Your mention of the "floating dry dock" reminded me of a memory from my time in Vietnam. There was a small Navy facility somewhere near I was (at Camp Eagle, west of Phu Bai and about 40k from Danang) that repaired river patrol boats. It was designated as a U.S.S. something (I don't recall the name) but had no means of its own propulsion. The Navy had failed to arrange for mail to be brought to this unit, so the medevac pilots in my unit had set up an arrangement (sometime before I was there in 1971) to pick up their mail in Danang and deliver it to the "ship". In return, any members of my unit (the 326th Medical Battalion, 101st Airborne Div (Airmobile)) who made it to the ship were welcome to stay for a meal. I had the good fortune to fly out to this "ship" several times and got to enjoy a really good meal prepared by Navy mess personnel. Good memory.
Stolen valor
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Your mention of the "floating dry dock" reminded me of a memory from my time in Vietnam. There was a small Navy facility somewhere near I was (at Camp Eagle, west of Phu Bai and about 40k from Danang) that repaired river patrol boats. It was designated as a U.S.S. something (I don't recall the name) but had no means of its own propulsion. The Navy had failed to arrange for mail to be brought to this unit, so the medevac pilots in my unit had set up an arrangement (sometime before I was there in 1971) to pick up their mail in Danang and deliver it to the "ship". In return, any members of my unit (the 326th Medical Battalion, 101st Airborne Div (Airmobile)) who made it to the ship were welcome to stay for a meal. I had the good fortune to fly out to this "ship" several times and got to enjoy a really good meal prepared by Navy mess personnel. Good memory.
caryc
Hawkeye
Those river patrol boats you spoke of were the swift boats. We took in a lot of those along with LCM's and LCU's and some small tugs. We even took in the YTB which was a huge tug boat. Something like three times the size of the regular smaller tugs. There was also a YR, a yard repair vessal with a full machine shop on board just across the harbor from us. If I remember right it was built on top of one of those huge barges so it had no engines either.
Could be, but if they were called "river patrol boats", there's a good chance they were PBRs. Smaller than a Swift Boat. The Brown Water Navy was a taxi service for my Recon squad up and down the Song Saigon from the Dau Tieng area up to the Cambodian border.
Quick Draw
Bearcat
Very interesting reading about actual veterans comments. I would like to thank you all for your service. It does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
dannyd
Blackhawk
That's the saddest thing about the Navy. Brown Water Navy got wounded or Killed my the enemy. Blue Water Navy did it to themselves between the Forrestal, Oriskany and Enterprise; 206 killed 613 wounded.
caryc
Hawkeye
You're jogging my memory now. I do remember the name "PBR" but I don't remember actually seeing one. The swift boats we took in were 50 footers with two 50 cals and a mortar tube on the stern with one 50 cal. on the bow. There were a lot of them in Danang harbor. Somehow, I just can't remember the PBRs.
Military speak... PBR = Patrol Boat, River. Shallow draft, fiberglass, jet drive, about 30 feet. A pair of 50s up front, and a Honewell 40mm grenade launcher at the stern (at least the ones I'm familiar with)... also occasionally armed with a squad of grunts.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/f8/61/2cf861123ed3345611d55b8865d1dc08.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/f8/61/2cf861123ed3345611d55b8865d1dc08.jpg
caryc
Hawkeye
Strange but I just can't remember seeing any of those. Could it be that there weren't any of those in the vicinity of Danang Harbor?
I do remember that there was a boat that I think was a PT boat. It had like a jet drive on it. We used to see it running around the harbor once in a while. The thing was that we couldn't get close to it. If we did they would wave us off. We never did find out what that thing was for. Then there was the admiral's barge. It was a beautiful boat maybe a 60 or more footer. It had a black hull with a blue waterline on it and white superstructure. A very pretty craft.
Here is a link to what happened to the Coast Guard patrol boat
jkingrph
Bearcat
You served, end of subject, therefore you are a vet. I had ten years active duty as USAF medical officer during the Vietnam era. The Air Force gave a lot of an option for a lot of what they considered undesireable locations, I chose Turkey and ended up there for two years, not bad, got to take my new wife along, and we had a ball. I was inactive reserver for ten years after and went back in active reserve just before Desert Storm and got called up for that one, and spent a few months in the UK manning a contingency hospital. No I was never in a combat zone, unless you consider the week or so we were under blackout conditions when Turkey invaded Cyprus fighting the Greeks. We actually went on a picnic on a beach during that time, and were just under a manned Turkish artillery piece looking out over the Agean sea.
While I did not volunteer for Vietnam, part of me was glad to be sent there. I ended up assigned to a unit within the 101st Airborne Division, a fact which turned out to bring a bit of pride to an old WWII veteran. One of my uncles had served as a rifleman in WWII with the 101st. He lost an eye to German shrapnel during the siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. When he heard that I was in the 101st, I was told that he beamed with pride that his nephew, a Captain, was serving with his former unit in Vietnam. That same reality is why when offered to be written up for a Purple Heart because of a minuscule wound from flying debris from a not very close rocket attack, I declined the offer by a fellow captain, a medical officer, thinking that the little scratch I suffered was not worthy of the same medal that my uncle lost his eye over. Years later I realized what a career boosting medal that would have been, but I could not have faced my uncle with a straight face if I had allowed that Purple Heart to be awarded to me.
