31 October 1965
SPECIAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT
Patrol Debriefing: Cpl M. H. Lameyer, 3rd Platoon, B Co, 1/4
Type Patrol: Daylight Recon (Morning SDC Patrol)
Size: 4 men
Mission: Recon and Security
Time out: 310900H
Time in: 311305H
Route: See overlay
Observations: While on security halt, rear guard located 7.62 cartridges cases stacked into pyramid shape with open ends of top cartridges pointing in WNW direction. (BT 515075) Point #1. Directly in front of these cartridges was a 6” stick stuck into the ground with an empty cartridge on top. This site was completely surrounded by pine threes, with poor observation in all directions. Patrol then moved along line in WNW direction that the cartridge cases pointed. Patrol came to a 15’ cliff, directly below the cliff was a trail running NE by SW. (Point #2) (BT 514075). At this point on the trail lay a broken stick approx. 2’ in length forming a ‘V’. The ‘V’ pointed SW along the trail. Directly across the trail, (Running parallel with the trail) was a barbed wire fence. Beyond the fence was rice paddies. The trail at this point was clear. Observation was good in all directions except on the SE (cliff side) of the trail. Patrol then moved SW along trail for approx 30 yds and found 3 white rocks with flat surface and rounded sides that appeared to have been purposely placed on side of trail. By traveling in a SW direction along this trail was the only way that the rocks could be seen by passers-by. Visibility was poor at this point. At this point there is a hole in the wire that parallels the trail on the right (northwest). Once through wire, we found recently used path along edge of paddy well concealed from observation all the way to trail (BT 514074) Point 5. This trail leads in the direction of Long Binh (BT 505070) to the SW and to the Causeway (BT 515081) to the NNW alongside stream.
S-2 Comment: This is the trail where Charlie-3 ambushed 4 VC on night of 27-28 Oct 65.
From the rocks; patrol moved to (BT 514078) where 2 small bundles of bamboo strips were found lying alongside North-South trail.
Note: From point #4 (BT 515075) along trail to the NE, there are several breaks in the hedgerow where the airfield can be observed.