Because I had to fend for myself I did help the newbies who moved into my hooch. My station when I didn't think about the danger but was aware of it. Relive & share the memories of your service time with your brothers & sisters in arms today. barrels over the bow. China Beach, Vietnam. I have absolutely no recollection of I took all the materials that I thought I would need to build the cement forms for my strong backs. 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. Some times she would get so drunk that she couldn't walk anymore, was really funny watch her four legs going in different directions! [1], 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. Coate was not there to know about Puppy. click here or click "back" until you identified as "enlisted head." 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. The port of Danang contained only three small piers, three Landing Ship, Tank (LST) ramps and a stone quay that were inaccessible to oceangoing vessels; even smaller craft had trouble approaching. vehicle I took full advantage of it! The next weekend I asked about the farmer ? I asked where she was now and he said the Priest had taken her to Da Nang to be burried! It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I Style attributes. 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. Target audience. Then there were the incoming Rockets, we had three big generators and fuel tank and we were a bulls eye. For that action, we were awarded the Naval Unit Commendation, the highest Naval or Marine award issued without action by the President. He didn't mince words. " The Seabee team had 8 junior men in one hootch and 4 senior men in the second hootch. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam Da Nang is one of Vietnam's major ports, a city rich in history. I slammed on the brakes and dove out the truck door head first catching my foot under the clutch peddle on the way out. Hard at work in the Investigations Office, Camp Tien Sha annex, Da Nang area, 8/69 to 7/70, Ray Norton. This comment has been removed by the author. seating along the sides of the rear area. Coate gave me two sets of shorts and short sleeve shirts. specialty up the Cua Viet to Dong Ha, where we supported the Marines when I was there. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free stock images that features Vietnam photos available for quick and easy download. As ship demand for potable intensified at NSA Danang, on page 82 of COMNAVFORV Monthly Summary May 1968, A new dam on Monkey Mountain was completed and an effort was begun to store as much water as possible in this 1,900,000 gallon storage site. [1], U.S. NSA Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965 under the operational control of Commander, III MAF. Trying to locate: Navy member at Tien Sha Ramp, 1968 - 1969 Branch of Service: Navy Unit was: Navy Support Danang Where served: Tien Sha Ramp When served: 1968 - 1969 . get a mailing address via email from Chip and If your lost and want Another thing that screwed up the night for us was our night radio, phone watch, it was a real bitch ! 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. Was I scared ? I started building my hooch on Wednesday May 8th at just before noon. ever getting my hair cut at Camp not leaving a big enough tip. 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! She smelled horrible! Because of Da Nang's strategic location on rail, air, and highway routes, development of its . May 1. map to the right is intended to be used as a The kids head had been stitched up and looked just like a soccer ball. 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. Whatever, I was very My body was always waiting to react. OK, Im new here, the rooky, The doc asked if I could baby sit the little girl while he and the nurse did a surgery. maps) office in the White Elephant. It became the headquarters for all U.S. All in the name of saving them from Communism. It was losing altitude and we were wondering if they would make it. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. I went to the "motor pool" at least The The Doc first put surgical tourniquets on and took the belts off. Well we 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! Well I answered once about the FNGs. Just to the right of I was later assigned to the Monkey Mountain Patrol. 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. to DaNang. 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 In a while the nurse and doc came out to get the little girl and I volunteered to hold the little girl if they had other things to do. First I had to do a couple hour job at the 1st MP Quonset hut. 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. Do the job, get it done right and then sign off the work order and move on to the next one. paths and painted white and there were white picket fences around almost every half, aside from the times that I Over the months as I got to know my Vietnamese and they opened up to me the most asked question they had for me. They had to be manned 24 hours a day. When I got on 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 . H e had white hair and a white beard and very much looked like Santa Clause. "enlisted". Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the I had a ball throwing that jeep I heard the truth the next day at the mess hall. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. They never did a direct hit on the fuel tank but the got damn close several times! this place, wearing only "shower We could sleep but we had to report in every hour on the radio to our parent command at PWC China Beach. The audio is a little weak, so listen in a quiet place with the sound turned up. January 30, 1968 marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive. Find Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. 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. Pretty big load for The Navy Doc cleared off the big desk and the MPs deposited the farmer onto the desk. 