He requested transfer to the Field Medical Service School (FMSS) in Camp Pendleton, Calif., and after graduating on June 25, 1968, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) destined for Vietnam. See so many orphans killed after we treated their smiling faces will forever be in my mind, Where you there when they fragged 2/11s surgeons jeep. The NVA had escaped into the Que Son mountains. I also recall hearing that after we turned An Hoa over to the ARVNs the VC came right through the orphanage, and attacked the base. Filling up canteens with fresh drinking water from bomb crater while on patrol in the field. The one Seabee Ican remember had handlebar mustache and was nicknamed Gunsmoke. The Golden Bridge has come into operation since . Terry's unit provided security for Liberty Bridge over the Song Thu Bon River, northeast of An Hoa Combat Base. or nature. "Earlier that night, they hit the compound just across the river," Mitchell explained. Can anyone tell me about the disposition of Hill 300. Beautiful country Laos. I was a 2nd Lt, 2nd Platoon Commander, Bravo Co, 1st Tks at An Hoa from Setpember 1968 until April 1969. Looking for Marines that serverd at An HOA in May12 May 16 69 My brother L/Cpl George Thomas from VA was kia by rocket fire. It was February 13, 1968. The airstrip is/was still there (2008) but had grass growing up thru the cracks in the asphalt. Also on the map is the area known as "Dodge City." Created/Published: 1965 Scale: 50,000 Dimensions (Width x Height): 22.6x29.2 Our two companies ran smack dab into 1200 to 1500 NVA from the 2nd NVA Divsion. it was just down from a fire support base across road from a ville. Photo By Andr Sobocinski | Time has taken its toll as well as the war. I was with Echo also 67-68 Oct to March when evaced out of country. Liberty Bridge was constructed and located at coordinates AT 923532, in Dai Loc District, Quang Nam Province. I was on gate duty with another guy. When was the Liberty Bridge built in Pittsburgh? Over the years the base grew and incorporated large Marine units as well as a 1000 meter runway able to take the large C130 transport aircraft. I never made it back still today after all the years wonder what happened to some of the guys I left behind. I do remember him. It crosses the Monongahela River and intersects Interstate 579 (the Crosstown Boulevard) at its northern terminus. I was with the 5th Marines in An Hoa area 11/68 4/69. A Portrait of HM2 Bobby Ray, Heroic "Doc" of Liberty Bridge His name was Kinh. In An Hoa I do remember seeing the German Hospital from my area. I think we ran on raw youth. According to Garcia, "we were transitioning from Hill 37, An Hoa to Hill 51, on an operation to Liberty Bridge". Hue would be just East of the A Shau valley border with Lao). Also, I could occasionally rotate out to the Command Post to serve with the Marines in the field. I left in Aug of 70 as a part of the initial move back to Danang. Remember helping me pass out malaria pills. I was short by that time. Hey Ronald ( Doc). Let me know OK? On December 13th, a Friday, we left for the mountains to begin Operation Taylor Common. I Served at An Hoa with 2/5, in January 1967 to 15 January 1968. Mar67 to Apr68. Joseph So proud of my Pop. In 1966, this small hill was the dominant terrain I have pictures before and after. 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. Medal of Honor: David Ray. - Camp Comamajo Press Thank you for you kind comment. Young orphans killed laying out on the front of the temple. Hill 41. comm. I remembered seeing tanks with flame thrower keep burning the area. Decimal coordinates: 15.787721 108.077795. I was in An Hoa from 12 /69 to9/70 when we left for LZ Baldy Was radioman for E 2/5 and one of last Marines to leave AnHoa We could hear B52s coming our way on our way out. For those of us in the Navy Medical Department these individuals are symbols of service and sacrifice in the most trying moments of our history and standard-bearers for what one Medal of Honor recipient later described as acts of true spirit [and] determination. Hello. Vietnam: America's Deadliest Days, 1965-1972 covers some 80 battles. Rupnik, E.J. My Company of Marines did this with calm dignity. Welcome Home Brother !! I think we called it the Rocket Capital of the World, lol. My father was a mechanic in the USAF stationed in Taiwan. I took it from the 2/11 chow hall ( I was with 1st Force Recon) I have good and bad memories of my service in the area. I went through four operations while I was in Vietnam, including the Durham Peak and Pipestone Canyon operations. Back to Nam: Liberty Bridge - Blogger tuckga@carolina.rr.com Would like to find out who he was. The second Vietnam deployment was to Da Nang in March 1967. Not a nice place slept with flack jacket and helmet all the time ! Any chance you knew or remember him? 