D CO 4th BATTALION 12th INFANTRY 199TH LIGHT INFANTRY BRIGADE "DYING DELTA": 2018

199th LIB COMPANY OPERATIONS IN THE 1969 TET COUNTEROFFENSIVE

TET 1969 COUNTEROFFENSIVE

199th LIB COMPANY OPERATIONS - UPDATES SHOULD INCLUDE : "OPERATION STRANGLER III," "OPERATION LULU," "OPERATION STRANGLER IV," AND "TET COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE I, " AND "TET COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE II,"

Feb 4 – 12	Operation Strangler I^[1]	199th Infantry Brigade cordon and search operation	Gia Định Province

Feb 13 – 16	Operation Strangler II^[1]	199th Infantry Brigade cordon and search operation	Gia Định Province

Nov 24 – 28	Operation Ransom Raider^[1]	199th Infantry Brigade and ARVN 18th Division clear and search operation	Long Khánh Province

DOES ANYONE HERE REMEMBER "MY YEN" JUST SOUTHWEST OF BINH CHANH?

Greg Payne WE GOT SHELLED WITH THE COMMUNIST 82MM,MORTAR ROUNDS AMBUSHED, AND PROBED QUITE ALOT IN A LITTLE 3 HOUSE HAMLET CALLED "MY YEN" JUST OFF THE ROAD ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BINH CHANH DOES ANYONE REMEMBER "MY YEN?" FROM LEFT TO RIGHT (ME) GREG PAYNE, WILLIAM DEBATES KIA, PAT "SMITTY" SMITH, AND SP4 BOMIER.Manage

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Greg Payne MY YEN, VIETNAM - (SEE MAP POSTED ABOVE THIS MESSAGE 6 MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST OF BIN CHANH ONE VIET CONG MORTAR PLATOON STRONG HOLD BEFORE WE WENT TO THE PINEAPPLE AND THE CAMBODIAN BORDER APRIL OF 1969)Manage

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Greg Payne MY YEN, VIETNAM - LITTLE BOY STANDING IN THE FOREGROUND TURNED OUT TO BE A VIETCONG SPY CAUGHT WITH A MAP OF OUR NDP PERMITTER MORTAR PITS, CLAYMORE MINES, BUNKER, AND CP BUNKER WERE ALL CHARTED AND READY TO BE DELIVERED TO THE VIETCONG WHEN WE CAUGHT HIM RED HANDED. DOES ANY BODY REMEMBER "MY YEN, VIETNAM???",

Manage

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Greg Payne MY YEN, VIETNAM - ON OF OUR MORTAR PITS AT MY YENManage

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Greg Payne I'AM THE SMALL ONE "Greg Payne"ON THE FAR LEFT OF THE GROUP PHOTOGRAPH DEBATES #2 LATER KIA, #3 PAT "SMUTTY" SMITH AND #4 SP4 BOEMIER IN THE GROUP PHOTOGRAPH DOSE ANYBODY REMEMBER MY YEN, VIETNAM?

Manage

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Greg Payne SEE MESSAGE POSTED JUST ABOVE THIS GROUP SHOTManage

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Greg Payne MY SQUAD WAS CUT IN HALF AT MY YEN, VIETNAM --ON TOP OF OUR PLATOON SIZED BUNKER WERE ALL THREE WERE KILLED THE ARMY SAID THEY ALL DIED IN THE BUNKER ON APRIL 1, 1969 WHICH WAS NOT TRUE AT ALL THEY DIED ON TOP OF THE BUNKER THURSBY AND BOUYER WERE KILLED INSTANTLY ON MARCH 31st 1969 AND DEBATES WHO WAS STANDING NEXT TO THE BUNKER TRIED TO CUT AND RUN FROM THE INCIDENT WAS WOUNDED SERIOUSLY IN THE BACK AND DIED THE FOLLOWING DAY ON APRIL 1 AND A FOURTH ONE WAS FOUND THE DAY AFTER THAT AND HISS NAME WAS MOSSER MORE INVESTIGATION ON THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE YET ON HIM SO THERE WAS A COVER-UP ON WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THAT NIGHTManage

