Patrol Report

Ice Bound 

Jim Southall

Jim Southall Web page

December 30th, 1967 - January 2nd, 1968 #717-67

or photos

Patrol Report # O14-68 

PFC Southall 2nd Patrol 103 hours on Charlie Ridge

New Year's Day 1968

The Jim Southall Story, Over 100 Patrol Reports.

Click the link at the bottom of this page for the next patrol report.

Charlie Ridge

That is one of those geologic fingers which protrudes from the high, jungle covered mountains, to point accusingly toward the sea. There is very little vegetation on Charlie Ridge, a lot of rock formations and it is not very high, rising from only 50 feet or so in the east or seaward end to some 4,500 feet in the west as it disappears into the jungle coverage at the base of Ba Na Mountain.

PFC Southall was assigned a special weapon, the M-79 grenade launcher, as his primary weapon. It looks like a sawed-off shotgun and shoots a 40mm round of either high explosives, shotgun pellets, CS gas (tear gas), or illumination canister. He trained with the M-79 before the patrol getting  comfortable and proficient with it. Along with the M-79, he carried a Colt .45 pistol for personal protection.

Charlie Ridge

Charlie Ridge

Charlie's Ridge is not a ridge. It was a mountain range that was over 10 miles long and ran off our map. The top of the mountain range was covered by clouds.

Recon’s main function was to pinpoint the locations of Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops in strongholds near us. We patrolled in small teams of usually 10 to 12 men. Because we would be on patrol for four to seven days, we traveled light and wore no flak jackets or helmets. You didn't have to tavel far on Charlie Ridge to find the ememy. Now you know why they call it Charlie Ridge. This mountain range was covered with VC & NVA.

Members of PFC Jim Southall's 2nd patrol were:

PFC Darrell Edward Campanello. Darrell will work with Jim five more times on patrols before being killed on hill 200. Click Here

PFC Jeffery Scott Patterson will work with Jim two more times on patrols before he was killed on hill 200 on June 3rd, 1968. Click Here

PFC  Whiting  will work with Jim six more times before he is wounded in action (WIA) on hill 200 and  sent home. 

LCpl David M Dye will work with Jim Southall four more times on patrols 3, 6-7 & 10 in 1968. David became a state trooper in Tennessee.

PFC Bruce E. Oiler will work with Jim Southall on one more patrol in 1968.

Sgt Robert M Kerstetter will appear on one more patrol report in 1968.

LCpl Richard Allen Everhart will work with Jim on two more patrols.

Cpl Allen P Florino only worked this one time on patrol with Jim Southall.

Corpsman Hesting only worked this one time with Jim.

Lieutenant Molyneaux only worked this one patrol with Jim.

Cpl J.A. Matton will work with Jim six more times. Cpl Matton was Jim Southall's inspiration to become a patrol leader in 1st Recon.

PFC David B Morris will work on ten more patrols with Jim Southall in 1968.

The Jim Southall Story

1st Recon Battalion

Bravo Company

1967-1970

The Jim Southall Story

Over 100 Patrol Reports.

Click the link at the bottom of this page for the next patrol report. 

Over 100 Patrol Reports.

Click the link at the bottom of this page for the next patrol report. 

The Jim Southall Story

Some Give It All

The Jim Southall Story

Hill 868

Some Give It All