Camp Radcliff was established in late August 1965 by the 70th Engineer Battalion as the base camp for the 1st Cavalry Division. The camp was located on the main highway, QL-19 northwest of Qui Nhơn on the coast and southeast of Pleiku in the Central Highlands. The camp was named after 1/9 Cavalry Major Donald Radcliff, the 1st Cavalry's first combat death, who was killed on 18 August 1965 while supporting U.S. Marines in his helicopter gunship during Operation Starlite. In order to reduce the amount of rotor-blown dust on the landing zone, the men of the 1st Cavalry were instructed to cut back foliage to ground level by hand giving the base its nickname of the Golfcourse. The 1st Cavalry painted their distinctive insignia on nearby Hon Cong Mountain providing a landmark visible for many miles. Camp Radcliff was the largest helicopter base in the world at the time of its establishment, capable of accommodating the 1st Cavalry's 400+ helicopters. The base also had an airfield capable of landing Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. The base had a perimeter of 26 km known as the Green Line with 3-man watchtowers every 50m. On the night of 3 September 1966 the Viet Cong carried out a mortar attack on the Golfcourse. Starting at 21:50 the base was hit by 119 mortar rounds over a 5-minute period, killing 4 soldiers and wounding a further 76, while 77 helicopters were damaged. Other units stationed at Camp Radcliff in this period included:
On 12 March 1967 a USAF C-130 crashed on takeoff from the base airfield.
1968–69
In January 1968 the 1st Cavalry moved to Camp Evans and Camp Radcliff was taken over by the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The 173rd stayed at Camp Radcliff until mid-1969. Other units stationed at Camp Radcliff in this period included:
At 02:00 on 30 October 1968 a mortar and sapper attack on the camp resulted in two South Vietnamese guards killed, four vehicles destroyed and damage to several buildings. At 15:28 on 11 November 1968 a mortar and recoilless rifle attack on the camp killed four South Vietnamese civilians and ignited 13,643 barrels of POL, one Viet Cong was killed.
1970–71
The 4th Infantry Division was stationed at Camp Radcliff from mid 1969 – December 1970. Other units stationed at Camp Radcliff in this period included:
7th Battalion, 15th Artillery
238th Aviation Company
Current use
The base is abandoned and turned over to farmland.
