Headquarters and Headquarter Company
January 24, 1970
Forward Area: 1-20 Infantry Headquarters is located at LZ Liz and will continued to work with ARVN units in their Area of Operations. At 0154hrs LZ Liz Radar sighted 2 to 3 personnel, stationary, at grid BS761447, negative clearance was given. At 0155hrs Radar sighted 2 to 3 personnel, stationary, at grid BS765414 and we engaged the target with 12 HE from 4.2 mortar. At 0930hrs 1-20 Infantry the Battalion Commander is leaving LZ on a Visual Recon and returned at 1025hrs. At 1014hrs 1-20 Infantry the Division Commander arrived at LZ Liz, was briefed by the S2, and left at 1022hrs. At 1055hrs Alpha the 14 element has closed on BS745443. At 1945hrs LZ Liz Radar sighted 7 to 8 personnel moving east at grid BS735453, negative clearance due to close proximity of friendly. At 1958hrs Radar sighted 4 to 5 personnel moving to the east at grid BS751387, negative clearance due to the close proximity of friendly. At 2000hrs Radar sighted 4 to 5 personnel stationary at grid BS758447 and BS759449, negative clearance due to the closed proximity of Charlie Company. At 2049hrs Radar sighted 4 to 5 personnel moving to the southeast at grid BS744457, we engaged with 8 HE of Artillery 155. At 2245hrs Radar sighted 9 to 10 personnel, stationary and then moving south at grid BS779448, negative clearance due to the close proximity of Bravo Company.
Rear Area: Battalion Rear continued their Mission of general support for the battalion and continued their Security Mission for LZ Bronco.
Alpha Company
January 24, 1970
Alpha Company is working in blocking position in our Area of Operation with our Night Defense Position is at BS744438. At 0646hrs Alpha Company the 23 and 33 elements are closing on BS745443. At 0705hrs Alpha Company the 23 and 34 snakes have closed on BS745443. At 0733hrs Alpha Company 1-20 Infantry, Radar sighted a target at grid BS732461 last night. If the area is in your plans for today, check it out for results. At 0733hrs Alpha Company the 23, 24, 33 and 34 elements have closed on BS745443. At 0806hrs Alpha Company the 32 element has closed on BS745443. At 0920hrs Alpha Company the 14 elements I moving to check out grid BS732461. At 1014hrs Alpha Company the 14 element is closing on the Command Post after checking out grid BS732461 with negative results. At 1055hrs Alpha Company the 14 element has closed on BS745443. At 1335hrs Alpha Company we passed the Charlie 34 Location on to Alpha Company grid BS755447. At 1631hrs Alpha Company we are moving to our Night Defense Position at BS744438. At 1835hrs Alpha Company the 22 snake is moving to BS736410, the 23 snake is moving to BS735441 and the 24 snake is moving to BS735432. Also the 32 snake is moving to BS735451, the 33 snake is moving to BS732448 and the 31 snake is moving to BS735438. At 1925hrs Alpha Company we are in our Night Defense Position at BS744438 and the 22 snake is at BS736437, the 23 snake is at BS735441 and the 24 snake is at BS735432. At 1950hrs Alpha Company all snakes are in location, 32 at BS735451, 33 at BS732448, and the 31 at BS735438.
Bravo Company
January 24, 1970
At 0240hrs Bravo Company the 22 element has closed on BS783433 with results of their patrol. At 0610hrs Bravo Company the 76 element is moving out, the 75 elements is closing on their semi-permanent position and the 26 element is closed on their semi-permanent position. At 0628hrs Bravo the 75 and 76 elements have closed on their semi-permanent position. At 0706hrs Bravo Company the 24 element is moving out and Bravo Company Rangers are moving to BS775425. At 0850hrs Bravo Company 1st PZ at 0745hrs and 1st LZ at 0850hrs the 72 element is at BS769412 and the 73 element is at BS764409. At 0901hrs Bravo Company the 24 element has closed on their semi permanent position. At 0954hrs Bravo Company the 72 element has completed their sweep with negative findings. We are moving back to the South Bridge. At 1020hrs we request an Urgent Dust Off for 2 US who hit a booby trap (anti personnel mine) Names, SP4 James H. Kamio JR. and PFC Robert Chester completed at 1025hrs grid BS775425. At 1256 Bravo Company we request and Urgent Dust Off for one Vietnamese female civilian, about 60 years of age, with gunshot wounds of the back and chest, and it was unknown how she received these wounds, of the back and chest, at grid BS783433, complete at 1304hrs. At 1405hrs a hook dropped its load on the access road at grid BS798381. The load consisted of lumber and two people have minor injuries. At 1659hrs Bravo Company the 14 element has closed on BS783433. At 2010hrs Bravo Company the 76 element had just entered their snake location at BS794406 when they spotted 2-3 VC/NVA. They received a heavy volume of small arms fire. They returned fire and called in Artillery with negative results. At 2120hrs Bravo Company there will be a Vietnamese snake moving out at 2300hrs to BS774453. They are moving from the North Bridge. At 2125hrs Bravo Company the Vietnamese at the North Bridge with the 34 element say that they will be hit and hit hard any time from 24 January to 27 January 1970.
