Sand and Steel

This is an American fighter bomber attacking a communist installation in Vietnam. Its firepower is accurate and deadly. Successful air thrust into areas that have been under the Viet Cong control is lifting the spirits of the allies. The American air arm hits hard and continuously and it hits the Cong where it hurts the most right in his own front yard. This fighter jet was designed for air support capable of delivering bombs, rockets, and guided missiles. It takes a professional pilot with courage and skill to get this high-speed [music] jet in low enough and close enough to make each shot count. The jets have made direct hits and inflicted severe damage and destruction upon the enemy. Home for these Skyhawks could be the flight deck of a powerful Navy carrier at sea or Da Nang with its permanent runways. Or it could be this unfinished Marine airstrip at Chu Lai. A flying field carved in 26 days out of an obscure beach in South Vietnam. In length it's the size of three blacktops laid end to end. Even unfinished, it's fully operational. This field was built primarily for Marine support aircraft. [music] Each piece is portable. The control tower can be picked up and moved by a helicopter. The arresting gear was hauled from the beach by a tractor [music] trailer. The runway comes in a truck in sections. It can support the heaviest transport plane. An instant airfield built to accommodate [music] more traffic than most stateside airports. But a month ago, there was no Chu Lai. Just sand, heat, more sand. And Marine determination to build an airfield. It all started here on this unnamed beach on [music] the China Sea. For these Marines, it's just another landing 10,000 miles from home. To them, this was nothing new. Nothing different. They've been doing it opposed and unopposed for almost 200 years. This mission seize and defend enough real estate to build an airfield. It sounds simple. It is. For professionals. The helicopter hasn't changed the idea [music] behind the amphibious assault. It's just added a new dimension. Marines arrive in helicopters from navy carriers at sea sealing the approaches to the beachhead. The object find the Viet Cong. Engage him. Destroy him. Or drive him off. But at July, he couldn't be found. The guerrilla chose not to fight. Seabees move in right behind the Marines. They find their enemy sand. Sand so deep even powerful earth movers bog down. Under the sand, the ground is flat. But the Seabees want it flatter. Well, the matting it comes in sections. Interlocking aluminum planks that weigh 144 lbs and can stand the impact of a fully loaded giant cargo plane. This is hot hard work. The sand is always there. The Seabees curse it, fight it, but still it has to be moved. The entire area around the airfield has to be searched and patrolled. The Marines give themselves little rest. The Viet Cong can be allowed no sanctuary. For 2 years this was his sanctuary. The Marines have to find it, root them out. The villagers help. They fear the Viet Cong reprisals, but they do help by pointing out the Cong hiding places. The Marines find traces of the enemy, medical stores, communist propaganda, caches of food, and the guerrilla himself, a top trained enemy, innocent looking, but deadly. Marines patrol deep into the brush [music] searching for guerrillas. It's a hot, dirty, frustrating job. Frequent breaks are necessary. Water is a precious item. You can drink it or cool off with it. Each man carries his pantry on his back. And sometimes his meal is interrupted. The Marines pursue the enemy. He's elusive. This is his territory and he knows it well. Well enough to hit, run, and then vanish. While the Marines hunt the Viet Cong, the airfield is growing. The Marines even give it a name. They call it Chu Lai. Sand hills vanish and depressions are filled. Each interlocking panel is designed to fit perfectly into place. Almost. Hour by hour, the strip takes shape. It is now almost 3,500 ft long. In the days to follow, the Seabees will more than double its length. But a combat airfield needs more than a runway. It needs a mirror landing system and arresting gear like that used on aircraft carriers. It needs refueling points, revetments to protect airplanes, a tank farm for fuel, complete to the last detail. Everything necessary is now in place. Ready, waiting. The control tower is in radio contact with the incoming flight and has cleared it to land. Chu Lai's newest arrival, a fast, sleek Skyhawk, comes screaming in for a landing. >> [music] >> These jets are only the first combat Marine attack squadrons to be based at this field. 4 hours from now, these same jets will be launched for their first strike mission in support of ground forces. The airfield at Chu Lai is now alive. The Skyhawks have a home. It is now the ground crew's turn to take over. Their job is to refuel, arm, and get these Marine jets into the air war as soon as possible. Chu Lai is operating like a well-oiled machine. >> [music] >> It hardly seems possible that this busy, portable combat airbase was landed, uncrated, and operating in just a matter of weeks. And if necessary, it could be moved again to any trouble spot in the world. This combat airfield is hungry. Its enormous appetite consumes tons of supplies each day. Necessary supplies to sustain thousands of men and their machines. Many items must be delivered daily to keep Chulai operational. Fuel for jets, high velocity air-to-ground rockets, 20-mm shells for aircraft cannon, and food, usually C rations, water and lots of it. And most important of all, fresh replacements. For the first time in weeks, there is an opportunity to relax. A chance to really wash off the sand and dirt. And letters to write home as often as possible. Young Americans look forward to receiving a package, a package of anything. They convert their pay to money orders and send it home. For another time, another place. Young Marines soon learn the value of seemingly trivial things. Clean socks, a haircut, clean teeth, and a shave. Around the perimeter, the patrols into the hills or deep into the hot jungles continue. Some dig in and wait, watchful, ready. At Chulai, they must endure the tropic heat and the discomfort of foxholes scratched in the sand. They call themselves pick and shovel architects. And the term fits. These men are all willing to face hardships and danger anywhere their country or corps sends them. As Americans, they are defending their right to live and believe as they choose. And they're pledged to defend the same right for others. Pledged to make good an American promise to the people of South Vietnam. A part of this promise stands here on the sands of Chu Lai. The result of American determination to build an airfield. Sand and steel. >> [music] [music]