stationed in Phu
Lam, Republic of Vietnam, an isolated communications complex,
physically
located on the outskirts of Saigon, on the road to Cu Chi. Richard and
myself were trained and worked as 'communications technical
controllers'.
William was, as I recall, a microwave specialist. We supported
communications needs as directed by the Department of Defense.On the
day of
the incident, Richard and William obtained permission to use a
standard army jeep (m-151) for their trip to Regional Communications
Headquarters in Saigon. Richard, who was an Acting Sergeant at the
time,
refused me permission to go with them stating that they didn't want to
babysit a kid.They were both heavily armed and I believe William was
driving.
They exited
the main gate (homemade) and turned left towards Saigon. They passed
through
Cholon (a predominately Chinese 'suburb' of Saigon), then onward
towards the
Regional Communications Headquarters. Enroute, they approached the
Vietnamese Phu toe racetrack area. It was later discovered that the
cement
bleacher and racetrack complex was being used as a field hospital by
the
North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong.Appropriately, the enemy
defended this
area in a multitude of different
ways, one of which was to station a machine gun crew in an abandoned
'gas
station' on the road approaching their complex and as Richard and
William
sped by, they were summarily attacked. Some time later, as the area was
cleared of the enemy by elements of US Army Infantry, William was found
and
taken to the Mortuary at Tan Son Nhut where he was eventually
identified by
co-workers from Phu Lam. Richard was never found, nor as I understand
it,
could the Infantry offer any explanation as to his whereabouts, other
than
to speculate that he was taken prisoner. He was simply no where in the
area.
The date was 31 January 1968.To the best of my knowledge, Richard was
never
seen or heard from again. "Thomas E. Lassek