Charlie Company
January 24, 1970
Charlie Company is on LZ Liz and taken over the Security Mission for LZ Liz. At 0042hrs Charlie Company the 24 element position was compromised for the second time (they fired at 2 personnel who got away). Their Commanding Officer advised them to relocate at a good spot or they should come back in. They are moving toward LZ Liz at this time located at BS759450. At 0855hrs Charlie Company all elements have closed on the Command Post except the 24 element, which is located at BS759453. At 0905hrs the 24 element has closed on LZ Liz. At 1850hrs Charlie Company the 26 snake is moving to BS766438, at 1905hrs the 35 snake has moved out to BS762436. At 1710hrs the 34 element is moving to BS755447 and 35 has closed on their location. At 1948hrs Alpha Company all snakes are in their locations.
Delta Company
January 24, 1970
At 0522hrs Delta Company the 24 elements snake has closed on BS763395. At 0656hrs Delta Company all snakes have closed on BS763395. At 0745hrs Delta Company my 32 element has received approximately 50 rounds of AK-47 fire from grid BS775408 and BS773407 (4-5 people), negative casualties and we are pinned down at this time. At 0822hrs Delta Company 32 element checking out grid BS773407 where we received sniper fire from, we found a place where a couple of people had been sleeping at night, we will send the 72 element out to check BS775408. At 0930hrs 72 element has three VC KIA, and 3 VC WIA and I VC female CIA. The 72 element spotted 3 people evading form the area of sniper fire, one of the people had a weapon and we engaged them grid BS768407. At 0930hrs we need an Urgent Dust Off for 3 VC WIA with multiple gun shot wounds of the body, completed at 0940hrs. At 1100hrs Delta Company the 72 found 4 sealed notes in the same general area where they were sweeping at BS768407. The 72 element says this is some kind of code and we are sending it in on Dolphin. At 1305hrs Delta Company plans for tonight are 22 Day Logger to BS738408, the 22 snake to BS727407, the 23 snake to BS729403, the 24 snake to BS732399, 32 Day Logger at BS748404, the 32 snake to BS734398, the 33 snake to BS739391, the 34 snake to BS746397, and the 72 Day Logger to BS751393. Also Delta Company 72 snake to BS751391, the 73 snake to BS745387, the 74 snake to BS746384 and the 12 and 52 elements in Night Defense Position at BS748386. At 1250hrs Delta Company the grid where the tracker team lost the trail was at BS768398, the team returned to Delta Company Command Post. At 1337hrs Delta Company the 33 snake is at BS740394 which is a change. At 1415hrs Delta Company the 22 and 32 elements are at grid BS752409 for re supply. At 1630hrs Dolphin 17 spotted 1 military age male with a green hat, he was observed from the Delta Company Command Post, he was found to be a civilian schoolboy playing with other children. At 1650hrs Delta Company the 72, 12, and the 52 elements are moving toward their Night Defense Position and when we arrive at the Night Defense Position the 72 snake will move out. The Night Defense Position is at BS748386 and all elements have closed. At 1755hrs Delta Company 22 element made contact with 4 VC, 2 of which had weapons and packs BS737398 engaged them with small arms. The results VC evade to the southwest but dropped their packs. We believe we wounded 1 and we recovered 2 packs made of bamboo leaves. The contents 1 poncho, clothing, 4 .38 cal rounds, artillery has been called on the suspected VC location. At 1855hrs Delta Company we have just entered our Night Defense Position at BS759398. At 1949hrs Delta Company all snakes are in location the 22 to BS727407, 23 to BS729403, 24 to BS725408, the 32 to BS748402, the 33 to BS740394 the 34 to BS746397, the 72 to BS741391, the 73 to BS745387 and the 74 to BS746385.
Echo Company
January 24, 1970
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. At 0657hrs 4.2 Platoon reports Supporting Fire 11, Unobserved Mission 1 and Defense Target 1 for a total expended 74 HE, 1 WP and 17 Illumination rounds. Echo Company Headquarters has the coordination responsibility for Base Defense. At 0655hrs Recon Platoon we are moving to LZ Liz at this time and closed at 0725hrs. At 1825hrs Recon Platoon we are departing from LZ Liz to BS763410, BS770412 and BS768415. At 1934hrs Recon all snakes are in location at BS763410, BS770412 and BS768415.