Headquarters and Headquarter Company
December 27, 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 0110hrs North OP Radar report from AN-TPS 5 Movement of 12 personnel traveling from north to south at grid BS742431 was indicated. At 0900hrs Helix RAC we are putting in an Air Strike on grid BS758404. At 0915hrs the Air Strike was competed with 2 dud bombs and two bunkers destroyed. At 1700hrs Brigade Request for Area of Operation extension to 4-3 Infantry granted 271700hrs to 181800hrs December 1969, Approved by Major Neilson S-3. Delta Company friendly positions are Night Defense Position at BS725446, the 84 element at BS727452 and the 24 element at BS719437. Brigade informed of these positions. At 1810hrs 1-20 Infantry reports all bunkers are in good shape and all have plumb bobs. Charlie Company inspected by CPT Donovan, Artillery inspected by 1SGT Dodds, HHC by CPT Holmes, and the Rear by LT Boney (44 being rebuilt). At 1943hrs 1-20 Infantry to Bravo Company did the NCO from unit report to MACV Duc Pho for LNO duty. Bravo Company message SGT Tilton reported for duty on 27 December 1969.
Battalion Rear: Battalion Rear continued their Mission for providing general support for the Battalion. S-4 1-20 Infantry to inform that Lot PA31-2 are bad Hand Frag (M26) alert all units.
Alpha Company
December 27, 1969
At 0746hrs Alpha Company has 2 Strobe Lights in the rear in need repaired. At 0905hrs the 82 element is moving to grid BS849404 the main element spotted 25 personnel were crossing river at grid BS817407 and moving to the southwest. At 1320hrs Alpha Company 99 and 72 elements at grid BS824425 for resupply. At 1714hrs our ambushes are moving out, the 22 and 23 elements to BS815432, the 82 element to BS828408, and the 83 element to BS826414. At 1833hrs Alpha Company our Command Post has closed on BS823423, the 12 element is moving to BS818426 and 13 is moving to BS828423. At 1855hrs the 22 and element are in location at grid BS815433 and the 82 element is at grid BS828408.
Bravo Company
December 27, 1969
At 0110hrs Bravo Company the 14 element is moving back to the location of their previous snake 78461. Bravo Company at 0553hrs our sweep teams have started to move out Bravo Company (-), 147 RF Company, 169 RF Company, 109 PF Platoon, 183 PF Platoon, 184 PF Platoon and the 185 PF Platoon will be moving from BS770464 and BS789471. Bravo Company moving east to the blocking force set up by Alpha Company from BS780460 to BS820410. At 0630hrs Bravo Company Urgent Dust Off is Request 3 Vietnamese will frag wounds from an unknown source. S-5 investigated the site of the impact and it appears to be from a M-79 round fired from the southern edge of Bravo Company perimeter at BS783433. The round impacted at BS783430. Two Children age 1 and 13 are deceased, the 3 children are wounded ages 3, 20, and 9. The S-5 expressed sympathy and solarium payments of 4,000 piasters for each of the person with minor frag wounds. At 0832hrs Bravo Company the 24 element at approximately 2130hrs sprung their ambush on an unknown number of VC/NVA and we received heavy return fire (RPG). This is a late report because the radio was knocked out and is missing with the MIA See (December 26, 1969) for complete report. At 0910hrs Bravo Company at grid BS816406 the 85 element found some blasting caps and some documents. We are checking the area out further, we found some documents showing VC weapons. These photos were found in the roof of the hootch. At 1130hrs Bravo Company the 99 element at grid BS797448 are checking out the area. At 1145hrs Bravo Company at the Twin Ville we have 1 male about 35 years old and 1 female about 25 years old, who we are detaining. The 2 detainees were attempting to get away from the PF. Late report Bravo Company the 99 element is checking out the area for the MHA (Manchester) from the 24 element found pieces of M16, pieces of a rucksack, his basic load of ammo, and unrecognizable pieces of his Body grid BS791447. At 1530hrs in regard to Bravo Company MHA we found the remaining parts of the body, M-16, PRC 25 radio, parts of the body as yet are not identifiable as the remains of Manchester. The M-16 and PRC 25 are both combat losses. At 1630hrs Bravo Company the 22 element has 2 female Vietnamese detainees that have admitted they are VC nurses, grid BS791443. One was 17 years old and the other is 55 years old. At 1645hrs Bravo Company the Ranger Team has closed on BS783433. At 1755hrs Bravo Company the 22 element reports that they have visual contact with 4 personnel evading near the river at grid BS791434. One is dressed in white and the other three are dressed in black, we will try to apprehend them. The 2 VC nurses captured earlier have informed us there is a VC medic at BS823402, also an undetermined amount of VC at BS816392. At 1820hrs Bravo Company a Vietnamese child came to our location and said there were 2 to 3 VC who wanted to Chieu Hoi and the Vietnamese have gone to get them. That Assistant Village Chief has two of them. At 1950hrs Bravo Company the 12 element leader has notified the 99 element that the 2 VC that were killed this morning that one was of Chinese descent and the other was some kind of district leader.
