is there organized travel available to an hoa, liberty bridge area or go noi island. In a Free Fire Zone SW of Danang in 1968. Just two weeks later he was part of a mission to protect Liberty Bridge, a strategic supply artery across the Thu Bon River connecting An Hoa to Da Nang. South end of the runway by the artillery battery. Not a nice place slept with flack jacket and helmet all the time ! Remember to check out the Hue City article on this website also, you might recognize a few places. On March 19, 1969, a battalion-size enemy force stormed the Marine outpost . On June 9th ,1968 we caught the 90th NVA Regt off guard, as we had camouflaged so well & moved at night when the NVA lest expected Marines on the move & foufgt a successful battle at An Bang 3 village area killing 80 NVA by body count, & collecting 100s of enemy wpns. 58 captured. On December 13th, a Friday, we left for the mountains to begin Operation Taylor Common. Samper Fi ! It was piloted by Major Sharr, co-pilot unknown, the crew chief was Dwight Williams, the gunner was Mike Sprinkle, and ground unit commander onboard was a colonel whos the first name was Bill. 3/1 comm. I was Army, my 8/4 Battalion of 175mm guns OpCon 3rd Marines up on he DMZ. Forever in my mind, I as with you Dr. Faust that day with Dr. Donald Turner DDS. We may have seen each other and dont even know it. My father, Ken Nielsen, just passed. Primary Location During Vietnam: Da Nang, Vietnam, Story Themes: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1st Marines, An Hoa Valley, Combat, Da Nang, David Tabaka, Marines, Quang Nam Province, Saint Paul, St Paul, A Twin Cities PBS initiative in collaboration with the MN PBS Stations, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1st Marines, An Hoa Valley, Combat, Da Nang, David Tabaka, Marines, Quang Nam Province, Saint Paul, St Paul, Terms and Conditions for Submitting Your Story. I had been wounded on 27 February at our outpost at My Loc 2. He kept coming and kept coming, making like he was drinking from the can, and he wouldnt put it down. I was in LSU-1 2\5 . Was part of the LSU (Logistics Support Unit). I enjoy hanging-out with Hill-Tribe people) but people say you can NOT because the Lao Government wont allow it because it is still a sensitive area because of the Hmong fighters even today, 2021. He would die, but would be awarded a posthumous MOH. What a dammed waste of Americas finest. Rupnik, E.J. Dont remember much about that year my mind must off blocked it off. I recall referring to the lake where the German hospital was located as Spider lake. I want to cross into Lao from N.W. I was in Hue around Jan. 2 of 2010 and it was rainy there. I have good and bad memories of my service in the area. L knew the people i arrived with but he was the first to take us and show us around and draw M16 and other gear. From left to right are Edmond Franio, Red Garcia, and Jorge Alonzo. I dont have any of the information you seek but, I would like the same info, if you come across it I hope we can share it. With the redeployment of the 3rd Division north, Hill 55 became the Command Post of the 7th Marine Regiment in April, Marine Engineers began construction A piece of hot metal went right through my kneecap and left a big hole, which is still there today. Ha! Chuck, I was Squadleader/ Gunner in 60 mortars then. There will be a few places you remember there as well. Combined Action Platoon (CAP) 2-9-1, positioned in the hamlet of Mau Chanh (2), about a kilometer east of the base, lay in the path of the attack. Don, I was FDC 2/11 Feb 70-71, HQ, then Echo Battery, then HQ the rest, AnHoa, DaNang, LZ Baldy. Going though some of his papers and found his Navy Achievement Medal with a V . In the early morning of March 19, 1969, a Marine combat base at Phu Loc 6 near An Hoa, Vietnam, became the scene of a surprise enemy attack. He had been an NVA machine gun leader and had spoken about the number of Marines he had killed. February 15th, DVIDS Hub works best with JavaScript enabled, Version: 378719a7422dbf16a653a31d0524fb9a2058ed47_2023-04-20T10:09:12. A medevac situation developed on this insert when four grunts were wounded by a booby trap, and another was injured somehow. Do you remember him? From the Red Garcia Collection (COLL/5065), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections . The 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines handed over the base to the ARVN 1st Battalion, 51st Regiment on 15 October 1970.