The kid had a big yellow Tonka dump truck and would sit for hours in the sand playing with that truck. Historian, US Navy Seabee Museum. Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. It was just after 1700 so I was good. Danang had become the largest fuel complex in South Vietnam capable of holding over 500,000 barrels. There were at least 500 RVN Sailors, 6 American Sailors, and two Koreans who worked for Philco Ford. The two crew members jumped out just under the flames .They carried their M-60 machine guns. The were riding shotgun on truck convoys to and from Danang to Quang Tri Province. But that only happened once as from then on I was ready. . Surprise, I think that was normal precaution . 15x12. We set the radio on squelch so it would make a lot of noise and wake us up. They had to be manned 24 hours a day. This combined attack, executed jointly by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People's Army, was a series of coordinated surprise attacks launched against both military and civilian targets. Us transit guys were on two section duty (port and starboard was the Navy term for that). The flares were often still burning when they hit the ground. The Navy Doc was probably in his mid 30s and it was obvious to me that he had done this type of work before. What we finally did was a one man 12 hour watch. The only answer I could give them that they would except was. No. Looking back, have 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! Changes: A History of Naval Support Activity/Facility DaNang, 1970 Well I had 11 months to go and it was going to be a very long 11 months ! Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. at Camp Fay. Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the [2] Nice history lesson for me. in Subic and got a pro hair cut. As I remember There was a permanent concrete hospital being built close to my building and by the beginning of June 1968 had all the walls built up and was waiting for materials for roof trusses and the roof. Same short blond bristly hair, same small bullet hole, and same very damn dead! Sometimes we could be called out 2 or 3 times in a night. The iStock design is a trademark of iStockphoto LP. right , Huan one of my carpenters. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. Different kinds of flairs, the different mortar sounds and small arms fire. Alan on base $10 of that came from me. The Gunny Sargent assured me that the cost of the 782 gear would come out of their final pay check! At the base of Monkey mountain was Camp Tien Sha, the main Navy base. 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 got a letter from Annette Burrell ( Johns younger sister) sometime in May. This is the near miss at our Post office. Every tree trunk was painted white, every rock was neatly lined up along the She was wearing light blue pajamas with little lambs printed on it. Around back there was a Jeep with a utility trailer on behind. The other time was that day in boot Learn more about royalty-free images or view FAQs related to stock photos. to return to Pham Ba went around back to take a pee. ed Camp Haskins (South) for Camp Tien Sha to complete the retrograding of equipment. Very often our flares would land in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch burning down many Vietnamese huts providing more damaged children for the clinic. The MPs had used their white belts as tourniquets just above the knees. So much for getting Sunday off. Our generators were not even running yet so I heard the rocket coming in. Coate was not there to know about Puppy. We aren't sure where he is yet and haven't got permission to go after him! I could see through the gauze and there was some kind of wound underneath that looked like velvet. Mostly I was just kind of mentally numb. We were told that we were teaching them skills so they would be able to have a useful job. So as May 1968 ended I had been in Vietnam for 1 month! The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. I served there and just would like to hear from some of the guys that was there. I surveyed It was an opportunity to get off the Hospital ships and see a little bit of the real Vietnam. A couple of our guys , Craig Taylor and Pat Brown were interested in learning to Scuba dive so I took it upon my self to teach them. 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. Finally, the harsh northeast monsoon made cargo operations at Danang and throughout I Corps hazardous and difficult during the winter months.[1]. Great Discounts & More! once. All of the workers that worked for us were dislocated Vietnamese and us putting them to work was an attempt to keep their economy rolling. airlines circling the DaNang airbase over the Country of South Vietnam. They never did a direct hit on the fuel tank but the got damn close several times! Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . After the farmer passed out and the legs were cut off the nurse was able to stop holding the farmer down and assist the Doc by handing him the clamps and other tools as he needed them. 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. Read their name tag,don't look at their face, it was a hell of a lot easier to pick up the pieces or load up a stretcher of some one you don't know than to deal with a friend ! He was wearing his best short timers uniform. The plane started to drop, going in steep and fast. 