Interrogation Report from ARVN Deserter

161520H Hotel 2/9 Vicinity (YD 013451).  A Vietnamese dressed in underwear seen across the river and turned himself in to ‘H’ Co.  Person claimed to be an ARVN soldier and stated that he had just escaped from the Viet Cong.  Interrogation by the 7^th ITT revealed the following information:

Captured 18 days ago near the Khe Sahn airstrip by the Viet Cong.  Was forced to do labor and marched to the vicinity of Tan Loc Village (YD 030445) and then to a hillside near the village.  On the hillside are 4 platoons of enemy soldiers with between 30 and 40 men in each platoon.  The platoons consisted of 1 NVA, 1 BRU, and ! VC villager.  The 4 platoons are living in 2 hootches and 2 underground bunkers on the hillside near the village.  The enemy troops are armed with AK-47 rifles and each has a complete set of US 782 gear obtained from the trash dump at VCB.  The returnee states that he was captured with two other ARVN soldiers and that they were still being held by the VC near Tan Loc.  All three were captured while gathering water from a stream near Khe Sanh and all three were unarmed at the time as they were former deserters from the ARVN’s and were being used as laborers.

The returnee stated that he had been held on the hill for 14 days and had escaped at 0500H on 15 July 69.  He stated that the VC and the Montanards came to the hill during the day and at night returned to the village to collect food and 782 gear to carry to other NVA units.