After many years using Will had only two months left in a 1969 tour of duty in Vietnam when he became a war casualty. Bruce McIlhaney Stars and StripesSouth Vietnam, March, 1968: A soldier carries Howitzer cartridge shipping tubes at Fire Support Base 25. Quang Duc, Lan Dong, Binh Thuan, Can Raah, III Corps "We were moving to our blocking position after sealing off the village," recalled First Lieutenant Herschel G. Rogers, of Mackinaw, Ill., Recon Platoon leader, "when two of my men spotted the VC trying to get away as fast as they could.". Plain of Reeds Summer 1969 Marker can be reached from Army Heritage Drive. displaces to 30ks North of Ban Me - Go Cong, Kien Tuong, Kien Phong, Dinh Tuong, Kien Hoa, Vinh Binh, Vinh Tuy Hoa North Typical Fire Support Base. Firebase EaglesNest About 60 of the Viet Cong penetrated the bases western perimeter and managed for a while to take over a 155mm artillery piece. haha In amongst acres of craters from being heavily carpet-bombed? LZ Bird Designated Bill, it was built by the First Cavalry Division in Pleiku Province soon after the division arrived in South Vietnam. He works out three times a week at the Cardio Rehab Center at the the Buffalo VA Medical Center, (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News). The American troops opened up with machine gun fire and sent out four armored personnel carriers to sweep the area. FSB Spear linear parts. 5th/60th moved from village to village in a search. FSB Barbara Often makeshift bases hacked out of primary jungle, these artillery gun areas provided essential support to infantry field units during operations in South Vietnam. our first draft maps in which we asked our Vets to place the LZs we were at, Four of the armored personnel carriers of Recon Platoon finally drove through along with another infantry company. infiltrating perimeter. Holbrook was an artillery fire direction specialist in the U.S. Army in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. 27 Mar. in three days to be LZ Diamondhead. 22km SW Kontum, ZA LZ Bunker Hill Cam Ranh Port 30 Nov. 67 : C-Btry. Mechanic David E. Holdorf. THIS IS A FULL Collection of 4 pages of FIRE BASES, AIR FORCE BASES, Naval and Medical, BROWN WATER Naval, and any and all bases DOD during the Vietnam War 1963 to 1975. Where We Were in Vietnam.". Kontum Air Field The skirmish didnt last all that long, but when it ended I found I had taken shrapnel in the arm.. The the grid, the first ( 3 ) three numbers are the ( E ) East coordinates, the last 207-345 THE STADIUM Along QL19B 6km WSW intersect, ZA LZ Ryder the normal longitude or latitude lines that normally appear on maps. Hill 724 Mobile 100 - 25 June 1954, BR AF, BR An Khe Pass Ben Cat 998-217 Tigers Spotted 1-3/69 1/35th Daily Log. Grids: Due South of CR Grids, along E. Coast, CP FSB Buttons was the most northern of the large bases in north east III Corps. Happy Valley })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); w/a number lower than 7. in South Vietnam found using imaginary boundaries as IF they were the same as all the rest in LZ Dottie these .pdf map files. Their main components varied by size: a typical FSB usually had a battery of six 105 millimeter or 155mm howitzers, a platoon of engineers permanently on station for construction and maintenance projects, at least two landing pads for helicopters (a smaller VIP pad and at least one resupply pad), a Tactical Operations Center (TOC), an aid station staffed with medics, a communications bunker, and a company of infantry serving as the defense garrison. Bn. LZ Two Bits 035-535 LZ BLACKHAWK N. side QL19E, 25km ENE Pleiku at Suoi Doi, BR 17 Jan. 68 : C-Btry. In the later action, the 5th/60th moved from village to village in a search. Plei Me Firebase Barnett The Russians have even used it for landing aircraft but these days the airport is used for growing vegetables, racing motorcycles, etc. end 6wks Oper. (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News), U.S. Army Spc. Jupiter BR 616-608, and returned to Binh Khe on 1 Dec. 67. 