Landing Zone Hereford was a U.S. Army base located northeast of
Vĩnh Thạnh District, Bình Định in central Vietnam.
History
Hereford was established by the
1st Cavalry Division on 21 May 1966 during
Operation Crazy Horse
Operation Crazy Horse (16 May to 5 June 1966), named after Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, was a search and destroy mission during the Vietnam War conducted by military forces of the United States, South Vietnam, and South Korea in two valleys in B ...
and was located approximately 6m northeast of Vĩnh Thạnh and 26 km northeast of
An Khê
An Khê is a district-level town (''thị xã'') of Gia Lai province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.
As of 2003 the district had a population of 63,118. The district covers an area of 199 km². The district capital lies at A ...
On 22 May the under-strength mortar platoon of Company C
1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry was left on Hereford while the Company's rifle platoons searched the valley below. The mortar platoon was hit by
People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...
(PAVN) mortars and then overrun by PAVN who killed 15 out of 21 men in the platoon within 35 minutes, withdrawing as the rifle platoons rushed back to Hereford. Also killed at Hereford was
Look Magazine correspondent Sam Castan while leading three members of the mortar team to safety, an act of courage for which he was awarded an Army
Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...
posthumously by the commander of U.S. forces, General
William Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland (26 March 1914 – 18 July 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably the commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968.
He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army f ...
.
Current use
The base is abandoned and has returned to jungle.
References
External links
Photos taken by Sam Castan during Operation Crazy Horse
Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam
Buildings and structures in Bình Định province
1966 establishments in South Vietnam
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