Maybe it's just me. Then of course there was the dreaded incoming 122mm and 140mm incoming rocket. The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I For that action, we were awarded the Naval Unit Commendation, the highest Naval or Marine award issued without action by the President. from two times. 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. 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. kms.) I joined the 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. There was a bunker there. So over time it was easier to just not know anyone. The events highlighted in yellow directly affected me. He's shooting from a long way out and hasn't hit anyone yet. My barracks was an old French barracks at Camp Tien Sha near Da Nang. 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. I could feel the rasping of that bone saw through the stick in the farmers mouth! Well I had 11 months to go and it was going to be a very long 11 months ! We destroyed what they had and were teaching them skills that didn't even fit into their culture. reportedf to the USS Permit (SSN-594) at Mare Island, and got out a You FNGs we took twelve 122mm rocket rounds, there was damage again at the motor pool. 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. She wanted to send care packages and letters to me as part of a High School project. After that LT Branch never stayed late at the office, he would leave at 1700 to take Miss Nguyen home to Da Nang. ( 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.) Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. 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. blocked. Some time that day the Catholic Priest who was in charge of the clinic and also the Da Nang orphanage showed up . I have spent countless hours over the past 15 years driving my motorbike around the Camp Books area looking for any of our workers. It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. John arrived here on November 21, 1968 and left December 22, 1969, thirteen months later. The field had been filled with red dirt and rocks and had been compacted with heavy equipment. 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. Did he live or die? - 300 dpi - RGB, Royalty-free licenses let you pay once to use copyrighted images and video clips in personal and commercial projects on an ongoing basis without requiring additional payments each time you use that content. sucked and the barber dissed me for I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! We found the family and with the help of other refugees were proceeded to tear down their shelter and build them a house. On the technical The photos on this page are from an exhibit that was at the Collin County Historical Society Museum. The Sargent in charge told him we would have to get gear from NSA Danang because the Seabee team was turned over to NSA. 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). Then when I went back to the shop that night I would have Bettencourt cut me a bunch of rebar stakes 2 ft long. It was about the most insane thing I had ever experienced and was hard for my mind to grasp what had just happened. I made a series of videos about the exhibit before it was closed. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! 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. The Doc told me to help tie the farmer down to the desk. Level the frames and tie them to the stakes and I would have my concrete forms complete. 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). was directly below the building Because I had to fend for myself I did help the newbies who moved into my hooch. Ok, I T are sections in the book about Camp Tien Sha, Cua Viet, Dong Ha, Tan My, Hue, Phu Bai, Chu Lai, and Sa Huynh. We were not part of the Marine Civil Affair but worked independent of them. China Beach, Vietnam. That was the LTs first rocket attack and he didn't react fast enough. You are a builder so Beerworth or Yost will be who you report too." On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. to develop this map. If you served in Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. 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. But I don't consider myself as one. We started pouring concrete Wednesday June 5, 1968. Back at the hootch the Seabees got in a major debate about where to put me. Me, age 23, sitting on my bunk drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. The wounded are only those who were medivaced to a hospital. sat idle. You got to do what you got to do ! Once I went "over" Charlie 2. by the time they got to us AWC# 5 we would be awake (hopefully) and report in. All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off that's one of our generators upper left. shoes" and one of the Vietnamese She was wearing light blue pajamas with little lambs printed on it. You FNGs get off the plane and fall in over there. Learn more. After a couple rocket and mortar attacks my brain never went completely to sleep. Work started at 0700 hr and we got off at 1700 hr. The following information was emailed in to So on the hour we would get a call. Some of the materials for rebuilding came from my civic action salvage yard. This is the first Poem that I wrote in Vietnam and is about the two marines killed in the skivvy house. 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 ! to return to The Brief. Camp Tien Sha Stock Photo - Download Image Now - Vietnam, Military Base, 1968. afford at the time and they taught me a lot about handling vehicles. As soon as they caught on they would take on that task and I would move on to the next. half, aside from the times that I Nobody bothered to help the new guy with the profoundly negative and dangerous war situation you found yourself in. Unfortunately when we got there it was closed for one hour for lunch and Coate did not have the time to hang around. around on the gravel surface at the PTF base. The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Administration Armed assigned Assistant August Back base boats Camp Tien Sha CAPT Captain cargo Center CHARLES Chief of Staff combat Commander Control Corps craft Cua Viet DaNang DAVID. The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. little early to get back in school and finish my degree. Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. What that means is we stood a four hour night watch every other night. What was done was done! 