 On 30 November 1965, members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade made an assault landing on the outskirts of Foong Lung. Their mission was to seek out and destroy any Viet Cong in the area and establish a perimeter defense post. The landing was made in a nearby rice field. Immediately upon landing, the troops saddled up and moved out. The men filed quickly past the villagers to take up their defense positions around the perimeter of the community. The entire action was carried out without difficulty. Dense undergrowth was encountered on the other side of the village, and patrols began moving out to search for any Viet Cong who may have been hiding in a thick cover. Elsewhere, the general move-up continued. Meanwhile, the commander and another officer determined the most effective deployment of the men in carrying out their defense mission. Logistic support for the mission commenced almost immediately as the cargo helicopters began arriving and offloading vehicles, ammunition and supplies. In rapid succession, the big helicopters unloaded and took to the air again. Overhead, sky raiders appeared to reconnoiter and pinpoint any Viet Cong personnel in the area. But none were found, and the men settled in for their long vigil to deny enemy access to Foong Lung. Cavalry and infantry elements of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, carried out a support mission at Bencott on 3 December 1965. Here seen rolling up Highway 13, these units were flown from their base camp at Foong Lung nearly 200 miles north to Bien Hoa Airfield. From the airfield, they convoyed over the sniper-infested road to the 1st Division camp at Bencott. Their mission was to serve as a reaction force, covering the 1st Division's sweeps of the area some distance north of the Bencott camp. In the 1st Division camp area, both units prepared for limited search and clear operations. The initial operations to clear the vicinity of the camp got underway with infantry forces scouring the nearby terrain. Armed vehicles of the cavalry took up strategic positions to await any Viet Cong who might be flushed into the open by the infantry sweep. Action was limited to light enemy sniper fire. While the sweep and clean operation was underway, mortar teams emplaced their weapons and prepared to support the action. Alerted for a firing mission, the mortar crews gave their equipment a final check and awaited the coordinates necessary to shell the suspected Viet Cong positions. Though the firing continued for some time, there was no response from the enemy. In another phase of the mission, the men of the 101st Airborne Division were moved from the Bencott camp site to a nearby rubber plantation. Gun jeeps covered the convoy as the long line of vehicles moved out toward the plantation in Viet Cong territory. By the time the convoy was nearing its destination, it was late in the day. As the vehicles arrived in one of the plantation fields, they were carefully positioned and preparations were made to spend the night in enemy territory. The hours of darkness, however, passed without incident and the following morning, these units secured the position and dug in. Vehicles camouflaged with local greenery and weapons ready, the men waited in vain for the enemy. Finally, the cavalry units were ordered back to their camp at Bencott. Throughout the entire operation, only minor sniper fire was reported. This sign announces the construction of an office building in Tent City B for Baker at Tonsunut. A joint project of an American and Vietnamese construction team, the structure is an odd mixture of a modern American design and primitive methods of hand labor. On 6 December 1965, a group of Vietnamese, young and old alike were carrying out cement work. From the mixing to the pouring, everything was done by hand. This included a rather unique windlass system for lifting the heavy barrels of cement to the second floor of the building, while at the same time lowering an empty steel drum to the workers below. Despite the limited lift capability of the system, it served the purpose surprisingly well. The windlass operators and the mixers below kept the cement coming. Other workers filled the wheelbarrow and carted the mixture from the shaft to the work site. The masons poured and spread the concrete for the new floor. The windlass operators cranked away without any visible signs of tiring. Even in the United States, a cement job this size is something to be reckoned with. Back on the ground, the unusual work gang of Vietnamese men, women and youngsters continued their labors with the crudest of tools. Despite the very warm weather, they didn't seem to mind the job and work progressed on Tent City B's first office building. At Tainin, the special forces are carrying out a program of civic affairs. Through this program, special forces units have financed the building of a school, a modern dispensary, and have repaired a vital road washed out during the monsoon season. This is the school which was erected in the village of Trong Sook on the outskirts of Tainin. Educating the young in Vietnam as elsewhere is a difficult task due to lack of facilities. Even this new school building is incapable of handling the numbers of students who wish to attend. There are three teachers. Classes are divided so that half of the students attend in the mornings, and the other half goes to afternoon sessions. These are first graders in class during the morning session. There were 72 of them when this film was made on 8 December 1965. Vietnamese soldiers gave out chocolates to the students, and the Christmas candy was eagerly accepted by the tots. In the nearby community of Surin Muay, another aid team of the special forces comes to administer medical treatment to the children. These visits provide an exciting event for the youngsters and a welcome service for the parents. At this compound, work is being completed on a dispensary in order to provide the villagers with continuing medical attention. This is the dispensary as it appeared on 8 December 1965. The construction work was still going forward, but for the most part the facility was almost completed. The dispensary is part of the Civic Affairs Program to improve the education and health of the villagers. Gifts of candy were donated by the people of Linesville, Pennsylvania as part of Operation Christmas Star. Through such gifts, the medics gain the confidence of the children and are able to treat their ailments without fear on the part of the child. A thorough job of bandaging is done to prevent the spread of infection, which