Major Ray B. Armer
U.S. Army Retired – Infantry
Company A – 2nd Battalion
8th Calvary – 1st Calvary Division
War Zone C, Vietnam
August 1958 – August 1984
U.S. Army Retired – Infantry
Company A – 2nd Battalion
8th Calvary – 1st Calvary Division
War Zone C, Vietnam
August 1958 – August 1984
“If I was with those guys I’d sure want somebody to try and get me out.”
Ray Armer was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1939. His father was drafted into the Army in January of 1944 as a tank mechanic with the 3rd Armored Division, eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant. He arrived in Europe in December of 1944 and served in France, Belgium and Germany. When the fighting in the European Theater came to a halt in May 1945, he and his outfit boarded a ship to Okinawa. When they arrived, they began to prepare for the invasion of Japan. Thankfully, Japan surrendered, and he returned home. Ray recalled, “He would never talk about it.”
When Ray was a child his Aunt Maybell bought him a khaki military uniform. Ray recalled playing army with his brother and all the neighborhood kids. When Ray’s dad returned from WWII he was stationed at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis. When his father had weekend leave, he would arrive home to be greeted by Ray wearing his uniform.
Ray didn’t enjoy school, didn’t apply himself and consequently he fell behind a year. “I hated school period!” When Ray turned 17, he went to the recruiting office and enlisted. At the time there was a selective service draft in place. Ray took his physical and was rated Four F, meaning he was unfit for military service because he wore eyeglasses. The irony was, if he had been drafted, glasses were allowed, and he would have passed the physical. According to Ray, the Korean War was long over and Vietnam had not started, so the military could afford to be picky. Ray spoke to a sergeant about his problem, and the sergeant suggested he join the reserves. Once he was called up for his six months active duty, he could enlist in the army. Ray left high school and signed on with Uncle Sam.
In 1958 Ray joined the 102nd Infantry Division reserve unit. There were open slots for combat engineers, and Ray filled one of those slots. He attended Combat Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In one training session the combat engineers were instructed to charge up a hill with a shovel in one hand and an M1 Garand Rifle in the other to attack an enemy bunker. Ray thought this didn’t look like a strategy for a long career in the Army and began looking for something else to do. A day before graduation the Company Commander came to speak with the troops and said they were looking for somebody to be a clerk typist at the Battalion level. Since Ray had taken typing in high school, he raised his hand and was selected.
Ray performed very well in this role and was under consideration for Soldier of the Year. Before the selection was made, Ray had a run in with the St. Louis police for speeding. Since the amount over the speed limit was signification, a trip to the local precinct was required, and the Military Police were notified. Ray called his father who posted bond. When Ray returned to Fort Leonard Wood, he was greeted by the Sergeant Major who was furious as Ray’s behavior reflected badly on the entire company and meant he was no longer a candidate for Soldier of the Year. He recollected, “The Battalion Commander was so mad he wouldn’t speak to me.” Lucky for Ray he received orders to Vincenza, Italy.
In 1960 Ray arrived at the United States Army Garrison in Vicenza, Italy. Vicenza was a key power projection platform south of the Alps, known as Caserma Ederle. He was first assigned as a courier, but after a reorganization, he was assigned to be a crypto operator. He was promoted to Specialist E4 and was asked if he would like to attend the 7thArmy’s NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) school in Bad Tölz, Germany. This elite school was where Ray learned attention to detail and how to dress like a spit and polish soldier. At graduation in 1961 Ray expected a promotion, which did not happen, so he remained in the same position for two more years. In 1963 he received orders to a Nike Missile base in Kansas where he found there were no opportunities for promotion and at the end of his enlistment, Ray left the Army.
He returned to St. Louis and joined the Air National Guard. He chose them rather than the Army or Air Force Reserves because they had advanced cryptology equipment, which was his specialty. After a few years Ray found the atmosphere in the Air Force National Guard too casual for his taste. He reenlisted in the regular army and returned to active duty. Next, he applied to
Officers Candidate School (OCS).
Ray chose the Infantry branch, passed all of the prerequisite tests and presented his application package to the 1stSergeant. Ray was told he needed to hold on to the package until he arrived at his new assignment in Korea. This was disappointing news as he had been so close to his goal. Now he would have to wait again. Ray was assigned to 226 Signal Co. as a crypto operator and stationed at Chunchon. “It was the worst tour. I was there six months and hated every day of it. There were rice paddies on three sides of the post. In those days they used human waste as fertilizer for the rice paddies. To this day that smell lingers in my memory.”
While in Korea, Ray reapplied for OCS. This time his tenacity paid off. He was accepted into the infantry, and found himself headed to Fort Benning, Georgia. “At Fort Benning I learned how to be a soldier. I picked up from where I left off at the NCO Academy in Bad Tölz, Germany. The training was intense and focused on discipline, infantry tactics, leadership and physical conditioning.”
While his first choices were Ranger and Jump School, he was assigned the position of instructor in communications at the Infantry School. During this time, Ray met officers from the 1st
Calvary. Many of these men were returning from deployment in Vietnam.
“As an instructor, I was around these guys all the time, listening to their stories about the front line. I realized I wanted to be in the action. I volunteered to go to Vietnam early on with the 1st Calvary Division.” At 29 years of age Ray was headed to Panama for two weeks of jungle training before flying to Vietnam to join the elite 1st Calvary (Airmobile).
In November of 1968, Ray arrived in Vietnam. After he reported to the command, he went through a week of training where he was introduced to the tactics, methods and weapons of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC). At the end of the week, he flew to Bien Hoa Air Base and was flown by helicopter to Quan Loi. He reported to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Calvary where he was attached to Alpha Company, 1st Platoon (Killer Platoon) headed by Company Commander John Mackey.
“He is the only officer I served with that I would follow into hell. If he said we were going to hell, I would say, what do we need and when are we leaving? He taught me a lot.”
In order to cover the vast jungles in Vietnam, the 1st Cav established their command posts on Landing Zones (LZs) also known as fire bases. These areas were carved out of the jungle. While the LZs varied drastically in size, the bases Ray served on were small clearings, only large enough for one or two UH-1 Huey helicopters or one CH-47 Chinook to bring in troops and/or supplies. When he disembarked at LZ Rita, he had no understanding that the sound of a Huey would come to signify immediate rescue, resupply or the arrival of firepower. That sound became for him the heartbeat of hope and still, today, triggers vivid memories.
As he looked across a space of about 100 meters in diameter, he saw defense bunkers and a perimeter of artillery units with a mortar unit and the Head Quarters (HQ) unit closer to the middle. Buffers of concertina wire as well as the encroaching jungle provided additional protection from enemy attacks.
Each day a squad of men would be sent out to patrol the perimeter and in the evenings a reconnaissance (Recon) platoon would leave the LZ and set up an ambush area. We rotated on a weekly basis…three companies out on patrol and one company stayed on the LZ. Sometimes they encountered the enemy, sometimes they did not.
When Ray first arrived, he went through OJT (on-the-job-training). During this phase, he wanted to learn what it was like to be on patrol and encounter the enemy. He wanted to know what tactics worked and what didn’t, so he asked the Squad Leaders if he could join their patrol. Despite outranking the Squad Leaders, Ray assured them they would remain in command.
“Think of me as one of your men. You’re in charge, I am not. It’s important that I go out and experience what happens on patrol…get a feel for it…to be one of the riflemen.” The Squad Leaders accepted Ray in this role without any problems.
When the fighting began, the adrenaline kicked in. “During my time in Vietnam, I was never afraid. The training I received gave me the tools I needed to survive.” Ray said it was his time as an enlisted man that helped him develop a strong rapport with his men, because he understood how an enlisted man thought. His men knew he would never ask them to do anything he wasn’t willing to do. Once they trusted him, they followed his orders unflinchingly.
Staying alert and being observant was critical for Ray and his men as they faced the enemy in a dense jungle setting. “My mind was focused on what didn’t look or set right. Constantly being on alert day after day was both exhausting and exhilarating.”
Ray and his company were operating in War Zone C (III Corps) from the Parrot Peak to the Dog Head which borders Cambodia. This area held high strategic value. The NVA and VC armies used the Ho Chi Minh trail to bring troops and supplies into South Vietnam, and they would exit the trail into War Zone C. The area was flat and swampy. Ray recalled only one mountain in this territory, known as Nui Ba Den or Black Virgin Mountain. This was the area whereAmerican forces engaged the NVA to prevent the enemy troops from advancing into South Vietnam and disrupting supply routes. There were many well-known combat operations in this area including Operation Attleboro and Operation Junction City, one of the largest operations of the Vietnam war.
Ray was still in his OTJ phase in November 1968. One evening when their platoon was on a patrol, they made contact with the enemy. When the platoon leader was wounded, Ray, although he was only a 2nd Lieutenant, assumed command of the platoon for the rest of the evening. He was disappointed when the next day a new 1st Lieutenant arrived to take over command of the platoon because his personal goal was to command a platoon. He was told there were an abundance of 1st Lieutenants that had to be placed before he would be considered.
