Special Operations.Com

Tales From SOG

Operation Dewey Canyon, 1969

In March 1969 the USMC launched Operation Dewey Canyon. CCN ended up inserting Co A and Co B on top of a Recon Team, with (I think) about two more Recon Teams inserted. I was sent out, with another Cpt, to be the Liaison Officer to the 9th Marine Regiment on a hilltop, near the Ashau, called Fire Base Cunningham. It had a battery of 155mm and about a Battalion of Marines. The other Cpt and I maintained constant radio contact and acted as radio relay to MLT-2 - while our location was being frequently plastered by 122mm artillery fire. The CCN mission was to protect the flank of the 3rd MAR DIV. An NVA regiment closed in and surrounded the CCN forces. Maj Moore, the S-2, was inserted as the Task Force commander. They started a breakout attempt, to walk back to friendly lines, with a Recon Team on point ... it was wiped out. There was some pretty heavy fighting. During one fight, Cpt Gary Jones was on the radio with me when he said "I am Whiskey India Alpha!!" Then, he continued on with the operation and was later extracted, but not killed. By the way, SOG also inserted a platoon from OP34 up at Monkey Mountain, commanded by Dick Meadows, off on the (I think Northern) flank to pull the NVA away from our two companies. Dick and his folks then walked out and linked up with a USMC unit at some hilltop, which then marched overland to another USMC firebase for extraction. 

We finally extracted the whole operation. With a company being inserted on a ridge line across the valley from our location at Firebase Cunningham. We were socked in most of the time (for about 2 weeks) and they were out of food. I managed to get the USMC to donate some C Rations and had them flown over to our company across the valley, during one of the rare breaks in the clouds. Finally, the weather broke enough to get us all out of the area - still under 122mm fire. (Filed by Col. Randy Givens). 

The support of USMC Operation Dewey Canyon went this way: Jack Deckard was the MLT commander at Quang Tri. Because of the close coordination required with the USMC, Jack Isler decided to go to the MLT, and took me as his CCN Ops officer to the site. Moore went in with the 2 companies, commanding the ground unit, and Gary Jones was his XO. The 2 companies, referred to here after as "Battalion or bn," got spooked by NVA making noises that had unearthly connotations to the Bhuddist and animistic troops. The Americans were not able to get the troops moving in spite of Jack Isler's prodding to Moore. The battalion was in danger of being
surrounded by the NVA. Isler saw Dick Meadows training a recon team from CCS, for insert into a target the next day. Isler talked to Meadows, and re-prioritized his mission. Meadows and his team were to be inserted to the south of the Battalion, to create diversions to convince the NVA that we had inserted a large force to relieve the Battalion. I coordinated with the Marine Regt in our sector, regarding the insert of this team, and that upon accomplishment of the mission, the team, under command of Meadows, would cross friendly lines in their sector. I briefed and assigned 3 of our CCN officers, including Randy Givens to the Marine units on line. This was done to insure a smooth reentry of the Meadows team. USMC had a strong distrust of indigenous troops. Meadows diversion had the desired effect, and some immediate pressure was taken off the battalion.

Moore called in that he had taken casualties including an American. We ginned up a medevac, loaded extra water, rations and ammo aboard. The medevac got into the site, under fire. When the slick RTB'd, Moore and Gary Jones got off the slick. I asked where the wounded were. Jones had a bandage above his left eye, and he said he was the one. The battalion was left under the command of a young LT, can't recall his name at this time. I never saw Jack Isler so angry. (NOTE: Both were ultimately relieved and reassigned out of CCN.) Meadows unit reentered USMC lines due to the EXCELLENT coordination by the LNOs with the forward units of the USMC.

While this was under way, GEN Richard Stillwell, CG XXIV Corps choppered in to MLT 2. He was briefed and then told his aide to get CH 47s up to assist with the extraction of the Bn. When the CH 47s arrived, we briefed the crews, and the CWO who was lead, info med us he could not fly the CH 47s into Laos under any circumstance. He was correct, but GEN Stillwell then had his aide call the Marine Air Group Cdr, to send CH 46s to do the job. Short version, they did, took several hits while extracting the bn, and a couple of US and indigenous were wounded. They brought them back to a hill top in SVN. The CH 47s then airlifted them back to a more secure location. [filed by Maj William 'Bill" Shelton]

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