Post by Anonymous Vet on Dec 1, 2003 11:40:23 GMT -5
Plow uncovers unusual harvest
DAU TIENG, (25th Inf) - To engineers driving Rome plows, the job is for the most part routine, but not for Spec. 5 Richard Strubberg.
Working with the 588th Engineer Bn. from Dau Tieng, Strubberg was driving a Rome plow, cutting down rubber trees near a village in the Ben Cui Rubber Plantation. He was clearing a night location for the 1st Bn. (Mechanized), 5th Inf. near the site where human wave and mortar attacks had occurred four times in the last 10 days.
"We had been cutting down rubber trees there the day before," stated Strubberg, "and we had left a row of trees standing near the villagers' garden.
"We planned to cut the rest and then cut down that last row without damaging the villager's crops. I started plowing down the row, when I pushed over one big tree and it came out of the ground, roots and all. Then I saw a hole underneath the tree.
"I raised up in my seat and saw it was a well-made bunker and noticed - a leg sticking up."
“I grabbed my rifle, hopped off the plow and went over to the bunker to check it out. I thought it was a dead VC," he went on, "and then all of a sudden it moved!
"I just about jumped out of my skin.” I called Lt. Ward Hamlin, my platoon leader, who called out security team, the recon platoon of the 5th Mech. and in the meantime I started digging him out.
"I had caved in the bunker almost suffocating him. When, I got him out 1 waved my shirt over him to give him air. He was wounded in the hand, arm and head, but was well bandaged. He was real young and dressed in an NVA uniform."
A dust-off was called and they took him to Tay Ninh.
Lt. Ward Hamlin stated, "The 5th Mech. killed 37 VC and NV A here last night when they hit our night position. No doubt he was one of the wounded.”<br>
"He probably saw that remaining row of trees and figured we wouldn't cut it down, but we surprised him."
The Army Reporter, 19 October 1968
DAU TIENG, (25th Inf) - To engineers driving Rome plows, the job is for the most part routine, but not for Spec. 5 Richard Strubberg.
Working with the 588th Engineer Bn. from Dau Tieng, Strubberg was driving a Rome plow, cutting down rubber trees near a village in the Ben Cui Rubber Plantation. He was clearing a night location for the 1st Bn. (Mechanized), 5th Inf. near the site where human wave and mortar attacks had occurred four times in the last 10 days.
"We had been cutting down rubber trees there the day before," stated Strubberg, "and we had left a row of trees standing near the villagers' garden.
"We planned to cut the rest and then cut down that last row without damaging the villager's crops. I started plowing down the row, when I pushed over one big tree and it came out of the ground, roots and all. Then I saw a hole underneath the tree.
"I raised up in my seat and saw it was a well-made bunker and noticed - a leg sticking up."
“I grabbed my rifle, hopped off the plow and went over to the bunker to check it out. I thought it was a dead VC," he went on, "and then all of a sudden it moved!
"I just about jumped out of my skin.” I called Lt. Ward Hamlin, my platoon leader, who called out security team, the recon platoon of the 5th Mech. and in the meantime I started digging him out.
"I had caved in the bunker almost suffocating him. When, I got him out 1 waved my shirt over him to give him air. He was wounded in the hand, arm and head, but was well bandaged. He was real young and dressed in an NVA uniform."
A dust-off was called and they took him to Tay Ninh.
Lt. Ward Hamlin stated, "The 5th Mech. killed 37 VC and NV A here last night when they hit our night position. No doubt he was one of the wounded.”<br>
"He probably saw that remaining row of trees and figured we wouldn't cut it down, but we surprised him."
The Army Reporter, 19 October 1968