The crew truck got there about 1745 hr or so and the doc was still busy. . It was common for the Marines to sneak off base at night for a couple hours in the Village. I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! never even gave a thought that a I did spend plenty of time on Marine firebases around the Da Nang-Phu Bai area and spent time at a camp located at Phu Loc. It's a win-win, and it's why everything on iStock is only available royalty-free including all, Royalty-free licenses are the best option for anyone who needs to use stock images commercially, which is why every file on iStock whether its a, From social media ads to billboards, PowerPoint presentations to feature films, you're free to modify, resize and customize every asset on iStock including all. She would throw dirt into the air and scratch at her face until it was bleeding , rubbing dirt into the cuts. It was a long miserable cold 12 hour night. I didn't realize at the time that the intended target was me and the generators. ! Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. Everyone was busy as hell and I didn't have any idea as to what was going on. [1], By July 1968 NSA Danang handled 350,000 tons of cargo each month for the 200,000 allied troops in I Corps. Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. Da Nang marks the halfway point between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. The truck dropped us at the work sight. He left me sitting there on the steps saying he would send Beerworth down at 1700 hr to get me settled in. technical and supply stuff. I think the thing that Every morning I was stripping floors and then in the afternoon waxing and buffing and cleaning the showers, normal Navy grunt work. ( Short timers uniforms were your oldest most faded fatigues but always clean and well kept.) I was a certified SCUBA diver. roof. So my hooch would now have 5 of us. If you were to divide Camp Fay into Da Nang is known as the tourist capital of South-Central Vietnam, with a west coast location that makes for beautiful sunsets against an impressive backdrop of lush mountains. They had been covered with poncho liners but they had blown off. The village it refers to was just north of Camp Books. side of the handling, I'd say it had severe understeer entering a of the DaNang Military Complex, One of Some time before the end of the month we got three more guys in . Charles R. Smith . morning. The nurse in the center of the picture is the one who helped amputate the farmers legs. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in We set the radio on squelch so it would make a lot of noise and wake us up. Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . camp where you get sheared. 1966 and assumed I would spend two years on a submarine in WesPac. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. Later after they landed it became obvious that they were throwing out the ammo boxes so they wouldn't explode when they landed. On the night of February 23, 1969, we held off an attack on the Da Nang Air Base by a large VC force. Guest 31-Aug-2016 02:35: . the fresh meat so what do I know about it. I had orders in September 1966 to go to Don't try to cross in to the base as there were mines. Apart from some shopping highlights and historical sights, the main reason for most travelers staying here is its proximity to the well-known My Khe Beach, Lang Co Beach, Hoi An and My Son. The two crew members jumped out just under the flames .They carried their M-60 machine guns. He had to re arrange his schedule to accommodate me. Just to the right of He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . The events highlighted in yellow directly affected me. It had been a very busy month with a lot of things happening. When we arrived at Red Beach the Seabee team shop was a mad house. It was a horrifying thing to watch. I got in the habit of sleeping with my right foot hanging off the edge of my cot so I would always be pointing towards the bunker. Ya, we continued our work and started building my hooch. It was the UH-1 trailing smoke. After the bones were cut the Doc tied off all the bleeders and removed the hemostats . She was especially friendly with our hooch mama-son. was about vehicles, building Some times a lot of shit happened . any old charts, photos or drawings of the PTF Any damage at FLC was my teams responsibility to asses , clean up and repair or replace so I had direct involvement in all rocket and mortar attacks at FLC. about culture clash!) Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. Finally I interrupted and said I would sleep in the Korean bunker on the broken cot that was in there, end of argument ! You FNGs get off the plane and fall in over there. My very first When a child died they were bundled tightly in white sheets and tide off with string. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. On the evening of May 23 we got a knew man in, Karl Voiles. context of what was happening. The ESSO fuel plant from the north east side where we were snorkeling. kms.) By the time I graduated from High school I was a damn good diver! Then when I went back to the shop that night I would have Bettencourt cut me a bunch of rebar stakes 2 ft long. The nurse was carrying a little girl about 4 years old. Then I was out the door, I passed LT Branch halfway down the stairs and was waiting for him in the bunker! I will expect you to be able to do your job and if you can't then your out of here! Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. The other time was that day in boot I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no Dearest Rita, I just finished a quick letter to my folks first one since I've been here. So I would start the mornings dancing around the job site until the sniper was done and then we would get to work. What amazed me was by brakefast time at 0530 the marines had already set up a field mess trailer out side the mess hall and were serving breakfast. You FNGs get to the back of the [3]:33, In mid-October 1968 the Deep Water Pier complex (160712N 1081250E / 16.12N 108.214E / 16.12; 108.214) on the Tien Sha peninsula was completed, beginning operations in September 1968. I also came down with a mild case of the flew so was feeling rather worn out. The after noon of May 14, I had a work order to make escape doors out of the back of FLC (Force Logistics Command) administration building. Between 1969 and 1971 hundreds, if not thousands, of incidents of racial violence occurred in and around American military bases Here is an E mail I got from Karl explaining his arrival to Vietnam and Camp Books (FLC) The last week of May brought us a knew Chief Builder and our old Chief Botswains mate left us. He was transported in critical condition to the NSA Hospital in Da Nang with a massive head injury. Inside of that trailer, face down were 2 dead Marines. snakes and other items of entertainment. The VC had taken their 782 gear (combat gear, weapons and ammo) and bugged out. Both of his legs had been pretty much blown off. embarrassed but she didn't seem to The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. Another thing that screwed up the night for us was our night radio, phone watch, it was a real bitch ! No. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . The new wood frame building that I did was behind the camera. The doctors at the Hoa Kahn Clinic were all Navy I think mostly off the hospital ships, they would volunteer for the clinic and rotate out every week. care of the base. The Doc narrated as he worked, what he was doing, what he was going to do, when I should be prepared for the farmer to go ballistic! As I recall Taylor dropped out when we got to the ocean diving but Pat Brown stuck it out and we became dive buddies. On February 10, 1970, SN Robert T. Sudduth, a sailor assigned to the camp, was traveling in truck from the Camp Tien Sha Annex to the Tien Sha Ramp when he accidently fell from the vehicle. I was new in country and still in John Wayne mode. Yes that's me smiling up from the 122mm rocket crater. changes to : CD-ROM, but it didn't provide any new He told me step by step every detail. Anniversary story of his trip back We weren't expecting any new men and we don't have the time to train you. because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. Paperback. I didn't After our three big generators and fuel tank were up and running that area became a target for the VC. The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. It was very clear that they did not want a FNG getting in their way. Well I never did hear from Barbee. vehicle I took full advantage of it! Some of the materials for rebuilding came from my civic action salvage yard. I am a 20 year old US soldier and my country says I have to be here! The following information was emailed in to I wondered how I would feel if someone burned down my home ,killed my dad and took my little brother away to a hospital. I don't remember when I stopped doing work at the Children's clinic, Maybe the end of June or early July. If there were any trouble calls from the Marines (usually lights out on the perimeter or something not working at the mess hall) then it was jump in the truck drive out and check and drive over to our hooch and get who ever was needed to go fix the problem. His name was Coate and he was a 3rd class yeoman. Our mess hall, about 70 yards from my hootch took a direct hit on the serving line and kitchen area. One night I was called out for some lights on the west perimeter. Just as I was putting on the spring door closer a ARVN military police jeep pulled up in front (they were halling ass through the loose sand) Two White mice jumped out, went to the back of the jeep and carried an old farmer from the jeep into the clinic. Often times during a rocket or mortar attack rounds would over shoot landing in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch ,providing children for the Clinic. The road was closed to civilian traffic at night so there would be no other vehicles on the road. [2] Also we took care of damage at Camp Reasoner and the small CAP out posts. There hours were 0800 to1700 so it was impossible for me to go. Long , long ago, far, far away on the other side of the On Friday I left the shop at 1800hr and went to the Children's Clinic. The day we put up our sign . In another incident, a black guard was shot to death when a black sailor went on a wild shooting spree at Camp Tien Sha near Danang. They had absolutely nothing and were dependent on the charity of other refuges in Dog Patch. Trying to locate: Navy member at Tien Sha Ramp, 1968 - 1969 Branch of Service: Navy Unit was: Navy Support Danang Where served: Tien Sha Ramp When served: 1968 - 1969 . I donated money several times while at Camp Books. About a mile out the crew started kicking boxes out the doors. He praised me for staying calm and I had done good then he said I should go outside and sit down as I was looking a little green around the gills! I was one of the unlucky ones who ended up shoveling a lot of shit! "Supply" at Camp Fay There was an indoor movie theater, snack bar, hobby shop, NCO club and EM club, basket ball courts and tennis courts. distributed to ships coming in. I asked about the little