NICKOLAS FRAGOS
For me the action in Lang Vei started at 06 February at 1200 hours
when I went on guard. The weather was clear with small clouds at 2000
ft. At about 06 2300 hours a trip flare went off in the south outer
perimeter of the camp on the road leading to Lang Troai. Most of the
camp opened up at this time since all of us expected an attack in the
near future. After 15 minutes everyone stopped firing and again all
was normal. At 07015 hours another trip flare went off in about the
same area. At this time I saw two men cutting the wire in front of a
vehicle. The vehicle later was identified as a tank. Both men were cut
down by small arms fire from the camp pe3rimeter. At this time the tank
turned on its spotlight for about 30 seconds and "G-2d" the
area before running over the wire.
I ran down to the TOC and reported what I had witnessed to the CO
and to LTC Schungel. LTC Schungel came out with me to see it with his
own eyes. The tank had momentarily stopped and was shooting away at
the bunkers in 104 company area with its main gun and machinegun. Immediately
I went to get some LAWs that I had by my guard position. I came back
and started arming them. I managed to load them, one by one heading
them over to LTC Schungel. He fired at the two tanks visible. At this
time we heard the 106 recoilless fifle [sic] fire at the tanks. One
of the tanks caught on fire. We ran out of LAWs so I went to get some
more from the 4.2 mortar pit. At this time the 4.2 crew was putting
out illumination for the camp.
I grabbed 4 LAWs and proceeded to crawl back towards the TOC since
there were green tracers going over my head coming from the North side
of the wire. I reloaded all the LAWs, gave two to LTC Schungel and kept
two. My first LAW misfired or didn't fire at all. I was aiming the other
one at a tank coming up the hill in 104 company. This one seemed to
have landed between the ground and the front track of Schungel's position.
He couldn't get the safety out of one of the LAWs. I played with it
for a few minutes but was still unable to take the safety off. I went
down the TOC with the LAW to get a sharp instrument but was still unable
to remove the damn thing so I left the LAW there. I told the CO that
I was getting some fire from the North wire at which time he proceeded
to call V.T. on that area. Going back outside, I saw that the tank had
reached the top of the hill about 100 meters from the TOC. LTC Schungel
fired one of his LAWs and struck the side of the tank with a big splash
of fire. The tank kept on moving towards the Bru company area. Someone
had brought another LAW so LTC Schungel, SFC Holt, SP4 Moreland and
myself made a mad charge towards the Bru company area where the tank
was and attempted to fire the LAW. It didn't go off so we started shooting
at it with M-16s and throwing grenades, with no success. We moved back
towards the TOC at which time someone asked for some C-4. SP4 Moreland
and I moved to the 4.2 pit and were on our way to the ammo bunker for
C-4 when the fuel dump next to it blew up into roaring flame. Unable
to move towards the ammo bunker I found two more LAWs and SP4 Moreland
and myself moved back towards the TOC.
Back at the TOC was LTC Schungel, SP4 Murry and 1LT Wilkins. I gave
someone a LAW and attempted to fire one myself with no success. I started
firing my M-16 toward the south fence where I saw another tank approaching
the wire. I saw one tank to my left moving towards the TOC so I went
downstairs as I had expended all my ammo. Downstairs one of the MSF
SGT's and one Interpreter were wounded so I went to work on them with
the medical chest I had in the TOC. The whole front door of the TOC
had been blown away by a round from the tank. 1LT Longgrear had come
down the stairs and said he had seen four sappers and shot three of
them near the 81mm mortar pit. A tank was heard near the TOC so we assumed
that LTC Schungel had been killed. Everything was quiet in the TOC for
a while except the commo and the wounded in anguish. There were about
25 Vietnamese packed into the TOC. Amidst all the confusion we heard
a large explosion from the tower of the TOC so we imagined it was blown
away by the tank. Hand grenades started dropping down the tower and
a burst of flame exploded. Later we found out it was an incendiary grenade.
