Headquarters and Headquarter Company
July 19, 1969
Battalion Forward: 1-20 Infantry Headquarters is located at LZ Liz and continued their working with the ARVN units in their Area of Operations. At 0745hrs Charlie Company 39 Engineer at BS780438 mine sweep visually located a 35 pound mine with electric pressure type firing device, located on center line of road wrapped in plastic with unknown type demo firing device located directly on top of mine. Mine destroyed crater 7.5’ X 4’ with negative casualties or damage. At 1115hrs Charlie Company 26 Engineer at BS815387 reports 5 ton dump truck detonate mine pressure type non metallic 5 pound charge with results 2 US WIA (M) vehicle combat loss. At 1400hrs Alpha Company 39 Engineer at BS719568 a combined ARVN and Alpha Company 39 Engineer found 2nd MIA in river cause of death gun shot wound through the mouth. Body was evac to graves registration Chu Lai. At 1715hrs Delta Company Engineer work party and security return from job site received 400 to 500 rounds small arms fire and 1 to 5 RPG rounds with no casualties or damage at BS716608. Allied Units continue their pacification support operations directed against the elimination of VCI in their Area of Operation. (I believe the MIA engineer is SP4 ROBERT J. SLANAKER LISTED AS KIA by small arms fire on July 17, 1969).
Battalion Rear: Battalion Rear continued their Mission for providing general support for the Battalion.
Alpha Company
July 19, 1969
At 0640hrs, Alpha Company in sweeping the contact area had a blood trail but lost it would like a tracker dog. Alpha Company also found military certificate on one of the bodies, his unit number 1088 and a letter addressed to someone in the Ville, will send them in with rest of equipment. We could not find the wounded pack, but we believe him to be seriously wounded because he lost a lot of blood. The tracker dog could not pick up any scent because of rain. At 0840hrs Alpha Company report have 1 VCS (female 22 years old) who been living with the NVA. She has a (25 years old) husband whom we haven’t been able to locate so far, grid BS728443. At 1020hrs Alpha Company 23 element has linked up with the PF in 515 Valley. At 1120hrs the Alpha 22 element leader is with PF platoon, received sniper fire west of grid. The Command and Control Helicopter saw people running in a northerly direction into 515, the 13& 63 elements now checking grid at BS649445. At 1200hrs Alpha Company we picked up a military age male with a pack (believe he is an NVA), also found a rice cache in same area, approximately 2500 pounds already in 25 bags at grid BS745456. At 1215hrs the pack that we have shows that the prisoner is possible a doctor, it contains medical supplies including scissors, operating clothes and stethoscope at grid BS745456. At 1246hrs Alpha Company we uncovered a large unknown amount of rice and we will need many bags to get this stuff out of this location at grid BS744455. The element fired on took the fire from BS751457, at grid BS 755456 there was enough rice cooked for one company. At 1307hrs Alpha Company reports location is at BS744456 also our resupply location and we now have 4 females and 1 male VCS, 1 female has already been tagged, was living with the NVA. The other 4 females were following our element all day so we policed them up as suspects. At 1530hrs Alpha Company had 40 bags of rice (4000 pounds approximately) airlifted to MACV Mo Duc. Have another 5,000 pounds that need extraction. At 1723hrs Alpha Company found a hootch that had some medical supplies, camouflage material, eating utensils for a platoon, also have a Vietnamese women who belongs to some sort of society, under questioning at this time. The ARVN are going to burn hootch grid at BS744456. At 1930hrs Alpha Company leaving Day Logger after the hootch we reported earlier was set on fire, it exploded, and is still burning at this time. At 1925hrs Alpha Company is in their Night Defense Position BS738459 with 3 listening Posts out. At 1930hrs in the Ville we searched, we found a 3 X 4 X 5 bags filled with malaria pills, plastic materials, bowls and eating utensils for a platoon. We also found a 1 51 Cal ground to air site made of bamboo, when the hootch exploded we heard small arms ammo exploding in it for 5 minutes. Believe this Ville NVA/VC rest area and recommend it be destroyed at grid BS744456. Alpha Company then moves back to their Night Defense Position.
Bravo Company
July 19, 1969
Bravo Company 83 element at vicinity of grid BS764404, and 2 sub elements will pull security to the north and south of location with the Day Logger at BS761407. At 1930hrs Bravo Company in their Night Defense Position at BS762410 and the 15 snake is at BS770412.
Charlie Company
July 19, 1969
Charlie Company will continue their Security Mission for LZ Liz.
Delta Company
July 19, 1969
At 0905hrs Delta Company continued their Recon in Force with the 83 element to grid BS792487, the 13 element to BS796482, the 63 element to vicinity BS807488, and the 63 element will be rear security also. Delta Company Day logger is BS807493. The 83 element moving out received sniper fire responded with Artillery and then sweep the area found 1 M-60 barrel in the area. At 2200hrs Delta Company reported that they are in their Night Defense Position at BS807494, the 64 element snake at BS801495 and all snakes are in their location.
Echo Company
July 19, 1969
Echo Company headquarters and 4.2 Mortar Platoon is location on LZ Liz, where the 4.2 Platoon providing direct fire support for the Battalion. 4.2 Platoon reports 21 schedule fires, 4 observed missions and expended 155 rounds HE and 4 rounds WP. Echo Company Headquarters has the responsibility for Base Defense. At 0630hrs Recon report they are leaving Night Defense Position and moving to Day Logger. At 0830hrs Recon we have crossed the blue and will now fire a few rounds of artillery into the dense tree line before moving on and at 0950hrs report their location at BS807482. At 1245hrs Recon Platoon tonight snakes at BS854373 and tomorrow we will leave snake location and sweep back into LZ Bronco.