Hill 34 Vietnam

Christmas Day 1968, Hill 34. Lt. Col Annas has banned mustaches. Bravo
retaliates by donning a shared fake beard. Shown here is LT. Dick Erickson.


At the camera, and I think the owner of the beard is Bravo Co C.O. Capt. Mike Esposito. With his back to the viewer is X.O. 1st Lt. Erwin Mick (later C.O.).	Bravo Co. office, Hill 34, Dec 1968. Seated is X.O./Plt Ldr Erwin Mick. Standing is Plt Ldr Lt. Erickson	Bravo Co sweep team squad at Dien Ban ROK Marine camp. Christmas Eve 1968. At this time Bravo usually kept a reinforced squad at Dien Ban to speed the Rt 1 mine sweep by that squad sweeping south toward 9th Engrs while the rest of the platoon swept south from Hill 34 to Dien Ban.

7 November 1968. Bravo Co. mine sweep of Rt 1 near Song Thanh Quit and Dien Ban. Pictures were taken on the second day of Operation Meade River, a US/ARVN offensive into the Dien Ban area. Bravo Co., Rt 1 convoys and other Marine units had taken lots of casualties in this area in September and October. (Check Bravo KIAs for that time frame, not to mention ROK Marines on mine sweep security.) Capt. Esposito and Lt. Col. Annas has convinced 1st Mar Div that this area was not as "pacified" as G-2 thought. Anyway, Meade River reaped many, many VC/NVA KIAs. These pictures are on the second day because 1st Mar Div insisted on using 1st Engineers (division engineers) for the initial sweep even though Bravo Co. swept this road every day. Infantry etc. was coming in by a combined helicopter and convoy assault. The convoys down Rt 1 did not get through until late in the first day because they hit so many mines. 1st Engineers just weren't familiar with the road plus the VC/NVA no doubt found out they were coming because there was an unusually high number of mines. 1st Mar Div reconsidered and had 7th Engrs do the sweeps beginning with the second day. I think we had 3 platoons out that second day. 1 sweeping and 2 for security.