Provinces. So as May 1968 ended I had been in Vietnam for 1 month! I would share it with my team mates but a lot of it I gave to the Vietnamese children at the Clinic or whenever I worked off base. 15 rounds hit us with 3 KIA and 15 wounded. Welcome! 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! enough for me. I asked about the little girl and the doc said she had died Thursday night. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. 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. My body was always waiting to react. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. It was losing altitude and we were wondering if they would make it. Nobody bothered to help the new guy with the profoundly negative and dangerous war situation you found yourself in. The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. Once I went "over" I joined the Navy Reserve and went to Viet Nam anyway. On the "left side" was all the My first assignment was YFU-54, then Sandoval. - Alan, Drawing These detachments decentralized the support function and improved the logistic flow. map to the right is intended to be used as a H e had white hair and a white beard and very much looked like Santa Clause. I am on the far left. Then a voice came from inside the Quonset hut." Guess such a small vehicle. Mostly I would just build and they would watch and fallow what I did. [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. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! $10 of that came from me. Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. A sad day because we were no longer a Seabee Team ! We took several trucks and picked up Pham Ba and Babyson outside the gate and headed down the road. C Chi Base Camp. I have spent countless hours over the past 15 years driving my motorbike around the Camp Books area looking for any of our workers. the "enlisted head" identified in ALL work centers report in : AWC # 1 reports everything is quite ! Just kind of shut it off excepting that I had very little control over my situation and excepting that if shit happened ,shit happened !! Guard shacks along the pipe line to the ESSO fuel plant, Oil Tanker off loading at the ESSO fuel plant. Welcome to Viet----fuckn Nam you FNGs ( funking new guys) !!! So off to Camp Tien Sha to get my gear and check out. Because I was just getting situated it was just mass confusion for me . May 1. Catecka Base Camp. Warehouses, open storage areas, cargo handling equipment, and good exit routes from the port were limited. Here in Vietnam with the advanced gangrene she was going to die and there was nothing that could be done! One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! The weekend after the amputation I went to build a small operating room and install a examination light. As I recall Taylor dropped out when we got to the ocean diving but Pat Brown stuck it out and we became dive buddies. . [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. 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. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. information beyond what we already have. specialty up the Cua Viet to Dong Ha, where we supported the Marines 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. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no When I look back it sure seems stupid but at the time what else could I do? Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. It sure seemed longer then a month, to me it was more like a few months! If you have I always had hot meals and a warm bed. Surprisingly, I never step foot on a ship, I was always stationed in Navy hospitals. We stopped work and watched. About a mile out the crew started kicking boxes out the doors. roof. It wasn't a normally Had tied their hands behind their backs and executed them. Pham Ba went around back to take a pee. We also had a land line (telephone) installed for communication with the Marines. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in I didn't think about the danger but was aware of it. Donations for May. 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. it, there were about a dozen shower At the base of Monkey mountain was Camp Tien Sha, the main Navy base. The mountain is in the background. It was a horrifying thing to watch. Learn more. Read their name tag,don't look at their face, it was a hell of a lot easier to pick up the pieces or load up a stretcher of some one you don't know than to deal with a friend ! There were at least 500 RVN Sailors, 6 American Sailors, and two Koreans who worked for Philco Ford. This was We assumed everyone around us had the same idealistic desire to strive to do our best all the time. I think the thing that In July 1966 the "Bridge Cargo Ramp" (160307N 1081352E / 16.052N 108.231E / 16.052; 108.231) began operations increasing NSA's supply capability. Great Discounts & More! Once at the PTF base the jeep Just keep on working in the rain. He didn't mince words. " 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. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. Over time that changed, I didn't want to know any newbies! The other time was that day in boot Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. It was what those The station hospital begun in 1965 had treated over 21,000 casualties, 44,000 nonbattle patients and one million outpatients flowing in from the hostile and disease-ridden I Corps environment. 