[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. She is always with me ! Do the job, get it done right and then sign off the work order and move on to the next one. As tired as I was I never got much sleep. They were all in alignment with our generators. We could sleep but we had to report in every hour on the radio to our parent command at PWC China Beach. 15 rounds hit us with 3 KIA and 15 wounded. [ Base Sandoval. If you served in Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. It really, really broke my heart! 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. - (07-07-02) I have NO remberance of So I took a trip in September 2016 back On Tuesday May 14 I finished my hooch and settled into the corner right inside the door. Message is: I am looking for members that served at Tien Sha Ramp in 1968 through 1969. He was transported in critical condition to the NSA Hospital in Da Nang with a massive head injury. Please feel free [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. Some (my home base). Was a different Doc and Nurse and they didn't know anything other than the farmer had been moved to the civilian hospital in Da Nang City. Older Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, 1968-1969. afford at the time and they taught me a lot about handling vehicles. The events highlighted in yellow directly affected me. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. So every week there would be a different doctor. Just kind of shut it off excepting that I had very little control over my situation and excepting that if shit happened ,shit happened !! I think the thing that His name was Coate and he was a 3rd class yeoman. I had my sailboat and some The exhibit was known as "The Vietnam Syndrome". Before I went into the Navy I had a There were no boat parts in supply A small craft repair facility and an Auxiliary Floating Drydock (AFDL) helped keep NSA vessels in working order. My very first Not all the time but sometimes . Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in If you have heads" but they were always stolen . it, there were about a dozen shower The lumber and wood crates in upper right was the start of our lumber yard. She was especially friendly with our hooch mama-son. The number of rockets are probably plus or minus a couple rockets. There were 6 area work centers in the Da Nang AO . Keep exploring. "Sorry that's all we have!" In this pic the enlisted On the back of the truck was his dog Judy and inside on the dashboard was an M-16 rifle. There was an indoor movie theater, snack bar, hobby shop, NCO club and EM club, basket ball courts and tennis courts. Had fun there, especially since I had to wear civilian clothes. I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was The sign on the mess hall door The Seabee team had 8 junior men in one hootch and 4 senior men in the second hootch. 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 We also had a land line (telephone) installed for communication with the Marines. 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. because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. The crew truck got there about 1745 hr or so and the doc was still busy. The next day he would become my first hooch mate although I had to rush to get a couple partitions up so he would have his own space. 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 Tour: August 2, 1969 through July 17, 1970. such a small vehicle. They did hit the fuel bladders at truck company several time so I knew there would be a nice warm fire if our fuel tank got hit. context of what was happening. changes to : I read of your arrival in China Beach with a bit of a chuckle remembering how green we all were at that time. The guy on the right had black hair, he had been shot with a small caliber pistol right where the skull meets the spine. 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 nurses were all Vietnamese and were employed there so I would often see the same nurses. I knew I wasn't in Kansas. There weren't even any stairs going up there yet. )The Doc gave me a large stick like a tongue depressor ,except bigger. The U.S. Navy established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in February 1964. Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the When I look back it sure seems stupid but at the time what else could I do? May 27 was my birthday. During our night watch I would lock the office door ,lay my M-16, (locked and loaded) on the desk pointing at the door. Over time that changed, I didn't want to know any newbies! CD-ROM, but it didn't provide any new It wasn't a normally Well damn right I was scared. Well I never did hear from Barbee. Nights in Vietnam were uncomfortable at best. 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. It took until 2000 hours to finish that first slab. Alan barrels over the bow. I started building the 3 strong backs at 7 Motors on Monday morning June 3rd. I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! 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. An example of what we did. It was more the "ambulance" configuration with a to Danang. 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. Often several rockets would have gone off before I even knew we were under attack ! was the building directly adjoining I am very grateful to Annette for the support she gave me while I was in Vietnam. Some times I would bend the rules and just let them go and I would take care of checking them out. Well guess what ? Gallons of Herbicides Sprayed. The nurse was carrying a little girl about 4 years old. 11. In July 1966 the "Bridge Cargo Ramp" (160307N 1081352E / 16.052N 108.231E / 16.052; 108.231) began operations increasing NSA's supply capability. Danang was handling more tonnage than the port of Baltimore at the time. 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. What the F is wrong with her? I was probably in as much in shock as the farmer. It was I am not sure what possessed me to write poems there. Statewide Water Diversion and Fish Passage Coordinator (Senior There was always something interesting to watch at Camp Books. Yes that's me smiling up from the 122mm rocket crater. 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. naval reserves just before graduating from high school in 1962. "Ya, there has been a sniper shooting at the fence crew every morning for the past week. After I let them go I was sitting on my tool box waiting for the crew truck to come pick me up. Drive out the back gate and about 2 miles to the Navy Seabee base. 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. right out of there. I was going to have to hit the ground running if I intended to stay with this team. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. Fay, although it must have happened. When I found out about that I went with Bet to talk to that officer. Very often our flares would land in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch burning down many Vietnamese huts providing more damaged children for the clinic. So I would start the mornings dancing around the job site until the sniper was done and then we would get to work. because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. 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. large canvas covering over the rear area that protected bench 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. When the Doc was finished he told me I could remove the stick. a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I . 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 . The plane started to drop, going in steep and fast. Don't go to Dog Patch at night and stay way from the prostitutes. 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. Yes, everyone called him soccer ball head ! Camp Tien Sha, Vietnam. He didn't mince words. " We destroyed what they had and were teaching them skills that didn't even fit into their culture. I have nothing but respect for those that were. Soon there were Marines all over the place. