Eighth Aerial Port Squadron, USAF
 Mobility Operations
Vietnam, 1970
 Bu Gia Map, RVN - Now a nature preserve
8thMob@NoDeadlines.com

 
 
 
Bu Gia Map, Djamap, FSB Snuffy:

Bu Gia Map (aka Djamap) was an isolated airstrip along the Cambodian border. 

I first arrived there in April of 1970 and found what appeared at the time to be a pristine getaway from the war. Or, so I thought. By late spring, The First Cav had established a Firebase and transit point for troops and cargo crossing back and forth across the Cambodian border in May of 1970. The Cav name for Djamap was Fire Support Base (FSB) "Snuffy".

Caribou Pilot Ken Fillmore has a great aerial photograph of the airstrip at http://www.c-7acaribou.com/album/kfphotos/kf_19.htm

See Jim Hathcoat's site at http://www.c-7acaribou.com/album/jhphotos/jh_index.htm

Here's something interesting...

I was searching on "Bu Gia Map" - which was one of the "hot" firebases I spent time at on the Cambodian border in 1970...

Now, The area has been designated a Nature Preserve...
http://www.wing-wbsj.or.jp/~vietnam/source_book/sb_pdf/Bu_Gia_Map.pdf

Interesting note:

Under "Other Documented Values" for the site:

"Bu Gia Map is also a site of historical importance because it was a resistance base during the Second Indochina War..."

I'll say. Vietcong were all over the place. We lost 3 choppers there in one day. We even "captured" some Montagnards at Bu Gia Map.... Probably the first time that an Air Force team came back with "prisoners".

Actually, what happened was that one of our CCT (Combat Control Team) radio operators, out by himself on the edge of the runway, was approaced by a group of "jungle people" repeating "chieu hoi, chieu hoi", which literally means "open arms", but was the key phrase for "I'd like to come over to your side, guys..."

Dave said it scared the shit out of him and he just held his gun on them and indicated that they were to stay put "dung lai, dung lai" while he radioed the local camp for assistance. He was later quoted as saying "I didn't know what to do. They just came up out of the jungle saying "Chieu hoi, chieu hoi". It scared the shit out of me...
 

And now, this place is a nature preserve.....

well, perhaps that's a better use than jungle firebase, eh?
 


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