Some where along the line the nurse had done an IV drip. and Captain David A . Jack Shulimson . I didn't know it then but that was my last good meal for a long time! never even gave a thought that a The huge fuel tank was just being build on the left out of the picture. 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. Detachment Cua Viet - 1967 - 1970. 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. Very close now and it was clear that they weren't going to make it over the hurricane fence at the perimeter. There weren't even any stairs going up there yet. I was finished with my concrete forms before noon on Wednesday . I was to hear FNG DaNang Harbor. After the little girl died I never went back to the clinic. Late in the day we had built them a nice hootch and had them moved in. Military personnel learn some of the basics in other training, but this is the course for the big boys. map and make modifications, please email your about culture clash!) I didn't understand at that time the danger of rocket attacks. Detachment Nha Trang - 1965 - 1971. identified as "enlisted head" in at Camp Fay. Coate gave me two sets of shorts and short sleeve shirts. Welcome! Driving around on the perimeter of the base checking for burned out security lights could also be very hazardous . I experienced rocket attacks, an ammunition dump explosion, total boredom, drug busts, police raids, China Beach, and the birth of my daughter, Rebecca. On the evening of May 23 we got a knew man in, Karl Voiles. So every week there would be a different doctor. Maybe 6 on a side. I was reportedf to the USS Permit (SSN-594) at Mare Island, and got out a loved cars and fast driving. very first day of war. I have nothing but respect for those that were. I also made life long friends. Although the rules were they had to go back and check out. On the "left side" was all the So I would start the mornings dancing around the job site until the sniper was done and then we would get to work. Detachment Dong Ha - 1967 - 1970. Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. I have no significant memories 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. couple of Corvairs (ok, stop laughing!) Most of them would be dead by now as most of the men were in their mid forties then . maps) office in the White Elephant. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Vietnam veterans, age 60+, American. to LCU-1498 (same routine). The helicopter crew sat down a couple hundred feet from their UH-1 and waited. Browse millions of high-quality stock photos, illustrations, and videos. thought about was the airbase in Danang was under attack, K-9 Security Unit-1 (Navy Sentry Dog Unit) Det Cua Viet 1st Naval LARC Division. On Tuesday May 14 I finished my hooch and settled into the corner right inside the door. I am sure this little girl will be my last thought when I punch out from this world. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam Da Nang is one of Vietnam's major ports, a city rich in history. Danang was handling more tonnage than the port of Baltimore at the time. 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. On May 22 at 0200 hr. 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. NMCB THREE Main Body Flights consisting of three passenger . a lot in Vietnam. Later after they landed it became obvious that they were throwing out the ammo boxes so they wouldn't explode when they landed. Download this Camp Tien Sha photo now. Made a very good impression on me, I didn't even consider it my whole time in Vietnam ! and created an overlay of the changes to the harbor, which was The base appears to remain in use by the PAVN. One about half way from knee to foot and the other just below the knee! Detachment Phu Bai - 1965 -1970. waiting in transit at the Long Beach Naval Station, I got orders to Well I never did hear from Barbee. limits and no one ever said a word to me about these activities. He spent the night at the shop bunker by himself , totally confused as to what was going on. So over time it was easier to just not know anyone. My day was done!! camp where you get sheared. One night I was called out for some lights on the west perimeter. [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 feet just kind of hanging by muscle and skin. Individuality, not. Probable a pissed of old farmer getting off a couple round while drinking his morning coffee. ptfnasty.com and the DaNang section, I was going to have to hit the ground running if I intended to stay with this team. ] [ Base Drawing Legend ]. There was one thing that bothered me about Tien Sha. I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! It had been built the end of April so was brand new. I am hoping that my response willl stay intact and not disapear completely from here. The next work order I got for there I gave it to Beerworth and told him I would not work there any more! In July 1966 the "Bridge Cargo Ramp" (160307N 1081352E / 16.052N 108.231E / 16.052; 108.231) began operations increasing NSA's supply capability. places that you or others would be referring to. So much for getting Sunday off. on the National Geographic Magazine I dropped the log book on the microphone button and yelled AWC#5 -INCOMING ROCKETS! readers. Well sure I heard about it and even saw them down at 1st MPs. Finally, the harsh northeast monsoon made cargo operations at Danang and throughout I Corps hazardous and difficult during the winter months.[1]. Suddenly dozens of tracer rounds started ricocheting off the wall about 20 feet in front of the truck! Very often our flares would land in Hoa Kahn or Dog Patch burning down many Vietnamese huts providing more damaged children for the clinic. That was my first time seeing dead Marines. I joined the He did some stitching ,packed gauze into the stumps, put in shunts and temporarily closed the stumps. This combined attack, executed jointly by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People's Army, was a series of coordinated surprise attacks launched against both military and civilian targets. Target audience. camp tien sha danang, vietnam 1968. 