 1969

FSB Bronco was the Brigade Headquarters, Battalion Headquarters, and our Company Headquarters location. We reported to the company headquarters before going to the field and when coming in from the field. The Brigade hospital was located on FSB Bronco, and many of our wounded and dead were transported by dust-off helicopters to Bronco. FSB Liz was another firebase in our operating area, but Mike and I never served on Liz. Other veterans requested we stop at LZ Liz during our trip.
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GOOGLE MAP - Click to View
FSB Bronco 
FSB Liz ​
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Military Map 1969

The platoon conducted a Combat Assault on a hot landing zone with enemy soldiers to engage. Landing in the middle of a forest fire, the platoon spent many hours running from the path of the fire. While running from the fire, on May 24, 1969, Mike Dankert and I started our lifelong friendship. We had been without food and water for over 24 hours. Once at the bottom of the mountain we were ordered to climb the mountain next to it. Once on top, we received resupplies and set up our night defensive positions.

GOOGLE MAP - Click to View
Fire

While on FSB Debbie the platoon went on ambushes and patrolled the Rice Bowl area. We had several major firefights in this area and frequent contact with the enemy. On June 14, 1969, Bruce Tufts was killed while sitting in his position on a hilltop near FSB Debbie and off Highway 1. We had a major engagement with NVA forces on July 2nd. On July 5th, a track, from E Troop, hit a booby trap that blew the track apart, and caught on fire, killing two crew members on the track. Mike Dankert, Doc Windows, and a third soldier were detailed to remove the bodies.

GOOGLE MAP - Click to View
FSB Debbie 
July 2 
June 14
Track

We will spend the majority of our time around Hill 4-11 and the Quang Ngai area that we operated as a platoon. During our time building and securing Fire Support Base Hill 4-11, we endured many hardships and enemy attacks. There were two platoon members killed and one critically wounded in the first week. The company even had the tail end of a typhoon hit during the first week on the Hill. While viewing Google maps I found Hill 4-11 first, overgrown with vegetation, and the surrounding area appeared the same, but much more populated than in 1969.

GOOGLE MAP - Click to View
FSB  Hill 4-11

I searched and found the August 13th, and August 15th, locations where the enemy killed and wounded half of the platoon. Overall, the areas looked the same, rice paddies and fields, and the hedgerows looked as I remembered. However, in several areas, buildings and roads were built that didn’t exist in 1969. I added August 8th, to show where the platoon went after leaving Hill 4-11 the first time and received a replacement, Tommy Thompson. August 12th is where the platoon met the other units for the task force before moving out the next morning. August 14th is where we blew many tunnels. The August 19th location is where a tank hit a mine, and the platoon stayed back to secure the area around the tank. The map indicates the position of the firefight on January 14, 1970, where Kidwell and Morris were killed.

GOOGLE MAP - Click to View
August 8
August 12
August 13
August 14   
August 15  
August 19  
Quang Ngai Airport (Closed)
Horseshoe 
January 14​

Military Map 1969