From the S&S archives: Tiny base at Vinh Long has a deadly sting

Tiny Vinh Long airfield in the heart of the Mekong Delta Region is the jumping off place for U.S. and Vietnamese troops who pounce on the Viet Cong in their jungle hideaways.

It's the home of the U.S. Army's 502d Aviation Bn., and the 114th Aviation Bn.

Choppers fan out from Vinh Long daily to take supplies and personnel to U.S. and Vietnamese outposts or fly combat troops into battle with VC guerrillas.

The choppers are shot at often. Patching up bullet holes in the wingless birds is a common sight at Vinh Long.

Some of the helicopters taking off with supplies for outlying Special Forces camps are so heavily loaded they must taxi down the Vinh Long runway to get airborne.



A crewman mans a machine gun as a helicopter circles the Special Forces camp at Cai Cai in the Delta area.


Vietnamese troops jump from Vinh Long-based helicopters and race across rice paddies.


Vietnamese troops, held in reserve, wait near helicopters at Vinh Long for a call that would send them into battle.


MP Steve Bennet patrols Vinh Long with his sentry dog.


British radio technician Ron Barnard checks a copter's navigation system.


Warrant Officer Tom Allen soaks up some sun in a marshy pond near the Vinh Long flight line.