“I was assigned as the commander of Mississippi 31, the scout vehicle for the Tay Ninh convoy. I was awakened at 2:00 AM by the CQ-runner. My crew was SP/4 Paul R. Hrip as driver, PFC Wesley Walker the gunner and me SP4 Dan Dobbs.

   After going through the usual shit, shower and shave we went to the mess hall for breakfast. While Paul went to the motor pool to get our assigned jeep and Wesley went to get his M-60 from the armory I got some sandwiches and C rations from the cooks. We always carried a cooler in our jeep so I filled it with ice and cans of pop. When we were set I reported to the NCOIC that we were ready and the three of us proceeded to the perimeter gate. When the other MP jeeps started to pull up Paul, Wesley and I left the base camp and turned right on highwai317 that ran along the south perimeter of Long Binh base. When we got to the intersection of 317 and 316, at the Dong Nai Bridge we pulled over and waited until we were told by the NCOIC to head out.

   The convoy left Long Binh about 4:40 AM. The NCOIC radioed TOC (Overtake) on frequency 50.00 FM and told them the convoy was ready to leave and then gave them the vehicle count by saying, "We have, I shackle, Lima, alpha-papa vehicles." The shackle code that day was LAST PERIOD. He then called me over the radio and said, "Mississippi 3 to Mississippi 31, you can proceed now.

   Paul pulled out on to Highway-316 heading southwest toward Saigon. I always ran the scout about a mile ahead of the convoy so we would have enough time to react to anything we come across before the convoy got there.

   It was still dark out when we were approaching the Newport Bridge we noticed a glow in the sky over the city of Saigon. When we got to the bridge a 716 MP jeep waved us over and told us that Saigon was under attack from several VC and NVA battalions and we couldn't enter because it was too dangerous, with fighting through out the city. I told them that we were the scout-vehicle for the 25th Division resupply convoy and that we were not to be stopped. They again told me that the fighting through out the city was extremely heavy and there was no safe passage. I then radioed this info to the NCOIC and he said to proceed with caution.

   We started up the Newport Bridge, and came up to where the VC had blown part of the bridge out. Paul drove around the hole that was one lane wide and about twenty-five feet long. I looked down through the hole and could see the ground under the bridge. A little further up the bridge was a dead NVA lying in the roadway.

   Off in the distance I could hear shooting and explosions coming from many areas.

   When we got to within six blocks from Tan Son Nut airbase, and were getting ready to turn left onto the street that would take us to highway 1 we were stopped by another 716 MP crew. They told us that the street had about a battalion of VC and NVA for the entire four-block area and we would never get through. I then radioed a situation report back to the NCOIC. He told me to stand by and he would come up and check the situation out. Whenever I looked around the building we were next to I would receive automatic weapon fire directed at me. I was standing next to the building when a Japanese reporter and his cameraman came up to me and put a microphone in my face and asked, "What are you doing to do?" I looked at him and said, "I don't know yet." When the VC started firing again the reporter and cameraman disappeared.

   After a while the convoy NCOIC came up and I showed him all the firing coming from the street we had to travel. He then got on the radio and advised Overtake of the situation. He then came back to me and he said, "We have to turn the convoy around and get it back to Long Binh. I want your crew to stay here and hold the VC back until the convoy turns around!" He then took off and the other MPs did an outstanding job turning the trucks in those narrow streets. All this time we were receiving fire from the buildings and the street.

   After the last truck and gun jeep turned and took off Paul, Wesley and I took off and now was the last gun jeep. We had gone about ten blocks when Paul said, "We're heading into Colon, not back to Long Binh!" I then radioed the NCOIC and asked where he was. He said he was at the Newport Bridge. I told him that his convoy must have separated and was almost in Colon. I then told Paul to pass the trucks because we had to turn them around. Paul then pulled to the left of the trucks and passed them on the sidewalk and roadway knocking over all kinds of debris. Stuff was flying every when as it got knocked over. It was very frightening but Paul did such a good job. After passing about forty trucks I told the driver to turn around and fallow us. He said, "I lost sight of the truck in front of me because he was so far ahead of me, I must have made a wrong turn!" After we got those forty trucks turned we headed back and returned to Long Binh.

   We got back to our company area and gathered in front of the orderly room. SGT Shane came up to me and asked about the trucks that were heading toward Colon. I told him that Paul noticed they were heading into Colon so I radioed the NCOIC and apparently he didn't know the trucks got separated. Sergeant Shane then said, "All you guys wait here!" When he came back he said, "We are cutting the convoy down to just ammo and fuel and you guys have to get it to Cu Chi because the 25th needed it. He then assigned a different NCO as the convoy commander. It turned out that our Company Commander 1LT Daryl K. Solomonson relieved the original NCOIC because he got the convoy separated.

   We took off with the new NCOIC with thirty ammo and ten fuel trucks. When we got back to the street where we were turned around the fighting hadn't let up. The NCOIC then advised us that we had to go down the street because there was not another way around. He then said to me, "Dan, I need you, Paul and Wesley to be the last vehicle and are responsible for picking up anyone injured or their vehicle stopped, OK?" Paul and Wesley looked at me with a look on their faces like- let's get this done! They both went through the Tet-Offensive. I arrived a few weeks after Tet.

   When the NCOIC turned and led the convoy up the street I never heard such ferocious shooting. There was so much firing that the air was dark gray as I looked down the street and watched the truck race through the kill zone. When the last truck got through the three of us took off and sped through the street. I could hear nothing but the shooting. Paul was firing his M-16 with his right hand and driving with his left. Wesley was firing his M-60 nonstop. I kept firing my M-16 and reloading as fast as I could.

   It seemed like hours going down that street but in reality it was about a minute. I couldn't believe it that we and everyone else made it through with out being wounded. Paul, again, was outstanding handling the jeep and Wesley was deadly with his M-60. After we got through I radioed the Mississippi 3 and advised him that everyone made it and no trucks were lost. He then told me that he would wait for us at checkpoint 051, the side gate at Tan Son Nhut. When we pulled up to him he said, "Good job, now lead your convoy in to Cu Chi!" The way he said it made the three of us feel good.

   When we got to Cu Chi there was fighting in the village and a crew from C troop, 3/4 Cavalry told us that we should be able to make it to the road leading into the base camp. When we turned right onto the road going into the base we started receiving fire from the village to the east. All of our gun jeeps pulled off the road down in the rice paddies, dismounted, and returned fire. The shooting lasted about five minutes then the 25th cleared the village.

   When the shooting ended the NCOIC checked all of us and told us to go into the base and refuel and rearm. We then headed back to Long Binh, and when we reached Tan Son Nhut we were ordered to go into the base and to spend the night there. All through the night we could hear the fighting in the city. The next morning we made it back to Long Binh with out incident.”