An Khe, Central Highlands, Vietnam

Following the first Tet Offensive (Jan. 1968), Ch. Sams was hurriedly promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and reassigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Division at An Khe, a remote base about 200 miles north of Saigon in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

A letter from Ch. Sams in April 1968 mentioned that the 1st Air Cav was engaged in trying to open up a land route to Khe Sanh, which was the focus of U.S. Military operations following the Tet Offensive. Ch. Sams took this photo at around that time while he was stationed at An Khe.

This "Division Chaplain" jeep was Ch. Sams' transportation to troops within 50 miles of An Khe. For calls further afield than that, he traveled by Huey. After the war, Ch. Sams received a commendation for logging over 100 hours in a helicopter to reach these troops.