didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. map and make modifications, please email your Then he could pick my guys up and pick up materials to build my hooch. It was a horrifying thing to watch. 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. Naval Support Facility DaNang (1970-1972), and the Detachments. On Tuesday May 14 I finished my hooch and settled into the corner right inside the door. The harbor defense unit used landing craft, picket boats and 16 feet (4.9m) Boston Whalers to monitor and protect the maritime traffic. They were all in alignment with our generators. The course is a model in how to survive, and how to come home with honor. 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. It had 4 windows so I went to the window for H. I handed the clerk my records pack. shower heads came out from the side I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! readers. Great Discounts & More! Vietnam veterans, age 60+, American. changes to : The rocket attacks in my AO meant that I was called out to man my post which was defense of our base generators and our very large generator fuel tank. Some time during the night the VC entered the Skivvy house, capturing them without a fight. meand I translated it to this map. Don't go to Dog Patch at night and stay way from the prostitutes. Then it was back to the base ( it took about 50 minutes to do the whole trip) and hopefully be on time for the 0100hr radio check in . once. The Seabee team had 8 junior men in one hootch and 4 senior men in the second hootch. From 1800 hours until 0600 we had to have some one stand watch. Detachment Phu Bai - 1965 -1970. They were only a couple hundred yards away! 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. She was especially friendly with our hooch mama-son. Despite the repeated assurances uttered by our senior non-commissioned petty officers that Camp Tiensha's location on the peninsula that juts out from the City of Danang, and with the location of the Danang airbase on the opposite side of the city itself, generally put our base beyond the purported 7 mile range of the Russian-made 122 millimeter Katyusha rockets . Despite these positive interactions with whites, African Americans did not view the armed forces as an institution free of racial prejudice. The map I sent you is how I remember that My AR 15 slept on my left side right next to my body so I could always feel where it was. right , Huan one of my carpenters. 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. Provinces. The mountain is in the background. That episode followed rioting along China Beach by black . standing duty after working hours you were pretty much alone. Their shirt tail were hanging out and sleeves not rolled up (Marine style). PTF base at after working hours. Modern. As usual US style plumbing, the It is just to heart breaking to see the suffering of the children in this world who are caught in a war! Technicaly they were out side the perimeter so were not recorded, I guess. click here or click "back" until you It Here is the battalion report for May 1968. 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. To know all the different sounds was to be able to read what was happening at night and how safe I was. NMCB THREE Main Body Flights consisting of three passenger . ALL work centers report in : AWC # 1 reports everything is quite ! I was at Camp Tien Sha from June '69 until Feb '70. I have nothing but respect for those that were. We were among the first units to arrive after ti was secured by Armor and Artillery. A refugee family was living in a lean too in Dog Patch south . We had devastated their economy and destroyed their infrastructure. I heard the truth the next day at the mess hall. was the building directly adjoining If US Mail works best for you, They did hit the fuel bladders at truck company several time so I knew there would be a nice warm fire if our fuel tank got hit. Get those Fucking Gooks away from that Damn trailer". [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. Mostly I would just build and they would watch and fallow what I did. They had to be manned 24 hours a day. Finally, the harsh northeast monsoon made cargo operations at Danang and throughout I Corps hazardous and difficult during the winter months.[1]. by the time they got to us AWC# 5 we would be awake (hopefully) and report in. Well, the Camp Tein Sha barracks got me for Friday, and Saturday. I think [2] The Marines would open that up and would also be extending the perimeter and adding watch posts . of any of that. I was aguard for Tien Sha Peninsula Security division. There was one thing that bothered me about Tien Sha. such a small vehicle. Because I was just getting situated it was just mass confusion for me . The base appears to remain in use by the PAVN. I forgotten how much it sucked being there? So over time it was easier to just not know anyone. Those care packages and her letters help keep me going when ever times got really tough! uniform. I knew I wasn't in Kansas. They never did a direct hit on the fuel tank but the got damn close several times! Do you have CAMP TIENSHA, DANANG,VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. It was kind of a taste of what we would get when the monsoons came in September. whatever you say Mr. I was a certified SCUBA diver. The official report was small arms fire on the perimeter. cold glasses of chocolate milk, ice cream and an apple to go. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. was about vehicles, building 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 Drive out the back gate and about 2 miles to the Navy Seabee base. There was outgoing mortar rounds and incoming. 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. My big problem was how to build those damn concrete forms without using wood stakes. Detachment Dong Ha - 1967 - 1970. It was a strange way for a job to start. 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. A regular jeep would accommodate 5 people, while in this 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 . Her husband was an ARVN soldier who had been killed. If you were to divide Camp Fay into This comment has been removed by the author. When I got on the bus to Camp Tien Sha (the one with chicken wiure on the windows) I knew I wasn't in Kansas. Actually there wasn't a shop or office there yet, They had just divided off a corner of a large warehouse and were building a shop and office. care of the base. I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! Had tied their hands behind their backs and executed them. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. that's one of our generators upper left. There hours were 0800 to1700 so it was impossible for me to go. Relations outside of combat were typified by racial tension and violence. Once I went "over" not leaving a big enough tip. Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. After checking in, I was assigned to 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. The iStock design is a trademark of iStockphoto LP. It was kind of like the work orders I got. The Gunny Sargent assured me that the cost of the 782 gear would come out of their final pay check! naval reserves just before graduating from high school in 1962. I started building the 3 strong backs at 7 Motors on Monday morning June 3rd. things. Later after they landed it became obvious that they were throwing out the ammo boxes so they wouldn't explode when they landed. Target audience. The Monkey Mountain Patrol. say I rarely ventured onto the left worked that jeep to it's limits and had a highly entertaining time As I remember middle , Mr Kim a Korean Philco Ford electrician . Older Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, 1968-1969. [2] May 1. Message is: I am looking for members that served at Tien Sha Ramp in 1968 through 1969. The "enlisted head" was pretty bare. It wasn't a normally The field had been filled with red dirt and rocks and had been compacted with heavy equipment. I tried one other time a few months later but didn't have the appropriate paper work. When I started working on this clinic project I was full of good feelings as to how we were helping these poor Vietnamese people. Find Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. There are over 500 chapters that provide fellowship, volunteer opportunities and community service. Our boat and one other transported the OK, Im new here, the rooky, The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. The poor farmer had stepped on a mine. I am very grateful to Annette for the support she gave me while I was in Vietnam. airlines circling the DaNang airbase over the Country of South Vietnam. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. Everyone was busy as hell and I didn't have any idea as to what was going on. This is the poem I wrote about the little girl who died from gangrene. Alan on Haircuts My Vietnamese had never even figured out what was happening and were still hunkered down by the lumber pile. Learn more about royalty-free images or view FAQs related to stock photos. 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. Sandoval. Soon there were Marines all over the place. It took until 2000 hours to finish that first slab. There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . Some of the materials for rebuilding came from my civic action salvage yard. The Magazine was found The firemen loaded foam canister on a mule and were able to get to the UH-1 and finally put the fire out. Hi Dan, I've always Coate would send dog food care packages to Judy. 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. Once at the PTF base the jeep When I got to the gate it was a little past curfew and the guard started to give me some shit and wanted my travel chit. It was more the "ambulance" configuration with a Da Nang Cluster. head has about the lightest colored Unfortunately when we got there it was closed for one hour for lunch and Coate did not have the time to hang around. Before I went into the Navy I had a You FNGs get to the back of the They had been covered with poncho liners but they had blown off. a lot in Vietnam. even included a week in Coronado, a week at Pendleton (weapons identified as "enlisted head." Some guys were able to go through their whole tour in Vietnam in John Wayne mode. 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. YFUs and LCUs such as the 62 were assigned to Lighterage Div of the Naval Support Activity, DaNang, and were based at Camp Tien Sha Annex. I just haven't had time for any more. Alan On the far end of the bridge right - (07-07-02) I have NO remberance of 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. All the stuff that related to the It [4] NSA Danang originally operated from a commercial pier on the city side of the Hn River and this "Museum Ramp" (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}160300N 1081328E / 16.05N 108.2245E / 16.05; 108.2245) near the Cham Museum began operation in November 1965 off-loading Landing Craft Utility (LCUs) and LSTs. I wondered how I would feel if someone burned down my home ,killed my dad and took my little brother away to a hospital. Historian, US Navy Seabee Museum. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, couldn't resist testing it's limits! corner and pretty balanced oversteer under power out of the corners. Alan on base The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. My work hours were 0600 to 1800 which made it impossible to use any of the base services! I was later assigned to the Monkey Mountain Patrol. 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. Over 130 rough terrain and warehouse forklifts and 20 cranes eased cargo handling. technical and supply stuff. "Supply" at Camp Fay The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War (1959-1975), stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there. When we got there the doc wanted to show us around. There was always something interesting to watch at Camp Books. maids walked in and started cleaning Charles R. Smith . You got to do what you got to do ! The saw he used was a miniature version of the bone saw we used when we cut up cows or pigs at butchering time on the farm! So as May 1968 ended I had been in Vietnam for 1 month! Every month she would send a large box of candy, cookies and other goodies. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. There wasn't much blood ,just a small whelp where the bullet went in. Danang had become the largest fuel complex in South Vietnam capable of holding over 500,000 barrels. I took all the materials that I thought I would need to build the cement forms for my strong backs. - 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. They made runs north to Cua Viet at the mouth of the river (80 miles north of DaNang and 6 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone) and then upriver eight miles to Dong Ha to haul cannon ammunition to the marines. There was the real possibility of hitting a mine or being ambushed by the VC (it happened more often then I would like to think about) . 