A few weeks later, in December 1968, the Battalion Commander recognized Ray’s ability and reassigned him to Company E as a mortar platoon leader. When he reported to E Company, he was reassured to find a sergeant with over 16 years in the Army who was more than capable of leading the men. Ray was aware that his arrival might create some friction with the sergeant, so he called the sergeant aside and said, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re still in charge. When there’s a screwup and the company commander wants to chew our butts, I’ll go take it on the chin. When I return, I’ll tell you what he said.” The two of them formed a great working relationship.
After a short while, Ray was assigned to Recon Platoon and went out on ambush missions. He had 20 men under his command. In February of 1969 the Battalion Commander attached Ray to Charlie Company. During a daytime patrol, one of the platoons in Charlie Company made contact with the enemy about 500 meters from Ray’s platoon. The Company Commander told Ray to take his men on the road instead of through the jungle to reach the fighting. Based on Ray’s experience, he told the Commander taking the road was too dangerous and created a higher risk of ambush for his men. The Commander said, “That’s an order.”
Against his better judgement, Ray and his men, with apprehension, headed through the jungle toward the road. The point man was the first to step on the road, followed by two slack men, flanking each side of the point man, followed by Ray. The radio operator and the rest of the platoon were still advancing through the jungle. As Ray stepped onto the open road, the enemy opened fire. Although both slack men were wounded and unable to return fire, they made it into a ditch on the side of the road.
The point man was shot and lying in the middle of the road. Ray raced down the road and dragged the point man and himself into a ditch, then he worked his way up to his men while bullets ricocheted in all directions. Ray traded fire with the enemy who were blasting them from the other side of the road, a mere 15 yards away. Knowing Ray was running low on ammunition, his men, who were maintaining cover in the jungle, begin to lob as much ammunition as they could in his direction. With the barrel of his rifle becoming red hot, the risk was high that it would stop firing. When the attack started, the point man had dropped his rifle in the road. Now Ray sprinted into the road, retrieved the rifle and dove back into the ditch. Between the men hunkered down in the jungle and Ray and the two slack men in the ditch, they were able to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy. When the firing stopped, ten or twelve men from his platoon were wounded, but no one was killed in action. The dead enemy littered the small battle ground.
A helicopter landed on the road, and the Battalion Commander stepped off for a debriefing. With only nine men remaining in Ray’s platoon, it didn’t make sense to have an officer dedicated to such a small group. That left Ray hanging.
Later in the day Ray was informed he would be moved to Alpha company and would be leading 1st platoon, also known as Killer Platoon. Ray was beginning to meet the goals he’d set for himself when he first joined up. And he knew most of the men in the platoon. They eagerly welcomed him back.
For his actions that day Ray was awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” for valor. The commendation read in part,
“First Lieutenant Armer distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action. As a platoon leader with Company E…during a search and clear mission…when his unit became heavily engaged with a large enemy force and sustained several casualties, Lieutenant Armer exposed himself to hostile fire as he moved forward to aid wounded soldiers…Lieutenant Armer carried them to a more secure position”…
In February of 1960, right after Ray transitioned to Alpha Company, another firefight occurred. Alpha Company set up a large defensive perimeter in the middle of the jungle. Captain Mackey’s command post was in the center. Captain Mackey’s radio operator requested a situation assessment but lost contact with Ray because of the heavy gun fire.
Ray grabbed his rifle and ran toward the command post. As he was running, an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) hit a tree. The force of the blast sent him airborne. When Ray hit the ground, his hand was throbbing so hard he thought it was broken. When he looked down, pieces of shrapnel were implanted in his hand. The medic arrived expecting to find Ray dead, because the radio operator had called it in as KIA. The medic bandaged his hand, and Ray returned to action.
Ray remained in the field and was later awarded the Purple Heart.
The typical soldier on a jungle patrol wore combat boots, jungle pants, a helmet, a t-shirt and possibly a jungle shirt. Ray recalled often wearing only a t-shirt because of the heat and humidity. His clothes were always damp. The men notonly had to deal with a vicious enemy, but they also had to contend with extreme heat, extreme humidity, poisonous and disease carrying insects, snakes, leeches and the weight of their eighty-pound rucksacks.
“Drinking water was crucial to staying alive. We received three days’ worth of water and food rations at a time. All of that went into the rucksack along with a claymore mine, smoker grenades, three of four fragmentation grenades as well as our personal belongings like razors, waterproof container with paper and envelopes to write home. Everything we put into our rucksacks was important, but for me, one of the most important items was a pair of dry socks to help prevent jungle rot on your feet.”
Ray required each man to carry 30 magazines of ammunition. Each magazine had approximately eighteen to twenty rounds. Conserving ammunition was crucial when you only received new supplies every third day. The weapon used by infantry riflemen in Vietnam was the M16 which had settings for automatic and semi-automatic. The point man was the first person in the patrol column and the soldier most often exposed to enemy fire.
“To keep my men safe, I insisted that the only person who was allowed to carry his weapon on automatic was the point man. If we made contact, the only thing I wanted to hear was his gun wrapping off automatic.” Everyone else fired on semi-automatic. The semi-automatic setting required the rifleman to squeeze the trigger for each round. When the shooter applied his finger to the trigger on the automatic setting, the rifle would fire until his finger was released or the magazine ran out of rounds.
Ray instructed his men to identify a target or what they thought might be a target before pressing the trigger. While difficult to do in the jungle, it was the best way to conserve ammunition which was necessary since the ammunition had to last for three days.
While on patrol, the men would often come across tunnels and bunkers. The soldiers who crawled into these tunnels were called Tunnel Rats. It was a dangerous and claustrophobic job.
“I’m glad to say, I never had to send a man down into a tunnel.”
Bunkers were more common in the jungle, and Ray’s approach was to avoid them at all costs. There was no way to determine how many enemy soldiers could be inside. He preferred to patrol around them and call-in the locations to conduct air strikes or an artillery barrage. On several occasions the men dropped explosives into the bunkers in an attempt to collapse the structures.
The main objective of Ray’s platoon was to avoid trails and roads, to move quietly through the jungle, and to set up and execute ambushes. These were typically close range, intense firefights. Sometimes erupting as close as ten to thirty feet from the enemy. “Everything becomes instinctive in a firefight. You automatically understand what you have to do. You hit the ground, and you execute your tactics.”
Ray’s recollections of firefights were numerous. He said they often ran together, but the ones in which you’re injured stay in your mind.
On one particular day, everyone hit the ground when they contacted enemy fire. Ray’s machine gunner used a large ant hill as cover. In Vietnam ant mounds were large and hard as concrete.
Ray was ten feet away and slightly forward of the machine gunner when an RPG hit the ant mound and exploded. The mound remained intact, but shrapnel flew everywhere.
“I felt a sharp sting in my shoulder, and my t-shirt was ripped but there was no blood so I kept on fighting. Suddenly, blood started gushing.” The machine gunner yelled, “Sir, you took a hit.” He called for a medic who applied a field dressing, and Ray continued to fight.
When the fighting stopped the battalion commander arrived by chopper for a debriefing. He loaded Ray on his helicopter and took him to an aid station in Tay Nihn. By this time the pain was too intense for Ray to strap on his rucksack. The shrapnel lodged about an inch from his heart. Ray asked the surgeon if the shrapnel would cause any problems later on. The doctor assured him it wouldn’t. Then Ray asked if it was possible to leave the shrapnel, and the doctor agreed that it was probably safer to leave it in instead of operating and taking the chance it would move. It’s still there. A fresh bandage was applied to the wound, and Ray headed back to the LZ. A week passed before the pain subsided enough for him to roll a towel and place it under the strap of his rucksack. He was not allowed back in the field until he was able to carry his rucksack. Ray recollected, “As soon as I was able to tolerate the pain, I was on the first bird back to the field.”
In June of 1969 Captain Mackey returned to the states and Ray found himself working for a new commanding officer who didn’t last long as he was diagnosed with cancer and sent back to the states. The Battalion Commander, Colonel Williams, told Ray he would be assigned as the company commander until they found a captain to be replace him. Although the assignment was temporary, Ray finally got the opportunity to be a company commander.
Around November of 1969 Ray was scheduled to return the states. He’d already received his orders to report to Panama as a supply officer. The duty in Panama was not what he had in mind, as he wanted to stay in his role as Company Commander. The Battalion Commander told Ray that since he didn’t have enough time remaining on this assignment, the only way to get a company command was to ask for a six-month extension. When Ray asked if he could return to Alpha Company, the answer was affirmative. Ray agreed to extend.
His extension came with a 30-day special leave, and he returned to his hometown of St. Louis for thirty days. In January 1970, he returned to Vietnam as Company Commander of Alpha Company, but Alpha Company was different than when he left it six months earlier.
