Chapter 20

We moved as quickly as possible toward the Aviation area in the near total darkness of this moonless night. Chinese New Year is celebrated on the new moon, and it was very dark here in the Shan States at night without the moon. There were no lights showing in the town either.

The Aviation people that we encountered on the way were very nervous, but we managed to get to their command bunker without getting shot.

"What were those explosions? We couldn't contact your Operations," Captain Rust, their senior man and the Detachment Commander asked nervously after we arrived.

"We moved operations to the bunker. We'll need to put a land line in there," the Major told him. "The first four explosions were mortar rounds. The last one was probably all of the Chinese ammunition going off," the Major finished.

"What do you mean, 'going off', sir?" Captain Rust asked.

"Do you remember me mentioning the term 'Ammunition Malfunction' in my briefing?" the Major asked.

"Vaguely!" the Captain replied.

"Something set off all of the Chinese ammunition at once," the Major told him again.

"Something? What something?" the Captain demanded.

"The Amulets, sir," I answered.

"The... !!" the Captain had just begun when we heard a lot of gunfire coming from the other side of the perimeter.

"Keep your people on their toes," the Major told him, as I was answering a call on the portable.

"Hand 6 alpha, this is Hand 3 bravo. We have movement on the river approach to the camp from the south. They don't appear to be in the town yet. Over."

"Hand 3 bravo, Hand 6 alpha. Roger. We are on the way to your location. Out."

"They're on Tweed's side of the perimeter, sir," I told the Major as we left the Aviation bunker, and headed toward the south side of the perimeter. We moved as quickly and as quietly as we could through the camp area, and somehow managed to avoid all of the tent ropes in the dark. We were challenged several times by Rangers, but they all knew who Hand 6 was. We finally reached Tweed's position. Captain Paribetra was there also.

"What do we have?" the Major asked.

"There were troops moving up along the top of the embankment following the river. We opened fire on them and they all spilled down over the embankment on to the shore along the river," Captain Paribetra informed us.

"Are they still moving this way?" the Major asked.

"We don't know. We can't see them."

"Who's on the river?" the Major asked.

"Lieutenant Wesley," Tweed told us, as he looked over at us from his Starlight scope. We could see the green glow from the end of it.

"Call Lieutenant Wesley, and have him check along shore line of the river," the Major directed me.

"Hand 4, Hand 4, this is Hand 6 alpha. Come in. Over," I called. Since we have no supply officer, the Team XO was Hand 4, and the Ranger Company Commander was Hand 5.

"Hand 6 alpha, this is Hand 4. Over."

"Hand 4, Hand 6. Check the river bank and shore line south of the camp from your position. The enemy appears to have gone to ground there. Over," the Major sent taking the handset.

"Hand 6, Hand 4. Roger. Wait one."

"Hand 6, Hand 4. There appears to be a large number of bodies along the shore above the water line. None of them appear to be moving. Most are just below the embankment line. Over."

"Hand 4, Hand 6. Roger. Move one of those .50s to cover that approach. We will bring it under fire shortly. Be prepared to report on the effect of our fire. Over."

"Hand 6, Hand 4. Roger. We have already moved one of the .50s. Out."

"Captain Paribetra, have your mortar team lay some rounds on the shore area along the river starting about two hundred meters from the camp perimeter," the Major told him.

"Yes sir," Captain Paribetra replied, and started issuing orders on his radio. Shortly there was the distinctive sound of mortar bombs leaving their tubes. This was followed several seconds later by the explosion of several 60 mm mortar rounds. After four rounds the explosions stopped.

"Hand 6, Hand 4. Those rounds were right on target, but none of the bodies has moved that we can see. There hasn't been any movement at all except that caused by the explosions. Over."

"Hand 4, Hand 6. Has there been any fire from the target area. Over?"

"Hand 6, Hand 4. We have received no fire from the enemy here. Over."

"Hand 4, Hand 6. Maintain observation of the area for now. I'll advise you of our next move in person shortly. Hand 6, out."

"I don't get it!" the Major said to us after returning the handset to me. "They haven't moved. They haven't fired on us since the initial exchange of fire, and apparently they haven't retreated. What the hell is going on?" Tweed turned away from the Starlight scope to address us again. He only said one word, but it was enough.

"Cambodia."

"Let me take a patrol out there, and see what I can find, sir," I asked the Major.

"Not only NO, Baker, but Hell No. I can't afford to lose my best commo man. Not to mention that Suenee would never forgive me if something were to happen to you. However, you are right. We need to know what is going on out there," the Major stated.

"I'll send out a patrol to investigate," Captain Paribetra volunteered.

"Get them ready, Captain. I'm going down to Hand 4's position to see what I can learn. I'll radio you when to send them out," the Major told him.

