I'm sure many of my old service buds got a lot of "thank you for your service" a few weeks ago on Veterans Day. It's hard for me to say, "I was doing it for service to the country." Since I had planned on joining the Seabees since I was 12, do 20-30 years and build a retirement - despite joining during "a illegal war, that a staged skirmish in the Gulf Of Tonkin, increased the US involvement in the war, for all the wrong reasons." Didn't quite work out that way the US intended. But things don't always work as planned.
I will add; most everyone I knew was against the war when we went in, or at least a high percentage of them. The "Tet Offensive", U.S. citizens' mistrust of their government that had begun after the offensive worsened with the release of news about U.S. soldiers massacring civilians at My Lai in 1968 as well, the invasion of Cambodia (1970), then what happened at Kent State University in May 1970, and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers (1971)cemented the US general population's opposition of the war. At school we wore black ribbons on our arms in solidarity. We had several school wide gatherings in the gym, so the facts and truths could be explained to the student body.
Most who went in the service back then went in because it was a generational - our fathers or parents had served in WW II. Those who went in, went in despite the draft, I enlisted about a month after my 18th birthday my senior year, on March 10, 1972 under the "Cash" program. Still no matter the difficulties we faced, we tried to face them with a good attitude, and have a good time especially in the Seabees. The draft ended in 1973 as I recall.
Most I went in with, went in because their father or parents were in during WW II. Also, many who went in the service didn't want to go into the Army or worse yet the Marines, so they joined the Navy or Air Force, or those like Trump, got a school deferment.
Most my time in the Seabees, was about having a good time. Though we worked hard, we played hard - if you couldn't have fun, why be there, eh?
From what I heard from my brother, those in the fleet liked having a good time, too - even when the hours were long - but I imagine that depends on what ship and who the Skipper was, and if the XO as well as your chief was cool.
Some facts from that war; 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official
Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975.
2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam.
Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation.
They have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups.
Their personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.
87% of Americans hold Vietnam Era Veterans in high esteem.
There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Era Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group.
Vietnam Era Veterans are less likely to be in prison – only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes.
85% of Vietnam Era Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life.
97% of Vietnam Era Veterans were honorably discharged.
91% of Vietnam Era Veterans say they are glad they served.
74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome.
The big Myth: Common belief is that most Vietnam Era Veterans were drafted.
Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers.
Who's the greatest generation?
More then a few of my friends served in Task Force 77, which was the aircraft carrier battle/strike force of the United States Seventh Fleet in the United States Navy (USN) since the U.S. Seventh Fleet was formed. During the Vietnam War, twelve different commanders led CARDIV FIVE and CTF 77 in numerous combat deployments to the Vietnam War zone. Beginning in 1964, COMCARDIV FIVE was permanently deployed to the Western Pacific and dual-hatted CTF 70/CTF 77, homeported at Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines. During the Vietnam War, Task Force 77 conducted carrier strike operations from the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea for nine years, from 1964 to 1973. Twenty-one of the Navy's 23 operational carriers made at least one cruise with the Task Force and served over 9,100 days on the line. The nickname Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club came to be associated with US carrier operations off Vietnam. Rolling Thunder air strikes, armed reconnaissance, and photo reconnaissance missions were conducted against selected targets and lines of communication (LOC) in North Vietnam, while operational procedures were developed by the operating units, 7th Air Force and Carrier Task Force 77, that permitted the full range of coordination for all air operations in the Rolling Thunder program.
As the U.S. Navy entered heavy combat in Southeast Asia between 1965 and 1968, a chain of command evolved which reflected the complex character of the war. In theory, Commander in Chief, Pacific was the commander of all American forces in Asia, including those assigned to Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (COMUSMACV). The U.S. Pacific Fleet was the naval component of the Pacific Command and as such directed the Navy's activities in that ocean. Subordinate to Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) was Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, who conducted those naval operations in Southeast Asia primarily external to South Vietnam. The fleet's Attack Carrier Striking Force (Task Force 77) mounted from the South China Sea the aerial interdiction campaign in Laos and North Vietnam, while Seventh Fleet's cruiser and destroyer units hunted the enemy's logistic craft along the North Vietnamese coast, bombarded targets ashore, and provided naval gunfire support to allied forces in South Vietnam.