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. care of the base. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. [ Base This comment has been removed by the author. Maybe it's just me. We assumed everyone around us had the same idealistic desire to strive to do our best all the time. I believe we also tied him around the waist. That is the only time I had to get clothing issue. I had plenty of time to take it all in and it was very UN-nerving. Suprise, suprise, uniform. One night I was in the office with LT Branch . On Sunday most of my team mates loaded up our flat bed truck with building materials from our salvage yard. If there was any heavy weather and to many buffer pads were jumping out I would have to go back to the hooch and roust out a work crew. Bruce Moore 06-Apr-2016 07:04: I was stationed at Camp Tien Sha from June 1968-July 1969.,I was a BU3 attached to the US Naval Support Activities Danang.I lived in barracks #35 which was on the backside of Camp Tien Sha.I was in barracks #35 when the Rocket and mortar attack began.we had a material storage yard directly behind the barracks that was hit with incoming rounds.I also, as a . On 1 April 1966 Naval Forces Vietnam was established in Saigon and assumed control of NSA Danang from III MAF. It's the 4th largest city in Vietnam. two parts, right and left, I have to didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. 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). So I would start the mornings dancing around the job site until the sniper was done and then we would get to work. Both of his legs had been pretty much blown off. There was about a weeks over lap so the knew Chief could learn his job! pissed me off the most about the Coate would send dog food care packages to Judy. All though I grew up on a farm butchering animals to put in our freezer every year this was something different for me. At the moment it happened, my buddy Dave Lozier and I were at Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. What the hell is that? Vietnam War Home Movies Tien Sha & Da Nang 1969 ammo dump - YouTube Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. background old PTF Base and Monkey Was I scared ? There were 6 area work centers in the Da Nang AO . to LCU-1498 (same routine). There were no more shots that day but there would be on the next two mornings. Chapel? It became the headquarters for all U.S. Barbee was very well liked by the labor crew. I don't In addition, the Navy took charge of the offloading, storage and delivery of supplies common to all the allied forces in I Corps. 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. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. Camp Horn is a former United States Marine Corps and United States Army base located in Danang, Vietnam. The Marines broke out in laughter. person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. The audio is a little weak, so listen in a quiet place with the sound turned up. 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. This is the poem I wrote about the little girl who died from gangrene. The events highlighted in yellow directly affected me. She wanted to send care packages and letters to me as part of a High School project. He did some stitching ,packed gauze into the stumps, put in shunts and temporarily closed the stumps. [2] [4]:8. 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. 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. Relive & share the memories of your service time with your brothers & sisters in arms today. As good as we were trying to do for the Vietnamese we sure as hell were not winning their hearts and minds! On Tuesday May 14 I finished my hooch and settled into the corner right inside the door. camp where you get sheared. Naval Communication Facility. Our electricians went to wire up the building for electricity. Some time before the end of the month we got three more guys in . 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 started building the 3 strong backs at 7 Motors on Monday morning June 3rd. It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. I didn't realize at the time that the intended target was me and the generators. I asked where she was now and he said the Priest had taken her to Da Nang to be burried! Danang Vietnam 1966 1967 Camp Tien Sha was an old French army base. You FNGs To know all the different sounds was to be able to read what was happening at night and how safe I was. This would also give Beerworth time to get his guys out on their job. NMCB THREE Main Body Flights consisting of three passenger . On May 21,1968 at 2400 hr. But I don't consider myself as one. Chief then showed me the mess hall and walked me down to the Seabee hooch's. Drive out the back gate and about 2 miles to the Navy Seabee base. I'm sorry my last letter to you was so abruptly ended, but I figured I'd best get it sent, otherwise you'd still be waiting. cold glasses of chocolate milk, ice cream and an apple to go. There was no time off just the same 12 hr work shift. I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. 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 "driving deprived" at the time and any time I had access to a Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 1122 | Welcome home! just out of the picture on the right. 