Seventh Infantry Division - Yearbook (South Korea)

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was planned. It was to be executed the night of 12 February and called for a twelve-man I and R ambush squad and a ten-man support squad to be furnished by Company K. A ten-man alert squad would also be furnished by that company. Sergeant Lyons would com- mand. Lyons decided to set the ambush squad on Jack and the support on Queen. The approach route for both squads would be the trail along the top of the fingerlike ridge. Ambush would deploy an inverted Ui, formation on the north slope of the knob, support would form a perimeter around Queen. Lyons hoped to catch a Chi- nese patrol moving south into either of the valleys flanking Jack. He would Wait until the Reds were well into the south of Jack, then slip his ambush squad into the valley behind them. By forming an east-west skir- mish line, Lyons could open up in the enemy and when they withdrew to the north, support on Queen would get a crack at them. Success depended on an early arrival at Jack since Lyons could hardly hope to spring an ambush if the Chinese patrol had already passed this position. Also a late arrival could greatly increase the possibility that the ambush squad would walk into a trap itself. In recent Weeks, more than one 32nd patrol had been assaulted by Chinese in ambush positions. The patrol members conducted rehearsals during the afternoon of the 11th and at 1830, 12 February, the ambush squad's point man climbed from his trench. In single file, with ten-yard intervals, the ambush squad began its march along the top of the finger to Ace. The patrol reached Queen about 1910. Corporal Leo Hilton assumed the point position. The AR man dropped be- hind Hilton just in front of Lyons. The ambush squad then moved off Queen, through the black, moonless night, toward Jack. Support, following about 15 min- utes behind ambush, reached Queen about 1915. Ser- geant Acebado, in charge of support, deployed his men into a perimeter. At about 1918, Hilton, now the point man for ambush, turned to Lyons and whispered: We're at Jack. Ambush set up the horseshoe as they had rehearsed it. Lyons, meanwhile, intended to make a tour of the horseshoe, then pick up the man with the 4

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awww sound-powered phone and post himself to direct the patrol from a spot a few yards behind and above the AR man. The radioman was to remain with Lyons' assistant, O'Leary, on the northeast slope. As the two men started to return to their positions an automatic rifle burst ripped the silence. Automatic carbines on the north and northeast slope began chattering. Burp guns opened fire and grenades began exploding. Lyons screamed to O,Leary: Get 'em firing, O'Leary, get 'em firing. He raced over a knob and dropped to the ground. He could see dozens of burp gun muzzle blasts down the north and northeast slopes. Lyons esti- mated two Chinese platoons-about seventy men-were assaulting Jack, one from the front, another from the right flank. Lyons screamed for O'Leary to call the support but his aid was already halfway down the northeast slope, his carbine roaring in his hands. Lyons' voice was smoth- ered. Corporal Triano, realizing O'Leary could not hear Lyons, started back for Queen and the support squad. By now all Lyons' men, except Triano, were on the firing line. Play it cool and keep firing, Lyons yelled to his men, then he crept toward the west slope hoping possibly to find some men not involved in the firefight. Grenades were banging off all over the ridge. The west slope had been vacated already but Lyons heard some- one giving orders in Chinese. He dropped into a hole and emptied a clip at four or five Chinese moving up the slope. Concussion grenades began bursting in front of him and more vague shapes were moving in on him. He reloaded and emptied another clip down the slope. A burp gun began firing at his position. Cpl. James E. Holland, a rifleman, crawled into the hole with Lyons but he was out of ammunition. He started tossing grenades While Lyons fired into the advancing Chinese. While Lyons was trying to hold the advancing enemy on the west slope his north slope Was collapsing. The two Red platoons had rallied and were overrunning Jack. Four of the sergeant's men, all wounded, with- drew south from the knob. Five others, trapped on the top of Jack, blasted away as the Chinese, screaming and yelling, gained the crest and rushed them.