Fish and Game, as a diver/biologist, and retired as the Just to the right of I'm considered a Vietnam Veteran, due to the dates I served. Yes, everyone called him soccer ball head ! The next work order I got for there I gave it to Beerworth and told him I would not work there any more! 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. Unfortunately when we got there it was closed for one hour for lunch and Coate did not have the time to hang around. Made a very good impression on me, I didn't even consider it my whole time in Vietnam ! As tired as I was I never got much sleep. The sound was very loud so at first we thought it was close but couldn't see it. that's one of our generators upper left. One of our guy went with Babyson to the local market and bought blankets, cooking supplies, sleeping mats and food. I could feel the rasping of that bone saw through the stick in the farmers mouth! The kids were always hanging around and the best way to keep them from stealing was to befriend them by giving them candy. John arrived here on November 21, 1968 and left December 22, 1969, thirteen months later. The fire was caused by a Air or artillery white phosphorus flare ( WP). [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 new wood frame building that I did was behind the camera. I hated that phone, radio, air conditioning and black coffee! Then he could pick my guys up and pick up materials to build my hooch. These detachments decentralized the support function and improved the logistic flow. Hi Dan, I've always specialty up the Cua Viet to Dong Ha, where we supported the Marines There were so many sound at night and for my own safety I had to learn them all. 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. 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. They were all in alignment with our generators. 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. My first assignment was YFU-54, then 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. Get those Fucking Gooks away from that Damn trailer". Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. She would be down on her hands and knees crying and waling. Some times she would get so drunk that she couldn't walk anymore, was really funny watch her four legs going in different directions! The plane started to drop, going in steep and fast. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. The day we put up our sign . building. Well guess what ? while we were starting the wall framing we heard the sound of a UH-1 helicopter. What we finally did was a one man 12 hour watch. There were other things to screw up the nights. pilot said that was to avoid being shot at by the VC. I asked about the little girl and the doc said she had died Thursday night. Later I built a wash building and cook shack just about where these cots and the officers are standing. It must have been about 1100 hr. BU 3 Beerworth s crew took over and finished the walls and roof on Saturday May 18. 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. As such a small group we couldn't do the standard Navy 4 hour watch. We vehicle I took full advantage of it! I didn't realize at the time that the intended target was me and the generators. Closer and closer, the engine starting to whine! the fresh meat so what do I know about it. Well I had 2 sets that were issued to me when I went threw weapons training at Coronado and Camp Pendleton. Sometimes we could be called out 2 or 3 times in a night. person who was awake had access to the keys to the jeep. [2] Spent four years in college, and achieved QM3, and qualified in Then to [1], U.S. NSA Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965 under the operational control of Commander, III MAF. 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! worked that jeep to it's limits and had a highly entertaining time I was new in country and still in John Wayne mode. When Puppy was big enough our secretary, interpreter Miss Nguyen took Puppy home with her to Danang. 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. The enlisted head She would pull out handfuls of her hair and pound herself with clenched fists! 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! First I had to do a couple hour job at the 1st MP Quonset hut. Significant Events 19-31 August 1970 19-28 October 1970 5 November 1970 13 November 1970 15 November 1970 this pic is. [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. morning. Keep exploring. navy was the hair thing. Management and planning of the logistic flow needed refinement, as ships arrived en masse with cargo improperly stowed and packaged. Nice history lesson for me. There wasn't much blood ,just a small whelp where the bullet went in. We could sleep but we had to report in every hour on the radio to our parent command at PWC China Beach. 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. had to man the perimeter during So my hooch would now have 5 of us. We had devastated their economy and destroyed their infrastructure. I think he may have had scrambled brains to go with his stitched up head . Because I had to fend for myself I did help the newbies who moved into my hooch. The number of rockets are probably plus or minus a couple rockets. In DaNang we had what was called the "duty jeep". The Post office was about 75 yards from my hootch. I was to hear FNG One of them used to take me to the MACV Club located by the USS Repose. 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. The shop door are between the 2 telephone poles. Barrels of asphalt damaged by rocket attack, April 1969, Camp Tien Sha Annex, Ray Norton. Thursday morning we stripped the forms and started building the framing of the first building. What the F is wrong with her? 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. The Camp Tien Sha is a former United States Navy base located in Danang, Vietnam. Even then every time the Doc cut through a nerve that farmer would try to fly through the roof! I believe we also tied him around the waist. to develop this map. I thought they were trying to lighten their load. I wish I would have known about it then! Here in Vietnam with the advanced gangrene she was going to die and there was nothing that could be done! we took twelve 122mm rocket rounds, there was damage again at the motor pool. to my new cubicle and dressed in my slightly used green utility working There was a young mother with several kid and grandma and grandpa. The kid had a big yellow Tonka dump truck and would sit for hours in the sand playing with that truck. LCU-1498, then the chart office at the White Elephant. camp where you get sheared. Camp Fay in the evening and morning. It is very likely this was were the Marines were killed . I was shocked when he told me she was only 15 years old! the correctly identified enlisted On May 22 at 0200 hr. Maybe 6 on a side. [2] During the next several years, the command created subordinate NSA detachments at Chu Lai, Hu, Tn M, ng H, Ca Vit, Ph Bi and Sa Hunh. Dearest Rita, I just finished a quick letter to my folks first one since I've been here. Da Nang is known as the tourist capital of South-Central Vietnam, with a west coast location that makes for beautiful sunsets against an impressive backdrop of lush mountains. When we got there the doc wanted to show us around. Coate introduced me to a Chief Boatswain Mate who was our executive officer.The Commanding officer wasn't there( a lieutenant Junior Grade.) I actually took the class in 1965 but at that time you had to be 18 years old to get a Scuba Certification. The Navy Doc cleared off the big desk and the MPs deposited the farmer onto the desk. Gave me the creeps then and still does now when I think about it! the "enlisted head" identified in Although the helicopter was only a couple hundred feet out there was no way to put the fir out as they couldn't cross the mine field. This comment has been removed by the author. I would share it with my team mates but a lot of it I gave to the Vietnamese children at the Clinic or whenever I worked off base. Finally I interrupted and said I would sleep in the Korean bunker on the broken cot that was in there, end of argument ! Tracers were bouncing all over in front of the truck. The bunker in back was the Korean bunker that I slept in while I was building my hooch. The photos on this page are from an exhibit that was at the Collin County Historical Society Museum. risking my life in a really inadequate vehicle! The truck dropped us at the work sight. [4]:2[2], In August 1967, the headquarters of NSA Danang was moved from downtown Danang to Camp Tien Sha. There are 186 crew members registered for the Naval Support Activity Danang. ! 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. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Danang was officially established on 15 October 1965. Storage areas ashore were limited by space and access. Let me tell you that wasn't fun at all. at Camp Fay. "personal" shower head and keeping 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. 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.
