SSGT Patterson And The Battle For The Loc Ninh Compound
Kenneth L Patterson Jr, was a native of Cleveland Ohio. He had enlisted in the Army back in December of 1962, and by 1967, he found himself (probably not for the first time either) in Vietnam. At the time he was a member of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (or MACV), “Light Weapons Advisor” to Reconnaissance Company, 5th Division, of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly abbreviated ARVN). On the night of October 29, 1967, at roughly 0100 hours, the enemy soldiers of the 9th Viet Cong Division started to attack both the South Vietnamese District Headquarters and the U.S. Special Forces Camp, both located in the Loc Ninh compound. They started off their attack with a barrage of 82mm and 120mm mortar rounds as well as 122mm rockets. Roughly an hour later VC sappers rushed the northern premier of the district headquarters and attached satchel charges on the wire perimeter, this blew a hole big enough for 2 battalion sized enem...