me at Port Services, then I was tasked with setting up a chart (and Quite the contrary, African Americans frequently complained that they were disproportionately assigned menial duties, not promoted to the level they deserved, unfairly targeted for punishment, disproportionately drafted, assigned to combat units, and killed in Vietnam. a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I During the day of May 21 or May 22 Bettencourt took our flat bed truck to covered storage in Danang to pick up supplies while he was there a bunch of Navy trucks were lined up to load beds and lockers to furnish some barracks at Camp Tien Sha . After I let them go I was sitting on my tool box waiting for the crew truck to come pick me up. Our generators were not even running yet so I heard the rocket coming in. I thought they were trying to lighten their load. Detachment Dong Ha - 1967 - 1970. It was the UH-1 trailing smoke. So on the hour we would get a call. I always had hot meals and a warm bed. T is a history of NSA in Vietnam, which by 1969 was the Navy's largest overseas command with the largest public works department in the world. I didn't The doc asked if I could baby sit the little girl while he and the nurse did a surgery. This comment has been removed by the author. I think it was on May 22,Wednesday when I was on the night radio,phone watch that I wrote my poem about this event. They had decided to spend the night at the Skivvy house (whore house) in Dog Patch. Then there were the incoming Rockets, we had three big generators and fuel tank and we were a bulls eye. the late 60's and early 70's. Donations for May. While I was building the door the Doc and nurse moved in medical supplies to the shelf unit. Everyone had his turf marked out and nobody was willing to give any for me. My barracks was an old French barracks at Camp Tien Sha near Da Nang. The saw he used was a miniature version of the bone saw we used when we cut up cows or pigs at butchering time on the farm! By the time I graduated from High school I was a damn good diver! Back at the hootch the Seabees got in a major debate about where to put me. such a small vehicle. configuration it would hold about 10 people. [4] : 2 By TET of 1968 most of the rural Vietnamese had been moved into relocation camps (Dog Patch). because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. I am sure this little girl will be my last thought when I punch out from this world. Da Nang Air Base (1957-1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) facility. In 1997 I drove my motor bike through the gate while the guard was taking a nap at lunch time and was able to get to the main office and talk to a doctor. Whatever, I was very There were two supply tents up there and when the Field Marines (grunts) would come in from the bush they would strip off all their dirty clothes and throw them in piles in one tent then go into the other tent and pick up clean uniforms. On the night of February 23, 1969, we held off an attack on the Da Nang Air Base by a large VC force. Suddenly the helicopter went nose high and stopped going forward. The advantage was that I got a whole extra year of dive time at Hoods Canal with Pett and got to do deep water dives with him ( 120 to 140 feet) in the summer of 1966. Camp Fay in the evening and morning. 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 . [4] NSA Danang originally operated from a commercial pier on the city side of the Hn River and this "Museum Ramp" (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}160300N 1081328E / 16.05N 108.2245E / 16.05; 108.2245) near the Cham Museum began operation in November 1965 off-loading Landing Craft Utility (LCUs) and LSTs. Every tree trunk was painted white, every rock was neatly lined up along the Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. whatever you say Mr. Modern. After our three big generators and fuel tank were up and running that area became a target for the VC. The In the early days the security perimeter of the base was only about 50 feet from our shop and was not very well guarded. The huge fuel tank was just being build on the left out of the picture. Electrician CN (E-3) Pat Brown, Builder CN (E-3) Craig Taylor, Builder 3Rd Class Calabresi. The following information was emailed in to VVA's goals . care of the base. As usual US style plumbing, the work out the details with him. He expired nine days later. The mountain is in the background. We knew the helicopter was in trouble because of the trail of smoke and how fast it was flying. 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. What we finally did was a one man 12 hour watch. Surprise, I think that was normal precaution . His name was Coate and he was a 3rd class yeoman. It's the 4th largest city in Vietnam. The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. submariines (SS) designated. February 1969. MAY 10, 1967 FOR COLLEGES State-Related Status Unique By WILLIAM E. DEIBLER HARRISBURG (AP) How would yo I read of your arrival in China Beach with a bit of a chuckle remembering how green we all were at that time. 