Firebase Ripcord
Photos by Chris Jensen

In His Own Words

In July 1970, Jim Saller, Jerry Dubro and I were photographers with the 221st Signal Company/Southeast Asia Pictorial Center in Long Binh.

Dubro and I shot motion picture, using a 16mm Bell & Howell Filmo. There was no audio. It didn't have a light meter or autofocus. It was powered by a wind-up spring on the side. Saller was the still photographer.

We would typically spend a week or so with a unit, documenting whatever they were doing. When we were out of film, we would hop on the next log bird and go back to Long Binh for two or three days. We were basically tourists.

Some officer in the 221st heard about Ripcord and we volunteered to go. We went to the public information officer at Camp Eagle and told him we needed to get to the base. He told us that neither civilian nor military photographers were allowed.

So, we went to the dust-off pad and asked if we could hook a ride when they went to Ripcord next. They didn't seem to think we were very smart but said we could go.

Didn't take long and we were met by Lt. Col. Lucas who wondered what we thought we were doing. We told him we were hoping to get into the bush.

He said that was not happening, but we could stay on Ripcord if we would get steel pots and flak jackets. They directed us to an empty bunker not far from the 105s.

We spent our days filming the base. Eventually, Saller was wounded by a mortar and he and Dubro headed back. I decided to stay longer since I still had film.

I was out of film and think I left the day before the Chinook went down. It was also about the time the first 120mm mortars were landing, because I was handed a tailfin and told somebody from the 101st would pick it up when I got off the slick.

I was also met by several other photographers from the 221st who were sent up to join me at Ripcord. I told them I shot a lot of film and it was mostly incoming and outgoing and firebase activities. I said I thought we'd covered it pretty well and I was not sure why anyone needed to go back.

So, we all went back to Long Binh. The downside is that we missed getting film of the evacuation. The upside is that it would have been highly likely at least one would be wounded if not killed.

And, Lucas refusing to allow us to get out in the bush is now the perfect example of being careful what you ask for.

A note: I took the still photos with two of my Nikons and film purchased at the PX. I had the film developed at a custom lab in New York. Then, I scanned them for high resolution. I got the motion picture copied from The National Archives. Permission requires jumping through a few hoops and then throwing a lot of money at one of the few private labs authorized to handle the original film.