Con Thien was a United States combat base in South Vietnam at 16°54′35″N, 106°58′48″E (MGRS 48QYD113703). It was located along the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone about 3 km from the North Vietnam border and was the site of fierce fighting during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was featured on the front page of the October 6, 1967 issue of Time Magazine, an issue that was considered instrumental in bringing the grisly reality of combat to American readers. Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... The Military Grid Reference System is the geographic standard used by the United States Armed Forces and NATO for locating any point on the earth with a 2 to 10 character geocode. ... The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam as a result of the First Indochina War. ... The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN), or less commonly, Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cá»™ng Hòa), also known as North Vietnam, was proclaimed by Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, September 2nd1945 and was recognized by the Peoples Republic of China and the... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Life by the DMZ

Con Thien "Our Turn in the Barrel, and the Meat Grinder" were names given to the fire base just below the Demilitarized zone. The base was under serious attack in September 1967 when the North Vietnamese Army mortared the base and surrounding areas.

The fire base Con Thien “Hill of Angels” had been under pressure since the spring of 1967 but it was not until September 1967 that the North Vietnamese Army started their major assault. 152 millimeter howitzers, 120 millimeter and 82 millimeter mortars and 122 millimeter rockets relentlessly attacked the Marines that guarded Con Thien daily.^[1] During the climax of the attack (September 19th-27th 1967) over three thousand rounds of artillery pounded the fire base almost wiping it clear off the map. On September 25th a reported 1200 rounds pounded the hill sides of the 158 meters mound of red dirt.^[1] 40th anniversary of Vietnam Peoples Army, commemorated on 1984 Vietnam postage stamp block The Vietnam Peoples Army (VPA) is official name for the armed forces of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. ...

Some enemy bunkers were as close as 1500m to Con Thien and eliminating those bunkers could either mean life or death. One marine recounts enemy soldiers dressed as Marines. The platoon sergeant told his platoon not to shoot because they were Americans. He looked through his field glasses and saw that they were North Vietnamese Army with black sneakers on. The North Vietnamese army killed several Marines before the platoon sergeant made his observation. They called in an air strike and napalm which devoured the trees and the enemy base.

The Marine Corps rotated battalions in and out of Con Thien every thirty days. ^[1] During these thirty days the Marines would guard the fire base. Several other battalions would destroy bunker complexes. At many occasions the Marines would get ambushed and then pinned down with mortars.

The fire base Con Thien was a very big part of Vietnam history. The fire base was in the news during the time it was under attack. The TIME wrote stories about the horrors they saw there. Many platoons went there with a group of men and returned with only half of the original group. The constant pounding made the Marines angry and the lack of food left them famished. When the mortars hit the hill side shrapnel sprayed the hill and surrounding areas. The constant threat of North Vietnamese Army increased the paranoia while the emotions of killing men were wearing away at the Marines mentally. Time (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ...

Reference

1. ^ ^{a b c} Jack T. Hartzel, Con Thien http://www.vietvet.org/jhconthn.htm