heads" but they were always stolen configured jeep. from Danang, Republic of Vietnam. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. maps) office in the White Elephant. I'm considered a Vietnam Veteran, due to the dates I served. - (07-07-02) I have NO remberance of We had to give Puppy away as we were not even supposed to have a dog. side was a barge with a sign. This is my Poem about the farmer who stepped on the mine. On May 22 at 0200 hr. It was a horrifying thing to watch. Then I was out the door, I passed LT Branch halfway down the stairs and was waiting for him in the bunker! My day was done!! We took 2 122mm rockets about where the crates are. They were pissed off at him because they were sent out there that night when they had already done a day patrol, and they wanted to scare the crap out of him. 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. shoes" and one of the Vietnamese 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. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam Da Nang is one of Vietnam's major ports, a city rich in history. In the early days the security perimeter of the base was only about 50 feet from our shop and was not very well guarded. As usual US style plumbing, the around on the gravel surface at the PTF base. [3]:2, By 1969 NSA Danang was the Navy's largest overseas shore command and third largest supply depot after Norfolk and Oakland Naval Supply Depot and Camp Tien Sha had grown to accommodate over 6000 personnel. at Camp Fay, never. Don't try to cross in to the base as there were mines. [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. It is very likely this was were the Marines were killed . I have no significant memories Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. MST1 and thought it would be a good time to go back and see [3] NSA Danang originally operated from a commercial pier on the city side of the Hn River and this "Museum Ramp" (160300N 1081328E / 16.05N 108.2245E / 16.05; 108.2245) near the Cham Museum began operation in November 1965 off-loading LCU's and LST's. The I finished the shower and got 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. They were all in alignment with our generators. [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. The Brief. Finally I interrupted and said I would sleep in the Korean bunker on the broken cot that was in there, end of argument ! C Chi tunnels. context of what was happening. I don't remember when I stopped doing work at the Children's clinic, Maybe the end of June or early July. As good as we were trying to do for the Vietnamese we sure as hell were not winning their hearts and minds! 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! The nurse laid across the farmers upper thighs to hold him in place. If you have Technicaly they were out side the perimeter so were not recorded, I guess. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . Style attributes. Guess with Calif. Go through their front gate then out their back gate to the causeway. Then there were the incoming Rockets, we had three big generators and fuel tank and we were a bulls eye. ( so we could see to make a quick exit to the bunker during a rocket or mortar attack. I jumped into the fighting hole beside the post and yelled at the Marines there "holy shit some one is shooting at me!" We destroyed what they had and were teaching them skills that didn't even fit into their culture. 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. Da Nang Cluster. Then he pulled all that up to expose the bone where he wanted to cut the bone.The nurse held all the skin and muscle up while the Doc cut off the bones. The only answer I could give them that they would except was. On Friday I left the shop at 1800hr and went to the Children's Clinic. I would like to help you with your content on your website. Nobody even knowing where from or if they had families. That's how we got our beds, enough for everyone. He lets fly with 8 or 10 rounds then he is done for the day. I asked about the little girl and the doc said she had died Thursday night. History [ edit ] Following the initial landing of Marines in South Vietnam on 8 March 1965, the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (9th MEB) established their headquarters in an old French Army compound on the western edge of Da Nang Air Base . Yes, everyone called him soccer ball head ! Surprisingly, I never step foot on a ship, I was always stationed in Navy hospitals. That was my first time seeing dead Marines. Retro. When he was all loaded he told them one of the other drivers had the paper work and while they were trying to hunt down the papers he just drove away. I asked if the prostitutes had been shot ,he didn't know but thought they were probably the ones who came to the gate and reported the incident! A sad day because we were no longer a Seabee Team ! training), ands a week at Whidby Island (E&E, and SERE. 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. When I look back it sure seems stupid but at the time what else could I do? The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. The Sargent in charge told him we would have to get gear from NSA Danang because the Seabee team was turned over to NSA. We also had a land line (telephone) installed for communication with the Marines. In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha (Tin Sa) at the foot of Monkey Mountain. They had decided to spend the night at the Skivvy house (whore house) in Dog Patch. . 