 On 21 May 1952, Colonel Abcede ordered Major Felizardo Tanabe, the battalion's operations officer, to prepare the final assault on the PVA position after several attempts to capture the outpost.Tanabe sent the 44-man 2nd reconnaissance platoon to sabotage the position.The platoon was led by a young Filipino officer, a 1950 graduate of West Point's United States Military Academy, 2nd Lieutenant Fidel V. Ramos (future President of the Philippines).