Special Forces Camps in Vietnam 1961–70

from the Introduction

The camps were located in some of the most remote areas of South Vietnam and on widely varied terrain. Cut off from civilization, they were more akin to Old West frontier army posts within Indian Territory and surrounded by hostile and capable foes. Many were beyond friendly artillery range and very much on their own. As the capabilities of the VC increased, the war escalated, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars moved south, and the camps evolved too.

Camp defenses were improved and hardened to resist large-scale and increasingly aggressive attacks. In 1966 ""fighting camps"" were developed. All new camps were built under this concept and existing camps were upgraded. If they were too small or had deteriorated from use over a long period of time, they were relocated and new camps built. The fighting camps had increased defenses and an inner perimeter capable of holding out even if the outer perimeter had been penetrated. In the flood-prone Mekong Delta ""floating camps"" were constructed. Team houses, barracks, supply rooms, ammunition bunkers, and other support facilities were built on floating platforms designed to rise with the floodwaters. Another type was the ""subsurface camp,"" built in some areas adjacent to the border camps that received heavy and frequent shelling. In these locations it made sense that all facilities and quarters were completely buried.