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. meal in Vietnam was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green peas, 2 large For the time being they were stashed in my hooch and on May 24, Karl Voiles spent his first day assembling beds. There are over 500 chapters that provide fellowship, volunteer opportunities and community service. 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. I was probably in as much in shock as the farmer. You forget the bad things and you remember the good Barrels of asphalt damaged by rocket attack, April 1969, Camp Tien Sha Annex, Ray Norton. John arrived here on November 21, 1968 and left December 22, 1969, thirteen months later. 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! It was in a large dirt field 150 yards outside of the north perimeter. I got my NAUI Scuba diving cerification in July 1966. Coate gave me two sets of shorts and short sleeve shirts. First I had to do a couple hour job at the 1st MP Quonset hut. [4] : 2 In your time in the CBs did you decide to be the opposite and do the right thing with newbies? [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. Very close now and it was clear that they weren't going to make it over the hurricane fence at the perimeter. The two guys shot in the skivvy house that night were, Pvt. year 1968 | MilitaryImages.Net 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! "My wartime experiences have changed me. I don't laugh as much or the A smell I have never smelled again in my life time. There are other memories of my time working at the clinic. and to listen to music. quarters. As soon as they caught on they would take on that task and I would move on to the next. [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. We visited Chu Laiu, Hue, and our I knew I wasn't in Kansas. 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. Some part of it was always listening to what was going on . Clayton Beerworth and I were working on major repairs there by 0600 and the Mess hall was in operation more or less by that evening although it took a couple more days to get it up to 100% . She would throw dirt into the air and scratch at her face until it was bleeding , rubbing dirt into the cuts. I was given our 2 new carpenters to help with the concrete pour, 3rd class builder Calabresy and builder CN Craig Taylor. Well I never did hear from Barbee. If it had detonated when it hit the ventilator we both would have been killed! layout - (07-07-02) When we got there the doc wanted to show us around. Da Nang Cluster. I would sit at the desk and drink coffee, write letters or poetry. There was a bunker there. I cried to myself on the way back to the base. Detachment Chu Lai - 1964 - 1971. naval reserves just before graduating from high school in 1962. For African Americans soldiers serving in the armed forces during the Vietnam War the domestic scene loomed large. Here are the Activity reports for May 1968 for the Marines in my AO (area of operation) . May 27 was my birthday. I have never found any but I still have hope. Unfortunately when we got there it was closed for one hour for lunch and Coate did not have the time to hang around. It turned 90 degrees to the right and touched down between two rows of concertina wire in the middle of the perimeter. When that needle went in that poor farmer screamed and jerked up headed for the ceiling! technical and supply stuff. I was not prepared and he totally over powered me! I spent 33 years ( Short timers uniforms were your oldest most faded fatigues but always clean and well kept.) 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. 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. Memoir of my time served with the Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, during the Vietnam war. Catecka Base Camp. camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968 - seven10solutions.com I didn't Well I answered once about the FNGs. Just keep on working in the rain. side of the handling, I'd say it had severe understeer entering a 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 had never been a boss and language was an obstacle so there was a lot of pencil drawings or just comparing construction with the closest hooch. Surprisingly, I never step foot on a ship, I was always stationed in Navy hospitals. blocked. what it is like now. I lay there waiting for the out posts to return fire, nothing happened! 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 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. configuration it would hold about 10 people. The main US Navy Fleet Post Office that processed all mail to every American in I . The argument got pretty heated. Remember the talk we got about staying away from the prostitutes that I got my first day in Vietnam? We are the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122, based in Collin County, Texas. We had devastated their economy and destroyed their infrastructure. Our boat and one other transported the [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. I went back to my cubicle crawled into bed, ending my I don't know what the building This is the Hoa Kahn clinic at the time I started working there. Some morning I would be more tired when I woke up than when I went to bed. aspects of it are certainly more memorable than the bad parts. Guard shacks along the pipe line to the ESSO fuel plant, Oil Tanker off loading at the ESSO fuel plant. Nights in Vietnam were uncomfortable at best. I held the door open for them. Vietnam Vet? 