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Originally published April 1977
I was worried. "Hotel" Company was vulnerable to attack by the enemy battalion located in our area of operation. My platoons were scattered along Route One, because higher headquarters had insisted that the key bridges and small villages along the route be protected from enemy attack. One platoon occupied two key bridges on a stream just south of the Troy River. One was located a mile to the south to protect a fishing village and support the combined action platoon located there. The third platoon remained with the company headquarters as a reaction unit. The weapons platoon was broken down and attached to the rifle units; and to make matters worse, a squad had been taken from the second platoon to guard a convoy, which would take supplies from Danang to Phu Bai.
The Tet-Lunar New Year ceasefire had gone into effect a few hours earlier, but there was something wrong. I couldn't explain the knot in my stomach. Deciding to rely on intuition, I placed the company on alert.
The night of 29 January 1968, however, passed without incident. I was still uneasy. The battalion commander, (LtCol Ernest Cheatham) called to say the ceasefire had been terminated and to be cautious. One company (Capt Chuck Meadows' "Golf" Company) had moved north to protect Phu Bai. "What's going on?" To be safe, I ordered the second platoon, which had been located in the fishing village, to take up positions near the company command post. I wanted a larger reaction force.
That night the enemy struck the bridges held by the first platoon. We of 2/5 didn't know that Hue was undergoing an identical attack.
Because of the alert, the platoon on the bridges was ready. It held against an intense mortar attack, followed by a ground assault. The fight was a bitter one, but thanks to the heroic action of a young corporal, the reaction force relieved the embattered platoon by first light and caught the enemy as they withdrew. The battalion commander, who had monitored the action over the tactical radio net, quickly recognized that he could pin the enemy force against the Troy River. He ordered Hotel Company to continue its attack while he maneuvered forces to close...