1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Chu Moor D 1-14

LZ Swinger was located to the north
of Chu Moor Mountain and the
1/22 firebase, in the Chu Moor Valley area.

This LZ became the base from which
1/14 Infantry conducted operations
in the Chu Moor AO.

I was in/on Chu Moor, in our unit it's referred to as LZ SWINGER. We were inserted under heavy fire
and as we were getting off the choppers your people were getting back on. I remember a stack of KIA's and a person trying
to keep a poncho over the bodies. Over the years I've communicated with that person, he was one of your medics.
I can not remember his name also I've exchanged e-mails with a chopper pilot that remembers those two days.
In an infantry company the head person is the company commander, the person I was chatting with was a company commanders equal.
They lost a chopper and a crew chief lost a foot, so he remembers it well. So much so he was writing a book about the AO.

I was with Delta Co 1-14th, our people were told this would be a "cold LZ", I remember coming in for a landing
when I saw black puffs of smoke on the helo pad, the pilot had to abort the landing, we circled in the air and came back in.
It was like a John Wayne movie, I know you understand. Anyway after the exchange of troops was made everything slowed down,
so much so we were walking around preparing for the night. At some point that afternoon/evening a NVA ran into the perimeter
and out again .......... he was either drugged out or probing, he got away. Sounds crazy but it did happen, bet he's still running
with all the lead chasing him (grin).

Later that evening I walked over to another platoon's location to talk to a William Harff. Each day or two he would write down notes
for a book he was planning on writing after the war. We chatted a bit then I left to go back to my platoon's location.
On the way there I stopped to talk to our medic and a person named Pete Peterson when ... swish ... mortars came in.
One exploded in the air over William Harf causing him to be a KIA; that same round peppered Pete Peterson's back side
and knocked down our medic. This was my 1st wound of the war, if Pete hadn't been where he was I would have been KIA.
I was hit in the left side with shrapnel and took off running for my bunker, KABOOM, another mortar hit knocking me to the ground;
I was in the open. One of my squad members yelled "here, get in here". It was a very small bunker with about 4 people inside.
Must have been 25 or so mortar rounds that landed in the perimeter, some were aerial bursts, anyway I felt something wet on my back
and was coughing. I was wounded again. All the wounds were small but had to be taken out. I remember the gurgling sound
in my lung from the second wound. We went into the LZ with approximately 84 men, had 2 kia's and 24 or so that wasn't wounded
or was wounded and could walk.

LZ Swinger was located in a bad spot, the helo pad was in a saddle and marked with sand bags. The next day we were extracted
under heavy fire, you could hear the dinks trying to surround us, bamboo was breaking and snapping all around us.
I never saw a one ... just muzzle flashes, that was what I was firing at.

Years later I found out LZ Swinger was abandoned and then reopened with a battery of 155's placed on the hills on either side
of the saddle and the dinks had placed boobie traps on the helo pad. It was made out of sand bags, first two birds landed ok
but the third one was blown to hell.

I was on the last flight out of LZ Swinger and all I had left was an M-16 with a empty magazine and my steel pot.
To this day I don't know how that Huey got off the ground unless it was the hand of God that lifted us out of there.
Over the years I have located 65 or so former Delta co members and put together 4 reunions;
when we talk about it we just say it was a "bad place"

Jim Brown (aka Charlie Brown) Delta Co 1-14th 1st platoon, 4th Infantry Division 2/68 - 2/69

"A young lady that was as brave a person as I know of. I'm on Chris Noel's left side, the person on her right is an unknown.
It was taken on LZ Brillo Pad in May of 1968. Please note a lot of the so called "higher-ups" would not come to this location.
I'm guessing this to be in the middle of May 1968. She deserves a lot of credit because the jungle was swarming with bad guys.
They were trying to get her inside a bunker asap. This was another bad place but she came anyway,
I grabbed "a" m-16 and ran up asking to have my picture taken.
Didn't notice the rifle was unloaded .......... "didn't mean nothin" (grin)"

In 2005 Jim Brown had the following conversation with Ron Carey, who was with the 119th Aviation Company,
and was on one of the helicopters supporting the Soldiers of D 1/14 at Chu Moor during the battle:

Ron

You had mentioned 2 KIA's on LZ SWINGER on 3/1/69, I was attached to
Delta Co 1/14. On 4/28/68 Delta was inserted under heavy on LZ SWINGER
to
re leave C co 1/22 or 122nd, anyway we were there less than 36 hours
and
had 55 WIA and 2 KIA on Swinger. C co had about 6 to 8 KIA's on the
landing pad when we came in. LZ SWINGER was in a saddle with trees all
around except for the landing pad which was zeroed in on by the Dinks.
To
this day the words SWINGER, BRILLO PAD, MILE HIGH, and BINGO all bring
back bad memories. Just wanted you to know SWINGER had a bad repetition

prior to your arrival both on the ground and for the choppers.

Jim Brown (aka Charlie Brown) 2/68 2/69

Jim,

My ship took part of your company into Swinger that day. It was the day
before my 19th birthday. One of our crew chiefs was shot up pretty bad a
couple days prior to that assault. That was one of the first times I
operated in the Plei-Trap Valley. I remember pulling the guys out of
there a
couple days later. I wished then I would never see that place again. No
luck. Was back there again in November of 1968. I was shot down during a
LRRP extraction on 11/11/68. Lost a good friend and his crew on 11/21/68
on
a sniffer mission. Did a bunch of assaults with the 2nd Bde. on
Thanksgiving
(11/28/68) when they moved up from the south.

I hated that place. Knew the whole place was full of bad guys. I believe
each year the 4th Infantry went into that valley and each time ran into
trouble. Thanks for the note.

Welcome Home Brother,

Ron

I was the medic at the LZ. I had rotated out of the field about two weeks earlier after being with C/1/22 for seven months.
Charlie Shyab replaced me as senior medic. When Charlie was wounded (he was the last medic remaining with the company.
The rest had already been wounded) I was sent back in. I carried body bags and my instructions were to get the WIA's
and KIA's off the mountain--- don't leave anyone. The plan to replace C/1/22 with D/1/14 had already been made.
I rode off the mountain in the chopper with the KIAs. At our reunion last week Bill French, the medical platoon leader, was there.
He was at the Chu Moor firebase. He said I threw my equipment down and said, " they're all dead. ( I didn't remember that)
I went in the aid station bunker and stayed a long time. The people in the bags were my friends.