From the South China Sea, the Seventh Fleet's Attack Carrier Strike Force participated in Operations Rolling Thunder and Blue Tree in North Vietnam; the Barrel Roll, Steel Tiger, and Tiger Hound bombing and Yankee Team reconnaissance efforts in Laos; and the ground support mission in South Vietnam. Except during the period in 1965 and 1966, when the aircraft carrier supporting operations in the South sailed at Dixie Station, the carrier task force was deployed at Yankee Station (after April 1966 at 17°30'N 108°30'E). Generally, before August 1966, two or three carriers operated in Task Force 77, and after that date the number was often three or four. During the Easter Offensive 1972 Five and Six carriers operated in Task Force 77. On each ship, a carrier air wing controlled 70 to 100 aircraft, usually grouped in two fighter and three attack squadrons, a reconnaissance attack squadron, an airborne early warning squadron, and smaller detachments. However, the number depended on the size and class of the carriers, which varied from the large-deck 65,000-ton Forrestal class and 70,000 Kitty Hawk class and Enterprise-class ships, to the modified 27,000-ton, World War II vintage Essex-class ships.
A masterpiece, one of the greatest American songs ever made. Its timeless; all these years later and it's still relevant. Although "For What It's Worth" is often considered an anti-war song, Stephen Stills was inspired to write the song because of the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles in November 1966 - a series of early counterculture-era clashes that took place between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. "For What It's Worth" quickly also became a well-known protest song. Stills said in an interview that the name of the song came about when he presented it to the record company executive Ahmet Ertegun (who signed Buffalo Springfield to the Atlantic Records-owned ATCO label). Stills said: "I have this song here, for what it's worth, if you want it."
Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops" . Brought on by the Viet Cong's Tet Offensive, the policy referred to U.S. combat troops specifically in the ground combat role, but did not reject combat by the U.S. Air Force, as well as the support to South Vietnam, consistent with the policies of U.S. foreign military assistance organizations. As said above, U.S. citizens' mistrust of their government that had begun after the offensive worsened with the release of news about U.S. soldiers massacring civilians at My Lai (1968), the invasion of Cambodia (1970), and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers (1971). Except for our Marines at the US Embassy in Saigon whom didn't depart till the end of April 1975 - (a buddy of mine Johnny Peterson was one of the last Marines to leave the Embassy that day.) _ the last of our troops deployed left on March 29, 1973 - when the last remaining American combat troops withdraw from Vietnam as President Nixon declares "the day we have all worked and prayed for has finally come." America's longest war(at that time), thus concludes.
Still unfortunately there was one last fight to be fought. The Mayaguez incident took place between Kampuchea (formerly Cambodia) and the United States from 12–15 May 1975, less than a month after the Khmer Rouge took control of the capital Phnom Penh ousting the U.S.-backed Khmer Republic. After the Khmer Rouge seized the U.S. merchant vessel SS Mayaguez in a disputed maritime area the U.S. mounted a hastily-prepared rescue operation. U.S. Marines recaptured the ship and attacked the island of Koh Tang where it was believed that the crew were being held as hostages.
Encountering stronger than expected defenses on Koh Tang, three United States Air Force helicopters were destroyed during the initial assault and the Marines fought a desperate day-long battle with the Khmer Rouge before being evacuated. The Mayaguez's crew were released unharmed by the Khmer Rouge shortly after the attack on Koh Tang began. It was the last battle of the Vietnam War and the names of the Americans killed, including three Marines left behind on Koh Tang after the battle and subsequently executed by the Khmer Rouge, are the last names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
My Battalion - Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 "The Professionals" had one last job to do after five successive deployments to Vietnam, the construction of The Rose Garden - officially known as Palace Dog - Palace Dog was a United States covert operation to support the Royal Laotian Government in its military operations during the Laotian Civil War portion of the Vietnam War. Palace Dog, Project 404, and the Raven FACs principal task was the supply of forward air controllers for close air support to the Royal Lao Army (RLA).
