Vĩnh Long Airfield (also known as Vĩnh Long Army Airfield, Gauvin-Upton Airfield or Shannon-Wright Compound) is a former United States Army base west of
Vĩnh Long
Vĩnh Long () is a city and the capital of Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Vĩnh Long covers and has a population of 147,039 (as of 2009). The name was spelled 永 隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the former Hán Nôm writing syst ...
in
Vĩnh Long Province,
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...
,
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 originally established in 1963 approximately 3 km west of Vĩnh Long and 48 km southwest of
Mỹ Tho
Mỹ Tho () is a city in the Tiền Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 169,000 in 2006 and 220,000 in 2012. It is the regional center of economics, education and technology. The majorit ...
. The base was named after Captain Roger Gauvin and SP5 Carleton Upton of the
114th Aviation Company who were killed in action on 15 March 1964.
The base was attacked by
Vietcong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
forces as part of the
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...
on 31 January 1968 resulting in 7 U.S. killed and 3
Bell UH-1 Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...
helicopters destroyed.
The
2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division comprising:
*
3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry[
* 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry][
was based here from April–May 1968.
Other units stationed at Vĩnh Long at various times included:
* 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (June 1968-April 1972)][
* 114th Assault Helicopter Company (May 1963-February 1972)][
* 175th Assault Helicopter Company (September 1966-February 1972)][
*]199th Assault Helicopter Company This is a List of aviation companies of the United States Army from the United States Army Aviation Branch.
Numbered companies
Non-numbered companies
References Citations
Bibliography
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*
*
*
*{{cite book , last1=Zahn, ...
(July 1967-October 1970)[
* 502nd Aviation Battalion (December 1964-September 1966)][
* HA(L)-3 Detachment 3 (January 1968)
*28th and 96th Avionics Signal Detachment
* ]A Company, 501st Aviation Battalion
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
arrived during December 1964
Current use
The base is abandoned but still clearly visible on satellite images.
Accidents and incidents
*On 18 December 1970 two OH-6 Cayuse
The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter that was designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people while its "Loach" nickname comes from the acronym f ...
light observation helicopters collided shortly after takeoff and crashed destroying both and killing all four crewmen
References
External links
Modern photos and video of the area
Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam
Defunct airports in Vietnam
Buildings and structures in Vĩnh Long province
{{Vietnam-war-stub