Landing Zone Sierra 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 Mutter's Ridge was the name given by U.S. Marines to the Núi Cây Tre ("Bamboo Mountain") ridge, in Quảng Trị Province. The ridge was formed by Hills 461, 484 and 400 and overlooked the southern edge of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DM ...

north of

The Rockpile The Rockpile (also known as Elliot Combat Base) and known in Vietnamese as Thon Khe Tri, is a solitary karst rock outcropping north of Route 9 and south of the former Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Its relatively inaccessible location, re ...

, approximately 16 km northwest of Cam Lo. On 15 November 1968, a

1st Battalion 3rd Marines 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines (1/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Nicknamed the "Lava Dogs", the battalion consists of approximately 800 Marines and sailors and falls under the comm ...

patrol near Sierra was ambushed by a People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) force resulting in 7 Marines killed. On 2 March 1969 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 ...

began Operation Purple Martin north of the Rockpile to engage the PAVN 246th Regiment which was believed to be located in the area. After retaking

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 ...

, on 13 March the Marines moved along the ridgeline to retake Landing Zone Sierra which had been abandoned two months earlier and was now used by the PAVN to mortar Marines positions. Company I led the attack on Sierra and found that the PAVN were dug in, in well-prepared bunkers, the LZ was secured by the afternoon for the loss of 10 Marines and 23 PAVN killed. On 14 March the PAVN shot down a CH-46D BuNo 154841 of HMM-161 with a B-40 rocket as it conducted a resupply and medevac mission, killing 12 Marines and one Navy corpsman and the PAVN then launched a counterattack on the LZ which was beaten back. On 10 August 1969 the PAVN 9th Regiment attacked a 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines night defensive position near LZ Sierra resulting in 13 Marines and an estimated 17 PAVN killed.

Current use

The base has reverted to jungle.

References

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