Landing Zone Hereford
| Landing Zone Hereford | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 14°07′47″N 108°49′52″E / 14.1297°N 108.831°E |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1966 |
| In use | 1966 |
| Battles/wars |
 Vietnam War |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | 1st Cavalry Division |
Landing Zone Hereford was a U.S. Army base located northeast of Vĩnh Thạnh District, Bình Định in central Vietnam.
History
Hereford was established by the 1st Cavalry Division on 21 May 1966 during Operation Crazy Horse and was located approximately 6m northeast of Vĩnh Thạnh and 26 km northeast of An Khê[1]
On 22 May the under-strength mortar platoon of Company C 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry was left on Hereford while the Company's rifle platoons searched the valley below. The mortar platoon was hit by People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) mortars and then overrun by PAVN who killed 15 out of 21 men in the platoon within 35 minutes, withdrawing as the rifle platoons rushed back to Hereford.[2] Also killed at Hereford was Look Magazine correspondent Sam Castan.[3]
Current use
The base is abandoned and has returned to jungle.
References
- ↑ Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. pp. 5–219. ISBN 978-1555716257.
- ↑ Carland, John (2000). Combat Operations: Stemming the Tide, May 1965 to October 1966. Government Printing Office. p. 226. ISBN 9780160501975.
- ↑ Laurence, John (2008). The Cat from Hue. Public Affairs. ISBN 9780786724680.
External links
- http://www.historynet.com/last-stand-at-lz-hereford.htm Account of the events at Hereford on 22 May 1966
- http://thetrad.blogspot.ae/2011/05/sam-castan-12-may-1935-21-may-1966.html Photos taken by Sam Castan during Operation Crazy Horse