NMCB 5 had been the last battalion to serve in Vietnam and the conflict was continuing to wind down. However, NMCB-5 was to serve as the Pacific Alert Battalion in
support of the Third Marine Amphibious Force while working on a host of jobs during the upcoming deployment to the Western Pacific. Many of the men of FIVE were just "boots" and had never been initiated into the fight side of the Seabees. Should a crisis arise and the Marines are thrust into a trouble spot, the men of FIVE-"boots" as well as veterans-must be ready to defend themselves and any construction they do for the Marines or other U.S. forces.
To prepare for this eventuality, the Seabees of FIVE underwent seven weeks of military training. There were classroom subjects such as combat formations; infantry defensive tactics; nomenclature of the M-16 rifle, .45 caliber pistol, M-60 machine gun and 12 gauge shotgun; camouflage; and map reading.
After classes, the men went out into the field at nearby Broome Ranch to receive training in crew-served weapons-including the use of the 3.5-inch rocket launcher, 106mm recoilless rifle, M-60 machine gun, 81mm mortar and M-79 grenade launcher.
Next, the battalion spent 10 days at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base where the men fired the M-16 rifle on a 200-yard range. A total of 92 per cent of the men shooting fired qualifying scores, a new record on the Navy training range.
Highlight of military training was an overnight combat exercise in the Camp Pendleton hills. The FIVE Seabees set up a command post on a ridgeline, dug foxholes and successfully defended their posi-tions against simulated attack by "aggressors.. .
The men of FIVE said good-byes to their loved
ones and reluctantly climbed aboard airplanes at Pt. Mugu for the flights to West Pac. The deployment was started.
Detail Falcon remained in California to do demolition work on several structures at the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, to make way for the construction of a trailer park. This detail was later ex-pected to journey to Japan to work on several projects. .
The main body of the 500-man battalion arrived at Camp Shjelds, Okinawa, just in time for R eversion Day on May 15. The Japanese flag was raised alongside the Stars and Stripes as the government of Okinawa was returned to Japa nese jurisdiction after 27 years of American
administration since the end of Wor1d War II. .
Detail Hawk went on to the Philippines to put the finishing touches on the house moving project that Detail Clydesdale had started the previous deployment and to build a rinse rack to wash planes at Cubi Point Naval Air Station.
Detail Raven traveled on to Taiwan and began rehabing a barracks at the Headquarters Support Activity, Taipei. ·
On Okinawa, the main body started the final stages of work on the new officers club and BOQ. The F IVE Seabees also began constructing an addition to the Crash Station at the Marine Corps Air Facility, Futema. a perimeter security road around Marine Corps
Ammo Supply Point Two, erecting a five-mile long fence around it and installing a water distribution system.
The men had barely unpacked their bags and settled into their new jobs throughout the Western Pacific when the call came to "mount out." Within 48 hours, the battalion's 100-man Air Detachment had staged nearly 5 million pounds of equipment and materials at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, for shipment to an undisclosed site. It was an
"all hands" operation, with many men working an day and all night to successfully meet the mount out requirements.
The first flights of C-14 I jet cargo planes began carrying the men of NMCB-5's Air Detachment, their equipment and materials from Okinawa. The Air Detachment's destination was classified and rumors ran
rampant throughout the battalion. When we were told that we were not going to Vietnam, everyone heaved a big sigh of relief. till Bravo was called to supply 12 volunteers for Detail Buford, who'd be going to Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam to dissemble and prepare for shipment to Diego Garcia, the concrete batch plant left their by Seabees for construction of the Cam Ranh Bay Base. Then load pumps, piping and building material left, to be used for humanitarian building projects in New Guinea and Micronesia.
