"Bear Cat Convoy Ambush"
25 May 1968
At 1938 hours [7:38PM], SGT Thompson contacted Battalion TOC and advised them C Company Convoy Escort, “Available 20,”was enroute from Long Binh Post to the 9th Infantry Division Base Camp at Bear Cat with two Armored Personnel Carriers and one gun jeep.
Twenty-eight minutes later at 2006 hours [8:06PM], a Viet Cong force of unknown strength opened fire on his escort team from hidden positions along Highway QL-15 at Grid Coordinates, YS 123971, with small arms, automatic weapons, and RPG’s (Rocket Propelled Grenades) resulting in two immediate casualties.
The C Company MP’s engaged the hidden enemy in intense fire for several minutes before the enemy broke contact. The escort vehicles immediately started again for the safety of the Bear Cat Base when the hidden enemy again opened up with intense fire on their vehicles.
As they attempted to remove themselves from the kill zone one of the wounded MP’s was knocked from an APC and the escort team had to return to recover their fallen comrade.
After making a successful recovery of the wounded MP the vehicles finally made it out of the kill zone and into the Bear Cat Base at 2028 [8:28PM], hours, to deliver their wounded to the hospital.
The wounded C Company MP’s were: PFC Howard E. Doran, punctured eardrum; SP/4 Thomas E. Walker, shrapnel wound to the jaw; PFC. John R. Hollander, shrapnel wound in both knees; PFC Daniel J. Flynn, serious shrapnel wounds requiring an emergency tracheotomy.
PFC Daniel J. Flynn, age 20, of Kings Park, NY, would die of his wounds within several hours.
He served only 20 days in Vietnam.
 PFC Flynn |
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Information, photographs, and names of the MP's that worked or were wounded on this convoy escort, please notify the History Project Manager via the Email Link on the 25 May 1968 Time Line page. |