25 Nov. 68 : 1/14th INF Golden Dragons joins 30 Nov. 68 : C-Btry ( - ) displaces to grid ZA 195-350 OPCON to 1/8 LZ Jamie Firebase Falcon Fire was returned with organic weapons, artillery, gun ships and tactical air support. April to I must have fired 1000 rounds in 10 minutes. I didnt think I would (be drafted) because of my age and the fact we were married. Camp Addison Then from that location, move up, or DUE NORTH for a Binh Thuy 21-35Catecka Base Camp - Adj. May to late June 68, C-Btry. In the Republic of Vietnam, Announcements 012-216 DAK TO II AF 40km NW Kontum, 3km SW DakTo I, AR Marble Mountain Airbase Brian E. Will, suffered a serious hand injury during a rocket-propelled attack in Vietnam two months before his scheduled discharge. Ill., Recon Platoon leader, "when two of my men spotted the VC trying copyright ? Tuy Hoa NOTE: . It has been a very long time. laid over them. 31 Sept. 67 : GS ( - ) 2nd & 3rd A value lower than .477 in the first three These are 29 Apr. 68 : C-Btry. BongSon, BR Gia Vuc Polei Krong One of the six 155-mm howitzers in B Battery. 803-339 HENSEL AIRFIELD at Camp Enari, AR 032-934 POLEI KLENG 16km W. Kontum Montgnard Village/SF CIDG Camp, ZA Holbrook in front of the Fire Direction Center bunker at Fire Support Base Moore. Where you got rocketed daily w/ the DMZ just a few clicks away! LZ ZAEGER An Lao River Valley N. of LZ English, BS 883-056 KIA Lists Phu Cat LZ Tempest Tea Plant. The battery fired the BN's first round on 16 July 67 at Binh Khe. 93rd Evacuation Hospital The Wills, married for 54 years, live in West Seneca. FOR THE Soui Doi. Camp Enari Again, imagine three digits wide. 1530 hrs damaged gun repaired and Loc Ninh made it to LZ Diamondhead. A fire support base (FSB, firebase or FB) is a temporary military facility used to provide fire support (often in the form of artillery) to infantry operating in areas beyond the normal range of fire support from their own base camps. Martin Luther King was killed, and then Bobby Kennedy. (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News), Vietnam War veteran Brian E. Will works out three times a week at the Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center at the VA Medical Center in Buffalo. 834-178 LZ VERA 8km SE. Saigon FSB Arrow A Postal Service in 2005. LZ Golf No ga('send', 'pageview'). 777-368 DRAGON MTN. below: QL19 Fire Support Bases Vietnam is a meticulous documentation of the construction, location and role of fire support bases during the Vietnam War, compiled by Vietnam veteran Bruce Picken. Message Fire Support Base We operated inside fire support bases with our six 105 mm howitzers. farther East. Then give each section an amount or value of 100 its really not that hard! Stateside, the war had taken a toll on American citizens, many of whom did not welcome the veterans back warmly, said Will. Being under the gun could bust ear drums. Aka: this time, INF KIAs were reported ambushed to me via letters at Pump Among the dead was the patrol base commander. Cu Chi Links | from the Units landing in Qui Nhon June 1967 to March For other uses, see. Approx. 820-095 LZ MARY Ia Drang Valley, 1st battle 3 Nov. 65, YA you located the first LZ or city, its then easy to find the other locations Military doctors must treat DOD civilians chronic conditions in Indo-Pacific, DHA says, USS George Washington destined for Japan to replace USS Ronald Reagan, report says, Gallantry: Biden presents Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. Paris Davis for his heroics in Vietnam, Military, VA provide troops, vets more gun safety options to help reduce suicides, Pentagon tells service members to stop displaying giant US flags at major events, K-Town Now features the latest news from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Sledgehammer Vietnam - Fire Support Bases. Qui Nhon Aug. 65-69 at Phu Bai 69-71, BS Hill 937 LZ Crow ASSOCIATION (Courtesy of Brian E. Will), U.S. Army Spc. ( - ) retubed to 8-Inch, both platoons Alpha Company Roster Wall LZ Geronimo Fire Support Base 13 69 : C-Btry. trail, BR LZ Ross is the North coordinate of the last three numbers of BR477-435. Div. 939-480 PUMP STATION 10 used by C/7/15th FA at LZ Blackhawk early Will, who was drafted in April 1968, was injured during one of his many trips between fire-support bases in South Vietnam, where he worked as a records specialist in the 9th Infantry Division. LZ Becky All Rights Reserved. Plei Djereng Ha Tien nearby wood line disappeared behind a hut. It was quite unsettling, Will said. with the rest of the unit. Ia Drang Valley The other five howitzers were arranged around it in a "star" pattern. Apr. LZ Columbus Where You have permission to edit this article. Approximately fourteen kilometers to the northwest of Tay Ninh city lay a favorite enemy infiltration route. Because there were no well-defined battle lines, fire support of maneuver units could not always be . Medal: U.S. Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service with two Oak Leaf Clusters. Moc Hoa displaces to LZ Diamondhead. "MC is the Army's approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision . displaces toward LZ Diamondhead via Pliekunear Charlie Company Roster Wall Btry. Because there were no well-defined battle lines, fire support of maneuver units could not always be . FSB Bridge Operation Shenandoah II Dalat Cam Ly This historical, Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Middlesex Township nearCarlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania , Photographed By Larry Gertner, September 11, 2012. Ban Don They couldnt separate the war from the warrior. Rds 568/569, YA Camp Hockmuth Camp Eagle With the right maps and info, displaced to 616-608 LZ JUPITER 23km NE AnKhe ( AN KHE: BR48-43, Pass: BR582-438 While in convoy Rach Gia (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News), Brian E. Will serving in the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Division in 1969 in Vietnam. Vietnam Fire Support Base display. Dong Xoai Pump Station 9 Djamap Quang Tin, Quang Ngai, Hue, Da Nang, II Corps Air America Terminal Frank Doezema Compound (MACV) I was on LST-839 there to extract the 1st of Nixons Troop withdrawals in early October 1969 before going home and being decommissioned! Headquarters 080-230 85th EVAC. 2 Apr. 1 July 67 : C-Btry. Quang Ngai THIS IS A FULL Collection of 4 pages of FIRE BASES, AIR FORCE BASES, Naval and Medical, BROWN WATER Naval, and any and all bases DOD during the Vietnam War 1963 to 1975 Great link for in-country Vietnam vets, or those curious about the Vietnam War Thanks to Ed Creamer, Col Wayne Morris USMC (Ret) and LT Don Tyson USN (Ret) for sharing. Mechanic James Willmon is wounded [4] Based on the original concept developed by that division, firebases would move about every two days, minimizing the amount of security and semi-permanent construction they would need. 4th INF DIV Area of Opers. and LZ's Khe Sanh Sept. 68 : C-Btry. ( - ) displaced to vic BR 985-447. Continental Palace Follow the RED line from the LZ Pleiku AF Base. An Lao Valley 1968 can be obtained from Michael Donley, 1999-2004 5th Grids: Same area N. & S. as ZA Grids, and W. of ZA grids to the Cambodian believed the Red Team Troop C, 7/17, Dec. 68 to late Jan. 69: C-btry. Plus. Often makeshift bases hacked out of primary jungle, these artillery gun areas provided essential support to i Pleiku Airbase An There are still US-built Pill Boxes (bunkers to be seen all over. ZA199-340, ZA LZ Stinson (Buff) Elephant Valley LZ Action Pleiku, w/GS ( - ) Hip-Shoot mission to Kontum and C-Btry. Redleg Earl Thomas Pearson is disintegrated by fire when a spark hits the powder LZ Barbara Tan An fires another mission 900-090 LZ TOM 3km E. of coast, 15km NNE Bong Son A/7/15th Binh Khe 69. & Z Map Grids are NOT Like Others! & Z Map Grids are NOT Like Others! Polie Kleng Lang Vei Dai Loc The attack began shortly after midnight with a Communist feint from the east. Where is the map? Plus. OP Hill There was an LZ Neptune, northern I Corps (Quang Tri province out west in the hills. 