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C Co is released from the 101st and returns to Camp Rainer. Upon arrival Co C sends 1st and 2nd plts to help secure Nui Ba Dien from VC threat. They will remain there about two weeks. For the rest of the month, the battalion sweeps the rubber plantations     in the daytime and pulls Ap's at night. There is little or no reported contact. It continues to rain and working the rubber at night     in wet weather is scary. It is so dark, even with moonlight it is difficult to see very far.

AUGUST 1968
OVERVIEW:

The battalion remains in their NL locations. We perform several CA 's in the area and conduct some cordon and search' s to the local villages. To the west we travel out to search the waterways and canals for hidden weapon and food caches and have great success. The VC are avoiding any action right now while they reorganize their forces. We pull the usual night time patrols with no success.

4 AUG 68
D Co. DOD: SP4 Eugene M. Barnett (19) of Cincinnati, OH perished of illness/disease.

21 AUG 68
HHC KIA: 
Medic SP4 Alfred "Doc" L. Bailey, Jr. (21) of Los Angeles, CA perished in Gia Dinh Province.

29 AUG 68
1LT Ron Hendricks leaves as CO and is replaced by CPT William N. Parish

SEPTEMBER 1968   

OVERVIIEW:

BATTALION NEW AO  - TRANG BANG and new Battalion Commander
The battalion remains in Hoc Mon area until September 22nd when it is moved up to Trang Bang by chopper.  
Co's A,B and D establish a NL at XT508258 while Co C is located at FSB Stuart and is assigned bridge security. The battalion will stay here until October 3rd when it moves to the east about 500 meters where it will set up FSB Pershing and remain there until February 1970. At this time the Battalion also became a unit of the 2nd Brigade (25th Division) along with the 2-27, 2-14, 3-187, and TF 2-34. Several weeks later  B Battery 1-8th Artillery shows up. They consist of a battery of 105MM's and will remain at FSB Pershing until the Battalion moves to FSB Kein.

In October, the 2-12th, according to Bravo's Larry Fontana, "found ourselves in a broken down muddy perimeter in the Second Brigade - Fire Base Stuart - at Trang Bang - was another mud hole that needed work."

1 SEP 68
1LT Richard Wiggins leaves C Co, 2nd plt and takes over as Alpha Co's C.O. He will remain in this roll until Jan 69.

7 SEP 68
1LT RW McDaniel leaves 3rd plt and takes over as C.O. From CPT William Parish who returns to BN. 1LT David Riggs takes over 3rd plt.

13 SEP 68
Bn. conducts sweeps in AO based on intelligence reports.
Co. A is airlifted at 1024 from PZ XS740998 to LZ#1 XS678983
Co. B is airlifted at 0933 from PZ XT772048 to LZ#2 XT849057
Co. C is airlifted at 0900 from PZ at XT756999 to CA at LZ XT798100 and conducts RIF.
Co. D is at Hoc Mon Bridge
At 1137 Co. C is off PZ#3 at XT808094 and lands at LZ#5 at XT808094 and conducts RIF.
At 1210 Co. A is off PZ#1 at XT679995 and lands at LZ#4 at XT681006, conducts RIF.
At 1327 Co. C is off PZ#5 at XT805079 and lands at LZ XT789078, conducts RIF.
At 1400 Co. A is off PZ#4 at XT685017 and lands at LZ#6 at XS710975.
At 1440 Co. C is off PZ#7 at XT775076 and returns to NL at XT756999.

14 SEP 68
LTC Donald J Green leaves as Battalion Commander and heads to I Field Force in Nha Trang and is replaced by LTC Thomas Dreisonstok, West Point graduate class of 1950.

Co. A at 0644 is airlifted from PZ XS740998 to XT819064 and conducts RIF.
Co. C at 0655 is airlifted from XT756999 to XT689027; at 0800 at XT688030 destroys 3 sanpans while conducting RIF.
Co. B is at NL XT772048
Co. D is at Hoc Mon Bridge XT713072
At 1307 Co. A is picked up at PZ XT847065 and lands at NL XT740998.
At 1321 Co. C is off PZ at XT710024 and lands at NL XT756999.

15 SEP 68
Co.'s A & C conduct air assault from XT756999 to XT782065 and sweep area. Both companies locate large ammo caches of RPG-2's and 60 and 82MM mortar rounds, 6000 rnds of AK-47. 122mm warheads and cases of TNT buried along the Saigon River.

