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KILO BATTERY
4th Battalion-12th Marines RVN 1965 - 1969 
War Diary |
K/4/12 WAR DIARY THE BUNKER, LINKS THE FORGOTTEN VETS US MEDALS & RIBBONS USMC HERITAGE K/4/12 SITE AWARDS THANK YOU E-MAIL & COMMENTS |
To the men of Kilo: I need more info for this page. Especially the beginning. Please search the brain locker and e-mail me. TNX
"Nothing is more destructive than the charge of artillery on a crowd." -- Napoleon
Battery is ordered to deploy from Okinawa to Republic of Vietnam.
Battery boards LST and heads to sea.
1st Lt. Gary McAlpin in Command.
07 May-Battery arrives at Chu Lai by LST from Okinawa. Had to leave the M109s and arrived with the towed guns. Real hard time getting them across the beach. Had to let the air out of the 5 ton truck tires to pull the guns across the sand. The battery initially set up about a mile inland from the beach in the sand. Palm trees had to be cut down and used as trails to stop the guns from leaping back 6-8 feet when they fired. The C.O.s experience from firing at 29 Palms, in the sand, came in handy. The Battery started firing immediatly and didn't stop until 1969 when we stood down. Seabees began immediatly to construct an airfield with Jet capabilities. Chu Lai named for the Chinese Mandarin Characters that make up General Krulak's name.
JUNE
01 June-Chu Lai Airfield completed.
1st Lt. McAlpin transfers command to Capt. Roundtree
JULY
Selp Propelled Guns arrive.
Battery receives the Navy Unit Commendation.
AUGUST
Battery at Chu Lai for Operation Starlite. First Regimental sized operation since the Korean War. 2000 strong 1st V.C. Regiment was massed in prepared positions on Van Tuong Peninsula. 6 Days later they were rendered combat ineffective. 7th Marines, 3/3 and 2/4 participated. Good job guys.
"The young, mostly inexperienced Marines learned that they were the equal of their fathers and older brothers who had fought a crafty foe in World War II and Korea."-Edward F. Murphy
OCTOBER
31 October-Battery receives orders to destroy all emplacements and move out to new location. Destination-Da Nang. Battery stationed 10 Miles Southwest of Da Nang. Large sandy area nown as the "Waterless Beach". A/1/11 was across the road from us. Radio relay team was on Outpost Cathy. Became our base camp for a while. Engineers and Seabees had to truck in red dirt to make roads on the sand. Sent the towed guns out to areas around Monkey Mountain, Hill 42, Hill 55 etc. on operations. Ocassionally the Self Propelled Guns would go also.
During a fire mission, a round explodes in the tube of Gun 2. The breach did not fully close. The gunner and a-gunner were burned badly and were medevaced.
MARCH
02 March-Cpl Jack Hopkins, the former battery armorer. dies when a land mine explodes under the jeep he's in. "Hoppy" was on his second tour and was training to be a forward observer.
APRIL
Sgt Mike Smith receives the Silver Star
JUNE
13 June-Operation Kansas commenced near the Que Son Valley. 6 Recon units hidden along the valley heights called in artillery and air strikes on NVA troops. Battery at Tam Ky with towed guns supporting.
JULY
324B Division,, N.V.A. Regulars cross the DMZ into Northern Quang Tri Province.
Battery moves north to Dong Ha to support 1/1, 2/1, 1/3, 2/4, 3/4, 3/5 in Operation Hastings. Sets up adjacent to the air strip there. 324B routed in heavy fighting near the craggy out cropping of rock known as the Rockpile.
AUGUST
Battery moves to Cam Lo area in support of Operation Prairie. Still raining the hammers of hell on the 324B Division.
Battery departs RVN aboard the LST Litchfield County. Headed to Camp Hansen, Okinawa for regrouping and refitting.
SEPTEMBER
Capt. Cadez transfers command to Capt. Sullivan. Battery becomes known as Capt. Sulivan's Shooting Shamrocks.