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 Alan 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. The only answer I could give them that they would except was. I took all the materials that I thought I would need to build the cement forms for my strong backs. Spent four years in college, and achieved QM3, and qualified in So much for getting Sunday off. The official report was small arms fire on the perimeter. Don't go to Dog Patch at night and stay way from the prostitutes. A smell I have never smelled again in my life time. That sure screwed with our sleep! side was a area called Bridge Ramp which was where the Navy LSTs would pull in It was good for our working relation ship to do them favors so that I could count on them to perform for me when I really needed them. Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. Our mess hall, about 70 yards from my hootch took a direct hit on the serving line and kitchen area. Da Nang marks the halfway point between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. He finished his tour with detective work as one of six NSA investigators at Camp Tien Sha, adjacent to Da Nang. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. Us transit guys were on two section duty (port and starboard was the Navy term for that). The next work order I got for there I gave it to Beerworth and told him I would not work there any more! 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. one of authority noticed. January 30, 1968 marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive. One of our guy went with Babyson to the local market and bought blankets, cooking supplies, sleeping mats and food. I had orders in September 1966 to go to Just kind of shut it off excepting that I had very little control over my situation and excepting that if shit happened ,shit happened !! We layout - (07-07-02) This is the day I started my real job. work out the details with him. Link to video tour of . I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was and their 155 and 175 guns. A sad day because we were no longer a Seabee Team ! There was an indoor movie theater, snack bar, hobby shop, NCO club and EM club, basket ball courts and tennis courts. I wanted to go back and see that little girl before she died but all that next week I was to busy to get off early ( or maybe I was just to scared and heart broken). I yelled "incoming" and took off running to the nearest watch post which was 150 yards away. It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. NMCB THREE Main Body Flights consisting of three passenger . I was probably in as much in shock as the farmer. The kids head had been stitched up and looked just like a soccer ball. to my new cubicle and dressed in my slightly used green utility working 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 . Both of his legs had been pretty much blown off. who manned the PTF base at night used for transportation to and from The day we put up our sign . It was a strange way for a job to start. 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. 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! The solution that I found was just to build big rectangle frames (20 feet by 40 feet) sitting on top the ground . The rest of my tour I did what every good Seabee team would do, I stole them ! [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. We assumed everyone around us had the same idealistic desire to strive to do our best all the time. 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. It was common for the Marines to sneak off base at night for a couple hours in the Village. the two boat docks at DaNang. 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. Relations outside of combat were typified by racial tension and violence. Charles R. Smith . I went home in August 1967, [1], The logistic establishment at Danang functioned with growing efficiency by mid-1968 as it built new port and shore facilities. 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. 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 exhibit was known as "The Vietnam Syndrome". There were other things to screw up the nights. The nurse laid across the farmers upper thighs to hold him in place. standing duty after working hours you were pretty much alone. say I rarely ventured onto the left ever getting my hair cut at Camp And IN VIETNAM. So off to Camp Tien Sha to get my gear and check out. maids walked in and started cleaning Book description. This was a Sunday afternoon BBQ about 1800 hr. She would throw dirt into the air and scratch at her face until it was bleeding , rubbing dirt into the cuts. It wasn't a normally boat part would be housed in supply The building site was about 150 yards outside of the north perimeter and the perimeter had not been opened up yet. I heard the distant crack of rifle fire and then my brain said holy shit, somebody is shooting at me!! Cat Lo Naval Base. We looked a lot more hard corps than we were. 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. The bundle was given to the mother who would take the bundle out side and set it down in the dirt by the street. and to listen to music. Inside of that trailer, face down were 2 dead Marines. Some 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 . meal in Vietnam was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green peas, 2 large Find Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . From 1800 hours until 0600 we had to have some one stand watch. while we were starting the wall framing we heard the sound of a UH-1 helicopter. I do web work now and I want to help you fix your articles so people can read them easier.I'm not asking to get paid I just want to do something for you. The village it refers to was just north of Camp Books. In this pic the enlisted The road was closed to civilian traffic at night so there would be no other vehicles on the road. Sometimes we could be called out 2 or 3 times in a night. When we arrived at Red Beach the Seabee team shop was a mad house. There were two supply tents up there and when the Field Marines (grunts) would come in from the bush they would strip off all their dirty clothes and throw them in piles in one tent then go into the other tent and pick up clean uniforms. I finished the shower and got A regular jeep would accommodate 5 people, while in this things. "Sorry that's all we have!" I thought the clinic was for children. The usual row of sinks, toilets and 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. