E-Mail from  Dale Clark   John,   I was a member of Gold 2/9 and particiapted in the attack of Koh Tang Island.  Dan was a friend of mine and in my squad before the operation.  I was his squad leader up to the final planning stages of the assault.  My squad was rearranged to accomadate a Corporal who was the company armorer.   I was only a Lance Corporal at the time.  Ncos were very scarce back then.   Dan was placed in the 2nd squad and I as a team leader in the 3rd squad. The first two squads along with weapons platoon elements were in the helicopter Dan was in.  I believe that was Jolly Green 2.  I believe I was in Jolly Green 3.  As we advanced on the island, the first thing I remember after seeing the island at sunrise, was a fireball.  Jolly green 1 exploded in mid air.  Right after that Jolly Green 2 was it and crashed in the water.  We flew over the crash site and I remember seeing a yellow liferaft with nobody in it.  We continued toward the island and flew over a anti aircraft gun manned by two Khemer Rouge soldiers.  It appeared to be on a boat that was half submerged.  That was firing at us and I also could see   smoke rising from the treetops from automatic weaspons fire which hit us. I remember the rounds puncturing the aircraft skin and makeing alot of holes.  The next thing happened, we were hit with a RPG that left a gaing hole in the right side of he aircraft.  Luckily the rocket exploded on  impact and not inside or hitting the fuel tank.      Anyway, it took us all day to get off of the island.  Once back on the USS Coral Sea, we found we left a machine gun team back on the island after we evacuated.  We were told they were killed during the initial firefight.   Frankly, after reading the analaysis in a book written by a Professor Guilmartin, that team stayed in place waiting further orders.  Since it was chaotic on the island, the senior command did not know where everyone was.   I had to get up from my postion in the treeline after the first firefight stopped and look for an officer.  If I stayed in place along with my team, we would have been left behind.  The squad leader did not know where his squad was located.  We were all inside the tree line which was a very thick jungle.    Have you been in contact with Dan B's family?  The last I heard from the family, was his sister wrote a letter to Capt. Davis after we returned   to Okinawa back in May 75.   Regards,   Dale L. Clark

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