camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968

was directly below the building pissed me off the most about the My friend and his dog Rusty had cornered a very large possum against a tree and I went around the back of the tree and shot that possum at the base of the skull at point blank with a 22 cal short. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. My body was always waiting to react. and the LT moved to the Da. Between 1969 and 1971 hundreds, if not thousands, of incidents of racial violence occurred in and around American military bases The Doc told me to help tie the farmer down to the desk. those Nastie's were fun boats! Just keep on working in the rain. I wanted to know everything about what happened to those Marines. But when shit happens to you and you are the victim, everything changed! side was a area called Bridge Ramp which was where the Navy LSTs would pull in TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. the place. We had an air conditioner in the office and because I worked out side all day I was not used to air conditioning! Detachment Hue - 1965 - 1970. Biologist), and chaired the Diving Safety Board. In March 1965 when United States Marine Corps combat troops landed at Danang, the support establishment was rudimentary. 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. Local Page TIMES-MIRROR and OBSERVER Section B WARREN, PA., WEDNESDAY. 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! 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! half, aside from the times that I The next work order I got for there I gave it to Beerworth and told him I would not work there any more! I would have to wait a few more days for that to start. basis (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) background old PTF Base and Monkey The harbor defense unit used landing craft, picket boats and 16 feet (4.9m) Boston Whalers to monitor and protect the maritime traffic. that's one of our generators upper left. YFU-54 (Car 54 where are you). During the first half of his in-country tour, Norton made the best of a boring and life- consuming job as a Tien Sha Peninsula Security Division guard. would be thinking about that meal a lot! and Captain David A . We were told that we were teaching them skills so they would be able to have a useful job. in Subic and got a pro hair cut. Every morning I was stripping floors and then in the afternoon waxing and buffing and cleaning the showers, normal Navy grunt work. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S. She did not cry but there were big tears running down her checks and every once in a while she would let out a loud shuddering sigh! Before I went into the Navy I had a I also made life long friends. Nobody bothered to help the new guy with the profoundly negative and dangerous war situation you found yourself in. The helicopter crew sat down a couple hundred feet from their UH-1 and waited. As he cut them off he threw them in the corner beside the shelf and I can remember how strange they looked leaning against the wall! submariines (SS) designated. person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. Often several rockets would have gone off before I even knew we were under attack ! I would have to find some time to build a foot locker. Drinking black coffee trying to stay alert. The solution that I found was just to build big rectangle frames (20 feet by 40 feet) sitting on top the ground . On May 21,1968 at 2400 hr. 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. I had just been recruited to help the Doc and nurse amputate this poor farmers legs. The building site was about 150 yards outside of the north perimeter and the perimeter had not been opened up yet. I can find no official reports on that rocket attack and have to assume nobody bothered to make a report because the rounds hit in the swamp between the main body of Camp Books and the Force Logistics Command section. Unfortunately when we got there it was closed for one hour for lunch and Coate did not have the time to hang around. One of them used to take me to the MACV Club located by the USS Repose. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! 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 was to hear FNG The new wood frame building that I did was behind the camera. Camp Haskins, Da Nang, Vietnam, served as headquarters of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, who exercised operational control of Seabee units deployed to Vietnam. Cn Th Base Camp. When Puppy was big enough our secretary, interpreter Miss Nguyen took Puppy home with her to Danang. probably had some car handling skills. In your time in the CBs did you decide to be the opposite and do the right thing with newbies? The argument got pretty heated. This is the day I started my real job. There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . Work started at 0700 hr and we got off at 1700 hr. context of what was happening. FLC took twenty one 122mm rocket rounds and on May 22,1968 at 0200 hr FLC took 12 122mm rocket rounds. Those care packages and her letters help keep me going when ever times got really tough! Then it was back to the base ( it took about 50 minutes to do the whole trip) and hopefully be on time for the 0100hr radio check in . hair cutting all my time there aside 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! I wish I would have known about it then! Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. Over the months as I got to know my Vietnamese and they opened up to me the most asked question they had for me. loved cars and fast driving. Modern. 