“I took over the company, but it wasn’t the same company. The soldiers were noisy and careless instead of the quiet, disciplined group I had left.” It took hard work to get the troops retrained. In February 1970, Ray finally received a field commission to Captain. He had to borrow a shirt from one of his men so General Casey could pin on his Captain’s bars.
Around this time a new concept that had never been tried before was introduced. Ray’s infantry company (Alpha Company from 1st Calvary Division) and Captain John Poindexter’s armored troop (Alpha Troop 11th Armored Calvary Regiment) would be attached to each other. Together they were called Alpha Team. Poindexter’s armored troop had armored personnel carriers (APC’s) and Sheridan tanks. The Sheridan was a light armored tank deployed in Vietnam starting in 1969.
When the two men first met Poindexter told Ray he knew nothing about infantry operations and tactics. Ray told Poindexter he knew nothing about armored calvary tactics. They agreed that together they would form a formidable fighting force. “I put my first platoon with his first platoon and so on. My men were happy to ride on the APCs where they could shed their rucksacks.”
When the combined units were in a firefight, the infantry would dismount and engage the enemy. Ray’s men now had the protection of at least one 50 caliber machine gun on the track and plenty of ammunition. There was no fear they would run out in the middle of a firefight. The biggest downside in joining these two companies was the infantry was quiet and stealth like in the jungle, and the armored tanks were noisy.
Toward the end of February, after the Alpha Team had worked together for a week, they separated to undertake different missions. Ray and his men were assigned reconnaissance in the Dogs Head area near Cambodia. This part of Vietnam was notorious for enemy activity.
“Something about this mission gave me a bad feeling. During the reconnaissance, the trails were heavy with enemy activity. When it was time to setup a night defensive position, I sent out two men to establish a listening post near the trail. Their only job was to lie quietly in a hidden area and observe. No talking to each other. No smoking. The only means of communication was a button on the radio that was pushed if the enemy was observed in the area.”
Sometime during the night, the enemy walked right up on the two men and sprayed them with gun fire. While the men were still alive when they were rescued, they had taken bad hits to their legs and were in extreme pain. Ray gave orders to Medevac them. It took less than a minute for the chopper to land, load the men and lift off. Moments later the thud of mortar rounds sent by the enemy hit the field the helicopter had just left.
A short time later, an NVA officer was heard yelling orders to his men. A Cambodian scout attached to Ray’s company as a translator said the NVA were preparing to charge. Ray told his men to ready themselves for attack but to hold their fire until the NVA tripped the flares and the claymore mines. He said once the trip occurred, they were to shoot 12 inches above the ground so they would hit the enemy in the head as they crawled toward their defensive position. After a brief firefight, the NVA retreated and Ray called for artillery fire from the Battalion LZ.
When the artillery went silent, they heard the NVA officer yelling again. The Cambodian scout said one of the enemy soldiers was refusing to charge. A few seconds later they heard a pistol fire and knew the NVA commander had killed the soldier who refused to follow orders.
Then the second charge came. Ray called in another round of artillery this time only 20 meters beyond the company’s perimeter. This is known as Danger Close because the artillery shells land in close proximity where friendly forces could be injured. The second round of artillery silenced the enemy, and thankfully none of Ray’s troops were injured.
The next day the Battalion Commander arrived with a dog team to survey the situation. Several of Ray’s men went with the dog handler and the dog down a trail where they found an NVA soldier sitting on a bunker with hands raised saying, chieu hoi which is Vietnamese for I surrender. As the dog handler approached, the Vietnamese soldier jumped aside and another NVA soldier popped up and shot the dog handler. Artillery was called in to destroy the bunkers.
Approximately two weeks later, around the 11th of March, Ray’s infantry troop was on a search mission in the jungle. During this time, the LZ was moved to another location which put Ray and his men outside the range of protective artillery. As a result of this situation, the Battalion Commander was in a helicopter above the troops and was guiding them to a safe zone. This was not the best possible or most cautious way to move quickly through the jungle, but it was all they had at the time.
As they moved through the jungle, they came upon a dried-up riverbed that was roughly six feet deep. While Ray was securing the area, the point man made his way up the riverbed. When he reached the top, he stood up, was ambushed and instantly killed by a 50-caliber machine gun round.
Ray’s first action was to establish two machine gunners at the top of the riverbed to provide covering fire so they could retrieve the body of the point man. Before that was accomplished, one of the men broke ranks and retrieved the point man’s body. While it was an honorable act, it was disobeying orders. Disobeying orders during an attack can jeopardize all the other men. This young man’s impulsive behavior did not end with this incident.
The Battalion Commander instructed Alpha Company to dig in, which meant we would be spending the night. Ray established a 360-degree perimeter and gave the order to the soldiers manning the machine guns not to fire them. If the NVA saw the muzzle flash, they would shoot an RPG directly at it. Ray was sure the enemy would start to probe their perimeter in the early morning hours. The men rotated so that 50% tried to rest while the other 50% stayed alert.
At some point, the same impulsive soldier was manning one of the machine guns when the enemy probe began. Disobeying orders not to shoot, perhaps out of fear, he fired his machine gun which allowed an NVA RPG to target and destroy the machine gun. The young man was one of two soldiers killed and several others were wounded.
Around 4:30 in the morning, Cobra helicopter gunships arrived and told Ray to “pop smoke” to identify his position. The enemy attack was full blown when the Cobras fired their rockets. During the firing of the rockets, one bracket holding a rocket pod broke. Numerous rockets packed into the pod landed and exploded within the company perimeter. At the end of the night, six men were dead and 34 wounded—most hit by friendly fire. The next morning Medevacs arrived to remove the dead and the wounded.
“Fourteen months in Vietnam was a lifetime. By that time, I had hardened myself not to look too close at the dead or wounded. I had to keep going for the men who were alive, who were still fighting next to me. There was no time to mourn the dead or worry about the wounded as I still had forty plus men to guide safely back to the new LZ. When we arrived at the LZ, there were thirty-five new recruits waiting as replacements for Alpha company. I had to give an uplifting speech to welcome these soldiers. This is what war looks like. This is what politicians ask our young people to face—not just the enemy but our own selves.”
The Anonymous Battle or The Rescue at Dogs Head
In March 1970 Ray was instructed to take his men deeper into the Dog’s Head area. They were flown to a large clearing in the jungle (which later became LZ Illingsworth) to open a temporary base of operation. On March 25, 1970 John Poindexter was given orders to swing by the LZ and pick up Ray and his men for another mission. They reunited again as Alpha Team and returned to John’s Night Defense Position (NDP) to resupply.
On March 26, 1970 another hot, humid day began like every other day in the jungles of Vietnam. “We survived the night and merged into the shimmering heat of a long, ass day. Another battle, another ambush, another firefight, or another long, boring day moving through the jungle as we searched for the enemy.” It was an ordinary day in the scheme of their lives as soldiers. But the day soon turned deadly.
As John and Ray exchanged information about their missions since they last met, the radio began to crackle with a running commentary from Charlie Company which was Ray’s sister company. Charlie Company had engaged the enemy, and the firefight was close enough so that both gun fire and artillery could be heard. The desperation coming over the field radio caught the attention of John and Ray. The chatter mentioned that Charlie Company had stumbled on communication wires which indicated they were in enemy territory, there were probably bunkers close by, and the unit was large.
Instead of pulling back, Charlie Company proceeded. They walked right into a heavily fortified NVA bunker complex. At the time, it was estimated approximately 400 enemy were attacking 80 of Charlie Company soldiers, a death trap.
As John and Ray listened to the chatter, they did not hear the Battalion Commander step up to organize a rescue. Although Alpha Team was only two and a half miles away and probably the closest support, they knew it would take several hours to grind through the thick vegetation and bamboo to reach Charlie Company. The armored column would have to carve a new pathway through the dense jungle. The noise from the tanks meant a high likelihood they would be ambushed and an even higher likelihood they would not arrive in time to save their brothers who were desperate for help. The battle between Charlies Company and NVA had been underway for most of the day. The two captains were concerned if they would arrive in time, but they were more concerned about the plight of their brothers in Charlies Company.
As Ray recalls, “When no orders given to save the men, John and I knew we needed to respond. We knew that Charlie Company was being outgunned and surrounded by the enemy and on the verge of annihilation. We had no choice.”Captain Poindexter gave the order to move out. Every man that was part of Alpha Team fully understood the danger of the mission.
Alpha Troop departed in three columns with two Sheridan tanks in front and several APC’s following. As they headed out they were targets not only from attack by the enemy but also attack from nature. Ray and his radio operator were riding in the back of an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) behind two tanks. The first two tanks knocked over a tree that housed a very large hornets’ nest. By the time Ray’s APC rolled over the nest, the Asian giant hornets were in full attack mode. These hornets were notorious for their painful, highly venomous sting and often posed as much danger to the men as enemy combatants. They were feared for their aggression and the painful injuries they inflicted, sometimes including death.
