Que Sanh Valley, 1968
SP/4 Steve Turner (St. Petersburg, FL) from B Troop, 1st Squad, 1st Cavalry Regiment talks to Sgt. Kenneth Bouche (Anaheim, CA). The APC Turner and Bouche were in was disabled earlier by NVA fire. After having to abandon the track vehicle initially, Turner, together with fellow crew members Bouche and SP/4 Robert Iverson (Decatur, IA) returned twice to retrieve the M16s and M60s still inside, both times under heavy enemy fire. All three have been put in by their Commanding Officers for “high” medals. They and the other members of their B Troop, as well as the men from C company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment; and the men from A and D Squad, 1st Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment got pinned down by the NVA for hours. The men had been moving 1000 meters West along a road leading through the Que Sanh valley with the objective to take a hill some 500 meters away when a tank hit a 500 pound mine, causing two injured, one seriously. In a subsequent firefight, the NVA managed to disable a second tank as well as an Armored Personnel Carrier, pinning the units down in the cross fire. After three hours of air strikes – some hitting as close as 50 meter from the men – the order to withdraw was given. A total of 22 NVA were killed. Three tanks and one APC were destroyed and the Americans suffered 5 wounded during the action.
 from B Troop, 1st Squad, 1st Cavalry Regiment talks to Sgt. Kenneth Bouche (Anaheim, CA). The APC Turner and Bouche were in was disabled earlier by NVA fire. After having to abandon the track vehicle initially, Turner, together with fellow crew members Bouche and SP/4 Robert Iverson (Decatur, IA) returned twice to retrieve the M16s and M60s still inside, both times under heavy enemy fire. All three have been put in by their Commanding Officers for “high” medals. They and the other members of their B Troop, as well as the men from C company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment; and the men from A and D Squad, 1st Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment got pinned down by the NVA for hours. The men had been moving 1000 meters West along a road leading through the Que Sanh valley with the objective to take a hill some 500 meters away when a tank hit a 500 pound mine, causing two injured, one seriously. In a subsequent firefight, the NVA managed to disable a second tank as well as an Armored Personnel Carrier, pinning the units down in the cross fire. After three hours of air strikes – some hitting as close as 50 meter from the men – the order to withdraw was given. A total of 22 NVA were killed. Three tanks and one APC were destroyed and the Americans suffered 5 wounded during the action.
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