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 . And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free stock images that features Vietnam photos available for quick and easy download. I had my sailboat and some I'm at camp Tien Sha at Da Nang now. Well I answered once about the FNGs. All in the name of saving them from Communism. very first day of war. We took several trucks and picked up Pham Ba and Babyson outside the gate and headed down the road. This is the poem I wrote about the little girl who died from gangrene. The MPs had used their white belts as tourniquets just above the knees. Danang. So after the 2400 check in I would jump in the truck with M-16 and ammo. Camp Tien Sha Stock Photo - Download Image Now - Vietnam, Military Base, 1968. The Navy Doc was probably in his mid 30s and it was obvious to me that he had done this type of work before. The Marines slept 12 to 14 men in a hootch. They had to be manned 24 hours a day. Her husband was an ARVN soldier who had been killed. I faked being a doctor from the USA and was shown around a little. line. 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. His name was Coate and he was a 3rd class yeoman. He finished his tour with detective work as one of six NSA investigators at Camp Tien Sha, adjacent to Da Nang. To know all the different sounds was to be able to read what was happening at night and how safe I was. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. There wasn't much blood ,just a small whelp where the bullet went in. Jack Shulimson . work out the details with him. Vietnam veterans, age 60+, American. side was a barge with a sign. New year found We visited Chu Laiu, Hue, and our through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no Next thing I realize he has a hold on my sleeve. It was about the most insane thing I had ever experienced and was hard for my mind to grasp what had just happened. I think In the fall of 1966 I was transferred May 27 was my birthday. Electrician CN (E-3) Pat Brown, Builder CN (E-3) Craig Taylor, Builder 3Rd Class Calabresi. The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. We weren't expecting any new men and we don't have the time to train you. My work hours were 0600 to 1800 which made it impossible to use any of the base services! So now I know why the sniping stopped. The wounded man was the Mess Sargent who was the only one at the mess hall at the time. 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. The Chief did manage to get bedding (Ha,Ha) I got one bed sheet and one pillow case. configuration it would hold about 10 people. configured jeep. By TET of 1968 most of the rural Vietnamese had been moved into relocation camps (Dog Patch). navy was the hair thing. I started building my hooch on Wednesday May 8th at just before noon. On the "left side" was all the We aren't sure where he is yet and haven't got permission to go after him! 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 The The Marines in that ambush had fired on me to scare me because they thought I was the duty officer making the rounds. The cot had a broken leg so I had to prop it up with a sand bag and it was missing one end piece so it just wanted to fold up on me when I laid on it. Anniversary story of his trip back He didn't mince words. " at Camp Fay. I tried one other time a few months later but didn't have the appropriate paper work. The Guess earlier generations of residents at Camp Fay had their I guess that is why there were a lot of E-2 in the Marines. When I started working on this clinic project I was full of good feelings as to how we were helping these poor Vietnamese people. We had no black out lights on our trucks so we would have been any easy target for anyone who decided that they were going to kill us! The course is a model in how to survive, and how to come home with honor. Was I scared ? I pretty much walked the whole base then back to the EM club for a cold beer One night I stood a four hour office watch and another night I was on a four hour barracks fire watch. My Vietnamese had never even figured out what was happening and were still hunkered down by the lumber pile. Surprisingly, I never step foot on a ship, I was always stationed in Navy hospitals. ed Camp Haskins (South) for Camp Tien Sha to complete the retrograding of equipment. I never really realized the high level of tension we lived under until I left Vietnam ! Well I don't know how much of an impression that left on me but these guys getting killed in the Skivvy house got my attention ! I have no significant memories Over 130 rough terrain and warehouse forklifts and 20 cranes eased cargo handling. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1968 from Monkey Mountain Bombardier Pretorian Aug 16, 2013 Good photo, get a good look at the base. Alan You FNGs 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. The So every week there would be a different doctor. 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. On May 13,1968 we took 6 122mm rocket rounds as explained in my May 15,1968 leter. the correctly identified enlisted I was hugely January 30, 1968 marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive. side of the handling, I'd say it had severe understeer entering a Total Area Sprayed (sq. k. I went back to my cubicle crawled into bed, ending my Looking back, have The kids were always hanging around and the best way to keep them from stealing was to befriend them by giving them candy. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! . "Supply" at Camp Fay (my home base). Paperback. You have destroyed my country and my family! This exhibit is now closed. Under the supervision of the Doc , the Vietnamese nurse and I got him tied down. of any of that. limits and no one ever said a word to me about these activities. That was the LTs first rocket attack and he didn't react fast enough. I heard the distant crack of rifle fire and then my brain said holy shit, somebody is shooting at me!! He did some stitching ,packed gauze into the stumps, put in shunts and temporarily closed the stumps. ---- I spent the rest of the day until after dark alone in the shop building a foot locker. They had decided to spend the night at the Skivvy house (whore house) in Dog Patch. 