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Hillenbrand accompanied the 81st into the village of Tan Phu Trung and describes the scene: "For two days they had been fighting their way into the hamlet across a thick growth of bamboo behind which the NVA had set up machine-gun positions in deep bunkers. Now the bunkers were empty except for the bodies of two NVA defenders. We walked down a red dirt path following a thin black wire, which the lieutenant explained was the line for the NVA field telephones. Most of the houses in the village remain standing, because elements of the 81st had chosen the rare option of retaking it by hand rather than aided by air power. An old man wearing brown shorts was digging in the crater holes, removing the heavy red clay with his hands. Bit by bit, he uncovered a body — first the limp brown hand, then the face and shoulders.
"We followed the soldiers into another section of the village. Here the NVA had made a stand and were wiped out. Eight enemy bodies lay scattered about the compound of a large house. The front wall had been blown away, and the walls were pitted by fusillades. A pair of legs stuck out of a bunker hole. They had Ho Chi Minh sandals on the feet."
Heading back to the main highway, Hillenbrand encountered an airborne soldier celebrating his recent victory with wine. Had he heard about the ceasefire? Oh yes, he said. "I've heard something about that, but that's not our job. That's for the important people to worry about. I'm merely a soldier and I fight until they tell me to stop fighting. Then I don't know what I'll do."