Michael A. Rovedo

January 31, 1968 - Low clouds cover the sky, early on Wednesday morning, when the Tet Offense begins in Saigon.  Five enemy battalions of between 2000 and 2500 had infiltrated into the Saigon area.  Attacks are spearheaded by the C-10 Sapper Battalion.  The plan calls for 35 battalions of 4000 locals to attack the following six major targets:

1.  The Vietnamese Joint General Staff Headquarters
2.  The Independence Palace (President Thieu's office)
3.  The American Embassy
4.  The Tan Son Nhut Airport
5.  The Vietnamese Navy Headquarters
6.  The National Broadcasting Station The 716th MP Battalion, with approximately 1000 men, was responsible for the security of the 130 American installations in the greater Saigon area.  Only one third were on duty, even though they were warned of trouble.  Flak vests had been issued and they were doubled up on shift.   Only 25 of the 300 Vietnamese MP's in Saigon were available.

The following chronological account is partially taken from the Staff Duty Log of the 716th MP Battalion:

1:30 a.m.  Three vehicles, including one truck loaded with explosives, drive up to the National Palace staff entrance on Tu Do Street.  They commence their attack with 34 sappers.

A B-40 rocket is fired against the staff entrance gate.  An MP patrol responds to the palace, and the two MP's are killed.  Their M-60 machinegun is stolen by the VC.  The VC are forced across the street to a half completed hotel complex.  The VC hold out for 15 hours, and 32 are killed.  Two are finally captured.

2:00 a.m.  Sappers begin an attack against Gate Number Five, at the Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters, just east of Tan Son Nhut Airport.  They attack from the Long Hoa Pagoda across the street from Gate #5.

An American MP jeep appears on the scene and the MP's engage the enemy.  The security force now has time to close the gate.  Additional MP's respond and defend the compound.

The assault collapses and the enemy retreats back to the Long Hoa Pagoda.

2:40 a.m.  Nguyen Van Muoi drives a black Citroen sedan past the six story American Embassy on Thong Nhut Blvd.  He carried a samuri sword in the back seat for luck.

2:45 a.m.  Mortar fire drops into city.  Muoi drives by again.  This time he shouts, "Tien" (forward)!  A Peugeot truck and a taxicab drive west on Thong Nhut Boulevard along the south wall of the four acre compound and stop.  The sappers begin unloading weapons and equipment as others step out from the shadows.

Two military police, Specialist 4 Charles L. Daniel, 23, of Durham, NC., and Private First Class William E. Sebast, 20, of Albany, NY., both from Company C, 716th MP Battalion, are at the east side entrance on Mac Dinh Chi.

2:46 a.m.  At the Embassy rear fence Commandos appear in civies and black pajamas, with red armbands.  Carrying new AK-47s, three B-40 rockets and explosives, they climb into the compound.

2:47 a.m.  Part of the commando team attacks the side gate.  SPC Daniel and PFC Sebast close and secure the gate and radio "Signal 300" (enemy attack).  The VC then blast a hole in the ten-foot wall, at the front of the Embassy, with a 3.5 inch rocket (B-40).

Daniel radios, "They're coming in!  They're coming in!  Help me!  Help me!"  They manage to kill two Viet Cong leaders before they are gunned down on the Embassy grounds.

Nguyen Thai Ba, a night chauffeur, attempts to stop the VC and is shot down.  The lead element of VC blows the lock off the side gate and the telephone lines are cut.

MP Sergeant Jonnie B. Thomas, 24, of Detroit, MI., and Specialist Owen E. Mebust, 20, of Lynwood, CA., of the 716th MP Battalion respond to Daniel's call for assistance and drive east on Thong Nhut Boulevard.  As they reach the main entrance they are ambushed and killed, by automatic rifle fire.  Other military police and US Marines are now also responding.

On the Embassy roof, Marine SGT Rudy A. Soto Jr., 25, of Selma, CA., fires six .38 rounds at the commandos.   Once he is out of ammo and with his shotgun jammed, he watches and radios situation reports.

