KHE SANH

Artillery fire on this date in 1968 began the battle of Khe Sanh (kay sawn') in the Vietnam Conflict.  The battle technically lasted until July of that year and was a significant point early in the struggle.  I had left the war zone the previous August.

Khe Sanh was a remote base camp in the northwest of South Vietnam near the border with Laos.  At the time, it was manned by U.S. Marines and members of the South Vietnamese Army.  The purpose of the base was as a launching point for troops to investigate and interdict the North from using the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" which was nearby.  The North used this route through Laos to resupply and reinforce their troops in the south.

The initial shelling of the base by the North Vietnamese continued for 77 straight days.  The base was completely isolated and had to be resupplied by air.  All casualties had to be taken out by air medevac.  It took up to 185 tons per day of materials to keep the base going during the battle. In March, an Army Air Calvary unit and more Marine units were able to reinforce the base.  Operational control of the base was then turned over to the U.S. Army.  The U.S. Air Force bombed and strafed enemy positions daily flying almost 10,000 tactical sorties during the battle.

The man in charge of the war at the time was General William Westmoreland.  It was his decision to fight to hold the base camp at all costs.  Some Marine Generals and others in the Pentagon thought it was a waste of manpower, time and energy and that we were weakened because of it in the rest of the country. 

Two weeks into the battle, the North began their Tet Offensive by attacking many big cities in the South.  We had been distracted by placing so much emphasis on one remote base, at Khe Sanh.  General Westmoreland was relieved of his duty as Commander in June and his replacement quickly ordered our troops out and the destruction of the base for which we fought so dearly.

Total casualties (U.S. and South Vietnamese):  1,542 killed -  5,675 wounded - 7 missing

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