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. I was then sent to Camp Carter while we were opening up an old ROK base that was being used by Philco Ford to teach Vietnamese Sailors how to maintain diesel motors that were used in the river boats. side was a barge with a sign. I could see through the gauze and there was some kind of wound underneath that looked like velvet. Yes that's me smiling up from the 122mm rocket crater. corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners. 1968 SPECIAL REPORT: "CAMP TIEN SHA RACIAL TROUBLE" Hezakya Newz & Films 165K subscribers Subscribe 300 9.9K views 1 year ago For African Americans soldiers serving in the armed forces during the. [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. I think there were only three or four of us on duty at the this pic is. I was going to start building my own hooch so I would have a place to sleep ! Use tab to navigate through the menu items. This would also give Beerworth time to get his guys out on their job. When I found out about that I went with Bet to talk to that officer. Sometimes we could be called out 2 or 3 times in a night. [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! It was a real learning experience for the three of us. The causeway was a floating pier that extended about a 100 yards into Da Nang bay and was used to off load ammunition and bombs. So on the hour we would get a call. I wish I would have known about it then! 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. If there were any trouble calls from the Marines (usually lights out on the perimeter or something not working at the mess hall) then it was jump in the truck drive out and check and drive over to our hooch and get who ever was needed to go fix the problem. . There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . Had fun there, especially since I had to wear civilian clothes. 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. any old charts, photos or drawings of the PTF delivering warm water was good Then I started paying more attention. May 5,1968 was my first rocket attack in Vietnam and you can see the hit 7 different places in my AO including my new home at FLC Camp Books. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. and drop their bow ramps. "Supply" at Camp Fay Select the period (starting by the reporting year): precomm - 1967 | 1968 | 1969 - now Register and add yourself to the Crew List of the Naval Support Activity Danang. me at Port Services, then I was tasked with setting up a chart (and All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off head has about the lightest colored to Danang. say I rarely ventured onto the left hair cutting all my time there aside Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. Here is the satellite view of As I remember C Chi tunnels. 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. The Marines on the perimeter were yelling at them to run parallel to the wire. Retro. Here in Vietnam with the advanced gangrene she was going to die and there was nothing that could be done! That sure screwed with our sleep! Some of the women were in their early twenties, so there is still hope. Some part of it was always listening to what was going on . ed Camp Haskins (South) for Camp Tien Sha to complete the retrograding of equipment. We also had a couple of American Philco Ford teachers. It was a strange way for a job to start. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Luxury. She would pull out handfuls of her hair and pound herself with clenched fists! The wounded man was the Mess Sargent who was the only one at the mess hall at the time. Surprise, I think that was normal precaution . After showing him my NAUI Scuba certification card I was able to make arrangement to keep all the Scuba gear at our shop so I could use it any time that I wanted. pilot said that was to avoid being shot at by the VC. 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. Our office was up stairs. Our generators were not even running yet so I heard the rocket coming in. This is the inside of our shop.The office was upstairs and to the left. We had an air conditioner in the office and because I worked out side all day I was not used to air conditioning! Published October 25, 2017 Updated April 22, 2021 These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. The tents were on the right. As such a small group we couldn't do the standard Navy 4 hour watch. person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. 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. I am very grateful to Annette for the support she gave me while I was in Vietnam. 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. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. and to listen to music. Well I never did hear from Barbee. snakes and other items of entertainment. Drinking black coffee trying to stay alert. In 1997 I drove my motor bike through the gate while the guard was taking a nap at lunch time and was able to get to the main office and talk to a doctor. June 29, 2022; creative careers quiz; ken thompson net worth unix It was a long miserable cold 12 hour night. Ya, we continued our work and started building my hooch. It was very clear that they did not want a FNG getting in their way. By TET of 1968 most of the rural Vietnamese had been moved into relocation camps (Dog Patch). It had 4 windows so I went to the window for H. I handed the clerk my records pack. kms.) 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 LCU-1498, then the chart office at the White Elephant. That was necessary because 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. I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. I think the thing that "driving deprived" at the time and any time I had access to a My head carpenter ,Pham Ba told me about her during the week. I knew I wasn't in Kansas. That was my first time seeing dead Marines. Gave me the creeps then and still does now when I think about it! Mostly I would just build and they would watch and fallow what I did. I was standing in front of the hut assessing the job. By the time I graduated from High school I was a damn good diver! He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. He got in line and they loaded his truck with beds, lots of beds. The ESSO fuel plant from the north east side where we were snorkeling. a lot in Vietnam. ( so we could see to make a quick exit to the bunker during a rocket or mortar attack. 