212th

Ban Me Thuot was located in the central highlands, Darlac Provence, II Corps Tactical Zone. The detachment was located just outside of the city of Ban Me Thuot on a 30-40 acre (approximately) size cantonment area of a U.S. Army helicopter company which provided support to the South Vietnamese Army, 23rd Infantry Division.

Area Map

1965

In 1965 the detachment was staffed with eight handlers and their K9’s.

1966

The Ban Me Thuot Detachment was part of the 2nd Platoon, under the command of 2LT John Milligan. The detachment had approximately twelve to eighteen teams of handlers and K9's assigned there, and the aviation company operating out of the base was very appreciative for the added security they provided.

The only other U.S. units stationed there at that time was a small Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) detachment located in the Grand Bungalow lodge in town. It was rumored that the lodge, build for Bao Dai, the last Emperor of Vietnam, had once been used by President Teddy Roosevelt on a Tiger hunting expedition.

MACV

5th

With the MACV unit was the Special Operations Augmentation, Command and Control South, 5th Special Forces Group, that oversaw several A Team camps in the area. There was also a small airstrip located within the city at that time but the 212th was not responsible for its security.

The overall perimeter fence line was in a triangle shape with the detachment kennels at the far edge. The handlers walked the dogs along sections of this fence line to protect the helicopters and the billet area (tents) for the crews and support personnel. Within this fence line there was also a four foot earthen burm used as a final defense line should the perimeter be breached during a ground assault. One fence line was along a non-active rubber plantation but perfect for a concealed approach. The other two fence lines were along lightly traveled roads, one going into the town. One perimeter section had a very thickly laid defensive mine field that had overlapping coverage by a several machine gun positions. On that side of the perimeter you had to enter and leave your duty post through special lanes through the mine field.

Dog teams were used as early warning and to delay any ground assault and then withdraw back to the burm for defensive action. The action plan for a ground attack was to get as many helicopters as possible into the air, both to keep them safe from mortar fire and to use them for a counter attack. The remaining personnel manned the interior burm, and the dog teams were withdrawn within the burm gun emplacements.