B 2-5 August 15, 1966 Events account by Dale Isbell

We, Recon, air assaulted into the Ia Drang at dusk on
the 12th. They put us into an LZ surrounded by huge
draping trees.  There was about 2 inches of water on the
ground and a spooky mist hugging everything. It was
the scariest place I had been, to that date. We moved
in the dark until about midnight and then just
stopped, sat down and waited for first light. You
could hear occasional firing in the distance but
nothing major seemed to happening.

The next morning we put one squad out about 300 yards
ahead of our other three and we had not walked more
than 15 minutes when the advance squad got into a
firefight. We moved up to them but the NVA had bugged
already. We went about another mile and found a bunch
of NVA bodies laying all over the place. Judging from
their condition they had been hit the day before by
arty or an air-strike.

We kept moving for a few hours and suddenly took fire.
We spread out across a front and returned fire down
this little wooded valley. We stayed behind cover for
what seemed like a long time and then the firing
started about 200 yards away near the down hill end of
the valley, B 2/5 had arrived.

B company spread out across the other end and up both
sides of the valley opposite us. We had the NVA
effectively surrounded.

Being a lowly grunt I can not say for sure what went
on between the leaders but after what seemed like
hours they finally laid a few rounds of mortar fire
into the valley and then ran out of ammo.

Things milled and mulled for a while and it was
starting to get dark. Suddenly our platoon leader
ordered everyone up on their feet, to fix bayonets and
we attacked down the valley in a line. I assume Capt
Taylor of B co ordered us to do it since we had the
uphill end of the valley. I remember a few bullets
zipping by but shortly it was so dark that all you
could do was fire at body shapes illuminated by gun
flashes.

When we reached the other end of the valley and
stopped firing Capt. Taylor appeared and ordered us to
wait and then fall in behind his last platoon. It was
so dark that we put luminous 'fox fire' twigs and
leaves on the back of our helmets so we could have
some idea where the guy in front of you was. B co had
a couple of wounded men that were hurting real bad and
could not stay quiet. I remember checking and I had 2
rounds of M16 ammo left.

We finally arrived to the location where B companies mortar
platoon was set up and Capt Taylor assigned us, Recon,
a section of the parameter to defend. We dug in and
shortly our squad leaders came by and gave each of us
a couple of magazines of ammo as they had
redistributed the ammo from B Co's squads and mortar
platoon.

We dug in, put out our trip flares and claymores and I
think I drew the first shift to sleep. I was awaken
within a couple of hours by the noise of a big
firefight erupting about 1/2 mile away. B company had left
a platoon in an ambush position on our trail to the CP
and they had ambushed a large group of NVA. After the
fight settled down the next interesting thing to
happen was one of the crazy X-11th Air Assault chopper
pilots crashed his Huey thru the trees into the middle
of our position bringing in ammo, mortar rounds, food
and medical stuff. 

The next morning, the 14th, we, Recon, went back to
the valley that we had made the attack down and
counted 15 dead NVA soldiers. We picked up their arms
and equipment and went back to the B Company CP. B Company's
ambush came in while we were gone. I don't remember
how many NVA they killed but I am under the impression
that our platoon leader noted that it was the most
successful ambush in Vietnam to that date. A number
around 66 NVA seems to come to my mind.

We spent that night with B co and the next morning,
the 15th, we and B co moved together about a mile or
so to an open LZ. B co set up security and Capt Taylor
order us, Recon onto the first group of choppers to
come in.

The rest of this I got from B Co survivors later on at
the end of the air strip at Pleiku where they
re-grouped our whole battalion and shipped us back to
An Ke.

We had hardly lifted out when the LZ was mortared by
the NVA. Capt. Taylor and his RTO were hit by one of
the very first rounds and both killed instantly. In
the first few minutes of confusion a few more men were
hit. As the senior B Co platoon leader got things
organized again he ordered the company off the LZ in
the direction of a hill slope. They moved through
their men that were on that side of the LZ for
security and immediately ran smack into a NVA bunker
line on the hill and were pinned down by small arms
and machine guns. They were pinned down there for
quite a while until platoons of another 2/5 Company,
Charlie or Alpha company hit the bunkers from the back
and side causing the NVA to bug out.

I hope this is of some use to you. I am sorry that the
only man from B Co that I have a clear memory of was
Capt. Taylor. For what its worth he struck me as an
excellent officer and a competent combat leader.