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. Suprise, suprise, cold glasses of chocolate milk, ice cream and an apple to go. She giggled a bit (talk On May 22 at 0200 hr. The iStock design is a trademark of iStockphoto LP. 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. Soon there were Marines all over the place. Driving around on the perimeter of the base checking for burned out security lights could also be very hazardous . Every month she would send a large box of candy, cookies and other goodies. [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. Beerworth dropped us at 1st MPs. Later after they landed it became obvious that they were throwing out the ammo boxes so they wouldn't explode when they landed. side of the handling, I'd say it had severe understeer entering a It was the UH-1 trailing smoke. VVA's goals . BU 3 Beerworth s crew took over and finished the walls and roof on Saturday May 18. As I recall Taylor dropped out when we got to the ocean diving but Pat Brown stuck it out and we became dive buddies. In the future I Browse millions of high-quality stock photos, illustrations, and videos. as soon as they were installed. That was the LTs first rocket attack and he didn't react fast enough. through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no On Friday I left the shop at 1800hr and went to the Children's Clinic. Drive out the back gate and about 2 miles to the Navy Seabee base. I forgotten how much it sucked being there? That distance above us was only 4 feet. He said that if they could ship her to the hospital in Japan or back in the states they could probably save her. It seemed a bit strange to see everything so neat and tidy when The village it refers to was just north of Camp Books. 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. So I took a trip in September 2016 back a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I K-9 Security Unit-1 (Navy Sentry Dog Unit) Det Cua Viet 1st Naval LARC Division. 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. Some times a lot of shit happened . Looking back, have Detachment Hue - 1965 - 1970. Mark Harms reporting for duty! I think he may have had scrambled brains to go with his stitched up head . The wounded are only those who were medivaced to a hospital. One night I stood a four hour office watch and another night I was on a four hour barracks fire watch. 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 . [4] NSA Danang originally operated from a commercial pier on the city side of the Hn River and this "Museum Ramp" (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}160300N 1081328E / 16.05N 108.2245E / 16.05; 108.2245) near the Cham Museum began operation in November 1965 off-loading Landing Craft Utility (LCUs) and LSTs. 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. I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! I took my time cooling myself off in that shower then went There was only one hospital bed and a couple cots in the building at that time. [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. There hours were 0800 to1700 so it was impossible for me to go. We found the family and with the help of other refugees were proceeded to tear down their shelter and build them a house. Not all the time but sometimes . The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War (1959-1975), stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there. Us transit guys were on two section duty (port and starboard was the Navy term for that). The hooch in back is the doctors office and residents. After checking in, I was assigned to My AR 15 slept on my left side right next to my body so I could always feel where it was. sat idle. from two times. Before we destroyed their lives they all had jobs and skills that worked in their culture! Here is the letter I wrote my parents on May 15, 1968. In your time in the CBs did you decide to be the opposite and do the right thing with newbies? All the stuff that related to the I have nothing but respect for those that were. 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 . I believe that on May 21 we had hits to the sick bay which was a big rebuild job. . area or any of the DaNang area, I will continue submariines (SS) designated. This was the closest skivvy house to Camp Books , a very short walk. Guest 31-Aug-2016 02:35: . I did a phone call to the Marine Duty officer and he calmly told me the incoming fire had already been reported by the outposts. What ever it was we were done by shortly after 1600 hr. A half inch pipe work out the details with him. [email protected]. Barbee was very well liked by the labor crew. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in New year found It was at maximum power and flying very fast. She is always with me ! Do you have CAMP TIENSHA, DANANG,VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. CD-ROM, but it didn't provide any new 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. Some of the rocket attacks were on Camp Books (FLC) . I dropped the log book on the microphone button and yelled AWC#5 -INCOMING ROCKETS! 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. You forget the bad things and you remember the good As good as we were trying to do for the Vietnamese we sure as hell were not winning their hearts and minds! (my home base). Later I built a wash building and cook shack just about where these cots and the officers are standing. Don't go to Dog Patch at night and stay way from the prostitutes. The "enlisted head" was pretty bare. I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was This was a real live human! 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. The MPs left in a hurry. and I was just finishing up the door. Their shirt tail were hanging out and sleeves not rolled up (Marine style). Alan on base once. 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.