FSB Powder Ridge
| Occupancy | Element | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 1970 – 31 Aug 1970 YT 807 786 |
D Co, 2/8 Cav (Range Platoon)confirmed | Firebase gazetteer 2/8 Cav at Powder Ridge 11–31 August 1970 per the firebase gazetteer. |
Overview
FSB Powder Ridge was a 1st Cavalry Division fire support base in Binh Tuy Province (Military Region 3, III Corps), held by D Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry in August 1970. The firebase gazetteer places the 2/8 Cav here from 11 to 31 August 1970.
The unit's next position, FSB Guin, stood up roughly 67 kilometres to the southeast on 4 September 1970. In the four-day gap between the two firebases, CPL Craig Thomas Waterman of Range Platoon was killed on 3 September 1970 — the day before Guin was established. See the September 3, 1970 contact page and CPL Waterman's profile.
Sources
| Claim | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Grid YT807786 (11.5579°N, 107.5698°E) | Firebase gazetteer | confirmed |
| 2/8 Cav 11–31 Aug 1970 | Firebase gazetteer | confirmed |
| 2/8 Cav 11–31 Aug 1970 (corroborating) | AD0516259 (1st Cav Div ORLL, period ending 31 Oct 1970), FSB table, p. 82 — OCR reads "0. I PUCZ IT F,18789 II Aug, 31 Aug 2-8 Cav"; grid and dates consistent with Powder Ridge | corroborating |
Open questions
- [ ] Identify the namesake of FSB Powder Ridge, if any.
- [ ] Confirm predecessor firebase in the 2/8 Cav sequence before Powder Ridge.
- [ ] Locate primary sources (letters, photos, after-action) from the Powder Ridge period.
Firebase gazetteer records 2/8 Cav at Powder Ridge 11–31 August 1970. The unit then transitioned to FSB Guin (ZT100190), approximately 66.6 km to the southeast, which stood up on 4 September 1970. CPL Craig Waterman (Range Platoon, D Co) was killed on 3 September 1970 during this 4-day transition interval.