Vandegrift Combat Base

Vandegrift Combat Base (also known as FSB Vandegrift and LZ Stud) is a former U.S. Army and Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base north of Ca Lu in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam.

Vandegrift Combat Base
April 4, 1968 1st Cavalry forces at LZ Stud
Coordinates	16.7°N 106.88°E / 16.7; 106.88 (Vandegrift Combat Base)
Type	Army/Marines
Site information
Condition	abandoned
Site history
Built	1968
In use	1968-71
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Garrison information
Occupants	1st Cavalry Division 9th Marines ARVN 2nd Division

History

1968

LZ Stud was originally established by the 1st Cavalry Division on Route 9 in early 1968 to support Operation Pegasus, the relief of Khe Sanh.[1] On 14 March engineer construction began on a 150 feet (46 m) x 2,500 feet (760 m) airstrip and a logistical complex at LZ Stud.[2]^:11 On 24 March the quartering party moved to LZ Stud and began work on command and communications bunkers. By 29 March the strip was opened for C-7 Caribou aircraft. On 30 March the 11th Aviation Group moved to LZ Stud.[2]^:6

The base was later occupied by the 9th Marine Regiment, part of the 3rd Marine Division who renamed it Vandegrift Combat Base after Marine General Alexander Vandegrift.[1][3]

1969

From January–March 1969 Vandegrift was used to support Operation Dewey Canyon an offensive into the A Shau Valley south of the base.

On 9 April 1969 a Marine Sikorsky CH-53A Sea Stallion helicopter (BuNo 153738) of HMH-462 crashed into the logistics support area at Vandegrift triggering a large fire.[4]

Destruction of Vandegrift Combat Base, 26 September 1969

In October 1969 the base was handed over to the ARVN 2nd Division who dismantled it and used it to reinforce Camp Carroll.[1]

1971

In late January 1971 the base was reoccupied by the 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division in support of Operation Dewey Canyon II and Operation Lam Son 719.[3] During the same period, the base was also occupied by the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 23rd Infantry Division in support of Operation Dewey Canyon II.

On 21 March PAVN sappers attacked the base destroying 10,000 gallons of aviation fuel.[5]^:117

Current use

The base is abandoned and turned over to farmland.

References

1. Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. pp. 5–533. ISBN 978-1555716257.
2. "Operational Report Lessons Learned Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), Period ending 30 April 1968" (PDF). Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). 13 June 1968. Retrieved 8 June 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
3. Stanton, Shelby (2003). Vietnam Order of Battle. Stackpole Books. p. 77. ISBN 9780811700719.
4. "MAG-36 Command Chronology, April 1969" (PDF). U.S. Marine Corps. p. 4. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
5. Nguyen, Duy Hinh (1979). Operation Lam Sơn 719. United States Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-1984054463. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.