[5]. 44 Get on a rented motorbike if you have a drivers license or take a taxi out here. 2512. Lenny from Brooklyn (L) and David Tabaka (R) on patrol in An Hoa Valley, Qung Nam Province. Janes Graham, a very bold and capable leader. I am glad you made it out. In 1966, this small hill was the dominant terrain I was attached at the last moment to serve as Fox 2/5s 81FO. http://www.marzone.com/7thMarines/Vn5500.htmhttps://www.seabee-rvn.com/Bridges/Liberty-Bridge/http://dennislathamfiction.blogspot.com/2006/08/vietnam-liberty-bridge.html?m=1http://1-5vietnamveterans.org/15-combat-ops/https://books.google.com.vn/books?id=YN1RDwAAQBAJ\u0026pg=PA178\u0026lpg=PA178\u0026dq=liberty+bridge+Vietnam\u0026source=bl\u0026ots=rdUdHu273U\u0026sig=ACfU3U03Qy55U0spK0AjFgbZvRuMbTzAmA\u0026hl=vi\u0026sa=X\u0026ved=2ahUKEwjdpfygzb_lAhWFd94KHZnMA8o4ChDoATAHegQIAxAB#v=onepage\u0026q=liberty%20bridge%20Vietnam\u0026f=falsehttps://books.google.com.vn/books?id=NxAiZsLSrhoC\u0026pg=PA139\u0026lpg=PA139\u0026dq=liberty+bridge+Vietnam\u0026source=bl\u0026ots=YxuAb4JnDy\u0026sig=ACfU3U1VelKurAzqrOtpeY2JEJGVukMsFg\u0026hl=vi\u0026sa=X\u0026ved=2ahUKEwjdpfygzb_lAhWFd94KHZnMA8o4ChDoATAJegQIARAB#v=onepage\u0026q=liberty%20bridge%20Vietnam\u0026f=false On an operation to Liberty Bridge, Vietnam, 1970. NVA went into the orphanage still cant believe there were hundreds of us Marines just yards away playing defense while a few NVA killed all those kids!still my worst memory of my year over there, As C O of B1/5 I served at Liberty Bridge for combat operations in the Arizona Territory and later out of An Hoa & the 1/5 battles at An Bang 3 in the Arizona territory as we named the VC/NVA location 80 plus days on patrol or fighting from May 15th until July 31st, then because I complained of poor logistic support the 5TH Regt C.O pulled me out of Bn to be the Regt logistics officer S-4 & An Hoa base security officer as a Capt. Amphibian tractors arrived and added the weight of their machine guns to the battle. Never saw a hospital. So many memories of An Hoa, I was the 2/5 Bn Armorer from May thru December 69 at AnHoa. had a Xeon light and 90 mm after seeing how small hot and with the mud Never been so scared in all my life. One morning before lunch, one of the boys (who had been taking out our garbage and cleaning our clothes) was coming into the compound. By the way I was: 1st Bn 5th Mar Div H&S Co 81 Mor Plt. If you want to travel back and spend some time there, I suggest you arrange it yourself. Then the entire hedgerow came alive with NVA fire. Its been a while and I dont remember the exact dates but those are approximate. I saw them once in the mess hall. I was there when Dan Bullock was KIA. The Antenna Valley is located across the pass to the west from the Que Son Valley. Your email address will not be published. I am happy you made it out. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. I know he was stationed at An Hoa in 1967. The base was located approximately 28km west of Hi An and 4km west northwest of the M Sn temple complex, near to the Tnh Yn River (Thu Bn River) and the An Ha industrial complex. AC-47 gunships held back the PAVN/VC while a platoon of Marines mounted in amphibian tractors, with tanks and helicopter gunships escorting, attacked east from An Hoa to reinforce the hamlet and bring an ammunition resupply. and HQ Co. 1st Marine Regt. A chu hoi led the grunts to a VC propaganda leader on this one. High school classmate was Mike 3/5. Vietnam (way remote N.W. Ive been to Lao about 20 times (visa run, Thailand) but mostly just the Vientiane area. I looked in one of your tanks,as you were in the road facing the Que son Mts. I was there March69 when Phu -loc 6 was over run. But at the same time, we knew that they were enemies because theyd check out where we had things and then come back at nighttime. Liberty Bridge on the Thu Bon river near An Hoa, Vietnam 1968 - spent many a day in and around here in the Arizona Territory Comments More like this Vietnam History Vietnam War Photos American War American Heroes American Patriot Military Photos Military History Airborne Army Non Commissioned Officer I was there. I thought it was Jameson. David Robert Ray. The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 