Cai Cai Camp

10°55′33″N 105°30′36″E / 10.9258°N 105.51°E / 10.9258; 105.51TypeArmy BaseSite informationOperatorArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
United States Army (U.S. Army)ConditionAbandonedSite historyBuilt1965 (1965)In use1965-1973 (1973)Battles/wars
Vietnam WarGarrison informationGarrison5th Special Forces GroupAirfield informationElevation7 feet (2 m) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00 1,500 feet (457 m) Clay

Cai Cai Camp (also known as Cai Cai Special Forces Camp or Dan Chu Camp) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base northwest of Bình Thạnh Đông on the Plain of Reeds in southern Vietnam.

History

The base was established by the 5th Special Forces Group Detachment A-412 in April 1965 30 km northwest of Bình Thạnh Đông and 3 km from the Cambodian border.[1]

The camp was frequently a target for Vietcong fire and was severely damaged by flooding in 1965 and 1966. In 1967 Detachment A-412 was redesignated as Detachment A-431.[2]

On 18 January 1968 forces from Detachment A-431 engaged a Vietcong force near the camp and SGT Gordon Douglas Yntema would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

The base was handed over to the ARVN 76th Border Rangers in September 1970.

Current use

The base has been turned over to farmland and housing.

References

  1. ^ Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. p. 5-81. ISBN 978-1555716257.
  2. ^ Rottman, Gordon (2011). Special Forces Camps in Vietnam 1961-70. Osprey Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 9781780961408.
  • Video of Cai Cai Camp in 1966