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. Marine sources listed 21 dead PAVN/VC in the area.[4]. Hello Mike. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 - Wikipedia In the act of saving this Marines life Ray ultimately sacrificed his own. to be conducted on Go Noi Island. The many convoy escorts to liberty bridge and back, lost quite a few Marines on those, mines and booby traps. So the VC took advantage of our way of thinking and they had NO problem doing something like that!! A man sent to take her and her family to resettlement, again. i was on hill 65 when the orphanage was attacked. We were positioned at the far end of the airstrip from the ammo dump, that was blown by NVA sappers in Feb (?) Hey John, Go- Noi really brings back some fond memories! 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. That all changed on the afternoon of June 2nd. Wade. With all those food stores, the rats were huge. Thanks for the post and pictures, sure brings back some memories for sure. She had a jeep willy pulling a trailer to bring the goods out in the morning and bring the unsold back home in the afternoon. We had perimitter watch every other night on Brovo and Alpha sector. I had seven days left in my tour when it happened. We landed at the bottom and walked up a path to the top where we caught another chopper and headed back to An Hoa. I dont know about the hospital building between An hoa and the bridge. Going though some of his papers and found his Navy Achievement Medal with a V . He volunteered for a mission at An Hoa for the search, recovery, and repair of a C-130. Hill 41 was the sister hill to Hill 10. High school classmate was Mike 3/5. God Bless, My father was also corpsman Robert Dymond he passed about 10 years ago. We left An Hoa for Phu Bai on 16 January 1968. The Marines stationed at Hill 55 all stood up as we walked past. I was lucky to be inside the COC bunker on the night shifts when most of the incoming was happening. The Liberty Bridge . My dad was there that night Dan bullock was Kia. The bridge opened on March 27, 1928, following a 5-mile (8.0 km) vehicle parade from the southern suburbs. Vivid image in my mind. Semper Fi marine, Hi Jonas, regarding the hospital, I read on another site that the hospital was located just south of the compound near a lake,if that helps. 4th Plt was also at An Hoa, We had 10 tanks split between An Hoa and Liberty Bridge. Liberty Bridge is just off the right edge. From Jon. We were the guys that you may have seen changing the big ass tubes on those big ass guns you talked about. Liberty Bridge on the Thu Bon river near An Hoa, Vietnam 1968 - Flickr More Comments I dont know how An Hoa compared to other places in Vietnam To look back on Rays life in 1966 most would say he was destined for great things. Ahhh the Memories!!! Countless of operations were launched to clear the areas and small firebases were established all across the place. Vietnam 1968. You dont step sideways when youre walking. I told him one more time, Put the can down. But he didnt. 106mm RR View directly south from a 106mm mounted on a Mule guarding the approach to Liberty Bridge. So many memories of An Hoa, I was the 2/5 Bn Armorer from May thru December 69 at AnHoa. First impressions are forged early in Marine units and those who served alongside Ray took note of his dedication and great humility. Im doing some research on his time in-country. I have a hard time accepting it. The next day we went back and saw the carnage. Cant remember his real name but he looked dead on Lee Marven. Hey Paul, was C Company CP located on Hill 37 near Dai-Loc? Bob, thank you for the kind words. And thank you for sharing a piece of your story. I was only an 18-year-old kid myself. In the act of saving this Marines life Ray ultimately sacrificed his own. My father and his crew were awarded the Bronze Star after that. Participated in many combat operations. Lived in a tent and used tents to store rations for the mess hall as well as C-rats. 1967 with the 7th Marines remaining there for most of their deployment in VietNam. 