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St Was Farewell Party on Patio,PititThen Came Deadly RocketsBy GEORGE ESPER Associated Press Writer SAIGON. (AP) The* men had just finished .their charcoal, grilled steaks an the patio, The speeches had been made and a . plaque had been presented to the guest of honor, Col,; Ed, Cavanatigiif^.,vflid. :.wasgoing. Monday.V.1.-\ 4‘ Suddenly blit of 'tiie' sursky just south of Da Sithere was . a whistling • and then a crackling lliumler, A ICO-pound rocketx smashed . Into the ground 150 yards west of the patio; There, wore three or four more within1 a minute or■ two. . .V.The 1J ,S. off luer s, t he enli sled men and their South . Vietnamese comrades dashed for, bunkers near the patio. V;Two art lUery batteries wi.Hiil 55, a South Vietnamese regimental headquarters where the party was being held, began firing hack.The enemy rockets stopped, “Witti the artillery counter-♦he enemy launch sites were. We could see Jhe’ smoke from the launch slles.”Suddenly there was a cloud ofsmoke, a shrill whistle in the dir. / ..the .men .knew instinctively the ; enemy rocket fire had ■ started.up1 again.: . - “That’s when *.yq_ai!-startud to hit (he dock, said the officer. . • ,. A rocket hit 20 feet from Cavanaugh, He was killed,.Three officers and four South Vietnamese near him were Wounded;- • ■ '• ’./During oils' Inst living moments, Cavanaugh was talking about the .war in general. • '■/‘The. rockets didn’t • worry liiin a bit/' said an officer who \vas lying next to him/’ ' ’.iheir tours in Vietnam and were heading home. \yfiring, things became more se-/•ttm » recalled one officer who* Cavanaugh, a 48-year-old West Point graduate from Fairfax, Ya«, held many medals, including the Silver Star, the ration’s third highest award for combat bravery, and a Purple Heart.cure,was at the party Thun night, “About 30 minutes we went back outside to clean up ar.d survey what damage had boon done, We could see the artillery going in toHe find served in the senior adviser Mobile Task Force, nmnt, which was farewell party. Two er three U.S, officer wounded also hadVietnam as to the 1st 51st Regi-giving Hie of the oth-s who were completedArecou
Newspaper Details
Idaho State Journal
Pocatello, Idaho, US
Fri, Jul 30, 1971
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Gerald F.
NA, 06 May 2018
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