17 SEP 68
Co. C conducts air assault from XT756999 to XT778074 and begins sweep of area. Discovers another ammo cache - 13,500 AK-47 rnds, 99 RPG-2's and 54 RPG-7 rnds, 39 82MM rnds and numerous RPG boosters.
Co. A & D elements are at the Hoc Mon Bridge.

18 SEP 68
Co. C conducts air assault back into the same area, XT771078 and conducts sweep. Finds small weapon cache at XT776076 of RPG's and 4500 AK-47 rounds.
Co. A cordon's village at XS7797 and performs a search of the villagers.
Co. D sweeps canal near Hoc Mon bridge.
K & L Troops 3-11th is OPCON'd to 2-12th

19 SEP 68
Co. A is airlifted from XS740998 to LZ at XT780101 at 0800 and finds 2- 500 Lb. Bomb. Waits for instructions from 3rd Bde. Bombs are denoted by EOD at 1227.
Co. C is airlifted from PZ at 0745 XT756999 to XT802102
Co. D 16 is airlifted from AP at XT775070 where they spent the night at return to XT772048

22 SEP 68
2-12th is pulled out of Hoc Mon along with 1-5th, 2-22nd, 4-9th, 1-27th and spends the night in Cu Chi. They arrive by truck convoy. The unit is replaced by the 1-505th and 3-11th which moves into their old laager sites. The next day they will arrive in Trang Bang at FSB Stuart. Effective this date, the 2-12th is OPCON'd to the 2nd BDE for remainder of their tour in Vietnam.

2nd BDE:
2-27th
2-14th
2-12th
3-187th Air Cav
2-34th Armor
F Co 50th Inf (LRRPS)


23 SEP 68
Co's A, B and D at NL XT508258 off of TL 6 Alpha. Co C at Trang Bang Bridge vic XT501195.  Co A: Co A cdt RIF vic XT518253.  Co B: Co. B cdt RIF vic XT609250.  Co D: Co D cdt RIF vic XT514250, XT516240, and XT517233.   Neg contact during reported period.  [SOURCE: Headquarters, 2d Brigade, 25th Division, OR-LL Toan-Thang II (1 Jun to 30 Sep 68), 10 March 69.

24 SEP 68
Bn (-) NL loc vic XT508258. Co  C NL loc Trang Bang  Co A provided NL security and acted as the RRF. At 1215H Co A, vic XT517255, apprehended 1 detainee, who was later released as an innocent civilian.   Co.B cdt RIF fm their NL to vic XT510248, XT507238, XT508233, XT513233, and XT497240.  Co. C cdt RIF fm their NL to vic XT506203, XT508199, an 505207.  Co. D cdt RIF fm their NL to vic XT515255, XT5521253, XT524240, XT522235, and XT538240

25 SEP 68
Bn (-) NL XT508258. Co. C Stuart/Trang Bang Bridge.  Co A provided NL security.  Co B cdt RIF vic XT532257, XT536256, XT537268, and XT536272. At 1430H Co B, vic XT532272, captured 11 VC suspects who were hiding in a tunnel complex, evac to IPW.  Co C cdt RIF vic XT505194, XT515193, and XT514199. At 2036H Co C, vic XT501194, received 1 rd of mortar or RPG fire, neg casualties or rtn of fire.   Co D cdt RIF vic XT523261, XT527264, XT532278, XT539276, and XT 527264. [SOURCE: HQ 2nd Bdee, OR-LL Toan-Thang II 10 March 1968] 

26 SEP 68
Bn (-) NL loc vic XT508258. Co C NL loc vic XT501194 (FSB Stuart/Trang Bang Bridge).  Co A at 0930H cdt airmobile combat assaults fm their NL to vic XT542305. Cdt RIF fm their LZ to vic XT539298, XT537294, XT526280, XT529260 and XT537265. At 1515H Co A, vic XT529271, apprehended 7 detainees, will evac.  Co B at 1000H cdt airmobile combat assaults fm their NL to LZ vic XT654281. Cdt RIF fm their LZ to vic XT50280, XT533275, XT526280, XT533280 and XT530260.  Co C cdt RIF vic XT497212, XT509210, XT507204, XT503211, and XT500203. At 0911H Co C, vic XT497212, apprehended 3 detainees, will evac.  Co D eng 8 personnel with arty and illumination, with neg results.