28, 2017. E- 2/5 69-71, Your email address will not be published. Posted by Dave at 6:38 PM. Built in 1967 by Navy Seabees (nickname based on the pronunciation of C-B, for Construction Battalion) , under constant harassment from enemy forces, it was 2,040 feet long, 32 feet above the low water level. We came to a 1000 meter rice paddy near the village of Vinh Huy. Mort Hurt here. Poinsett Bridge is the oldest bridge in South Carolina and perhaps in the entire southeastern United States. I was with Echo also 67-68 Oct to March when evaced out of country. E- 2/5 69-71. to enable the Marines to move men and material across the Song Thu Bon south to An Hoa or to a jump off point for Operations We had two Chieu Hois with us for the Op. His battery commander later related that when you were as tall as Ray, had a southern drawl and were serving with the Marines you know youre in for some rough kidding. Thank you for your comment. By days end 36 of the Marines were dead. This work, A Portrait of HM2 Bobby Ray, Heroic Doc of Liberty Bridge, by Andr Sobocinski, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. The Marines were a really impressive group of men. until 0400 est. Liberty Bridge 1 was built by the US SeaBees in the 1960's it was the longest wooden bridge in southeast asia. He even fought off an attack of two NVA soldiers before he himself was wounded. [2]:20410, In August 1966 the Marines completed the construction of the MSR (main supply route) between Da Nang and An Ha, naming it the "Liberty Road". I was there when the nurses were abducted. Semper Fi to every Marine who served with 2/5 at An Hoa. Hi all. The many convoy escorts to liberty bridge and back, lost quite a few Marines on those, mines and booby traps. Went back the next day. Looking for a Lt. who came to Fox 2/5 2nd Platoon on 11 July 69 And stepped on a box mine less than 12 hours later. On 10 September, 1965 the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment LtCol. During Tet 69, my battery split, with two guns staying put near Da Nang and the other two with me, XO, at An Hoa Combat Base. It was an honor to be taken in by grunts like you ,dont regret one minute of our time together. beginning in 1966. Simper Fi Leo, I was with F 2/11 1st Mar in the first quater of 69 stationed in An Hoa on the 105s then we went from hill to hill to support the grunts. Denny Curtin 60 mortars. I ended up in Hue City, where I got hit for the third time during my tour of duty. I was assigned to H&S 2/5 in An Hoa from July 1967 to December. The next day we went back and saw the carnage. Thats what we called him. History. The old chopper pad at about the center of the runway is now covered with trees. Hi Marine, I was a radio relay tech at An Hoa from About August or September 1968 to June 1969. I was with the7th engineers 69-70 with Charlie Company. Tom I First Force Recon and our compound was right by the artillery battery. This web site brought back old memories. That area was known to us as Dodge City located about 10-12 miles South of Danang. Flooded Bridge Liberty Bridge was flooded out during the Monsoon Season several times. I too was in An Hoa 69-70 I was also with HQ 2/11 assigned to 5 th marines FSCC. Looking for the other guys any help would be appreciated. We landed at the bottom and walked up a path to the top where we caught another chopper and headed back to An Hoa. He was walking up to the gate and I was telling the boy to put the can down because he wasnt allowed to come in with the can. The. I was with the Engneers that operated the ferry there and was located just across the river from where you were when your position was over run . We would not have allowed this to happen if we had been there still. We never slept when in from the bush. Battalion: 2d Battalion. God Bless, My father was also corpsman Robert Dymond he passed about 10 years ago. 1967 with the 7th Marines remaining there for most of their deployment in VietNam. [1], On the night of 21 November 1968, a PAVN/VC battalion attacked the base. I woke up in the hospital and spent the next three months in rehab, but it wasnt enough to go home. | View Image Page. Anyone remember? According to Garcia, "we were transitioning from Hill 37, An Hoa to Hill 51, on an operation to Liberty Bridge". The bridge had been sought by motorists for two decades and on opening day, March 27, 1928, a mile-long procession of cars were present to mark the event. 