Author	Topic:   Phan Thiet 11/8/67
John LaDue	posted 1/4/09 6:23 PM       I'm looking for any 2/7th vets that were on the ground and involved in a battle and subsequent search and destroy of VC personnel up by LZ Bartlett starting the night of 11/7/67 and continuing thru the day of 11/8/67 I was a gunship pilot, for D/227th. If no individual names are known, which element of the 2/7th that was involved would be a big help.
Clarke Tolton	posted 1/10/09 4:19 PM     Dear John: I do recall this action. The platoon leader involved was a guy name Deutcher or something like Leuchendorf . He received a DSC or Silver star for spending the night on a hilltop next to the downed chopper with its crew after taking all the weaponry from it. He spent the evening and night hours in a running fire fight/defense of the helicopter, its crew and his platoon.The next day the action continued though its extent is not known to me. He may have been in A,C, or D Company 2/7th. I'm not certain there was an E company. Clarke ToltonForward ObserverB 2/7
John LaDue	posted 1/10/09 4:21 PM     Clarke, Thanks for the message, but the action you're describing isn't the one I'm primarily interested in. The one you describe sounds like an engagement that happened on 11/22/67 (I was already DEROS'ing by then). I'm going to forward this and your message to A & D/227th guys who would definitely be interested in that action. The one I'm looking for info about, happened on 11/8/67. Our gunship, and Plt. Leader Jim Puhala, (D/227th) was shot down and the whole crew was rescued the same day. The ship blew up not long after it went in. I'll attach 2 pics (before and after shots) of that aircraft. The area it went in, was down on the flats not up in the hills. I don't believe that there was an E Troop with 2/7th (just A, B, C and D), but I'm not positive about that. Somewhere in my e-mails is the name of one of the A/227th guys in the 11/22/67 shootdown. I recall the mention of the crew spending the night out in the boonies. Thanks for the assist and if anything else comes to mind let me know. John LaDue (Cobra 15)432586
Chuck Bell	posted 1/10/09 4:23 PM     I think that mountaintop engagement you're thinking about was on the ridgeline due west of Bartlett, and happened in the late afternoon on a date I can't remember. A lift was put into a single ship LZ that had been blown out by artillery. It turned out the thing was surrounded by bunkers on three sides. They let the first ship in and shot the crap out of #2 as he took off. #3 was already touching down when he realized #2 was coming back into the LZ (no place else to go). About half of #3's ACL managed to get off before he grabbed power and basically flew backward off the LZ to get out of the way. He took a lot of automatic weapons fire as he did and ended up autorotating into a minefield at the foot of the mountain. Meanwhile, back at the LZ we had an aircraft downed in it which effectively plugged it up for anybody else to get in, not that anybody was crazy about that idea, but there was no place else to land. A quick count added up to something like 21 or 22 guys trapped on the ground underneath the tailboom of the aircraft, including our crew of four. Since it was already late afternoon, it got dark right away and all anybody could do was try to keep the bad guys pinned in the bunkers. Delta company guns and ARA shot at everything in sight until the Air Force got on station, and then came back for more every time they expended. Couldn't use arty because they were too close, and they knew it. We dropped flares over them all night, with some help from Spooky, and were on the ground push listening to the platoon leader get weaker by the hour from his wounds. We were told later that only one guy got off the hill without being wounded or killed, but I think they left them alive to keep the heavy stuff off them. The only thing that seemed to work was napalm, and it went down in their holes with them. Sometime during the night they di-di'd, and Herschel Ryan was able to shoot an approach to an area right behind the aircraft at first light. I don't think he had room to set down but he got people out. Later on, the troops that had been inserted at the foot of the mountain the day before got to the top and secured the place. The Air Force had put the napalm so close it scorched the nose of the aircraft they were hiding under. The bunkers were amazing......layer of logs topped with a layer of rock, topped with a layer of dirt, and then repeated, with a hole on each end to pop out of. One of them had taken a direct hit from something big and it killed a guy inside but still didn't get all the way through the cover. I personally think it was a helicopter ambush, but we'll never know. Between this one, the Nov 8th and 22nd fights, and some of the stuff that was going on in the forest and up at Song Mau, things were getting real sporty. Tet was on the way. cb
