THE WALL OF FACES

Charles, it has been 54 years since you and the other nine men of the Reconnaissance Platoon, (C.R.I.P.), were killed while gallantly fighting the opposing force with us. Your brave and heroic actions that day will forever be remembered by all the members of your platoon and so many others. Those actions you gave on that battlefield proved to be instrumental to those who survived that terrible battle. With each passing day, in our hearts and minds, you continue to be truly missed and forever loved by so many. And you will never be forgotten!!!

Charles, not a day has gone by without the thought of you and the other 9 men of the platoon who gallantly fought at our sides. You will be loved and missed in each of our minds and hearts forever and you will never be forgotten. Thank you, brave warrior and continue to rest in peace.
Your Brothers of C.R.I.P. ‘67/’68

Charles, the ultimate sacrifice that was given by you and the other 9 men on that dreadful day 52 years ago will never be forgotten by the men who survived that ambush and the other men of the platoon. You are truly missed and will always be forever loved by use all. Not a day passes that we don’t remember the courage and heroic actions that was performed by you and the other men of our Mighty 10. You will always live in our hearts and minds. Continue to rest in peace our Wolfhound Warrior.

The Combined Reconnaissance Intelligence Platoon (CRIP) was a joint-Allied force of Vietnamese and Americans from 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Recon Platoon. The 2/27th’s CRIP team was based at the MACV compound at Bao Trai. They usually received their missions the night before they occurred, but on February 11, 1968, the mission came late in the morning, and the CRIP members had to abandon a planned BBQ as they geared up to go out. Their mission came on hard intelligence that a nearby hamlet had 4-5 personnel they needed to “check out.” The 22-strong team were carried in jeeps and dropped off about 1000 meters from their objective. The platoon left the road and crossed a dry rice paddy as they closed in on the hamlet. Unbeknownst to the CRIP team, a mixed Viet Cong-North Vietnamese Army force lay in an L-shaped ambush. About halfway across the paddy they unleashed their fury on the Americans and one ARVN companion. They were immediately pinned down in the open as the enemy poured fire on the exposed CRIP team. The Platoon leader, 1LT Michael W. Enbody, and his three squad leaders, SGT Bruce G. Howerter, SGT Donnie J. Marlar, and SGT Charles E. Youngblood, were killed, rendering the unit leaderless. All the radios were shot up with only one able to receive but not transmit anything. Under withering fire, the CRIP members spent the next five hours trying to get out of the rice paddy, moving back inch by inch to the road. They fought back with available weapons, inflicting some damage on the enemy, yet suffering another seven killed. They included SP4 Robert L. Hughes, SP4 William F. Joiner, SP4 Robert M. Nix, SP4 Ralph E. Peters, SP4 Ulysses Stewart, and SP4 Gerald A. Tucker. Supporting units were on station, but the gunships were unable to engage the enemy and artillery couldn’t provide support. It wasn’t until an ARVN mechanized unit of armored personnel carriers (APC’s) with an American advisor arrived which ended the engagement. The wounded were loaded into the APC’s and carried back to Bao Trai from where they were medivacked to various military hospitals. The dead remained in the field overnight and were collected at first light after American and ARVN rifle companies secured the battlefield. The enemy had stripped the dead of their weapons, uniforms, boots and other gear. The ambushing force, estimated at 200-strong, reportedly suffered 55 killed (estimated). [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and information provided by Leonard Brooks (December 2019)]

Not a day has passed since 11/12 Feb. 1968 that you have been forgotten or missed by the men of C.R.I.P. The heroic actions that was given by you and the other 9 men of “The Mighty 10 “ will forever be appreciated and treasured by all of us and our entire nation. You will always be loved and remembered by so many and you will live in our hearts and minds forever. Thank you and continue to rest in peace mighty warrior. Wolfhounds Forever.