We visited Chu Laiu, Hue, and our To save them from Communism was not the right answer because most of them did not feel that Communism was a threat ! It was a long miserable cold 12 hour night. Nights in Vietnam were uncomfortable at best. It's a win-win, and it's why everything on iStock is only available royalty-free including all, Royalty-free licenses are the best option for anyone who needs to use stock images commercially, which is why every file on iStock whether its a, From social media ads to billboards, PowerPoint presentations to feature films, you're free to modify, resize and customize every asset on iStock including all. Smile like you mean it! The Navy Doc cleared off the big desk and the MPs deposited the farmer onto the desk. They were all in alignment with our generators. Target audience. 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 ! Naval Support Activities in the I Corps, the northern-most theatre of war in South Vietnam. Modern. this place, wearing only "shower The other time was that day in boot 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. Our electricians went to wire up the building for electricity. Detachment Chu Lai - 1964 - 1971. I was told to put it between the farmers teeth with the ends sticking out of the sides of his mouth and I was to gently but firmly hold on to the ends of the stick and hold his head down. Only 364 more days to go! Style attributes. blocked. paths and painted white and there were white picket fences around almost every The kids head had been stitched up and looked just like a soccer ball. 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. I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! middle , Mr Kim a Korean Philco Ford electrician . The PTFs, under Vietnamese officers and crews, conducted over 1,000 raids against North Vietnam from March-April 1964 to January 1972. Suddenly the helicopter went nose high and stopped going forward. Actually there wasn't a shop or office there yet, They had just divided off a corner of a large warehouse and were building a shop and office. 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. January 30, 1968 marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive. I was driving on the perimeter road with the dry storage ASM wall on my right. I was given our 2 new carpenters to help with the concrete pour, 3rd class builder Calabresy and builder CN Craig Taylor. head has about the lightest colored The were riding shotgun on truck convoys to and from Danang to Quang Tri Province. Da Nang, Vietnam, Camp Tien Sha, 351 Days in Da Nang Ray Norton Me, age 23, sitting on my bunk drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. The map I sent you is how I remember that meal in Vietnam was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green peas, 2 large I also made life long friends. Here is the battalion report for May 1968. person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. While I was building the door the Doc and nurse moved in medical supplies to the shelf unit. once. IN VIETNAM. heads" but they were always stolen It took until 2000 hours to finish that first slab. If you have [2] The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off My body was always waiting to react. Honorably Discharged as a QM2(SS) in 1971ish. I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was June 29, 2022; creative careers quiz; ken thompson net worth unix 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. Amphibious fuel lines were laid along the sea floor to storage tanks ashore at Red Beach Base Area, north of the city and the Marines' Marble Mountain Air Facility to the south. building. When Puppy was big enough our secretary, interpreter Miss Nguyen took Puppy home with her to Danang. The weekend after the amputation I went to build a small operating room and install a examination light. Despite these positive interactions with whites, African Americans did not view the armed forces as an institution free of racial prejudice. On May 15 I had finished 6 or 8 escape doors. bgmarshall@aol.com. Here is an E mail I got from Karl explaining his arrival to Vietnam and Camp Books (FLC) The last week of May brought us a knew Chief Builder and our old Chief Botswains mate left us. We If one of the other bases in our AO got hit by mortars or rockets then our siren went off and we were on red alert which meant we had to role out with weapons, helmets,and flack jackets and man our posts. I had orders in September 1966 to go to [1], The logistic establishment at Danang functioned with growing efficiency by mid-1968 as it built new port and shore facilities. heads all in an area I'd call around 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. . This was a Sunday afternoon BBQ about 1800 hr. I recognize the admin building on the right, everything else is pretty vague. Individuality, not. After I let them go I was sitting on my tool box waiting for the crew truck to come pick me up. It was the UH-1 trailing smoke. Yes, everyone called him soccer ball head ! I started building my hooch on Wednesday May 8th at just before noon. "Sorry that's all we have!" Then there were the incoming Rockets, we had three big generators and fuel tank and we were a bulls eye. ---- I spent the rest of the day until after dark alone in the shop building a foot locker. I could see through the gauze and there was some kind of wound underneath that looked like velvet. Sometimes we could be called out 2 or 3 times in a night. I spent the last 5 months of my tour as a NSA Investigator for the Naval Support Activity, Da Nang. So every week there would be a different doctor. 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. Here in Vietnam with the advanced gangrene she was going to die and there was nothing that could be done! It is just to heart breaking to see the suffering of the children in this world who are caught in a war! I'm considered a Vietnam Veteran, due to the dates I served. [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. configured jeep. We aren't sure where he is yet and haven't got permission to go after him! A half inch pipe Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. changes to : She was wearing light blue pajamas with little lambs printed on it. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in at Camp Fay, never. 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! Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. Coate was not there to know about Puppy. I'm at camp Tien Sha at Da Nang now. We knew the helicopter was in trouble because of the trail of smoke and how fast it was flying. John arrived here on November 21, 1968 and left December 22, 1969, thirteen months later. Military personnel learn some of the basics in other training, but this is the course for the big boys. I was to hear FNG it, there were about a dozen shower Then he pulled all that up to expose the bone where he wanted to cut the bone.The nurse held all the skin and muscle up while the Doc cut off the bones. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in Then he could pick my guys up and pick up materials to build my hooch. Detachment Hue - 1965 - 1970. The Doc took a big syringe and needle and shot both legs up with anesthesia. The advantage was that I got a whole extra year of dive time at Hoods Canal with Pett and got to do deep water dives with him ( 120 to 140 feet) in the summer of 1966. The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. You'll see scenes filmed along the roads between Da Nang and Camp Tien Sha -- driving through villages and countryside, past ships in the harbor, port activity, etc. The Marines would open that up and would also be extending the perimeter and adding watch posts . I was Before we destroyed their lives they all had jobs and skills that worked in their culture! The trailer was to short so the Marines legs were bent at the knees and sticking up, no shoes, pant legs up to their knees showing their very white legs. I suppose that I needed that time alone to recover from the amputation! I faked being a doctor from the USA and was shown around a little. My station when Finally, the harsh northeast monsoon made cargo operations at Danang and throughout I Corps hazardous and difficult during the winter months.[1]. really an enclosure. We set the radio on squelch so it would make a lot of noise and wake us up. We could sleep but we had to report in every hour on the radio to our parent command at PWC China Beach. 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. 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. . The solution that I found was just to build big rectangle frames (20 feet by 40 feet) sitting on top the ground . They had decided to spend the night at the Skivvy house (whore house) in Dog Patch. CONTACT: VETERANS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS. About a mile out the crew started kicking boxes out the doors. In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha (Tin Sa) at the foot of Monkey Mountain. May 1. This comment has been removed by the author. k. You are a builder so Beerworth or Yost will be who you report too." Nang officers billeting ! Use tab to navigate through the menu items. There were other things to screw up the nights. 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. 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. to return to Inside of that trailer, face down were 2 dead Marines. The Doc started by cutting the legs off. Anniversary story of his trip back ptfnasty.com and the DaNang section, 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! The official report was small arms fire on the perimeter. Fun! Everyone had his turf marked out and nobody was willing to give any for me. It and drop their bow ramps. in Subic and got a pro hair cut. He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . I was probably in as much in shock as the farmer. It was very clear that they did not want a FNG getting in their way. Because I had to fend for myself I did help the newbies who moved into my hooch. little early to get back in school and finish my degree. [4]:8. Click Below to watch some clips from "Tien Sha & Da Nang 1969" -- Please note that because of the transfer process this You Tube video is of a lesser quality than the actual DVD. Biologist), and chaired the Diving Safety Board. Then after thinking about it I realized how wrong I was. Around back there was a Jeep with a utility trailer on behind. Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. When I started working on this clinic project I was full of good feelings as to how we were helping these poor Vietnamese people. May 27 was my birthday. [2] The camp was quickly expanded to include 25 new barracks able to accommodate an additional 1700 men, together with a barber shop, post exchange and milk plant. Guest 31-Aug-2016 02:35: . world in a land that nobody cared about , I was sitting in a Continental 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! The plane started to drop, going in steep and fast. course. I was aguard for Tien Sha Peninsula Security division. I suppose we had a good conversation but don't have a clue of what. [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. Detachment Phu Bai - 1965 -1970. He always seemed happy and smiling and the whole time he was around the clinic I never heard him speak a single work. The poor farmer had stepped on a mine. The Post office was about 75 yards from my hootch. 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. After he was medivaced one young labor worker(Baby son) would ask me every morning If I had heard how Barbee was and if I got a letter from him. What was done was done! This is a 122mm rocket crater in the road in front of our shop. good times in the "duty jeep". Another interesting point is the H&S Co. Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the I slammed on the brakes and dove out the truck door head first catching my foot under the clutch peddle on the way out. identified as "enlisted head." 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. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Then to Let me tell you that wasn't fun at all. Here are the Activity reports for May 1968 for the Marines in my AO (area of operation) . 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 . Catecka Base Camp. about culture clash!) The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. 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 would like to help you with your content on your website. large canvas covering over the rear area that protected bench 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. couple of Corvairs (ok, stop laughing!) And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free stock images that features Vietnam photos available for quick and easy download. All the stuff that related to the The doctor and nurse came out of the clinic. The ESSO fuel plant from the north east side where we were snorkeling. On the technical The Doc first put surgical tourniquets on and took the belts off. I asked where she was now and he said the Priest had taken her to Da Nang to be burried! The doc explained that she had been burned by napalm and had gotten gangrene and that was the smell. (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) say I rarely ventured onto the left I was in country from June 1969 to June 1970. I thought the clinic was for children. [2] and went on 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. such a small vehicle. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. It started raining Saturday June1st and rained continuously until Wednesday morning but that didn't slow down work any. Here is a poem that I wrote about the helicopter. You got to do what you got to do ! On the "left side" was all the Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . 