Rising nearly 1500 feet above the jungle below, Hill 488 was the perfect place for a Marine recon team but for one minor factor; it was deep in enemy controlled territory, surrounded by massive enemy troop build-ups.
Like David facing Goliath the 16 Marines and 2 Navy corpsmen were pitifully outnumbered on that night of June 15, 1966, and like David so long before, were reduced to ”throwing rocks” at the enemy.
Born in Iowa, Jimmie Howard enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1950 in fought in Korea earning a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. Seventeen years later at 37 and the father of six children Sgt. Jimmie Howard found himself returning to war in the jungles of
Vietnam.
On June 13th Sgt. Howard and his team of 15 Marines and 2 Navy corpsmen were dropped by helicopter on the top of Hill 488 to watch the valley below for enemy troop movements and calling in artillery strike on them. For two days the team did their job well, but the enemy eventually figured out that they were being watched and began to search for the recon team.
When their position was compromised it was too dark to evacuate the team so they were told that they would have to survive the night, it was June 15th.
They knew it was coming, and at about 10pm that night the enemy swarmed the barren hilltop amid automatic gunfire, mortars, grenades, and four .50 caliber machine guns. Sgt. Howard pulled his men back to a perimeter of just 20 yards in diameter. They were literally fighting back to back in some instances.
Sgt. Howard moved along the perimeter throughout the night directing and encouraging his men and shoring up any breaches in the line.
Outnumbered more than 10 to 1 the leadership and strength of Sgt. Howard was all that sustained them. On the first assault every single man in his command was wounded, and several were dead.
With ammunition running low after hours of fighting Sgt. Howard gave the incredible order to “throw rocks” Mistaking the thud of the rocks for hand grenades the enemy would stand up to run away thus exposing themselves to Sgt. Howard’s men giving them clear shots which conserved their ammunition.
After a night of relentless assaults Sgt. Howard was shot in the back rendering his legs immovable, yet he continued to command and encourage his men to fight on.
At noon the next day a company of Marines finally made it to Hill 488 to rescue their comrades. What they found was 5 dead Marines with one more dying en route, and of the 12 wounded survivors there remained only 8 rounds of ammunition.
The team received: 1 Medal of Honor, 4 Navy Crosses, 13 Silver Stars, 18 Purple Hearts.