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. February 1969. I got used to the nights but was never comfortable enough to sleep well. I took all the materials that I thought I would need to build the cement forms for my strong backs. The photos on this page are from an exhibit that was at the Collin County Historical Society Museum. The "enlisted head" was pretty bare. Anyone who tried to open that door without giving our pass word would have been shot. We looked a lot more hard corps than we were. about culture clash!) (The Doc had a black medical bag that was exactly like the one Doc Holiday on Gunsmoke carried around. Alan on Haircuts The sign on the mess hall door Around back there was a Jeep with a utility trailer on behind. I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! enough for me. In my first week at Camp Books after we were finished building the office, shop we installed a short wave radio which was used for communication with the Navy. The Seabee construction crews he is referring to was my crew. I cried to myself on the way back to the base. Most of the time if you were On May 13,1968 we took 6 122mm rocket rounds as explained in my May 15,1968 leter. The two crew members jumped out just under the flames .They carried their M-60 machine guns. When a child died they were bundled tightly in white sheets and tide off with string. didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. by the time they got to us AWC# 5 we would be awake (hopefully) and report in. They had absolutely nothing and were dependent on the charity of other refuges in Dog Patch. maintenance, and generally taking There were no boat parts in supply What the F is wrong with her? Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Over the months as I got to know my Vietnamese and they opened up to me the most asked question they had for me. at Camp Fay. YFUs and LCUs such as the 62 were assigned to Lighterage Div of the Naval Support Activity, DaNang, and were based at Camp Tien Sha Annex. There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. That episode followed rioting along China Beach by black . African Americans perceived racial issuesrace relations, prejudice, and discriminationin Vietnam through a lens heavily influenced by their earlier experiences in the United States. 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. 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. Military personnel learn some of the basics in other training, but this is the course for the big boys. "personal" shower head and keeping Provinces. The Brief. On the technical I sure didn't void Surprise, I think that was normal precaution . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Let me tell you that wasn't fun at all. 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. They were trying to fly that chopper to the safety of Camp Books. information beyond what we already have. Naval Support Activity DaNang (1965-1970), the U.S. Some It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. Danang had become the largest fuel complex in South Vietnam capable of holding over 500,000 barrels. These detachments decentralized the support function and improved the logistic flow. Recent photo of Cheryl and me June 29, 2022; creative careers quiz; ken thompson net worth unix The station hospital begun in 1965 had treated over 21,000 casualties, 44,000 nonbattle patients and one million outpatients flowing in from the hostile and disease-ridden I Corps environment. The Doc first put surgical tourniquets on and took the belts off. Biologist), and chaired the Diving Safety Board. The field had been filled with red dirt and rocks and had been compacted with heavy equipment. Jack Shulimson . to my new cubicle and dressed in my slightly used green utility working Additional responsibilities included harbor defense and the transshipment of cargo to the smaller ports in the region. The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. Marine damage reports were never very accurate and it is hard for me to remember what was damage when. with her work. Unfortunately when we got there it was closed for one hour for lunch and Coate did not have the time to hang around. May 1. 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. Before I went into the Navy I had a Da Nang Air Base (1957-1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) facility. Bombardier Jan 17, 2016 I bet they had to patrol that high ground a lot though Media information Category Images of Vietnam Added by nstar48 Date added Jan 30, 2008 View count 16,033 2 The doc had no idea but it was a sure thing she was going to die. Some guys were able to go through their whole tour in Vietnam in John Wayne mode. We are the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122, based in Collin County, Texas. 