Category Archives: Retrans

Assault on Retrans

December 24, 2018 ajaxtrueblood Leave a comment

guys by bunkers This post provides further details about an insurgent attack on 19 Apr 05 against Battle Position Khe Sahn, aka “Retrans”. One of my first blog posts was about Retrans, and quoted John Parina who gave me a little bit of info. Later on, I gathered more details and included the story in the Retrans chapter. (download it here)

Now, thanks to a recent chat with Vinny Brothman, I’ve filled in some more of the story. Brothman led a Fire Direction Center (FDC) in the 81mm mortar platoon of Weapons Co, and often pulled duty out at Retrans directing the mortar crews. Here’s his first-hand account of the action that day.

I was in the main bunker playing Monopoly… We heard the 50 cal open up. The chain of command out there went Corporal Marshall and then myself… He and I sprinted to the 50 cal. bunker to see what was going on.

We get up there and get reports of muzzle flashes coming from the Papa 6 bridge, which was about a click from Retrans… We see the flashes and decided I would request permission to fire mortars… Marshall ran to the Mk19 bunker. The idea was to have the 50 firing against the right side of the bridge and the Mk19 firing on the left and trap them on the bridge. Running back to the main bunker I could hear small arms and the crack of a high powered rifle…likely a sniper. Then I got on the radio and called into battalion… to report what’s happening. The S3, Major Day, breaks the transmission:

Break break, Khe Sahn, this is Betio 3. Who am I speaking with?

Betio 3, this is Echo 3 Bravo

Roger, Brothman?

That’s affirmative

Roger. You have no friendlies or air in your vicinity. Engage any target you see fit.

Roger, Khe Sahn out.

At that point I run to the 50 cal bunker and start a fire mission. We fired an immediate suppression on the bridge. We were also seeing muzzle flashes coming from a multistory building right of the bridge… I climbed onto the bunker to call a fire mission for myself. I estimated the range and shot an azimuth, or direction, from my position. I worked a converged, sheathed mission onto the building, set the fuse to delayed impact and dropped 10 rounds on the building.

Mark Thiry w 240G — LCpl Mark Thiry, on 19 Apr 05, returning fire with the M240G machine-gun, next to the .50 cal bunker at Retrans. (Mark Thiry photo)

The whole time the 50 and the Mk19 were going and had the enemy locked on the bridge. I believe Marshall had our guys pull the 240G out of the bunker and set it up on top and fired away at the bridge too. After that fire mission I focused back on the bridge, where I worked up the data on a traverse mission. I split the two guns further to have all three guns up, gave them their data and had them dropping rounds across the entire bridge.

There was no more firing from the building or the bridge. All we saw were vehicles stopping on the bridge, assuming they were picking up wounded and they left.

After that I called into Betio and reported that contact was over and they notified us that the Battalion Commander and Sgt Major were on their way. Marshall and I debriefed them and that was it. When I got back to Camp AQ, our Platoon Sgt, Gunny Boldin, called me a psycho for being on top of that bunker calling my own fire missions.

–Vinny Brothman, chat with author

And here’s an excerpt from the Retrans chapter, with more of the story:

In actuality, there was always a chance that insurgents might mount a determined attack against Retrans. One particular incident highlighted that threat. On April 19th, multiple insurgents used the cover of a daytime sandstorm to engage the little hilltop fort with more than hit-and-hide harassment fire.

Just after noon, apparently thinking the blowing sand would keep the Marines from responding effectively, some 15-20 men started firing machine guns and rockets at Retrans from down by the P6 highway bridge and a nearby building.

We were playing spades in the CP when we started taking small arms fire… The insurgents tried to make their move when we couldn’t see. But unfortunately (for them) we could see their muzzle flashes. We all ran to our respective bunkers and started firing back… The .50 and Mk19 were in the front where we were taking fire. We also dismounted the 240 from its bunker, and ran it up to the .50 cal bunker and [used it] to return fire. I was on the Mk19, and took the traverse and elevation off the gun, so I could track targets faster. We returned a lot of rounds before it quieted down, cleared up and was all over. –John Parina

