Remember the talk we got about staying away from the prostitutes that I got my first day in Vietnam? it, there were about a dozen shower What ever it was we were done by shortly after 1600 hr. You got to do what you got to do ! The poor farmer had stepped on a mine. 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. Because of Da Nang's strategic location on rail, air, and highway routes, development of its . Charles R. Smith . Seabees, initially using materials pre-stocked before the war in Advanced Base Functional Component packages, constructed three deep-draft piers for oceangoing ships, two 300 feet (91m) wooden piers an LST causeway and the Bridge Cargo Complex that consisted of a 1,600 feet (490m) long wharf, 300,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage space and 500,000 square feet of covered storage space. It had 4 windows so I went to the window for H. I handed the clerk my records pack. who manned the PTF base at night used for transportation to and from sucked and the barber dissed me for Work started at 0700 hr and we got off at 1700 hr. barrels over the bow. I set up a course It 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. mind. Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. On the far end of the bridge right I dont know a damn thing so I was called to active durty in July say I rarely ventured onto the left It was losing altitude and we were wondering if they would make it. Vietnam Vet? Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . 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. May 1. 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! with her work. It really, really broke my heart! After the bones were cut the Doc tied off all the bleeders and removed the hemostats . I had my broken leg cot and was living out of my sea bag. If you have [2] The next day a Chinook helicopter dropped a cable down to the burned out UH-1 and hauled it away. )The Doc gave me a large stick like a tongue depressor ,except bigger. The three strong backs that I was to build for 7th motors was put on hold. When I look back it sure seems stupid but at the time what else could I do? Here in Vietnam with the advanced gangrene she was going to die and there was nothing that could be done! It was very clear that they did not want a FNG getting in their way. It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. Guest 31-Aug-2016 02:35: . Because I was just getting situated it was just mass confusion for me . arrive there again.. Joe Witmeyer shares this 50th $10 of that came from me. I asked about the little girls gangrene and the doc told me that she would die in a week or so. Later after they landed it became obvious that they were throwing out the ammo boxes so they wouldn't explode when they landed. Barrels of asphalt damaged by rocket attack, April 1969, Camp Tien Sha Annex, Ray Norton. The iwas in the 1097th med boat co. dongtam,vietnam 1968 towed 3rd 34th artery barges up down the canels moble riverine force 9th inf divion, caption wild was incharge I was able to remain calm and under control and do what ever he told me but inside I was on the edge of losing it! These positive relations were largely a reflection of the fact that black and white soldiers in combat were heavily dependent on one another. ever getting my hair cut at Camp I cried to myself on the way back to the base. (my home base). 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 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. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. DaNang Harbor. to pull a copy and edit in the This is Judy and her puppy ( named Puppy) Judy was Coate s dog and was named after his girl friend. An example of what we did. Paperback. 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. We had fox holes around the generators and fuel tank and I would sit there looking up at that big ass fuel tank thinking that if the VC hit that with a RPG (rocket propelled grenade) I was going to be turned into a crispy critter. The only answer I could give them that they would except was. My first assignment was YFU-54, then background old PTF Base and Monkey Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. "personal" shower head and keeping Naval Support Activity, Da Nang 1969 Cruise Book vietnamandmilitary $175.00 101st Airborne "Tour Book" 1967-68 The first year!!! The solution that I found was just to build big rectangle frames (20 feet by 40 feet) sitting on top the ground . Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1968 from Monkey Mountain Bombardier Pretorian Aug 16, 2013 Good photo, get a good look at the base. 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 forgotten how much it sucked being there? C Chi Base Camp. 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. The memory of this little girl and the events at the Children's hospital are the reason I never had children of my own. 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. After a couple rocket and mortar attacks my brain never went completely to sleep. U.S. MARINES IN VIETNAM THE DEFINING YEAR 1968. by. Drinking black coffee trying to stay alert. The sign on the mess hall door Marine guns up to the DMZ, we looked like shoe boxes eith long gun One of them used to take me to the MACV Club located by the USS Repose. [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. 