Ringed by Fire

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O knihe:
For many of the Marine Corps replacements in 1968, the first sight of Khe Sanh Combat Base during the siege came from the porthole of a transport helicopter flying several thousand feet above the plateau.* The base was clearly visible, set against a backdrop of red clay soil, the distinctive earth color of the plateau, and the deep green jungle surrounding the perimeter wire. Flights into Khe Sanh took on an added dimension during the siege. Similar to a thrill ride at a theme park, the aircraft were forced to execute violent maneuvers to avoid North Vietnamese antiaircraft fire, particularly the 12.7mm *Some of the content in the following work was originally published in 1997 by Jack Shulimson, LtCol Leonard A. Blasiol (USMC), Charles R. Smith, and Capt David A. Dawson (USMC) in U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Defining Year, 1968. machine guns emplaced near the runways. Typically, the helicopter approached the base at an altitude above 3,000 feet before executing a quick dive to the runway—leaving passengers with their stomachs in their mouths and that “controlled crash” look on their faces.As soon as the wheels touched down, the replacements scrambled out of the helicopter and sprinted to the trenches and bunkers that lined the perimeter of the runway. The North Vietnamese regularly shelled the incoming aircraft with artillery and mortar fire from positions located in the Co Roc Mountains of Laos and from hidden positions surrounding the base. Captain Steve Dickey, a pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 (HMM-262) recalled, “We had just landed . . . when enemy rockets and mortar rounds started falling all around us. We all managed to squeeze into a drainage pipe just along the strip. We stayed there for the next 45 minutes while the enemy fired rounds into the zone.” Sergeant T. M. Kane described his arrival, “We got off the plane and [some] guy says ‘Run!’ ‘Run!’ Well, I ran! And they [the shells] were hitting all around us.” A hand-painted sign on the control tower proclaimed, “Welcome to Khe Sanh.” 6€