On 19-20 May 1967 Companies A and C, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, combined with C Troop 3/4th Cav,
were in action at the village of Vinh Hien, about 3 miles northwest of Duc Pho in Quang Ngai Province. The two day
battle saw the 'Cacti' claim 89 Viet Cong killed in action and a major Viet Cong complex destroyed, but at the cost of ten
American lives:
- A , 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment
- C Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment
- C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment
- C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 9th Artillery Regiment
The 35th Infantry web site has an extract of the 1967 Operations Report,
Lessons Learned which describes the events of the battle. The circumstances of PFC Rush's death within that report are:
"At 0900 hours on the 20th, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, located a VC bunker complex 100 meters west of their night
location. An engineer squad from D Company, 65th Engineer Battalion, was airlifted with explosives to the LZ and was carried by
an APC to that location. Elements from both C/3-4 Cavalry and A/2-35 provided security while the engineers worked on the destruction
of the Viet Cong camp and its bunker complex."
At 1221H, this work party came under attack by the enemy. Firing RPG-2's, the enemy hit one of the APC's, killing the track
commander and driver. The APC was destroyed. In reinforcing the engineer work party A/2-35 (-) and C/3-4 Cav (-) met heavy enemy
resistance, but aggressively fought through it driving them to the southwest.
At 1341, C/2-35 was alerted to move to a pick-up site where they would be extracted for a combat assault southwest of the
contact area. The battalion reconnaissance platoon was alerted to move from LZ LIZ to vic BS768463.
At 1410 an airstrike helped to break up enemy concentration.
By 1448, Recon Company of 2-35th Infantry was in position and by 1500 hours, C/2-35 (-) had conducted their Combat Assault into
an LZ in the vicinity of grid BS 768443.
While the elements were being moved into position, a FAC spotted twenty armed enemy moving toward the destroyed APC. While the
Battalion Commander adjusted the direct fire of the 1O6RR fire from LZ LIZ, CPT Barcena sent a ground element toward the enemy
position and APC. When the troops arrived at the deserted APC they killed two more enemy, one of them inside the track,
C/2-35 (-) moved from the landing zone to the east linking with A/2-35. By 1540H, C Company was in contact with a well
entrenched enemy southwest of A Company. During a stiff village fight that lasted more than an hour C Company killed
twenty-six armed enemy.
During the battle described above, PFC Rush was killed as described below:
|
|