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. She would pull out handfuls of her hair and pound herself with clenched fists! I took this photofrom the stern of YFU 80 which was docked at SCRF, looking across Da Nang harbor at sunset. meal in Vietnam was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green peas, 2 large We found the family and with the help of other refugees were proceeded to tear down their shelter and build them a house. When Puppy was big enough our secretary, interpreter Miss Nguyen took Puppy home with her to Danang. distributed to ships coming in. 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. That episode followed rioting along China Beach by black . The harbor defense unit used landing craft, picket boats and 16 feet (4.9m) Boston Whalers to monitor and protect the maritime traffic. The rest of my tour I did what every good Seabee team would do, I stole them ! New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. Great Discounts & More! Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. Retro. was about vehicles, building sucked and the barber dissed me for Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. The Marines would open that up and would also be extending the perimeter and adding watch posts . the duty jeep normally delivered the crew to the base in the There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. Although the rules were they had to go back and check out. 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. I went out and sat on my toolbox and thought about what I had just experienced. U.S. MARINES IN VIETNAM THE DEFINING YEAR 1968. by. Well whenever I was working in that area I would sneak in the tent and find some dirty uniforms,still in good shape and steal them, put them in my crew tool box and take them back to my hooch and hand wash them ! 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! The 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! Why are you here in Vietnam ? Chu Lai Base Area. During my research I found an entry in the Diary of Marine Lieutenant Don Griffis who was CO of the Provisional Rifle Company who operated patrols out of Camp Books. We knew the helicopter was in trouble because of the trail of smoke and how fast it was flying. For African Americans soldiers serving in the armed forces during the Vietnam War the domestic scene loomed large. Mostly I was just kind of mentally numb. After the bones were cut the Doc tied off all the bleeders and removed the hemostats . 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. "enlisted". Had tied their hands behind their backs and executed them. The helicopter crew sat down a couple hundred feet from their UH-1 and waited. I set up a course 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. Every month she would send a large box of candy, cookies and other goodies. 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 ! [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. He did some stitching ,packed gauze into the stumps, put in shunts and temporarily closed the stumps. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! ALL work centers report in : AWC # 1 reports everything is quite ! In the early days the security perimeter of the base was only about 50 feet from our shop and was not very well guarded. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam Da Nang is one of Vietnam's major ports, a city rich in history. and went on Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. Was I scared ? At Freedom Hill you'll see some panoramic shots of the base and buildings (USO Club, ), likewise at Tien Sha (Snoopy's Chicken Hut, Acey Ducey Club). of the enclosure with a "shower not leaving a big enough tip. Our mess hall, about 70 yards from my hootch took a direct hit on the serving line and kitchen area. 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. whatever you say Mr. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. These detachments decentralized the support function and improved the logistic flow. I would have to find some time to build a foot locker. I yelled "incoming" and took off running to the nearest watch post which was 150 yards away. It was just after 1700 so I was good. First I had to do a couple hour job at the 1st MP Quonset hut. There wasn't much blood ,just a small whelp where the bullet went in. From 1800 hours until 0600 we had to have some one stand watch. ever getting my hair cut at Camp couldn't resist testing it's limits! I jumped into the fighting hole beside the post and yelled at the Marines there "holy shit some one is shooting at me!" snakes and other items of entertainment. Ya, we continued our work and started building my hooch. around on the gravel surface at the PTF base. Let me tell you that wasn't fun at all. 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% . Some time during the night the VC entered the Skivvy house, capturing them without a fight. One night I was in the office with LT Branch . 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. This is Judy and her puppy ( named Puppy) Judy was Coate s dog and was named after his girl friend. Over 130 rough terrain and warehouse forklifts and 20 cranes eased cargo handling. k. 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. 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. By TET of 1968 most of the rural Vietnamese had been moved into relocation camps (Dog Patch). They had been covered with poncho liners but they had blown off. The Doc took a big syringe and needle and shot both legs up with anesthesia. sat idle. The new wood frame building that I did was behind the camera. It was really to late to save the helicopter but at least nobody was killed or hurt! Mostly I would just build and they would watch and fallow what I did. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Nice history lesson for me. The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. course. This is our new Chief Builder. A sad day because we were no longer a Seabee Team ! two parts, right and left, I have to Then walk the length of pier re-installing any buffer pads that might have come out. That's how we got our beds, enough for everyone. I joined the Electrician CN (E-3) Pat Brown, Builder CN (E-3) Craig Taylor, Builder 3Rd Class Calabresi. Bet coming down the trail by the ESSO Plant east wall. She wanted to send care packages and letters to me as part of a High School project. 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. corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners. The usual row of sinks, toilets and I did spend plenty of time on Marine firebases around the Da Nang-Phu Bai area and spent time at a camp located at Phu Loc. To save them from Communism was not the right answer because most of them did not feel that Communism was a threat ! Nobody bothered to help the new guy with the profoundly negative and dangerous war situation you found yourself in. Go through their front gate then out their back gate to the causeway. He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. Well I had 11 months to go and it was going to be a very long 11 months ! 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. a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I 44 Declassified Vietnam War Photos Taken By U.S. Army Photographers View Gallery History is not a fixed set of facts. I am sure had I not done that , the Chief, when he came down to the hootch, would have solved the problem by sending me back to China Beach. The 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. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. Despite these positive interactions with whites, African Americans did not view the armed forces as an institution free of racial prejudice. uniform. There was a bunker there. [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.
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