develops rapidly in these warm temperatures. Various forms of fungi infection are common in this climate. Helping to cure these ailments with modern drugs and teaching the villagers how to safeguard their health is the objective of this phase of the program. Another Civic Affairs project of the special forces units at Tainine was this do-it-yourself ferry, which was built and placed into service at Bensoi in the Tainine area. As of 9 December 1965, the river crossing device was proving a boon to civilians and the military alike. In the early morning hours of 14 December 1965, sentry dog handlers take their canine charges for a training session at a specially designed training area in Tansenute. The animals are first drilled for obedience to commands, given by voice, hand signal and leash pressure. Instant response to the handler's silent command motions is a prime requisite for these dogs. Orderly behavior on duty is also essential. Should the sentry dog be required to pursue an elusive prowler, it must be able to overcome all kinds of obstacles while tracking and chasing the quarry. To build stamina and confidence in the animals, the handlers put them through a rigorous obstacle course. This phase of the training also keeps the dogs agile and physically fit. Some of the obstacles which these canine sentries easily leap would be difficult for a man to clear. Another aspect of the training session is to teach the dog to protect the handler from sneak attack by an assailant. Ranging in weight from 70 to 100 pounds, these military dogs are a formidable adversary for any would-be attacker. Once released, a sentry dog quickly levels the intruder and holds him prisoner. Along the road to Phu Tau Hoa, Ja Dinh, Vietnamese orphans wave their flags to celebrate the building of a new orphanage. The date is 12 December 1965, and the Vietnamese Honor Guard salutes the arriving members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, whose financial contribution made the new orphanage possible. As in all ceremonies of this kind, there were speeches to thank the U.S. servicemen and the All-Girl Coral Society performed as the assembled dignitaries looked on. For some 50 children, this day's groundbreaking ceremonies would never be forgotten. Even the government in Saigon took notice of the occasion and sent a special envoy to officiate on behalf of the people. At last, the solemn moment arrived when it was time to lay the cornerstone and the Saigon representatives stepped forward to do the honors. When the cornerstone had been set in place, the civilian and military dignitaries returned to the platform, and the smallest orphans sang for them. With their gift of $3,000, the Army Signal Men had created a new home for these unfortunate boys and girls. As the ceremonies came to a conclusion, the commemorative book was signed by the officials, and another civic action was complete. In cooperation with the Civil Affairs Support Command at Natrong, medical officers of the Army and Air Force conducted a sanitation evaluation mission on 7 December 1965. Purpose of the investigation was to locate possible sources of contamination and breeding places for disease-bearing insects. An exposed and unsanitary hotel kitchen was spotted by the investigators and through Civil Affairs Support Command listed for cleanup. Other sanitation hazards were located at the same site, such as these partially empty bottles and cans. Fermented liquids and stagnating sewage water are principal breeding places for germs and disease-bearing mosquitoes. After a thorough inspection, the researchers wrote up their reports and moved on to continue their work. Through such investigations as this, sanitation work is moving forward. At Comron Bay, one of South Vietnam's seaports, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is installing a de-long floating pier. This mammoth pier is capable of providing dockage for several ocean-going vessels at once. The floating pier, which is an engineering marvel, was first towed into the desired position. All heavy equipment needed to accomplish installation, such as this 70-ton crane, was placed aboard. Other material for the job is delivered by LCM motorized barges. When finally installed, the pier will rest upon huge steel pipe pilings called caissons. The pier itself is constructed with holes for the caissons to pass through. On 9 December 1965, the pier was in the desired position, and several of its caisson pilings were already in. Shown here is the crane working with one of the caissons. After the great pipe leg is lowered through its position hole in the pier, it comes to rest on the floor of the bay. However, there is still a great length of the caisson rising above the pier, sticking up through the hole. As each caisson is lowered into position, a permanent jack is placed around it. The jacks are then used to shinny the pier up the caissons until it is in the desired attitude above the water. Here we see the crane moving a caisson with jack attached into position for insertion into its guide port. As the excess caisson lengths were cut off and removed, each remaining deck stub had to be capped off. When the crane had lowered the cap to within inches of its position, the work crews had to make sure it would seat properly. Otherwise, the bolt holes would not line up. Guiding and moving the heavy caps is not an easy task, and it took quite some time before the crew supervisor was satisfied and allowed it to be lowered and bolted into place. By the time one caisson and jack had been capped off, another piece of caisson at another location was ready for removal. The crane was then hooked up with the caisson section and it was carefully removed. Welders go to work shortly thereafter and neatly seam the cut-off stub to the cap acceptance collar. Securing bolts are welded to each jack. These are the bolts which will fasten the jack to the deck of the pier. From the nearby barge, the entire caisson assembly and how it functions could be plainly seen. The busiest man on the job was the crane operator. Here he is seen tipping over one of the massive caisson sections as he gets it ready for removal from the pier. Just clearing away, pieces of caisson was a chore in itself. Checking on the welders again, they were busy trimming up the stub from the last cut, which has left a jagged edge. Unless this procedure was followed, it would have made the capping operation difficult. To hold down the caps, outsized bolts were used and these were finally snugged down with great construction wrenches. Camelon Bay had gotten its new pier.