When he had the NVA soldiers in sight, he called out, asking them to wait for him. He told them he’d stayed back and seen the Americans and the Montagnards retreating. The soldiers showed anger that the American officer had not chosen to follow them. They strode back to their camp. When they entered, one of the gooks informed his colonel the enemy hadn’t fallen for their trap. The colonel was visibly upset and ordered the soldiers in the camp to stand down. Killian wanted to remain inconspicuous, so he moved to the rear of the enemy camp and joined a group who were setting up a cooking area. As he looked around, he estimated there to be between two hundred and fifty and three hundred Vietnamese soldiers milling about the encampment.
Later, after everything had settled down, Killian walked