David Redden	posted 1/10/09 4:25 PM     The incident you are thinking of with the A/227 aircraft spending the night on the ground was in December 67 and I think it was either the 9th or 11th. The aircraft commander was Jerry Bonham, and I am pretty sure his co-pilot was Steve Davidson. I don't know the rest of the crew. We were making an assault to a single ship LZ on the top of a ridge line west of Betty. I think Jerry was Yellow 2, Tom Harrison was Yellow 3 and I was Yellow 4. Yellow 1 dropped off his loan, then Jerry dropped off his and as he was leaving he got raked pretty good. Tom Harrison was just about to touch down and he got stitched down the side and started a go-around. After he cleared the ridge line his engine quit and he did a great autorotation to the valley. Jerry had broken left and got on the radio saying his engine was failing and was coming back to the LZ. By that time I was on short final and decided my best course of action was a go-around. I didn't take any fire. The remainder of the flight formed up on me and we went to the east and orbited waiting further instructions from Yellow 1, who was still in the air. It gets a little fuzzy hear, but having flown with Jerry in the North Carolina National Guard for over 10 years we discussed the event several times. Jerry was shot in the arm and leg before he was able to get out of the aircraft. Steve wasn't injured. The crew chief got shot in the back while trying to get the 60 off the mount. The crew remained in a depression under the aircraft until they were rescued. The fire was coming from a bunker fifty or so yards up the ridge. The crew was below the line of sight from the bunker to the aircraft so they didn't take any fire while under the AC. Some fast movers were called in and made 20MM runs on the site, but actually did more harm than good. The Air Force dropped some napalm on the bunker just prior to dark. Our CO made the decision that we would keep aircraft airborne over the site until daylight to keep the VC from thinking it would be safe for them to close on the AC. Later in the evening the decision was made to put in several ships of infantry at the base of the mountain and they would walk up the mountain under cover of darkness. The insertion took place about 3:00am. The grunts made it to the top of the ridge, unopposed, at first light. Upon arrival they found that the napalm had killed everyone in the bunker, several of the grunts had been kill by the 20mm and there were several seriously wounded. Jerry had lost allot of blood. He was medivaced to Japan and stayed there for several months. Following his release from the hospital he was sent to Fort Wolters, and after he got back on flight status he flew the "Flatiron" medivac aircraft. About a year ago he fully retired from flying. He had been in the North Carolina, Virginia, and Alabama National Guard and he had worked for Flight Standards at Ft. Rucker until last year. One evening in December 1987 about 9:00PM my phone rang and a voice, without identifying itself, asked, "do you know where you were 20 years ago tonight"? I hadn't heard from Jerry for several years so it took a few seconds for me to reply with "yep, trying to get your sorry ass of the top of a mountain on the other side of the world". That was a long day for all involved. I was functioning as the unit IP so of course I got to fly with new guys, if there were any. This particular period we had a whole covey. I think I went through four co-pilots that day and logged a little over 17 hours on the -12. It could have been worse. I could have been on the ground. Hope this refreshes some memories. David Redden
John LaDue	posted 1/10/09 4:26 PM     This event took place after I DEROS'd, but some of you may have an interest in Dave's story. Dave was a pilot with A/227th as are the other pilots mentioned. It takes place in the Phan Thiet AO. It's pretty remarkable. John LaDue
Jim Brigham	posted 1/10/09 4:29 PM     Guys I think the name you are trying to remember is LUTCHENDORF THOMAS E.,1st Lt. I think he was with Co. B, 2/7th Cav. J.S, [Jim] Brigham LTC USAR RetPresident 7th US Cavalry Association