46 KIA says it all. Hill 41. Still alive at 77. Despite the challenges of working during the monsoon season, they finished the airstrip in. It was built to enable the Marines to move men and material across the Song Thu Bon south to An Hoa or to a jump off point for Operations to be conducted on Go Noi Island. Good for you! The Liberty Bridge was constructed over a period of 12 months by Taylor and Murphy Construction Co. of Asheville, N.C., designed by bridge architect Miquel Rosales of Boston, and engineered by Schlaich Bergermann. When the attack began at 22:00, Marine tank and artillery crews on the perimeter began direct fire against the advancing PAVN/VC, using Beehive anti-personnel rounds. I went on that Medcap with you at the Buddhist Orphanage. It crosses the Monongahela River and intersects Interstate 579 (the Crosstown Boulevard) at its northern terminus. He was a Staff Sgt. Arrived An Hoa november 7th 1967, assign to 81s H&S 2/5, First Marine I remember meeting was Sgt Jerdo . I remember going up to Hue in December to visit a buddy and at that time the city was untouched and beautiful. Harvey Watson was killed there. He is my Stoic Hero. In less than 30 minutes, 1st platoon practically disappeared. Didnt realize until today the toll it took on the kids. I remember very well the ammo dump blowing up on Feb. 23. Not sure why that worked. You actually have to walk across the old American (secret, CIA) air-strip there after you get off the bus and walk North 500 meters to downtown tourist area. Thank you. I am happy you made it out. Liberty Bridge South side of Liberty Bridge view directly north to Charlie Ridge and Hill 37. tuckga@carolina.rr.com Would like to find out who he was. I was at An Hoa from 68-69. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=An_Hoa_Combat_Base&oldid=1123027739, Military installations of the United States Marine Corps in South Vietnam, Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Military installations closed in the 1970s, Buildings and structures in Qung Nam province, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Marine Corps, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 November 2022, at 09:46. GINOVIET151@GMAIL.COM. 106mm RR View directly south from a 106mm mounted on a Mule guarding the approach to Liberty Bridge. Victory Bridge A few kilometers south of the base, across the mountain ridges is the Que Son Valley with plenty of old firebases including LZ Baldy and LZ Ross that are also very interesting to visit. Im so sorry. Worked FDC, then sent to 2/5 to work with them at the other end of the base. combat narratives are told by those who actually engaged in the. We had perimitter watch every other night on Brovo and Alpha sector. Despite the heavy fighting, friendly casualties numbered only three Marines and a PF with minor wounds. The base was located south of the Thu Bon river which marked the southern border of what was called the Arizona Territory. Have any thoughts/advice on that? from Aug76-Sept1980. only thing that remains of this structure are several pilons that project out of the water. Really looking for tower above HQ bunker. For the general traveler there are certainly reasons to visit the area. My aid gunner in my squad. Email is namwartravel@gmail.com, Served as a Seabee 67/68 served at An Hoa combat and the Liberty bridge. We always argued that the other guy had it worse. Did we meet during the time between your arrival and my departure from An Hoi ? He volunteered for a mission at An Hoa for the search, recovery, and repair of a C-130. Filling up canteens with fresh drinking water from bomb crater while on patrol in the field. During an attack on our base two of the German male nurses where driving their white painted (with red cross) jeep near the village and where attacked and one was killed and the seriously wounded. The 8th of March 1965 US Marines landed on the beaches of Da Nang. Colonel Ernie Cheatham was our battalion commander. I was great working for the Marines, both in and around Da Nang, An Hoa and at FSB C-1 a few miles south of the DMZ just off Hwy 1. Intro MCB 4 - Ken Walden 1967 DaNang Vietnam Deployment Camp Hoover Liberty Bridge wyotexas USA Ron Reel 2.37K subscribers Subscribe 402 views 1 year ago MCB 4 - Ken Walden 1967 DaNang.