What we finally did was a one man 12 hour watch. The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. I was 19 years old when I got my orders to go to Vietnam. The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. I was not prepared and he totally over powered me! "Sorry that's all we have!" 6320 Selago Drive. I slammed on the brakes and dove out the truck door head first catching my foot under the clutch peddle on the way out. . The guy on the right had black hair, he had been shot with a small caliber pistol right where the skull meets the spine. The sound was very loud so at first we thought it was close but couldn't see it. There was no time off just the same 12 hr work shift. The Marines slept 12 to 14 men in a hootch. The Doc started by cutting the legs off. I was in country from June 1969 to June 1970. We were also vulnerable to sappers . Familiar Places. Paperback. Boy life was improving a lot. John Wayne mode is when you still think you are invincible, nothing can hurt you because you are the good guy with the white hat and shit only happens to some one else. We also had a couple of American Philco Ford teachers. It's claim to fame was that it had a black prostitute. It was creepy doing that trip to the causeway. Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang Camp Tieu Khu, Binh Duong Province Camp John R. Tine, Kien Phong Province Torello . 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. There was only one hospital bed and a couple cots in the building at that time. So every week there would be a different doctor. I heard the truth the next day at the mess hall. The Brief. On May 15 I had finished 6 or 8 escape doors. It was closed in late 1969, the Admiral moved to China Beach and in 1970 I was an RM2 working at the Triangle Communications Center on the east side of the Han River (between Camp Tien-Sha and China Beach). RICHARD river ROBERT sailors School served Services ships SKSN SMITH Special staff Station Hospital submarine supply Support THOMAS units Vietnam . There hours were 0800 to1700 so it was impossible for me to go. 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). We set the radio on squelch so it would make a lot of noise and wake us up. uniform. Her husband was an ARVN soldier who had been killed. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. We aren't sure where he is yet and haven't got permission to go after him! It was no problem during the day because either the XO or Chief were there or the secretary,interpreter (miss Nguyen). The flares were often still burning when they hit the ground. [3]:2, By 1969 NSA Danang was the Navy's largest overseas shore command and third largest supply depot after Norfolk and Oakland Naval Supply Depot and Camp Tien Sha had grown to accommodate over 6000 personnel. Coate was not there to know about Puppy. middle , Mr Kim a Korean Philco Ford electrician . Don't go to Dog Patch at night and stay way from the prostitutes. The Post office was about 75 yards from my hootch. Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. The 53rd had five (5) CO's from 1942 through 1946. . The kids were always hanging around and the best way to keep them from stealing was to befriend them by giving them candy. I felt sorry for the other guys in the truck with me . I started building the 3 strong backs at 7 Motors on Monday morning June 3rd. Re: Vietnam Nam vet wants to see war sites. 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. The official report was small arms fire on the perimeter. May 1. It didn't take long to get out of bed when the first rocket struck nearby. This book is the capstone volume of the entire series in that 1968, as the title indicates, was the defining year of the war. camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968. May 27 was my birthday. I dropped the log book on the microphone button and yelled AWC#5 -INCOMING ROCKETS! Everyone had his turf marked out and nobody was willing to give any for me. Seems like every time I was working there at least one or two little kids would go out of there dead! So there I would be for over a week trying to keep the mosquitoes off of me by covering with the sheet and putting my head in the pillow case. I was in Danang less than a month when the Vietcong used rockets to attack the Danang Air Base for the first time in the war, on the morning of February 27. $10 of that came from me. Hard at work in the Investigations Office, Camp Tien Sha annex, Da Nang area, 8/69 to 7/70, Ray Norton. If I wanted something I had to have Bet or Ski pick it up. 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. That episode followed rioting along China Beach by black . (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) When the Doc was finished he told me I could remove the stick. Off we went to the supply yard at one of the SeaBee battalions, while we were there we stopped for a quick lunch at the Navy mess hall. LCM is up to port side of barracks craft. There was one thing that bothered me about Tien Sha. One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968. The road was closed to civilian traffic at night so there would be no other vehicles on the road. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1968. nstar48. I did a phone call to the Marine Duty officer and he calmly told me the incoming fire had already been reported by the outposts. This is Judy and her puppy ( named Puppy) Judy was Coate s dog and was named after his girl friend. Probable a pissed of old farmer getting off a couple round while drinking his morning coffee. Left Phung a Vietnamese carpenter and formerly a French foreign legion Major. . So just go back to work and keep moving so he doesn't have a stationary target and you should be OK!" Danang, VN _ _ DS CS: 1964: Feb 1973: Detachment Bravo, FLTSUPDET, Navcomsta, PI. Yes that's me smiling up from the 122mm rocket crater. November 3, 1968 camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968 left December 22, 1969 worked at the Deep Water Piers, working,! we took twelve 122mm rocket rounds, there was damage again at the motor pool. Beddoe. Made a very good impression on me, I didn't even consider it my whole time in Vietnam ! Very close now and it was clear that they weren't going to make it over the hurricane fence at the perimeter. 