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, Any damage at FLC was my teams responsibility to asses , clean up and repair or replace so I had direct involvement in all rocket and mortar attacks at FLC. There was the real possibility of hitting a mine or being ambushed by the VC (it happened more often then I would like to think about) . 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! I went to my CO and asked to help. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. and drop their bow ramps. Please feel free What we finally did was a one man 12 hour watch. Then after thinking about it I realized how wrong I was. 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. Drinking black coffee trying to stay alert. [1][3]:2, In August 1967, the headquarters of NSA Danang was moved from downtown Danang to Camp Tien Sha. [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. Another interesting point is the H&S Co. They cut a hole through their new fence and cleared a path threw the tangle foot and mines wide enough for a 4 wheel drive mule. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. About a mile out the crew started kicking boxes out the doors. So that's what I did, went back to work. Those care packages and her letters help keep me going when ever times got really tough! get a mailing address via email from Chip and Style attributes. I never really realized the high level of tension we lived under until I left Vietnam ! When I found out about that I went with Bet to talk to that officer. One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! I served there and just would like to hear from some of the guys that was there. U.S. MARINES IN VIETNAM THE DEFINING YEAR 1968. by. Learn more about royalty-free images or view FAQs related to stock photos. That's danger close to the shop! Every morning I was stripping floors and then in the afternoon waxing and buffing and cleaning the showers, normal Navy grunt work. 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. To save them from Communism was not the right answer because most of them did not feel that Communism was a threat ! The scarcity of lighterage and the heavy weather that often buffeted the harbor made ship-to-craft cargo transfers hazardous and inefficient. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! What the F is wrong with her? in Subic and got a pro hair cut. Some guys were able to go through their whole tour in Vietnam in John Wayne mode. arrive there again.. Joe Witmeyer shares this 50th 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% . Just to the right of Coate introduced me to a Chief Boatswain Mate who was our executive officer.The Commanding officer wasn't there( a lieutenant Junior Grade.) 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! It was time to go look for some food! morning. The two guys shot in the skivvy house that night were, Pvt. I spent 33 years This is a 122mm rocket crater in the road in front of our shop. Gallons of Herbicides Sprayed. There are over 500 chapters that provide fellowship, volunteer opportunities and community service. Well we Well sure I heard about it and even saw them down at 1st MPs. The PTFs, under Vietnamese officers and crews, conducted over 1,000 raids against North Vietnam from March-April 1964 to January 1972. These detachments decentralized the support function and improved the logistic flow. with her work. Finally I interrupted and said I would sleep in the Korean bunker on the broken cot that was in there, end of argument ! TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. The Monkey Mountain Patrol. [4]:33, Logistic vessels under the control of NSA Danang included Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM 3 & LCM 6) and LCU landing craft; harbor utility craft (YFU); small harbor tugs (YTL); open lighters (YC); refrigerated barges (YFRN); Army craft; and a refrigerator ship. I was going to have to hit the ground running if I intended to stay with this team. At the base of Monkey mountain was Camp Tien Sha, the main Navy base. Although the rules were they had to go back and check out. Storage areas ashore were limited by space and access. camp where you get sheared. She giggled a bit (talk The Marines would open that up and would also be extending the perimeter and adding watch posts . Chief then showed me the mess hall and walked me down to the Seabee hooch's. Anyone who tried to open that door without giving our pass word would have been shot. 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. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. . 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 . Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . It is a code of conduct course as much as it teaches the practical issues of survival. Another thing that screwed up the night for us was our night radio, phone watch, it was a real bitch ! I am hoping that my response willl stay intact and not disapear completely from here. Alan on Haircuts Naval Support Facility DaNang (1970-1972), and the Detachments. I was later assigned to the Monkey Mountain Patrol. 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. He left me sitting there on the steps saying he would send Beerworth down at 1700 hr to get me settled in. This would also give Beerworth time to get his guys out on their job. We were here, 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. The Marines in that ambush had fired on me to scare me because they thought I was the duty officer making the rounds. I remember one time showering in I was to hear FNG The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. There wasn't much blood ,just a small whelp where the bullet went in. through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no He didn't mince words. " Most of the time if you were There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. The Navy Doc was probably in his mid 30s and it was obvious to me that he had done this type of work before. places that you or others would be referring to. I went back to my cubicle crawled into bed, ending my I just haven't had time for any more. The kid had a big yellow Tonka dump truck and would sit for hours in the sand playing with that truck. June 29, 2022; creative careers quiz; ken thompson net worth unix Individuality, not. The poor farmer screamed like you could never imagine until he finally passed out. [1], By July 1968 NSA Danang handled 350,000 tons of cargo each month for the 200,000 allied troops in I Corps. Our boat and one other transported the It turned 90 degrees to the right and touched down between two rows of concertina wire in the middle of the perimeter.