29 October 1965

Patrol Leader Debrief: Alpha – 2 (See SIR – Sgt. R. P. Hunt)

Size – 75 men; Direct Support – 3 man Intelligence Team, 1 Interpreter and one Informer (VC).

Items:

1.                  The population seemed to be in generally good health.

2.                  Six VC captured

a.     Three reported to be VC youth by VC informer

3.                  Large amounts of rice found.  One book with a tax list or accounting record enclosed, found vic (BT 415141).  Sent to Regt. – 2 for translation.  Initial evaluation by attached interpreter with intelligence team.

4.                  New punji states vic (BT 430140).

5.                  Bundles of punji stakes vic (BT 435146) approx 35-50 stakes per bundle.

6.                  Pine tree vic (BT 455149) had all branches shaved off one side.

7.                  VC sighted vic (BT 432146) (See ISUM NR 174) had weapons along and appeared to be patrolling.

 

Special Intelligence Report (Sgt R. P. Hunt)

Terrain – Mostly flat, sand and rice paddies

 

Narrative:

At 271130H, we left the platoon harbor site with one platoon (-)(rein) and moved directly to the cave, using our guide.  The cave was located at (BT 416145).  The only opening was under a pool of water about 3½ to four feet deep.  The size of the opening was about twenty inches wide by eight or ten inches in height.  I went into the water and tried to get into the opening by my size prohibited me to do so.  Up and around back of the pool of water, where we thought the cave might be, we dug down until we found the cave.  I crawled inside the cave.  The measurements were about six feet long, four feet high and three and on half to four feet wide.  Nothing was inside the cave.  The cave had been dug from the outside and the back was reinforced with sticks and a bamboo mat to keep the dirt out.  Engineers completely blew the cave and nothing was left except a mud hole.  See Encl. #1.  With our informer, we then went to a house where under a bed, completely buried we found a large urn, or jar, and inside was a hand carved wooden stamp.  The guide told us the man that lived there and also the man that lived next door were members of the youth VC Party.  We picked both of these men up.  Both of these men lived within twenty yards of each other at (BT 415141).  We then started on our way back to the Harbor site.  At (BT 419141) the informer told us the Chief for Collecting rice for the VC lived in a house that he pointed out at this location.  We searched the house and found a notebook that looked like an inventory.  The man was not at home and we did not wait for him.  We then moved back to our Harbor site.

Conclusions:

The people on Hoa Xuan seemed indifferent toward us and were not friendly or hostile in any way.  All the people seem to be much cleaner and the children did not seem to have nearly as many sores or as sick as in Ky Ha.  At almost every place we went, when the women saw us they started to breast feed the children regardless of what they had previously been doing.  The women did not use the beetle nut.

S-2 Comment:

Women Propaganda Platoons have been reporting within 1st Bn TAOR.  This could have been a diversion attempt or an attempt to induce an incident of propaganda interest.  Platoon Commander reported the same information.

Conclusions (Cont’d):

There was a general lack of young men on the island.  Everyone seemed to be very busy harvesting the rice as fast as they could and was working even in the middle of the day which seemed to be unusual.

 

Recommendations:

That a squad size ambush/patrol try to capture this man that is supposed to be collecting rice for the VC.