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% . My head carpenter ,Pham Ba told me about her during the week. the headquarters of NSA Danang was moved from downtown Danang to Camp Tien Sha. When I found out about that I went with Bet to talk to that officer. Guard shacks along the pipe line to the ESSO fuel plant, Oil Tanker off loading at the ESSO fuel plant. said hours 1700 to 2100. Well sure I heard about it and even saw them down at 1st MPs. I didn't think about the danger but was aware of it. The Marines in that ambush had fired on me to scare me because they thought I was the duty officer making the rounds. Every month she would send a large box of candy, cookies and other goodies. I thought they were trying to lighten their load. 2021/09/07 Cpl. A very nice book. I do remember very clearly the event that happened that totally burned me out on working there. Around back there was a Jeep with a utility trailer on behind. By July 1968 NSA Danang handled 350,000 tons of cargo each month for the . I joined the Navy Reserve and went to . Da Nang East. We went downtown in Long Beach, and we got harassed a lot. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. The only answer I could give them that they would except was. Yes, everyone called him soccer ball head ! It must have been about 1100 hr. thought though was he was just putting on a show for us new guys. The MPs had used their white belts as tourniquets just above the knees. So much for getting Sunday off. . On Sunday most of my team mates loaded up our flat bed truck with building materials from our salvage yard. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam. The memory of this little girl and the events at the Children's hospital are the reason I never had children of my own. On the far end of the bridge right It had been built the end of April so was brand new. It took until 2000 hours to finish that first slab. The nurse laid across the farmers upper thighs to hold him in place. It even included a week in Coronado, a week at Pendleton (weapons training), ands a week at Whidby Island (E&E, and SERE. Sometimes we could be called out 2 or 3 times in a night. Save. side was a barge with a sign. 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. Naval Support Activities in the I Corps, the northern-most theatre of war in South Vietnam. Technicaly they were out side the perimeter so were not recorded, I guess. APL-30 and dock at Da Nang harbor. Do you have CAMP TIENSHA, DANANG,VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. Me, age 23, sitting on my bunk drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. I got used to the nights but was never comfortable enough to sleep well. Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . You got to do what you got to do ! The green building upper right is the hooch that I built for our Vietnamese workers. Bruce Moore says he first returned from a 13-month stint in the Vietnam War to a "poor response." "We were at Norton Air Force Base. This is the inside of our shop.The office was upstairs and to the left. I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. One night I was in the office with LT Branch . I had plenty of time to take it all in and it was very UN-nerving. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! the fresh meat so what do I know about it. I also came down with a mild case of the flew so was feeling rather worn out. Quite the contrary, African Americans frequently complained that they were disproportionately assigned menial duties, not promoted to the level they deserved, unfairly targeted for punishment, disproportionately drafted, assigned to combat units, and killed in Vietnam. whatever you say Mr. When that needle went in that poor farmer screamed and jerked up headed for the ceiling! Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. Korean Engineer's I served with in Vietnam 1968 NSA Danang,Maintenace Control Division. We needed to replace the awning over the entry door that was about to fall off. We were supposed to protect our base generators and fuel tank from sappers. Find Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. . [3]:33, 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. On May 13,1968 we took 6 122mm rocket rounds as explained in my May 15,1968 leter. building. You FNGs get to the back of the 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. They were all in alignment with our generators. 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. It was the UH-1 trailing smoke. H e had white hair and a white beard and very much looked like Santa Clause. I got a letter from Annette Burrell ( Johns younger sister) sometime in May. 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. 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! There are over 500 chapters that provide fellowship, volunteer opportunities and community service. Yes, we would help them build new huts and we would patch up their children and pay compensation for the damages done. 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. A love affair. I asked about the little girl and the doc said she had died Thursday night. The former Marine HQ (III MAF) which was located not too far away is now used by the Vietnamese army (it was built by the French) and is a no . 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. It was in a large dirt field 150 yards outside of the north perimeter. Nights in Vietnam were uncomfortable at best. On Friday May 17 I was sent out on another job. 1968 - Harold Goldman's Cobra Gunship Hue 1970, submitted by Roger Carver Hue 1970, submitted by Roger Carver . Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. The rest of my tour I did what every good Seabee team would do, I stole them ! He's shooting from a long way out and hasn't hit anyone yet. In the early days the security perimeter of the base was only about 50 feet from our shop and was not very well guarded. It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. There was a Marine listening ambush set up outside the perimeter in that area. Price which includes postage (Media Mail) and insurance.