The place caught on fire from all the paper laying [sic] around the
TOC. On top of that, the smoke was so thick that it made visibility
impossible. The smoke also made breathing impossible unless you laid
flat on the floor. I scrambled around in the dark and found a gas mask
which I shared with the camp commander for a while. Next someone said
[sic] "They threw some gas". I saw the VNSF camp commander
coughing and speaking some Vietnamese to his people and the next thing
I saw was all the Vietnamese make it to the outside of the TOC including
our Interpreter. I waited about five minutes and went towards the door
of the TOC. I heard someone calling us in English and I shoved my head
slowly by the door and looked up outside of the TOC. The stairs and
the cover of the stairwell were blown off. Outside was real light from
spooky dropping flares. I saw five or six Vietnamese lined up around
the exit on top and my interpreter asking me to come out. I started
to ask him something when I saw the head of an NVA with a camouflaged
steel pot and an AK-50 folding stock pointed at the the prisoners. I
pulled back from the door and heard the click of a grenade follow me
and I scremed [sic] "grenade" [sic] while seeking cover in
the floor. The grenade blew up and I got a small piece of shrapnel in
the left elbow. I managed to move junk on top of me since more grenades
were tumbling down the staircase. Another English speaking voice asked
for the captain and if he had a weapon. Someone said yes and more hand
grenades came down. At times it sounded as if someone was crawling down
the stairs towards us. 1LT Longgrear, SP4 Moreland and I stood by the
door waiting. Then we opened up at the same time towards the door to
discourage anyone from coming down. I went into the CO's room to get
some ammo and a huge charge and explosion came down the air vent knocking
me unconscious. When I awoke it was about 0330. I could not hear anything
at this time. My ears were bad from firing the LAWs, yet I could hear
digging outside the TOC. But heard nothing inside the TOC. I assumed
that everyone was dead so I slowly crawled under the CO's bed. The smoke
was so bad that I started throwing up and someone said shhh! (shut up).
It seemed strange that someone else was alive, but playing dead, so
I crawled closer to the wall put my gas mask and waited. There was still
digging going on above me and hand grenades dropping down the air vents.
About daybreak I heard the sound of an airplane. Next I heard want I
knew to be A-1 skyraiders diving and dropping bombs on the camp. This
went on during the morning. We figured that the NVA had left the hill
but every time the plane made a pass, a machinegun on top of the TOC
would open up on the aircraft. Some time in the morning we got radio
contact with 15A, SFC Ashley, informing us that he, along with a small
force, was closing in our location to rescue us. This of course made
all of us very happy until we heard a firefight outside and a call on
the PRC-25 from SFC Ashley informing us that he was unable to reach
the TOC because of enemy resistance. Later on Ashley contacted us saying
that he was once again in the process of coming to our rescue. Again,
as twice before, a firefight was heard outside and the information came
to us via PRC-25 that all attempts had failed to rescue us. It was past
1200 hours and I had my hands full trying to calm down SP4 Moreland
who had earlier in the morning been hit in the head by the explosion
in the air vent, the largest explosion of the whole affair. He was semiconscious,
screaming when someone touched him, unable to recognize or understand
anything said to him. Realizing that morphine was contradictory in head
injuries I found it necessary to give him a morphine syrette I.M. to
keep him quiet as it was the only way possible that we could make the
enemy think that we were dead.
A-1 Skyraiders made pass after pass dropping their load of napalm
and bombs. About 1400 hours I once again saw the captain digging himself
out of the rubble. I had thought him dead since the first big explosion
in the TOC tower.
There were eight of us now. We were all injured in one way or another
except the two commo people (Dooms and Phillips). We decided that it
was getting late and it would be suicide to stay here another night.
We had been without water of food for over 24 hours. Everyone was physically
exhausted and close to the point of shock. I had thrown up about seven
times all through the night from the smoke and the gas causing me to
be dehydrated and weak.
We decided to make a break for it since no more rescue operations
would be attempted. At about 1530 CPT Willoughby called in all the napalm
and bombs that the A-1 skyraiders had to cover our withdrawal from the
TOC. Ashley had told us on the radio which route he received the least
enemy fire from. With 1LT Longgrear in the lead, each one of us climbed
the stairs and dashed towards supply bunker #2. I had almost reached
the supply bunker when I heard automatic fire from one of the bunkers
to my right. I dropped and observed 1LT Longgrear open up with his M-16
towards that bunker. No more resistance came from that bunker, so he
got up and ran towards highway 9 just below supply #2. Of the eight
Americans in the TOC, seven of us make it out. It was decided by all
of us that SP4 Moreland would be left behind since at this time he was
in complete shock and would require about four of us just to raise him
out of the TOC. The stairs were blown away, all that was left was a
hole to climb out of. Also it would require four of us to carry him
away and all but two of us were wounded and were unfit to help. We made
our way to highway 9 as the planes made dummy passes over the camp in
support of us.
When we reached the front gate we saw our jeep coming down the road
with Ashley's body in back. All of us got into the jeep and were taken
to the old camp where the helicopters came and took us to Khe Sanh combat
base. After initial medical care to most of us, we were put on a C-130
aircraft and flown to Danang.
/s/ Nickolas Fragos
/t/ NICKLOAS FRAGOS
SGT, [Service Number]