Hill 861 34 Years Later

In July 2000 Dennis Mannion, Bob Arrotta and Glenn Prentice, all former Warriors of Hill 881S, returned to Vietnam.  They did not make it back to Hill 881S but did manage to hoof it to Hill 861.  The following photo was taken along the trail which led to Hill 861 which is obscured in the fog at upper right.


Hill 861 with its two humps is seen.  The left hump is where the landing zone was located.


Have reached the bottom of the hill.  The hump of the landing zone hides the remainder of the hill.


The next image, taken 34 years ago of a close air support mission targeting a ridge 500 meters from Mannion's bunker, sets the stage for a panoramic view which will show the changes which have occurred.  Hill 881S is seen in the upper right corner of the photo.


The left side of the panoramic image below is the same general area you saw in the previous photograph of the 500 pound bomb being delivered 500 meters from Mannion's bunker.  Time does have a way of changing things, but the bomb craters are still visable.  The dark splotch of trees at left center are the same trees, or children thereof, of the trees on extreme right of the previous image.  Had it not been for fog and poor visibility, Hill 881S could have been visable in the center of this panoramic view.

 

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