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[hos]pital area since case upon case of penicillin, quinine, morphine, and other valuable drugs lay piled four feet high over an area of more than a hundred square meters. Three complete sets of surgical instruments were mixed in with the medicine.

In this first skirmish of the Ia Drang Valley campaign, the Cavalry troopers were initially taken aback at the almost suicidal short ranges at which they came to grips with the enemy. The bulk of the enemy attack force was within less than twenty meters of their perimeter before it was discovered and the enemy's "bear hug" tactics made supporting fires extremely difficult to place safely. Emergency medical evacuation landing zones had to be literally hacked out of the jungle with hand axes. Infantry reinforcements arrived at the site too late to take full advantage of this enemy contact.

The next day Brigadier General Richard T. Knowles, the Assistant Division Commander, met with Colonel Stockton to plot the strategy for further exploitation of this contact. The best estimate was that the major enemy force had moved along the Ia Drang valley close to the base of the Chu Pong Mountains and the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry was given the mission of establishing an ambush in this area. A site was chosen called landing zone MARY, and the Cavalry Squadron fought its major battle in this area.

Landing zone MARY was unique in that it was the first time that the 1st Cavalry Division had mounted a successful night ambush and reinforced their attack with a night lift of an Infantry company. Also, they had developed their fire procedures to the point that armed helicopters were able to fire within fifty meters of the friendly troops during night operations.

By 4 November, the Cavalry Squadron had developed the battle to a point where it could be turned over to the infantry battalions. Over 150 enemy casualties had been accounted for with a loss of 4 U.S. soldiers killed and 25 wounded. The Ia Drang Valley Campaign was now fully underway.

On 9 November the 1st Brigade was relieved by the 3d, commanded by Colonel Thomas W. Brown. The 3d Brigade was given the mission of continuing the search south and southeast of Pleime. Colonel Brown continued his search in the densely wooded area south of the Ia Drang River at the base of the Chu Pong massif. He decided that the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry was in the best position to make the initial air assaults.

On 14 November the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore, began the pivotal operation of the Ia Drang Campaign. He had chosen landing zone