Elements of the Troop arrived for deployment in the already set up FSB. The first thing that became obvious to me is that these Troopers used their APCs as fighting vehicles with a fine array of weaponry mounted on each corner of the track above and beyond the normal 50 Cal or even twin 30 Cals, used by the track commander, usually M60s
The night of the incident I am about to relate was not any different to the usual except for the track movement and one Track was having its track replaced, near the FSB JUANITA Check point. The Tracks departed on there mission and the FSB went into its normal nightly routine. After Stand-down the MFC from A Coy Sgt Geoff Jenkin fired a few DF's using our Mortars and we all settled back into nightly routine again.
Sgt Geoff Jenkin A Coy MFC
It was some time after midnight when all hell broke loose; the volume of fire coming from an easterly direction had to be heard to be believed. The FSB was stood-to as the fire continued and it was though the NVA was only a small distance away. The fire subsided and the FSB was partly stood down but not a lot of info was forthcoming from the obvious contact to the East.
Prior to stand-to that morning the Pioneer Platoon was dispatched from the FSB to conduct a sweep of the F-Troop Ambush killing ground. The sweep revealed 3 dead Elephants.
The chap who shot this one was Sgt Bill Jarvis
Activities returned to normal after morning Stand-down and nothing much happened until it was discovered that some wag had stenciled 3 Elephant on the Command Track, along side of the small figurines of the enemy painted on the track to signify the number of kills the Troop had had during there tour of duty.
Not sure the Americans appreciated the quickness at which the 3 Elephant figurines appeared on the track.
Who was responsible for stenciling the Elephant on the Command Track? The credit must be shared with Capt. Lew Tizard and the Intelligence Section .On hearing the finite details of the incident, Capt Lew Tizard when to the Int Section and had them make the Elephant templates, on completion finished the job of painting the elephants on the Command Track without detection.
I had forgotten about the incident until about 18 months ago I found the web site of 11 ACR and signed the visitor's book saying did anyone remember the night the Elephant were killed in an Ambush. Became quite exited when within days about 5 or 6 emails arrived saying they where there including the Platoon Commander Lt John Barbeau.
F-Troop Platoon Commander Lt John Barbeau.
I have maintain contact with John and he has kindly agreed to write a small account of the incident for the book John had enough foresight after the so called battle, to cut off a small bit of the male Elephant's tusk.
