"This crumbling defeat...cost the Communists untold casualties...and frustrated their dream of a second Dien Bien Phu."---General William C. Westmoreland MACV

Situated near the border with Laos, Khe Sanh Combat Base was built on a low plateau surrounded by hills. Clearly visible is the airstrip, which was crucial during the "seige" for the resupply of the Marines.

The bunker existence that the Marines had to endure at Khe Sanh was claustrophobic but afforded good protection against the enemy missiles that hit the base-- at an average of 2,500 per week.

Wearing flak jackets and with their M-16 rifles close to hand, marines contemplate their predicament during a lull in the hill fighting.

Marines take cover during a heavy enemy bombardment of Khe Sanh base. During the siege, 205 Marines lost their lives. Against this, 1,600 enemy bodies were counted on the battlefield around the base, a figure that does not include the estimated thousands of NVA killed by U.S. airstrikes and artillery strikes.