27 SEP 68
Bn (-) at XT508258. Co C at Stuart/Trang Bang.  Co A cdt move to Cu Chi cdt stand down with the emphasis on care, cleaning, inspection and inventory of equipment and personnal administrative matters will be accomplished.  Co B cdt RIF vic XT511263, XT519991, XT500263, XT494277.  Co C cdt RIF vic XT497187, XT488185 and XT486188. At 2015H Co C, vic XT501192, eng 2 VC with mortars, neg results. VC rtn fire with a dud RPG, neg casualties.  Co D cdt RIF vic XT518266, XT521277, XT521984, XT515282. At 2000H Co D, vic XT531257, eng a column of lights with mortars, with neg results. At 2150H Co D, vic XT534260, eng a column of lights, with neg results. At 0745H Co D, vic XT540260, apprehended 1 detainee with shrapnel wounds, evac to IPW.  Recon plat provided NL security.

28 SEP 68
Bn (-) NL loc vic XT508258. Co A remains in Cu Chi Base Camp. Co C NL loc vic XT501195 (FSB Stuart/Trang Bang Bridge).  Co A cdt stand down with the emphasis on care, cleaning, inspection and inventory of equipment and personal administrative matters will be accomplished.  Co B cdt local security RIF vic XT524243. Effective 281132H [28th at 11:32 a.m.. _bh] Co B 2-12 Inf OPCON 2-14 Inf for combined opns. Effective 281618H Co B2-12 Inf rtn to Bn control. At 1435H Co B, vic XT508248, apprehended 3 detainees, who were evac to IPW.  Co C cdt RIF vic XT498193, XT488175, XT488177, XT495183, XT498187, and back to their NL. At 1030H Co C, vic XT487180, received a short bust of AW fire fm an unknown number of VC, neg casualties or rtn of fire. At 1100H Co C, vic XT496174, received SA fire fm unknown number of VC, resulting in 2 US WIA's, EVAC. Rtn fire with Arty, VC losses unknown. Contact was broken at 1330H.  Co D provided NL security and acted as the RRF. At 1345H Co D, vic XT508248, apprehended 3 detainees.

29 SEP 68
B Co. KIA:
PFC Merlin E. Miller (18) of Guttenberg, IA perished in Tay Ninh Province.
  "2-12 Inf: Bn (-) NL loc vic XT508258. Co A remained In Cu Chi Base Camp. Co C NL loc vic XT501195. Co A cdt move fm Cu Chi Base Camp to the Bn (-) NL, cdt local security RIF vic of their NL. Co B at 0845H cdt airmobile combat assaults fm their NL to LZ vic XT603295. Co D at 0924H cdt airmobile combat assaults fm their NL to LZ vic XT603295. Co C cdt RIF vic XT495196, XT493207, XT494209, XT500207, XT507207, XT508200. At 1010H supporting gunship, vic XT619290, received SA fire fm an unknown number of VC, neg casualties. Rtn fire with AW and CS, VC losses unknown. At 1245H Co C, vic XT502208, apprehended detainee, who was turned over to ARVN control. At 1742H Co B vic XT579301, sustained 1 US (NDB), fm an unidentified flying objective that struck him."  [SOURCE: HQ 2nd Bde, 25th Div, OR-LL (AAR) Toan-Thang II 10 March 1969]  

30 SEP 68
Bn (-)  XT508258. Co C FSB Stuart/Trang Bang Bridge XT501196.  Co B cdt RIF vic XT523272, XT522272, XT529272, and XT525274.  Co C cdt RIF vic XT520192, XT527195, XT526198, XT520197 and XT513190. At 0003H radar at the Trang Bang Bridge picked up 5 individuals moving North, eng with arty, results unknown. At 0915H Co C, vic XT500184, received sniper fire, neg casualties. Rtn with arty, VC losses unknown. At 1330H Co C, vic XT586025, apprehended 6 detainees, evac to IPW.  Co D cdt RIF vic XT526243, XT537268, XT546253, XT534255, XT540256. At 1200H Co D, vic XT542254, apprehended detainee, who was evac to their NL for further interrogation.

