Hope some of our members can help Bill out here...
Wally

----- Original Message -----
From: Congerlang@aol.com
To: webmaster@popasmoke.com
Cc: BattalionArchive@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 6:22 PM
Subject: CaLu - Valentine Ridge Feb 14 &15, 1968

Hi --

I'm a former infantry company commander and S-3A from the 3rd Bn, 9th Marines who was stationed at the CaLu Combat Operating Base in I Corps on Route Nine south of the Rockpile, east of Khe Sanh during Feb 1968.

At the time I was the S-3A at CaLu COB and had sent Kilo 3/9 out on a patrol mission to destroy an NVA mortar position about 2 clicks due east of the base which was shelling us daily. I won't get in to all the details now but basically during the afternoon of 14 Feb they came upon the position on a steep ridgeline under triple canopy wherein the company's platoons got separated and the NVA killed about ten of the lead element Marines. Subsequently the CP section took some heavy hits from a supporting NVA position on the next ridgeline eastward. The CO (Capt Al Ward, Admiral Ward's son) was mortally wounded and died in the medevac process; the XO was killed along with others in the CP group. Suffice it to say that the remaining elements of Kilo company straggled back into CaLu during the night except for elements of the 3rd platoon which was left out there with a brand new in-country 2nd Lt.

I volunteered to be inserted into their position to consolidate what was left of Kilo company still out there. Here's where "pop a smoke" comes in. A CH-46 picked me and my radio operator up at Calu sometime before midnight Feb 14 and we circled for an eternity then finally were lowered through the floor hatch around one to two AM on Feb 15th under extremely heavy enemy fire. The helicopter who brought us in hovered under the heavy incoming and did not budge for at least a half an hour, lowering myself and my radio op; next the crew chief came down and assisted in the sling evacuation of both wounded and dead Marines. I was too busy getting the remaining Marines organized and into a decent defensive position to pay much attention to the evacuation EXCEPT that helo did not move in its hovering position until all dead and wounded that we could gather were sling lifted up and out of there. Also of importance was that the helo was hovering over a very steep part of the ridge where a previous afternoon CAS bomb had knocked down some of the trees and dense undergrowth thereby rendering the ground effects lift aspects very difficult to keep that helo steady and under control.

Bottom Line: Those pilots and crew chief flew away after completing that mission and we never knew who they were (are). No recognition that I know of has ever been bestowed on those airdale Marines and it certainly should have been as their heroics that night should have been rewarded. Nearly 38 years later and lots of times before this, I have thought about those guys and finally decided to attempt to have the honors they deserve bestowed on them. Unfortunately my radio op was KIA about a month later but there are still members of K 3/9 who are part of the BLT 3/9 Association and remember that night and that helicopter.

Who were the pilots and crew chief? Can you help me find them? Anything your organization can do to unravel my mystery and aid in their recognition would be greatly appreciated.

Semper Fi,
Bill Conger
USMC (Ret)
congerlang@aol.com