Tay Ninh Convoy Ambushed, on Highway QL-22

Thursday, 12 September 1968, 1030 hrs.

        I was in either Unit #30 or #31 that day with SGT Moak [SSG Robert Joseph Moak, Jan 1968 to Jan 1969] and PFC Strickland as the machine gunner.

The attack took place on Highway QL-22 between Go Dau Ha and Tay Ninh right by the Michelin Corporation Rubber Plantation, apparently this was the same spot as the 25 August 1968 ambush where SP/4 Guy A. Davison was Killed In Action and five other C Company MP’s wounded.

It was rumored that the local Michelin office paid the Viet Cong to leave the harvesters alone and we [U.S. Government] had to pay $50 a tree for any trees that we damaged, a lot got damaged this day.

The attack started with a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) hitting the first vehicle of the 59 vehicle convoy, after the #28 unit, which was the NCOIC vehicle, SSG Hosmer [SSG Darwin D. Hosmer, 1968 to 1969] was in command. The truck caught on fire and SSG Hosmer continued on to Tay Ninh with what was left of the first march unit. A second truck was also hit as I recall, one was a tanker, the second was carrying artillery shells.

We were halted east of the ambush site, we dismounted and occupied a ditch on the right hand side of the road. We were ordered forward and then stopped again just short (maybe half mile to a mile) of the kill zone. This time SGT Moak, could see movement in the rubber trees off to our right, he opened up with his M-79 and either he hit a tree in front of us or else a mortar round came in and hit the tree. SP/4 Lambert [SP/4 Bruce R. Lambert, Feb 1967 to 1969] took some shrapnel in his back, he did not know it until a couple of hours later.

After about 10 minutes we were ordered into the kill zone with about 12 trucks with instructions to move straight through it. The 25th Infantry Divisions Cavalry Unit had tanks and tracks on the right hand side where the fire was coming from and they were putting out suppressing fire.

Just as we were half way through the zone, we were ordered to stop. The truck that was carrying the artillery shells was about to blow, the truckers got out as did we. Tracer rounds were coming in pretty good. The MP gun jeep behind us also entered the kill zone but most of their trucks were just outside of the zone, the MP's came up to assist us.

The burning ammunition truck blew and the engine block wound up 100 feet west of where the truck was, glad it went that way. We were showered with metal and wood and all kinds of garbage but no one got hurt.

The blast left a big hole in the road. We were again ordered to move so we instructed the drivers to follow us, when we left the ditch they were to do the same. I threw the M-60 machine gun into the back of the jeep and dived in behind it, SGT Moak dove into his seat and PFC Strickland gunned the jeep. It turned out that only one truck got out with us, a deuce and half. It had all the tires shot out but one, the trucker drove it out on the rims. I don't know how long we had been in there, it seemed like a long time but my guess is less than 20 minutes

SSG Hosmer ordered us back in to get the rest of the trucks, the convoy the day before had not returned to Long Binh as there had been major fighting going on in Tay Ninh City. So SGT Tate [SGT Raymond H. Tate, May 1968 to May 1969] and SP/4 Murphy [SGT Albert Murphy, 1968 to 1969] who had been with that convoy along with a number of other gun jeeps came out to help, they called in that they would go in and get the trucks. They returned with all of the remaining trucks, most had bullet holes and shot up tires, but no major damage.

While we had been in the kill zone an ARVN unit had been choppered into a clearing to the East of the rubber trees, they were to advance and catch Charley in a cross fire, they were on the ground 2 minutes when the choppers landed again and they boarded and left.

We had also been warned by an ARVN unit sitting in Trang Bang Village that there were plenty of VC up ahead.

The units after us made it through with fiew problems, Charley faded away after the truck exploded. We got to Tay Ninh , replentished our ammunition and prepared for our return trip to Long Binh Post.

The final tally on our side was 1 dead and 5 or 6 wounded, one being SP/4 Bruce Lambert. The story was that the KIA was a lieutenant commanding the tracks but I didn't see that. There was a lieutenant standing on top of the tracks directing fire with no regard to his own safety, so maybe it was him. The wounded were either truckers or the track guys. The only trucks lost were the two I mentioned above, no units were turned around, all completed the run.

The next day no convoy ran to Tay Ninh because there were no trucks or escort vehicles at Long Binh, they were still at Tay Ninh. The 14 MP units and about 150-175 trucks started the return from Tay Ninh to Long Binh. There was on ambush on the return trip, however, they threw one mortar round at us, just to let us know they were still there.

When I went back up two days later the rubber trees had been cut back 50 feet so the VC could not get close to the road. SP/4 Murphy, SGT Tate and SSG Frazier [SSG Charles H. Frazier, 1968 to 1969] had it, the return trip the next day was the last time they ran convoy. They had been pinned down all day during the 25 August 68 ambush. SP/4 Murphy and SGT Tate got assigned to R&U (restoration and upkeep), SSG Frazier remained as platoon sergeant for convoys but did not go on the road. My days on convoy were also coming to an end, two weeks after this I was assigned to TDY at the stockade, then into the orderly room. SGT Moak also went to the orderly room as Operations Sergeant and then to the Hospital Guard Detail. PFC Stickland remained on convoy for his entire tour.

SP/4 Harold G. “Harry” Lambert, C Company, 720th MP Battalion, September 1968 to November 1969.

At this time there are no photographs available in the Vietnam Project Archives for, SSG Hosmer

SSG Frazier

SGT Moak

SGT Tate

At this time there are no photographs available in the Vietnam Project Archives for, SP/4 B. Lambert

SP/4 H. Lambert

SP/4 Murphy

At this time there are no photographs available in the Vietnam Project Archives for, PFC Strickland

Note: If anyone can provide any other information or photographs of the MP escort detail or ambush please notify the History Project Manager.