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 ɨn˨˩˦:lawŋ˧˧is a city and the capital of Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Geography Vĩnh Long covers and has a population of 200,120 (as of 2018). The name was spelled 永隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the form ...

Vĩnh Long Province Vĩnh Long () is a province located in the Mekong Delta of southwestern Vietnam. Its capital is Vĩnh Long. Its population is 1,046,390 and its area is . Vĩnh Long (spelled 永隆 in the former Hán-Nôm writing system) is a Sino-Vietnamese na ...

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...

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 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 majori ...

. The base was named after Captain Roger Gauvin and SP5 Carleton Upton of the

114th Aviation 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 See also * List of United States Army aircraft battalions A list is a set of discre ...

who were killed in action on 15 March 1964. The base was attacked by

Vietcong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the Communism, communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vi ...

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. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...

on 31 January 1968 resulting in seven U.S. killed and three

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 hel ...

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) *

62nd Aviation 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 See also * List of United States Army aircraft battalions A list is a set of discre ...

(October–December 1964) *

114th 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 See also * List of United States Army aircraft battalions A list is a set of discre ...

(May 1963-February 1972) *

175th 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 See also * List of United States Army aircraft battalions A list is a set of discre ...

(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 See also * List of United States Army aircraft battalions A list is a set of discre ...

(July 1967-October 1970) *

502nd Aviation Battalion 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

(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 letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient G ...

arrived during December 1964

Current use

The base was renovated into many civil facilities and the runway has become Võ Văn Kiệt street

Accidents and incidents

*On 18 December 1970 two

OH-6 Cayuse The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people, while its "Loach" nickname is derived from Light Observatio ...

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