On 11 April 1972 the 2nd Battalion was flown into Phu Bai Combat Base from Danang to provide base security. On 12 April 1972 approximately 50 men from Company C, 2nd Battalion refused to go on a combat patrol in the hills west of Phu Bai, but eventually undertook the patrol. The 2nd Battalion commander Lieutenant colonel Frederick P. Mitchell blamed television newsmen and journalists for inciting the combat refusal.
