Patrol Report

Blue Spruce 

July 12th-15th, 1968 #500-68

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The Jim Southall Story, Over 100 Patrol Reports.

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LCpl Jim Southall 22nd Patrol, 72 hours with 1 sighting of 13VC in Mortar Valley.

Members of Lance corporal Jim Southall's 22nd patrol were:

Corporal Jimmy Linn, this is the 7th time Jimmy Linn & Jim Southall will work together on patrol. This is my 1st Patrol in 1st Recon, Cpl Linn was the best Patrol Leader I worked with in Vietnam. Jim Southall worked Jimmy Linn on ten patrols in Vietnam. Patrols they worked together on: patrols 14-18 & 21-25.

Cpl Dorriety, worked with Jim Southall on ten patrols in 1st Recon Battalion. Patrols 15-17, 19, 21-24 & 26-27 in 1968.

LCpl Jerry Keker, will appear on 13th patrol reports with Jim Southall in 1968. Patrols 12-19, 21-23 & 26-27 Jerry carried the M-79 grenade launcher on most of the patrols. Except for this patrol where I carried it. Jerry was a member of Bravo Company 1968-1969. Jerry Passed Away peacefully on February 7, 2015. Click Here Rest in peace my brother.

Corpsman Cothran, this is the 3rd patrol he worked together with Jim Southall. They will work together on 7 patrols in 1968. Patrols 19, 21-22 and 24-27 this was one of the best corpsman in 1st Recon.

LCpl Morris, this is the 7th time he worked together with Jim Southall on patrol. Patrols 2-3, 12, 18-23 and 25-27 before Jim Southall is wounded in action (WIA) on his 28 patrol in 1968.

PFC Floyd Ruggles, will appear on 6 patrol reports with Jim Southall. Patrols 22, 23, 26 & 29-31 in 1st Recon, Bravo Company. This was my 1st patrol in Vietnam I carried the M-79 grenade launcher on that patrol. You're probably wondering why I still remember that after 50 plus years. Will the rookie Marine had an accidental discharge with it in the thick bush on the second day of the patrol. I thank God that I had a 40 mm round in the Tube and not a buckshot round at the time. After that I always check the safetey after moving in and out of thick brush.

PFC Nelson Livington, was one of the best radio operator in Bravo Company. He will work with Jim Southall on 13 patrols in 1968. Patrols 14-19 and 21-27.

PFC Delbert Enos, this is the 11th time they worked together on patrol. Patrols 10-19, 21-23 & 25-27 in 1968. PFC Delbert Enos worked as the rear point (tail-end Charlie) on most of his Patrols with 1st Recon.

PFC Armstrong, this is the last 4th Patrol with Jim Southall in 1968. They will work together on 5 patrols. Patrols 14, 15 & 21-23 in 1st Recon Battalion. 

PFC Herman Jones Jr, will appear on 3 patrol reports with Jim Southall. Patrols 22, 24, & 25 in 1968. Herman became my best friend in Vietnam and remains a very good friend today. Jonse was with Bravo Company 6/68 - 7/69.

PFC Williams, will appear on 4 patrol reports with Jim Southall. Patrols 22-24 & 27 in 1968.

The Jim Southall Story

Some Give It All

The Jim Southall Story

1st Recon Battalion
1967 - 1970

The Jim Southall Story, Over 100 Patrol Reports.

A work in progress!

The Jim Southall Story
Some Give It All

M-79 grenade launcher

The M79 is easy to operate. To load, the grenadier pushes the barrel locking latch on the receiver group to the right. Gravity will pull down the barrel, breaking it open, and exposing the breech. The hammer is cocked when the breech is opened. A round then may be loaded. The break action must then be closed manually. Closing the breech will cause the barrel locking latch to return to center. The safety must then be pushed to the forward position in order to ready the weapon for firing.

M79 grenade launcher

217 Hours on Ba Na in Happy & Laech Valley

Vietnam Jungle

101st Airborne Division Returns to A Shau Valley Vietnam War (1970)

101st Airborne Division Returns to A Shau Valley Vietnam War (1970)

The A Shau Valley is a valley in Vietnam's, Thừa Thiên province, west of the city of Huế along the border with Laos. The valley was one of the key entry points into South Vietnam for men and matériel brought along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by the communist forces and was the scene of heavy fighting during the Vietnam War.

The Battle of A Shau was waged in early 1966 during the Vietnam War between the North Vietnamese Army and the forces of the United States and South Vietnam. The battle began on March 9 and lasted until March 10 with the fall of the special forces camp of the same name. The battle was an outright victory for the North Vietnamese; it was nevertheless a costly battle that U.S. estimates suggest cost the attackers almost half of their force.

On March 8, the camp was placed on general alert and the camp's defenders had taken up their positions. During the night an enemy assault was thrown back.

Because of the presence of the Air Commandos, the North Vietnamese 325th Division decided to capitalize on the poor weather conditions that would hinder tactical air support and resupply efforts. The attack on the Special Forces Camp began during the early hours of March 9 with mortar bombardment, damaging the communication line and reducing defensive positions to rubble. Upon the request of the detachment commander, at 13:00 an AC-47D "Spooky 70" from the 4th Air Commando Squadron, circling the camp, managed to attack North Vietnamese formations but was shot down and crashed about five kilometers north of the camp. All six crewmen survived the crash, but were attacked by NVA troops. Three crewman were killed but the other three were eventually rescued by a USAF HH-43. Also present but never declared was a small detachment of Marines. 3 to 5 Marine Scout/Snipers from the 3rd Battalion 9th Marines. No reported casualties or recovered Marines.

Between 16:30 and 17:00, supplies of ammunition were flown in by C-123 and CV-2 aircraft, but the resupply drops often landed outside of the camp and could not be retrieved. At the same time, helicopters were called in to evacuate the wounded. Additional reinforcements from Huế and Phu Bai could not be deployed because of the bad weather, so the camp's defenders repaired their defensive wall as well as they could and dug in for the night.

On the morning of March 10, the North Vietnamese Army launched another attack with mortar and recoilless rifle fire. At 05:00 an assault team penetrated the east wall of the camp, where hand-to-hand combat took place for three hours. By 08:00 the defenders had withdrawn to the camp's north wall. Throughout the day USMC and VNAF bombers strafed North Vietnamese positions around the camp, but as fighting continued the situation deteriorated with ammunition supplies running short. As a result, a decision was made to evacuate all personnel.

At 17:00 all communication equipment was destroyed. The survivors carried out their evacuation orders and destroyed all their weapons and withdrew further to the north wall of the camp. Leading the evacuation effort were fifteen H-34 helicopters from HMM-163 supported by four UH-1B gunships. Panic-stricken Vietnamese mobbed the evacuation helicopters and overwhelmed U.S. Special Forces troops as they abandoned the camp. The evacuation of the camp was complicated by heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire, and two H-34s were lost.

July 10th, 1968

July 10th, 1968

July 10th, 1968

Battle of A Sau