Lt Col Bendell's Notes
July 1967 - Oct 1967

I took command on 22 July from Buck Vest. Improved perimeter defense plan (MG, Ontos, and 106s repositioned, got behives and scopes, revised arty plans, etc.)
On the 25th incoming hit the 81 and 4.2 psns. On the 27th 3/4 jumps off at 1400 to screen for 2/9.
I Co to road junction and water point, M Co. and Bn CP short of road junction and Lima south of us. Kilo stays at Con Thien. At 0700 on the 28th Mike passes India to blocking psn at hill 68 and 2/9 passes through us. Bn CP with India. Lima moves to previous Mike psn.
On the 29th 2/9 decides to come back down road. We are patrolling from our positions. Echo 2/9 in lead gets hit badly. Part of E 2/9 and Bn CP gets out. Mike 3/4 to opcon of 2/9 moves north and links up with remainder of Echo 2/9. Lima moves to Hill 68. Situation stabalizes for night.
On the 30th Mike moves further north under 2/9 opcon, India moves north of Lima, to blocking psn, and 2/9 passes south. Mike evacuates medevacs and returns to 3/4 opcon moving south. India leapfrogs back as Lima holds at hill 68. I-2 sends patrol out to downed chopper, gets dog tags and returns getting 2 NVA on return. On 31st with reported threat to Con Thien from SW, M,I, & L Cos are NW of CT, 2/9 is SW, and 3/9 moves in to south of CT.
On 1 Aug. 2/9 departs for Cam Lo. 3/9 stays at south entrance to CT. On Aug. 2, Dave Ryan to S-3A, John Carr to Lima 6. Bn CP with Lima at water point. Aug. 3 Mike sweeps to Obj. A and C north of CT returning to psn with no contact. Requested PsyOps team.
On Aug. 4 Bn. CP into perimeter, PsyOps interview Chieu Hoi and broadcast from north slope of CT. (2/9 had 29 KIA and 456 WIA from my notes.)
On 10 Aug with Mike in blocking positions, Bn CP moved with Lima followed by India to east of Con Thien (CT), burned about 40 huts with no contact and returned the next morning to commence work on Dyemarker bunkers on CT. My notes say that on 12 Aug.
Lima went to Dong Ha and then to Cam Lo, then on 14 Aug returns to CT and starts to take perimeter from Kilo, while India goes to Dong Ha and then Cam Lo. (I think the Dong Ha trips were to let our Marines get into seabags and shower.)
On the 16th, India returns to CT and Kilo finishes turning over perimeter to Lima, and Kilo goes to Cam Lo. (As I recall, there was a shower unit at the river near the Cam Lo bridge and this was the Cam Lo destination referred to above).
On the 18th Mike goes to Dong Ha and Cam Lo and returns to CT. Got 2 Company perimeter OKed during visit by Gen. Hochmuth (who commanded 3/4 during the battle of Okinawa.)
On the 20th Mike returns to CT and Kilo 3/9 who had been under our opcon returned to parent opcon. 2/9 arrived. and screened by India, prepared for sweep east the next day. On 21st while 2/9 sweeping east hits resistance at noon and returns to CT area, K, L, and India with Bn CP and LVTs sweep south of CT. I was on the LVT that hit a mine but (praise the Lord) was not injured. We had 17 medevacs. India blew 39 bunkers.
On the 22nd Mike blew 37 bunkers. (We continued patrolling with Company size patrols all around CT while building Dyemarker bunkers on CT and experiencing increasing incoming.)
My notes show 191 rounds of incoming on 3 Sept. with 2 KIA and 3 WIA. Bn CP with India and Mike on sweep south of CT. Capt Leroy relieved Capt Flathman as CO of Kilo. On 4 Sept. had over 200 rounds of incoming. At noon Bn CP and Mike Co go out to reinforce India SW of CT .We were hit by NVA arty as we rolled up flank of hedgerow defense. Got 57 confirmed NVA and 10 probable but took 6 KIA and 47 WIA. Moving through heavy arty was scary. (Thank you Lord.)
Mike in contact in same area on 7 Sept. and needed help from India and Kilo. Got 7 NVA confirmed and 12 probable but took 12 KIA and many WIA, mostly from NVA arty. 3/26 in trouble south of us. Started 3/9 relief of 3/4 at CT with Mike 3/4 to C-2 and Mike 3/9 to CT on 8 Sept. On the 9th, I 3/4 to Cam Lo ( hill?) and I 3/9 to CT. On the 10th, M 3/9 relieves L 3/4 on CT perimeter; I 3/4 sends platoon to bridge and K 3/9 goes from bridge to CT. L 3/4 to Cam Lo and a t 1500 3/9 takes opcon of CT. India moves to C-2 and Lima platoon covers bridge. On the 11th K 3/4 moves out of CT area as L 3/9 leaves C-2 for CT. 3/26 moves out of field into C-2 and 3/4 into field SW of CT and NW of C-2. 2/4 relieves 3/26 at C-2 on 13th. while we patrol in field (and in rain).
New Regt. CO: Col. R. K.Smith takes over from Col. Jerue who goes on emergency leave. (9th Marines). 2/4 leaves C-2 on 14th, Lima to bridge, Kilo to Cam Lo Hill, Mike and India to C-2. 16th and 17th heavy rain, bridge under water. 0230 on 18th Capt Carr asked to evacuate bridge site due to rising water and I approved.
0330 rec'd word of 4 men missing attempting to cross river, then 3 more later. 3 bodies recovered, 5 MIA. (later recovered).