The Rose Garden
The little job for our Detail Buford, was fairly straight-forward - to go down to Cam Rahn Bay - Dissemble a concrete Batch Plant and load it, pumps, piping, other material and furnishings on the ageing LST Vernon Country to be transported to Diego Garcia and be reassembled, then a series of hops to Australia then to the former Port Moresby Flying Boat Base in southern New Guinea, from where we took a Seaplane to Buna, New Guinea, to meet the LST Vernon Country again, which had brought other material we had loaded - pumps, piping, other material and furnishings - air conditioners, desks, refrigerators, and other furniture along with windows, doors and corrugated tin roofs from the buildings left by the left by US forces at Cam Ranh Bay.
I'd never heard of Buna, New Guinea before, but apparently a area where a months long battle was fought in the area during WW II. It so was humid and wet there, us Seabees did our work barefooted, rather then risk getting severe trench foot. Then on to Truk Atoll, where pumps, piping and building materials was unloaded, with the rest headed to the other islands of Truk Atoll to be distributed. After this Vernon Country took us to Japan, and the ageing LST retired shortly thereafter.
Then, via the great circle route to Elmendorf AFB our detail boarded a Air Force MAC C-141, then McCord AFB, then Point Mugo NAS where we bussed back to Port Hueneme, CA. I then requested an island sea duty command, and was offered two choices Guentamano Bay or Adak, Ak - I choose Adak. I was hoping my next couple years would be a a bit more relaxed, then my first year. I arrived on Adak island on January 10, 1973, right after a blizzard, and as they say, the rest was history.
I'd never heard of Buna, New Guinea before, but apparently a area where a months long battle was fought in the area during WW II. It so was humid and wet there, us Seabees did our work barefooted, rather then risk getting severe trench foot. Then on to Truk Atoll, where pumps, piping and building materials was unloaded, with the rest headed to the other islands of Truk Atoll to be distributed. After this Vernon Country took us to Japan, and the ageing LST retired shortly thereafter.
Then, via the great circle route to Elmendorf AFB our detail boarded a Air Force MAC C-141, then McCord AFB, then Point Mugo NAS where we bussed back to Port Hueneme, CA. I then requested an island sea duty command, and was offered two choices Guentamano Bay or Adak, Ak - I choose Adak. I was hoping my next couple years would be a a bit more relaxed, then my first year. I arrived on Adak island on January 10, 1973, right after a blizzard, and as they say, the rest was history.
An outstanding contribution in expediting the port construction program was made by using DeLong Floating Piers. These piers made it possible to develop additional deep-draft ports and berths at Qui Nhon, Vung Tau, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Ro, and Da Nang in record time. The men of the 497th Port Construction Company, who were to place the pier, were inexperienced in the construction of DeLongs and had to learn on the job. Advice and technical assistance were provided by representatives of the manufacturer. The first pier was essentially a 90x300-foot barge supported by eighteen tubular steel caissons six feet in diameter and fifty feet long. The additional caisson sections were welded end to end to provide the required length. Collars attached to the pier caissons, which were driven into the harbor bottom, and pneumatic jacks, which were a part of the collars, were then used to jack the barge up on its legs to a usable height. Before placing the pier, no test piles could be driven or test bores taken because the equipment was lacking. Test bore data was available for the adjacent pier, but the depth of refusal for the caissons could not be accurately predicted. Because of a mud layer beneath the sand bottom of the bay, three lengths of caisson 150' long were welded end to end at each location. The first DeLong pier, completed in mid-December 1965, doubled the capacity of the Cam Ranh Bay port. This pier required forty-five days for construction by sixteen men. Engineers estimated that a timber-pile pier would have required at least six months' work by a construction platoon of forty men, plus supporting equipment and operators, as well as a large number of hard to get timber piles and construction timber. It was demonstrated that significant savings in time and material could be had with the DeLong pier compared to an equivalent timber-pile pier. The two existing piers for deep-draft vessels still lacked in-transit storage areas, so a sheet-pile bulkhead was constructed between the causeways to each pier. The area behind the bulkhead was filled in using a 30-inch pipeline dredge and 96,000 cubic yards of material. The surface was then stabilized to provide a large cargo-handling area. Work started on the third general cargo pier at Cam Ranh Bay in May 1966. This was a two-barge DeLong pier ninety feet wide by six hundred feet long.
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