Vinh Long Airfield
| Vĩnh Long Airfield | |
|---|---|
 25 September 1967 | |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 10°15′04″N 105°56′49″E / 10.251°N 105.947°E |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1963 |
| In use | 1963-75 |
| Battles/wars |  Vietnam War |
Vĩnh Long Airfield | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 10 ft / 3 m | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Vĩnh Long Airfield (also known as Vĩnh Long Army Airfield, Gauvin-Upton Airfield or Shannon-Wright Compound) is a former United States Army base west of Vĩnh Long in Vĩnh Long Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
History
The base was originally established in 1963 approximately 3 km west of Vĩnh Long and 48 km southwest of Mỹ Tho. The base was named after Captain Roger Gauvin and SP5 Carleton Upton of the 114th Aviation Company who were killed in action on 15 March 1964.[1]
The base was attacked by Vietcong forces as part of the Tet Offensive on 31 January 1968 resulting in seven U.S. killed and three Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters destroyed. In 1970 the Airfield was attacked on May 5th receiving 45 rounds of incoming mortar fire causing heavy damage to helicopters and buildings. Spec 4 Dennis Michael Sheppard was wounded when his bunker took a direct hit. The mortar attack was followed up with a ground assault eventually the enemy withdrew.
The 2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division comprising:
was based here from April–May 1968.
Other units stationed at Vĩnh Long at various times included:
- 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (June 1968-April 1972)[2]: 125
- 62nd Aviation Company (October–December 1964)[2]: 121
- 114th Assault Helicopter Company (May 1963-February 1972)[2]: 121
- 175th Assault Helicopter Company (September 1966-February 1972)[2]: 122
- 199th Assault Helicopter Company (July 1967-October 1970)[2]: 122
- 292nd Finance Section (1967-October 1972)[2]: 122
- 502nd Aviation Battalion (December 1964-September 1966)[2]: 123
- HA(L)-3 Detachment 3 (January 1968)[3]
- 28th and 96th Avionics Signal Detachment[4]
- A Company, 501st Aviation Battalion arrived during December 1964[5]
Current use
The base was renovated into many civil facilities and the runway has become Võ Văn Kiệt street
Accidents and incidents
- On 18 December 1970 two OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopters collided shortly after takeoff and crashed destroying both and killing all four crewmen[6]
References
- ^ Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. p. 539. ISBN 978-1555716257.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Stanton, Shelby (2003). Vietnam Order of Battle. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811700719.
- ^ Sherwood, John (2015). War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy and Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam 1965-8. Naval History and Heritage Command. p. 302. ISBN 9780945274773.
- ^ "96th and 28th Avionics Signal Detachment Vinh Long Vietnam". testequipland.com. May 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- ^ Dunstan, S (1988). Vietnam Choppers. Osprey Publishing Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 0-85045-572-3.
- ^ "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary December 1970" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. p. 14. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.