CHAPTER XI

The Battles of Prek Klok

Prek Klok I

The 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, had become a part of JUNCTION CITY on D plus 1 (23 February) when it was airlifted from its base camp at Lai Khe to Suoi Da. There it assumed the mission which had belonged to the 2d Battalion, 28th Infantry, of being the reserve for the 3d Brigade; it also was assigned its portion of the Suoi Da defenses. In the early morning hours of 24 February the 1st Battalion area received approximately one hundred twenty rounds of 82-mm. mortar, all within a few minutes; two were killed (including a company commander) and five wounded. Six hours later the battalion was airlifted to positions along Route 4 north of Suoi Da and, after considerable jungle clearing, went into a night defensive position on the east side of Route 4, six kilometers south of Prek Klok. (At Prek Klok was an artillery base defended by the 2nd Battalion, 2d Infantry [-]; the initial engi-neer activities leading to the construction of a Special Forces and Civilian Irregular Defense Group camp and airstrip were also under way.) The mission of the 1st of the 16th was to secure the road in its assigned sector and to engage in search and destroy operations.

The 1st of the 16th was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Rufus C. Lazzell. This was the second time in less than a year that he had commanded 'the Rangers.' In mid-1966 he had been the commanding officer for about a month until he was wounded by a .50-caliber round in the battle of Minh Thanh Road on 9 July. The wound to his elbow was serious enough for him to be evacuated to the United States; upon his return to the division in November 1966, General DePuy gave him back his old command.

On 25 February Colonel Lazzell must have thought his outfit was hexed. First had been the mortaring at Suoi Da. This was followed on the 25th by one of his battalion's 81-mm. mortar rounds falling short and injuring two of his men. On the same day his position caught some .50-caliber machine gun rounds from a friendly mechanized unit conducting reconnaissance by fire during