From the S&S archives: Roundup of VC suspects like chase in TV thriller

Troopers of the 27th Inf. swept down on a village in Hau Nghia Province and captured Viet Cong suspects in an operation that looked like a cowboy rounding up bad guys in a TV drama.

The action was by B Co., commanded by Capt. Thomas B. Mannix, who used radio and orbiting helicopters to catch suspects that were attempting to flee from the questioning troops.

The only way a suspect could be freed, Mannix explained, was for his description to match that on his I.D. card. Those without I.D. cards or with faulty descriptions were taken to district headquarters.



Helicopters stream in to take 27th Infantry troops on an Eagle Mission.



Capt. Thomas B. Mannix, B Company commanding officer, directs orbiting helicopters to fleeing suspects.



A national policeman leaps from a helicopter and runs toward a suspect in the custody of a B Company soldier.



Vietnamese national police check the ID of suspects rounded up by infantrymen.



Suspects are loaded aboard a helicopter for a trip to district headquarters for interrogation.