that offered some cover and concealment. At around 03:30, Willoughby made another request for the Marines at Khe Sanh to send reinforcements, but again his request was turned down. In an attempt to save the defenders at Lang Vei, Company C Headquarters in Da Nang tried to call for reinforcements from the Marines at Khe Sanh, but its request was also turned down. Finally, Company C Headquarters placed another Mobile Strike Force Company and a company-sized unit on standby alert in Da Nang, to be airlifted into battle as soon as helicopters were available. Back in Lang Vei, the PAVN continued to harass the small force of soldiers still trapped in the command bunker with hand grenades, explosives and bursts of gunfire down the stairwell that led into the bunker. Shortly after 06:00, the PAVN threw several fragmentation grenades and tear gas grenades down the stairwell. Then, a voice called down the stairwell in Vietnamese, demanding the American-led forces give up at once. Following a quick discussion with his CIDG soldiers, the South Vietnamese special forces commander led his troops up the stairwell to surrender, but were killed by PAVN soldiers, leaving behind their American counterparts. After the South Vietnamese had gone up, there was another short verbal exchange between the Americans in the bunker and the PAVN in English, which was followed by another fire fight when the Americans refused surrender. At 06:30, the PAVN successfully blasted a hole on the northern wall, gaining direct access into the command bunker. However, instead of launching a direct attack on the last American stronghold, the PAVN continued to throw grenades through the wall. At dawn, Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley Jr. assembled about 100 Laotian soldiers of BV-33 at the old Lang Vei Camp in order to launch a rescue operation and, if possible, recapture the Special Forces Camp from the PAVN. Even though Lt. Col. Phetsampou had initially refused to take part in the operation, the Americans held him to his earlier promise of providing them with troops. After Ashley had formed the Laotian soldiers into a skirmish line, he radioed the forward air-controllers overhead to direct strafing runs on the Special Forces camp to soften up the enemy. Meanwhile, as COMUSMACV General William Westmoreland learned of the PAVN attack on Lang Vei and Lownd's refusal to send a relief force, he ordered the U.S. Marines to supply enough helicopters