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After a hard climb to the ridgeline of the mountain, marked only by one pungi stake and two heat exhaustion casualties, the company began moving eastward along the razorback. At approximately 1400 hours, after having just crossed a slight rise in terrain, the lead platoon (the Third) spotted what appeared to be a single Viet Cong and opened fire. The fire was immediately returned in volume from prepared positions to the east. The platoon leader radioed Captain Coleman that he had encountered stiff opposition and was ordering a squad to begin a maneuver around to his left.

This flanking action by the squad met with an immediate and violent counter-attack by an estimated enemy platoon. The squad members fought gallantly but soon were overrun. All but one man was killed. The sole survivor, badly wounded, wisely feigned death and later escaped.

The volume and din of enemy fire to the immediate front of the Third Platoon intensified to the point that communications became almost impossible. Lieutenant Heaney continued to try to gain the initiative in his sector, but each move cost him casualties