The Rockpile
| The Rockpile | |
|---|---|
| Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam | |
Photograph of the Rockpile and surrounding terrain from 2010
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| Coordinates | 16°46′49.82″N 106°51′7.37″E / 16.7805056°N 106.8520472°E |
| Type | Marines |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1966 |
| In use | 1966–1969 |
| Battles/wars |
 Vietnam War |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | 3rd Marine Division, 1st Marine Division |
The Rockpile (also known as Elliot Combat Base) and known in Vietnamese as Thon Khe Tri, is a solitary karst rock outcropping north of Route 9 and south of the former Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Its relatively inaccessible location, reached only by helicopter, made it an important United States Army and Marine Corps observation post and artillery base from 1966 to 1969.
The Rockpile is located in South Vietnam approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the southernmost boundary of the DMZ and 16 miles (26 km) west of Dong Ha. A Marine reconnaissance team described the cone shaped as a "toothpick-type mountain stuck out in the middle of an open area with a sheer cliff straight up and down". The mountain rises almost 790 feet (240 meters) from the Cam Lo River bottom and sits astride several major infiltration routes from North Vietnam and Laos. The visually dominating figure, which would be come to be a familiar landmark for soldiers fighting the war for the DMZ, sits just one kilometer from the vital Route 9. Impressive as it was within the immediate vicinity, the Rockpile is overshadowed by other, much higher hills in nearly every direction. To the Rockpile's northwest is Dong Ke Soc mountain that stands at over 2,200 feet (685 meters), to the direct north is Nui Cay Tri (later known as Mutter's Ridge after the radio call sign of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines who would defend it), and to the northeast is Dong Ha Mountain. Atop the Rockpile's is a plateau-like summit that measures at 40 feet long by 17 feet (12 by 5 m) across at its widest point.
The Rockpile was first observed and made note of by a small Marine reconnaissance team on 4 July 1966. The area later became a key outpost from which American and South Vietnamese forces could observe movements by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) troops near the DMZ and in the central and west sectors of northern I Corps. Its exact importance is still debated upon as many claim that its strategic advantage was not all that the Marines had built it up to be and that the NVA never really wanted to control it, however the mountain's mere location inherently brought several benefits.
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Wikipedia