Both Ray and the Radio operator were badly stung. The radio operator was in rough shape and was given pain medication which put him out of commission. Although Ray had been badly stung and still has scars from the incident, he declined treatment. He knew it was mandatory for him to have a clear head for the unknown mission ahead.
As Alpha Troop continued pushing through the jungle, the battle raged on. Charlie Company was running dangerously low on ammo and water. They were surrounded by the enemy as they desperately tried to tighten up their perimeter. The intense fire from the well-entrenched enemy along with the thick jungle canopy prevented air assets from identifying the exact location of the enemy as well as the exact location of Charlie Company. Several helicopters skimmed the tops of trees in order to drop ammunition and water to the beleaguered troops as there was no place to land.
In a daring mission of mercy, Brigadier General George Casey flew his own helicopter into the battle space and hovered overhead while the crew kicked out water and ammo to the exhausted soldiers fighting for their lives.
The nearly 200 men of Alpha Team finally arrived at the only opening in the Charlie Company perimeter. It was around 4 pm and the weary men had been fighting all day. After locating Captain Hobson of Charlie Company and receiving a quick debrief, they developed a plan. With the tanks and APCs pointed toward the NVA, Poindexter gave the command to fire.
“There was one hell of a fire fight”.
Alpha Team waited for the enemy to return fire and when they did, Alpha cut loose with everything they had cutting down vegetation and trees until the jungle began to vaporize. The men from Alpha Team moved inch by inch toward the enemy.
Ray recalls, “The firefight was ongoing without any breaks. We were running low on ammunition. All of my platoon leaders were wounded.”
Ray jumped onto one of the Sheridan tanks to man the machine gun. The gun had been hit by an RPG and was useless. As he turned to jump off the tank, he saw an NVA soldier running full speed toward him. Ray had left his M-16 on the back of the tank, so he drew his pistol and dropped him in mid-stride.
“As I jumped off the tank, a RPG hit in the general vicinity and knocked me off my feet. Blood from a shrapnel hit was running down both my arms, but I couldn’t let that stop me. Once the medic patched me up, I returned to the action.”
As I passed John, he said it was getting dark, and we needed to get the hell out of here. We took a head count, and as soon as every person was accounted for, we begin to pull back.
With darkness setting in and a high risk of ambush, the combined force retraced the path Alpha Team carved on their way to rescue Charlie Company. Luckily, the enemy never appeared. Ray thought they were also suffering from the shock of the attack and re-engaging was not their priority. When darkness fully descended onto the jungle, Captain Poindexter gave the order to his mortar team four kms away on the LZ to launch flares into the air. They were hopeful this would create enough illumination so they could find their way back to the LZ. It worked. Captains Poindexter and Hobson were both wounded and medevac’d out. Ray assumed command of Alpha Team. Six KIAs and approximately 60 wounded were Medevac’d out.
The next day air strikes and artillery were called in to bombard the specific area where the battle took place. Several days later Alpha Team was ordered to return to the area to conduct a reconnaissance. “When we were moving in, I got the sense the enemy was still moving out.”
When they reached the site of the battle, a foul stench of death filled the air. Numerous hastily dug graves indicated the NVA had buried their dead as best they could. It was later reported that instead of 400 NVA fighting against Alpha Team, the number was approximately 700 to 800 enemy against 260 of our soldiers.
Ray received the Bronze Star with a “V” for Valor for his actions in the Dogs Head. His commendation read, in part,
“When his unit became engaged with a determined enemy force, with complete disregard for his own safety he exposed himself to intense hostile fire as he moved forward to the point of heaviest contact and began placing a heavy volume of suppressive fire upon the insurgent forces. His actions were an inspiration to the other members of his unit and were instrumental in the successful completion of the mission…”
Although the Anonymous Battle remained unrecognized for 40 years, it was never anonymous to those who were there. Years later, several books were written and a documentary filmed about the battle. The events of the Rescue at the Dogs Head were not recognized until 2010 when President Barack Obama acknowledged the rescue with the highest honor of the Presidential Unit Citation.
Ray left Vietnam on June 1, 1970. When he arrived back in the states, he was given a well-deserved 30-day leave.
After his leave he reported to Fort Polk, Louisiana where he was the Company Commander of two different basic training companies as well as XO of a training battalion. In January 1973, Ray received orders to attend Advanced Infantry Officers School at Fort Benning in Georgia. While he waited for his class to start, Ray worked in the Research and Development area and helped test the prototype for the Abrams Tracked Vehicle. In May of 1973 two thirds of Ray’s class received a Reduction in Force notice. The Vietnam War was over and the Army was downsizing.
By September of 1973, Ray was no longer on active duty. Not wanting to return to St. Louis, he moved to Colorado where he joined the local reserve unit as an Evaluator. His unit designed and evaluated National Guard and Reserve Units on the soldier’s ability to execute mission plans. During his time in the Reserves, Ray rose to the rank of Major.
Ray moved several times working as an electrician with the railroad and later as a security manager with Pinkerton's before settling in Columbia, South Carolina.
In 1981 Ray arrived late for Sunday services at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Donna Keel also arrived late for church that day. As they walked toward the church, they exchanged greetings.
Ray later told Donna he knew when he saw her that day he wanted to marry her. A year and a half later on April 15, 1983, the couple were married. “Tax Day, so we could remember it.” Donna recalled 43 years later.
Although Ray had joined the Army without completing high school, he received his GED and accumulated college credits while in the military. Ray had proved his mettle on the battlefield, but he wanted more. He made the decision to enroll at the University of South Carolina to complete his degree. A year and a half later he had his diploma.
In their free time, Donna and Ray enjoy entertaining and cooking for friends. Over the years they have cooked for big fund raisers at their church as well as other philanthropic events. Family and friends often suggested the couple needed to open a restaurant. But Donna was busy with her corporate career and Ray with his work and reserve activities.
But one day when constant travel for business and the stress of working for others reached a peak, Donna and Ray sat down and asked themselves the question, if money was no object, what would we like to do?
They concluded it would have something to do with cooking while creating a comfortable and warm atmosphere for people to enjoy. While the journey was long and hard as they sorted through the repercussions of finding and owning a business, they eventually found their way to Buena Vista, Georgia where they opened a restaurant, catering service and bed and breakfast. On July 2, 1997 the Armers bought property and later named it Sign of the Dove. The couple put their cooking talents to work and used all their skills to develop a thriving business. Ray said of their time as small business owners, “The first three years were pure hell. We didn’t know whether we could pay the electric bill, much less the mortgage. But people came from Atlanta and the surrounding area looking for a nice getaway. And eventually, businesspeople from all over the world made their way to our place.”
The property was not far from President Jimmy Carter’s hometown of Plains, Georgia and many guests came to hear him speak at his Sunday School class. Habitat for Humanity’s operational headquarters was only a 30-minute car ride away. They became one of the restaurants largest catering clients. Ray and Donna had the opportunity to meet the former President and his wife Roselyn.
Donna recalled, “The home was an old Victorian with a wraparound porch. It had all of the fine details of a bygone time, heart pine floors, Italian tiles on the fireplace mantle, elegant pocket doors and more.”
They built the businesses by becoming the local venue where everyone wanted to have weddings, funerals, business luncheons and corporate functions.
“Everything we made was from scratch.”
After ten years, Donna and Ray decided it was time to slow down. They sold the property to a retired Air Force Colonel.
In their retirement Donna and Ray have traveled extensively to a multitude of countries. But the full circle of travel is their mutual love for Italy where Ray had his first overseas assignment.
“We’ve been traveling to Italy for over thirty years, and now we have wonderful friends in a small village in Puglia that we call our second home.”
Donna also decided to pursue her long put off dream to be a writer. She started as a freelance journalist and wrote a variety of articles for local magazines and essays for travel anthologies. When she and Ray relocated to the Lowcountry, she joined the Sea Island Spirit Writers, a local writer’s group, whose members encouraged her to write her first book, Solo in Salento: A Memoir. The memoir was based on her solo trip to Italy and was published in 2020. Her story was translated into Italian in 2022, and she was invited to return to Italy for a book tour.
She has continued her writing with the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series. The first book was published and released in 2023, the second in 2024, and the third in 2025. She is currently writing the fourth book in the series before turning to historical nonfiction.
While living in Columbia, Ray worked as a crew member on the Southern Patriot, a tour boat on Lake Murray. Once the couple moved into their historic home in the beautiful Lowcountry of Beaufort, South Carolina, Donna was able to give full attention to her life as an author. The transition was made easy for her as Ray took command of the kitchen, the grocery shopping, and helping in various other ways so she’s able to devote her time to writing.
“Donna gave her all to walk with me through a lot of dark years. She was the steadying force in my life. She deserves this opportunity, and I’m happy to support her. We still take time out to travel and to feed people. During our years together, we discovered that true love, community, and joy are found when we gather at the table and share not only food and wine but our stories.”
Ray, during your time in Vietnam, you were repeatedly placed in situations that required you to put yourself at great personal risk to aid others that desperately needed your help. Very few of us will ever face such a decision, and we will never know how we would respond. This country is grateful to men like you who decided to risk it all so that a few of your bothers might survive.
