European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 16, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Don talc. Staff writer april to. 1975. The Flag of to Chi Minh went up this Day Over Saigon after the South vietnamese army in Gemara lived chaos crumbled in quit. But even As the communists celebrated Victory in the streets of Saigon word came that a Small group of South vietnamese fighters Hill held parts of the provincial capital of Dalat to the Northeast. Though the province chief and other commanders Hod fled with the mob Here was one commander already .1 legend who fought on. He  major in  Phung called the Cray Tiger in Vietnam  species of lift a n known to be of especially Strung spirit and uncommonly fierce. For ii in i hit Anil his Lew Hundred bloodied Somers kept the communists to by until then wire no mine bullets no Mure loud. Stan. The Tiger would incl Hinn ref in a Igo. Many i if pcs Law .1" Tiffin Small for nine Yean sew i inti Len and to . But i if spirit of the Cray Tiger  Nuver in the t a l  always outside dreaming Anil plotting hmm in not Only get inn but Alio How in reunite if  Pong with his americans the ones in wham hah Tel never toil Faith. Here is the Mccoun t of Phong the americans and then of How it happened. Al Cornell and Jerry Beckett is Rel met the  finer when he commanded the 102nd vietnamese reconnaissance co working the Jungle Hills around Dalai. Together the two americans would log Well Over Loy mrs in Vietnam most of in Workings advisers in Phong in the 302nd. I can t remember much advice we Ever gave him though jays Jerry now sgt. Mai Beckell of the Usa eur inspector general s office in Heidelberg sinn he was about the Besl Damn Soldier we Ever  you went out with the Isolind you were guaranteed con acl recalls Al now a special farces 1st. Sgt. Sinbad Tola 1 he j02nd. ,. Reconnaissance was it gentle word fur Whyl they endured and Contact was another one of those  military terms fur what happened when the bloat hit the pm. Called elite crack deadly ghostly. The m2nd never gut to Contact the  Way. Fly Iii in on a a lopper. Too  Jerry . Some limes it look us six of seven Days id walk Inlo the deep Jungle to exactly where we wanted to be nol a Hundred Yards to the left or i jh1, but right them on the spot the enemy would be  we were never compromised by noise or the dumb stuff Al says. Phong und his men could track like you would t believe. All of a sudden he d say Contact today then. Three hours he could Tell you How Many and in what  Al and Erry and the Cray Tiger with the deep dark eyes became tight with each other in a Way that transcended race color and everyday civilized hang ups. Battlefield Light staying alive Light you save Roy Idun ton Ghl a save your Bult tomorrow Light. Phong alone won 40 vietnamese medals for valor As Well As american medals including the Silver  won something beyond Vator the total respect of the americans i was Over there a Long Lime Jerry says and i knew Kow the system worked. How the South Vrej Tsarnes province chiefs bought their provinces. How1, coming Down the Chain vietnamese commanders ripped off their soldiers pay. Phong did t do that. In fact he would t take his own pay until his troops go paid. He would to in there and fight the province chief and make sure they got paid. He d go Down to the Market and buy his troops boots. There were a Tot of Lousy leaders but Phong was the real thing 3 True believer what a commander was supposed to be. His men loved him and we loved him and in s just too bad there weren t More like  but there weren t. And one bitter Day the americans Cut their Vietnam losses and went Home Neil her Jerry nor Al wanted to leave. Though a Vietnam peace had been declared in Paris they fell it was a Mirage peace i hat would never reach Vietnam and it never came close. I Felt totally depressed it lore our hearts out to leave Al says he had married Phong s sister in Law f Francoise and Lerry had married Chieu my who had fled North Vietnam to the South. They got their wives out Al recalls but saying goodbye to Phong seeing what was in his eyes As we left Afler All we d been through. Jesus. He knew we d been ordered Oul ferry says but i be Felt like a betrayer. It would have been easier for me to Cut off my leg and abandon  before Phong finally turned Hilins Elfino the communists he and the remnants of his unit slipped 101 Kilometres Down offshoots of the to Chi Minh Trail into. Saigon still in great confusion and merged with the mob. If he had been captured in Dalat Phong fell As if the legend of the Cray Tiger would have been terminated a the spot. Now the world watched to see if the communist would trigger