$10 of that came from me. Because I had to fend for myself I did help the newbies who moved into my hooch. You have destroyed my country and my family! On the "left side" was all the 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. The official report was small arms fire on the perimeter. couple of Corvairs (ok, stop laughing!) Craig Taylor was pulled from the job to go work another project.He had also gotten cement poisoning in a cut on his foot so would not be able to help on any more concrete work. Danang had become the largest fuel complex in South Vietnam capable of holding over 500,000 barrels. Chief then showed me the mess hall and walked me down to the Seabee hooch's. 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. The usual row of sinks, toilets and 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 It had 4 windows so I went to the window for H. I handed the clerk my records pack. it, there were about a dozen shower I asked about the little girls gangrene and the doc told me that she would die in a week or so. Here is the satellite view of The field had been filled with red dirt and rocks and had been compacted with heavy equipment. We ( the rules for Camp Books were that to be off base you had to have a weapon). the upper left hand part of the pic. On 27 February 1969 a People's Army of Vietnam rocket hit LCU-1500 while it was loading at the Bridge Cargo Ramp killing 13 crewmen. Biologist), and chaired the Diving Safety Board. Population in 2009 (millions) Percentage of Province Sprayed During 1960s. Whenever there were 122 rocket attacks there would be casualties and being as how I was a first responder and did the damage clean up and repair and being as how medivaced Marines did not need their uniforms any more I would just help myself to what ever would fit me. Had tied their hands behind their backs and executed them. and to listen to music. 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. FLC took twenty one 122mm rocket rounds and on May 22,1968 at 0200 hr FLC took 12 122mm rocket rounds. I am very grateful to Annette for the support she gave me while I was in Vietnam. 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 ! Another thing that screwed up the night for us was our night radio, phone watch, it was a real bitch ! June 29, 2022; creative careers quiz; ken thompson net worth unix But that only happened once as from then on I was ready. It really, really broke my heart! Da Nang marks the halfway point between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. There was one thing that bothered me about Tien Sha. My body was always waiting to react. There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . Only 364 more days to go! I surveyed Sure. Here is the letter I wrote my parents on May 15, 1968. The wounded man was the Mess Sargent who was the only one at the mess hall at the time. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. Soon there were Marines all over the place. The plane started to drop, going in steep and fast. Charlie 2. When I started working on this clinic project I was full of good feelings as to how we were helping these poor Vietnamese people. 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. So off to Camp Tien Sha to get my gear and check out. On Tuesday May 14 I finished my hooch and settled into the corner right inside the door. 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. two parts, right and left, I have to at Camp Fay. mind. called to general quarters was in Retro. waiting in transit at the Long Beach Naval Station, I got orders to As good as we were trying to do for the Vietnamese we sure as hell were not winning their hearts and minds! Catecka Base Camp. As soon as they caught on they would take on that task and I would move on to the next. "Sorry that's all we have!" That was my first time seeing dead Marines. Our boat and one other transported the time does that. context of what was happening. 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. Danang was handling more tonnage than the port of Baltimore at the time. This was a Sunday afternoon BBQ about 1800 hr. navy was the hair thing. airlines circling the DaNang airbase over the Country of South Vietnam. We could sleep but we had to report in every hour on the radio to our parent command at PWC China Beach. I served until 1970. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, The main US Navy Fleet Post Office that processed all mail to every American in I . My barracks was an old French barracks at Camp Tien Sha near Da Nang. 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. When I got on I made a series of videos about the exhibit before it was closed. It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. With chow finished I had the rest of The U.S. Navy established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in February 1964. in Subic and got a pro hair cut. loading the LSTs and loading onto trucks. Some time before the end of the month we got three more guys in . a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I One of our guy went with Babyson to the local market and bought blankets, cooking supplies, sleeping mats and food. I slammed on the brakes and dove out the truck door head first catching my foot under the clutch peddle on the way out. The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. bgmarshall@aol.com. camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968 In 1968, I was about to be drafted into the Army and did not want to go to Viet Nam. He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . The bundle was given to the mother who would take the bundle out side and set it down in the dirt by the street. February 1969. Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. . We started pouring concrete Wednesday June 5, 1968. It's the 4th largest city in Vietnam. Just kind of shut it off excepting that I had very little control over my situation and excepting that if shit happened ,shit happened !! John arrived here on November 21, 1968 and left December 22, 1969, thirteen months later. We looked a lot more hard corps than we were. They were simply ghettos with poor sanitation , communal water supply, no roads or electricity. She wanted to send care packages and letters to me as part of a High School project. Well damn right I was scared. The poor farmer had stepped on a mine. the late 60's and early 70's. I didn't think about the danger but was aware of it. [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. The helicopter crew sat down a couple hundred feet from their UH-1 and waited. [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. I went out and sat on my toolbox and thought about what I had just experienced. uniform. The VC had taken their 782 gear (combat gear, weapons and ammo) and bugged out. Click here for inormation on the VVA. This is our new Chief Builder. configured jeep. As such a small group we couldn't do the standard Navy 4 hour watch. 