“These men fought in what came to be called the Anonymous Battle. Troopers you are not anonymous anymore”. President Obama 2010
Ray Armer was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1939. His father was drafted into the Army in January of 1944 as a tank mechanic with the 3rd Armored Division, eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant. He arrived in Europe in December of 1944 and served in France, Belgium and Germany. When the fighting in the European Theater came to a halt in May 1945, he and his outfit boarded a ship to Okinawa. When they arrived, they began to prepare for the invasion of Japan. Thankfully, Japan surrendered, and he returned home. Ray recalled, “He would never talk about it.”
When Ray was a child his Aunt Maybell bought him a khaki military uniform. Ray recalled playing army with his brother and all the neighborhood kids. When Ray’s dad returned from WWII he was stationed at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis. When his father had weekend leave, he would arrive home to be greeted by Ray wearing his uniform.
Ray didn’t enjoy school, didn’t apply himself and consequently he fell behind a year. “I hated school period!” When Ray turned 17, he went to the recruiting office and enlisted. At the time there was a selective service draft in place. Ray took his physical and was rated Four F, meaning he was unfit for military service because he wore eyeglasses. The irony was, if he had been drafted, glasses were allowed, and he would have passed the physical. According to Ray, the Korean War was long over and Vietnam had not started, so the military could afford to be picky. Ray spoke to a sergeant about his problem, and the sergeant suggested he join the reserves. Once he was called up for his six months active duty, he could enlist in the army. Ray left high school and signed on with Uncle Sam.
In 1958 Ray joined the 102nd Infantry Division reserve unit. There were open slots for combat engineers, and Ray filled one of those slots. He attended Combat Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In one training session the combat engineers were instructed to charge up a hill with a shovel in one hand and an M1 Garand Rifle in the other to attack an enemy bunker. Ray thought this didn’t look like a strategy for a long career in the Army and began looking for something else to do. A day before graduation the Company Commander came to speak with the troops and said they were looking for somebody to be a clerk typist at the Battalion level. Since Ray had taken typing in high school, he raised his hand and was selected.
Ray performed very well in this role and was under consideration for Soldier of the Year. Before the selection was made, Ray had a run in with the St. Louis police for speeding. Since the amount over the speed limit was signification, a trip to the local precinct was required, and the Military Police were notified. Ray called his father who posted bond. When Ray returned to Fort Leonard Wood, he was greeted by the Sergeant Major who was furious as Ray’s behavior reflected badly on the entire company and meant he was no longer a candidate for Soldier of the Year. He recollected, “The Battalion Commander was so mad he wouldn’t speak to me.” Lucky for Ray he received orders to Vincenza, Italy.
In 1960 Ray arrived at the United States Army Garrison in Vicenza, Italy. Vicenza was a key power projection platform south of the Alps, known as Caserma Ederle. He was first assigned as a courier, but after a reorganization, he was assigned to be a crypto operator. He was promoted to Specialist E4 and was asked if he would like to attend the 7thArmy’s NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) school in Bad Tölz, Germany. This elite school was where Ray learned attention to detail and how to dress like a spit and polish soldier. At graduation in 1961 Ray expected a promotion, which did not happen, so he remained in the same position for two more years. In 1963 he received orders to a Nike Missile base in Kansas where he found there were no opportunities for promotion and at the end of his enlistment, Ray left the Army.
He returned to St. Louis and joined the Air National Guard. He chose them rather than the Army or Air Force Reserves because they had advanced cryptology equipment, which was his specialty. After a few years Ray found the atmosphere in the Air Force National Guard too casual for his taste. He reenlisted in the regular army and returned to active duty. Next, he applied to
Officers Candidate School (OCS).
Ray chose the Infantry branch, passed all of the prerequisite tests and presented his application package to the 1stSergeant. Ray was told he needed to hold on to the package until he arrived at his new assignment in Korea. This was disappointing news as he had been so close to his goal. Now he would have to wait again. Ray was assigned to 226 Signal Co. as a crypto operator and stationed at Chunchon. “It was the worst tour. I was there six months and hated every day of it. There were rice paddies on three sides of the post. In those days they used human waste as fertilizer for the rice paddies. To this day that smell lingers in my memory.”
While in Korea, Ray reapplied for OCS. This time his tenacity paid off. He was accepted into the infantry, and found himself headed to Fort Benning, Georgia. “At Fort Benning I learned how to be a soldier. I picked up from where I left off at the NCO Academy in Bad Tölz, Germany. The training was intense and focused on discipline, infantry tactics, leadership and physical conditioning.”
While his first choices were Ranger and Jump School, he was assigned the position of instructor in communications at the Infantry School. During this time, Ray met officers from the 1st
Calvary. Many of these men were returning from deployment in Vietnam.
“As an instructor, I was around these guys all the time, listening to their stories about the front line. I realized I wanted to be in the action. I volunteered to go to Vietnam early on with the 1st Calvary Division.” At 29 years of age Ray was headed to Panama for two weeks of jungle training before flying to Vietnam to join the elite 1st Calvary (Airmobile).
In November of 1968, Ray arrived in Vietnam. After he reported to the command, he went through a week of training where he was introduced to the tactics, methods and weapons of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC). At the end of the week, he flew to Bien Hoa Air Base and was flown by helicopter to Quan Loi. He reported to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Calvary where he was attached to Alpha Company, 1st Platoon (Killer Platoon) headed by Company Commander John Mackey.
“He is the only officer I served with that I would follow into hell. If he said we were going to hell, I would say, what do we need and when are we leaving? He taught me a lot.”
In order to cover the vast jungles in Vietnam, the 1st Cav established their command posts on Landing Zones (LZs) also known as fire bases. These areas were carved out of the jungle. While the LZs varied drastically in size, the bases Ray served on were small clearings, only large enough for one or two UH-1 Huey helicopters or one CH-47 Chinook to bring in troops and/or supplies. When he disembarked at LZ Rita, he had no understanding that the sound of a Huey would come to signify immediate rescue, resupply or the arrival of firepower. That sound became for him the heartbeat of hope and still, today, triggers vivid memories.
As he looked across a space of about 100 meters in diameter, he saw defense bunkers and a perimeter of artillery units with a mortar unit and the Head Quarters (HQ) unit closer to the middle. Buffers of concertina wire as well as the encroaching jungle provided additional protection from enemy attacks.
Each day a squad of men would be sent out to patrol the perimeter and in the evenings a reconnaissance (Recon) platoon would leave the LZ and set up an ambush area. We rotated on a weekly basis…three companies out on patrol and one company stayed on the LZ. Sometimes they encountered the enemy, sometimes they did not.
When Ray first arrived, he went through OJT (on-the-job-training). During this phase, he wanted to learn what it was like to be on patrol and encounter the enemy. He wanted to know what tactics worked and what didn’t, so he asked the Squad Leaders if he could join their patrol. Despite outranking the Squad Leaders, Ray assured them they would remain in command.
“Think of me as one of your men. You’re in charge, I am not. It’s important that I go out and experience what happens on patrol…get a feel for it…to be one of the riflemen.” The Squad Leaders accepted Ray in this role without any problems.
When the fighting began, the adrenaline kicked in. “During my time in Vietnam, I was never afraid. The training I received gave me the tools I needed to survive.” Ray said it was his time as an enlisted man that helped him develop a strong rapport with his men, because he understood how an enlisted man thought. His men knew he would never ask them to do anything he wasn’t willing to do. Once they trusted him, they followed his orders unflinchingly.
Staying alert and being observant was critical for Ray and his men as they faced the enemy in a dense jungle setting. “My mind was focused on what didn’t look or set right. Constantly being on alert day after day was both exhausting and exhilarating.”
Ray and his company were operating in War Zone C (III Corps) from the Parrot Peak to the Dog Head which borders Cambodia. This area held high strategic value. The NVA and VC armies used the Ho Chi Minh trail to bring troops and supplies into South Vietnam, and they would exit the trail into War Zone C. The area was flat and swampy. Ray recalled only one mountain in this territory, known as Nui Ba Den or Black Virgin Mountain. This was the area whereAmerican forces engaged the NVA to prevent the enemy troops from advancing into South Vietnam and disrupting supply routes. There were many well-known combat operations in this area including Operation Attleboro and Operation Junction City, one of the largest operations of the Vietnam war.
Ray was still in his OTJ phase in November 1968. One evening when their platoon was on a patrol, they made contact with the enemy. When the platoon leader was wounded, Ray, although he was only a 2nd Lieutenant, assumed command of the platoon for the rest of the evening. He was disappointed when the next day a new 1st Lieutenant arrived to take over command of the platoon because his personal goal was to command a platoon. He was told there were an abundance of 1st Lieutenants that had to be placed before he would be considered.