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. Often the convoys would drop off kids from out in the bush. . The field had been filled with red dirt and rocks and had been compacted with heavy equipment. I was hugely 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. Charlie 2. One night I stood a four hour office watch and another night I was on a four hour barracks fire watch. any old charts, photos or drawings of the PTF When I found out about that I went with Bet to talk to that officer. I went home in August 1967, there was a war going on. Next thing I realize he has a hold on my sleeve. Naval Support Activity Danang - Wikipedia hair cutting all my time there aside The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. meand I translated it to this map. I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! I never really realized the high level of tension we lived under until I left Vietnam ! Cat Lo Naval Base. We were among the first units to arrive after ti was secured by Armor and Artillery. History U.S. 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 Soon we came to the bridge across the Han River. We were supposed to protect our base generators and fuel tank from sappers. The course is a model in how to survive, and how to come home with honor. such a small vehicle. to pull a copy and edit in the Camp Horn is a former United States Marine Corps and United States Army base located in Danang, Vietnam. Significant Events 19-31 August 1970 19-28 October 1970 5 November 1970 13 November 1970 15 November 1970 By TET of 1968 most of the rural Vietnamese had been moved into relocation camps (Dog Patch). 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. Then he could pick my guys up and pick up materials to build my hooch. 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. It was a real learning experience for the three of us. Detachment Dong Ha - 1967 - 1970. 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. 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. Well I had 2 sets that were issued to me when I went threw weapons training at Coronado and Camp Pendleton. The Magazine was found Da Nang marks the halfway point between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . Did he live or die? Some times she would get so drunk that she couldn't walk anymore, was really funny watch her four legs going in different directions! 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. I can still hear the snip of the scissors as the Doc cut away the flesh. [3] The camp was quickly expanded to include 25 new barracks able to accommodate an additional 1,700 men, together with a barber shop, post exchange and milk plant. Friday was an interesting day. Over time that changed, I didn't want to know any newbies! Anniversary story of his trip back 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! 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. camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968 - precisionlearning.com 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! Storage areas ashore were limited by space and access. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War (1959-1975), stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there. Stephen Marcoux Obituary (1947 - 2017) - Hoosick Falls, VT - Bennington She is always with me ! I had to make a quick exit when the patients got excited when I walked towards the main ward! It was a strange way for a job to start. from two times. 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. I didn't understand at that time the danger of rocket attacks. It The Marine on the left was blond and looked like a California surfer.He to had been shot in the back of the head. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. The "enlisted head" was pretty bare. boats took place at the other base. MAY 10, 1967 FOR COLLEGES State-Related Status Unique By WILLIAM E. DEIBLER HARRISBURG (AP) How would yo Boy life was improving a lot. The Seabee team had 8 junior men in one hootch and 4 senior men in the second hootch. (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) Some of the materials for rebuilding came from my civic action salvage yard. 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. We were here, sat idle. So that's what I did, went back to work. 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. 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. 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. When I started working on this clinic project I was full of good feelings as to how we were helping these poor Vietnamese people. Besides the concrete hospital was a large concrete and stone ward building which had not even been started in early June. Sure. After the bones were cut the Doc tied off all the bleeders and removed the hemostats . All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off This is my Poem about the farmer who stepped on the mine. Me, age 23, sitting on my bunk drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. And there were certainly good things there, at least in the The Sargent in charge told him we would have to get gear from NSA Danang because the Seabee team was turned over to NSA. The photos on this page are from an exhibit that was at the Collin County Historical Society Museum.