Dateline: Viet Nam by Robert Vaughan

Author:Robert Vaughan [Vaughan, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781647341114
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Published: 2020-09-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter One

Viet Cong Attack Long Binh

by Ernie Chapel

LONG BINH, South Vietnam, NOV. 7, 1967 — Viet Cong guerrillas staged mortar and sapper attacks last night against United States soldiers at the sprawling military base at Long Binh.

Two Americans were killed and eleven were wounded in the shellings, a headquarters spokesman said. The attack was aimed at the 90th Replacement Depot and at those soldiers who had either just arrived or were just leaving Vietnam.

The United States headquarters official said over 150 rounds of enemy mortar fire struck the base while at least two dozen sappers attempted to sneak on to the base to plant explosives. More than a dozen of the sappers were killed. Estimates are that another dozen VC were killed by “Puff the Magic Dragon” in defense of the base. “Puff the Magic Dragon” is a C-130 cargo plane, armed along one side with a row of miniguns. These guns, with rotating barrels similar to the old “Gatling” guns of the Civil War era, are capable of firing 550 rounds per minute. Ten such guns are located throughout the ship, firing through the windows at the ground below. A gunner tends to the guns, while the airplane orbits just out of range of ground fire. It is said that one of these planes can put a bullet in every square foot of a football field during just one minute of firing.

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