DWIGHT BASEY

These old pictures and newspaper clippings were sent to me several years ago after Dwight Basey's sister Barbara contacted me wanting information on Dwight's death from someone who was there. I was for many years, reluctant to speak with anyone about that terrible day when we lost 18 good soldiers and friends, with countless others that were wounded myself being one of the latter. But faced with this request from Barbara Basey, I felt I had to tell her what I knew regardless of the pain it caused me to talk about it.

Dwight was a giant of a man about 6 six foot three and gentle as a lamb and what we referred to as a “go-to guy.” Dwight and I, as well as many others lost that day, had all been together for about 2 years, a year at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and about a year in Vietnam before that fateful day.

On that day we were on a company size search and destroy mission in the Plei Me area of South Vietnam, thick jungle, hot, soaking wet as usual with the leaches and giant termites and so many other critters and snakes I can't even recall their names, but they were with us every step of the way again as usual. A long story cut short here, we came under attack from a sizeable North Vietnamese force. We were completely surprised and didn't have any time to take up defensive positions as was standard procedure. Consequently all hell broke loose and for a time it was every man for himself.

We were able to regroup enough to prevent the enemy from completely overrunning our position, but it was a long battle about seven and a half hours before the Medivac choppers could get into us to start evacuating the dead and wounded.

As I told Barbara Basey, I had close contact with Dwight on several occasions that day and the last time I saw Dwight he had the M-60 machine gun on which he had been the number two ammo man, and was standing and firing out toward the incoming enemy soldiers. I learned later that Dwight, before he was killed, had indeed saved the lives of several wounded comrades that day and was posthumously awarded the appropriate medals for a hero.

I'll never forget Dwight, or all the others that were taken that day. I feel sure that we will all meet again in time, in I dare say Heaven, because the Lord knows we already spent our time in Hell (that's Vietnam)!!

Allan Ayo

The Battle of Dragons Crater

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