SPECOPS Tms/Camps vic Rach Gia, Vietnam, Sep 64

Got this RFI today via the day job and would appreciate any info that might answer the question - thanks in advance - Dave D.

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Subject: Spec. Forces teams/camps near Rach Gia Vietnam in Sept. 1964

Hello,

I am doing some research for my grandfather, a Vietnam Airforce Veteran, to try to locate the name/location of a special forces fort near Rach Gia he helped defend in September 1964. He flew a A-1E Skyraider during this mission to provide air support responding to a call from a special forces fort under attack. He was stationed at Bien Hoa airforce base. Do you know any info that would help me? Do you know the names of any special forces camps/teams that would have been located near Rach Gia in September 1964? Or know of any person I could contact? Any help or info that would point me in the right direction would be much appreciated.

Here is the info he told to me:

On Sept. 12, 1964 he responded to a distress call from a special forces fort near Rach Gia. The base had 14 Americans and he believes 30-40 Vietnamese. They were under attack from enemy forces, which were scaling the wall and starting to enter the fort. My grandfather responded to the call and arrived about 2:00 a.m. and dropped bombs on the fort to stop the attack. His plane was damaged and he returned to Bien Hoa shortly before day break to crash land. He said the fort commander called his superior by the time he returned and informed them that my grandfather had stopped the attack. My grandfather was awarded a silver star in 1964 for this mission.

I am trying to locate the exact location of this special forces fort and, hopefully at some point, the names of the Americans inside the fort.


Thank you for any help you can give me!
Gabrielle

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He might want to start with Shelby Stanton's Vietnam Order of Battle and Green Berets at War, since both contain lists of SF camps in SVN and go back to the early days of involvement. Stanton draws heavily from official AARs and the like, so Green Berets at War in particular might provide some names.

I've got both of these, but am at the day job and won't be able to reference them until tonight.

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Originally Posted by Steve Blair

He might want to start with Shelby Stanton's Vietnam Order of Battle and Green Berets at War, since both contain lists of SF camps in SVN and go back to the early days of involvement. Stanton draws heavily from official AARs and the like, so Green Berets at War in particular might provide some names.

I've got both of these, but am at the day job and won't be able to reference them until tonight.

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Thanks Steve, anything anyone could find would be most appreciated!

I would go here and then click on Key Personnel and try and contact them. There are enough folks there to either find what you are looking for or can connect you to someone who can.

http://www.jfkwebstore.com/index.php

Appendix C of the DA pub "Vietnam Studies: US Army Special Forces, 1961-1971" has a fairly comprehensive listing of SF camps.

Rạch Giá is in Kiên Giang province, and the only camp listed in that province for '64 is at Hà Tiên (its actually listed as Ha Thien but that appears to be a typo). The entry doesn't list the team or the closure date, only that it opened in Feb '63, and that a new Hà Tiên camp opened in Apr '65 with Det A-421.

I looked at that, too, Jed. Stanton has a slightly longer list in the Order of Battle if I remember correctly. I'll check tonight and see if there's anything there. Rach Gai comes up on the western coast in the old IV CTZ. Could it have been advisors and not SF?

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Originally Posted by Steve Blair

I looked at that, too, Jed. Stanton has a slightly longer list in the Order of Battle if I remember correctly. I'll check tonight and see if there's anything there. Rach Gai comes up on the western coast in the old IV CTZ. Could it have been advisors and not SF?

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The description sounds like SF. Also, the situation kind'a makes sense - if it was overran and barely saved by air support in Sep '64, opening up a new camp at a different location in the same general area in Apr '65 works along the lines of the recovery, move, construction and remanning timeframe.

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Originally Posted by Jedburgh

The description sounds like SF. Also, the situation kind'a makes sense - if it was overran and barely saved by air support in Sep '64, opening up a new camp at a different location in the same general area in Apr '65 works along the lines of the recovery, move, construction and remanning timeframe.

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Very true. Just kicking out options in case it isn't listed on the SF stuff.

I have an Air Force contact who might be able to help. I'll have him respond to wski@usit.net if he has any information.

If you are a member there you can also try PS.com. There is a lot of information to be found there and you might even find somebody who was there.

SFC W