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. Off we went to the supply yard at one of the SeaBee battalions, while we were there we stopped for a quick lunch at the Navy mess hall. risking my life in a really inadequate vehicle! There was a young mother with several kid and grandma and grandpa. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They had been covered with poncho liners but they had blown off. right out of there. The Chief did manage to get bedding (Ha,Ha) I got one bed sheet and one pillow case. from two times. The nurse was carrying a little girl about 4 years old. Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. It took six and one half days to finish that hooch (later with a full crew it would usually take us four days to build a hooch). The helicopter crew sat down a couple hundred feet from their UH-1 and waited. Alan I don't remember when I stopped doing work at the Children's clinic, Maybe the end of June or early July. Then when I went back to the shop that night I would have Bettencourt cut me a bunch of rebar stakes 2 ft long. I slammed on the brakes and dove out the truck door head first catching my foot under the clutch peddle on the way out. morning. Soon we came to the bridge across the Han River. 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. After our three big generators and fuel tank were up and running that area became a target for the VC. We were working with basic hand tools, cutting everything with one cross cut handsaw. 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. One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! The lumber and wood crates in upper right was the start of our lumber yard. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S. Often times during a rocket or mortar attack rounds would over shoot landing in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch ,providing children for the Clinic. So as May 1968 ended I had been in Vietnam for 1 month! So I took a trip in September 2016 back I believe that on May 21 we had hits to the sick bay which was a big rebuild job. He finished his tour with detective work as one of six NSA investigators at Camp Tien Sha, adjacent to Da Nang. I remember one time showering in There were no more shots that day but there would be on the next two mornings. work out the details with him. The rest of my tour I did what every good Seabee team would do, I stole them ! 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. These places were essential for the completion of the overall mission and are important for understanding the assignments and accomplishments of personnel who served with the U.S. middle , Mr Kim a Korean Philco Ford electrician . The beach is more than twenty miles long, and in the last two decades, numerous China Beach hotels as well as dining and shopping venues have sprung up along it. Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. Jack Shulimson . While I was building the door the Doc and nurse moved in medical supplies to the shelf unit. maintenance, and generally taking Color home movie footage filmed by a serviceman at Camp Tien Sha and Da Nang during 1969, including footage of Freedom Hill, Dogpatch, the April 27th Da Nang ammo dump explosion & aftermath, and more. k. ---- I spent the rest of the day until after dark alone in the shop building a foot locker. It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I Naval Communication Facility. Well we We visited Chu Laiu, Hue, and our They were trying to fly that chopper to the safety of Camp Books. I was going to have to hit the ground running if I intended to stay with this team. Local Page TIMES-MIRROR and OBSERVER Section B WARREN, PA., WEDNESDAY. I was The bundle was given to the mother who would take the bundle out side and set it down in the dirt by the street. It Lance Corporal James D Feucht (cause of death,misadventure). "Supply" at Camp Fay Alan on base The next weekend I asked about the farmer ? ( very much reminds me of cutting up chickens at butchering time). Over time that changed, I didn't want to know any newbies! even included a week in Coronado, a week at Pendleton (weapons seating along the sides of the rear area. Smile like you mean it! But I don't consider myself as one. Our office was up stairs. I suppose we had a good conversation but don't have a clue of what. The enlisted head whatever you say Mr. So over time it was easier to just not know anyone. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Suddenly the helicopter went nose high and stopped going forward. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. You are a builder so Beerworth or Yost will be who you report too." Here is the satellite view of The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. If your lost and want Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. The Doc started by cutting the legs off. the "enlisted head" identified in we took twelve 122mm rocket rounds, there was damage again at the motor pool. vietnamandmilitary $6.00 Original, In Wrapper P-38 Vietnam War vietnamandmilitary $175.00 Naval Support Activity, Da Nang 1968 Cruise Book vietnamandmilitary Seller Information Seller vietnamandmilitary Contact Seller Not all the time but sometimes . I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was 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. At first it was because every thing was so knew and exciting. Soon there were Marines all over the place. I went out and sat on my toolbox and thought about what I had just experienced. and the LT moved to the Da. 