World: How Accidents Happen

In the thick jungle country 35 miles north of Saigon, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division ran into a hornets' nest last week. Assigned to secure Highway 16 for a supply convoy due to move through, elements of "the Big Red One" wandered unknowingly into a major Viet Cong troop concentration. It took the efforts of three full battalions to blast out the entrenched V.C., and much of the fighting was at close quarters—where accidents can happen.

The accident happened when the commander of one surrounded unit radioed for air strikes to help out against the Reds. To guide the airmen to their...

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