After passing inspections by Generals Glick & Krulak, the battery convoys to Naha on 05 Sept at 0200hrs, for the trip back to RVN aboard LST-1167 U.S.S. Westchester County. Arrives early morning 12 Sept at Cua Viet. Welcomed by an arc lite bombing on NVA Troops. Transferred to LSU's for trip to Dong Ha via the Dong Ha River. Received in-coming mortars upon off loading. Welcome back Kilo! Set up in the Punch Bowl for the night. Received in coming arty during that night. Sleep tight Kilo!! Next morning, battery convoys to Camp Carroll, a.k.a. the Artillery Plateau near Cam Lo off Highway 9 to relieve Mike Battery. Lost one gun on the way to a seized engine. Army gave us an engine and battery was up to full compliment shortly thereafter.
Battery receives The Presidential Unit Commendation.
24 Jan-1400hrs. Capt Sullivan, Cpl Riley, Cpl Walsh, Cpl Todd, in the C.O.'s jeep and Pfc Chastain along with other personnel following in a truck leave Dong Ha to return to Camp Carroll along Route 9. Three Army vehicles joined the convoy halfway there. As the convoy reached checkpoint 37, 25-30 NVA troops were seen crossing a field heading towards tower 250 at Camp Carroll. The convoy stopped and as they jumped off the vehicles, the NVA opened up with small arms fire and automatic weapons fire. The NVA then methodically started hitting the vehicles with RPGs. (Rocket Propelled Grenades). Starting with the last truck first. Cpl Walsh got hit in the early stages of the firefight. Capt Sullivan radioed for Medevac and gunships then for artillery. It's not every day that the C.O. of an artillery battery calls in support from his own men to save his butt. Despite the NVA zeroing in on the jeep with RPGs to silence the radio calling the hammers of hell down on them, Capt. Sullivan continued to direct fire on them. At one point, an RPG hit the jeep and spun him around 180 degrees. As the small force tried to regroup under the fire from the NVA, a few Seabees joined in the fray. The NVA were within 20 meters of the road now. "Wild Bill" Paradise, a passenger in the truck with PFC Chastain took out an NVA in a hole a few meters from the road. A reactionary force arrived from Camp Carroll, some grunts were atop a tank. The NVA opened up, killing the Tank Commander and wounding most of the grunts. The few NVA that were left fled and Med Evacs arrived to take out the WIAs. This mix and match bastard outfit of Marines, Army and Sailors under Capt. Sullivan did one hell of a job. Hand Salute !
FEBRUARY
02 Feb-Jim Clemens and Dennis Eckman are WIA by the PAK 75 firing from entrenched position on Dong Ha Mountain. They were fusing rounds in Gunpit 4 when a round impacted at Eckman's feet. They never heard it coming. Eckman lost an arm in the explosion. Although wounded himself, Clemens dragged Eckman into a bunker and tied off the wound.
MAY
26 May-Ron Bacon, on his second tour, receives shrapnel injuries to his back and spine while performing crater analysis on in-coming rounds.
JUNE
Camp Histler at Cua Viet takes hits from NVA 130mm artillery in the DMZ. 16 10,000 gallon fuel bladders explode.
20 June-Dong Ha ammo dump takes diect hits from NVA 130mm artillery in the DMZ
Memo from Captain Bailey dated 30 June '68 regarding NVA 130mm artillery piece destruction of 20 June '68. is as follows:
"Lt. Pepe (Catkiller 15) and myself, who directed your responsive and accurate fire would like to extend our congratulations on a job extremely well done to all the personnel in your battery for the more than 3 hours work you and your men put into this mission".
JULY
01 July-Battery moves temporarily to Con Thien for Operation Thor. Air, Artillery and Naval Gunfire concentrates on NVA artillery and sanctuaries in the eastern DMZ. One fire mission by Kilo, is directed against an NVA Regiment in the open. 400 rounds fired in three hours. Hi ya Charlie ! Bye Charlie !! Operation lasts 17 days, then back to Camp Carroll.
