 That same day, halfway around the world, Ted was 12 days shy of his 20th birthday and conducted duties as a patrol leader of a six-person long-range reconnaissance team in the Thuong Duc area of Quang Nam. While on patrol, his team encountered a numerically superior enemy force that approached his guys. He told his troops to hightail it to a suitable landing zone while he remained behind alone and delayed the advancement of the Viet Cong.