In spite of the storm, the Marines had returned heavy fire, including 400 .50 calibre rounds and some thirty 40mm grenades, which squelched any plans the enemy may have had. But coming a few days after the big attack on Camp Gannon, there was cause for concern. “That incident was somewhat prolonged, a clear probe”. Kilo’s Commander, Capt. Ieva recalls. “It alarmed me a bit because it underlined the risk to Khe Sahn, manned at the squad level to preserve combat power. But it also gave me confidence that the Squad Leaders out there were capable of handling things.” –Chris Ieva

(I’ll need to add in the mortar fire called in by Vinny Brothman)

–Ajax

3/2 Marines, Khe Sahn, Kilo, Retrans

Retrans: Scorpions, sunsets and survival

May 16, 2018 ajaxtrueblood 1 Comment

two guys in bunker — (Matt Gundlach photo)

The desert outpost known as “Retrans”, or as it was officially called, Battle Position Khe Sahn, was one of the most isolated, desolated posts in Iraq. David Pape, a mortarman with Kilo Co. described it like this: It sucked!! The enemy hit us constantly… The all-MRE diet, sleeping in bunkers, and the godawful heat. But there were good times too. We dropped hundreds of mortar rounds, and I saw the most beautiful sunsets and stars I’ve ever seen.

I’ve just finished the draft chapter on Retrans. Download it here Thanks to the Marines who talked and chatted with me about it, and shared their photos. Enjoy…

–Ajax

3/2 Marines, Kilo, Retrans, Warpig

More Retrans stories

May 5, 2018 ajaxtrueblood Leave a comment

Several Marines have reached me tonight with more info about their time at the outpost known as Retrans (it was set up as a radio retransmission station). See more here. I’m working on a short chapter about it, and asked for stories, memories and photos, and they started rolling in. Thanks guys!

David Pape sent me the story of the great 4th of July sheep BBQ, and its posted here [slightly edited] with his permission:

I can pretty much guarantee that there was not a single marine in 3/2 who spent more time at Retrans then I did. 81’s [mortar crews] would’ve been the closest but even they got relieved more then I did… It sucked up there man! But we dropped hundreds of rounds from there, ran illum [illumination] missions for sniper attachments. And had serious Spades tournaments to kill time! It was the MRE diet, sleeping in bunkers, and the heat! But that is also where I’ve seen the most beautiful sunsets and stars I have ever seen!!

And [then there are the] stories about the sheep I cleaned and cooked. One the first tour [at Retrans] and the second on the Fourth of July!! The first trip out there I was eating an MRE at daylight and I look up and across the wadi there is a lone sheep. I asked SSgt Jeremy Martinez to let me shoot it and he wouldn’t let me. So a sniper shot it, and me and Gayle drug it over and cleaned it. Then we cooked it on the bone.

Sheep on the grill — Sheep on the Barbie…

The week of the 4th I told everybody watch for the sheep herders and if they come let me know. On the 3rd two kids had a herd down by the bridge. So 6 or 8 of us kicked out a little patrol. A guy went high and set up overwatch with a SAW a few hundred back. We get down there and trade 20 American dollars and a case of MREs for two sheep. One didn’t want to leave the herd, so Montoya dropped it. We finally got back and put the live one in the M-240 bunker overnight. It shit everywhere!!

Next day we killed it. I showed John Parina how to gut it. Hung it on the front of a 7-ton [truck] on the spreader bar used for towing, skinned it out and quartered it. They had a pan in the .50 cal bunker, and some Tony Cajun’s [seasoning]. I can’t remember where the grate came from. So me and Wheatley, a kid from the 81’s, cooked it and we all ate it. It came out pretty good actually. It was fresh meat, hoof-to-table…

*David Pape (right) and buddies by the fire*

We were Marines at war and it was rugged, and manly on our Independence Day. It felt symbolic. I don’t know, maybe we were all thinking what guys our age were doing back home, or what we would have been doing. What we were actually doing was way more badass!!
–David Pape, Weapons Co, Chat session with author

Here’s what Steve Gray remembers about Retrans (used with permission):

Retrans was playing monopoly till someone mortared you then shooting the hell out of them… There were so many IDF [indirect fire] attacks it was more common to have them then not… The fact that no one was killed there was incredible since it was almost daily contact…

Six-foot-long Chinese rockets, so many mortar attacks I couldn’t count, some small arms, a lot of monopoly, goat herder’s food, mortar attacks. It was always a boring week or 2 on rotation though. Even if everyone got some trigger time.