Firebase Argonne (also known as Hill 1308) was a U.S. Marine Corps

firebase Firebase is a set of hosting services for any type of application (Android, iOS, Javascript, Node.js, Java, Unity, PHP, C++ ...). It offers NoSQL and real-time hosting of databases, content, social authentication (Google, Facebook, Twitter an ...

located northwest of

Khe Sanh Khe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà. During the Vietnam War, the Khe Sanh Combat Base was located to the north of the city. The Battle of Khe San ...

, Quảng Trị Province in central Vietnam.

History

The base was built from 4–11 November 1968 by the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines approximately 10 km northwest of

and 2 km east of the Laotian border. The base provided excellent views of the

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...

(PAVN) transport network in Laos, but the Marines were unable to call fire missions due to U.S. Government policy. The base was abandoned by the Marines on 14 December 1968. PFC Robert H. Jenkins, Jr. part of a 12-man team from the

3rd Reconnaissance Battalion The 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion (3rd Recon) conducts amphibious and ground reconnaissance in support of the 3rd Marine Division and Marine Forces Pacific (MarForPac), operating in the commander's areas of influence. The Battalion is based o ...

would be posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions at Argonne on 5 March 1969. On 20 March 1969 as part of

Operation Purple Martin Operation Purple Martin was a US Marine Corps operation that took place in northwest Quảng Trị Province, lasting from 1 March – 2 May 1969. Background Since early February 1969, U.S. reconnaissance detected that 3 People's Army of Vietnam ...

the Marines moved to reoccupy Firebase Argonne. As the Army

UH-1E The Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter, first introduced in 1959, is the first production member of the prolific Huey family of helicopters, and was itself developed in over twenty variants, which are listed below. XH-40 and YH-40 The fir ...

helicopter (#68-15340) carrying team "Frostburg" from the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion approached the hill it was met with heavy fire killing the pilot and wounding the copilot, who crash-landed onto the hill. Shortly after crashing the PAVN assaulted the survivors but were repulsed and the team was extracted. Company D from the

1st Battalion 4th Marines 1st Battalion, 4th Marines (1/4) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. They fall under the command of the 1st M ...

was landed nearby and moved to secure Argonne fighting against PAVN entrenched in bunkers resulting in six U.S. and 15 PAVN killed. The following morning a PAVN mortar attack hit the Marine command post killing the Battalion commander LTC George Sargent and three other Marines, further mortar fire hit as the wounded were being evacuated resulting in a further three Marines killed. Company C was then ordered to move to Argonne while Company A swept west of the base to silence the PAVN mortars. On 28 March Company A seized Hill 1154 northwest of Argonne destroying the PAVN mortar positions. Operations around Argonne continued into April. The location of the fictional Firebase Matterhorn in Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War corresponds to Firebase Argonne, although the events described in the novel correspond to events at

Landing Zone Mack Landing Zone Mack (also known as Hill 484) was a U.S. Marine Corps base located northwest of Cam Lộ, Quảng Trị Province in central Vietnam. History The base was located on Mutter's Ridge north of The Rockpile, approximately 16 km nort ...

where the author

Karl Marlantes Karl Arthur Marlantes (born December 24, 1944) is an American author and Vietnam War veteran. He has written three books: '' Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War'' (2010), ''What it is Like to go to War'' (2011), and ''Deep River' ...

fought.

Current use

The base has reverted to jungle.

References

Military installations of the United States Marine Corps in South Vietnam Military installations closed in the 1970s Buildings and structures in Quảng Trị province {{Vietnam-war-stub