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 that LT Branch never stayed late at the office, he would leave at 1700 to take Miss Nguyen home to Da Nang. Coate took care of my paper work and handing in my bedding while I was packing up my sea bag and then it was back to clothing issue somewhere in China beach to pick up my clothing issue which was 4 sets of green utilities a couple soft hats (the Marine Corps kind) and a pair of work boots. Statewide Water Diversion and Fish Passage Coordinator (Senior [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. Late in the day we had built them a nice hootch and had them moved in. Sandoval. Very often our flares would land in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch burning down many Vietnamese huts providing more damaged children for the clinic. and their 155 and 175 guns. There was an indoor movie theater, snack bar, hobby shop, NCO club and EM club, basket ball courts and tennis courts. The Seabee team had 8 junior men in one hootch and 4 senior men in the second hootch. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. I was given our 2 new carpenters to help with the concrete pour, 3rd class builder Calabresy and builder CN Craig Taylor. Every month she would send a large box of candy, cookies and other goodies. He was wearing his best short timers uniform. They were the best I could Suddenly dozens of tracer rounds started ricocheting off the wall about 20 feet in front of the truck! shower heads came out from the side It became the headquarters for all U.S. In the fall of 1966 I was transferred Honorably Discharged as a QM2(SS) in 1971ish. There wasn't much blood ,just a small whelp where the bullet went in. 2023 iStockphoto LP. 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 was face down on the road under the edge of the truck with my foot stuck under the clutch peddle. On the left Modern. technical and supply stuff. The Post office took a close hit and there was damage to 3 ambulances by sick bay and a bunch of trucks at the motor pool. readers. It had 4 windows so I went to the window for H. I handed the clerk my records pack. He had to re arrange his schedule to accommodate me. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. She was wearing light blue pajamas with little lambs printed on it. [3]:8, In April 1972 all US Navy facilities in Danang were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy.[4]. The map I sent you is how I remember that The sound was very loud so at first we thought it was close but couldn't see it. What the hell is that? The following information was emailed in to Sleeping in that bunker was not good.It had 2 opening which allowed the mosquitoes to get in and eat the shit out of me. Target audience. cold glasses of chocolate milk, ice cream and an apple to go. I had my broken leg cot and was living out of my sea bag. It was losing altitude and we were wondering if they would make it. thought though was he was just putting on a show for us new guys. It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. He's shooting from a long way out and hasn't hit anyone yet. I was called to active durty in July Ok, I The port of Danang contained only three small piers, three Landing Ship, Tank (LST) ramps and a stone quay that were inaccessible to oceangoing vessels; even smaller craft had trouble approaching. 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 finished his tour with detective work as one of six NSA investigators at Camp Tien Sha, adjacent to Da Nang. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. The helicopter crew sat down a couple hundred feet from their UH-1 and waited. Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. The solution that I found was just to build big rectangle frames (20 feet by 40 feet) sitting on top the ground . He was standing about 10 feet from me and the first round of a rocket attack went through the ventilator on top of our building ,exactly four feet above the LTs head and exploded in the ware house bay next to our shop. it for their personal use. At Freedom Hill you'll see some panoramic shots of the base and buildings (USO Club, ), likewise at Tien Sha (Snoopy's Chicken Hut, Acey Ducey Club). standing duty after working hours you were pretty much alone. It sure seemed longer then a month, to me it was more like a few months! Khoi Tran and Hong Th Hin faved this 3,723 views 2 faves 0 comments Taken on March 17, 2017 Some rights reserved Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 9000 ED As time passed and I saw all of these kids sick and broken I realized that most of what this clinic was doing was trying to repair the damage done to these kids by the war itself. One night I was called out for some lights on the west perimeter. That's danger close to the shop! New year found It really, really broke my heart! and the LT moved to the Da. Chn Thnh Camp. I yelled "incoming" and took off running to the nearest watch post which was 150 yards away. The Marines slept 12 to 14 men in a hootch. The exhibit was known as "The Vietnam Syndrome". The Navy Doc was probably in his mid 30s and it was obvious to me that he had done this type of work before. Suprise, suprise, 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. 15 rounds hit us with 3 KIA and 15 wounded. 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. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! Because I was just getting situated it was just mass confusion for me . Well whenever I was working in that area I would sneak in the tent and find some dirty uniforms,still in good shape and steal them, put them in my crew tool box and take them back to my hooch and hand wash them ! was directly below the building My body was always waiting to react. )The Doc gave me a large stick like a tongue depressor ,except bigger. Looking back, have The memory of that little girl is as strong now as then and I can not think about her without getting choked up and teary eyed ! thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, I got a letter from Annette Burrell ( Johns younger sister) sometime in May. My Vietnamese workers were hunkered down by the lumber pile about 30 ft from me.Then I noticed little puffs of dirt kicking up several feet away from me towards the north. C Chi Base Camp. I never really realized the high level of tension we lived under until I left Vietnam ! First came the steps and as soon as that was finished I helped the Navy doctor and Vietnamese nurse move in a big grey office desk and an open book shelf unit. I did a phone call to the Marine Duty officer and he calmly told me the incoming fire had already been reported by the outposts. 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. Long , long ago, far, far away on the other side of the I don't know what the building He spent the night at the shop bunker by himself , totally confused as to what was going on. Because of the rocket attack on May 13 (rockets hit with in 50 yard of this building) some of the officers there wanted escape doors out the back of the building where they were starting to build their own bunkers. line. Well I had 11 months to go and it was going to be a very long 11 months ! Management and planning of the logistic flow needed refinement, as ships arrived en masse with cargo improperly stowed and packaged. No. as soon as they were installed. About a mile out the crew started kicking boxes out the doors. (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) Over time that changed, I didn't want to know any newbies! Mostly I would just build and they would watch and fallow what I did. navy was the hair thing. So what did I do for work uniforms ? Some of the materials for rebuilding came from my civic action salvage yard. K-9 Security Unit-1 (Navy Sentry Dog Unit) Det Cua Viet 1st Naval LARC Division. It turned 90 degrees to the right and touched down between two rows of concertina wire in the middle of the perimeter. What I really He was driving a 1 1/2 ton flat bed stake truck and was making the rounds to pick up supplies. I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1968 from Monkey Mountain nstar48 Media item Jan 30, 2008 camp tien sha monkey mountain united states navy seabees vietnam war year 1968 Comments: 2 Category: Images of Vietnam China Beach from Monkey Mountain 1968 China Beach and Marble Mountain from Monkey Mountain Vietnam 1968 nstar48 Media item Jan 30, 2008 And there were certainly good things there, at least in the Some part of it was always listening to what was going on . Sometimes we could be called out 2 or 3 times in a night. 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 . 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. This is the day I started my real job. a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I A half inch pipe There was about a weeks over lap so the knew Chief could learn his job! I went home in August 1967, I am not sure what possessed me to write poems there. Coate gave me two sets of shorts and short sleeve shirts. China Beach, Vietnam. Some where along the line the nurse had done an IV drip. 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. I had orders in September 1966 to go to 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! corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners. Get those Fucking Gooks away from that Damn trailer". said hours 1700 to 2100. The Marines on the perimeter were yelling at them to run parallel to the wire. On May 15 I had finished 6 or 8 escape doors. [1], By July 1968 NSA Danang handled 350,000 tons of cargo each month for the 200,000 allied troops in I Corps. You FNGs The audio is a little weak, so listen in a quiet place with the sound turned up. Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. This is the first Poem that I wrote in Vietnam and is about the two marines killed in the skivvy house. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. to LCU-1498 (same routine). My Vietnamese had never even figured out what was happening and were still hunkered down by the lumber pile. On Friday May 17 I was sent out on another job. Level the frames and tie them to the stakes and I would have my concrete forms complete. in Subic and got a pro hair cut. Warehouses, open storage areas, cargo handling equipment, and good exit routes from the port were limited. And I was not in the bush and am grateful that I wasn't. I would have to find some time to build a foot locker. Luxury. There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. 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 . Here is the battalion report for May 1968. Next thing I realize he has a hold on my sleeve.