36th Regiment. No mistakes. Then the entire hedgerow came alive with NVA fire. From the Red Garcia Collection (COLL/5065), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections . I got to Vietnam in May 1969, to a little town called An Hoa, and went to the Liberty Bridge. 19-March-69, FSB Phu Loc 6 . I made so many great buddies with 2/5. An airfield in Dong Ha and Liberty Bridge south of Da Nang were on the Seabees' endless "to do" list. Ears still ringing there then went to LZ Baldy LZ Ross and LZ Ryder you could only get there my chopper. 1969, a Marine combat base at Phu Loc 6 near An Hoa, A Portrait of HM2 Bobby Ray, Heroic Doc of Liberty Bridge, Strategic Theyd chew right through the tins. I had no shrapnel wounds and felt lucky to be alive. 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. This bridge had been a prime target. If I ever get there, I hope I can figure out about where my bunker was. Done. I have pictures of that day and the day after. statistical facts, the definitive listing of the war's most highly decorated. Chuck, I was Squadleader/ Gunner in 60 mortars then. I didnt start learning english until 6th grade. The guy in front of me jumped out and hit something, and I got peppered in my knee, head, side, arm and leg. That area was known to us as Dodge City located about 10-12 miles South of Danang. The old chopper pad at about the center of the runway is now covered with trees. Monte Fairchild. Thats the reason DaNang saw light fighting during TET of early 1968. An Hoa Combat Base - Vietnam War Travel Get on a rented motorbike if you have a drivers license or take a taxi out here. About a third of the temples are still standing in various condition. The Liberty Bridge is a steel cantilever bridge and was constructed as the missing link between downtown Pittsburgh and the Liberty Tunnel, which had been constructed four years earlier in 1924 as a link to the South Hills. Still alive at 77. I was on Hill 300 in 1967. Me and a Sgt. Just found this site and thought Id say HI. Thanks for posting! Never realize what he received it to until I read the write up about the attach on Feb 23, 1969. Samper Fi ! If an internal link led you here, you may wish . I went on that Medcap with you at the Buddhist Orphanage. . Don, I was FDC 2/11 Feb 70-71, HQ, then Echo Battery, then HQ the rest, AnHoa, DaNang, LZ Baldy. If you read this message, I would like to talk more about the FSCC. Yaa, way remote. Marine Corps Operations in Vietnam, 1969-1972 | Proceedings - May 1973 Alpha 1/7 and Hotel 2/5 were attached to 3/26 for the three-day battle, December 7, 8 and 9, 1968. We were ordered by our regimental Commander to enter the huge rice paddy and secure Vinh Huy. He even fought off an attack of two NVA soldiers before he himself was wounded. On September 19, 1970, we moved to Baldy. . Where is the Liberty Bridge in Pittsburgh? I was there March69 when Phu -loc 6 was over run. 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. My name is Richard Vesper I was in AN Hoa 69 and 70 untill we turned it over to the ARVNS I believe in Sept. of 70. At the time I was there we had the NVA come on our radio net and tell us they would have complete control of Liberty Bridge and our CO told us we were surrounded by 5000 NVA Regulars. A piece of hot metal went right through my kneecap and left a big hole, which is still there today. The battle raged for five hours, during which the Marines threw back four attack waves. I was there from Oct 76 to Mar 68 An Hoa and Phu Bai untill med evacked out of country. It was against the 36th NVA Regiment. Required fields are marked *. You are ALL truly HEROS!! Hi Marine, I was a radio relay tech at An Hoa from About August or September 1968 to June 1969. Overall we really recommend a visit to this old base. Not sure about the hospital. The "Arizona Territory" was located south and west of Da Nang and got its nickname due to the wild west nature of the fighting and the area being a free fire zone. Escorted many mine sweeps between Phu-Loc (6) and An-Hoa. Seabee History - Vietnam - Navy 2512. Would like to know the name of the area on the map, where Operation Mead River and Operation Arizona Territory took place?? 71 killed. An Ha Combat Base (also known as c Dc) is a former U.S. Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base west of Hi An in Qung Nam Province, Vietnam. DURING Vietnam War. 