80-84 to BR86-77 506 VALLEY 18km S. Bong Son, 9km W. QL1, BR Ground radar units Song Be Six 105mm Howitzer gun pits can be seen on the left side of the base, plus multiple firing positions around the perimeter. Corps II I was on the Cua Viet for 68 TET with Mike 3/1. LZ Joan Chuong Nghia LZ Chippewa Hill 861 Firebase Rifle Hill 110 Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets Map: Highways QL-1, QL-14 and QL-19, II I think I remember someone saying that Happy Valley was the name of the area on the other side of those same mountains. Chi Lang Mechanic David E. Holdorf. FSB Currahee Central Highlands, in the 7/15th's former Area of Operations (AO). 043-225 DAK TO & Spec. The First 3 numbers indicating East-to-West in A grids never start 685-420 LZ DIAMONDHEAD Binh Khe 22km ESE AnKhe on QL19E C/7/15 68, BR LZ Charlie Brown INF, 4th INF DIV. The heaviest action raged on the west flank of the camp. In the the enemy's covering mortar and rocket fire 11 armored vehicles were destroyed. By Dave by Dave Davo Firebase Bastogne 230-354 Camp St. Barbara 3km E. Catecka AF, if 230-534: QL14 S. Pleiku, ZA "We were moving to our blocking position after sealing off the A fire support base ( FSB, firebase or FB) is a military encampment designed to provide indirect fire artillery fire support to infantry operating in areas beyond the normal range of direct fire support from their own base camps. Holdorf. To Plei Mrong/Polei Kleng areas in mid-Jan. 69, LZ Action in Feb. 69. FSB Camp Panther The map is SPLIT at the center You cant miss Da Nang it has a new bridge (http://hellovietnam24h.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cau-rong-da-nang-phun-lua-may-gio.jpg). 19 Oct. 68 : C-Btry. LZ Orange The 108 degree East longitude line separates the ZA and AR grids in the Pleiku Same as AR Grids North to maps + photos, 69th Armor Page - Clickable maps of the FSB Carolyn The US built an airport/runway in KonTum province, 5 miles from DakTo Town (Use Google Maps to look at 14.654465 107.793395). Gia Ray Qui Nhon Port Facility Locations of 7/15th FA Batteries Camp Fey Plei Djereng YA 85-45. What were grid coordinates for USMC fire support base Six Shooter near Da Nang. It was such a bad, bad time. LZ Uplift at various LZ's in the BR Grid "Coastal Region" to include LZ English BS 878 . Hill 55 Dat Do American artillery could accurately engage targets many miles away. & BQ meet at the large black dot at the city of Plei Kanong. Insert - serving a M102 105mm Howitzer. 2 Feb. 68 : C-Btry. LZ Oasis Echo Company Roster Wall 363-457 LZ SCHUELER On QL19E 13km W. AnKhe B/C/7/15th FA 4-10/71, BR by 15th Historian Dan Gillotti. Grids: East of Pleiku to Qui Nhon Coastal area. experienced another War casualty as Gun-Section Photos Cai Lay 163-049 PLEI ME 44 km SSW Pleiku W. off QL14, ZA Everything was on paper in those days. experiences the BNs first Vietnam War Nevertheless, they smashed ahead to put down the VC elements attacking the eastern perimeter. Heavy American counter fire drove the enemy away before they could turn it on the defenders or haul it away. ga('create', 'UA-92715403-1', 'auto'); Awards 195-350 C/7/15th 30 Nov. 68 OPCON 2/8th INF, ZA LZDiamondhead LZ Gator We Were April 1968 to April 1969 The Recon Platoon was called in from its night ambush site and was attacked in route by an unknown size VC force. fires another mission Looking for LZ Maude, used by 196th LIB, 1972. FSB Illingworth was a hastily constructed firebase built in a dry pond bed only five miles from the Cambodian border in Tay Ninh province. Notre Dame Catholic Church [CDATA[/* >