A few weeks later, in December 1968, the Battalion Commander recognized Ray’s ability and reassigned him to Company E as a mortar platoon leader. When he reported to E Company, he was reassured to find a sergeant with over 16 years in the Army who was more than capable of leading the men. Ray was aware that his arrival might create some friction with the sergeant, so he called the sergeant aside and said, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re still in charge. When there’s a screwup and the company commander wants to chew our butts, I’ll go take it on the chin. When I return, I’ll tell you what he said.” The two of them formed a great working relationship.
After a short while, Ray was assigned to Recon Platoon and went out on ambush missions. He had 20 men under his command. In February of 1969 the Battalion Commander attached Ray to Charlie Company. During a daytime patrol, one of the platoons in Charlie Company made contact with the enemy about 500 meters from Ray’s platoon. The Company Commander told Ray to take his men on the road instead of through the jungle to reach the fighting. Based on Ray’s experience, he told the Commander taking the road was too dangerous and created a higher risk of ambush for his men. The Commander said, “That’s an order.”
Against his better judgement, Ray and his men, with apprehension, headed through the jungle toward the road. The point man was the first to step on the road, followed by two slack men, flanking each side of the point man, followed by Ray. The radio operator and the rest of the platoon were still advancing through the jungle. As Ray stepped onto the open road, the enemy opened fire. Although both slack men were wounded and unable to return fire, they made it into a ditch on the side of the road.
The point man was shot and lying in the middle of the road. Ray raced down the road and dragged the point man and himself into a ditch, then he worked his way up to his men while bullets ricocheted in all directions. Ray traded fire with the enemy who were blasting them from the other side of the road, a mere 15 yards away. Knowing Ray was running low on ammunition, his men, who were maintaining cover in the jungle, begin to lob as much ammunition as they could in his direction. With the barrel of his rifle becoming red hot, the risk was high that it would stop firing. When the attack started, the point man had dropped his rifle in the road. Now Ray sprinted into the road, retrieved the rifle and dove back into the ditch. Between the men hunkered down in the jungle and Ray and the two slack men in the ditch, they were able to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy. When the firing stopped, ten or twelve men from his platoon were wounded, but no one was killed in action. The dead enemy littered the small battle ground.
A helicopter landed on the road, and the Battalion Commander stepped off for a debriefing. With only nine men remaining in Ray’s platoon, it didn’t make sense to have an officer dedicated to such a small group. That left Ray hanging.
Later in the day Ray was informed he would be moved to Alpha company and would be leading 1st platoon, also known as Killer Platoon. Ray was beginning to meet the goals he’d set for himself when he first joined up. And he knew most of the men in the platoon. They eagerly welcomed him back.
For his actions that day Ray was awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” for valor. The commendation read in part,
“First Lieutenant Armer distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action. As a platoon leader with Company E…during a search and clear mission…when his unit became heavily engaged with a large enemy force and sustained several casualties, Lieutenant Armer exposed himself to hostile fire as he moved forward to aid wounded soldiers…Lieutenant Armer carried them to a more secure position”…
In February of 1960, right after Ray transitioned to Alpha Company, another firefight occurred. Alpha Company set up a large defensive perimeter in the middle of the jungle. Captain Mackey’s command post was in the center. Captain Mackey’s radio operator requested a situation assessment but lost contact with Ray because of the heavy gun fire.
Ray grabbed his rifle and ran toward the command post. As he was running, an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) hit a tree. The force of the blast sent him airborne. When Ray hit the ground, his hand was throbbing so hard he thought it was broken. When he looked down, pieces of shrapnel were implanted in his hand. The medic arrived expecting to find Ray dead, because the radio operator had called it in as KIA. The medic bandaged his hand, and Ray returned to action.
Ray remained in the field and was later awarded the Purple Heart.
The typical soldier on a jungle patrol wore combat boots, jungle pants, a helmet, a t-shirt and possibly a jungle shirt. Ray recalled often wearing only a t-shirt because of the heat and humidity. His clothes were always damp. The men notonly had to deal with a vicious enemy, but they also had to contend with extreme heat, extreme humidity, poisonous and disease carrying insects, snakes, leeches and the weight of their eighty-pound rucksacks.
“Drinking water was crucial to staying alive. We received three days’ worth of water and food rations at a time. All of that went into the rucksack along with a claymore mine, smoker grenades, three of four fragmentation grenades as well as our personal belongings like razors, waterproof container with paper and envelopes to write home. Everything we put into our rucksacks was important, but for me, one of the most important items was a pair of dry socks to help prevent jungle rot on your feet.”
Ray required each man to carry 30 magazines of ammunition. Each magazine had approximately eighteen to twenty rounds. Conserving ammunition was crucial when you only received new supplies every third day. The weapon used by infantry riflemen in Vietnam was the M16 which had settings for automatic and semi-automatic. The point man was the first person in the patrol column and the soldier most often exposed to enemy fire.
“To keep my men safe, I insisted that the only person who was allowed to carry his weapon on automatic was the point man. If we made contact, the only thing I wanted to hear was his gun wrapping off automatic.” Everyone else fired on semi-automatic. The semi-automatic setting required the rifleman to squeeze the trigger for each round. When the shooter applied his finger to the trigger on the automatic setting, the rifle would fire until his finger was released or the magazine ran out of rounds.
Ray instructed his men to identify a target or what they thought might be a target before pressing the trigger. While difficult to do in the jungle, it was the best way to conserve ammunition which was necessary since the ammunition had to last for three days.
While on patrol, the men would often come across tunnels and bunkers. The soldiers who crawled into these tunnels were called Tunnel Rats. It was a dangerous and claustrophobic job.
“I’m glad to say, I never had to send a man down into a tunnel.”
Bunkers were more common in the jungle, and Ray’s approach was to avoid them at all costs. There was no way to determine how many enemy soldiers could be inside. He preferred to patrol around them and call-in the locations to conduct air strikes or an artillery barrage. On several occasions the men dropped explosives into the bunkers in an attempt to collapse the structures.
The main objective of Ray’s platoon was to avoid trails and roads, to move quietly through the jungle, and to set up and execute ambushes. These were typically close range, intense firefights. Sometimes erupting as close as ten to thirty feet from the enemy. “Everything becomes instinctive in a firefight. You automatically understand what you have to do. You hit the ground, and you execute your tactics.”
Ray’s recollections of firefights were numerous. He said they often ran together, but the ones in which you’re injured stay in your mind.
On one particular day, everyone hit the ground when they contacted enemy fire. Ray’s machine gunner used a large ant hill as cover. In Vietnam ant mounds were large and hard as concrete.
Ray was ten feet away and slightly forward of the machine gunner when an RPG hit the ant mound and exploded. The mound remained intact, but shrapnel flew everywhere.
“I felt a sharp sting in my shoulder, and my t-shirt was ripped but there was no blood so I kept on fighting. Suddenly, blood started gushing.” The machine gunner yelled, “Sir, you took a hit.” He called for a medic who applied a field dressing, and Ray continued to fight.
When the fighting stopped the battalion commander arrived by chopper for a debriefing. He loaded Ray on his helicopter and took him to an aid station in Tay Nihn. By this time the pain was too intense for Ray to strap on his rucksack. The shrapnel lodged about an inch from his heart. Ray asked the surgeon if the shrapnel would cause any problems later on. The doctor assured him it wouldn’t. Then Ray asked if it was possible to leave the shrapnel, and the doctor agreed that it was probably safer to leave it in instead of operating and taking the chance it would move. It’s still there. A fresh bandage was applied to the wound, and Ray headed back to the LZ. A week passed before the pain subsided enough for him to roll a towel and place it under the strap of his rucksack. He was not allowed back in the field until he was able to carry his rucksack. Ray recollected, “As soon as I was able to tolerate the pain, I was on the first bird back to the field.”
In June of 1969 Captain Mackey returned to the states and Ray found himself working for a new commanding officer who didn’t last long as he was diagnosed with cancer and sent back to the states. The Battalion Commander, Colonel Williams, told Ray he would be assigned as the company commander until they found a captain to be replace him. Although the assignment was temporary, Ray finally got the opportunity to be a company commander.
Around November of 1969 Ray was scheduled to return the states. He’d already received his orders to report to Panama as a supply officer. The duty in Panama was not what he had in mind, as he wanted to stay in his role as Company Commander. The Battalion Commander told Ray that since he didn’t have enough time remaining on this assignment, the only way to get a company command was to ask for a six-month extension. When Ray asked if he could return to Alpha Company, the answer was affirmative. Ray agreed to extend.
His extension came with a 30-day special leave, and he returned to his hometown of St. Louis for thirty days. In January 1970, he returned to Vietnam as Company Commander of Alpha Company, but Alpha Company was different than when he left it six months earlier.
“I took over the company, but it wasn’t the same company. The soldiers were noisy and careless instead of the quiet, disciplined group I had left.” It took hard work to get the troops retrained. In February 1970, Ray finally received a field commission to Captain. He had to borrow a shirt from one of his men so General Casey could pin on his Captain’s bars.