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). My very first I didn't understand at that time the danger of rocket attacks. Friday was an interesting day. of the guys took to securing a I spent 1968-72 in the US Navy, as a Corpsman (Medic). Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1968 from Monkey Mountain nstar48 Media item Jan 30, 2008 camp tien sha monkey mountain united states navy seabees vietnam war year 1968 Comments: 2 Category: Images of Vietnam China Beach from Monkey Mountain 1968 China Beach and Marble Mountain from Monkey Mountain Vietnam 1968 nstar48 Media item Jan 30, 2008 1966 and assumed I would spend two years on a submarine in WesPac. Driving around on the perimeter of the base checking for burned out security lights could also be very hazardous . arrive there again.. Joe Witmeyer shares this 50th I was in country from June 1969 to June 1970. The Magazine was found January 30, 1968 marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive. Marine guns up to the DMZ, we looked like shoe boxes eith long gun We were not part of the Marine Civil Affair but worked independent of them. Finally, the harsh northeast monsoon made cargo operations at Danang and throughout I Corps hazardous and difficult during the winter months.[1]. I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! It was in a large dirt field 150 yards outside of the north perimeter. Then after thinking about it I realized how wrong I was. 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. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free stock images that features Vietnam photos available for quick and easy download. It is very likely this was were the Marines were killed . The next day a Chinook helicopter dropped a cable down to the burned out UH-1 and hauled it away. [2] MST1 and thought it would be a good time to go back and see There was only one hospital bed and a couple cots in the building at that time. I was a certified SCUBA diver. Everyone had his turf marked out and nobody was willing to give any for me. Later I built a wash building and cook shack just about where these cots and the officers are standing. Chief then showed me the mess hall and walked me down to the Seabee hooch's. at Camp Fay, never. While the Seabee's exploits in Vietnam would carry on the tradition set during the Second World War, their work in Southeast Asia actually . Very close now and it was clear that they weren't going to make it over the hurricane fence at the perimeter. If US Mail works best for you, Inside of that trailer, face down were 2 dead Marines. say I rarely ventured onto the left Ten of them cluster around one of the three air bases that became the most contaminate with dioxin: Da Nang, Phu Cat and Bien Hoa. I had plenty of time to take it all in and it was very UN-nerving. corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners. [ Base He's shooting from a long way out and hasn't hit anyone yet. China Beach, Vietnam. What ever it was we were done by shortly after 1600 hr. The pilots jumped out . perceived attacks. and created an overlay of the changes to the harbor, which was shower heads came out from the side - 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 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. [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. I would sit at the desk and drink coffee, write letters or poetry. ! Closer and closer, the engine starting to whine! MAY 10, 1967 FOR COLLEGES State-Related Status Unique By WILLIAM E. DEIBLER HARRISBURG (AP) How would yo The next weekend I asked about the farmer ? Then to The tents were on the right. and drop their bow ramps. as soon as they were installed. If you are able to extract the I knew I wasn't in Kansas. very first day of war. Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. who manned the PTF base at night used for transportation to and from the correctly identified enlisted The poor farmer screamed like you could never imagine until he finally passed out. You forget the bad things and you remember the good They were simply ghettos with poor sanitation , communal water supply, no roads or electricity. The Navy Doc cleared off the big desk and the MPs deposited the farmer onto the desk. If you served in Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. at Camp Fay. Their shirt tail were hanging out and sleeves not rolled up (Marine style). I joined the There was a bunker there. Often the convoys would drop off kids from out in the bush. Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. morning. Some of the women were in their early twenties, so there is still hope. [4]: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. I held the door open for them. Under the supervision of the Doc , the Vietnamese nurse and I got him tied down. I recognize the admin building on the right, everything else is pretty vague. You have destroyed my country and my family! 