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. 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). There was always something interesting to watch at Camp Books. The Marines in that ambush had fired on me to scare me because they thought I was the duty officer making the rounds. with Calif. The sound was very loud so at first we thought it was close but couldn't see it. You are a builder so Beerworth or Yost will be who you report too." Coate introduced me to a Chief Boatswain Mate who was our executive officer.The Commanding officer wasn't there( a lieutenant Junior Grade.) Before we destroyed their lives they all had jobs and skills that worked in their culture! 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. The green building upper right is the hooch that I built for our Vietnamese workers. In DaNang we had what was called the "duty jeep". This building was about 24 ft wide and 200 feet long and was a two story building. specialty up the Cua Viet to Dong Ha, where we supported the Marines I was face down on the road under the edge of the truck with my foot stuck under the clutch peddle. 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. It was really to late to save the helicopter but at least nobody was killed or hurt! Now I know where Barbee is but where is Babyson? I had orders in September 1966 to go to There was to much noise from the generators and air conditioner to hear the rockets explode or the warning siren go off . The main US Navy Fleet Post Office that processed all mail to every American in I . ( very much reminds me of cutting up chickens at butchering time). Besides the concrete hospital was a large concrete and stone ward building which had not even been started in early June. We had to give Puppy away as we were not even supposed to have a dog. There was a young mother with several kid and grandma and grandpa. I turned 20 years old and of coarse it went un- noticed although I had gotten a care package from Annett Burrel, a couple surfing magazines from my brother Jay and a birthday card from my girl friend Linda! These positive relations were largely a reflection of the fact that black and white soldiers in combat were heavily dependent on one another. I went to my CO and asked to help. If I wanted something I had to have Bet or Ski pick it up. worked that jeep to it's limits and had a highly entertaining time I took my time cooling myself off in that shower then went It The scarcity of lighterage and the heavy weather that often buffeted the harbor made ship-to-craft cargo transfers hazardous and inefficient. Danang had become the largest fuel complex in South Vietnam capable of holding over 500,000 barrels. Get those Fucking Gooks away from that Damn trailer". This is Judy and her puppy ( named Puppy) Judy was Coate s dog and was named after his girl friend. CONTACT: VETERANS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS. Maybe it's just me. Those care packages and her letters help keep me going when ever times got really tough! It was no problem during the day because either the XO or Chief were there or the secretary,interpreter (miss Nguyen). (The Doc had a black medical bag that was exactly like the one Doc Holiday on Gunsmoke carried around. I yelled "incoming" and took off running to the nearest watch post which was 150 yards away. Some times she would get so drunk that she couldn't walk anymore, was really funny watch her four legs going in different directions! Marine guns up to the DMZ, we looked like shoe boxes eith long gun person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. quarters. The carpenter flat bed truck. Statewide Water Diversion and Fish Passage Coordinator (Senior So my hooch would now have 5 of us. delivering warm water was good Every tree trunk was painted white, every rock was neatly lined up along the would be thinking about that meal a lot! Not all the time but sometimes . care of the base. 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. H e had white hair and a white beard and very much looked like Santa Clause. The Post office was about 75 yards from my hootch. To add your photos, please email them to webmaster@ccvva.org. when I was there. Stephen was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving state side and in Vietnam at Camp Tien Sha, Danang. couldn't resist testing it's limits! He had to re arrange his schedule to accommodate me. And there were certainly good things there, at least in the Then I started paying more attention. middle , Mr Kim a Korean Philco Ford electrician . It started raining Saturday June1st and rained continuously until Wednesday morning but that didn't slow down work any. All terrain forklifts would scurry back and forth off The Seabee construction crews he is referring to was my crew. The MPs had used their white belts as tourniquets just above the knees. This was a real live human! Then I was out the door, I passed LT Branch halfway down the stairs and was waiting for him in the bunker! 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. 15x12. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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 ! This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. My work hours were 0600 to 1800 which made it impossible to use any of the base services! But when shit happens to you and you are the victim, everything changed! the correctly identified enlisted 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. It sure seemed longer then a month, to me it was more like a few months! head has about the lightest colored And You FNGs 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. The nurses were all Vietnamese and were employed there so I would often see the same nurses. Level the frames and tie them to the stakes and I would have my concrete forms complete. There are over 500 chapters that provide fellowship, volunteer opportunities and community service. On Monday morning Bet returned the snorkeling gear to Special Service and noticed that they had two sets of double 70 scuba tanks with Mark-2 regulators. Despite these positive interactions with whites, African Americans did not view the armed forces as an institution free of racial prejudice. Camp Tien Sha, Vietnam. at Camp Fay. 