Page 44 - Images: We were...We are

Robert Joseph Araujo - NOTES FROM THE VIRTUAL WALL

In the second week of October 1967 the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, relieved BLT
2/3 as the defense force for the recently built bridge north of Strongpoint C-2. The
construction of the bridge had permitted the reopening of the vital road to Con
Thien washed out by the heavy September rains. The battalion defended the bridge
because the 3rd Marine Division was concerned that if the enemy destroyed the
bridge they would cut the only supply line to Con Thien.

The defense of the bridge was no easy task for Lieutenant Colonel Hammond's
battalion. Since its move north from Camp Evans on 11 September, constant
combat around Con Thien had worn the battalion down from a "foxhole strength" of
952 to about 462. The 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines had great difficulty in manning all
the defensive positions prepared by the departed full-strength BLT-2/3.

The defensive position around the bridge was divided into quadrants by virtue of
the road, which ran roughly north and south, and the stream, which ran east and
west. Golf Company had the northwest quadrant; Hotel Company was on the same
side of the road but across the stream in the southwest quadrant. Fox Company
was in the northeast; Echo Company in the southeast. The battalion command
group set up beside the stream in Golf Company's area and near the center of the
position.

At 0125 on 14 October, 25 artillery rounds, rockets, and 135-150 mortar rounds hit
Hotel Company. An ambush squad posted in front of the company reported an
enemy force moving toward it, and immediately took the advancing enemy under
fire. The Marine squad leader notified his company that he had three casualties and
that the enemy seriously outnumbered his squad. The company commander,
Captain Arthur P. Brill, Jr., ordered the squad to pull back and, at the same time,
called for night defensive fires to block the avenues of approach to his position. The
battalion requested flare ships to illuminate the area. Using starlight scopes, sniper
teams watched the enemy as they massed only 50 meters in front of the company.
The snipers and two tanks attached to the company opened fire, forcing the North
Vietnamese to start their assault prematurely. The rest of the Hotel Company held
fire until the NVA troops reached a clearing 20 meters from the wire. Of the entire
attacking unit, only two NVA soldiers reached the wire and Marines killed both as
they tried to breach that obstacle.

The enemy withdrew, leaving bodies behind, but they were far from finished. At
0230, enemy mortars shelled Golf Company. Direct hits by RPGs destroyed a
machine gun emplacement and several backup positions on the primary avenue of
approach into the company position. The NVA force attacked through this break,
overran the company command post, and killed the company commander, Captain
Jack W. Phillips, and his forward observer. Three platoon leaders, two of whom had
just arrived in Vietnam that morning, also died. The battalion sent its S-3A, Captain

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