Charlie Company
September 27, 1969
Charlie Company continued their Security Mission for LZ Liz. At 0855hrs Charlie Company all snakes have closed on LZ Liz. At 1415hrs Charlie Company tonight locations are the 84 snake at BS727452, the 24 snake at BS719437 and the Night Defense Position at BS725446 also tomorrow we will be moving to the northeast and working in the vicinity of BS730470. At 1915hrs Charlie Company the 15 element is located at BS771441 and the 84 is at BS776445. The 26 element is moving to BS763436 and the 22 SRRP is moving to BS753443. At 2220hrs the North OP had a baseball grenade go off prematurely after the pin was pulled and the grenade thrown. It was from lot M117 or PA 31-2 possible short fuse.
Delta Company
September 27, 1969
Delta Company is moving out of night position at 0825hrs and heading for the Day Logger at BS725446. The 12 element will have a Day Logger at BS716465. The 22 element with Recon in Force to BS721437 and the 82 element with Recon in Force to BS728464, both are moving out. Delta Company at grid BS713453 the Delta Company the 12 element while moving to a suspected rice cache, heard voices coming from the suspected area, we are calling in Artillery at this time. The 12 element has closed on BS725446, the 22 element has closed on BS725446, and the 82 element has closed on BS725446 at 1510hrs. At 1839hrs Delta Company reports that tomorrow at 0430hrs the 14 element will leave our Night Defense Position and Recon in Force to grid BS718438 and then back to our location. At 1935hrs Delta Company reports the 84 element is in location at BS727443 and the 24 element is at BS719437.
Echo Company
September 27, 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. Echo Company Headquarters has the responsibility for Base Defense. At 0745hrs Recon Platoon the Little John element is moving out of their Night Defense Position and continuing their Sweep south. At 0850hrs Recon Platoon reports the Little John element will be held up at grid BS797464. At 1035hrs Recon and Bravo Company locations were passed on to Recon Little John element. Recon has passed on the ARVN locations to Bravo Company BS800450, BS805445, BS809459, BS805467, BS808443, and BS820450, running north to east in a clockwise direction. At 1155hrs Recon Little John Location is at BS804447 and at 1200hrs from Little John the ARVN locations are BS796464, BS801460, BS809445 and BS811466. At 1300hrs Recon Platoon the ARVN that are with the Little John element spotted 2 with VC at grid BS818451, we took them under fire resulting in one enemy KIA with no weapon was found. He was wearing black shorts and a black shirt. At 1410hrs Recon Platoon our Night Defense Position is at BS816438. At 1633hrs Recon Platoon tonight’s location for Little John is at BS 819449. The Vietnamese elements are at BS796464, BS809445 and BS804447. At 1730hrs The Little John has closed on BS819449. At 1809hrs Recon Platoon the ARVN elements are in location at BS796464, BS809445 and BS804447. At 1824hrs 1-20 Infantry Recon was informed that tomorrow morning they will move to BS823423 (minus the Little John element) for extraction. Estimated time of extraction is 0700hrs. The 4th ARVN Recon Company squad will move to the same location and from there will move to the location of their parent element Recon will move to LZ Liz. At 1850hrs Little John 250 meters to the west of our Night Defense Position BS815433, the 82 element is in location at grid 8BS28408. At 1950hrs Recon Little John and the ARVN have combined their locations at BS819449 and BS807462, these are our only two location.