Night Recon
Mission of February 11, 1968
By
David Dentinger
Company A, 2/12th Cavalry
On February 9, 1968, Company D 2/12th Cavalry started across a wide open area toward the village of Thon Bon Tri. About midway across, all hell broke loose. Two troopers were killed and several were wounded. One of our dead troopers was missing, until his body was recovered on our night recon mission, two days later.
On the evening of February 11th our Company Commander decided to take a “volunteer” group of fourteen men over to the other side to recon beyond the wood line. Our captain let our platoon leader run the show. We stopped about 50 meters from the wood line at a stone building and used it as a CP (command post).
The Lieutenant asked for a couple of troopers to move on in to the wood line to assess the situation. I don’t know if I stepped forward, raised my hand, nodded my head or what, but the next thing I knew, I was one of the guys going into the enemy’s perimeter. That’s right, behind enemy lines. I couldn’t believe it either. What a dumb thing to do. I was hoping to go home in the upright position some day, and this wasn’t the way to do it.
I talk to myself from time to time and this was one of those times. Dave, I said, what in the hell are you doing. Didn’t you promise your mother that you would not volunteer for any thing? Didn’t you say you would keep your head down and come home safe and sound? Well, she would be pissed if she knew what you were doing right now. Hopefully she won’t find out.
It was so dark that my comrade and I could hardly see the wood line, just 50 meters away. We came to a well, just on the edge of the trees. We motioned to one another that this would be a good rendezvous point.
We slowly moved through the trees. My senses were as sharp as they could be. I could see every thing, I could hear every little sound and I felt like I was being watched for just that right moment when Charlie would squeeze off the round that would end it all.
We reached a clearing in about 15 meters. The clearing was about 10 meters wide. Thank God, I didn’t see Charlie and he didn’t see me. They must have left after that battle we had with him a couple of days ago.
We went back and reported to the Lieutenant, ”Nothing out there, Sir. We penetrated the forest, all the way to the next clearing". He said, "You guys will have to go back and look again. We know that there are NVA in there and we need to assess their strength". Great, we’re going back. Well at least we know the path we’ll take through the first little forest.
We headed back across the field to the trees. Passing the well and on through the wooded area to the next clearing. We crossed the clearing to the next wood line, moving through the trees for a short distance until we got to some newly built bamboo houses, built up off the ground on stilts. These buildings were not the usual mud wall hooches we normally saw, these hooches had bamboo wall and door with no windows. My comrade and I squatted in some tall brush to observe the goings on. We noticed some mortar tubes and RPGs leaning against the hooch, along with ammo for each.
About the time we thought we would get the hell out of there, an NVA soldier, dressed in a clean brown or tan uniform, came out of the hooch, walked within 3 to 4 feet of my comrade. He unbuttoned his fly and began to urinate. He almost peed on my friend. As he started to button his pants up, he leaned a little forward looking down at my comrade. He said “Tu?”, obviously thinking that my comrade was his buddy Tu. Of course, my buddy shot him.
All we could do is spray the hooch and run like hell. The adrenalin was flowing like water. What a rush. As I was running I realized that I had emptied my M16, including the round in the chamber. We stopped at the well and looked back as I slapped another mag in my M16 and chambered a round. As I stood looking back, standing beside the well, myself on one side and my comrade on the other. I felt some thing under my foot, and it was moving. An NVA soldier was in a hole, with his Ak47 resting on the ground above him. I took one step back, squeezed the trigger with my M16 on full auto. I don’t know how many rounds hit him, but it only takes one.
At this time the darkness was my ally. We had 50 meter of open field to make it back to the stone building. Run, Forest, Run.
When we returned to the stone building I could tell by the look on Lieutenant's face that he could not believe that we made it back. I’m sure that when he heard all the gunfire, he thought he would never see us again.
You would think, at that point we would head on back to our perimeter, but that wasn’t the case. The Lieutenant handed me his Starlight Scope, to direct fire on the NVA soldiers that we felt for sure would be coming after us. The building was about 2 feet above ground level so, I stepped up into the building and directed fire, looking through an open stonework window toward the enemy.
When I couldn’t see any more targets, I moved to the far corner on the building, stooped down, cupped a cigarette in my hands and lit it. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. At that time an RPG exploded through the window. I had to climb over the debris to make it out of the door. We headed back to the safety of our own perimeter without even a scratch on one trooper. No thanks to me and my bad habit.
No one but me knew how Charlie was so accurate with his RPG including the Lieutenant until he and I attended a reunion 36 years later. If any one had been killed or wounded due to my stupidity, I would have taken that fact to my grave. However, the intelligence gleaned from that mission kept our company from attacking a well entrenched enemy.
I did receive a Bronze Star for Valor for my part in the mission. I only mention this to document this incredible story.
This story also appears in Charles Krohn’s book, The Lost Battalion of Tet-Breakout of the 2/12th Cavalry at Hue, Shelby Stanton’s book, Anatomy of a Division, the 14th Military History Detachment's The Battle for Hue, the 1st Cavalry Division's THE AIR CAVALRY DIVISION magazine, (Volume 1, Number 2, July 1968) and some other publications I have seen in recent years.
Every account that I read of that night was inaccurate on one point or another, according to my recollection. I know that memories can fail, but certain aspects of the mission are indelible in my mind.
I remember the names of several of the 14 troopers on the mission, especially my Company Commander and my Platoon Leader. I chose to leave their names out of my story, as to not slight anyone whose name I have forgotten. After all, it is my story.
Webmaster Note: The following entries are from the 2/12th Cavalry Daily Staff Journal:
Feb 11th 2322 hours From LTC Sweet; A small select group from A Company has successfully infiltrated into YD693225 and will attempt to move more if the situation permits.
Feb 12th 0024 hours From LTC Sweet; The small element from A Company sent to infiltrate the woodline came across two (2) enemy. One (1) enemy was KIA and the other enemy was WIA. The element is engaged in a small fire fight.
Feb 12th 0132 hours From Major Cralle; A Company, reference prior entry, has two (2) enemy KIA and has broken contact. The probe has been completed and the element will return to the 2/12.