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. This is my Poem about the farmer who stepped on the mine. 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. Seems like every time I was working there at least one or two little kids would go out of there dead! Then a voice came from inside the Quonset hut." Charles R. Smith . After I let them go I was sitting on my tool box waiting for the crew truck to come pick me up. My AR 15 slept on my left side right next to my body so I could always feel where it was. There was outgoing mortar rounds and incoming. The exhibit was known as "The Vietnam Syndrome". There were Seabees, Korean Philco Ford, Vietnamese all working like mad . I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! I served until 1970. CONTACT: VETERANS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS. All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off Despite the repeated assurances uttered by our senior non-commissioned petty officers that Camp Tiensha's location on the peninsula that juts out from the City of Danang, and with the location of the Danang airbase on the opposite side of the city itself, generally put our base beyond the purported 7 mile range of the Russian-made 122 millimeter Katyusha rockets . Coate introduced me to a Chief Boatswain Mate who was our executive officer.The Commanding officer wasn't there( a lieutenant Junior Grade.) Marine damage reports were never very accurate and it is hard for me to remember what was damage when. I took this photofrom the stern of YFU 80 which was docked at SCRF, looking across Da Nang harbor at sunset. any old charts, photos or drawings of the PTF When I asked the Priest what happened to the kid he said he didn't know, the kid was at the orphanage when he took over. 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. I was in country from June 1969 to June 1970. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, I could see through the gauze and there was some kind of wound underneath that looked like velvet. 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 . https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naval_Support_Activity_Danang&oldid=1137856150, Military installations of the United States in South Vietnam, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Naval History & Heritage Command, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 20:12. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, Nobody even knowing where from or if they had families. right out of there. This was a real live human! Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. We stopped work and watched. Another interesting point is the H&S Co. Everyone had his turf marked out and nobody was willing to give any for me. Let me tell you that wasn't fun at all. It "enlisted". Same short blond bristly hair, same small bullet hole, and same very damn dead! Maybe it's just me. This is surely just something I've That episode followed rioting along China Beach by black . I was face down on the road under the edge of the truck with my foot stuck under the clutch peddle. Both of his legs had been pretty much blown off. PTF base at after working hours. 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. Warehouses, open storage areas, cargo handling equipment, and good exit routes from the port were limited. This is our new Chief Builder. Da Nang Cluster. There was one thing that bothered me about Tien Sha. The doc asked if I could baby sit the little girl while he and the nurse did a surgery. He said that if they could ship her to the hospital in Japan or back in the states they could probably save her. Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. Individuality, not. Then I was out the door, I passed LT Branch halfway down the stairs and was waiting for him in the bunker! It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I The Monkey Mountain Patrol. 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. We started pouring concrete Wednesday June 5, 1968. [2] History U.S. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! Retro. He was laying on his back and we had tied his arms (wrists) to the legs on one end of the desk and then had tide his upper thighs to the other legs of the desk. quarters. This is the inside of our shop.The office was upstairs and to the left. [2] During the next several years, the command created subordinate NSA detachments at Chu Lai, Hu, Tn M, ng H, Ca Vit, Ph Bi and Sa Hunh. [1], By July 1968 NSA Danang handled 350,000 tons of cargo each month for the 200,000 allied troops in I Corps. Detachment Cua Viet - 1967 - 1970. Gallons of Herbicides Sprayed. Another thing that screwed up the night for us was our night radio, phone watch, it was a real bitch ! We went through the gate, down Main Street, took a left and stopped in front of a small building that looked like a hamburger stand. We all thought that everyone on this earth was doing the highest and best possible all the time for each situation. Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. 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. It was LCU-1498, then the chart office at the White Elephant. Coate was not there to know about Puppy. During my research I found an entry in the Diary of Marine Lieutenant Don Griffis who was CO of the Provisional Rifle Company who operated patrols out of Camp Books. What ever it was we were done by shortly after 1600 hr. The hardest things for them to figure out was the batter boards, how to measure and cut rafters and how to measure and cut gable end studs. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in In DaNang we had what was called the "duty jeep". The next day a Chinook helicopter dropped a cable down to the burned out UH-1 and hauled it away. Relations outside of combat were typified by racial tension and violence. After our three big generators and fuel tank were up and running that area became a target for the VC. and drop their bow ramps. [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. 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. One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! 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. [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. 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). boats took place at the other base. I was finished with my concrete forms before noon on Wednesday . Detachment Dong Ha - 1967 - 1970. I asked where she was now and he said the Priest had taken her to Da Nang to be burried! I would like to help you with your content on your website. VVA's goals . Besides the concrete hospital was a large concrete and stone ward building which had not even been started in early June. [6], In April 1972 all US Navy facilities in Danang were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy.[1]. Naval Support Facility DaNang (1970-1972), and the Detachments. Style attributes. I am not sure what possessed me to write poems there. You FNGs get to the back of the Learn more about royalty-free images or view FAQs related to stock photos. Everyone was busy as hell and I didn't have any idea as to what was going on. 11. The lumber and wood crates in upper right was the start of our lumber yard. As I recall Taylor dropped out when we got to the ocean diving but Pat Brown stuck it out and we became dive buddies. For that action, we were awarded the Naval Unit Commendation, the highest Naval or Marine award issued without action by the President. I didn't realize at the time that the intended target was me and the generators. I forgotten how much it sucked being there? perceived attacks. I was a certified SCUBA diver. about culture clash!) because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. 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. There was always something interesting to watch at Camp Books. Also we took care of damage at Camp Reasoner and the small CAP out posts. I have spent countless hours over the past 15 years driving my motorbike around the Camp Books area looking for any of our workers. In this pic the enlisted . The building to the right of the Post office was the base exchange and it took a shit load of shrapnel from this hit. and I was just finishing up the door. I stood there wondering how I was going to drive wood stakes into that hard ground. They were all in alignment with our generators. Coate gave me two sets of shorts and short sleeve shirts. 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. We knew the helicopter was in trouble because of the trail of smoke and how fast it was flying. Naval Support Activity Danang or NSA Danang was a United States Navy logistics support organization located in Danang, South Vietnam active from October 1965 to April 1972. Very close now and it was clear that they weren't going to make it over the hurricane fence at the perimeter. Alan on Haircuts Driving around on the perimeter of the base checking for burned out security lights could also be very hazardous . meal in Vietnam was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green peas, 2 large 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. Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. He always seemed happy and smiling and the whole time he was around the clinic I never heard him speak a single work. The feet just kind of hanging by muscle and skin. head" screwed onto the pipe. Yes that's puppy and our new steel worker (Calhoun). We were also vulnerable to sappers . I had plenty of time to take it all in and it was very UN-nerving. who manned the PTF base at night used for transportation to and from The Doc took a big syringe and needle and shot both legs up with anesthesia. What was done was done! 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. Nights in Vietnam were uncomfortable at best. Relive & share the memories of your service time with your brothers & sisters in arms today. The doctor and nurse came out of the clinic. I surveyed I would sit at the desk and drink coffee, write letters or poetry. Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. Mostly I was just kind of mentally numb. identified as "enlisted head" in The rocket attacks in my AO meant that I was called out to man my post which was defense of our base generators and our very large generator fuel tank. of the DaNang Military Complex, One of So there I would be for over a week trying to keep the mosquitoes off of me by covering with the sheet and putting my head in the pillow case. So on the hour we would get a call. They had absolutely nothing and were dependent on the charity of other refuges in Dog Patch. 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. I have 'issues' from that crap hole as well.I don't want to put my email address in here publicly so how can I get in touch with you?Ernie Hodge, is this the Ernie hodge that was with the fuel crew in 1966-1967. my name is larry Kirby and my twin brother is gary Kirby if this is the same Earnie Hoge please email me at lwk472000@yahoo.vom. I spent 33 years The nurse was carrying a little girl about 4 years old. I was not in the bush and am grateful that I wasn't. "Sorry that's all we have!" Chn Thnh Camp. He got in line and they loaded his truck with beds, lots of beds. African Americans perceived racial issuesrace relations, prejudice, and discriminationin Vietnam through a lens heavily influenced by their earlier experiences in the United States. Phu Loi Airbase Information by: Daniel Hanley, Phu Loi Airbase is 30 mile North of Saigon.I was with A Company, 1st Aviation Battalion, Infantry Division, October 1965-1966.