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 . It might be inaccurate in some details, suffice to say, I I spent 33 years one of authority noticed. Vietnam Vet? This is my Poem about the farmer who stepped on the mine. 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. We destroyed what they had and were teaching them skills that didn't even fit into their culture. get a mailing address via email from Chip and My head carpenter ,Pham Ba told me about her during the week. My barracks was an old French barracks at Camp Tien Sha near Da Nang. Camp Fay in the evening and morning. to develop this map. 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 Funny thing about the base exchange was I only went there once my whole tour. Cat Lo Naval Base. To know all the different sounds was to be able to read what was happening at night and how safe I was. 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. Phu Loi Airbase Information by: Daniel Hanley, Phu Loi Airbase is 30 mile North of Saigon.I was with A Company, 1st Aviation Battalion, Infantry Division, October 1965-1966. hair cutting all my time there aside I went to the "motor pool" at least 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. The Doc first put surgical tourniquets on and took the belts off. [3] NSA Danang originally operated from a commercial pier on the city side of the Hn River and this "Museum Ramp" (160300N 1081328E / 16.05N 108.2245E / 16.05; 108.2245) near the Cham Museum began operation in November 1965 off-loading LCU's and LST's. I had my broken leg cot and was living out of my sea bag. The flares were often still burning when they hit the ground. Book cover type. The Docs loved coming to Hoa Kahn Clinic. for references to information received from Yes that's me smiling up from the 122mm rocket crater. Nang officers billeting ! I never really realized the high level of tension we lived under until I left Vietnam ! I was not in the bush and am grateful that I wasn't. I think he may have had scrambled brains to go with his stitched up head . 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. any old charts, photos or drawings of the PTF That is the only time I had to get clothing issue. Some time before the end of the month we got three more guys in . in Subic and got a pro hair cut. 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. It The truck dropped us at the work sight. Guess earlier generations of residents at Camp Fay had their The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. - 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. 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. They were trying to fly that chopper to the safety of Camp Books. Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. I dont know a damn thing so With chow finished I had the rest of There were at least 500 RVN Sailors, 6 American Sailors, and two Koreans who worked for Philco Ford. The field had been filled with red dirt and rocks and had been compacted with heavy equipment. Inside of that trailer, face down were 2 dead Marines. He's shooting from a long way out and hasn't hit anyone yet. "enlisted". Our electricians went to wire up the building for electricity. Here are the Activity reports for May 1968 for the Marines in my AO (area of operation) . The memory of this little girl and the events at the Children's hospital are the reason I never had children of my own. "Honcho come", he pulls me around the Quonset hut, his eyes were as big as saucers! 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 January 30, 1968 marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive. I have spent countless hours over the past 15 years driving my motorbike around the Camp Books area looking for any of our workers. There hours were 0800 to1700 so it was impossible for me to go. The two crew members jumped out just under the flames .They carried their M-60 machine guns. Go through their front gate then out their back gate to the causeway. perceived attacks. The rocket attacks after that the would be on target! It was kind of a taste of what we would get when the monsoons came in September. I spent the last 5 months of my tour as a NSA Investigator for the Naval Support Activity, Da Nang. maids walked in and started cleaning That was necessary because right out of there. 2023 iStockphoto LP. They were only a couple hundred yards away! The Doc started by cutting the legs off. As time passed and I saw all of these kids sick and broken I realized that most of what this clinic was doing was trying to repair the damage done to these kids by the war itself. 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. I finished the shower and got The building to the right of the Post office was the base exchange and it took a shit load of shrapnel from this hit. As usual US style plumbing, the Sure. After checking in, I was assigned to After that LT Branch never stayed late at the office, he would leave at 1700 to take Miss Nguyen home to Da Nang. There wasn't much blood ,just a small whelp where the bullet went in. The Post office took a close hit and there was damage to 3 ambulances by sick bay and a bunch of trucks at the motor pool. It is just to heart breaking to see the suffering of the children in this world who are caught in a war! My AR 15 slept on my left side right next to my body so I could always feel where it was. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Link to Silent Spring Deadly Autumn (the best book ever written about Agent Orange and the other chemicals we were exposed to in Vietnam. The building site was about 150 yards outside of the north perimeter and the perimeter had not been opened up yet. This would also give Beerworth time to get his guys out on their job. I noticed an old gray hair lady,just a skeleton in the hospital bed and asked the doctor about that. 15 rounds hit us with 3 KIA and 15 wounded. 