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! Warehouses, open storage areas, cargo handling equipment, and good exit routes from the port were limited. Gave me the creeps then and still does now when I think about it! The scarcity of lighterage and the heavy weather that often buffeted the harbor made ship-to-craft cargo transfers hazardous and inefficient. Had fun there, especially since I had to wear civilian clothes. They were simply ghettos with poor sanitation , communal water supply, no roads or electricity. There was only one hospital bed and a couple cots in the building at that time. Then walk the length of pier re-installing any buffer pads that might have come out. was about vehicles, building line. The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. of the guys took to securing a On Friday May 17 I was sent out on another job. The mountain is in the background. She is always with me ! My very first That episode followed rioting along China Beach by black . . Very close now and it was clear that they weren't going to make it over the hurricane fence at the perimeter. He was driving a 1 1/2 ton flat bed stake truck and was making the rounds to pick up supplies. I knew I wasn't in Kansas. Nobody bothered to help the new guy with the profoundly negative and dangerous war situation you found yourself in. 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! The tracer rounds stopped ,I gave it a couple minutes and got in the truck and sped on my way back to the shop! I remember one time showering in Alan That sure screwed with our sleep! It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. when I was there. I lay there waiting for the out posts to return fire, nothing happened! Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. from two times. thought though was he was just putting on a show for us new guys. enough for me. If you served in Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. A smell I have never smelled again in my life time. 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. It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. Well, the Camp Tein Sha barracks got me for Friday, and Saturday. Well I answered once about the FNGs. Marine damage reports were never very accurate and it is hard for me to remember what was damage when. I joined the Navy Reserve and went to Viet Nam anyway. There was always something interesting to watch at Camp Books. I was not in the bush and am grateful that I wasn't. It's the 4th largest city in Vietnam. Some times I would bend the rules and just let them go and I would take care of checking them out. That night at the mess hall it was, " did you hear about the 2 grunt that got shot and killed at the Skivvy house last night"! The Brief. Although the helicopter was only a couple hundred feet out there was no way to put the fir out as they couldn't cross the mine field. one of authority noticed. There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. They were the best I could In the future I Besides the concrete hospital was a large concrete and stone ward building which had not even been started in early June. Often the convoys would drop off kids from out in the bush. of the DaNang Military Complex, One of "Ya, there has been a sniper shooting at the fence crew every morning for the past week. I think the thing that 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. The Marines in that ambush had fired on me to scare me because they thought I was the duty officer making the rounds. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. never even gave a thought that a context of what was happening. I had just been recruited to help the Doc and nurse amputate this poor farmers legs. painting rocks. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! I didn't think about the danger but was aware of it. Some of the rocket attacks were on Camp Books (FLC) . Why are you here in Vietnam ? 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. You forget the bad things and you remember the good specialty up the Cua Viet to Dong Ha, where we supported the Marines march in columns of two over to that building. Vietnam Vet? As tired as I was I never got much sleep. The two crew members jumped out just under the flames .They carried their M-60 machine guns. Older Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, 1968-1969. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. the fresh meat so what do I know about it. Just keep on working in the rain. Keep exploring. the correctly identified enlisted The Seabee construction crews he is referring to was my crew. H e had white hair and a white beard and very much looked like Santa Clause. 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. to Danang. [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. Pham Ba went around back to take a pee. this pic sure isn't it, at least Paperback. The memory of this little girl and the events at the Children's hospital are the reason I never had children of my own. And The next weekend I asked about the farmer ? The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. There was about a weeks over lap so the knew Chief could learn his job! Well guess what ? Both of his legs had been pretty much blown off. I guess that is why there were a lot of E-2 in the Marines. I went to my CO and asked to help. ( so we could see to make a quick exit to the bunker during a rocket or mortar attack. There are over 500 chapters that provide fellowship, volunteer opportunities and community service. [ Base Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. All of the rounds hit in swamp area between the main base and FLC command building . Significant Events 19-31 August 1970 19-28 October 1970 5 November 1970 13 November 1970 15 November 1970 The Doc trimmed all the skin and muscle nice and neat adding clamps (hemostats) as he went. We took 2 122mm rockets about where the crates are. It didn't take long to get out of bed when the first rocket struck nearby. She would throw dirt into the air and scratch at her face until it was bleeding , rubbing dirt into the cuts. Nice history lesson for me. Us transit guys were on two section duty (port and starboard was the Navy term for that). Well damn right I was scared. There was a Marine listening ambush set up outside the perimeter in that area. Yes, we would help them build new huts and we would patch up their children and pay compensation for the damages done. Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. "driving deprived" at the time and any time I had access to a 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. It is a code of conduct course as much as it teaches the practical issues of survival. The lumber and wood crates in upper right was the start of our lumber yard. ( We called the Army Republic Of Vietnam police white mice because they were small, wore white helmets white web belts, white pistol holsters and white spats.) 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. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S.