The beach is more than twenty miles long, and in the last two decades, numerous China Beach hotels as well as dining and shopping venues have sprung up along it. corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners. Did he live or die? 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 ! 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. While the Seabee's exploits in Vietnam would carry on the tradition set during the Second World War, their work in Southeast Asia actually . I'm considered a Vietnam Veteran, due to the dates I served. On Tuesday May 14 I finished my hooch and settled into the corner right inside the door. Guess I also made life long friends. Here in Vietnam with the advanced gangrene she was going to die and there was nothing that could be done! As tired as I was I never got much sleep. It was kind of like the work orders I got. Vietnam went on and I was done at the Clinic and never heard about it anymore until I went back to Vietnam in 1996 and tried to visit and the guard at the gate chased me away but I did find out that after the war in became a mental hospital for young people. I don't . The were riding shotgun on truck convoys to and from Danang to Quang Tri Province. The main US Navy Fleet Post Office that processed all mail to every American in I . 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. snakes and other items of entertainment. Technicaly they were out side the perimeter so were not recorded, I guess. Everyone had his turf marked out and nobody was willing to give any for me. Within a hundred feet of the generators. He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . 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. What the F is wrong with her? I started building my hooch on Wednesday May 8th at just before noon. Get those Fucking Gooks away from that Damn trailer". Target audience. 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. So as May 1968 ended I had been in Vietnam for 1 month! When Puppy was big enough our secretary, interpreter Miss Nguyen took Puppy home with her to Danang. You will use the chain of command ,don't come to me. Naval Support Activity DaNang (1965-1970), the U.S. African Americans perceived racial issuesrace relations, prejudice, and discriminationin Vietnam through a lens heavily influenced by their earlier experiences in the United States. [2] The wounded are only those who were medivaced to a hospital. I was going to start building my own hooch so I would have a place to sleep ! Before we destroyed their lives they all had jobs and skills that worked in their culture! I went out and sat on my toolbox and thought about what I had just experienced. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. Surprise, I think that was normal precaution . The nurse laid across the farmers upper thighs to hold him in place. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! 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. Danang had become the largest fuel complex in South Vietnam capable of holding over 500,000 barrels. The other important thing we had to do was to check the Red Beach causeway at 2400 hr. [6], In April 1972 all US Navy facilities in Danang were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy.[1]. Here is the battalion report for May 1968. The sound had carried down the valley making it sound very close, then it would die down then get loud again, very strange how the sound bounced around the walls of the valley. I stretched it to it's 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! So every week there would be a different doctor. The next weekend I asked about the farmer ? 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. Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . This is the near miss at our Post office. I was finished with my concrete forms before noon on Wednesday . There was a Marine listening ambush set up outside the perimeter in that area. When I found out about that I went with Bet to talk to that officer. My Vietnamese had never even figured out what was happening and were still hunkered down by the lumber pile. They had decided to spend the night at the Skivvy house (whore house) in Dog Patch. Do you have CAMP TIENSHA, DANANG,VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. New year found quarters. There were 6 area work centers in the Da Nang AO . The pilots jumped out . [2] The I was driving on the perimeter road with the dry storage ASM wall on my right. All in the name of saving them from Communism. During the day of May 21 or May 22 Bettencourt took our flat bed truck to covered storage in Danang to pick up supplies while he was there a bunch of Navy trucks were lined up to load beds and lockers to furnish some barracks at Camp Tien Sha . Relations outside of combat were typified by racial tension and violence. For the time being they were stashed in my hooch and on May 24, Karl Voiles spent his first day assembling beds. Pretty big load for [1], During 1965 the logistic operation at Danang suffered from lack of suitable or sufficient harbor craft, cargo handling equipment, and port personnel. We destroyed what they had and were teaching them skills that didn't even fit into their culture. There were no boat parts in supply Craig Tailor is on the left and on the right is Carl Rice who came on board about the same time as the new Chief. Cat Lo Naval Base. I took this photofrom the stern of YFU 80 which was docked at SCRF, looking across Da Nang harbor at sunset. The huge fuel tank was just being build on the left out of the picture. Book cover type. U.S. MARINES IN VIETNAM THE DEFINING YEAR 1968. by. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. We are the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122, based in Collin County, Texas. Once I went "over" at Camp Fay, never. Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. 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. Seabees, initially using materials pre-stocked before the war in Advanced Base Functional Component packages, constructed three deep-draft piers for oceangoing ships, two 300 feet (91m) wooden piers an LST causeway and the Bridge Cargo Complex that consisted of a 1,600 feet (490m) long wharf, 300,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage space and 500,000 square feet of covered storage space. Don't try to cross in to the base as there were mines. The exhibit was known as "The Vietnam Syndrome". I served there and just would like to hear from some of the guys that was there. layout - (07-07-02) would be thinking about that meal a lot! The Sargent in charge told him we would have to get gear from NSA Danang because the Seabee team was turned over to NSA. So now I know why the sniping stopped. Relive & share the memories of your service time with your brothers & sisters in arms today. MST1 and thought it would be a good time to go back and see Some times she would get so drunk that she couldn't walk anymore, was really funny watch her four legs going in different directions! On 30 June 1970 NSA Danang was deactivated and on 1 July new Army-Marine service support agreements went into effect. couldn't resist testing it's limits! Historian, US Navy Seabee Museum. I slowly walked around the trailer checking them out. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. that's one of our generators upper left. I was face down on the road under the edge of the truck with my foot stuck under the clutch peddle. It had been built the end of April so was brand new. was about vehicles, building If you served in Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. At the moment it happened, my buddy Dave Lozier and I were at Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. [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. Me, age 23, sitting on my bunk drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. Older Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, 1968-1969. Total Area Sprayed (sq. Guest 31-Aug-2016 02:35: . I believe we also tied him around the waist. 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. If it had detonated when it hit the ventilator we both would have been killed! was directly below the building large canvas covering over the rear area that protected bench Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . It was creepy doing that trip to the causeway. march in columns of two over to that building. I know NOTHING of a chapel The only answer I could give them that they would except was. 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. 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. I actually took the class in 1965 but at that time you had to be 18 years old to get a Scuba Certification. MAY 10, 1967 FOR COLLEGES State-Related Status Unique By WILLIAM E. DEIBLER HARRISBURG (AP) How would yo ptfnasty.com and the DaNang section, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. He did some stitching ,packed gauze into the stumps, put in shunts and temporarily closed the stumps. Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. naval reserves just before graduating from high school in 1962. bgmarshall@aol.com. Chapel? I am not sure what possessed me to write poems there. world in a land that nobody cared about , I was sitting in a Continental 1966 and assumed I would spend two years on a submarine in WesPac. The number of rockets are probably plus or minus a couple rockets. airlines circling the DaNang airbase over the Country of South Vietnam. You are a builder so Beerworth or Yost will be who you report too." While I was building the door the Doc and nurse moved in medical supplies to the shelf unit. He expired nine days later. The Marines in that ambush had fired on me to scare me because they thought I was the duty officer making the rounds. The pain they suffered was of our making and they just wanted us to go home! What ever it was we were done by shortly after 1600 hr. When I got on She did not cry but there were big tears running down her checks and every once in a while she would let out a loud shuddering sigh! Here is a poem that I wrote about the helicopter. "driving deprived" at the time and any time I had access to a It was really to late to save the helicopter but at least nobody was killed or hurt! I thought the clinic was for children. Detachment Chu Lai - 1964 - 1971. The "enlisted head" was pretty bare. Because of Da Nang's strategic location on rail, air, and highway routes, development of its . reportedf to the USS Permit (SSN-594) at Mare Island, and got out a The doctor and nurse came out of the clinic. We looked a lot more hard corps than we were. This was a Sunday afternoon BBQ about 1800 hr. I think there were only three or four of us on duty at the The rest of my tour I did what every good Seabee team would do, I stole them ! never even gave a thought that a He had a little Vietnamese kid with him about 8 years old. Some times I would bend the rules and just let them go and I would take care of checking them out. Just to the right of There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . Sleeping in that bunker was not good.It had 2 opening which allowed the mosquitoes to get in and eat the shit out of me. Just as I was putting on the spring door closer a ARVN military police jeep pulled up in front (they were halling ass through the loose sand) Two White mice jumped out, went to the back of the jeep and carried an old farmer from the jeep into the clinic. It is very likely this was were the Marines were killed . The mountain is in the background. Let me tell you that wasn't fun at all. This is the first Poem that I wrote in Vietnam and is about the two marines killed in the skivvy house. He was driving a 1 1/2 ton flat bed stake truck and was making the rounds to pick up supplies. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free stock images that features Vietnam photos available for quick and easy download. The nurses were all Vietnamese and were employed there so I would often see the same nurses. 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. The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. 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. 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. Tour: August 2, 1969 through July 17, 1970. Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. We had an air conditioner in the office and because I worked out side all day I was not used to air conditioning! It was where the French first landed in the 19th Century in their quest to control the area and. We visited Chu Laiu, Hue, and our So on the hour we would get a call. what it is like now. The harbor defense unit used landing craft, picket boats and 16 feet (4.9m) Boston Whalers to monitor and protect the maritime traffic. Link to video tour of . Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. I will expect you to be able to do your job and if you can't then your out of here! After checking in, I was assigned to Some morning I would be more tired when I woke up than when I went to bed. Just keep on working in the rain. It's the 4th largest city in Vietnam. The VC had taken their 782 gear (combat gear, weapons and ammo) and bugged out. 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. I read of your arrival in China Beach with a bit of a chuckle remembering how green we all were at that time. I was not in the bush and am grateful that I wasn't. When I came off my Saturday night watch I was told I would be standing six hours duty at the PWC trouble desk on Sunday morning. Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. They had to be manned 24 hours a day. Ok, I It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I But when shit happens to you and you are the victim, everything changed! It was the UH-1 trailing smoke. Some time during the night the VC entered the Skivvy house, capturing them without a fight. the duty jeep normally delivered the crew to the base in the Lance Corporal James D Feucht (cause of death,misadventure). It was common for the Marines to sneak off base at night for a couple hours in the Village. Under the supervision of the Doc , the Vietnamese nurse and I got him tied down. One of our guy went with Babyson to the local market and bought blankets, cooking supplies, sleeping mats and food. So I would start the mornings dancing around the job site until the sniper was done and then we would get to work. for references to information received from While my guys were working I was talking to the Gunny in the hut. distributed to ships coming in. It was more the "ambulance" configuration with a My Vietnamese works didn't want to hang around waiting for the truck to take them back to the shop. 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. I surveyed At that time the base fir truck showed up. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. changes to : You FNGs She giggled a bit (talk That was my first time seeing dead Marines. 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. standing duty after working hours you were pretty much alone. It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. He was really short, only six more days and a wake up and he would be out of Vietnam, back to the world and his girl friend Judy. this pic sure isn't it, at least Only 364 more days to go! I was aguard for Tien Sha Peninsula Security division. Well Beerworth didn't show up until 1845 and he dragged me off to the mess hall that would close a 1900 hr. Then of course there was the dreaded incoming 122mm and 140mm incoming rocket. Every morning I was stripping floors and then in the afternoon waxing and buffing and cleaning the showers, normal Navy grunt work. He lets fly with 8 or 10 rounds then he is done for the day. this place, wearing only "shower Then to thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, there was a war going on. We had to give Puppy away as we were not even supposed to have a dog. 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. 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. A smell I have never smelled again in my life time. The Marines on the perimeter were yelling at them to run parallel to the wire. A refugee family was living in a lean too in Dog Patch south . I don't know what the building So my hooch would now have 5 of us. DaNang Harbor. It was time to go look for some food! I heard the truth the next day at the mess hall. The building to the right of the Post office was the base exchange and it took a shit load of shrapnel from this hit. This comment has been removed by the author. right , Huan one of my carpenters. The official report was small arms fire on the perimeter. 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. In the future I Detachment Nha Trang - 1965 - 1971. I sure didn't void That's how we got our beds, enough for everyone. I knew I wasn't in Kansas. Gave me the creeps then and still does now when I think about it! So what did I do for work uniforms ? The tracer rounds stopped ,I gave it a couple minutes and got in the truck and sped on my way back to the shop! You FNGs get off the plane and fall in over there. While base facilities were under construction, the fleet deployed to Danang LSTs, a Landing Ship Dock (LSD) and an Attack Transport (APA), the latter for quartering and messing NSA personnel. Pham Ba went around back to take a pee. Welcome to Viet----fuckn Nam you FNGs ( funking new guys) !!! Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in Although the rules were they had to go back and check out. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. One night I was in the office with LT Branch . specialty up the Cua Viet to Dong Ha, where we supported the Marines So back around to the front of the hut and to work on the awning . Don't go to Dog Patch at night and stay way from the prostitutes. We also had a couple of American Philco Ford teachers. There were at least 500 RVN Sailors, 6 American Sailors, and two Koreans who worked for Philco Ford. 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 . Both of his legs had been pretty much blown off. A regular jeep would accommodate 5 people, while in this There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. It is a code of conduct course as much as it teaches the practical issues of survival. Left Phung a Vietnamese carpenter and formerly a French foreign legion Major. This exhibit is now closed. YFU-54 (Car 54 where are you). I had a ball throwing that jeep identified as "enlisted head." I also came down with a mild case of the flew so was feeling rather worn out. Before I went into the Navy I had a I got a letter from Annette Burrell ( Johns younger sister) sometime in May. History U.S. the "enlisted head" identified in )The Doc gave me a large stick like a tongue depressor ,except bigger. loved cars and fast driving. It 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. and went on Late in the day we had built them a nice hootch and had them moved in. It had been a very busy month with a lot of things happening. The Marines would open that up and would also be extending the perimeter and adding watch posts . On Friday May 17 I was sent out on another job. If you have I stood there wondering how I was going to drive wood stakes into that hard ground. My head carpenter ,Pham Ba told me about her during the week. Nang officers billeting ! Memoir of my time served with the Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, during the Vietnam war. ( Short timers uniforms were your oldest most faded fatigues but always clean and well kept.) 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. 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. 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). I have nothing but respect for those that were. The usual row of sinks, toilets and a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I Had fun there, especially since I had to wear civilian clothes. Da Nang marks the halfway point between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. The following information was emailed in to I guess that is why there were a lot of E-2 in the Marines. When I look back it sure seems stupid but at the time what else could I do? ! 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. I am searching for anyone who may recall serving with me in the Seabees at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang between 1969-1971. The U.S. Navy established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in February 1964. the two boat docks at DaNang. [4]:8. The other time was that day in boot Also we took care of damage at Camp Reasoner and the small CAP out posts. while we were starting the wall framing we heard the sound of a UH-1 helicopter. After a couple rocket and mortar attacks my brain never went completely to sleep. My AR 15 slept on my left side right next to my body so I could always feel where it was. cold glasses of chocolate milk, ice cream and an apple to go. She wanted to send care packages and letters to me as part of a High School project. 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 ! 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. Cn Th Base Camp. 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. [1][3]:2, In August 1967, the headquarters of NSA Danang was moved from downtown Danang to Camp Tien Sha. Dearest Rita, I just finished a quick letter to my folks first one since I've been here. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. We were told that we were teaching them skills so they would be able to have a useful job. 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. Coate gave me two sets of shorts and short sleeve shirts. things. Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the It didn't take long to get out of bed when the first rocket struck nearby. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. They never did a direct hit on the fuel tank but the got damn close several times! The port of Danang contained only three small piers, three Landing Ship, Tank (LST) ramps and a stone quay that were inaccessible to oceangoing vessels; even smaller craft had trouble approaching. What the hell is that? 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. arrive there again.. Joe Witmeyer shares this 50th But I don't consider myself as one. aspects of it are certainly more memorable than the bad parts. The ESSO fuel plant from the north east side where we were snorkeling. 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 What we finally did was a one man 12 hour watch. Learn more. 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. Didnt take long to figure out that everyone could see that you were a FNG. a small cargo plane in the middle of the night, all I Coate introduced me to a Chief Boatswain Mate who was our executive officer.The Commanding officer wasn't there( a lieutenant Junior Grade.) 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.