Sông Bé Base Camp (also known as Sông Bé Airfield, Farley Field or Landing Zone Buttons) is a former U.S. Army and

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...

base southwest of

Phước Bình Phước Bình may refer to several places in Vietnam: *, a ward of District 9, Ho Chi Minh City District 9 () is a former urban district (''quận'') of Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam. As of 2010, the district had a population ...

in southern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

History

The base was originally established in April 1965 as a 5th Special Forces Detachment B-34 base and was located approximately 2 km southwest of Phước Bình in Phước Long Province. The Battle of Song Be was fought around the base in May 1965. On 10 April 1966 the

173rd Airborne Brigade The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic respo ...

moved to Sông Bé for Operation Denver and remained there until the end of April. The

199th Light Infantry Brigade The 199th Infantry Brigade (Light) is a unit of the United States Army which served in the Army Reserve from 1921 to 1940, in the active army from 1966 to 1970 (serving in the Vietnam War), briefly in 1991–1992 at Fort Lewis, and from 2007 as ...

was based at Sông Bé from December 1966 to February 1967. The 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division comprising: * 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment *

1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment The 26th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. Its nickname is "Blue Spaders", taken from German soldiers in World War I who saw the spade-like device on the regiment's distinctive unit insignia and called the s ...

* 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment was based at Sông Bé from May until June 1969. The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division was based at Sông Bé in January 1968. In August 1969 Headquarters,

2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division (the "Black Jack Brigade") is a cavalry military unit, unit of the United States Army based in Fort Cavazos, Texas. Current Units * Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT) 2nd Brigade Combat ...

comprising: * 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry * 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry * 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry moved to Sông Bé and would stay here until March 1971. Other units stationed at Sông Bé included: * 2nd Battalion, 19th Artillery (1970) * 2nd Battalion, 40th Artillery (1968) * 1st Battalion, 77th Artillery * 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry ** Alpha Troop

Accidents and incidents

* 18 December 1974

Republic of Vietnam Air Force The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; ; ) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF), was the aerial branch of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, the official military of the Repub ...

Lockheed C-130A Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

#56-0521 was destroyed on the ground * 25 December 1974 Republic of Vietnam Air Force C-130A #55-0016 was shot down while landing

Current use

The base is abandoned and turned over to housing but the former airfield is still clearly visible on satellite images.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song Be Base Camp Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Buildings and structures in Bình Phước province