Con Thien

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Con Thien was a United States combat base in South Vietnam at 16°54′35″N, 106°58′48″E (MGRS 48QYD113703). It was located along the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone about 3 km from the North Vietnam border and was the site of fierce fighting during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was featured on the front page of the October 6, 1967 issue of Time Magazine that was instrumental in bringing the reality of Vietnamese combat to American readers.^[1]

[edit] Life by the DMZ

Con Thien "Our Turn in the Barrel", and "the Meat Grinder" were names given to the fire base just below the Demilitarized zone. The base was under serious attack in September 1967 when the North Vietnamese Army mortared the base and surrounding areas.

The fire base Con Thien “Hill of Angels” had been under pressure since the spring of 1967 but it was not until September 1967 that the North Vietnamese Army started their major assault. 152 millimeter howitzers, 120 millimeter and 82 millimeter mortars and 122 millimeter rockets relentlessly attacked the Marines that guarded Con Thien daily.^[2] During the climax of the attack (September 19th-27th 1967) over three thousand rounds of artillery pounded the fire base almost wiping it clear off the map. On September 25th a reported 1200 rounds pounded the hill sides of the 158 meters mound of red dirt.^[2]

Some enemy bunkers were as close as 1500m to Con Thien. Eliminating those bunkers could mean either life or death. One marine recounts enemy soldiers dressed as Marines. The platoon sergeant told his platoon not to shoot because they were Americans. He looked through his field glasses and saw that they were North Vietnamese Army with black sneakers on. The North Vietnamese army killed several Marines before the platoon sergeant made his observation. They called in an air strike and napalm which devoured the trees and the enemy base.

The Marine Corps rotated battalions in and out of Con Thien every thirty days.^[2] During these thirty days the Marines would guard the fire base. Several other battalions would destroy bunker complexes. At many occasions the Marines would get ambushed and then pinned down with mortars.

The fire base Con Thien played a big part in the history of the Vietnam War. The fire base was in the news during the time it was under attack. TIME reporters wrote stories about the horrors they saw there. Many platoons went there with a group of men and returned with only half of the original group. The constant pounding made the Marines angry and the lack of food left them famished. When the mortars hit the hill side shrapnel sprayed the hill and surrounding areas. The constant threat of North Vietnamese Army increased the paranoia while the emotions of killing men were wearing away at the Marines mentally. It was also cold at Con Thien during the monsoon season.