05 July-Khe Sahn Combat Base evacuation is complete.
PAK 75MM entrenched in Dong Ha Mountain still peppers Camp Carroll with incoming on regular basis. Scores a few moredirect hits in Kilo area.
AUGUST
01 Aug- Lt. David Hopkins, Bill Doyle and Ron Ogden are in a jeep making a run to Dong Ha. Engineers send them on a detour around an unsafe bridge and the jeep hits a mine. All three suffer injuries from the explosion. Despite the efforts of Doyle and Ogden to save Lt. Hopkins, he succumbs that night on the hospital ship U.S.S. Repose.
Grunts from I/3/3 climb Dong Ha Mountain and find the Pak 75's. There were 2 of them zeroed in on Camp Carroll. One aimed at the East side and one the West side of the base. They also found an N.V.A. R&R location. Thanks guys.
Battery to Delta-4 for 3 days. Abandoned fire base near Mai Loc.
Operations Battery was involved in from it's return to RVN until August 1968:
King Fisher,Liberty II, Lancaster, Dye Marker, Lancaster II, Badger Catch III, High Rise, Dual Blade, Kentucky, Scotland II, Robin South, Thor, Tet Offensive
Battery receives the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.
Capt. Sullivan transfers command to Capt. Zimmermann.
SEPTEMBER
Battery makes permanent move to Charlie II, 2 clicks south of Gio Linh off Highway 1. U.S. Army 5th Mech. Units on the perimeter. Lots of Firepower.
2 Days later the 5th Mech. Units leave and 70 A.R.V.N. troops take their place!! We stand guard duty on top of our bunkers to watch the A.R.V.N.'s!!
Battery at Rockpile for a few days. Incoming hits powder supplies. "Doc" Wean earns the Silver Star treating wounded under fire. U.S.S. New Jersey arrives on station in the South China Sea.
OCTOBER
31Oct-Gun sections only to Alpha III for 1 night. Moved to knock out NVA130mm artillery pieces shelling Dong Ha that were out of our range at Charlie II. 3 Afternoon 60mm mortar rounds land in the wire. NVA gunners checking range. Welcome to Alpha III Kilo!! Stuck there for 3 nights. Mine sweep team ambushed and turned back. Bombing halt took effect 0000hrs-1 Nov, while we were there. At 0200 hrs on 1 Nov, truck convoys with headlights on in the DMZ heading our way. Not ours!! Heavy incoming, arty, mortars and recoilless rifle fire. Puff beats back a possible ground attack. At daylight, Grunts choppered in to front of our position and chase Charlie back across the Z. Thanks guys. Mine sweep team finally makes it to us and we go back to Charlie II.
NOVEMBER
Camp Carroll, now abandoned, is Arc Lighted. We see it from Charlie II.
On the 10th, during the early afternoon hours, we received 5 60MM mortar rounds from Charlie. Happy Birthday Marines!!
U.S. ARMY 175 Battery shares a hot thanksgiving dinner with us. Prepared by our own Sgt. Banks. Thanks Sarge. We play a flag football game against the 175mm guys and an F4 Phantom buzzes the base at 200 feet causing a sonic boom. Scared the stuffing out of us!
The New Jersey fires a few rounds, about 10 clicks to the west of our perimeter. The sound going over our heads was like a freight train in orbit.
DECEMBER
0200hrs. Force Recon Unit in the Z is holed up in a pagoda and surrounded by NVA Regulars. Kilo gets the mission and surrounds them with a ring of fire for a few hours. Danger close. Rounds landing within 35 meters of the Recon Unit. All were safely removed by an extraction team. Another good job by Kilo.
JANUARY
Capt Zimmermann transfer command to Capt. Weeks
APRIL
Battery makes permanent move to The Rockpile.
SEPTEMBER
Battery leaves RVN for Okinawa. Part of 3RD MARDIV withdrawal.
Created: 26 March 01
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