Around this time a new concept that had never been tried before was introduced. Ray’s infantry company (Alpha Company from 1st Calvary Division) and Captain John Poindexter’s armored troop (Alpha Troop 11th Armored Calvary Regiment) would be attached to each other. Together they were called Alpha Team. Poindexter’s armored troop had armored personnel carriers (APC’s) and Sheridan tanks. The Sheridan was a light armored tank deployed in Vietnam starting in 1969.
When the two men first met Poindexter told Ray he knew nothing about infantry operations and tactics. Ray told Poindexter he knew nothing about armored calvary tactics. They agreed that together they would form a formidable fighting force. “I put my first platoon with his first platoon and so on. My men were happy to ride on the APCs where they could shed their rucksacks.”
When the combined units were in a firefight, the infantry would dismount and engage the enemy. Ray’s men now had the protection of at least one 50 caliber machine gun on the track and plenty of ammunition. There was no fear they would run out in the middle of a firefight. The biggest downside in joining these two companies was the infantry was quiet and stealth like in the jungle, and the armored tanks were noisy.
Toward the end of February, after the Alpha Team had worked together for a week, they separated to undertake different missions. Ray and his men were assigned reconnaissance in the Dogs Head area near Cambodia. This part of Vietnam was notorious for enemy activity.
“Something about this mission gave me a bad feeling. During the reconnaissance, the trails were heavy with enemy activity. When it was time to setup a night defensive position, I sent out two men to establish a listening post near the trail. Their only job was to lie quietly in a hidden area and observe. No talking to each other. No smoking. The only means of communication was a button on the radio that was pushed if the enemy was observed in the area.”
Sometime during the night, the enemy walked right up on the two men and sprayed them with gun fire. While the men were still alive when they were rescued, they had taken bad hits to their legs and were in extreme pain. Ray gave orders to Medevac them. It took less than a minute for the chopper to land, load the men and lift off. Moments later the thud of mortar rounds sent by the enemy hit the field the helicopter had just left.
A short time later, an NVA officer was heard yelling orders to his men. A Cambodian scout attached to Ray’s company as a translator said the NVA were preparing to charge. Ray told his men to ready themselves for attack but to hold their fire until the NVA tripped the flares and the claymore mines. He said once the trip occurred, they were to shoot 12 inches above the ground so they would hit the enemy in the head as they crawled toward their defensive position. After a brief firefight, the NVA retreated and Ray called for artillery fire from the Battalion LZ.
When the artillery went silent, they heard the NVA officer yelling again. The Cambodian scout said one of the enemy soldiers was refusing to charge. A few seconds later they heard a pistol fire and knew the NVA commander had killed the soldier who refused to follow orders.
Then the second charge came. Ray called in another round of artillery this time only 20 meters beyond the company’s perimeter. This is known as Danger Close because the artillery shells land in close proximity where friendly forces could be injured. The second round of artillery silenced the enemy, and thankfully none of Ray’s troops were injured.
The next day the Battalion Commander arrived with a dog team to survey the situation. Several of Ray’s men went with the dog handler and the dog down a trail where they found an NVA soldier sitting on a bunker with hands raised saying, chieu hoi which is Vietnamese for I surrender. As the dog handler approached, the Vietnamese soldier jumped aside and another NVA soldier popped up and shot the dog handler. Artillery was called in to destroy the bunkers.
Approximately two weeks later, around the 11th of March, Ray’s infantry troop was on a search mission in the jungle. During this time, the LZ was moved to another location which put Ray and his men outside the range of protective artillery. As a result of this situation, the Battalion Commander was in a helicopter above the troops and was guiding them to a safe zone. This was not the best possible or most cautious way to move quickly through the jungle, but it was all they had at the time.
As they moved through the jungle, they came upon a dried-up riverbed that was roughly six feet deep. While Ray was securing the area, the point man made his way up the riverbed. When he reached the top, he stood up, was ambushed and instantly killed by a 50-caliber machine gun round.
Ray’s first action was to establish two machine gunners at the top of the riverbed to provide covering fire so they could retrieve the body of the point man. Before that was accomplished, one of the men broke ranks and retrieved the point man’s body. While it was an honorable act, it was disobeying orders. Disobeying orders during an attack can jeopardize all the other men. This young man’s impulsive behavior did not end with this incident.
The Battalion Commander instructed Alpha Company to dig in, which meant we would be spending the night. Ray established a 360-degree perimeter and gave the order to the soldiers manning the machine guns not to fire them. If the NVA saw the muzzle flash, they would shoot an RPG directly at it. Ray was sure the enemy would start to probe their perimeter in the early morning hours. The men rotated so that 50% tried to rest while the other 50% stayed alert.
At some point, the same impulsive soldier was manning one of the machine guns when the enemy probe began. Disobeying orders not to shoot, perhaps out of fear, he fired his machine gun which allowed an NVA RPG to target and destroy the machine gun. The young man was one of two soldiers killed and several others were wounded.
Around 4:30 in the morning, Cobra helicopter gunships arrived and told Ray to “pop smoke” to identify his position. The enemy attack was full blown when the Cobras fired their rockets. During the firing of the rockets, one bracket holding a rocket pod broke. Numerous rockets packed into the pod landed and exploded within the company perimeter. At the end of the night, six men were dead and 34 wounded—most hit by friendly fire. The next morning Medevacs arrived to remove the dead and the wounded.
“Fourteen months in Vietnam was a lifetime. By that time, I had hardened myself not to look too close at the dead or wounded. I had to keep going for the men who were alive, who were still fighting next to me. There was no time to mourn the dead or worry about the wounded as I still had forty plus men to guide safely back to the new LZ. When we arrived at the LZ, there were thirty-five new recruits waiting as replacements for Alpha company. I had to give an uplifting speech to welcome these soldiers. This is what war looks like. This is what politicians ask our young people to face—not just the enemy but our own selves.”
The Anonymous Battle or The Rescue at Dogs Head
In March 1970 Ray was instructed to take his men deeper into the Dog’s Head area. They were flown to a large clearing in the jungle (which later became LZ Illingsworth) to open a temporary base of operation. On March 25, 1970 John Poindexter was given orders to swing by the LZ and pick up Ray and his men for another mission. They reunited again as Alpha Team and returned to John’s Night Defense Position (NDP) to resupply.
On March 26, 1970 another hot, humid day began like every other day in the jungles of Vietnam. “We survived the night and merged into the shimmering heat of a long, ass day. Another battle, another ambush, another firefight, or another long, boring day moving through the jungle as we searched for the enemy.” It was an ordinary day in the scheme of their lives as soldiers. But the day soon turned deadly.
As John and Ray exchanged information about their missions since they last met, the radio began to crackle with a running commentary from Charlie Company which was Ray’s sister company. Charlie Company had engaged the enemy, and the firefight was close enough so that both gun fire and artillery could be heard. The desperation coming over the field radio caught the attention of John and Ray. The chatter mentioned that Charlie Company had stumbled on communication wires which indicated they were in enemy territory, there were probably bunkers close by, and the unit was large.
Instead of pulling back, Charlie Company proceeded. They walked right into a heavily fortified NVA bunker complex. At the time, it was estimated approximately 400 enemy were attacking 80 of Charlie Company soldiers, a death trap.
As John and Ray listened to the chatter, they did not hear the Battalion Commander step up to organize a rescue. Although Alpha Team was only two and a half miles away and probably the closest support, they knew it would take several hours to grind through the thick vegetation and bamboo to reach Charlie Company. The armored column would have to carve a new pathway through the dense jungle. The noise from the tanks meant a high likelihood they would be ambushed and an even higher likelihood they would not arrive in time to save their brothers who were desperate for help. The battle between Charlies Company and NVA had been underway for most of the day. The two captains were concerned if they would arrive in time, but they were more concerned about the plight of their brothers in Charlies Company.
As Ray recalls, “When no orders given to save the men, John and I knew we needed to respond. We knew that Charlie Company was being outgunned and surrounded by the enemy and on the verge of annihilation. We had no choice.”Captain Poindexter gave the order to move out. Every man that was part of Alpha Team fully understood the danger of the mission.
Alpha Troop departed in three columns with two Sheridan tanks in front and several APC’s following. As they headed out they were targets not only from attack by the enemy but also attack from nature. Ray and his radio operator were riding in the back of an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) behind two tanks. The first two tanks knocked over a tree that housed a very large hornets’ nest. By the time Ray’s APC rolled over the nest, the Asian giant hornets were in full attack mode. These hornets were notorious for their painful, highly venomous sting and often posed as much danger to the men as enemy combatants. They were feared for their aggression and the painful injuries they inflicted, sometimes including death.
Both Ray and the Radio operator were badly stung. The radio operator was in rough shape and was given pain medication which put him out of commission. Although Ray had been badly stung and still has scars from the incident, he declined treatment. He knew it was mandatory for him to have a clear head for the unknown mission ahead.
