LRP  AFTER ACTION REPORT

REPORTING UNIT:   LRP TEAM NO. 11                    DATE OF REPORT:  15 JAN 69

DATE-TIME GROUP AND COORDINATES OF     DATE-TIME GROUP AND CORDINATES OF INSERTION:   071135 JAN 69  XT578294          EXTRACTION:  091907  JAN 69  XT579297

TEAM MEMBERS AND POSITIONS:

                                   METHOD OF INSERTION:  UH1D

1.   TEAM LEADER          SSG DENT

2.   ASST  TL               SGT LONG

          TEAM MEMERS               METHOD OF EXTTRACTION:  UH1D

SSG  BYRD                     SP4  MARNEY

SGT  THORNTON          SP4  MADRID

SP4  GURROBAT          PFC  CRACH

SP4  TURNAAGE          PFC  POMMERENK     REASON FOR EXTRACTION:  MISSION COMPLETED

MISSION:     Team 11's primary mission was to plant “duffel bag” devices.  The team's secondary mission was to ambush enemy personnel and if the opportunity arose, capture an enemy soldier.

071135:     Team 11 was inserted by UH1D in the vicinity of coordinates XT578294.  On the LZ, the team found a tunnel approximately twenty feet long by four feet in diameter.  The tunnel had entrances on either end.  One of the entrances was in an open hole approximately ten feet in diameter by five feet deep.  On the opposite wall of the hole there was another tunnel entrance  approximately four feet in diameter.  The other tunnel was not checked out because the team was  exposed and the team leader wanted to move off the LZ.  Inside the one tunnel that was checked out, the team found a metal canteen, a khaki shirt and one wax candle.  The team  estimates the tunnel to have been less than one month old.   In the area around the tunnel

entrances, the team found boot prints that were less than one week old.  (Note:  A diagram of the tunnel layout is included with this report.)

071325     The team moved to coordinates XT57882941 and implanted their no. 4 “duffel bag” device.

071355:     Team 11 received automatic fire from an estimated two AK-47's.  The enemy fire was coming from a position approximately 100 meters to the West of their location.  One of the team members returned fire without permission and in doing so compromised the teams position. The team did not believe they had been spotted by the enemy.  The team leader felt it would be better to move the team than sitting in one place waiting to be hit.  The team moved approximately 30 meters when they halted because they could hear voices and movement 35 meters to their Southwest.

071430:     Team 11 called for a reaction force from A Troop 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry to move into their area.

071445     Team 11 was informed that A Troop elements had made contact with an enemy force while moving towards the team OP.

071500:     While A troop was in the middle of their fire fight 600 meters to the North of team 11, the movement around the team's position had increased and shifted to the North, between A Troop and the team.

071520:     An estimated enemy force of eight to twelve personnel opened up on the team with a heavy volume of AK-47 fire.  The team received two RPG rounds.  The team did not return fire because they would be firing in the direction of friendlies.  The enemy was located to the North               approximately 50 meters from the team.   After the initial burst of fire, the enemy fires became sporadic.

071540     When the sound of A Troop's tracks could be heard moving towards 11's position, the enemy stopped firing altogether.

071630:     Team 11 moved 200 meters to the North and linked up with A Troop in the vicinity of coordinates XT568296.

071815:     Team 11 arrived at A Troop's night laager position in the vicinity of coordinates XT565318. The team remained for the night inside A Troop's perimeter.

080800     Team 11 moved out with A Troop and was dropped off in the vicinity of coordinates XT577299

                          (Something missing)

One was wearing a black shirt with dark blue pants, one was wearing a dark blue shirt with green pants, and one was wearing a dark blue shirt with black pants.  All three were wearing flop hats and Ho Chi Minh sandals. The results of the ambush were two VC KIA (BC), two AK-47's and a packet of documents captured.  The enemy point man managed to escape the team's kill zone and run to cover.  When gun-ships came on station, the team made a sweep of the area toward the East, the direction in which the enemy point man had run.  On the sweep the team found a pair of Ho Chi Minh sandals that had been discarded by the enemy.  The team found nothing more and it was beginning to get dark, so the team moved to their LZ to be extracted.  While the extraction ships were inbound, team 11 received two rifle grenades that splashed 20 meters from their position.  The team could not determine where the grenades had been fired from.  The team suffered one WIA.

091907     Team 11 was extracted by UH1D in the vicinity of coordinates XT579297