E/3/60 update    Thu, Jan 25, 2000         Following are some highlights of Echo Co from July l967 through March l968. Tues July l8, l967 - Echo had a stand down party. Mon July 24 - mortar attack. Only second one ever at Dong Tam, and first one in several weeks. Would be many more to follow. Tues July 25 - 7 from Echo hit on perimeter. 3rd Surg Hosp. mortared again and is out of commission. All 7 were flown directly to Saigon for treatment.         Same day - Echo outhouse booby trapped. Found hand grenade and claymore booby trap. Two weeks before, found one in Co A's outhouse. Everyone wondering if VC are coming in at night and doing the booby traps. Thurs July 27 - visited the seven who were wounded and are in Third Field Hospital in Saigon. Nussell, Gonzalez, White, Dougherty, Hall, Matos, Russell. (I believe Dougherty is one who was killed later on Thanksgiving Day. ) Mon July 3l - (not real sure of date, but am sure of details) Echo soldier named Creek running from outhouse just as it explodes. He had set the booby trap. Is arrested, sent to LBJ (Long Binh Jail). Is later courtmartialed and sentanced to l2 years in Levenworth. Wed Aug 2 - boarded ships for mobile riverine operations. Mon Aug l4 - Visited White, Nussell, Hall, Dougherty, in 3rd Field in Saigon. Wed Aug l6 - Beach party at Vung Tau. Mon Aug 28 - Visited White in 3rd Field. Wed Sep l3 - Pearson, gunshot wound left arm. Cathy, scorpion bite. both at 3rd Surg. Thurs Sep l4 - visited same two soldiers. Fri Sep l5 - battle of Snoopy's Nose. Echo was not there...think they were pulling security for arty. Mon Sep l8 - saw Creek at LBJ. Hollis at 93rd Evac in Long Binh. Tues Oct l7 - 4 from Echo with leg injuries. Tues Oct 3l - 36th Evac hosp, Vung Tau - Roger Kochstetler, possible amebiasis and Adam Dillenger, back sprain. Sat Nov 4 - 3rd surg, Matthews, back, and Hayworth, frag wound foot. Sun Nov 5 - saw Matthews at 3rd surg. Sat Nov ll - Lt Stiver killed. also wounded were John Simons jr, multiple frag wounds, head chest, arms. Raymond Schmidt, FW arms. James Sexton mfw, Bradley Franks, FW left leg. Mon Nov l3 - 3rd Field hosp- Raymond Schmidt, James Sexton, Bradley Franks, John Sims. Wed Nov l5 - Memorial service for Lt. Stiver. Tues Nov 21 - Bradley Franks, 3rd Field hosp. Thursday Nov 23 (Thanksgiving day) Echo sent to field around perimeter of Dong Tam. "Go work up an appetite for a good meal." 3 kIAs Dougherty, Wallace, Simpson. Last two were buddies from states. One was engaged to the other's sister. both killed in one blast. Much more detail about this in my book. Wounded: Gordon Stockton, FW eye, forehead. John Adame, FW L Arm, L. leg. Barry Fidukl, FW left arm. James Merritt, FW both legs. Fri Nov 24 - saw Merritt, Fidulke, Stockton in 3rd Surg. Sun Nov 26 - Henry Roland dusted off - centipede bite. Mon Nov 27 - Memorial service for Wallace, Simpson, Dougherty. Later in day, Echo had a party...in part to help neutralize the down feelings about the above 3 KIAs. Wed Nov 29 - saw Barry Fiduko (Fidukl??) and James Merritt in 3rd Field in Saigon. Creek in LBJ. Thursday Nov 30 - played Basketball with Echo. Sat Dec 9 - Echo did road runner operation. Killed one VC. Cpt Jenkins brought the dead VC into Dong Tam for "show and tell". Got into much trouble with the command for this. Body was then taken back to My Tho and "dumped" at the local civilian hospital. More trouble followed. (more detail in my up coming book.) Sun Dec l0 - another road runner operation on highway #4. Road blown up behind us by VC. Intel report came in during night that 2 VC divisions were to congregate in the very area where we were on the road runner operation. Dec l2 - 0130 50 mortar rounds on D. Tam. Dec l4 - Our own 4.2 mortar pits exploded. rounds were going off all over 3/60th area. Dec l8 - Saw James Merrit...still in 3rd Field Hosp. in Saigon....2330, another mortar attack on D. Tam. Dec 24 - 25, Christmas...truce. Echo set up at "cross roads" canal near Ben Tre along with Co A and C. Christmas field service with Echo at l800 on Christmas eve. VC hit us from nearby tree line midway through the service. Jan 1, l968 Another truce. Had two field services with Echo. Spent night there. VC hit us shortly after dark. Jan 29 - set up for TET truce...was with Echo. Mosquitoes very bad. Jan 30 - word that TET offensive had begun. Jan 3l - leaving in boat convoy, ambush on the river. Feb 1-2 - My Tho battle. Moved into My Tho at 4:00 PM. Next morning, Lt. Dennis McDougall shot in chest in allyway in front of blown up orphanage. Then our own artillery round came in on top of us. l0 were hit. Fighting continued to mid day. Then left My Tho. (This is detailed much in my book.) Feb 4 - Vinh Long. Echo in bad fight. Had artillery on "automatic" Lt. Ron Wood was killed. Next morning, many (68?) VC bodies were scattered around the area. Feb 7 - Capt Skip Brown, the Echo CO, was releaved of command by LTC Hill for "over reacting" 3 nights ago. Capt Brown was a very young officer. Feb 8 - Memorial service for Echo. Feb l9 - Charlie and Echo called out. Air lifted in below Can Tho. Hit shortly after getting off choppers in huge rice paddy. Were then accidentally fired on by our own gun ships. Miserable night. Wet. Wind blew all night. C and E had total of 7 KIAs, including one Cheu Hoi. Captured machine guns, B-40 rockets, launchers, RPG 7s, steel pots, Chi-Com rifles, etc. Feb 21 - Memorial service for Echo, Charlie and HQ. Later in day, party on bank of river for battalion stand down. Feb 26 - bad fight involving Bravo, Echo and Alpha. Some choppers shot down. Had total of l9 KIAs and 65 wounded. Feb 29 - Memorial service for Echo on pontoon. (Photo of this service is on cover of my book) Mar l - Another operation. Company commander of Co A (Capt Frank Pina) was killed with two other soldiers. Echo came to assist Co A. I injured right shoulder. Was my last operation.         There is much more detail. However, much of it is included in my book as the day to day operations are in the earlier part of the book. It is written from the battalion perspective, ie, all of our companies. Hope this is helpful.         Sincerely, Jim Johnson