20th Birthday

I turned 20 in February in Vietnam and these photos show the celebration with Ron, Steve, me, Tom and the cake some 6 feet under ground in a bunker on LZ Suzie. We were there longer than any other LZ the entire year; a full month, with cold wet rain the rule every day and night. Mud and mold everywhere to the point that we even stopped wearing underwear and socks not bothering to unlace our soaked boots the last two weeks or so. Easily the worst month of my life day for day.

China Beach

China Beach was made famous, at least in the US, well after the war. There was a popular TV show by the same name which aired in the late 80’s.

Situated near Da Nang, these photos show me there some 31 years apart, amazingly almost in the same pose. As with the Hue Citadel photos (see Tet 1968: The Citadel post), a complete coincidence I did not intend nor discover until after I returned and began going through the pictures from both trips.

Da Nang

Da Nang was a focal point during the war, an area that included one of the US’s largest airbases. I went through there a number of times usually trading Air Force personnel war souvenirs such as NVA flags, helmets, knives, etc., which I could get, for things like beer, ice cream, PSP (perforated steel plating used in runways, we would use as overhead bunker cover), which we would not otherwise get were it not for the trades. These pictures show the view from my initial room (see Hoi An post) and the street below and in the one case, to the river beyond. Not a pretty city such as Hoi An but one of the larger and certainly important ones in central Vietnam

Marble Mountain Carvers

During the war Marble Mountain was in enemy hands contested but never completely taken by the US and South Vietnamese forces. Now the town at the base of the mountain is filled with shops as you see here, famous for their intricate marble carvings.

The steps I am sitting on lead up into the mountain which is much like a giant cave inside.

Hueys

Being in the 1st Cav in Vietnam meant you flew most everywhere you went. Being in the Army meant that whatever it was you were formally trained to do, in my case 13A10 (my MOS “Military Occupational Specialty” or “job” in civilian speak) artillery, was most likely not what you would do.

I spent some time in the battery but most all of that was in Exec Post checking fire mission data. Later I was near the helicopter units and as a result was able to volunteer to fly as a door gunner on Hueys. Mostly “dust off” (medivac) and mortar patrol stuff (fly on station waiting for a mission.) So, trained artillery but able to fly as a door gunner without training. Go figure.

These pictures are taken in the Quang Tri area where I did all my flying. That’s Camp Evans at the bottom. Notice all the helicopters. The rest are taken in the I Corp area and show how beautiful the country is, even more so today now that much of the cratering has filled in.

The shot showing my boots with the ground below gives a good idea of the spectacular vantage point the gunners have on a gunship.

Chinooks

No Vietnam era 1st Cav solider blog or personal web page addressing Vietnam would be complete unless it includes photos of Chinooks. When it comes to transportation they were to us what horses were to 1st Cavalry troops when the division was formed in 1921 and what armor is for today’s 1st Cavalry soldiers. Chinooks were what we rode to battle.

These photos show what they looked like at work including one of my personal favorites, a picture I took within a few feet of one lifting off from LZ Pedro in February 1968. Even today some 30+ years later I can hear the “whomp, whomp, whomp” sound as the blades beat the air and feel the incredible downdraft as it lifted up and away.

Quan Ba Tho Cafe, Da Nang

One of my favorite 1999 memories is of the Quan Ba Tho Café in Da Nang. There I spent a couple of hours with my guide Phuc and our two pedicab drivers, Cuoung and Otrang eating the largest grilled shrimp I have ever seen, drinking whiskey and beer, all for the unbelievable price of $12US.

You also see our hostess, the café owner, along with her young son who was none too pleased to be sitting in my lap in the pedicab.

Hoi An

Hoi An. I didn’t even know it existed. Situated near Da Nang, it is a beautiful place similar to the artsy towns that dot both coasts in the US. From what I was told it was largely untouched by the war, which is amazing if true given its proximity to Da Nang. As an aside, I was originally supposed to stay in Da Nang and in fact checked into a hotel there. However after discovering Hoi An, I checked myself out telling the desk clerk that I would meet my guide the next morning in the lobby, and moved to a small hotel in Hoi An. With that done I began to explore returning to my hotel to shower and change before dinner. Much to my surprise there was my very worried looking guide along with three police all of whom immediately wanted to know why I had moved. As it turns out, my passport had been registered with the police (standard policy for westerners) at the previous hotel with an indication that I would be staying the night. When I abruptly changed my itinerary, they went looking for Phuc and then as a group, for me. Changing plans like that without the authorities knowing in advance is frowned upon. These pictures show only a portion of the beauty. Narrow alleys leading to unexpected surprises such as this café where I sat outside enjoying a delicious lunch of fish, rice with a glass of wine (from where I have no idea. All the better on this trip of discovery.) Watching the sun go down across the Bon River with the fishing fleet at anchor. Wonderfully peaceful.

Road to Quang Tri

Da Nang and definitely Hoi An were well worth the trip to the middle county but my visit there was about getting to Quang Tri Province. This was where I spent most of my time during the war and where I would find whatever information was available regarding Dolly (see "Dolly" post).

These pictures show some of the trip to Dong Ha including the Hoi Van Pass and Lang Co Beach, unfortunately, no doubt, headed towards Maui style development at some point in the future.

Dong Ha

I spent one night in Dong Ha, which is decidedly not a western tourist destination. However it was convenient for the next day drive east on the infamous Route 9 towards the Laotian boarder and my visit to Khe Sahn.

These pictures include a view of the main street in Dong Ha taken from my hotel window, along with one in the room and the courtyard below.

It was, by central Vietnam standards, a very nice hotel however most westerners would probably be a bit uncomfortable. No sheets on the bed and large numbers of mosquitoes which were controlled to a point by a contingent of geckos hanging out in the shower, along with a can of bug spray the desk clerk gave me when I checked in.

Finally, around 10 PM an amplified Vietnamese voice began screaming God only knows what. There were megaphone speakers on poles near the hotel so the local Communist government could preach to the people. My guide Phuc explained the next morning that was simply the standard propaganda and that likely few other than me even bothered to listen. I couldn’t understand a word of it.