Stars
& Stripes
17Jan68
"Off
Target Shell Does Dual Duty"
TAM
KY,
A
Btry., 2nd Bn., 9th Arty., chalked up one of the most unusual enemy kills in the
Americal Div.'s area of operations recently when a smoke marker round killed an
NVA soldier.
Operating
north of Chu Lai, one platoon of C Co., 1st Bn. 35th Inf., on reconnaissance
spotted several NVA in a clearing near their position.
Two
of the enemy were dropped with M16 fire while other headed for cover. Platoon
leader, Lt. Gary Nogle called the company's artillery forward observer Lt. Bert
Landau, for assistance from A Btry.
From
a nearby hill, Landau called for a marker round on one of his preplotted
positions. The first round was slightly off target and Nogle radioed back the
correction. Feeling that this would put an artillery round a little too close to
the infantry patrol, Landau set up a compromise reading calling for a second
marker.
As
the round whistled overhead the GI's saw an NVA step out from behind some bushes
to retrieve a fallen comrade hit by small arms fire.
By
a strange quirk of fate, the smoke round burst considerably lower to the ground
than usual and happened to be right over the stunned NVA who was killed by the
metal fragments.
Additional comments from Lt Bert Landau:
January, 2012
LT
Nogle was one of the best. His older brother was killed in RVN a few years
earlier and he didn't have to be there but he volunteered. A month and a half
after that very unusual kill, Kerry stepped on a mine. He lived but was
paralyzed in his lower body. I think he's still alive and living on the streets
in Seattle but I have failed in my search for him.