Operation PAUL BUNYON is living up to the stories of its legendary namesake, felling large numbers of trees in a short time.

Units of the Army's 1st Infantry Division were given the mission of demolishing 8,652 acres of jungle area known as the Long Dong Jungle, only 20 miles northwest of Saigon.

Using 24 Rome plows and five bulldozers, the "Big Red One" engineers have averaged 13 acres of land cleared for each plow being used in the operation.

The Rome plow, made in Rome, Georgia, is a specially designed bulldozer with a large sharply curved blade. It uses a rod in the middle of the blade, called a stinger, to split trees through the middle facilitating the uprooting of large trees.

The operation will provide cleared land for agriculture development under Operation Lam Som 67 will also deprive the Viet Cong of his one-time sanctuaries.