Lang Vei Special Forces Camp
April 1968
By Billy Cabaniss, 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1/12th Cavalry
After patrolling south and west of Quang Tri for a few weeks, we moved to Landing Zone Stud, which was still being built. After a couple of nights there, we started toward the Lang Vei camp that was overrun about the middle of February.
I think we started on this patrol about the first week of
April, and we were to be the first ones there since it was overrun. We had some trouble
getting there, for we were dodging artillery fire from Laos. We came across an
NVA tank that had been destroyed not far from the camp and we encountered some
sniper fire in and around Lang Vei, but not much resistance. There were two camps
at Lang Vei, #1 and #2.
I didn't see this body, but it was said, a GI was still in
one of the jeeps there. We recovered a 106 recoilless rifle that was still
operational, because we fired it at some gooks. We also recovered a bulldozer.
This camp was blown all to hell, bomb craters every where, there was not a
fighting position that was still standing.
I don't remember how long we were there, but we took us a
good bath in a little creek between the two camps.
Not long after we left Lang Vei, Operation Pegasus ended,
and about a week later we made the air assault into Ashau Valley...
Webmaster note: On February 7, 1968, the Lang Vei Special
Forces camp, located four miles west of Khe Sanh, was overrun by elements of the the NVA 340th Division who used PT-76
tanks during the attack. Ten Americans and over two hundred Vietnamese lost
their lives.
As part of Operation Pegasus, 1/12th Cavalry had the mission to attack west
of Khe Sanh and on April 10th, they started operations around the Lang Vei
Special Forces camp. On April 14th the Battalion left the Khe Sanh area and
returned to LZ Sharon.
The 1/12th Cavalry entered Ashau Valley on April 25, 1968 at LZ Stallion.
For additional details of the attack on the Lang Vei Special Forces camp
there are a couple of books which describe the attack, the response and the
aftermath; Tanks in the Wire and The Night of the Silver
Stars.
Billy Cabaniss
can be reached at bjcabaniss@gmail.com