On December 24, 1970, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, moved off of FSB Bastogne for FSB Security in preparation for the 1970 Christmas cease fire. The battalion day report for December 24th shows that Bravo Company had also redeployed off the FSB to the southeast of Alpha Company. The relocation took place late in the day and the company quickly set up their night defense targets (Delta Tangos) coordinates before the 6:00 PM start of the 24 hour cease fire. At approximately 5:15 PM a single friendly round of high explosive crashed into A Company’s 2nd Platoon position where 19 soldiers had set up their night defensive position. Nine were killed and at least nine others were severely wounded. Medivacs were called in and the wounded were taken to the 85th Evacuation Hospital at Phu Bai. Three more soldiers would later succumb to their wounds, making the total 12 killed. Only one soldier was spared physically injury from the shrapnel, protected by a tree stump he was sitting behind when the round hit. The nine soldiers killed in the immediate aftermath of the blast were SP4 Paul J. D'Amato Jr., SP4 Gregory W. Felker, SP4 Larry Heen, CPL Calvin D. Mack, SP4 Thomas G. Noble, SGT Michael R. Nugent, CPL Vern E. Odom, CPL Wesley L. Phillips, and SP4 Steve Pohancek. The three other lost members of the platoon were SP4 Anthony A. Brese (died on December 26th), CPL Kenneth W. Griffin (died on the 28th), and CPL Jaime Laboy (died January 8, 1971). [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and 327infantry.org]
Contributor: D.C. Adams (47244039)
Contributor: D.C. Adams (47244039)
On December 24, 1970, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, moved off of FSB Bastogne for FSB Security in preparation for the 1970 Christmas cease fire. The battalion day report for December 24th shows that Bravo Company had also redeployed off the FSB to the southeast of Alpha Company. The relocation took place late in the day and the company quickly set up their night defense targets (Delta Tangos) coordinates before the 6:00 PM start of the 24 hour cease fire. At approximately 5:15 PM a single friendly round of high explosive crashed into A Company’s 2nd Platoon position where 19 soldiers had set up their night defensive position. Nine were killed and at least nine others were severely wounded. Medivacs were called in and the wounded were taken to the 85th Evacuation Hospital at Phu Bai. Three more soldiers would later succumb to their wounds, making the total 12 killed. Only one soldier was spared physically injury from the shrapnel, protected by a tree stump he was sitting behind when the round hit. The nine soldiers killed in the immediate aftermath of the blast were SP4 Paul J. D'Amato Jr., SP4 Gregory W. Felker, SP4 Larry Heen, CPL Calvin D. Mack, SP4 Thomas G. Noble, SGT Michael R. Nugent, CPL Vern E. Odom, CPL Wesley L. Phillips, and SP4 Steve Pohancek. The three other lost members of the platoon were SP4 Anthony A. Brese (died on December 26th), CPL Kenneth W. Griffin (died on the 28th), and CPL Jaime Laboy (died January 8, 1971). [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and 327infantry.org]
Contributor: D.C. Adams (47244039)
Contributor: D.C. Adams (47244039)
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