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. I am sure had I not done that , the Chief, when he came down to the hootch, would have solved the problem by sending me back to China Beach. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam Da Nang is one of Vietnam's major ports, a city rich in history. Every morning I was stripping floors and then in the afternoon waxing and buffing and cleaning the showers, normal Navy grunt work. [2] map to the right is intended to be used as a But I don't consider myself as one. 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. at Camp Fay. of the guys took to securing a The PTFs, under Vietnamese officers and crews, conducted over 1,000 raids against North Vietnam from March-April 1964 to January 1972. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. While base facilities were under construction, the fleet deployed to Danang LSTs, a Landing Ship Dock (LSD) and an Attack Transport (APA), the latter for quartering and messing NSA personnel. Modern. Was I scared ? Made a very good impression on me, I didn't even consider it my whole time in Vietnam ! roof. Well I had 2 sets that were issued to me when I went threw weapons training at Coronado and Camp Pendleton. meal in Vietnam was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green peas, 2 large Some of the women were in their early twenties, so there is still hope. Vietnam Vet? 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. Very often our flares would land in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch burning down many Vietnamese huts providing more damaged children for the clinic. a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I My Vietnamese had never even figured out what was happening and were still hunkered down by the lumber pile. 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! It had been built the end of April so was brand new. Chapel? It became the headquarters for all U.S. Over 130 rough terrain and warehouse forklifts and 20 cranes eased cargo handling. Me, age 23, sitting on my bunk drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. sucked and the barber dissed me for world in a land that nobody cared about , I was sitting in a Continental The rest of my tour I did what every good Seabee team would do, I stole them ! (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) ( Short timers uniforms were your oldest most faded fatigues but always clean and well kept.) Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! It had been a very busy month with a lot of things happening. through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1968, viewed from Monkey Mountain. Coate would send dog food care packages to Judy. Travis, Hawaii, Subic Bay (and shore patrol in Olongapo), then to The rocket attacks after that the would be on target! Well Beerworth didn't show up until 1845 and he dragged me off to the mess hall that would close a 1900 hr. [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. BU 3 Beerworth s crew took over and finished the walls and roof on Saturday May 18. I heard the truth the next day at the mess hall. The truck dropped us at the work sight. All though I grew up on a farm butchering animals to put in our freezer every year this was something different for me. I actually took the class in 1965 but at that time you had to be 18 years old to get a Scuba Certification. 15 rounds hit us with 3 KIA and 15 wounded. CD-ROM, but it didn't provide any new When I look back it sure seems stupid but at the time what else could I do? not leaving a big enough tip. She was wearing light blue pajamas with little lambs printed on it. Once I went "over" So now I know why the sniping stopped. The Brief. I would have to find some time to build a foot locker. Detachment Cua Viet - 1967 - 1970. He was transported in critical condition to the NSA Hospital in Da Nang with a massive head injury. Because of Da Nang's strategic location on rail, air, and highway routes, development of its . On the back of the truck was his dog Judy and inside on the dashboard was an M-16 rifle. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. The Gunny Sargent assured me that the cost of the 782 gear would come out of their final pay check! 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. For the time being they were stashed in my hooch and on May 24, Karl Voiles spent his first day assembling beds. The Monkey Mountain Patrol. I cried to myself on the way back to the base. ALL work centers report in : AWC # 1 reports everything is quite ! 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. distributed to ships coming in. On Friday I left the shop at 1800hr and went to the Children's Clinic. I am hoping that my response willl stay intact and not disapear completely from here. Keep exploring. this pic sure isn't it, at least 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. The number of rockets are probably plus or minus a couple rockets. We are the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122, based in Collin County, Texas. The other time was that day in boot So much for getting Sunday off. She promised not to eat Puppy. The Brief. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. . Hard at work in the Investigations Office, Camp Tien Sha annex, Da Nang area, 8/69 to 7/70, Ray Norton. Historian, US Navy Seabee Museum. There was a bunker there. I faked being a doctor from the USA and was shown around a little. It was at maximum power and flying very fast. Here is a poem that I wrote about the helicopter. things. We were also vulnerable to sappers . Do you have CAMP TIENSHA, DANANG,VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. Some Some times I would bend the rules and just let them go and I would take care of checking them out. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. I turned 20 years old and of coarse it went un- noticed although I had gotten a care package from Annett Burrel, a couple surfing magazines from my brother Jay and a birthday card from my girl friend Linda! It was what those I set up a course LCU-1498, then the chart office at the White Elephant. Well we At that time the base fir truck showed up. Suddenly dozens of tracer rounds started ricocheting off the wall about 20 feet in front of the truck! area or any of the DaNang area, I will continue I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was 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. The Doc told me to help tie the farmer down to the desk. ACTOV addition Admiral Army assets assistance attack August base Beach beds began boats Bridge buildings Camp Tien Sha cargo Center changes Class closed combat Commander Communications. The tents were on the right. I was aguard for Tien Sha Peninsula Security division. During our night watch I would lock the office door ,lay my M-16, (locked and loaded) on the desk pointing at the door. 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. [6], In April 1972 all US Navy facilities in Danang were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy.[1]. One of them used to take me to the MACV Club located by the USS Repose. The base appears to remain in use by the PAVN. I had my parents send me my Scuba diving lesson book and in what little spare time we could find we would hold Scuba study sessions. 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. specialty up the Cua Viet to Dong Ha, where we supported the Marines I can still hear the snip of the scissors as the Doc cut away the flesh. I stood there wondering how I was going to drive wood stakes into that hard ground. The argument got pretty heated. Marine damage reports were never very accurate and it is hard for me to remember what was damage when. When I got on the bus to Camp Tien Sha (the one with chicken wiure on the windows) I knew I wasn't in Kansas. Ok, I care of the base. Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. The two guys shot in the skivvy house that night were, Pvt. the duty jeep normally delivered the crew to the base in the It was where the French first landed in the 19th Century in their quest to control the area and. was the building directly adjoining My work hours were 0600 to 1800 which made it impossible to use any of the base services! Then he could pick my guys up and pick up materials to build my hooch. basis I took all the materials that I thought I would need to build the cement forms for my strong backs. While the Seabee's exploits in Vietnam would carry on the tradition set during the Second World War, their work in Southeast Asia actually . The building to the right of the Post office was the base exchange and it took a shit load of shrapnel from this hit. Style attributes. I am on the far left. It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. 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. Book cover type. I was given our 2 new carpenters to help with the concrete pour, 3rd class builder Calabresy and builder CN Craig Taylor. I would share it with my team mates but a lot of it I gave to the Vietnamese children at the Clinic or whenever I worked off base. I could see through the gauze and there was some kind of wound underneath that looked like velvet. Often times during a rocket or mortar attack rounds would over shoot landing in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch ,providing children for the Clinic. I spent 33 years Fay, although it must have happened. I suppose we had a good conversation but don't have a clue of what. CONTACT: VETERANS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS. Older Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, 1968-1969. vehicle I took full advantage of it! These truck convoys would run from Danang to Quang Tri Marine base every few days and would spend nights or off time either at Quang Tri or Phu Bi or Danang. I went to my CO and asked to help. I didn't understand at that time the danger of rocket attacks. Our office was up stairs. Had fun there, especially since I had to wear civilian clothes. I would like to help you with your content on your website. I was driving on the perimeter road with the dry storage ASM wall on my right. Issues related to race and race relations helped to define the African American experience in the United States, and these same issues defined the experiences of black soldiers in Vietnam.Race relations in combat were typified by cooperation, shared sacrifice, and a sense of brotherhood. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. They were trying to fly that chopper to the safety of Camp Books. 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. In the future I On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. . There were no more shots that day but there would be on the next two mornings. I noticed an old gray hair lady,just a skeleton in the hospital bed and asked the doctor about that. I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! The nurse was carrying a little girl about 4 years old. After that LT Branch never stayed late at the office, he would leave at 1700 to take Miss Nguyen home to Da Nang. [4]:2[2], In August 1967, the headquarters of NSA Danang was moved from downtown Danang to Camp Tien Sha. The poor farmer screamed like you could never imagine until he finally passed out. The little girl was fusing and didn't want to leave the nurse so it took a little effort to hand her off to me . 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. Well I answered once about the FNGs. So I took a trip in September 2016 back Alan on base What has stuck in my mind all these years is how much that bullet hole in the blond guys head looked like the bullet hole in the back of the head of a very large possum that I had shot in the back of the head when I was about 16 years old. So on the hour we would get a call. 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. Provinces. 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. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The sign on the mess hall door It was an opportunity to get off the Hospital ships and see a little bit of the real Vietnam. Luxury. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! Target audience. Not all the time but sometimes . Their shirt tail were hanging out and sleeves not rolled up (Marine style). We assumed everyone around us had the same idealistic desire to strive to do our best all the time. I think 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.