As Alpha Troop continued pushing through the jungle, the battle raged on. Charlie Company was running dangerously low on ammo and water. They were surrounded by the enemy as they desperately tried to tighten up their perimeter. The intense fire from the well-entrenched enemy along with the thick jungle canopy prevented air assets from identifying the exact location of the enemy as well as the exact location of Charlie Company. Several helicopters skimmed the tops of trees in order to drop ammunition and water to the beleaguered troops as there was no place to land.
In a daring mission of mercy, Brigadier General George Casey flew his own helicopter into the battle space and hovered overhead while the crew kicked out water and ammo to the exhausted soldiers fighting for their lives.
The nearly 200 men of Alpha Team finally arrived at the only opening in the Charlie Company perimeter. It was around 4 pm and the weary men had been fighting all day. After locating Captain Hobson of Charlie Company and receiving a quick debrief, they developed a plan. With the tanks and APCs pointed toward the NVA, Poindexter gave the command to fire.
“There was one hell of a fire fight”.
Alpha Team waited for the enemy to return fire and when they did, Alpha cut loose with everything they had cutting down vegetation and trees until the jungle began to vaporize. The men from Alpha Team moved inch by inch toward the enemy.
Ray recalls, “The firefight was ongoing without any breaks. We were running low on ammunition. All of my platoon leaders were wounded.”
Ray jumped onto one of the Sheridan tanks to man the machine gun. The gun had been hit by an RPG and was useless. As he turned to jump off the tank, he saw an NVA soldier running full speed toward him. Ray had left his M-16 on the back of the tank, so he drew his pistol and dropped him in mid-stride.
“As I jumped off the tank, a RPG hit in the general vicinity and knocked me off my feet. Blood from a shrapnel hit was running down both my arms, but I couldn’t let that stop me. Once the medic patched me up, I returned to the action.”
As I passed John, he said it was getting dark, and we needed to get the hell out of here. We took a head count, and as soon as every person was accounted for, we begin to pull back.
With darkness setting in and a high risk of ambush, the combined force retraced the path Alpha Team carved on their way to rescue Charlie Company. Luckily, the enemy never appeared. Ray thought they were also suffering from the shock of the attack and re-engaging was not their priority. When darkness fully descended onto the jungle, Captain Poindexter gave the order to his mortar team four kms away on the LZ to launch flares into the air. They were hopeful this would create enough illumination so they could find their way back to the LZ. It worked. Captains Poindexter and Hobson were both wounded and medevac’d out. Ray assumed command of Alpha Team. Six KIAs and approximately 60 wounded were Medevac’d out.
The next day air strikes and artillery were called in to bombard the specific area where the battle took place. Several days later Alpha Team was ordered to return to the area to conduct a reconnaissance. “When we were moving in, I got the sense the enemy was still moving out.”
When they reached the site of the battle, a foul stench of death filled the air. Numerous hastily dug graves indicated the NVA had buried their dead as best they could. It was later reported that instead of 400 NVA fighting against Alpha Team, the number was approximately 700 to 800 enemy against 260 of our soldiers.
Ray received the Bronze Star with a “V” for Valor for his actions in the Dogs Head. His commendation read, in part,
“When his unit became engaged with a determined enemy force, with complete disregard for his own safety he exposed himself to intense hostile fire as he moved forward to the point of heaviest contact and began placing a heavy volume of suppressive fire upon the insurgent forces. His actions were an inspiration to the other members of his unit and were instrumental in the successful completion of the mission…”
Although the Anonymous Battle remained unrecognized for 40 years, it was never anonymous to those who were there. Years later, several books were written and a documentary filmed about the battle. The events of the Rescue at the Dogs Head were not recognized until 2010 when President Barack Obama acknowledged the rescue with the highest honor of the Presidential Unit Citation.
Ray left Vietnam on June 1, 1970. When he arrived back in the states, he was given a well-deserved 30-day leave.
After his leave he reported to Fort Polk, Louisiana where he was the Company Commander of two different basic training companies as well as XO of a training battalion. In January 1973, Ray received orders to attend Advanced Infantry Officers School at Fort Benning in Georgia. While he waited for his class to start, Ray worked in the Research and Development area and helped test the prototype for the Abrams Tracked Vehicle. In May of 1973 two thirds of Ray’s class received a Reduction in Force notice. The Vietnam War was over and the Army was downsizing.
By September of 1973, Ray was no longer on active duty. Not wanting to return to St. Louis, he moved to Colorado where he joined the local reserve unit as an Evaluator. His unit designed and evaluated National Guard and Reserve Units on the soldier’s ability to execute mission plans. During his time in the Reserves, Ray rose to the rank of Major.
Ray moved several times working as an electrician with the railroad and later as a security manager with Pinkerton's before settling in Columbia, South Carolina.
In 1981 Ray arrived late for Sunday services at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Donna Keel also arrived late for church that day. As they walked toward the church, they exchanged greetings.
Ray later told Donna he knew when he saw her that day he wanted to marry her. A year and a half later on April 15, 1983, the couple were married. “Tax Day, so we could remember it.” Donna recalled 43 years later.
Although Ray had joined the Army without completing high school, he received his GED and accumulated college credits while in the military. Ray had proved his mettle on the battlefield, but he wanted more. He made the decision to enroll at the University of South Carolina to complete his degree. A year and a half later he had his diploma.
In their free time, Donna and Ray enjoy entertaining and cooking for friends. Over the years they have cooked for big fund raisers at their church as well as other philanthropic events. Family and friends often suggested the couple needed to open a restaurant. But Donna was busy with her corporate career and Ray with his work and reserve activities.
But one day when constant travel for business and the stress of working for others reached a peak, Donna and Ray sat down and asked themselves the question, if money was no object, what would we like to do?
They concluded it would have something to do with cooking while creating a comfortable and warm atmosphere for people to enjoy. While the journey was long and hard as they sorted through the repercussions of finding and owning a business, they eventually found their way to Buena Vista, Georgia where they opened a restaurant, catering service and bed and breakfast. On July 2, 1997 the Armers bought property and later named it Sign of the Dove. The couple put their cooking talents to work and used all their skills to develop a thriving business. Ray said of their time as small business owners, “The first three years were pure hell. We didn’t know whether we could pay the electric bill, much less the mortgage. But people came from Atlanta and the surrounding area looking for a nice getaway. And eventually, businesspeople from all over the world made their way to our place.”
The property was not far from President Jimmy Carter’s hometown of Plains, Georgia and many guests came to hear him speak at his Sunday School class. Habitat for Humanity’s operational headquarters was only a 30-minute car ride away. They became one of the restaurants largest catering clients. Ray and Donna had the opportunity to meet the former President and his wife Roselyn.
Donna recalled, “The home was an old Victorian with a wraparound porch. It had all of the fine details of a bygone time, heart pine floors, Italian tiles on the fireplace mantle, elegant pocket doors and more.”
They built the businesses by becoming the local venue where everyone wanted to have weddings, funerals, business luncheons and corporate functions.
“Everything we made was from scratch.”
After ten years, Donna and Ray decided it was time to slow down. They sold the property to a retired Air Force Colonel.
In their retirement Donna and Ray have traveled extensively to a multitude of countries. But the full circle of travel is their mutual love for Italy where Ray had his first overseas assignment.
“We’ve been traveling to Italy for over thirty years, and now we have wonderful friends in a small village in Puglia that we call our second home.”
Donna also decided to pursue her long put off dream to be a writer. She started as a freelance journalist and wrote a variety of articles for local magazines and essays for travel anthologies. When she and Ray relocated to the Lowcountry, she joined the Sea Island Spirit Writers, a local writer’s group, whose members encouraged her to write her first book, Solo in Salento: A Memoir. The memoir was based on her solo trip to Italy and was published in 2020. Her story was translated into Italian in 2022, and she was invited to return to Italy for a book tour.
She has continued her writing with the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series. The first book was published and released in 2023, the second in 2024, and the third in 2025. She is currently writing the fourth book in the series before turning to historical nonfiction.
While living in Columbia, Ray worked as a crew member on the Southern Patriot, a tour boat on Lake Murray. Once the couple moved into their historic home in the beautiful Lowcountry of Beaufort, South Carolina, Donna was able to give full attention to her life as an author. The transition was made easy for her as Ray took command of the kitchen, the grocery shopping, and helping in various other ways so she’s able to devote her time to writing.
“Donna gave her all to walk with me through a lot of dark years. She was the steadying force in my life. She deserves this opportunity, and I’m happy to support her. We still take time out to travel and to feed people. During our years together, we discovered that true love, community, and joy are found when we gather at the table and share not only food and wine but our stories.”
Ray, during your time in Vietnam, you were repeatedly placed in situations that required you to put yourself at great personal risk to aid others that desperately needed your help. Very few of us will ever face such a decision, and we will never know how we would respond. This country is grateful to men like you who decided to risk it all so that a few of your bothers might survive.
“These men fought in what came to be called the Anonymous Battle. Troopers you are not anonymous anymore”. President Obama 2010