"I was in charge of a squad at the bridge. I got some quick trainng on running this new ground radar device we had located there. We picked up movement on the radar around midnight and I called in a fire mission to the 81MM mortar crew. After that, the radar showed nothing. The next morning I was ordered to take my squad out to the southeast and investigate the results of our fire mission. The rice paddies were flooded and in places we were up to our chests in water. As we approached dry land near some hooches, we started taking sniper fire. We had no tactical advantage from where we were. I radioed in our sitrep and was ordered to withdraw and that we would sweep the area with a larger force later that day. - Arnold Krause"

Krause eyewitness account

Operation Report - 2nd Brigade

Read more about this operation

JULY 1968

JULY OVERVIEW:

The brigade is dispatched to Hoc Mon area and assigned to CMAC. Along with the 1-5th and the 4-9th we have
set up a line of defense to shield Saigon from the threat of another Tet offensive. We find ourselves in the same AO as we were in February and March, earlier this year. The battalion is set up in two Nl's with A and B together to our west and C and D located about three clicks away. We spend the month running MEDCAP' in the daytime along with traffic controls, RIF's and everyone is pulling night time AP's.

Co. B's (Sgt.) Larry Fontana writes, "...we were in a laager, not a FSB. Just 2-12, 2-22, 4-9. ...July and August of 1968. Only saw the 2-22 one day on the road somewhere. Lonely out there. Glad Alpha was there for company. MILES away from Hoc Mon Town and Tan Son Nhut. Think we were just a little bleep in the radar during a quiet time in that area." [FONTANA]

Enemy strength: July 1968: 288,000.

1-3 Jul 68
Elements of the battalion are conducting operations east of Camp Rainier in the Michelin Rubber, conducting sweeps in the area and visiting villages searching for signs of enemy activity. On the 3rd, C Co returns to base.

4 Jul 68
More than 400 enemy rocket and mortar rounds and a pair of pre-dawn ground attacks by two reinforced Viet Cong companies were repelled by 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division soldiers on the 4th of July. The attack, largest sustained in the two-year history of Dau Tieng base camp, was broken by gunships and infantry.  At least 10 enemy soldiers were left dead on the perimeter of the camp.

The attack began shortly before 2:30 a.m. as salvo after salvo of mortar fire struck all corners of the base camp. Miraculously, no one was killed as an official total of 374 mortars, eight 107mm rockets, and 25 RPG rocket rounds slammed around infantrymen who were huddled in defensive bunkers. Striking from both sides of the perimeter north of the airfield, the Viet Cong, arrayed in suicide squads, attempted a ground wave pincer movement which hit night defensive positions of the 2d Battalion, 77th Artillery, and the 3d Battalion, 22d Infantry.

The 2/12th was the ready reaction force responsible to protect the airfield and aircraft. When the attack begain, the unit was off in nano seconds to move to the airfield. When they got back to their bivouac area after daylight and saw all the schrapnel holes in the barracks tents they couldn't believe no one was hurt.

Several artillery bunkers were damaged as the enemy suicide squad, hitting the west side of the camp, struck with RPG rocket rounds and satchel charges.  At least seven VC broke inside the perimeter before the attack was halted. On the east side of the camp, a larger Viet Cong force emerged from behind tombstones in a cemetery but were cut down in a welter of machine gun and duster fire.  Two VC planted themselves near the end of the runway and tossed pressure-released satchel charges onto the east end of the airstrip.

As gunships scrambled and shattered the air with a deafening roar of fire, the ground wave attacks were completely disrupted.  By the light of flares, enemy soldiers were seen to toss their weapons to the ground and run for the protective cover of nearby woods.

Before dawn, an AC-47 "Puff the Magic Dragon" aircraft began circling the base camp, dropping flares and adding further firepower to the assault on the retreating enemy.  Artillery fire and more gunship raids also rained down on the attackers. A preliminary search of the perimeter the following morning recovered, in addition to the enemy bodies, 434 home-made satchel charges, three bangalore torpedoes, a dozen RPG-7 rocket rounds, 49 RPG-2 rounds, 45 60mm mortar rounds, one RPG-2 launcher, numerous hand grenades and six AK-47 assault rifles.

Blood trails leading away from the base camp indicated additional enemy deaths which could not be positively confirmed.  American casualties numbered five dead, all in defense of the west perimeter, and 53 injured, 18 of whom required
hospitalization.