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. [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. uniform. It was kind of like the work orders I got. bgmarshall@aol.com. The Brief. They were trying to fly that chopper to the safety of Camp Books. identified as "enlisted head" in What I really The Sargent in charge told him we would have to get gear from NSA Danang because the Seabee team was turned over to NSA. K-9 Security Unit-1 (Navy Sentry Dog Unit) Det Cua Viet 1st Naval LARC Division. The only answer I could give them that they would except was. With chow finished I had the rest of Drinking black coffee trying to stay alert. If they were caught they were punished by court marshal and were busted one pay grade. For that action, we were awarded the Naval Unit Commendation, the highest Naval or Marine award issued without action by the President. Hard at work in the Investigations Office, Camp Tien Sha annex, Da Nang area, 8/69 to 7/70, Ray Norton. That's how we got our beds, enough for everyone. Although the rules were they had to go back and check out. He finished his tour with detective work as one of six NSA investigators at Camp Tien Sha, adjacent to Da Nang. [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. The sign on the mess hall door 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! to LCU-1498 (same routine). This is surely just something I've of the enclosure with a "shower You FNGs get off the plane and fall in over there. I am searching for anyone who may recall serving with me in the Seabees at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang between 1969-1971. blocked. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S. You are a builder so Beerworth or Yost will be who you report too." It was not exactly what you would call a state of the art mental hospital ! 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! little early to get back in school and finish my degree. After the bones were cut the Doc tied off all the bleeders and removed the hemostats . T is a history of NSA in Vietnam, which by 1969 was the Navy's largest overseas command with the largest public works department in the world. [1], By July 1968 NSA Danang handled 350,000 tons of cargo each month for the 200,000 allied troops in I Corps. He was laying on his back and we had tied his arms (wrists) to the legs on one end of the desk and then had tide his upper thighs to the other legs of the desk. Both of his legs had been pretty much blown off. Danang was handling more tonnage than the port of Baltimore at the time. The "enlisted head" was pretty bare. ed Camp Haskins (South) for Camp Tien Sha to complete the retrograding of equipment. not leaving a big enough tip. Did he live or die? Now I know where Barbee is but where is Babyson? Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. those Nastie's were fun boats! 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. It was a real learning experience for the three of us. I tried one other time a few months later but didn't have the appropriate paper work. Gave me the creeps then and still does now when I think about it! First I had to do a couple hour job at the 1st MP Quonset hut. 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. 2023 iStockphoto LP. readers. I held that little girl sitting on my tool box and in a short time she was used to me and clutching onto the front of my shirt. I am sure this little girl will be my last thought when I punch out from this world. He told me step by step every detail. This is the poem I wrote about the little girl who died from gangrene. 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% . Charles R. Smith . Soon, the fleet dispatched Naval Beach Group One Cargo Handling Battalions 1 and 2, nucleus port crew, Mine Force, Service Force, Underwater Demolition Team, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units to Danang. Yes, everyone called him soccer ball head ! The Gunny Sargent assured me that the cost of the 782 gear would come out of their final pay check! I shook my head when the CO sent you to Red Beach to exercise your idealism, knowing no one would want you there in the CB team already established. Vietnam Vet? We weren't expecting any new men and we don't have the time to train you. But when shit happens to you and you are the victim, everything changed! So back around to the front of the hut and to work on the awning . background old PTF Base and Monkey The usual row of sinks, toilets and 15x12. I was finished with my concrete forms before noon on Wednesday . . 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. was the building directly adjoining John arrived here on November 21, 1968 and left December 22, 1969, thirteen months later. 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. 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. Click here for inormation on the VVA. Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. Still, Coate was not there to know about Puppy. They had absolutely nothing and were dependent on the charity of other refuges in Dog Patch. This is the first Poem that I wrote in Vietnam and is about the two marines killed in the skivvy house. Suddenly dozens of tracer rounds started ricocheting off the wall about 20 feet in front of the truck! But I don't consider myself as one. Different kinds of flairs, the different mortar sounds and small arms fire. They had been covered with poncho liners but they had blown off. thought though was he was just putting on a show for us new guys. I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! CONTACT: VETERANS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS. 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. Lieutenant Colonel Leonard A. Blasiol, U.S. Marine Corps . Book cover type. The PTFs, under Vietnamese officers and crews, conducted over 1,000 raids against North Vietnam from March-April 1964 to January 1972. Significant Events 19-31 August 1970 19-28 October 1970 5 November 1970 13 November 1970 15 November 1970 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. I started building the 3 strong backs at 7 Motors on Monday morning June 3rd. Link to video tour of . 