File:Nvasapperweapons.jpg

NVA sapper weapons captured during the fight for Firebase Mary-Ann, 1971. US Army Photo

This image or file is a work of a U.S. Army employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain in the United States. PD Public domain false false

This file is a candidate to be copied to Wikimedia Commons. Any user may perform this transfer; refer to Wikipedia:Moving files to Commons for details. If this file has problems with attribution, copyright, or is otherwise ineligible for Commons, then remove this tag and DO NOT transfer it; repeat violators may be blocked from editing. Other Instructions Endorse this file for transfer by adding |human=<your username> to this Template. If this file is freely licensed, but otherwise unsuitable for Commons (e.g. out of Commons' scope, still copyrighted in the US), then replace this Template with {{Do not move to Commons|reason=<Why it can't be moved>}} If you think that a local copy of this file should be retained, then replace this Template with {{Keep local|reason=<Why a local copy is needed>}} Please ensure that the file has a properly descriptive and unambiguous name before transferring; see Wikipedia:File mover#What files should be renamed? for details.

This file was suggested for transfer by a bot (User:Svenbot). Please verify that this file is suitable for Commons before transferring it.

I served with Delta Company 1/46th and worked out of Fire Support Base Mary Ann from September 1970 to April 1971. This picture is mislabeled. It WAS taken on FSB Mary Ann, but it's from early February and NOT March 28, 1971 when the sapper attack occurred. In February, Charlie Company 1/46 seized a huge arms cache (about 200 weapons, as I recall) in the bush and those weapons were brought to Mary Ann, before being taken to the rear. Delta Company was up on "the hill" providing perimeter security at the time. The Colonel and other big shots came out from the rear and are shown here taking pictures of the weapons. Some have speculated that the attack on Mary Ann was retaliation for this arms seizure.

Here's the 'reality check.' The estimate was that 50 sappers came through the barbed wire perimeter for the attack on Mary Ann. There were 12 enemy dead left on Mary Ann. Does anyone think that 50 people coming in and 38 leaving the firebase could leave THAT many weapons behind? Combat soldiers do not readily abandon their weapons.