On November 14th, 1968, elements of Alpha & Bravo Companies, along with men from the battalion Recon and Mortar platoons of the 3/12 Infantry received orders to combat assault into separate landing zones (LZ) southeast of the battalion firebase on Hill 1338. Alpha Company, the Recon Platoon and two 81mm mortar crews were up first. The landing, accomplished by at least 12 sorties of Huey aircraft from the 119th Assault Helicopter Battalion, was uneventful. Alpha Company, under the command of Captain Donald Androsky, began to move through pre-designated checkpoints around the southern slope of Hill 770. Recon Platoon established a small perimeter near the LZ, and the mortar crews set up their 81mm tubes, ready to deliver fire support if needed.
Following the successful insertion of Alpha Company, the 119th AHC flight lead, callsign Gator 523, led his helicopters to Fire Support Base #6, where Bravo Company, under the command of Captain Matteson, waited for their own combat assault. The company would be joined by three Montagnard guides and a US Army dog tracker team. The first Bravo troops landed in another cold LZ at 0949 hours.
Although the landing zone was cold, the Huey door gunners were taking no chances, and swept the area around the LZ with a heavy volley of fire from their M-60 machine guns. Bravo Company’s Staff Sergeant Jose Ortiz, on board one of the first Huey’s in to the LZ, was startled by the unexpected cacophony, and initially believed the company was under enemy fire. He quickly realized the machine gun fire was all outgoing, disembarked the Huey and began to gather his platoon.
Soon after, the Huey helicopter Captain Matteson was riding on settled into the LZ. The young captain gauged the distance from skid to ground, and leapt off. His leap was ill timed, and the distance far greater than he expected. He hit the ground hard, and immediately crumpled. His leg was broken. His men gathered him and his gear up, threw him back on the helicopter he had just exited, and continued their mission.
First Lieutenant Ralph Parker, the senior platoon leader in the company, took command of the element on the ground. Lieutenant Colonel Richard X Larkin, who had assumed command of the battalion less than a month prior, named Captain Bardon Blizzard as Captain Matteson’s permanent replacement. He would join the company in the coming days, but until then, it was 1LT Parker’s company to run.
Bravo Company, its impromptu and unplanned change of command out of the way, continued its patrol route, crossing several small rivers and discovering two recently used trails. The two companies eventually linked up, and the Hueys of the 119th under the lead of Gator 523 arrived to lift them back to their respective firebases. By 1812 hours, the lift was complete, and aside from the unfortunate Captain Matteson, no one was the worse for wear.
All in all, it was just another day in Vietnam.
{authors note – all names, dates and unit designators were found in the S-3 Daily Journal for November 14, 1968, which can be found in its entirety here.}
