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He had blazed away with his M-14 rifle while trying to get an idea of where the enemy was concealed so he could call in close air support. He fell, wounded by one of the few fragmentation grenades the enemy hurled. But he remained in action during the rest of the battle, maintaining contact with Marine aviation units standing by to assist on call. Cpl bob Sutton and Pfc Don Dehner, both members of the FAC team, were also wounded. Only Pfc Scott Thorne remained unscathed among the four-man team.

It was beginning to look as though Charlie Co. was "up against the wall" when the Communists began to attack from the unmolested right flank. A probable fourth enemy company had joined in the fight.

Then, with the battle reaching its most critical stage, Lt Ruffer began singing The Marines' Hymn. As other Marines picked it up, he leaped to his feet in the area most exposed to enemy fire and began shouting encouragement and entreating his Marines: "Let's go get some!"

What Lt Ruffer said may sound trite. It is written in fiction, and well-rehearsed actors, wearing their helmets at jaunty angles, rattle it off in perfect diction as they lead movie extras down the barrels of sputtering machine guns. Never try to tell a Marine from Charlie Co. that Lt Ruffer's one-man monologue didn't help to pull the company through a tight spot.

Brandishing a .45 pistol, Lt Ruffer charged down the trail, firing to each side as he went. Behind him, other Marines surged forward. A grenade bounced off the lieutenant's back and as he started down for cover, a second grenade landed in front of him. He was bracketed by the explosion from both but returned immediately to the attack, evidently uninjured.

The enemy fire on the trail slackened as Lt Ruffer pulled his men back to re-form for another assault on the trail. He carried a wounded Marine as he went back up the trail to the LZ. Then, he led a second assault against the seemingly impenetrable forces.

Behind Lt Ruffer followed Cpl Ken Chambers, armed only with the machete he had used to break trail. He had expended all his ammo in the fight, but was intent on leading his fire team in the assault.

Lt Jack Ruffer awaited medical evacuation as his Marines policed the debris-strewn battlefield

Charging down the trail, Lt Ruffer extended his .45 and shot down an enemy soldier charging past him up the trail toward the LZ. This second attack carried farther than the first, but the enemy fire power was too overwhelming for the small group. They turned and fought their way back to the LZ, encountering the Reds all the way.

Although these assaults had not driven off the enemy, they were forced to withdraw from inside the Marine lines. When they left, six dead North Vietnamese, clad in black T-shirts and green shorts, were found inside Charlie Company's position.

Capt Major had continued to brave the enemy fire and direct his troops into protected positions while the battle raged. He had received minor wounds from a bullet and was suffering from a slight case of concussion. Although his position was continually exposed to enemy fire, it was the best site for him to observe and direct the placement of his Marines.

Via the radio, Capt Major received a message that Delta Co. was picking their way through the jungle to his position. The captain quickly assumed that if they continued on their present route they would most likely be ambushed by the NVA assaulting Charlie Company's rear.

On learning this from the captain, Lt Ruffer charged down the trail on which his company had been ambushed that afternoon, to make contact with Delta Company's point. He went alone, exposing himself not only to the enemy, but taking a calculated risk that Delta Co. would mistake him for a guerrilla. The risk paid off as he safely reached the point man, exclaiming all the way who he was so the advancing Marines could identify him.

Then it was back to the fight for Lt Ruffer as he led the Marines of Delta Co., who were shouting encouragement to their buddies in Charlie Co., still engaged in the battle.

Charlie Company's riflemen didn't look around to acknowledge Delta Company's entrance into the battle. They poured out their last rounds of ammunition and shouted back their own brand of encouragement to Delta Co.

Almost abruptly the enemy fire stopped as the reinforcements flowed across the LZ and melted into the jungle to help Charlie Co. expand their small perimeter. Then, the enemy dissolved into the now moonlit jungle.

The fight had lasted for four uninterrupted hours.

As the weary Marines were relieved by Delta Co., they faced the agonizing task of recovering their casualties from the jungle; digging in; and the uncertainty the night would hold for them.

"If it just doesn't rain," said Pfc "Chesty" Story, "we'll make it."

"If the moon stays out all night," added LCpl Richard Caballero, "we'll have a good chance of seeing them if they come back."

For the first time in two weeks, it didn't rain. The moon, in its first quarter, hung brightly over the LZ until 0500 the next morning.

October 12 dissolved slowly into October 13 - a Friday!

"It's gonna be a good day . . . a lucky day," quipped Cpl Dave Bailey on learning that midnight had slipped by.