By February 18th, the 1/501 was operating in the countryside between Highway 1 and the coast with its command post at Hai Lang near the district chief, and the 1/502 was operating around LZ Jane with its command post at Jane. The unending fog, rain and drizzle rain had made LZ Jane into a mudhole between its two knobs; we were forced to use a 2&1/2 ton truck as a “ferry” to get from one knob to the other. One day we had to use bulldozers from C Co, 326 Engr Bn, to pull ammunition trucks along Jane’s access road and into our artillery positions.

The 2d Brigade was springing on average one ambush each night; even in the drizzle and fog we had helicopters for combat assault almost every day, and were working well with the First Cav’s gunships. We continued to support RF/PF units guarding critical points on Hwy 1 with barrier materials, technical assistance, and a reinforced squad with an FO party. On the morning of February 18th the 1/501 recon platoon made contact two miles south of Hai Lang. A Company air assaulted into a hot LZ nearby, and the 1/501 called for artillery, gunship, and tacair support. The 1/501 lost 14 wounded during the day and reported a body count of 34 NVA. The next day the the 1/501 established FSB Mogan near the Street Without Joy between Hai Lang and the coast; A Battery, 1/321, was airlifted into that position.

To the south, on February 18th the 2/501, which had been on perimeter security at Camp Evans under Cav division control, moved its tac CP and B and E Companies further south to near the An Lo bridge over the Song Bo river on Hwy 1 and became opcon to the Cav’s 3d Brigade; D Company, with a platoon at the bridge was stationed at the ARVN PK 17 garrison even further south, and A and C Companies remained at Camp Evans, opcon to the 1/7 Cav. The next day the entire 2/501, with B Battery, 1/321, moved to LZ Sally, just west of PK 17. On 20 February the Cav’s 3d Brigade made its plans for an attack to the southwest with the 2/501 and three Cav battalions (1/7, 5/7, and 2/12) into the vicinity of La Chu, a hamlet three miles west of Hue.

On 21 February the 3d Bde launched its four-battalion attack to the SE, meeting sporadic resistance, with the 2/501 on its right headed for La Chu. The next day the 2/501 reported that it had suffered six killed and 31 wounded in a day of some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War, From the diary of 1st Lt. Cleo Hogan, D Company commander: “Up at 0600 and began to move... Company D and Company C on line… (By noon) we knew we were close to the NVA… In just a little over three and a half hours (later) we had overrun a major NVA headquarters. The dead NVA were everywhere. 21 men from D Company had been wounded; SSG Simms had been killed.”

Staff Sergeant Clifford Simms and Sergeant Joe Hooper of D/2/501 received the Medal of Honor for their actions on 22 February. From Sergeant Hooper’s award recommendation: “(terrain).. dense woods and high bamboo interlaced with by thorned vines.. (enemy) ..well supplied, good uniforms and equipment as well as the latest model weapons, intricate trench and bunker system. An example of their high morale and contempt for the foe was the flaunting of a North Vietnamese flag in their lines (captured early).. (mission)…to drive enemy from strongly held position in woods. D Company was making a coordinated assault on enemy bunkers... Sergeant Hooper personally cleaned out eleven enemy bunkers, destroyed three enemy houses, knocked out two machine guns, and killed either by grenades, rifle fire, LAWs, or hand to hand fighting at least 22 enemy.”

Having taken La Chu, the 2/501 drove on to enter Hue, occupying its west wall at 1630 February 25.