Vietnam War Firebases

I was recently startled by a young man referring to the Vietnam War - my war - as ancient history.  Then I realized I was there 40 years ago!   I was a writer/photographer for the public information offfice of the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam from August, 1970 to August, 1971.   I spent much of my workday on the firebases in the War Zone D area near Saigon.  I would catch a helicopter from Bien Hoa Army Base and fly out to firebases several times a week.  I would gather stories for several hours, then sit for hours, and finally catch a return chopper in the afternoon.   I now hear about the action of wars but not so much about the inaction, the endless waiting.    To stay occupied  - occasional coming up with pictures our division newspaper could use -  I would record whatever was happening with my camera.   Firebases were the hubs of what was going on;  where infantry units working the jungles were resupplied, howitzer implacements dug in, control center bunkers built, and many services given.

This is what a firebase looked like.  This particular day an army rock band put on a show.

Firebases were a temporary construct and frequently moved dependent on the tactical situation of the war.  This is Fire Support Base Ares being built in early 1971.  The pieces of bowed corrugated metal were fitted together with sandbags on top of them  for sleeping quarters.  I had the misfortune of being stuck on a firebase one night and sleeping in one of these "bedrooms".  It was so muggy that I question whether I slept at all.  You can see the mud, a major problem during the monsoon season.

Tiny Bulldozers were flown in, slung under a giant helicopter, to construction the command bunker.  Because there was limits on what could be flown in, trees were cut and back-breaking labor necessary.

Howitzers like this one supplied the fire of firebases.  Frequently these guns fired rounds far out into the jungle, making a dreadful noise.

Helicopters landed on the outside of the firebases,  raising clouds of dust.

This experience has to rank as the oddest and most alien of my life.    I would expect - particularly those who lived on firebases - would agree.    It was legitimate history but not much fun.