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. Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . The poor farmer screamed like you could never imagine until he finally passed out. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in We went downtown in Long Beach, and we got harassed a lot. The rocket attacks after that the would be on target! camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968. The new wood frame building that I did was behind the camera. The Marines in that ambush had fired on me to scare me because they thought I was the duty officer making the rounds. Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . couple of Corvairs (ok, stop laughing!) snakes and other items of entertainment. would be thinking about that meal a lot! One night I was in the office with LT Branch . Detachment Cua Viet - 1967 - 1970. What ever it was we were done by shortly after 1600 hr. . Drive out the back gate and about 2 miles to the Navy Seabee base. The nurse laid across the farmers upper thighs to hold him in place. . 15 rounds hit us with 3 KIA and 15 wounded. [4]:33, Logistic vessels under the control of NSA Danang included Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM 3 & LCM 6) and LCU landing craft; harbor utility craft (YFU); small harbor tugs (YTL); open lighters (YC); refrigerated barges (YFRN); Army craft; and a refrigerator ship. All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off Only 364 more days to go! side was a area called Bridge Ramp which was where the Navy LSTs would pull in There were at least 500 RVN Sailors, 6 American Sailors, and two Koreans who worked for Philco Ford. 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. The poor farmer had stepped on a mine. We are the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122, based in Collin County, Texas. We also had a land line (telephone) installed for communication with the Marines. Keep exploring. In DaNang we had what was called the "duty jeep". The iStock design is a trademark of iStockphoto LP. "Honcho come", he pulls me around the Quonset hut, his eyes were as big as saucers! Here is the satellite view of I believe we also tied him around the waist. I was probably in as much in shock as the farmer. Luxury. 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. I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. It had 4 windows so I went to the window for H. I handed the clerk my records pack. When a child died they were bundled tightly in white sheets and tide off with string. This is the near miss at our Post office. Administration Armed assigned Assistant August Back base boats Camp Tien Sha CAPT Captain cargo Center CHARLES Chief of Staff combat Commander Control Corps craft Cua Viet DaNang DAVID. distributed to ships coming in. head" screwed onto the pipe. The U.S. Navy established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in February 1964. 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. Also we took care of damage at Camp Reasoner and the small CAP out posts. A regular jeep would accommodate 5 people, while in this This is the poem I wrote about the little girl who died from gangrene. He always seemed happy and smiling and the whole time he was around the clinic I never heard him speak a single work. Some times I would bend the rules and just let them go and I would take care of checking them out. It didn't take long to get out of bed when the first rocket struck nearby. It was where the French first landed in the 19th Century in their quest to control the area and. He seemed totally comfortable and relaxed. That distance above us was only 4 feet. If I wanted something I had to have Bet or Ski pick it up. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. She promised not to eat Puppy. Nights in Vietnam were uncomfortable at best. to develop this map. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! This is the Hoa Kahn clinic at the time I started working there. while we were starting the wall framing we heard the sound of a UH-1 helicopter. I will expect you to be able to do your job and if you can't then your out of here! I set up a course In the fall of 1966 I was transferred After he was medivaced one young labor worker(Baby son) would ask me every morning If I had heard how Barbee was and if I got a letter from him. There was a bunker there. Fun! They were simply ghettos with poor sanitation , communal water supply, no roads or electricity. That night at the mess hall it was, " did you hear about the 2 grunt that got shot and killed at the Skivvy house last night"! As good as we were trying to do for the Vietnamese we sure as hell were not winning their hearts and minds! Chn Thnh Camp. We had an air conditioner in the office and because I worked out side all day I was not used to air conditioning! From March to July 1965, III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) troops delivered supplies to the units in the field while the Seventh Fleet ran port operations. If US Mail works best for you, Vietnam War Home Movies Tien Sha & Da Nang 1969 ammo dump explosion, freedom hill VintageFilmArsenal 2.48K subscribers 37K views 8 years ago Go to vintagefilmarsenal.com to purchase a. Paperback. places that you or others would be referring to. Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the In mid-October 1968 the Deep Water Pier complex ( 16.12N 108.214E) on the Tien Sha peninsula was completed, beginning operations in September 1968. person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. I also made life long friends. The doc had no idea but it was a sure thing she was going to die. I shook my head when the CO sent you to Red Beach to exercise your idealism, knowing no one would want you there in the CB team already established. There are other memories of my time working at the clinic. The wounded are only those who were medivaced to a hospital. risking my life in a really inadequate vehicle! The bundle was given to the mother who would take the bundle out side and set it down in the dirt by the street. Mark Harms reporting for duty! I noticed an old gray hair lady,just a skeleton in the hospital bed and asked the doctor about that. was about vehicles, building Then to it, there were about a dozen shower One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! I joined the Navy Reserve and went to Viet Nam anyway. Mountain. vietnamandmilitary $6.00 Original, In Wrapper P-38 Vietnam War vietnamandmilitary $175.00 Naval Support Activity, Da Nang 1968 Cruise Book vietnamandmilitary Seller Information Seller vietnamandmilitary Contact Seller Older Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, 1968-1969. Recent photo of Cheryl and me - 300 dpi - RGB, Royalty-free licenses let you pay once to use copyrighted images and video clips in personal and commercial projects on an ongoing basis without requiring additional payments each time you use that content. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, This is a 122mm rocket crater in the road in front of our shop. I would sit at the desk and drink coffee, write letters or poetry. [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. Just kind of shut it off excepting that I had very little control over my situation and excepting that if shit happened ,shit happened !! Alan on base CONTACT: VETERANS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS. Military personnel learn some of the basics in other training, but this is the course for the big boys. Drinking black coffee trying to stay alert. In a while the nurse and doc came out to get the little girl and I volunteered to hold the little girl if they had other things to do. If one of the other bases in our AO got hit by mortars or rockets then our siren went off and we were on red alert which meant we had to role out with weapons, helmets,and flack jackets and man our posts. The doctor and nurse came out of the clinic. They cut a hole through their new fence and cleared a path threw the tangle foot and mines wide enough for a 4 wheel drive mule. There were no boat parts in supply The harbor defense unit used landing craft, picket boats and 16 feet (4.9m) Boston Whalers to monitor and protect the maritime traffic. Soon we came to the bridge across the Han River. what it is like now. didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. On 1 April 1966 Naval Forces Vietnam was established in Saigon and assumed control of NSA Danang from III MAF. Bet coming down the trail by the ESSO Plant east wall. Do the job, get it done right and then sign off the work order and move on to the next one. It was losing altitude and we were wondering if they would make it. We took good care of Judy and she ate very well, We would get stake and chicken from the mess hall and She also loved to drink beer. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. the duty jeep normally delivered the crew to the base in the As I recall Taylor dropped out when we got to the ocean diving but Pat Brown stuck it out and we became dive buddies. NMCB THREE Main Body Flights consisting of three passenger . Do you have CAMP TIENSHA, DANANG,VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Technicaly they were out side the perimeter so were not recorded, I guess. Closer and closer, the engine starting to whine! After checking in, I was assigned to iwas in the 1097th med boat co. dongtam,vietnam 1968 towed 3rd 34th artery barges up down the canels moble riverine force 9th inf divion, caption wild was incharge Detachment Hue - 1965 - 1970. the place. and the LT moved to the Da. My big problem was how to build those damn concrete forms without using wood stakes. I was finished with my concrete forms before noon on Wednesday . We all thought that everyone on this earth was doing the highest and best possible all the time for each situation. And I do web work now and I want to help you fix your articles so people can read them easier.I'm not asking to get paid I just want to do something for you. Did he live or die? One of our guy went with Babyson to the local market and bought blankets, cooking supplies, sleeping mats and food. Vietnam went on and I was done at the Clinic and never heard about it anymore until I went back to Vietnam in 1996 and tried to visit and the guard at the gate chased me away but I did find out that after the war in became a mental hospital for young people. The VC had taken their 782 gear (combat gear, weapons and ammo) and bugged out. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. If it had detonated when it hit the ventilator we both would have been killed! List of battleships of the United States Navy, http://www.worldcat.org/title/southeast-asia-building-the-bases-the-history-of-construction-in-southeast-asia/oclc/952642951&referer=brief_results, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/by-sea-air-land-marolda/chapter-4-winding-down-the-war-1968-1973.html, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States military bases of the Vietnam War. First I had to do a couple hour job at the 1st MP Quonset hut. corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners. There weren't even any stairs going up there yet. Storage areas ashore were limited by space and access. map to the right is intended to be used as a With Coate gone Judy would still sleep in his hooch and she would ride around on the stake truck, hang around the office or the hooch s. Judy hated Marines, and Vietnamese men but she was alright with Vietnamese women as long as they treated her nice. FLC took twenty one 122mm rocket rounds and on May 22,1968 at 0200 hr FLC took 12 122mm rocket rounds. I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . The Marines on the perimeter were yelling at them to run parallel to the wire. The village it refers to was just north of Camp Books. Between 1969 and 1971 hundreds, if not thousands, of incidents of racial violence occurred in and around American military bases Nang officers billeting ! Vietnam veterans, age 60+, American. This is the inside of our shop.The office was upstairs and to the left. training), ands a week at Whidby Island (E&E, and SERE. The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. once. 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. Marine guns up to the DMZ, we looked like shoe boxes eith long gun 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! When we arrived at Red Beach the Seabee team shop was a mad house. Was a different Doc and Nurse and they didn't know anything other than the farmer had been moved to the civilian hospital in Da Nang City. naval reserves just before graduating from high school in 1962. pilot said that was to avoid being shot at by the VC. know what it was about "shower Well I had 11 months to go and it was going to be a very long 11 months ! right , Huan one of my carpenters. loading the LSTs and loading onto trucks. The exhibit was known as "The Vietnam Syndrome". The sign on the mess hall door We were supposed to protect our base generators and fuel tank from sappers. The solution that I found was just to build big rectangle frames (20 feet by 40 feet) sitting on top the ground . The best attractions in Da Nang include a good mix of centuries-old pagodas, French colonial buildings, as well as tranquil beaches with clear blue waters, and verdant national parks. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. DaNang aerial photograph It was reported in an Email that National Geographic Magazine somewhere between Jan. 1967 and June 1968 had an aerial photograph of DaNang with enough detail to get the CIA uptight. The Doc told me to help tie the farmer down to the desk. They made runs north to Cua Viet at the mouth of the river (80 miles north of DaNang and 6 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone) and then upriver eight miles to Dong Ha to haul cannon ammunition to the marines. 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. It is a code of conduct course as much as it teaches the practical issues of survival. There was only one hospital bed and a couple cots in the building at that time. Just to the right of Pett George my ex UDT instructor allowed me to go through the class early being as how my older brother Jay and my Dad were going through the class too. If you served in Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. I was land based in Da Nang. Once at the PTF base the jeep Probable a pissed of old farmer getting off a couple round while drinking his morning coffee. waiting in transit at the Long Beach Naval Station, I got orders to The number of rockets are probably plus or minus a couple rockets. [3]:8, In April 1972 all US Navy facilities in Danang were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy.[4]. I had to make a quick exit when the patients got excited when I walked towards the main ward! I just haven't had time for any more. Then after thinking about it I realized how wrong I was. So just go back to work and keep moving so he doesn't have a stationary target and you should be OK!" Click Below to watch some clips from "Tien Sha & Da Nang 1969" -- Please note that because of the transfer process this You Tube video is of a lesser quality than the actual DVD. [5], In July 1966 the "Bridge Cargo Ramp" (160307N 1081352E / 16.052N 108.231E / 16.052; 108.231) began operations increasing NSA's supply capability. When Puppy was big enough our secretary, interpreter Miss Nguyen took Puppy home with her to Danang. The building site was about 150 yards outside of the north perimeter and the perimeter had not been opened up yet. Lieutenant Colonel Leonard A. Blasiol, U.S. Marine Corps . So that's what I did, went back to work. Some of the rocket attacks were on Camp Books (FLC) . Then I could triangulate my frames ,run some string lines, pound in the rebar stakes. Tour: August 2, 1969 through July 17, 1970. maids walked in and started cleaning (The Doc had a black medical bag that was exactly like the one Doc Holiday on Gunsmoke carried around. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. Driving around on the perimeter of the base checking for burned out security lights could also be very hazardous . The next weekend I asked about the farmer ? I would like to help you with your content on your website. Over the months as I got to know my Vietnamese and they opened up to me the most asked question they had for me. You FNGs get to the back of the I am searching for anyone who may recall serving with me in the Seabees at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang between 1969-1971. I experienced rocket attacks, an ammunition dump explosion, total boredom, drug busts, police raids, China Beach, and the birth of my daughter, Rebecca. It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. This is our new Chief Builder. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. This would also give Beerworth time to get his guys out on their job. . We stopped work and watched. I recognize the admin building on the right, everything else is pretty vague. couldn't resist testing it's limits! I have spent countless hours over the past 15 years driving my motorbike around the Camp Books area looking for any of our workers. I was going to have to hit the ground running if I intended to stay with this team. context of what was happening. January 30, 1968 marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive. When I got on With tears in my eyes I told the guard that I had been helping the doc at the children's clinic and he could take his fucking travel chit and shove it up his ass! Detachment Chu Lai - 1964 - 1971. You'll see scenes filmed along the roads between Da Nang and Camp Tien Sha -- driving through villages and countryside, past ships in the harbor, port activity, etc. We looked a lot more hard corps than we were. The three strong backs that I was to build for 7th motors was put on hold. Ten of them cluster around one of the three air bases that became the most contaminate with dioxin: Da Nang, Phu Cat and Bien Hoa. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. They did hit the fuel bladders at truck company several time so I knew there would be a nice warm fire if our fuel tank got hit. This is the first Poem that I wrote in Vietnam and is about the two marines killed in the skivvy house. and I was just finishing up the door. Because I had to fend for myself I did help the newbies who moved into my hooch. It was at maximum power and flying very fast. So over time it was easier to just not know anyone. The only answer I could give them that they would except was. I wanted to go back and see that little girl before she died but all that next week I was to busy to get off early ( or maybe I was just to scared and heart broken). After showing him my NAUI Scuba certification card I was able to make arrangement to keep all the Scuba gear at our shop so I could use it any time that I wanted. Charles R. Smith . k. On the technical at Camp Fay. The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. The Doc first put surgical tourniquets on and took the belts off. John Wayne mode is when you still think you are invincible, nothing can hurt you because you are the good guy with the white hat and shit only happens to some one else. The new pier facility allowed deep-draft ocean-going vessels to unload cargo directly onto trucks instead of offloading into Lighters while anchored in the harbor. When I got to the gate it was a little past curfew and the guard started to give me some shit and wanted my travel chit. large canvas covering over the rear area that protected bench IN VIETNAM. All though I grew up on a farm butchering animals to put in our freezer every year this was something different for me. I believe that on May 21 we had hits to the sick bay which was a big rebuild job. Charlie 2. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! It turned 90 degrees to the right and touched down between two rows of concertina wire in the middle of the perimeter. Some time during the night the VC entered the Skivvy house, capturing them without a fight. Because I was just getting situated it was just mass confusion for me . When the Doc was finished he told me I could remove the stick. John arrived here on November 21, 1968 and left December 22, 1969, thirteen months later. Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. click here or click "back" until you
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