9 JUL 68
BN is airlifted south from Dau Tieng to near Tan Son Nhut by CH-27's (2) starting at 0655 with B Co on the first lifts. Co.'s A & B are laagered together (XS740998) and Co.'s C & D are laagered together (XS758999) approximately 3 clicks apart west of Saigon. We are in the middle of large rice fields near small hamlets. There's a large tree in the center of the laager and a cemetery off to the side. To our east is the 4-9th and 1-5th.

D Co. KIA:
PFC Edward Lester (21) of Chapmanville, WV perished in Hua Nghia Province. Edward accidently discharges his rifle. His death is logged as an accidental homicide.


14 JUL 68
C Co. KIA:
PFC Richard A. McGeath (20) of Murphysboro, IL perished in Gia Dinh Province.
C Co. WIA: 4 WIA's, two are ambulatory, including SGT Dale Freidig who takes a round in the shoulder, and is sent to Japan and returns to the company in Sept.

Around 2230 C 36 runs into trouble. Richard McGeath died while on a ambush patrol southwest of Hoc Mon. This was his first patrol and it should not have ended this way. 3rd Plt while out on a ambush patrol, overshoots it's azimuth. Another AP from A Co., A16 sees C Co.'s ambush patrol and mistakes it for the enemy. Co. A sets up it's ambush and springs it on C36. When all the shoots stops, only after all the claymores were touched off and hearing the cussing that was unmistakably American, each element calls for a cease fire. A Dust Off is radio'd for and is completed about 2250. Both AP's were out of position.

25 JUL 68
A Co. KIA:
SGT Carson G. Culleton (27) of Lincoln, IL died of wounds (DOW) received in Binh Duong Province.

From Carson's son Christian, the story of what happened to his father.
My dad arrived In Country 6 Sept 1967.  After being out in the field for about 55 days before, during and after Tet, he was taken out of the field for good and was assigned to the A Company Commo Shack (I've attached a photo of him inside the Commo Shack).  I don't have access to his MOS right now, but he was one of the A Company commo shack operators along with Bill Carle (one of my dad's best friends over in Vietnam) and a blonde-haired guy named Barclay (I don't have a first name for him).  Carle went home at the beginning of July, 1968 and my dad returned from R&R in Australia around the second week of July.  I knew that most of the men in DT were sent to Saigon to act as security in July, 1968, but it is my understanding that a skeleton crew needed to remain behind to keep the camp running.  During this period, my dad worked every day alongside a guy named John Marrs, who was the company clerk.

Early in the morning of July 25, my dad and Marrs got together, as they did every morning, to fix and repair things that needed attention.  On that morning, I believe that Dad had to go to the perimeter of the camp to repair some commo wire.  At 9am, each of them was showering at diagonally opposite sides of the A Company shower tent when two rounds came in.  This story was related to me in person by John Marrs.  No one will know for sure if it was one or two rounds, or whether they were mortars or rockets.  Marrs was unharmed, just knocked down, be knew that the blast was very near my father.  Marrs ran around the shower wall and went to my dad's aid, where he found my dad mostly incoherent and bleeding badly from the left side of his neck.  My dad was trying to speak but nothing but gurgling noises came out.  Marrs has survivor guilt about this, but Marrs had a jeep and the keys to the jeep and it was nearby the shower tent and there's no way my dad could have gotten to the DT aid station any faster.  Marrs told me he threw my dad over his shoulder, ran and dumped him in the jeep, drove the jeep as fast as he could, one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on my dad's neck trying to slow the bleeding.  Marrs could tell that he was bleeding out and could tell from the look in my dad's eyes that if he wasn't physically dead, he was dead in spirit.  My dad was put on a gurney and wheeled into the aid station, and that was the last that Marrs knew about my dad.

One of the medics that worked on my dad knew he was short, and he mailed a letter to Bill Carle to describe all of the actions that were taken to try to save my dad's life.  I wish I could have seen a copy of this letter, but Bill Carle passed away last June.  According to the medic, my dad's chest was cut open so that his heart could be massaged by hand in order to pump blood, but it was too little too late.  For four hours my dad's heart was massaged by hand.

I can't thank you enough for clearing something up for me.  I was told/was under the impression that there was an evacuation hospital at DT.  Now that you've told me that it would have taken a chopper awhile to get to an evacuation hospital, I'm sure based on my dad's wounds, the decision was made not to fly him out because he would have surely died en route.  But honestly, I don't know if he was sent to an evacuation hospital.

Krause eyewitness account