Ya, we continued our work and started building my hooch. This comment has been removed by the author. basis I just haven't had time for any more. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War (1959-1975), stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there. At first it was because every thing was so knew and exciting. Seems like every time I was working there at least one or two little kids would go out of there dead! I'm sorry my last letter to you was so abruptly ended, but I figured I'd best get it sent, otherwise you'd still be waiting. Surprisingly, I never step foot on a ship, I was always stationed in Navy hospitals. (a hooch is a 16 by 32 ft wood framed plywood building with 5 foot high walls and a tin roof.) Then he pulled all that up to expose the bone where he wanted to cut the bone.The nurse held all the skin and muscle up while the Doc cut off the bones. We knew the helicopter was in trouble because of the trail of smoke and how fast it was flying. 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. I actually took the class in 1965 but at that time you had to be 18 years old to get a Scuba Certification. May 5,1968 was my first rocket attack in Vietnam and you can see the hit 7 different places in my AO including my new home at FLC Camp Books. It really, really broke my heart! [1], In mid-October 1968 the Deep Water Pier complex (160712N 1081250E / 16.12N 108.214E / 16.12; 108.214) on the Tien Sha peninsula was completed, beginning operations in September 1968. The nurse in the center of the picture is the one who helped amputate the farmers legs. U.S. MARINES IN VIETNAM THE DEFINING YEAR 1968. by. Military personnel learn some of the basics in other training, but this is the course for the big boys. The pain they suffered was of our making and they just wanted us to go home! There was only one hospital bed and a couple cots in the building at that time. say I rarely ventured onto the left It had been a very busy month with a lot of things happening. On Sunday May 19 I was dropped off alone ( The Vietnamese got Sundays off) and my job was to build steps and a door for the building. It was more the "ambulance" configuration with a 4. 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. Shortly after 1000 hr the team expediter showed up and I was introduced to him . Often times during a rocket or mortar attack rounds would over shoot landing in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch ,providing children for the Clinic. 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. We went through the gate, down Main Street, took a left and stopped in front of a small building that looked like a hamburger stand. Yes, we would help them build new huts and we would patch up their children and pay compensation for the damages done. 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. The shop doors were always open and a light on in the shop. changes to : This is surely just something I've 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. But the better at Camp Fay, never. [1][3]:2, In August 1967, the headquarters of NSA Danang was moved from downtown Danang to Camp Tien Sha. One night I was called out for some lights on the west perimeter. So much for getting Sunday off. identified as "enlisted head." 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. The events highlighted in yellow directly affected me. risking my life in a really inadequate vehicle! That's how we got our beds, enough for everyone. You forget the bad things and you remember the good [6], In April 1972 all US Navy facilities in Danang were transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy.[1]. Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. Here are the Activity reports for May 1968 for the Marines in my AO (area of operation) . It was losing altitude and we were wondering if they would make it. Barbee was very well liked by the labor crew. These positive relations were largely a reflection of the fact that black and white soldiers in combat were heavily dependent on one another. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. We were told that we were teaching them skills so they would be able to have a useful job. the evening to wonder about and check out what Camp Tien Sha had to offer. 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 New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. It was kind of like the work orders I got. side was a barge with a sign. Mostly I was just kind of mentally numb. 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). ( the rules for Camp Books were that to be off base you had to have a weapon). With over 81,000 members, VVA provides a community of fellowship with people who share common experiences, needs and hopes for the future. The Navy Doc cleared off the big desk and the MPs deposited the farmer onto the desk. Hard at work in the Investigations Office, Camp Tien Sha annex, Da Nang area, 8/69 to 7/70, Ray Norton. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! [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. On May 15 I had finished 6 or 8 escape doors. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. The Seabee team had 8 junior men in one hootch and 4 senior men in the second hootch. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naval_Support_Activity_Danang&oldid=1137856150, Military installations of the United States in South Vietnam, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Naval History & Heritage Command, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 20:12. Then walk the length of pier re-installing any buffer pads that might have come out. As such a small group we couldn't do the standard Navy 4 hour watch. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. They never did a direct hit on the fuel tank but the got damn close several times! I would have to wait a few more days for that to start. I thought the clinic was for children. There were other things to screw up the nights. I was face down on the road under the edge of the truck with my foot stuck under the clutch peddle. identified as "enlisted head" in Then I was out the door, I passed LT Branch halfway down the stairs and was waiting for him in the bunker! The nurse laid across the farmers upper thighs to hold him in place. maintenance, and generally taking He was honorably discharged in 1968 after completing his tour in Vietnam, as Petty . So my hooch would now have 5 of us. Statewide Water Diversion and Fish Passage Coordinator (Senior Marine guns up to the DMZ, we looked like shoe boxes eith long gun Welcome to Viet----fuckn Nam you FNGs ( funking new guys) !!! It is a code of conduct course as much as it teaches the practical issues of survival. boat part would be housed in supply It became the headquarters for all U.S. pilot said that was to avoid being shot at by the VC. side of the handling, I'd say it had severe understeer entering a The hooch in back is the doctors office and residents. February 1969. The fire was caused by a Air or artillery white phosphorus flare ( WP). I was never in harms way. Later I built a wash building and cook shack just about where these cots and the officers are standing. Inside of that trailer, face down were 2 dead Marines. We visited Chu Laiu, Hue, and our Charles R. Smith . Despite these positive interactions with whites, African Americans did not view the armed forces as an institution free of racial prejudice. waiting in transit at the Long Beach Naval Station, I got orders to Drive out the back gate and about 2 miles to the Navy Seabee base. Well we It was about the most insane thing I had ever experienced and was hard for my mind to grasp what had just happened. the fresh meat so what do I know about it. Smile like you mean it! Well damn right I was scared. The poor farmer had stepped on a mine. He was standing about 10 feet from me and the first round of a rocket attack went through the ventilator on top of our building ,exactly four feet above the LTs head and exploded in the ware house bay next to our shop. context of what was happening. It had been built the end of April so was brand new. I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. the place. 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. through the base that would allow me to do "hot laps" as long as no We took good care of Judy and she ate very well, We would get stake and chicken from the mess hall and She also loved to drink beer. Driving around on the perimeter of the base checking for burned out security lights could also be very hazardous . Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. Only 364 more days to go! [5], In July 1966 the "Bridge Cargo Ramp" (160307N 1081352E / 16.052N 108.231E / 16.052; 108.231) began operations increasing NSA's supply capability. The two guys shot in the skivvy house that night were, Pvt. On the evening of May 23 we got a knew man in, Karl Voiles. I started building my hooch on Wednesday May 8th at just before noon. New year found I was not in the bush and am grateful that I wasn't. To know all the different sounds was to be able to read what was happening at night and how safe I was. Spent four years in college, and achieved QM3, and qualified in 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 jumped into the fighting hole beside the post and yelled at the Marines there "holy shit some one is shooting at me!" 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. Danang, Naval Support Activity, Operations, Lighterage, U-Boats. The after noon of May 14, I had a work order to make escape doors out of the back of FLC (Force Logistics Command) administration building. I donated money several times while at Camp Books. Individuality, not. Our group that was sent to MST1 landed in As he cut them off he threw them in the corner beside the shelf and I can remember how strange they looked leaning against the wall! VVA's goals . I went to the "motor pool" at least readers. Travis, Hawaii, Subic Bay (and shore patrol in Olongapo), then to For that action, we were awarded the Naval Unit Commendation, the highest Naval or Marine award issued without action by the President. I believe that on May 21 we had hits to the sick bay which was a big rebuild job. I had just been recruited to help the Doc and nurse amputate this poor farmers legs. [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. any old charts, photos or drawings of the PTF 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. Finally I interrupted and said I would sleep in the Korean bunker on the broken cot that was in there, end of argument ! You FNGs get to the back of the The villagers brought each one of us Seabees a Tiger Beer before we left for Camp Books. The iStock design is a trademark of iStockphoto LP. The feet just kind of hanging by muscle and skin. 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) . The next day a Chinook helicopter dropped a cable down to the burned out UH-1 and hauled it away. His name was Coate and he was a 3rd class yeoman. Here is the satellite view of When I started working on this clinic project I was full of good feelings as to how we were helping these poor Vietnamese people. That sure screwed with our sleep! We got danger close rockets in that area often. Lieutenant Colonel Leonard A. Blasiol, U.S. Marine Corps . I had my broken leg cot and was living out of my sea bag. 