THE MEN
INVOLVED WITH CHU PA
(Operation Green Lightning Log) is a
real eye opener....it was a stunning perspective that the "grunts" on
the ground, and the "cannon-cockers" in the gun pits seldom, if ever,
see.
The Log indicates that the A/2/9th Arty (and the other artillery units) shot
nearly 1,100 rounds in prepping and providing close in support for the 1-14th,
1-12th, & 1-35th.
At that time, only very few Fire Direction Center crews were on the
"sticks" (as opposed to FADAC). The
fastest, and the oldest was a coarse, rough, and very accurate guy named
"SKI" (PFC Dennis Mrowczynski) "Ski"
had been around...he knew his job and every other job in the FDC....he was much
faster than "Freddie Fadac".
I never knew if the FADAC really ever worked, especially at firing
so many rounds at "danger close". I don't know if 'Ski' ever really
got any kind of thanks for his work, but it was a real, in your face, hard,
sweaty, and heart stopping application of what Ft. Sill had trained him to do,
and then some!!!!
I know firsthand that Sp4 Clint Curry
and Sp4 Bob Burnett, and some I have forgotten were right there also...taking
their turn to fire those rounds on the outside of a 150 meter to 300 meter
circle. The Battery Commander, Capt. Williams, never missed a beat...he never
assumed....he double and triple checked the data when firing "danger
close". The Chief of Smoke was busy building, resupplying, rotating crews,
and guns. Oddly, who would've
realized his biggest threat was all those powder bags...how do you get rid of
5-6 thousand bags of powder and not start the fire base on fire.....much less
all the other ordinance.
If it was "karma" that the
four CO's of the 1/14th had 4 FO's that were up to the task, then so be it.
To me, it all came down to the "boots on the ground".
All those CO's, including the attached 1-12th & 1-35th...had to know
where ALL their troops were at all times. My
god, just look at the terrain, those PRC-8 radios that the point and a few
others had, the coordination it took for Lts (Richard) Pearce, (Gilbert) Atha,
(Hermie "Rucksack") Rucker, and Paul Baumgarter to watch their
companies and the rounds each of them were shooting near the other units.
Lt Atha running two fire missions, and sitting on top of 2-500 lb
unexploded bombs...and then two NVA coming down the trail at him, and he takes
one of them out with his M-16.
LZ TOMMIE: If you go to
the "Military Links" of the 2/9th website and then to the
Red Warriors website for maps, check out map 6537 III, (YA952678) the
Polei Yome map, you can then shift to the site of the CHU PA mountain, and
across a very small ravine, you can find LZ TOMMIE at 955 665.
PFC Jim "Tex" and I took a
hike down the mountain to fetch some water.
We carried at least two five gallon cans, and every canteen we could
find. Our Advance Party got there on
LZ Tommie near the 26Jan69, and we left
on the 17th or so of February. Maybe
seven of us went down for the water (we were nuts).
Why that NVA element near the base of the mountain didn't see or hear us
is the "dumb luck" we all tell stories about.
Most of us were in country for a few months or so...what were we
thinking?
A Btry 2/ 9th
FO Party B-1st-14th Inf. 1969