Landing Zone Professional (also known as FSB Professional or Hill 185) is a former U.S. Army base northwest of
Chu Lai
Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thà nh District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Với Khu Kinh TẠ...
,
Quang Tin Province,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.
History
The base was established in 1968 by the
23rd Infantry Division and was located approximately 32 km northwest of Chu Lai and 16 km southwest of
Landing Zone East.
The base was occupied by elements of the
1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment and
1st Battalion, 14th Artillery when it was attacked by the
People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) V-16 Sapper Battalion on the early morning of 12 May 1969. Following the sapper attack the PAVN continued to mortar the base and set up heavy machine guns to prevent helicopter support. On 13 May the PAVN 3rd Regiment
2nd Division engaged Company A 1/46th Infantry near the base, the Company commander Captain
Kern W. Dunagan would be 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 valo ...
for his actions near the base from 12-14 May 1969. On 15 May elements of the
1st Brigade, 101st Airborne were deployed to the area near Professional to lift the siege.
CH-47B Chinook #67-18458 was hit by PAVN fire and crashed with no fatalities.
Other units based at Professional included:
*
1st Battalion, 52nd Infantry Regiment
References
External links
Photos and history of LZ Professional January-June 1969
Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam
Military installations closed in the 1970s
Buildings and structures in Quảng Nam province
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