In 1970, in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, cadets at the Infantry School learned to operate the American-made M102 105mm howitzer.
Development of the American M102 105mm howitzer began in 1961 and was finalized in December 1963. The gun is of aluminum alloy construction, light weight, good maneuverability, adapted to tropical jungle warfare, and was widely used in the Vietnam War.
I was surprised to see this South Vietnamese artilleryman dressed up, wearing a straw hat and writing a big "cannon" on his chest.
This outfit, live off a big clearance artillery team.
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rumbled into the South Vietnamese Presidential Palace. Died early in the morning, and so did the South Vietnamese.