girl and the doc said she had died Thursday night. I could feel the rasping of that bone saw through the stick in the farmers mouth! It took until 2000 hours to finish that first slab. But I don't consider myself as one. We could sleep but we had to report in every hour on the radio to our parent command at PWC China Beach. Local Page TIMES-MIRROR and OBSERVER Section B WARREN, PA., WEDNESDAY. Naval Support Activity DaNang (1965-1970), the U.S. The Post office was about 75 yards from my hootch. Here is the letter I wrote my parents on May 15, 1968. Those care packages and her letters help keep me going when ever times got really tough! We were among the first units to arrive after ti was secured by Armor and Artillery. . loved cars and fast driving. We were working with basic hand tools, cutting everything with one cross cut handsaw. Some Here are the Activity reports for May 1968 for the Marines in my AO (area of operation) . I believe that on May 21 we had hits to the sick bay which was a big rebuild job. Next thing I realize he has a hold on my sleeve. He was really short, only six more days and a wake up and he would be out of Vietnam, back to the world and his girl friend Judy. On May 15 I had finished 6 or 8 escape doors. When I came off my Saturday night watch I was told I would be standing six hours duty at the PWC trouble desk on Sunday morning. Welcome to Viet----fuckn Nam you FNGs ( funking new guys) !!! Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. An example of what we did. The map I sent you is how I remember that very first day of war. ] [ Base Drawing Legend ]. I think there were only three or four of us on duty at the China Beach, Vietnam. Alan Just kind of shut it off excepting that I had very little control over my situation and excepting that if shit happened ,shit happened !! At first it was because every thing was so knew and exciting. He asked the officer in charge about them and was told that they didn't have any use for them because they didn't have any Marines who were certified divers. When I got on This is surely just something I've I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic.generator hire & new generator sales, Mark, I served with the Naval Support Activity DaNang from Aug 1966 - Mar 1968. He's shooting from a long way out and hasn't hit anyone yet. Recent photo of Cheryl and me This combined attack, executed jointly by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People's Army, was a series of coordinated surprise attacks launched against both military and civilian targets. say I rarely ventured onto the left The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. But that only happened once as from then on I was ready. there. Well I answered once about the FNGs. It wasn't a normally [4] : 2 Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! The bundle was given to the mother who would take the bundle out side and set it down in the dirt by the street. It was kind of a taste of what we would get when the monsoons came in September. I was not prepared and he totally over powered me! Spent four years in college, and achieved QM3, and qualified in configuration it would hold about 10 people. on the National Geographic Magazine - Alan, Drawing It's the 4th largest city in Vietnam. It had been built the end of April so was brand new. Boy life was improving a lot. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. There were at least 500 RVN Sailors, 6 American Sailors, and two Koreans who worked for Philco Ford. The Doc started by cutting the legs off. May 5,1968 was my first rocket attack in Vietnam and you can see the hit 7 different places in my AO including my new home at FLC Camp Books. for references to information received from While the Seabee's exploits in Vietnam would carry on the tradition set during the Second World War, their work in Southeast Asia actually . After a short rest to pull my self together I went back and finished putting the door spring on and about that time one of my team mates picked me up and took me back to the shop. It's claim to fame was that it had a black prostitute. It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. I was in Danang less than a month when the Vietcong used rockets to attack the Danang Air Base for the first time in the war, on the morning of February 27. middle , Mr Kim a Korean Philco Ford electrician . A couple of our guys , Craig Taylor and Pat Brown were interested in learning to Scuba dive so I took it upon my self to teach them. So I took a trip in September 2016 back There was about a weeks over lap so the knew Chief could learn his job! [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. Bruce Moore says he first returned from a 13-month stint in the Vietnam War to a "poor response." "We were at Norton Air Force Base. "Honcho come", he pulls me around the Quonset hut, his eyes were as big as saucers! James L Chambers (cause of death,misadventure). "personal" shower head and keeping Camp Haskins, Da Nang, Vietnam, served as headquarters of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, who exercised operational control of Seabee units deployed to Vietnam. side was a area called Bridge Ramp which was where the Navy LSTs would pull in Some part of it was always listening to what was going on . I held that little girl sitting on my tool box and in a short time she was used to me and clutching onto the front of my shirt. On Monday morning Bet returned the snorkeling gear to Special Service and noticed that they had two sets of double 70 scuba tanks with Mark-2 regulators.
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