This comment has been removed by the author. It was very clear that they did not want a FNG getting in their way. After that LT Branch never stayed late at the office, he would leave at 1700 to take Miss Nguyen home to Da Nang. (my home base). His name was Coate and he was a 3rd class yeoman. Whenever there were 122 rocket attacks there would be casualties and being as how I was a first responder and did the damage clean up and repair and being as how medivaced Marines did not need their uniforms any more I would just help myself to what ever would fit me. When I look back it sure seems stupid but at the time what else could I do? We also had a couple of American Philco Ford teachers. 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. and Captain David A . So much for getting Sunday off. Book description. The base appears to remain in use by the PAVN. Spent four years in college, and achieved QM3, and qualified in She was especially friendly with our hooch mama-son. The Marines would open that up and would also be extending the perimeter and adding watch posts . the "enlisted head" identified in Same short blond bristly hair, same small bullet hole, and same very damn dead! It was more the "ambulance" configuration with a 15 rounds hit us with 3 KIA and 15 wounded. I am on the far left. Remember the talk we got about staying away from the prostitutes that I got my first day in Vietnam? The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. I was standing in front of the hut assessing the job. Population in 2009 (millions) Percentage of Province Sprayed During 1960s. I would have to wait a few more days for that to start. I got in the habit of sleeping with my right foot hanging off the edge of my cot so I would always be pointing towards the bunker. Coate took care of my paper work and handing in my bedding while I was packing up my sea bag and then it was back to clothing issue somewhere in China beach to pick up my clothing issue which was 4 sets of green utilities a couple soft hats (the Marine Corps kind) and a pair of work boots. delivering warm water was good As good as we were trying to do for the Vietnamese we sure as hell were not winning their hearts and minds! morning. This was The doctors at the Hoa Kahn Clinic were all Navy I think mostly off the hospital ships, they would volunteer for the clinic and rotate out every week. 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. 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. 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. The nurse was carrying a little girl about 4 years old. You are a builder so Beerworth or Yost will be who you report too." We stopped work and watched. All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam Da Nang is one of Vietnam's major ports, a city rich in history. Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . 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. I cried to myself on the way back to the base. Gave me the creeps then and still does now when I think about it! The mountain is in the background. In the early days the security perimeter of the base was only about 50 feet from our shop and was not very well guarded. 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. Also we took care of damage at Camp Reasoner and the small CAP out posts. Provinces. mind. Our boat and one other transported the It was a real learning experience for the three of us. A half inch pipe building. Da Nang Air Base (1957-1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) facility. never even gave a thought that a 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. 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. Danang Vietnam 1966 1967 Camp Tien Sha was an old French army base. paths and painted white and there were white picket fences around almost every The sound was very loud so at first we thought it was close but couldn't see it. Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. blocked. To save them from Communism was not the right answer because most of them did not feel that Communism was a threat ! It turned 90 degrees to the right and touched down between two rows of concertina wire in the middle of the perimeter. It Go through their front gate then out their back gate to the causeway. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. map to the right is intended to be used as a New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was The tents were on the right. Some where along the line the nurse had done an IV drip. Guest 31-Aug-2016 02:35: . - (07-07-02) I have NO remberance of Just kind of shut it off excepting that I had very little control over my situation and excepting that if shit happened ,shit happened !! He didn't mince words. " a shower enclosure that wasn't Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. Then after thinking about it I realized how wrong I was. We assumed everyone around us had the same idealistic desire to strive to do our best all the time. When we arrived at Red Beach the Seabee team shop was a mad house. There weren't even any stairs going up there yet. I can still hear the snip of the scissors as the Doc cut away the flesh. Fishing Boats of Da Nang in We could sleep but we had to report in every hour on the radio to our parent command at PWC China Beach. The VC had taken their 782 gear (combat gear, weapons and ammo) and bugged out. Detachment Hue - 1965 - 1970. camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968. Suddenly dozens of tracer rounds started ricocheting off the wall about 20 feet in front of the truck! By the time I graduated from High school I was a damn good diver! Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. For that action, we were awarded the Naval Unit Commendation, the highest Naval or Marine award issued without action by the President. There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . Did he live or die? 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. I couldn't grasp what was going on at the time. was about vehicles, building 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. . time does that. things. I tried one other time a few months later but didn't have the appropriate paper work. bgmarshall@aol.com. Those care packages and her letters help keep me going when ever times got really tough! It's claim to fame was that it had a black prostitute. I think navy was the hair thing. Maybe 6 on a side. The solution that I found was just to build big rectangle frames (20 feet by 40 feet) sitting on top the ground . There was a Marine listening ambush set up outside the perimeter in that area. ( Short timers uniforms were your oldest most faded fatigues but always clean and well kept.) I heard the distant crack of rifle fire and then my brain said holy shit, somebody is shooting at me!! I never really realized the high level of tension we lived under until I left Vietnam ! So I took a trip in September 2016 back I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. Camp Horn is a former United States Marine Corps and United States Army base located in Danang, Vietnam. I was land based in Da Nang. Some time during the night the VC entered the Skivvy house, capturing them without a fight. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. Our shop the day we put up our sign and officially became Area Work Center #5. I jumped into the fighting hole beside the post and yelled at the Marines there "holy shit some one is shooting at me!" Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . The He's shooting from a long way out and hasn't hit anyone yet. Why are you here in Vietnam ? $10 of that came from me. All in the name of saving them from Communism. 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. The village it refers to was just north of Camp Books. Around back there was a Jeep with a utility trailer on behind. I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! I went home in August 1967, It was an opportunity to get off the Hospital ships and see a little bit of the real Vietnam. - 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. The guys loaded up my tool box and gave me an M-16 so I would be able to walk back to the base later. world in a land that nobody cared about , I was sitting in a Continental [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. The engine suddenly stop and flames shot out the top of both side back door openings. There was always something interesting to watch at Camp Books. [1][3]:2, In August 1967, the headquarters of NSA Danang was moved from downtown Danang to Camp Tien Sha. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. I asked about the little girl and the doc said she had died Thursday night. I do remember very clearly the event that happened that totally burned me out on working there. I joined the Navy Reserve and went to Viet Nam anyway. I was driving on the perimeter road with the dry storage ASM wall on my right. That episode followed rioting along China Beach by black . Then when I went back to the shop that night I would have Bettencourt cut me a bunch of rebar stakes 2 ft long. Guess earlier generations of residents at Camp Fay had their limits and no one ever said a word to me about these activities. kms.) Some time that day the Catholic Priest who was in charge of the clinic and also the Da Nang orphanage showed up . was directly below the building Message is: I am looking for members that served at Tien Sha Ramp in 1968 through 1969. 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. 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 pretty much walked the whole base then back to the EM club for a cold beer The two guys shot in the skivvy house that night were, Pvt. information beyond what we already have. One night I was in the office with LT Branch . It was losing altitude and we were wondering if they would make it. Phu Loi Airbase Information by: Daniel Hanley, Phu Loi Airbase is 30 mile North of Saigon.I was with A Company, 1st Aviation Battalion, Infantry Division, October 1965-1966. Camp Fay in the evening and morning. couldn't resist testing it's limits! It didn't take long to get out of bed when the first rocket struck nearby. Detachment Dong Ha - 1967 - 1970. You FNGs get off the plane and fall in over there. It wasn't a normally I donated money several times while at Camp Books. But that only happened once as from then on I was ready. Danang was handling more tonnage than the port of Baltimore at the time. Relations outside of combat were typified by racial tension and violence. The MPs left in a hurry. 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. Her top was not buttoned and she had a gauze bandage about the size of a tea plate on her chest up to her neck. on the National Geographic Magazine I didn't understand at that time the danger of rocket attacks. What I really I was aguard for Tien Sha Peninsula Security division. These detachments decentralized the support function and improved the logistic flow. I knew I wasn't in Kansas. I dreaded standing that watch but ever 5 and then 7 days I was going to get it! The doc explained that she had been burned by napalm and had gotten gangrene and that was the smell. From March to July 1965, III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) troops delivered supplies to the units in the field while the Seventh Fleet ran port operations. side was a area called Bridge Ramp which was where the Navy LSTs would pull in I stood there wondering how I was going to drive wood stakes into that hard ground. I suppose that I needed that time alone to recover from the amputation! PTF base at after working hours. Mostly I would just build and they would watch and fallow what I did. So as May 1968 ended I had been in Vietnam for 1 month! The iStock design is a trademark of iStockphoto LP. I have nothing but respect for those that were. it, there were about a dozen shower I started building the 3 strong backs at 7 Motors on Monday morning June 3rd. Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. There were 6 area work centers in the Da Nang AO . Suddenly the helicopter went nose high and stopped going forward. NMCB THREE Main Body Flights consisting of three passenger . Well I never did hear from Barbee. That was the LTs first rocket attack and he didn't react fast enough. at Camp Fay. VVA's goals . the upper left hand part of the pic. 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 ! And In other words, if you could drive a Corvair fast and survive you Some times a lot of shit happened . 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. A smell I have never smelled again in my life time. I stretched it to it's The usual row of sinks, toilets and I believe that on May 21 we had hits to the sick bay which was a big rebuild job. DaNang aerial photograph It was reported in an Email that National Geographic Magazine somewhere between Jan. 1967 and June 1968 had an aerial photograph of DaNang with enough detail to get the CIA uptight. I was in country from June 1969 to June 1970. On 30 June 1970 NSA Danang was deactivated and on 1 July new Army-Marine service support agreements went into effect. Maybe it's just me. There were no boat parts in supply 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. Gallons of Herbicides Sprayed. of the guys took to securing a Then I could triangulate my frames ,run some string lines, pound in the rebar stakes. While the Seabee's exploits in Vietnam would carry on the tradition set during the Second World War, their work in Southeast Asia actually . The pilots jumped out . So off to Camp Tien Sha to get my