Song Mao Base Camp (also known as Firebase Song Mao) was a U.S. Army and

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April ...

(ARVN) base northeast of Phan Thiết in southeast Vietnam.

History

Song Mao was located north of

Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered ...

approximately 56 km northeast of Phan Thiết and 67 km southwest of Phan Rang.

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

Detachment A-113 was based here from October 1963. The 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry was based here in early December 1967 for Operation Klamath Falls and returned here again in May 1968. On 8 December 1968 a patrol of the 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry was ambushed near Song Mao. SGT

Ray McKibben Ray McKibben (October 27, 1945 – December 8, 1968) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War. Biography McKibben joined the Ar ...

would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. The 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry was based here from June 1969 until May 1970. The 3rd Battalion, 503rd Infantry was based here from July–August 1969 On 1 April 1970 three

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 ...

Battalions attacked the base which was occupied by the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry and the 44th ARVN Regiment, the attack was repulsed resulting in two U.S., two ARVN and 151 PAVN killed.

Current use

The base has been turned over to housing and farmland. The airfield is still clearly visible on satellite images.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Bình Thuận province Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam