In a current thread elsewhere on the CB about RMK-BRJ , I mention my tour as Post Engineer , Camp Radcliff , An Khe , Vietnam . Well , just for fun I just went on Google and put in "An Khe" ... and AMAZING all the stuff about it there. An Khe was originally a 1st Cav. base and the dudes lived in tents, but by the time they turned the base over to the 4th Infantry Div., and I arrived , RMK-BRJ had constructed barracks, mess halls , latrines , hangars etc. and, compared to tents, the "living was easy" . Camp Radcliff covered 5 square miles - a damn BIG military base , and the official Pentagon idea was it was to be a permanent US Army base in Vietnam .

Now , one might think a grateful Vietnamese Government/whatever would provide the necessary land for Camp Radcliff free of charge. But , no , all the land was privately owned and part of my job as Post Engineer was to see that Uncle Sam paid the rent ... yearly leases with checks sent to Vietnamese living in France. Also, all the numerous "Firebases" outside the camp were on leased land. I had a "Real Estate Specialist" troop who kept track of our real estate situations and obligations. This practice of us renting our battlefield from the host country has gone on for all the past wars I'm familiar with, and y'all can bet your boots Uncle Sam is sending regular rental checks to some Iraqi living on the Riveria for the ground under the "Green Zone" and all the other US Military facilities in Iraq.

Anyhow, here's some interesting Google links to An Khe ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9fGpPW8uLE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD81o3yYwV0

http://www.armyflightschool.org/vietnam/ankhe.htm

http://forums.ktla.com/eve/forums/a/...3/m/5061087255

BTW, I was present-and-accounted -for during the 17 helicopter sapper attack.