FIREBASE BLAZE

AVietnam firebase was a bit like an updated 1870s western cavalry fort. Instead of log wall, the firebase of the 1960s and 1970s consisted of sandbagged and earthen walls topped with barbed wire and surrounded by mined perimeters. They dotted the landscape and provided a place with a level of security. Firebases were safe havens for troops to operate from and to return to; logistics points; helicopter landing zones (LZs); and fire support — usually in the form of light to heavy mortars and artillery.

Also known as fire support bases, firebases were established to support infantry operations that were sweeping the landscape of hostile forces and to hold geographic areas. Firebases were usually located 5 to 10 air miles apart to allow full artillery coverage for