Today would have been my buddy Chief Lyell's 93rd birthday and 75th anniversary of entering the US Navy. He retired as a Chief Machinery Repairman on January 31st 1968 and never saw a shot fired in anger during the 20 years he proudly served. One morning we were having breakfast in a local diner and this scummy looking character was bragging about being a Navy Seal. Without revealing that he was retired from the Navy Lyell asked him a couple of questions. The guy gave Lyell some bull crap answers and Lyell told him that he had something for him. We had just been shopping so Lyell went to his car and brought the jerk in a bar of Ivory soap. He in his best Chief talking to a moron voice said loudly... "You look like a scrounge, now go take a bath and quit lying to people. You were never even IN the Navy much less being a Seal". The jerk slunk out of the diner with his head down and everyone laughing at him. There is no shame in not having served or serving as support or technical personnel. To this day I use what I was taught by Lyell and many other Navy Boiler Technicians, Machinist's Mates and Machinery Repairmen. I proudly try to teach others in their honor and memory.
caryc
Hawkeye
Wow, Katfish, thanks so much for that. After 57 years, I finally got the real story of that event. It was a sad event but it's nice to finally know the real story. I'm still wondering though if their running lights were actually on when they were fired upon. I kind of imagine that enemy boats would be running without running lights especially when under air attack so why would they fire on a boat with lights?
This thread got me thinking... I know a couple guys who have been back, and said you wouldn't recognize the area now. So I looked on google maps and found that the dirt road south of Dau Tieng is now a major paved highway.... but what really changed was the dam & reservoir north of town. Compare the two maps:
www.google.com
tt. Dầu Tiếng · Dầu Tiếng District, Binh Duong, Vietnam
Dầu Tiếng District, Binh Duong, Vietnam
Teflon97116
Bearcat
What do you folks make of a hat I saw in a restaurant in Georgia? Above the bill, it said VIETNAM ERA VETERAN. As someone who enlisted in the mid-1970s, I suppose I also fall into that category.
But having never served there, it simply would not occur to me to purchase or wear such a hat.
But having never served there, it simply would not occur to me to purchase or wear such a hat.
Ka6otm
Blackhawk
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2002
- Messages
- 675
I took a picture of mine and then converted the picture to a PDF. I carry it in my cell phone. And yes, a lot of places have Veterans discounts. My local Lowe's also has reserved parking spots for Vets. Home depot has a 10% discount on most everything but labor and it saved me $500.00 recently when I had my flooring changed.
caryc
Hawkeye
I will have to get my license renewed in about a month. This time I'll have to remember to take a DD214 copy with me so they can put "Veteran" on my new license. I haven't been to the DMV in over ten years. They just kept renewing my 5 year license by mail.
Teflon97116
Bearcat
Speaking of Veteran/Military perks, I've been grateful for the 10% military discount at Home Depot and Lowe's for years now.
But recently, I've encountered varying levels of resistance/reluctance/red tape when I present my ID card at Home Depot. Apparently, in order to minimize mis-use by those not entitled (or perhaps expired), they now require military customers to set up an electronic account online via some third party info-broker that enables phone number query or bar code display on the user's smart phone. Some HD employees see my military ID card and still apply the discount, while others (especially one snarky pencil-neck youngster that I dislike a lot) will refuse the discount because I'm "not in the system."
This policy sucks, and I'll tell you why.
After serving Veterans/Military in various professional capacities for 20+ years (AFTER I earned my own 20-year DD-214), I am painfully aware that many former (and present) military members do not have the resources/capability to create electronic accounts. Nor do they always carry smartphones with scannable barcodes to display at the HD checkstand. And in many cases, these are the veterans who could benefit the most from small discounts offered by grateful merchants.
As such (and because Lowe's and Home Depot occupy the same parking lot in Hillsboro, Oregon), I always go to Lowe's now instead. I will voice this rant to the owners of HD. And if you encounter anything besides ready acceptance of your physical military ID card at HD, I would strongly encourage you to do the same. If I find anything resembling a responsive entity at HD, I will post their contact info here.
But recently, I've encountered varying levels of resistance/reluctance/red tape when I present my ID card at Home Depot. Apparently, in order to minimize mis-use by those not entitled (or perhaps expired), they now require military customers to set up an electronic account online via some third party info-broker that enables phone number query or bar code display on the user's smart phone. Some HD employees see my military ID card and still apply the discount, while others (especially one snarky pencil-neck youngster that I dislike a lot) will refuse the discount because I'm "not in the system."
This policy sucks, and I'll tell you why.
After serving Veterans/Military in various professional capacities for 20+ years (AFTER I earned my own 20-year DD-214), I am painfully aware that many former (and present) military members do not have the resources/capability to create electronic accounts. Nor do they always carry smartphones with scannable barcodes to display at the HD checkstand. And in many cases, these are the veterans who could benefit the most from small discounts offered by grateful merchants.
As such (and because Lowe's and Home Depot occupy the same parking lot in Hillsboro, Oregon), I always go to Lowe's now instead. I will voice this rant to the owners of HD. And if you encounter anything besides ready acceptance of your physical military ID card at HD, I would strongly encourage you to do the same. If I find anything resembling a responsive entity at HD, I will post their contact info here.
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caryc
Hawkeye
I still have my military ID card but of course it's now red instead of green.
RSIno1
Hunter
I have found if they are bragging - they weren't there.
