American Valor Quarterly Issue 5 - Winter 2008/09 | Page 31

probably up in the trees. In the heat of battle there is a lot of
battle noise. I tried to get one of my soldiers to shoot a light
antitank weapon, an M-72 rocket launcher called a LAW (Light
Anti-Tank Weapon). It was a one-shot disposable bazooka. It
was about two and a half feet long. You would pull it out and
put it on your shoulder, aim and fire. The soldier tried it, but the
LAW misfired due to the humidity. We had some problems with
some of our weapons and equipment because of all the humidity
and the rain. I was pretty close to him, so I took it from him and
rearmed it. This time it fired, and it made a big boom and a
cloud of dust. I thought I destroyed the anthill, but I didn’t. It
was too hard and thick. The LAW is a very powerful weapon
and can penetrate armor; and while I am sure I did some damage,
the anthill was still standing.
So we started moving forward again trying to get to that platoon.
Using sign language, I told one of my men to go up there and
throw a grenade over the top of the anthill. He thought I meant
to throw it from where we were. He did, but it landed short
because of all the trees and the foliage. So rather than waste any
more time, I told my men on both sides to hold their fire. I
didn’t want to get shot by my own men. I ran forward about 30
meters to the anthill and threw the grenade over the top. When it
went off, I went around to the side and silenced a few more of
the enemy that were trying to shoot me. After I had taken out the
machinegun, I turned to my side and told my men, “Come on!
Let’s get going!” We had to get to that platoon. Right at that
moment, I was shot in the jaw. The bullet went in the front of the
left side of my face and came out of the back of the right side
of my jaw.

another man, killed or wounded, throughout that night and were
able to defend their position throughout the three determined
attacks that night. We were able to get up to them the next day
and get them out of there. The medic, Specialist 5 Charles (Doc)
Lose, was very instrumental, too, in keeping the guys alive and
was very courageous and for his assistance was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross. Sergeant Savage, the leader of that
lost platoon, also received that award.
I was evacuated to Pleiku by one of the helicopters that had been
bringing in food and water, and was treated. We lost 79 killed in
action at LZ X-Ray. Three from my platoon were killed in action
and twelve were wounded.
Brian Thacker: I was stationed on a hilltop in Kontum Province
at a place called Fire Base 6, where the observation team I was in
charge of provided support for South Vietnamese artiller 䁙