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). This is a 122mm rocket crater in the road in front of our shop. I heard the truth the next day at the mess hall. "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. On May 22 at 0200 hr. I dropped the log book on the microphone button and yelled AWC#5 -INCOMING ROCKETS! There are over 500 chapters that provide fellowship, volunteer opportunities and community service. 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. couldn't resist testing it's limits! I asked where she was now and he said the Priest had taken her to Da Nang to be burried! Coate would send dog food care packages to Judy. 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. changes to : Spent four years in college, and achieved QM3, and qualified in The next work order I got for there I gave it to Beerworth and told him I would not work there any more! It started raining Saturday June1st and rained continuously until Wednesday morning but that didn't slow down work any. 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. The little girl was fusing and didn't want to leave the nurse so it took a little effort to hand her off to me . This is the near miss at our Post office. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the This building was about 24 ft wide and 200 feet long and was a two story building. I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. The second floor office was just being framed up . 11. I have no significant memories loved cars and fast driving. Suddenly the helicopter went nose high and stopped going forward. The doctor and nurse came out of the clinic. [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. Anyone who tried to open that door without giving our pass word would have been shot. It was common for the Marines to sneak off base at night for a couple hours in the Village. The U.S. Navy established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in February 1964. whole story here. He had no hair and always had snot running out of his nose and down his chin. The rest of my tour I did what every good Seabee team would do, I stole them ! 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 had my parents send me my Scuba diving lesson book and in what little spare time we could find we would hold Scuba study sessions. I went to the "motor pool" at least risking my life in a really inadequate vehicle! (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) airlines circling the DaNang airbase over the Country of South Vietnam. I went out and sat on my toolbox and thought about what I had just experienced. So I took a trip in September 2016 back Well I answered once about the FNGs. Don't try to cross in to the base as there were mines. She is always with me ! large canvas covering over the rear area that protected bench meand I translated it to this map. On the evening of May 23 we got a knew man in, Karl Voiles. Whatever, I was very Find Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. I was aguard for Tien Sha Peninsula Security division. and I was just finishing up the door. Camp Haskins, Da Nang, Vietnam, served as headquarters of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, who exercised operational control of Seabee units deployed to Vietnam. 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 doc asked if I could baby sit the little girl while he and the nurse did a surgery. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. I had to make a quick exit when the patients got excited when I walked towards the main ward! I also made life long friends. I stretched it to it's 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. The Marines slept 12 to 14 men in a hootch. me at Port Services, then I was tasked with setting up a chart (and I was not prepared and he totally over powered me! was directly below the building 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. context of what was happening. I went back to my cubicle crawled into bed, ending my reportedf to the USS Permit (SSN-594) at Mare Island, and got out a Bombardier Jan 17, 2016 I bet they had to patrol that high ground a lot though Media information Category Images of Vietnam Added by nstar48 Date added Jan 30, 2008 View count 16,033 2 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. In addition, the Navy took charge of the offloading, storage and delivery of supplies common to all the allied forces in I Corps. Vietnam veterans, age 60+, American. Sure. Pretty big load for He seemed totally comfortable and relaxed. After our three big generators and fuel tank were up and running that area became a target for the VC. It was a strange way for a job to start. Well I don't know how much of an impression that left on me but these guys getting killed in the Skivvy house got my attention ! Jack Shulimson . It must have been about 1100 hr. Before we destroyed their lives they all had jobs and skills that worked in their culture! Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. head has about the lightest colored Paperback. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. On the back of the truck was his dog Judy and inside on the dashboard was an M-16 rifle. Tour: August 2, 1969 through July 17, 1970. I finished the shower and got In other words, if you could drive a Corvair fast and survive you Apart from some shopping highlights and historical sights, the main reason for most travelers staying here is its proximity to the well-known My Khe Beach, Lang Co Beach, Hoi An and My Son.

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