Marine SGT Ronald W. Harper, 20, of Cambridge, MN and CPL George B. Zahuranic, 20, of Uniontown, PA., secure the main doors.  A B-40 round hits the door and window wounding Zahuranic.  A second B-40 round soon follows.

2:55 a.m.  The National Broadcasting Station is attacked.  A jeep and two Toyotas stop in front of the station and a group dressed as Vietnam Riot Police attack.  At the front gate they kill a police guard.  A machinegun on the roof across the street kills a platoon of ARVN paratroopers sleeping on the roof of the station.   The attackers hold the station for six hours.

At the Vietnamese Naval Headquarters, at Bach Dang Quay, 12 sappers attack by blowing a hole in wall.  Within five minutes 10 are killed, and the other two are captured.

3:00 a.m.  BOQ #3, near Tan Son Nhut Airport, reports enemy action.  The MP's here are engaged with the enemy force which is retreating to the Long Hoa Pagoda after being driven from the Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters.

Rockets and mortars begin falling on the Long Binh complex, fifteen miles north of Saigon.  A local VC battalion launches a diversionary attack against the eastern bunker line, while the 275th VC Regiment attacks the northern perimeter.

Sappers begin infiltrating into the ammunition depot just north of Long Binh.

The VC 274th Regiment also attacks the Bien Hoa Airbase just north of Long Binh.

3:15 a.m.  The American Embassy is under attack.

3:16 a.m.  Explosion at the Phoenix City BOQ.

3:17 a.m.  Explosion at the Townhouse BOQ.

3:18 a.m.  BOQ #1 under attack.

3:19 a.m.  MacArthur BOQ under attack.

3:20 a.m.  Marine CPT Robert J. O'Brien, 36, of Marshfield, MA., arrives with a six Marine "reaction force," at the east side Embassy wall.  They get pinned down by fire and retreat across the street from the side gate.

3:21 a.m.  Rex BOQ under attack.

Three battalions of VC attack the western side of Tan San Nhut Airport, which houses MACV and Seventh Air Force headquarters.  They attack from positions they have occupied since midnight at the Vinatexco mill, just across Highway #1 from Gate #51.

The consolidated VC attack takes place by the 269th VC Battalion attacking from the northwest, the 267th VC Battalion attacking from the southwest and one battalion attacking from the east.  They manage to overwhelm the ARVN defensive force and enter the airfield.

MACV headquarters guards and members of the US Air Force 377th Security Police Squadron stall their advance until reinforcements arrive from the 25th Infantry Division in Cu Chi, at 6:00 a.m.  The final enemy soldiers are not driven out until approximately noon.

3:25 a.m.  Explosion at BOQ #2.

3:40 a.m.  Automatic weapons fire and attack at BOQ #3.

3:41 a.m.  MPs at the Embassy want an urgent resupply of ammunition.

3:42 a.m.  Sniper fire at Metropole BEQ.

3:50 a.m.  Incoming mortar rounds into the Montana BOQ.

3:58 a.m.  The Saigon port area reports automatic weapons fire.

3:59 a.m.  Mortars and rockets are fired at the Embassy, and reinforcements requested.

4:00 a.m.  US Marines and MP's are dispatched to the Vietnamese National Police station to escort them to the US Embassy to assist.  They refuse to leave their station.

4:07 a.m.  MP Unit C9A reports that a 716th MP Battalion alert force in two escort jeeps and a 2 1/2 ton truck loaded with 25 military police, have been ambushed by a B-40 rocket and machinegun fire in a narrow alley.  They were responding to the reported attack at BOQ #3.  Heavy casualties are reported.

4:08 a.m.  Unit C9A is hit.  Both MP's are killed.

For the next sixteen hours the VC will battle these MP's and the two additional MP rescue teams sent to assist the initial alert force.  In this one battle alone 16 MP's die in the alley and 21 are wounded.

The following are some excerpts from the radio traffic:

WACO 60:  What are the chances of getting an ambulance in there or near there and taking out injured by foot?"