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! Didn't get any meals so after we were finished we ate sandwiches with the mid watch Marines at the mess hall. To save them from Communism was not the right answer because most of them did not feel that Communism was a threat ! If there were any trouble calls from the Marines (usually lights out on the perimeter or something not working at the mess hall) then it was jump in the truck drive out and check and drive over to our hooch and get who ever was needed to go fix the problem. who manned the PTF base at night used for transportation to and from On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Military personnel learn some of the basics in other training, but this is the course for the big boys. at Camp Fay. Closer and closer, the engine starting to whine! This was a real live human! 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 . map to the right is intended to be used as a The hardest things for them to figure out was the batter boards, how to measure and cut rafters and how to measure and cut gable end studs. It was what those We went downtown in Long Beach, and we got harassed a lot. side of the handling, I'd say it had severe understeer entering a All of the rounds hit in swamp area between the main base and FLC command building . [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 made a series of videos about the exhibit before it was closed. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. Drawing The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. 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. Pretty big load for Spent four years in college, and achieved QM3, and qualified in Memoir of my time served with the Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, during the Vietnam war. . The U.S. Navy established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in February 1964. In my first week at Camp Books after we were finished building the office, shop we installed a short wave radio which was used for communication with the Navy. Then to New year found I asked about the little girls gangrene and the doc told me that she would die in a week or so. 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. Ch Linh Camp. I have absolutely no recollection of ptfnasty.com and the DaNang section, Don't try to cross in to the base as there were mines. It's a win-win, and it's why everything on iStock is only available royalty-free including all, Royalty-free licenses are the best option for anyone who needs to use stock images commercially, which is why every file on iStock whether its a, From social media ads to billboards, PowerPoint presentations to feature films, you're free to modify, resize and customize every asset on iStock including all. 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. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S. It was really to late to save the helicopter but at least nobody was killed or hurt! 1966 and assumed I would spend two years on a submarine in WesPac. would be thinking about that meal a lot! Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! There weren't even any stairs going up there yet. I needed to know which of the sound meant danger! I was one of the unlucky ones who ended up shoveling a lot of shit! probably had some car handling skills. The two crew members jumped out just under the flames .They carried their M-60 machine guns. The road was closed to civilian traffic at night so there would be no other vehicles on the road. The kid had a big yellow Tonka dump truck and would sit for hours in the sand playing with that truck. That was necessary because It really, really broke my heart! 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. get a mailing address via email from Chip and U.S. It was time to go look for some food! I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! You have destroyed my country and my family! The nurses were all Vietnamese and were employed there so I would often see the same nurses. when I was there. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. Maybe 6 on a side. On the evening of May 23 we got a knew man in, Karl Voiles. He was transported in critical condition to the NSA Hospital in Da Nang with a massive head injury. New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. Whatever, I was very 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 was in country from June 1969 to June 1970. 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. Because I had to fend for myself I did help the newbies who moved into my hooch. Management and planning of the logistic flow needed refinement, as ships arrived en masse with cargo improperly stowed and packaged. Coate was not there to know about Puppy. We assumed everyone around us had the same idealistic desire to strive to do our best all the time. Donations for May. I went home in August 1967, FLC took twenty one 122mm rocket rounds and on May 22,1968 at 0200 hr FLC took 12 122mm rocket rounds. Book cover type. Our mess hall, about 70 yards from my hootch took a direct hit on the serving line and kitchen area. [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. So after the 2400 check in I would jump in the truck with M-16 and ammo. Then we saw a little dot far up Elephant Valley. course. background old PTF Base and Monkey delivering warm water was good building. DaNang Harbor. side was a barge with a sign. Yes, everyone called him soccer ball head ! This would also give Beerworth time to get his guys out on their job. . 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. 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. The poor farmer screamed like you could never imagine until he finally passed out. Select the period (starting by the reporting year): precomm - 1967 | 1968 | 1969 - now Register and add yourself to the Crew List of the Naval Support Activity Danang. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam 1968 from Monkey Mountain Bombardier Pretorian Aug 16, 2013 Good photo, get a good look at the base. Retro. while we were starting the wall framing we heard the sound of a UH-1 helicopter. mind. I even passed an enlisted sailor with a can of white paint and he was The new pier facility allowed deep-draft ocean-going vessels to unload cargo directly onto trucks instead of offloading into Lighters while anchored in the harbor. Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. It was She would be down on her hands and knees crying and waling. The day we put up our sign . One of them used to take me to the MACV Club located by the USS Repose. 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 .