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 ! The wounded man was the Mess Sargent who was the only one at the mess hall at the time. Then I was out the door, I passed LT Branch halfway down the stairs and was waiting for him in the bunker! I served until 1970. I would have to find some time to build a foot locker. Chn Thnh Camp. In the fall of 1966 I was transferred [1], U.S. NSA Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965 under the operational control of Commander, III MAF. [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. The poor farmer screamed like you could never imagine until he finally passed out. [6], In April 1972 all US Navy facilities in Danang were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy.[1]. (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) the late 60's and early 70's. At the base of Monkey mountain was Camp Tien Sha, the main Navy base. I guess that is why there were a lot of E-2 in the Marines. On the left shower heads came out from the side The ESSO fuel plant from the north east side where we were snorkeling. The Priest took the kid around with him and often left him at the clinic with the nurses as the other children at the orphanage would pick on him. Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. Friday was an interesting day. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! Ch Linh Camp. 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 . With tears in my eyes I told the guard that I had been helping the doc at the children's clinic and he could take his fucking travel chit and shove it up his ass! Our shop the day we put up our sign and officially became Area Work Center #5. get a mailing address via email from Chip and I would sit at the desk and drink coffee, write letters or poetry. We assumed everyone around us had the same idealistic desire to strive to do our best all the time. That is the only time I had to get clothing issue. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. I faked being a doctor from the USA and was shown around a little. Hard at work in the Investigations Office, Camp Tien Sha annex, Da Nang area, 8/69 to 7/70, Ray Norton. Just keep on working in the rain. was the building directly adjoining and created an overlay of the changes to the harbor, which was 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. The next work order I got for there I gave it to Beerworth and told him I would not work there any more! There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . VVA's goals . [4] : 2 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. right , Huan one of my carpenters. Target audience. 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 . A refugee family was living in a lean too in Dog Patch south . Some times she would get so drunk that she couldn't walk anymore, was really funny watch her four legs going in different directions! Older Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, 1968-1969. On Tuesday May 14 I finished my hooch and settled into the corner right inside the door. Well I had 11 months to go and it was going to be a very long 11 months ! I was finished with my concrete forms before noon on Wednesday . What the F is wrong with her? 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. the place. Some of the materials for rebuilding came from my civic action salvage yard. 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. The fire was caused by a Air or artillery white phosphorus flare ( WP). 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. I have absolutely no recollection of She promised not to eat Puppy. I was not in the bush and am grateful that I wasn't. A regular jeep would accommodate 5 people, while in this didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. the evening to wonder about and check out what Camp Tien Sha had to offer. worked that jeep to it's limits and had a highly entertaining time First I had to do a couple hour job at the 1st MP Quonset hut. James L Chambers (cause of death,misadventure). I think So back around to the front of the hut and to work on the awning . Gallons of Herbicides Sprayed. The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. H e had white hair and a white beard and very much looked like Santa Clause. Don't try to cross in to the base as there were mines. I think he may have had scrambled brains to go with his stitched up head . head" screwed onto the pipe. He spent the night at the shop bunker by himself , totally confused as to what was going on. 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. from Danang, Republic of Vietnam. 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. and Captain David A . It was a long miserable cold 12 hour night. It was kind of a taste of what we would get when the monsoons came in September. In other words, if you could drive a Corvair fast and survive you on the National Geographic Magazine They had decided to spend the night at the Skivvy house (whore house) in Dog Patch. side of the handling, I'd say it had severe understeer entering a They were the best I could pissed me off the most about the One of our guy went with Babyson to the local market and bought blankets, cooking supplies, sleeping mats and food. Did he live or die? Seems like every time I was working there at least one or two little kids would go out of there dead! Management and planning of the logistic flow needed refinement, as ships arrived en masse with cargo improperly stowed and packaged. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. world in a land that nobody cared about , I was sitting in a Continental Book description. Now I know where Barbee is but where is Babyson? 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 . Before we destroyed their lives they all had jobs and skills that worked in their culture! During our night watch I would lock the office door ,lay my M-16, (locked and loaded) on the desk pointing at the door. Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. The number of rockets are probably plus or minus a couple rockets. This exhibit is now closed. It was at maximum power and flying very fast. sat idle. We knew the helicopter was in trouble because of the trail of smoke and how fast it was flying. Coate introduced me to a Chief Boatswain Mate who was our executive officer.The Commanding officer wasn't there( a lieutenant Junior Grade.) In addition, the Navy took charge of the offloading, storage and delivery of supplies common to all the allied forces in I Corps. Population in 2009 (millions) Percentage of Province Sprayed During 1960s. 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. It is very likely this was were the Marines were killed . I had just been recruited to help the Doc and nurse amputate this poor farmers legs. Nice history lesson for me. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. 1966 and assumed I would spend two years on a submarine in WesPac. Learn more. I took this photofrom the stern of YFU 80 which was docked at SCRF, looking across Da Nang harbor at sunset. I asked where she was now and he said the Priest had taken her to Da Nang to be burried! In the early days the security perimeter of the base was only about 50 feet from our shop and was not very well guarded. I never really realized the high level of tension we lived under until I left Vietnam ! and to listen to music. - Alan, Drawing There was outgoing mortar rounds and incoming. We found the family and with the help of other refugees were proceeded to tear down their shelter and build them a house. When a child died they were bundled tightly in white sheets and tide off with string. I started building the 3 strong backs at 7 Motors on Monday morning June 3rd. Mostly I would just build and they would watch and fallow what I did. The Navy Doc was probably in his mid 30s and it was obvious to me that he had done this type of work before. 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% . 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. So after the 2400 check in I would jump in the truck with M-16 and ammo. Relive & share the memories of your service time with your brothers & sisters in arms today. 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 ! On February 10, 1970, SN Robert T. Sudduth, a sailor assigned to the camp, was traveling in truck from the Camp Tien Sha Annex to the Tien Sha Ramp when he accidently fell from the vehicle. ( Short timers uniforms were your oldest most faded fatigues but always clean and well kept.) Fishing Boats of Da Nang in 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. Nobody even knowing where from or if they had families. After that LT Branch never stayed late at the office, he would leave at 1700 to take Miss Nguyen home to Da Nang. Very close now and it was clear that they weren't going to make it over the hurricane fence at the perimeter. This building was about 24 ft wide and 200 feet long and was a two story building. Anyone who tried to open that door without giving our pass word would have been shot. I have nothing but respect for those that were. pilot said that was to avoid being shot at by the VC. Another interesting point is the H&S Co. In March 1965 when United States Marine Corps combat troops landed at Danang, the support establishment was rudimentary. I was not prepared and he totally over powered me! quarters. by the time they got to us AWC# 5 we would be awake (hopefully) and report in. I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. I noticed an old gray hair lady,just a skeleton in the hospital bed and asked the doctor about that. at Camp Fay, never. those Nastie's were fun boats! Well guess what ? The Marines slept 12 to 14 men in a hootch. once. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. He told me step by step every detail. He got in line and they loaded his truck with beds, lots of beds. There were 6 area work centers in the Da Nang AO . [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. In DaNang we had what was called the "duty jeep". Da Nang Air Base (1957-1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) facility. Guard shacks along the pipe line to the ESSO fuel plant, Oil Tanker off loading at the ESSO fuel plant. But the better All of the rounds hit in swamp area between the main base and FLC command building . 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. In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha (Tin Sa) at the foot of Monkey Mountain. He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no 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 sure didn't void The exhibit was known as "The Vietnam Syndrome". There was always something interesting to watch at Camp Books. said hours 1700 to 2100. The VC had taken their 782 gear (combat gear, weapons and ammo) and bugged out.