Vietnam Battles---27
Loc Ninh Airstrip

At 0055 HOURS ON 31 OCTOBER, the fire support patrol base at the airstrip and the Special Forces CIDG camp were again mortared. Three hours later the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 272d VC Regiment attacked, in three waves, across the airstrip, only to be cut down by high explosive rounds fired point-blank up the runway by A Battery, 6/15 Arty, positioned at the south end of it.

The men from "Deadly" utilized on of their 105mm howitzers to fire over 300 rounds in self -illumination. Another tube fired over 500 rounds across the airstrip to break up the attack and the remaining four howitzers fired a total of 700 rounds in a countermorat rocket program. When the firing subsided, the Battle of Loc Ninh Airstrip had claimed the lives of 82 Viet Cong. Light fireteams and 69 USAF sorties accounted for another 44 enemy killed. US casualties were only 10 wounded.

Later, when the attackers tried to scale the walls of the compound, they were puched back by the highly effective ARVN [Note: Probably CIDG] soldiers manning the perimeter.

THE FIRST DAY OF NOVEMBER saw a slackening in the bitter fighting as enemy fire, while directed at all friendly positions around Loc Ninh, was only light and sporadic. But at about 0215 hours both the District headquarters and CIDG compound came under a mortar, small arms, machinegun and RPG attack. However, the Viet Cong were unable to mass for a ground attack because of the deadly point-bland fires being directed at them again by A Battery, 6/15 Arty.

During the day the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry (LTC James F. Cochran III, Bn Cmdr), uncovered and destroyed a new enemy basecamp consisting of seven killed two of six Viet Cong who had set up an ambush in defense of the camp, not far from the battalion's NDP. In all, 20 enemy were killed in the day's fighting.

Meanwhile, the Big Red One conducted a Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) in the village of Loc Ninh itself, treating 75 patients while the Division Band held a concert in the village square. 21 cases of blankets and 1,500 pounds of rice were also distributed to Loc Ninh refugees, several thousand of whom had journeyed to An Loc, 13 miles south when the fighting broke out on 29 October.