The 101st Airborne Division’s Operation Nevada Eagle had begun on May 18. Division emphasized that a primary objective was to protect the rice harvest and deny it to the enemy. But division agreed with us that the best security for a farmer was to reduce the enemy presence in his part of the countryside to the point that village PFs could protect his rice harvest. By now this was already the case in the sector of the 2d Brigade north of Hue where the 1/502 and 2/501 were operating.

But in our second week in it the brigade’s new AO south of Hue, action was getting busy. The 2/17 Cav reported that on 26 May its B Troop “…observed movement and engaged it. First light check: 11 NVA KIA, 3 NVA POW, 3 AK-47, 2 PG-7, 1 RPG-2, 20 B-40 rds, 22 RPG-7 rds, 30 lbs explosives.” A/1/501 then went opcon to 2/17 Cav and made a combat assault six kilometers south of FSB Forward to join B/2/17. Under the 2/17 Cav and reinforced by a Marine Ontos platoon, a Marine tank platoon, a tank platoon from C/2/34 Armor, an ARVN cav troop and 3 companies of the ARVN 3d Infantry Regiment, on May 27 this mixed force swept southeast through a chain of villages, with A/1/501 making a combat assault to where it picked up a PF platoon and blocked the enemy’s exit from the last hamlet. Casualties were 3 US KIA and 8 WIA, including 4 Marines, 1 ARVN, and 1 PF. The enemy lost 8 NVA and 32 VC KIA, and 1 VC POW.

That same day, May 27 at a village called Thon Le Xa Dong, the 1/501 with two companies plus its recon platoon reinforced by a PF platoon, and employing D/1/502 helilifted in from north of Hue, attempted to encircle an enemy force. It used all-night illumination, but without success; somehow the bulk of the enemy slipped out. Results: 2 NVA and 8 VC KIA, 2 NVA and 1 VC POW, 12 weapons taken..

28 May completed ten days of division’s Operation Nevada Eagle. In that time the 2d Brigade’s losses had been 4 KIA and 117 WIA (86 medevaced). Our enemy’s losses were 120 NVA and 63 VC KIA, 7 NVA and 7 VC POW, and 82 individual and crew served weapons taken.

On May 30, we had another chance at Le X Dong; this time we did it right.. A/2/17 Cav developed the initial contact at the north and west sides of the village. Brigade arranged for a company of the 3d Battalion, 3d ARVN Regiment, to block the village’s south end. B/1/501 air assaulted into an LZ east of the village, and a platoon of C/1/501 did likewise to the north, both opcon to the 2/17 Cav. With A/2/17 in the rice paddies west of the village linking up with the 1/501 and ARVN units on its flanks, the enemy was encircled and then was pounded by artillery. From the after action report: “Continuous illumination was provided… During the hours of darkness numerous attempts to escape were driven back… At first light the enemy attempted to escape through the ARVN position. When that attempt failed, the enemy in desperation tried to get out to the north; there it was blocked by the platoon from C/1/501. At daylight the cordon units advanced toward the center of the objective and destroyed or captured the defeated and demoralized NVA/VC… Friendly casualties: 6 US WIA, 2 PF KIA and 2 PF WIA. Enemy losses: to US Forces, 91 NVA/VC KIA and 12 POW, 30 individual and 6 crew-served weapons captured; to ARVN forces: 65 NVA/VC KIA and 22 POW, 30 individual and 9 crew-served weapons captured.” We had dealt the enemy south of Hue a devastating blow.