Michael Belis Page 22

Michael Belis Company C 1/22 Infantry 1970-1971

On April 4, 1971 the VC attacked LZ Buffalo with infantry and a sapper unit.
A mortar barrage preceded the attack, and another barrage covered their withdrawl.
The infantry moved against the north end of the perimeter (top of the photo to the left of the bridge)
and engaged in a firefight with the defenders there, while sappers took out a defensive tower
in the river bed (above far right) and got inside the base and blew up the cavalry's motor pool
and did other damage. The Cavalry lost a couple of guys KIA. I remember one of them
was a shortimer called "Cosmo", who was due to go home a week or two before me.
The names of the 1/10 Cav KIA's were Thomas L. Blatz and Robert W. "Cosmo" Homschek.

Damaged truck in the Cavalry's motor pool. Note shattered windshield on passenger side.

Chapel blown up by the sappers

Destroyed chapel by the motor pool

The next morning the Cavalry formed up tanks and APC's and searched the compound for
any VC who might still be inside. That bunker in the right of the above photo is where
me and the detachment of C 1/22 spent the night during the attack. A couple of incoming mortar
rounds hit within about 100 feet of us.

1/10 Cav searches the motor pool area

A flame thrower APC of 1/10 Cav burns off brush in gullies where sappers might be hiding
the day after the attack.

They found a couple of dead sappers and a few still alive. One of our guys went
over to see the captured sappers, and he said they all looked "shell-shocked".
I would be willing to bet that the state he saw them in was the result of their
getting all loaded up on heroin or other drugs in order to make the attack.

The flame thrower burning other possible hiding places

Results of the flame thrower

Two 1/22 guys in left of photo, as flame thrower works out next to our area.
The guy on the extreme left wearing the boonie hat is PFC Wallace.

Four Charlie Company 1/22 Infantry guys with their orders to rotate home.
From the left: Ron "Kraut" Moran, SGT Norm Nichols, SP4 Spanky Sullivan, SGT Gary Rabideau.
LZ Buffalo April 1971

Three more of us C 1/22 with our orders to go home.
Marshall on the left, me in the middle. I don't remember the name of the guy on the right,
but he was a great guy, and the only one in the Platoon who had actually gone through
Jungle Training at the Jungle School in Panama.

Me with my orders to go home.
"Mothers hide your daughters."

Westmoreland thanked me for my service

Tricky Dick thanked me for my service

My final W-2 from the Army - 1970 is x'ed out and 1971 is typed above it.
Note that no income tax was withheld, and no wages were subject to withholding.
The explanation given in the boxes for that was "CZ". ( Combat Zone )