gear and check out. My day was done!! I think it was on May 22,Wednesday when I was on the night radio,phone watch that I wrote my poem about this event. This would also give Beerworth time to get his guys out on their job. Now I know where Barbee is but where is Babyson? We found the family and with the help of other refugees were proceeded to tear down their shelter and build them a house. places that you or others would be referring to. A small craft repair facility and an Auxiliary Floating Drydock (AFDL) helped keep NSA vessels in working order. DaNang Harbor. Retro. CONTACT: VETERANS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS. I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! We were here, 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. ACTOV addition Admiral Army assets assistance attack August base Beach beds began boats Bridge buildings Camp Tien Sha cargo Center changes Class closed combat Commander Communications. little early to get back in school and finish my degree. She is always with me ! Was I scared ? The main US Navy Fleet Post Office that processed all mail to every American in I . to my new cubicle and dressed in my slightly used green utility working 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. it for their personal use. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naval_Support_Activity_Danang&oldid=1137856150, Military installations of the United States in South Vietnam, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Naval History & Heritage Command, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 20:12. 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. layout - (07-07-02) Tour: August 2, 1969 through July 17, 1970. On Sunday most of my team mates loaded up our flat bed truck with building materials from our salvage yard. There are other memories of my time working at the clinic. One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! I heard the truth the next day at the mess hall. They were trying to fly that chopper to the safety of Camp Books. I joined the 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% . A regular jeep would accommodate 5 people, while in this The road was closed to civilian traffic at night so there would be no other vehicles on the road. I was later assigned to the Monkey Mountain Patrol. half, aside from the times that I OK, Im new here, the rooky, In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha (Tin Sa) at the foot of Monkey Mountain. I would like to help you with your content on your website. had to man the perimeter during It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. I lay there waiting for the out posts to return fire, nothing happened! The MPs had used their white belts as tourniquets just above the knees. camp where you get sheared. So over time it was easier to just not know anyone. Despite these positive interactions with whites, African Americans did not view the armed forces as an institution free of racial prejudice. [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. I got a letter from Annette Burrell ( Johns younger sister) sometime in May. So that's what I did, went back to work. It had been a very busy month with a lot of things happening. there. I took my time cooling myself off in that shower then went It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. The doc had no idea but it was a sure thing she was going to die. James L Chambers (cause of death,misadventure). U.S. [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. What ever it was we were done by shortly after 1600 hr. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S. Detachment Phu Bai - 1965 -1970. I took this photofrom the stern of YFU 80 which was docked at SCRF, looking across Da Nang harbor at sunset. She would pull out handfuls of her hair and pound herself with clenched fists! Charlie 2. 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. one of authority noticed. Some of the rocket attacks were on Camp Books (FLC) . I could see through the gauze and there was some kind of wound underneath that looked like velvet. Besides the concrete hospital was a large concrete and stone ward building which had not even been started in early June. Level the frames and tie them to the stakes and I would have my concrete forms complete. I had orders in September 1966 to go to My station when He left me sitting there on the steps saying he would send Beerworth down at 1700 hr to get me settled in. 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 . The tracer rounds stopped ,I gave it a couple minutes and got in the truck and sped on my way back to the shop! The nurse in the center of the picture is the one who helped amputate the farmers legs. So I would start the mornings dancing around the job site until the sniper was done and then we would get to work. Coate would send dog food care packages to Judy. Our generators were not even running yet so I heard the rocket coming in. this pic sure isn't it, at least The to pull a copy and edit in the The following information was emailed in to didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. The enlisted head You'll see the plumes of smoke, fireballs and falling debris from the explosion of the DaNang ammo dump on April 27, 1969 -- and close ups of some of the damage to buildings and barracks. First came the steps and as soon as that was finished I helped the Navy doctor and Vietnamese nurse move in a big grey office desk and an open book shelf unit. head" screwed onto the pipe. because of all the flares in the mountains next to the base. We are the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122, based in Collin County, Texas. Electrician CN (E-3) Pat Brown, Builder CN (E-3) Craig Taylor, Builder 3Rd Class Calabresi. 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. We had devastated their economy and destroyed their infrastructure. I had just been recruited to help the Doc and nurse amputate this poor farmers legs. to develop this map. 2023 iStockphoto LP. [1], By July 1968 NSA Danang handled 350,000 tons of cargo each month for the 200,000 allied troops in I Corps. Yes that's me smiling up from the 122mm rocket crater. I remember one time showering in You will use the chain of command ,don't come to me. . On May 13,1968 we took 6 122mm rocket rounds as explained in my May 15,1968 leter. ! Over time that changed, I didn't want to know any newbies! This exhibit is now closed. My head carpenter ,Pham Ba told me about her during the week. those Nastie's were fun boats! Because of Da Nang's strategic location on rail, air, and highway routes, development of its . 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. corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners.

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