Fire BasesThe bulk of Gis who aren't grunts and aren't atthe Rear spend their year on a fire support base.Hundreds of fire bases exist in Vietnam, enablingthe U.S. to blanket almost every foot of the countrywith artillery fire.

At the fire bases, the Gis don't go through hellor face death like the grunts, and they're usuallyexempt from the petty harassment of the Rear. Forthem, the overriding problem is boredom. For oneyear they sit on a little hunk of dust or mud, clean-ing their artillery pieces, reading, writing letters home,and waiting for the signal, "Fire mission!" at whichthey leap into action.

Under the boredom, however, is a pervadingapprehension that their base might be fire-base-of-the-week-that's-overrun. Periodically one of the out-posts comes under enemy attack, and although it iswell fortified, often the NVA break through theperimeter and overrun the base.

Fire Support Base FullerFire Support Base Fuller was the northernmost U. S.base in Vietnam. Overlooking the DMZ, it perchedatop a pile of rocks, 1,800 feet high, and onlythirty-five yards at the widest spot. Fuller wassupplied only by air, and at times it was foggedin for a week or more, so the small group stationedthere became a real family. Across from Fuller isanother pile of rocks where the Marines had awell-publicized combat base known as "the RockPile." The Marines are gone now, and their baseshave been abandoned-Dong Ha, Vandergrift, ConThien, Khe Sanh. No heroics for the draftees leftbehind to man the artillery in support of theVietnamese. All they want to do is put in a yearand get on board their "freedom bird."

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There are some defeatsmore triumphant than victories.-Montaigne

U.S. Army Vietnam Daily Bulletin,March 27,1970

The most exciting thing that had happened atFuller in months was the sick baby ocelot thatwandered into the base. The men were keeping itin the communication shack, the warmest spot onthe base, and treating it with milk of magnesia andpencillin shots.

The main activity is polishing and repolishingbrass shell casings for hours until they glisten-then using them as souvenir ashtrays. Once amonth one of the Gis takes all the finished ashtraysback to Dong Ha to get them engraved. This GIput a "freedom bird" on his ashtray.

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