Reply to: Dan Kellum
kdkellum@aol.com

I need a little help on a story I'm trying to get Leatherneck magazine to publish to help promote my two books. I decided The Cam Sa Raid of August 4, 1970 would be the perfect story for Leatherneck magazine to run. It involves ground troops and three squadron representatives from the Marine Air Wing and resulted in 24 dead or captured VC commanders and their guards in the Horseshoe area south of Da Nang and Marble Mountain.

My problem in getting them to run the story is "art". I pared a 6900 word story down to 3308...they require most stories to run only 2500 words. Col. Ford, Leatherneck magazine's editor/publisher, indicated he wouldn't even consider the story unless I had 6, perferably 8, photos/maps/art to accompany it. I've got a query out to a retired Lt.Col. Robinson who was on the ground as 2/1 S-2 2ndLt. that day to see if he had any photos from the raid. Photos are the last thing most guys are considering in a heliborne raid in broad daylight like this one was.

For this operation, a C&C HML-167 Huey flown by Lt.Col. McCaughey converged on the target area around Cam Sa from Hill 55 from west to east; two HML-367 Cobras commanded by Lt.Col. Harry Sexton came in from MMAF towards the south; and four HMM-364 Sea Knights flew north, cut to the east out over the South China Sea, dropped below the horizon turning south then back west headed by Maj. Duane Jensen, The Purple Fox S-3, to all arrive over the target area simultaneously. Is there any of your guys who have photos from that day? I know crew chief Dwight Williams aboard McCaughey's aircraft shot Super 8 clips of the body collection. Did he also take photos? Anyone with photos or perhaps stock photos of 4 Sea Knights carrying troops....two Cobra gunships flying hell to leather or fire coming from a machine gun aboard a Huey might help me come up with this required "art." Appreciate any help you guys could give me. Semper Fi, Dan P.S. Just trying to make you guys look good....as if I need to do that....you were the best in Nam!!!!