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. Picture taken from a CH 46 on a routine mail run with HMM 164 to An Hoa. Jim Parker from Memphis TN. As we got 20 to 30 yards into the paddy Kinh and the other Chieu Hoi had killed a half dozen NVA that had dug spider holes in the rice paddy and hid. I remember the constant rocket strikes and the base being overrun on May 7 and F 2/5 Dan Bullocks death that evening. 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. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions about the base and surrounding areas. It is one of the most convenient ways to see one of the large combat bases and understand a bit of how the Marines fought during the war. In the afternoon on December 10th, Hotel 2/5 flew into Hill 55. angusmcnitt, Trung Nguyen and 3 more people faved this We visit the remnants of a bridge formerly constructed by US Marines in an area of high conflict during the war between the US and Vietnam.These videos are possible thanks to all the servicemen who have posted information on the web about Liberty Bridge and places like this all over Vietnam, including detailed maps and personal accounts, photos and other information. The 8th of March 1965 US Marines landed on the beaches of Da Nang. Ken Nielsen of the 2/5 (1st Division) recently passed. This includes, but not limited to: The Arizona, The Phu Lacs, Liberty Bridge, Duc Duc, Antenna Valley, The Indian Country, Go Noi Island, Dodge City, Henderson Hill, Mau Chanh and the Que Son Mountains of South Vietnam. That base came under heavy fire. Sources: The Also, by the time this happen there were NO local VC left because they had been wiped-out during TET of early 1968 and Im sure most of the VC were not VC but NVA regulars!! I read years later in a book about Robert Garwood that some nurses and doctors from a German hospital were brought in to the camp where he was being held, just west of the An Hoa base. I watched the firefight from our trench line. Had a pet monkey who helped keep the rats off us at night. I hope you enjoyed seeing some pictures from the area. Background [ edit] The following year, Bobby Rayor as he is better known to us today, David Robert Raywas posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. only thing that remains of this structure are several pilons that project out of the water. John Conley, I was there with 1st Force Recon 1969 The Battalion worked at the Da Nang Air Base and Con Thien. Vietnam (way remote N.W. This area was patrolled by my platoon during 1967 and 1968. I was a rifleman. Say, trying to confirm the name of the CO for 2/5. I was with 2/5 Flames August 68-August 69. is the german hospital still standing by the river on the way to liberty bridge from an hoa combat base. 3/1 comm plt. I remember you ,Webster , Star ,Gunny Flanagan and the Lee Marvin fellow but not his name ,he was a kick. Ray performed his duties as his units life line with great pride earning their respect while on patrol and on each successive search and destroy operation. This mission covers another insert near at Liberty Bridge, which I believe was near the base at An Hoa. Thomas Krex served with 4 a at fire base Ross 1969 to 1970 was at Jan 6th sapper attack, was sign pearl chest, was on berm watch during fire fight. Lao you will be stopped by the Lao police/army from that area? Semper Fi to every Marine who served with 2/5 at An Hoa. 6/21/69 Nice to see a post from you on An Hoa, Took a swim to cool off while on sand bag duty. The Marines were a really impressive group of men. If any one knows. Thanks for your comment Tom. on 29 March and Hill 55 eventually became the Command Post of the 9th Marine Regiment. I was there between July 68 to September 69. Vietnam War Huey Helicopter Radio Chatter, Liberty Bridge - YouTube I was surprised by how many civilians with chickens and pigs got on with us! Viet Nam, Summer-Fall 1969 Campaign 09June69 to 31Oct69 Liberty Bridge, Que Sons, An Hoa 1969 Vietnam Service Medal Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa. Service: Navy. We would be choppered back to An Hoa while other Marines chased the NVA. I am very happy you made it out. Three VC crawled up close enough to fire 3 RPGs. I have so many memories from An Hoa. Concrete bunker built by the French during the 1950s. [1] On the night of 21 November 1968, a PAVN/VC battalion attacked the base. Elements of the 3rd Marine Division were the first Marine units that operated in the vicintiy of Hill 55 beginning in 1965 Marine Engineers began construction The original proposal