"Tweed, keep an eye on the town. They could have sent some of their people through there," the Major directed before we moved out for Lieutenant Wesley's position.

"Have there been any changes?" the Major asked when we arrived there.

"None that we could see, sir," Lieutenant Wesley said looking over at us from the Starlight scope. "Damn, it's dark out here without that scope," he said.

"Let me have a look through that, Wes," the Major asked. The Lieutenant moved over while the Major moved up to the Starlight scope and looked through it. He panned it around for several minutes before stepping back.

"I see what you mean, Wes. That thing ruins your night vision for a time," he said, and paused. "But I didn't see anything at all moving out there. Hand me the handset, Baker," he requested.

"Hand 5, Hand 6. Over."

"Hand 6, Hand 5. Go."

"Hand 5, Hand 6. Go ahead and send that patrol out. I haven't seen anything at all moving all along the top of the embankment, or on the shore below it. Warn them to be very careful approaching the river, but I don't think the enemy is playing possum. Over."

"Hand 6, Hand 5. Roger. Out." After a short time, Lieutenant Wesley reported seven figures moving toward the river from our lines. Many minutes passed with only silence after that.

"Where are they?" the Major finally asked.

"They are approaching the embankment, sir," Lieutenant Wesley told him.

"Hand 5, Hand 6. Over."

"Hand 6, Hand 5. Go."

"Hand 5, Hand 6. Do you have any illumination rounds for those mortars? Over."

"Hand 6, Hand 5. Yes. We can have some in the air shortly. Be advised, however, that those are in short supply. Over."

"Hand 5, Hand 6. Two or three rounds fired over time should give them enough time to check on the status of the enemy. Warn them before you begin. Out." I heard something going out over the air on our push in a language that wasn't Thai shortly after that. It was followed several seconds later by the sound of a round being fired by one of the 60 mm mortars. The Major had warned Lieutenant Wesley, who had turned off his Starlight scope before the flare lit above the river.

We could make out the patrol now. They were at the top of the embankment. Two of them dropped over the edge, and a short time later there was an excited exchange over the radio in the same language that I had heard previously. We received a call in English shortly after that.

"Hand 6, Hand 5. Over."

"Hand 5, Hand 6. Go."

"Hand 6, Hand 5. My patrol leader reports that all of the bodies along the shore appear to be dead, though he has no idea how they died, except for a few that were blown apart by our mortars. What do you advise? Over."

"Hand 5, Hand 6. Have your patrol return. Prepare a patrol in force to reconnoiter the town. I'll join you after checking on the status of Cowboy 6. Out."

"What the hell is going on here?" the Major asked in frustration right after that, but I held my silence. We returned to Operations to check on Captain Tamusarit and his people at Nawng-awn.

Since we didn't know the status of the enemy's forces, I operated the Radio from the battery backup instead of turning on the generator. It was already past 2200 hrs, and our report time to the B-Detachment, but we needed to know what the situation in Nawng-awn was before we reported in.

"Thai Cowboy, Thai Cowboy, this is Old Hand. Over," I sent, and we waited for them to answer our contact. After a-half minute, I repeated the call.

"Thai Cowboy, Thai Cowboy, this is Old Hand. Come in. Over." We waited again, and I was ready to repeat the call once more when there was a response.

"Old Hand. Old Hand, this is Thai Cowboy 6. Over."

"Cowboy 6, Hand 6. What is your situation? Over."

"Hand 6, Cowboy 6. The enemy tried a ground assault. Fortunately, there is a long clear area between us and the bridge over the river. Also my Support Unit Commander has had an OP (outpost) on the other side of the river all week. They warned us that the enemy was coming.

"The enemy unit crossed the bridge in their vehicles before deploying. When the OP signaled, we were able to take out the last vehicle with the large mortar. We also took out the first vehicle in the column, trapping the others between them. Both vehicles caught fire and exploded. The other vehicles were unloading their troops at the time, and the explosion caught most of them in the open. Those that survived, retreated back across the bridge on foot where the OP opened up on them with Claymores and finished off the few remaining with their rifles.

"I just got back from a patrol, with a heavily reinforced platoon, around the area of the bridge. We couldn't locate any survivors or any sign of their Command Group. I have everyone on 50% alert until morning. Oh yes, we will need illumination rounds for the 60 mm and the 82mm if you can get them. Over."

"Cowboy 6, Hand 6. Congratulations. You say there were no members of the Command Group among the casualties. Can you explain that? Over."

"Hand 6, Cowboy 6. We could find no bodies above the rank of Lieutenant, and no Political Officers. Unless they were in either the first or last vehicle, they are elsewhere, and I don't believe they were in either of those vehicles. Over."