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. An electrician CN (E-3). History U.S. It didn't take long to get out of bed when the first rocket struck nearby. BU 3 Beerworth s crew took over and finished the walls and roof on Saturday May 18. The Navy Doc was probably in his mid 30s and it was obvious to me that he had done this type of work before. morning. little early to get back in school and finish my degree. Ya, we continued our work and started building my hooch. 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. On 1 April 1966 Naval Forces Vietnam was established in Saigon and assumed control of NSA Danang from III MAF. I was later assigned to the Monkey Mountain Patrol. Honorably Discharged as a QM2(SS) in 1971ish. 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! So after the 2400 check in I would jump in the truck with M-16 and ammo. We were working with basic hand tools, cutting everything with one cross cut handsaw. Drinking black coffee trying to stay alert. The poor farmer had stepped on a mine. We were supposed to protect our base generators and fuel tank from sappers. identified as "enlisted head." Lieutenant Colonel Leonard A. Blasiol, U.S. Marine Corps . There was a Marine listening ambush set up outside the perimeter in that area. It was time to go look for some food! 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. C Chi tunnels. Gallons of Herbicides Sprayed. paths and painted white and there were white picket fences around almost every 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 ! They were all in alignment with our generators. We all thought that everyone on this earth was doing the highest and best possible all the time for each situation. Fishing Boats of Da Nang in The Marine on the left was blond and looked like a California surfer.He to had been shot in the back of the head. I think there were only three or four of us on duty at the layout - (07-07-02) The only answer I could give them that they would except was. It - (07-07-02) I have NO remberance of There were no more shots that day but there would be on the next two mornings. and the LT moved to the Da. There were other things to screw up the nights. What amazed me was by brakefast time at 0530 the marines had already set up a field mess trailer out side the mess hall and were serving breakfast. the evening to wonder about and check out what Camp Tien Sha had to offer. You forget the bad things and you remember the good I don't remember when I stopped doing work at the Children's clinic, Maybe the end of June or early July. Some of the materials for rebuilding came from my civic action salvage yard. It really, really broke my heart! Some of the rocket attacks were on Camp Books (FLC) . Catecka Base Camp. whole story here. Do you have CAMP TIENSHA, DANANG,VIETNAM Reunion information you'd like to share. time does that. But I don't consider myself as one. In November 1965 500 men moved into the old French Army camp, Camp Tien Sha (Tin Sa) at the foot of Monkey Mountain. half, aside from the times that I The Seabee team had 8 junior men in one hootch and 4 senior men in the second hootch. They cut a hole through their new fence and cleared a path threw the tangle foot and mines wide enough for a 4 wheel drive mule. really care. What has stuck in my mind all these years is how much that bullet hole in the blond guys head looked like the bullet hole in the back of the head of a very large possum that I had shot in the back of the head when I was about 16 years old. to pull a copy and edit in the He had a little Vietnamese kid with him about 8 years old. 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. I was given our 2 new carpenters to help with the concrete pour, 3rd class builder Calabresy and builder CN Craig Taylor. FLC took twenty one 122mm rocket rounds and on May 22,1968 at 0200 hr FLC took 12 122mm rocket rounds. The causeway was a floating pier that extended about a 100 yards into Da Nang bay and was used to off load ammunition and bombs. I didn't realize at the time that the intended target was me and the generators. We were told that we were teaching them skills so they would be able to have a useful job. Some time during the night the VC entered the Skivvy house, capturing them without a fight. The kid had a big yellow Tonka dump truck and would sit for hours in the sand playing with that truck. I was in Vietnam from November 3, 1968, through November 7, 1969. The Monkey Mountain Patrol. 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 have absolutely no recollection of The harbor defense unit used landing craft, picket boats and 16 feet (4.9m) Boston Whalers to monitor and protect the maritime traffic. Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. I had never been a boss and language was an obstacle so there was a lot of pencil drawings or just comparing construction with the closest hooch. CD-ROM, but it didn't provide any new Here is the battalion report for May 1968. Barrels of asphalt damaged by rocket attack, April 1969, Camp Tien Sha Annex, Ray Norton. He expired nine days later. Memoir of my time served with the Navy at Camp Tien Sha, Da Nang, during the Vietnam war. The course is a model in how to survive, and how to come home with honor. Mostly I was just kind of mentally numb. I suppose that I needed that time alone to recover from the amputation! The argument got pretty heated. They were the best I could African Americans perceived racial issuesrace relations, prejudice, and discriminationin Vietnam through a lens heavily influenced by their earlier experiences in the United States. Just to the right of We found the family and with the help of other refugees were proceeded to tear down their shelter and build them a house. Right. whatever you say Mr. Nice history lesson for me. ( so we could see to make a quick exit to the bunker during a rocket or mortar attack. I was going to start building my own hooch so I would have a place to sleep ! there. The enlisted head I got a letter from Annette Burrell ( Johns younger sister) sometime in May.