for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City, referred to as the "Liberty Bridge". It crosses the Monongahela River and intersects Interstate 579 (the Crosstown Boulevard) at its northern terminus. Built at An Hoa-21 Miles SW of Da Nang by MCB-4 Liberty Bridge MCB-4 - seabee-rvn Photo Sharing About SmugMug Browse Photos Prints & Gifts Terms Privacy Contact Owner Log In 2023 SmugMug, Inc. Liberty Bridge (Pittsburgh) Liberty Bridge, Zagreb, the first divided highway bridge in Zagreb, Croatia. We never slept when in from the bush. The conversation with the Regimental CO was to the point. Thu Bon River I watched the whole thing from my foxhole and listened to the Marines crying out on my radio. I want to cross into Lao from N.W. The $4.5 million structure was funded by the City of Greenvilles Hospitality Tax, which must be spent on tourism-related facilities. I was there with you. That night the orphanage was mortared and VC tried to get through our lines at An Hoa. Hi Leslie. I think he was attached to one of the grunt companies at the time? I know you still miss him. 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. I saw them once in the mess hall. Many thanks to all the veterans out there! Operation Taylor Common - Wikipedia Rock Hill SC I think of An Hoa every day of my life want to say SEMPER FI to all who served there. By days end 36 of the Marines were dead. My father, Sgt. They left 17 of us to guard what was left on 2/5 base We could hear orphans screaming but could not help. Anyone remember? Thomas Murry Frew Jr. Im so sorry. I too was in An Hoa 69-70 I was also with HQ 2/11 assigned to 5 th marines FSCC. Abby Weingarten may be contacted via email at Abby_Weingarten@Yahoo.com. I thought it was Jameson. I returned home sept 6. Talking now, I can still see him. By the way I was: 1st Bn 5th Mar Div H&S Co 81 Mor Plt. I am glad you made it out. Ba Na is often referred to as a fairyland which attracts flocks of visitors everyday. Dr Donald Turner DDS and I. I have a pictures of that Medcap. A platoon corpsman in the field and then at 1/5 BAS Liberty Bridge for 4 months (still remember the night we were overrun) and served last 3 months at the BAS 1/5 at An Hoa. This mission covers another insert near at Liberty Bridge, which I believe was near the base at An Hoa. 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. I was at An Hoa with India Co. 3/5,from 8/68 to 10/68,I transferred to CAP. there. Liberty Bridge View westward along the flood plain. Went back the next day. My name is Paul Conrad I was there August 1968-November 1969, welcome Brother Marine. Golden Bridge, Da Nang: the Most Incredible Pedestrian Bridge in Vietnam The Antenna Valley is located across the pass to the west from the Que Son Valley. I believe. Not sure how true it was, but do know that for the next three days/nights we lit up the valley with air strikes, 175mm Cannon and even the New Jersey firing from the Gulf. Hi all. My Company of Marines did this with calm dignity. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and sent overseas, where he stayed for more than 15 months (earning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart). I carried the radio for most of my time there, not exactly a smart move on my part. All that could be heard was the clanging of our equipment as we walked along. After boot camp and Corps School in San Diego, Ray received orders for the USS Haven (AH-12)then moored in Long Beach, Calif., and serving as a station hospital. 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. On 7 May Company A 1st Battalion 7th Marines relieved one Company from 2/7 Marines and Company K 3/7 Marines was added to the operation. They thought some guy was to get General Discharge for drugs when MACV canceled the Then he took a little step sideways and I thought, Thats not right. The day the doc released me from the hospital, I went on an ambush patrol that same night.. from Aug76-Sept1980. And he raised his hand (Im sorry, I still get emotional thinking about this) and I popped him square in the chest. I was celebrating my 1st year in the Corps the night Liberty Bridge was over ran, we had a blonde hair Cor Man who was really good and should be a hero for his actions. [2]:93 On 6 July 5 Marine Battalions launched Operation Macon around the An Ha area, the operation continued into October resulting in 24 Marines and 380 VC killed. We may have seen each other and dont even know it.
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