The An Hoa Combat Base was first used in January 1966 during Operation Mallard as the Marines needed a firebase in support of the operation. For the general traveler there are certainly reasons to visit the area. there were 6 or 7 of us at a time at Anhoa with the Airwing3 Air Traffic Controllers and repair/maintenance men for the radar equipment and generatorsNormal cleared to land & cleared to take off stuff plus advise the pilots on which batteries were firing & what direction/grid.Remember the night we were supposed to get over-run.& instead the He had been a Boy Scout, a skilled trombonist, vice president of his senior high school class, member of his pep squad and star of his schools golf team. I thought maybe I would escape the rest of the War, but that was wishful thinking. Driving around these areas will give you a good idea of how the war was fought in this very strategic part of the country. Dont know why I was always sent to odd places, other radio operators mostly got to stay same place the whole tour. My first combat operation was Operation Newcastle in the Arizona in March 1967. You dont step sideways when youre walking. I told him one more time, Put the can down. But he didnt. Operation Taylor Common was a search and destroy operation conducted by Task Force Yankee, a task force of the 1st Marine Division supported by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), southwest of Hi An from 6 December 1968 to 8 March 1969. The guy in front of me jumped out and hit something, and I got peppered in my knee, head, side, arm and leg. Address at Dedication of BUMED Medal of Honor Hall, May 21, 1983. I hope you enjoyed seeing some pictures from the area. I was assigned to H&S 2/5 in An Hoa from July 1967 to December. Remember the move north quite well. Today, if you visit any Navy medical command you will find Rays portrait proudly exhibited among the 28 pictures of hospital corpsmen, physicians and dentists who have each been awarded the Medal of Honor. 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. New one of the KIA ( Gunny, Floyd Keffe) . Do you remember him? Hi Boone, This is Doc Vek. His name was Kinh. Hard to believe Liberty Bridge, An Hoa look so different, not much left. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Discovering the hidden places from the Vietnam War, Copyright 2023 Vietnam War Travel Activation WordPress theme by. 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. I remember very well the ammo dump blowing up on Feb. 23. Harry 7th Eng. Never been so scared in all my life. There was a refugee camp at Duc-Duc near the river between An- Hoa and Liberty Bridge that was later over run . Thank you so much for the work and pictures you provided Like I said a flood of memories . An Hoa Valley, Qung Nam Province. Lee 704 791 2768 my phone. I was Army, my 8/4 Battalion of 175mm guns OpCon 3rd Marines up on he DMZ. Young orphans killed laying out on the front of the temple. As time went on, it was clear that a more effective way of protecting the airbase was to start patrolling the areas west and south west to clear out any threats before they could reach the airbase. Then sent to Delta battery hill 65. Golden Bridge, Da Nang: the Most Incredible Pedestrian Bridge in Vietnam There are links to other sites there. Nobody knows who he was. It was an honor to be taken in by grunts like you ,dont regret one minute of our time together. His name was LCpl Billy Daugherty. Kilo 3/5 Good talking to you,take care and Semper Fi. Did you know I have a neighbor who fought with the Marines near An Hoa in 69. However, I served with Fox, Golf, and Hotel companies as well. Not a nice place slept with flack jacket and helmet all the time ! Supported by fire from 82mm and 60mm mortars, 57mm recoilless rifles and B-44 rockets, PAVN and VC troops advanced against the base's eastern perimeter. Monte Fairchild. Yes, the German hospital was outside the gate on the way up to Liberty Bridge. A man sent to take her and her family to resettlement, again. Liberty Bridge MCB-4 - seabee-rvn So proud of my Pop. On 10 September, 1965 the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment LtCol. Third platoon. A bridge guard threw frag at something in the water. Amphibian tractors arrived and added the weight of their machine guns to the battle. Dont remember much about that year my mind must off blocked it off. Makes me cry! First vehicle over the new Liberty Bridge!! - YouTube Jack L Murduck kia I worked the radios in the FSCC on a temporary assignment in late February 1969. I too was in An Hoa 69-70 I was also with HQ 2/11 assigned to 5 th marines FSCC. When Tet began we closed that area and pulled the perimeter back. My father, Sgt. I was on Hill 300 in 1967. [3], The airfield was capable of handling C-7, C-123 and C-130 aircraft. Webster would come up to Mike 4/11 all the time to change the PTO pumps on your turrents. That all changed on the afternoon of June 2nd. Ill bet that trip down the Ho Chi Minh trail in Eastern Lao was truly beautiful, Ashley (was it rainy? So many memories of An Hoa, I was the 2/5 Bn Armorer from May thru December 69 at AnHoa. The Liberty Bridge . 3/1 comm plt. We were positioned at the far end of the airstrip from the ammo dump, that was blown by NVA sappers in Feb (?) Looking for the other guys any help would be appreciated. On December 13th, a Friday, we left for the mountains to begin Operation Taylor Common. You grunts were everything a Doc could ask for and more. Liberty Bridge was constructed and located at coordinates AT 923532, in Dai Loc District, Quang Nam Province. Bill. S/Sgt Greg Smith H&S 2/5. Thanks to you and all my grunts that touched my life. [2]:41 The base was first used by the Marines in January 1966 during Operation Mallard when the 1st Battalion, 12th Marines established a firebase there while the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines and a Company from the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines swept the surrounding area. The bullets tore into his body, and shook him like a rag doll and threw him to the ground. from Aug76-Sept1980. The An Hoa Basin also includes Charlie Ridge and surrounding areas. Many thanks to all the veterans out there! Anyone remember? Thanks for sharing the pictures. The NVA had escaped into the Que Son mountains. There was a stone monument built at the spot. I had seven days left in my tour when it happened. I do remember one guy at Mike Battery . Only 25 kilometers west of Hoi An it is a half day trip for those who are interested in discovering a legendary US Marine Corps base. Will always admire the grunts and docs who did so much! When he fell down, the can went BOOM! Hill 41. Despite the heavy fighting, friendly casualties numbered only three Marines and a PF with minor wounds. Going though some of his papers and found his Navy Achievement Medal with a V . This web site brought back old memories. One of them I knew. Motor scooters and pedestrians still cross on ferries. Audio: Donovan- Hurdy Gurdy Man (this track is the property of it's respectful owners, and it's use in this video is not for monetary compensation).

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