CopterLifted Post Exchange (PX) Brightens Life for U.S. Army Troops on South Vietnam Mountain Top, Nui Ba Den Mountain, Vietnam

Description

OF DEPARTMENT NEWSFILM RELEASE OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS) UNITED STATES AMERICAN WASHINGTON, D.C. - 20301 OF PLEASE NOTE DATE IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 1969 OX 7-6161 Number: V-125-69 Footage 56' Time 1:35 Room 2E 773 Filmed: March 25,1969 16mm Color Composite Print COPTER-LIFTED PX BRIGHTENS LIFE FOR U.S. ARMY TROOPS ON SOUTH VIETNAM MOUNTAINTOP (Official Department of Defense motion picture film by the U. S. Army under the direction of the MACV Office of Information, Photography by SP6 Wiggins and SP6 Price: Sound by SP5 Clendenen.) An airlifted post exchange, dubbed Operation Sky Shop, leaves the U. S. base camp at Tay Ninh, South Vietnam, every two weeks for a flight to the top of Nui Ba Den mountain. Nui Ba Den, or "Black Virgin Mountain", looms cloud- shrouded and mysterious above the flat farmland of Tay Ninh. Named for a Cambodian princess who scaled the mountain and took her life rather than marry against her Buddhist vows, the rugged rockpile is home for about fifty U. S. Army troops. At the summit, 3200 feet above sea level, these troops man a U. So Army signal relay facility. "Sky Shop" is actually a metal Conex container filled with PX merchandise. It makes its run to the mountaintop dangling beneath a CH-47 "Chinook" helicopter. As soon as the container touches down on the helipad, two "salesmen" from Tay Ninh set up shop and the brisk but brief business begins. In addition to such routine items as toothpaste and shaving cream, there are magazines, candy, soft drinks, transistor radios and cameras. "Sky Shop" remains on the mountain for about two hours, or until the goods are gone or the clouds start to roll in. Then the two soldiers from the flatlands pack up their fly-a-way PX and return to base as the hilltop soldiers return to their bunkers to enjoy their purchases. SCENE FOOTAGE VIDEO SEQUENCES AUDIO (a) PX sign Wild Track 2 12 (b) Chopper off with PX container, flies 11 over mountain 11 5 (c) Chopper places container on pad 10 (d) Soldiers move toward pad, PX unloaded 11 11 10 (e) Soldiers look over merchandise 11 3 (f) Soldier buys film 11 5 (g) Soldiers examine tape recorder (in) Soldiers examine food, stand in line 11 9 NOTE TO EDITOR: 561 16mm color composite print released to ABC-TV, CBS-TV, NBC-TV, Fox Movietone, UPI-Newsfilm and a master and optical track to Deluxe Lab. EDITORS: PLEASE CREDIT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN TITLE OR COMMENTARY. This is a myer series color composite print released to each individual DOD Pool member and is available commercially to non-pool members and other authorized agencies from Deluxe Laboratories, 850 Tenth Avenue, New York City, telephone 7-3220.

Collection

Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Series

Filmed News Releases