Robert Kelly	posted 1/10/09 4:33 PM     I can add a little to this story. First of all as Jim said we all felt helpless and very worried. I was in Jerry's platoon in A/227. Not only were they up on that mountain, no communication was getting to the guys I was with anyway. Date: Dave, like all war stories, we remember different versions. I was not flying so you have some great input on the whole incident. However the date had to be pre Nov.1967. Esterak and I flew the three bodies to Saigon Army Heliport in a slick. I transferred to guns the 1st week of Nov. 67. I do not know the date but it would have to have been mid Oct. or earlier. I read an article in a military magazine, may have been the CAV Saber? The article was about this incident. It emphasized the grunts. The story was set up with the shootdown. Apparently the bad guys waited for the second ship to down. That was the number of grunts they wanted to take on. In this article the grunt commander was highly praised. He got the grunts together in a good defensive position, then moved where they could suppress fire from the bunker and defend the Huey and crew. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Now for the rumors you hear. You were there and you talked to Jerry. I heard there were two bunkers and I also heard the three grunts were killed by napalm. I would have to go with you on that. My information came from a lot of talk flying around all the units back at PT. Nothing confirmed. No matter how they were killed they smelled like death. Not being experienced in such matters, and how the bodies were prepped before being bagged, I wasn't able to tell how they died. I never smelled anything like it - death. War death. I looked back in the cargo hold. Two bags on the floor and the third stacked on top. It makes you think. Thought about their parents. For the first time I thought that could be me in one of those bags. There is a humorous story about our trip to Saigon but I will save it for later. Anyway, we unloaded our fallen comrades and headed for home. Did not even go to the PX. It was a sad day but we had to move on. Bob
Jim Puhala	posted 1/10/09 4:34 PM     I don't remember exactly what I did that night, but I remember what I felt. Those were our guys up on that mountain, and they were hurt and they were under fire and there wasn't a damn thing the rest of us could do. It was a long and frustrating night. Bonham et al may have been the happiest group to get off that mountain, but the rest of the pilots in the task force weren't far behind.Jim Puhala
Don Munson	posted 1/10/09 6:43 PM     Jim,You are correct. The man they were discussing was LT Tom Lutchendorf.He had been a platoon leader in B Company, but later became the XO of D Company. I was told that Tom had been nominated to receive a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions, that night. I do not know if it was ever awarded. Tom and CPT Oscar O’Connor had become good friends, so when Oscar took command of D Company, Tom requested that he be reassigned and he was. The original TO&E of the 1st Cav, in 1965, called for D Company of each Infantry Battalion to be the Combat Support company. Three years of experience in the combat environment of Viet Nam led commanders to “rethink” the need for a Combat Support Company (especially it’s anti-tank mission). It was much easier to justify manning and equipping D Company as a fourth [Infantry] rifle company. To my knowledge, most Cav battalions did so for the remainder of the war.Don
Dean Tucker	posted 5/16/09 3:59 AM     if i rembember right my company d 2/7 were flew out to the bottom of the mountian to go to the top and help.we cut thru some of the roughts stuff i think i had been thru and i walked point for along time with 2/7 d co.2nd plt.it morning before we got to the top and the top of the hill was cleared off by bombs dropping napalm.i have some pictures on rolando salazer's web site of the 2/7 under dean tucker some are of vc in their foxhole or what was left of the bunker they had.someone may know some of the grunts looked at the vc i think one of them was my lieutenant.we lost lost a night scope coming up the mountian that night and my plt.had to go back down the mountian and find it and all the other stuff we had lost.a lot of this stuff has been coming back to my memory in the last 2 or 3 years after taking to some of my bddies i have got in touch over the internet and at the 1st Cav.reunion in fla.last year and at franklin tn.last year of 2/7 reunion.it my plt that was set down on nov.22 67 in the middle of a regiment of nva and pinned down for 18 hours napalm dropped all night then . i lost a lot of my close buddies in my plt.an other companys tried to get us out. i am now just getting few bits and pieces together about that night .i thank GOD and all the one thats come to try and get us out.it is awful to what napalm can do to a person.hurts more when it your on bubbies you picking up.hope you can read this not a good speller.GOD BLESS and Garry Owens Dean Tucker from the mountians of Tn.hope two see more of my buddies at Fort Hood Killen TX.June the 3rd.
Robert Atkins	posted 8/21/10 6:44 PM       I was in 2nd Plt D Co 2-7 Cav March 1967-1968. Looking to hook up with some old buds I served with. I remember Nov 22, 1967 near Phan Thiet very well. Don't recall 11/7-11/8 as well.

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