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This was a story that appeared in the August 1968 Green Beret Magazine, by James Angley and Jerry Kringle. I ran across it while I was recuperating in an Army hospital in Yokohama, Japan. I figured it was old news to most of you but I wanted to share it just in case others had forgotten about it. You are probably familiar with the mission. We rescued a Yard village that had been enslaved by the VC for 8 years.

 The 281st AHC went in under the direction of SF, Tom Ross with gun ships and slicks. We inserted some American and Vietnamese Special forces and then air lifted the entire village. Wolf Pack pounded the VC camp as the slicks landed in cornfields and loaded up the people with all their belongings. We transported them with their chickens and all. People were starving and had a plethora of diseases including TB and even Leprosy. We took them to    A-502 and we gave them soda and ivory soap. They drank the pop but some of them actually tried eating the soap

 Actually, the SF guys at the A-Camp had cases of soft drinks and they passed the stuff out because that’s basically all we had to offer for the moment. We could see that many of them, especially children, were bloated with gases caused mal-nutrition. So many were covered with sores, jungle rot, etc, we figured the soap was a good idea too, i.e., until some of them ate it. I think I was flying with Kelley at the time. But, it could have been Embrey. Can’t remember who the pilots were that day because again, memory fails.

 One of the LZs we used was a corn field and there was a lot of smoke all around from the Wolf Pack’s assault. Many Yards were quite anxious to get aboard but many needed encouragement. We did a lot of PR, smiling and reassuring them. There was no sense of panic, again, as I remember it (CRS). For me, it was a great pleasure to render that assistance that day. Made my birthday quite special.