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From: Bigdogg1617@QIS.Com
Date: 9/4/2002
Time: 8:29:33 PM
Remote Name: 209.163.98.21
When I got to Can Tho Army Airfield in August of 68 it was know as the R and R center of the delta..! But the night of Jan 13, 1969 changed that... What I remember of the attack that night is that around 3:00 A.M. a 122 rocket hit the bunker at the end of the runway. The siren went off and then the explosions started...super 4th of July ! ! Several GI's were killed while sleeping in their bunker at the end of the runway....At the same time several vc crawled into the base through a dranage ditch.The VC ran up the flight line and threw several explosives under the aircraft. Several aircraft were destroyed.I have a photo of one chanook with only the transmission left. Several cobra pilots tryed to get to their aircraft But were killed by AK-47 fire on runway. It was complete chaos at best..We were afraid we were going to get shot by our own people.....everyone was running out of their hoothes into the bunkers with loaded weapons in their hands. I was in The morgue the next day writing up the report of deaths and I opened one cobra pilots wallet and he had a bullet hole right through his face on his military ID..also in his wallet were pictures of his wife and children ... The next day General Abrams..drove down to the base and demanded changes..they proceeded to burn down the jungle from around the perimeter and put lights up on the perimeter. After that night we always had a cobra airborne from dusk to dawn spraying the perminter. I think we lost 9 GIs the night of the attack. And I remember GI's taking pictures of a dead VC's brains laying out on the runway.I remember the rumor that they found little bags of grass on the dead vc..a couple were killed but several got away. I was on guard duty the next night after the attack. We walked up and down the flight line with a flash Light (not a good Idea!) and a sawed off 12 gauge savage shotgun....we received fire from outside the perminter that night...Maybe the flashlight had something to do with it ! Sgt. P.K. Luster of P.K.S Incubus Fame....307th Cbt bn.