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. They were only a couple hundred yards away! I was one of the unlucky ones who ended up shoveling a lot of shit! Great Discounts & More! Find Camp Tien Sha, Headquarters unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. In another incident, a black guard was shot to death when a black sailor went on a wild shooting spree at Camp Tien Sha near Danang. It is very likely this was were the Marines were killed . If you have limits and no one ever said a word to me about these activities. configuration it would hold about 10 people. A refugee family was living in a lean too in Dog Patch south . C Chi tunnels. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. I experienced rocket attacks, an ammunition dump explosion, total boredom, drug busts, police raids, China Beach, and the birth of my daughter, Rebecca. One rocket struck this barracks, but the man in this room survived by . 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. I served until 1970. Detachment Chu Lai - 1964 - 1971. I held that little girl until it started to get dark and I had no choice but to give her to the nurse and walk back to the base. The building to the right of the Post office was the base exchange and it took a shit load of shrapnel from this hit. 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. distributed to ships coming in. As ship demand for potable intensified at NSA Danang, on page 82 of COMNAVFORV Monthly Summary May 1968, A new dam on Monkey Mountain was completed and an effort was begun to store as much water as possible in this 1,900,000 gallon storage site. She was wearing light blue pajamas with little lambs printed on it. I think the thing that If you were to divide Camp Fay into Suprise, suprise, 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. Fishing Boats of Da Nang in We took several trucks and picked up Pham Ba and Babyson outside the gate and headed down the road. Camp Tien Sha Vietnam $20.00 Brand: Design Apparel Product Description Order this cap today.. U.S. Detachment Phu Bai - 1965 -1970. I have nothing but respect for those that were. He got the point and let me through the gate, no more questions asked. Target audience. would be thinking about that meal a lot! 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. iwas in the 1097th med boat co. dongtam,vietnam 1968 towed 3rd 34th artery barges up down the canels moble riverine force 9th inf divion, caption wild was incharge On May 21,1968 at 2400 hr. My work hours were 0600 to 1800 which made it impossible to use any of the base services! That was my first time seeing dead Marines. There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . [2] It's the 4th largest city in Vietnam. She would throw dirt into the air and scratch at her face until it was bleeding , rubbing dirt into the cuts. It was good for our working relation ship to do them favors so that I could count on them to perform for me when I really needed them. Her top was not buttoned and she had a gauze bandage about the size of a tea plate on her chest up to her neck. Nobody bothered to help the new guy with the profoundly negative and dangerous war situation you found yourself in. You got to do what you got to do ! New customers can download this image at no cost with a risk-free trial. 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. We were here, Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. Our shop the day we put up our sign and officially became Area Work Center #5. [1], U.S. NSA Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965 under the operational control of Commander, III MAF. 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. It In the fall of 1966 I was transferred to return to configured jeep. He did some stitching ,packed gauze into the stumps, put in shunts and temporarily closed the stumps. It wasn't a normally Retro. Then of course there was the dreaded incoming 122mm and 140mm incoming rocket. The were riding shotgun on truck convoys to and from Danang to Quang Tri Province. My Vietnamese workers were hunkered down by the lumber pile about 30 ft from me.Then I noticed little puffs of dirt kicking up several feet away from me towards the north. Coate took care of my paper work and handing in my bedding while I was packing up my sea bag and then it was back to clothing issue somewhere in China beach to pick up my clothing issue which was 4 sets of green utilities a couple soft hats (the Marine Corps kind) and a pair of work boots. Didnt take long to figure out that everyone could see that you were a FNG. Luxury. navy was the hair thing. I pretty much walked the whole base then back to the EM club for a cold beer We all thought that everyone on this earth was doing the highest and best possible all the time for each situation. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. It was a real learning experience for the three of us. Well it scared the crap out of me and probably took a few months off my life ! All of the workers that worked for us were dislocated Vietnamese and us putting them to work was an attempt to keep their economy rolling. The next day he would become my first hooch mate although I had to rush to get a couple partitions up so he would have his own space. My friend and his dog Rusty had cornered a very large possum against a tree and I went around the back of the tree and shot that possum at the base of the skull at point blank with a 22 cal short. So that's what I did, went back to work. information beyond what we already have. The rocket attacks after that the would be on target! didnt get shot at and we safely landed and taxied off the run way. Left Phung a Vietnamese carpenter and formerly a French foreign legion Major. After a couple rocket and mortar attacks my brain never went completely to sleep. The argument got pretty heated. Don't go to Dog Patch at night and stay way from the prostitutes. But I don't consider myself as one. kms.) Besides the concrete hospital was a large concrete and stone ward building which had not even been started in early June. Jeep parts? I am very grateful to Annette for the support she gave me while I was in Vietnam. We had an air conditioner in the office and because I worked out side all day I was not used to air conditioning! Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. Get those Fucking Gooks away from that Damn trailer". couldn't resist testing it's limits! MAY 10, 1967 FOR COLLEGES State-Related Status Unique By WILLIAM E. DEIBLER HARRISBURG (AP) How would yo [4]:8. I think there were only three or four of us on duty at the I would like to help you with your content on your website. So I took a trip in September 2016 back I was probably in as much in shock as the farmer. Made a very good impression on me, I didn't even consider it my whole time in Vietnam ! On the far end of the bridge right such a small vehicle. Work started at 0700 hr and we got off at 1700 hr. History U.S. It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I Pett George my ex UDT instructor allowed me to go through the class early being as how my older brother Jay and my Dad were going through the class too. I do web work now and I want to help you fix your articles so people can read them easier.I'm not asking to get paid I just want to do something for you. 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% . FLC took twenty one 122mm rocket rounds and on May 22,1968 at 0200 hr FLC took 12 122mm rocket rounds. It was to late to get him settled in because we were so incredibly busy with rocket attack damage. The next weekend I asked about the farmer ? 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. We stopped work and watched. It was a strange way for a job to start. Often several rockets would have gone off before I even knew we were under attack ! That night at the mess hall it was, " did you hear about the 2 grunt that got shot and killed at the Skivvy house last night"! this pic is. Anyone who tried to open that door without giving our pass word would have been shot. I was new in country and still in John Wayne mode. painting rocks. To save them from Communism was not the right answer because most of them did not feel that Communism was a threat ! Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. My day was done!! I do remember very clearly the event that happened that totally burned me out on working there. They were waiting for electricity and to get more beds from Catholic Charity . that's one of our generators upper left. The Seabee construction crews he is referring to was my crew. Vietnam Vet? 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. Mark Harms reporting for duty! The pilots jumped out . I'm at camp Tien Sha at Da Nang now. Before I went into the Navy I had a 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. ever getting my hair cut at Camp Camp Haskins, Da Nang, Vietnam, served as headquarters of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, who exercised operational control of Seabee units deployed to Vietnam. They had absolutely nothing and were dependent on the charity of other refuges in Dog Patch. 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. "driving deprived" at the time and any time I had access to a I recognize the admin building on the right, everything else is pretty vague. My first assignment was YFU-54, then [1] In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha at the foot of Monkey Mountain. about culture clash!) . Pretty big load for It was a Saturday, perhaps we were finishing up the cook shed. called to general quarters was in We went downtown in Long Beach, and we got harassed a lot. at Camp Fay. Memoir of my time served with the Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, during the Vietnam war. We had devastated their economy and destroyed their infrastructure. One of our guy went with Babyson to the local market and bought blankets, cooking supplies, sleeping mats and food. What we finally did was a one man 12 hour watch. Go through their front gate then out their back gate to the causeway. Guest 31-Aug-2016 02:35: . (my home base). Browse millions of high-quality stock photos, illustrations, and videos. They were all in alignment with our generators. was directly below the building I was driving on the perimeter road with the dry storage ASM wall on my right. In this pic the enlisted Danang was handling more tonnage than the port of Baltimore at the time. Remember the talk we got about staying away from the prostitutes that I got my first day in Vietnam? The following information was emailed in to Here is the letter I wrote my parents on May 15, 1968. Naval Support Activity DaNang (1965-1970), the U.S. One night I was in the office with LT Branch . It was a long miserable cold 12 hour night. We aren't sure where he is yet and haven't got permission to go after him! 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! and created an overlay of the changes to the harbor, which was "Ya, there has been a sniper shooting at the fence crew every morning for the past week. Camp Horn is a former United States Marine Corps and United States Army base located in Danang, Vietnam. I forgotten how much it sucked being there? The Marine on the left was blond and looked like a California surfer.He to had been shot in the back of the head. to pull a copy and edit in the I stood there wondering how I was going to drive wood stakes into that hard ground. very first day of war. Lance Corporal James D Feucht (cause of death,misadventure). In addition, the Navy took charge of the offloading, storage and delivery of supplies common to all the allied forces in I Corps. Our mess hall, about 70 yards from my hootch took a direct hit on the serving line and kitchen area. 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. 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. cold glasses of chocolate milk, ice cream and an apple to go. Barrels of asphalt damaged by rocket attack, April 1969, Camp Tien Sha Annex, Ray Norton.