Bravo Company Patrol, 1/4 Scout Team Special Mission
30 June – 01 July 1965
On the Island
Landed at GC 480112. Formed up on road GC 485113 proceeded Northwest and searched village GC 483115 Dong Xuan Hamlet.
a. Found and questioned a woman in the Hamlet, by the name of Hue. She was on the PF’s Blacklist and is supposed to be a supplier for the VC. Her husband follows the VC and is up in the mountains. She has a baby about three years old, she was wearing white colored beads which represent mountain people.
b. VC chiefs’ mother was also found Lana (Le-Thi-Lap).
c. House at GC 484116 believed to be used by VC.
d. An informer said five (5) VC were in Hamlet GC 483116 29 June 1965. They forced village people to dig fox holes for them.
e. There were very few men in any of the villages. Only the very old men, and most of them were requesting to leave.
f. Informer also said two (2) platoons of VC were on Island one (1) month ago. Now only 4 or 5 come to the island at GC 484116.
g. Communication trench at rear of village. Western tip of island at GC 483117 – no recent digging. Three (3) to four (4) feet deep with parapet. 30 to 40 feet long. (See figure 1).
Round openings inside of trench for protection against artillery or to hide in.
h. Also, very old network PFs said once used by VC but now has caved in. (See figure 2).
Located at GC 485117, 25 meters from water’s edge.
i. There are bomb shelters in rear of next to all houses on the island. They are used by the village people to protect them from artillery. Troops are under opinion they are made by VC. They are made out of blocks of concrete or sand. There is a place to sleep and there is an oil lamp inside. (See figure 3).
j. Communication trench at GC 481100 about 50 meters long (some recent digging).
k. Communication trench in and around village Dong Binh GC 487094 and 489092.
a. About one month ago VC came to Dong Binh Hamlet and forced the people to dig the trench. (See figure 4)
b. This trench network is somewhat recent within the last six months. PF leaders left an order for the people to fill the trench.
l. Fox holes along path North and South at GC 485115 are 2 1/2 – 4 feet deep, 2 feet wide, 3 to 5 feet long. These holes have or show no recent diggings but look as though they had been used recently. There is no tunnel network connected to these holes. (See figure 5)
m. An informer told us that VC used to come to Dong Binh Hamlet but never come now.
n. Informer also said 20 VC guerillas come from Dong An (2) they are in hiding now. Informer said they will not engage Marines.
o. I also learned that there is about one company of VC at approx. GC 4215.
p. Night patrols were sent out, important things were learned while on the island at night.
1. Moving along paths and or in rice paddies if care is taken in preparation troops can move with no noise whatsoever.
2. Patrols should be careful of dogs barking and giving away position.
3. Flares or illumination being fired from CP area will light up southern end of island and give away position.
4. Also check with timetables as sides can change appearance of land shown on the map.
5. Foxholes are hard to see at night on island, could cause noise and injury’s if troops didn’t know the positions of these holes.
Scout Team
Cpl W.M. Rockwell
L/Cpl R. J. Hayden
L/Cpl W.J. Montgomery
L/Cpl S.A. Bowser