1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Operation Sam Houston 4ID AAR

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

OPERATION SAM HOUSTON

Excerpts from the 4th Infantry Division After Action Report

Above: the official map of Operation Sam Houston included in the 4th Infantry Division After Action report. The map
was put together by folding five different intersecting maps over each other. The heavy black lines denote the 4th Division's
Area of Operations, with the western boundary (left) being the border with Cambodia. The red stars denote battles fought
with the NVA. The yellow number 2 is the position where 1/22 Infantry entered the area, just northwest of the Oasis rear base.
The yellow number 1 is the area in the Plei Trap Valley, across the Nam Sathay River, where 1/22 Infantry fought four battles with the NVA.
The white box in the left of the map is the "legend", showing the map series numbers used to make this operational map, and explains that the
red star is used to mark "ENEMY CONTACTS".

Commanders of 1st Battalion during the Operation were listed as:

Average strength of 1st Battalion during the Operation is marked by the red asterisk below:

For the purposes of the Operation 1st Battalion consisted of:

The following passages from the Division AAR described the two battles
in which Company A 1/22 Infantry met large enemy forces:

On 16 February, A Company, 1st Battalion, 22d Infantry encountered an NVA battalion while conducting
a routine search and destroy operation. Tactical air support and all available artillery and mortar fires were
summoned. One hour after the battle began, C Company was dispatched to reinforce Company A and,
although the relief column was confronted by almost impenetrable jungle and sniper and automatic weapons fire,
the link-up was effected in two hours. The strengthened friendly force, aided by telling supporting fires,
forced the enemy to withdraw, leaving 4 bodies behind. United States casualties were 21 KIA and 27 WIA.

Over the period 12-13-14 march, a series of mortar attacks were directed against the fire support base of
1st Battalion, 22d Infantry and the 2d Brigade Command Post. The volume of incoming ordnance at the
1st Battalion 22d Infantry base was unprecedented. An entire six howitzer artillery battery was moved away
from the center of impact area during the attack and counter-mortar fires were initiated from a new location.
Company A located an NVA battalion and fought its way through the numerically superior force to reach
and silence the hostile mortars on 14 March, the third day of sporadic mortar bombardment. The barrage
directed on the 2d Brigade Command Post on 13-14 march was accompanied by an unsuccessful NVA
ground assault. Counter-mortar fire silenced the enemy positions on 14 March.

As can be seen in the figures below, 1/22 Infantry was the hardest hit unit in the 4th Division
during Operation Sam Houston, and also inflicted the hardest damage on the enemy,
in total numbers of enemy killed, captured and possible enemy detained.

The following lists enemy equipment captured by 1/22 Infantry during the Operation:

NEXT PAGE

BACK