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Friday, February 16, 2018

MY COMBAT RECORD

Personal Memories

People You Remember

    MY COMBAT HISTORY

    REPUBLIC OF SOUTH VIETNAM

1969 1970
1969 TET COUNTER OFFENSIVE PHASE
I & II
CASUALITY LIST FOR:
D COMPANY 4th BATTALION 12th
INFANTRY
199th LIGHT INFANTRY BRIGADE
VIETNAM / CAMBODIA
APO 96279
1969 - 1970
(MY SQUADMATES)
(KILLED IN ACTION)
PFC James Earl Bouyer (KIA)
SGT Richard Allen Thursby (KIA)
SP/4 William Arthur DeBates (KIA)
OFFICERS INVOLVED
CPT Stover CO
LT Blackman XO
LT Grossjean, 1st Platoon Leader
LT Peter Johannades, 3rd Platoon Leader
NCO's INVOLVED
Sgt Hall, 2nd Platoon
Sgt Thursby, 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon (KIA)
Sgt Claud R. VanAndel, 3rd Platoon (KIA)
(GUYS I CAME IN TO THE COMPANY
WITH)
(KILLED IN ACTION)
PFC David Edward Kenney (KIA)
SGT Claude Richard VanAndel (KIA)
(GUYS IN MY COMPANY)
(WOUNDED IN ACTION)
PFC Pat (Smitty) Smith (Mortar Plt) (WIA)
SP/5 "Doc" Ken Reppart (Senior Medic) (WIA)
LT Peter Johannades, 3rd Platoon Ldr) (WIA)
CAPT Stover CO (WIA)
(SURVIVORS)
(My Squad)
(ME) SP/4 Gregory Payne (Pointman)
PFC "Doc" Crockett (Black Medic)(My Squad)
SP/4 Brent Lake (Black Grunt)(My Squad)
SP/4 Bradley (Black Grunt)(My Squad)
SP/4 Guy Owens (My Alternate Pointman)
PFC Dan Krapinski (My Squad)
(COMMAND POST SURVIVORS)
CAPT Stover (CO)
LT Blackman (XO)
SP/5 "Doc" Ken Reppart (Senior Medic)
SP/4 Pat "Smitty" Smith (Mortar Platoon
PFC Jan C. Scruggs (Mortar Platoon)
(OFFICERS AND NCO SURVIVORS)
CPT Stover CO
LT Blackman XO
LT Grossjean, 1st Platoon Leader
LT Peter Johannades, 3rd Platoon Leader
Sgt Hall, 2nd Platoon
SPECIAL NOTE:
JAN C. SCRUGGS was the guy who founded and started "the VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
WALL
On one recon patrol near "The Fishnet" we got ambushed by a Squad of 6 Viet Cong in an
open rice paddie, where we stood up and charged the Viet Cong ambush in a typical textbook
classic on line Infantry assault with M-16's on fully Automatic. The firefight ended in our
favor.
I was on three anphibious assaults off of a U.S Navy Landing Craft (LCM) (Landing Craft
Marine) called "THE GREY GHOST)
On one Company operation my Company went up into the deep dark jungles of Bien Hoa, where
we found 50, 100 lbs. of raw rice in an NVA Rice Cashe
On night we got a late night radio call asking us to make enemy contact in an area that was
not to far from our ambush site so we rowed down a canal in a snpan bamboo boat

were we ended up in engaging the enemy in my second "On Line Assault" only ths one was at
night.
The towns and hamlets we worked or encamped near in our NDP's we operated our combat
Operations and Patrols were: Bien Hoa, Bear Cat, "The Fishnet", Binh Chanh, My Yen,
"The Pineapple" and the Cambodian Border areas.
WE EXPIERIENCED ALOT OF MORTAR
ATTACKS WITH COMMUNIST 82mm
MORTARS AT MY YEN.
Charlie Company 4/12 199th LIB had a firefight right next to our ambush site about 6:00pm
near My Yen.
My Squad Leader SGT Richard Allen Thursby two weeks before he was killed stepped flat
footed on a "Booby Trap Tripwire" and realizing what he did lowered a can of M-60
Machinegun Ammo off his shoulder and set it down on the tripwire to hold it down until
he could get off the wire and jump to safety. He then had us tie a roll of twine on to the
canvas strap on the ammo can got down behind the rice paddy dyke pulled the ammo can off the
tripwire and blew the "booby trap" in place.
We operated in III Corps Tacticle Zone in War Zone C & D towards the Cambodian Border in
Gia Dinh Province and a geographical area called the "Pineapple."
The Company Operations we went on included:
1969 TET Counter Offensive Phase I
Operation Strangler I
Operation Strangler II
Operation Strangler III
Operation Lulu
Operation Strangler IV
&
1969 TET Counter Offensive Phase I and Phase II

Thursday, February 15, 2018

THE QUILT

THE QUILT As I faced my Maker at the last Judgement, I knelt before the Lord along with the other souls. Beforeeach of us laid our lives, like the squares of aquilt, in many piles. An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But, as my Angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges andtemptations I was faced with in everyday life. Isaw hardships that I had endured, which were the largest holes of all.I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares.Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the brighthues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My Angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been.My Angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illnessand death, and false accusations that took from memy world as I knew it. I had to start over many times.I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again.I had spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully; each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I wouldnot melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had toaccept it for what it had been.I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of mylife to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air.I gazed around at the others who stared at me with eyes wide. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image.The face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said,"Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each pointof light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Methan there was of you. May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.