Writing quickly, lest connection ends. The only remnants of our stay are some slight indication of road and some rusty old C ration cans - looks like pork slices in juice and cheese spread. Looking down on one scene is where my tent used to be right next to our 81 mm mortar pit. Flat area is where a barracks used to be. Slope used to have a mess hall. See bunker on perimeter shrouded in mist still in monsoon season. It is spooky enough by day, but at night, let me tell you, ultra spooky. Bye for now. Karlie.
Hey Karl,
ReplyDeleteI am a vet who spent a little time atop vung chua mountain vietnam working TDY with a Military Police Company who was assigned security. I was origonally with the Signal Battalion there in Quy Nhon who had me stationed with a Signal Company in Phu Tai Valley. The TDY was for Gaurd Duty and Patrols. At that time it was reported that the Mountain had changed hands a couple times, between the NVA/Vietcong and the Americans who maintained a radio station on the Mountain. The bunker you took a picture of looks like the one I fell though a trap door in - splitting open my jaw and knocking me out cold in the process. The picture does not show a hill behind it, if it did then I would say it is definetly the one. On the hill behind was the Mil. Pol. hootch, where I bunked, for the month or so I was on duty up there.
I spent a lot of time in that bunker and there was no trap door. It was built on top of a rockl.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, its not the one I fell through, the one in the picture looks more like the tower at the Gate/Entrance, the one that looks out over the Red Sea Ocean. The better way to explain which town I fell in, is, like I had also referred, the one right beside the MP Hooch (barracks). There my bunk was the last one, I think it was the top. Anyhow, the person I had gone out to the Tower with, Can't remember his name but I'm pretty sure his last name began with a "Z" and I'm also pretty sure his bunk was below mine. I recall getting a report after having returned to the 504th Signal Company in Phu Tai Valley, that same guy, was constantly being harassed by a buck Sargent who was trying to get him to straighten up had been shot by "Z?". They were sitting on the lower bunks facing each other, Z had a 16 in his laying in his lap and the muzzle was facing right at the Sargent knee, Z pulled the trigger and blew a hole from the knee cap up the leg and out the cheek. I never knew whether to believe it on not. There was another guy there with me who was from the same company, he called himself by a nick name "Country", aspirations of getting a cattle ranch when he returned home. Can you tell me what MP company the was, I seem to remember 10th but I'm too unsure. I was there for such a short time, just to help out with guard duty. The biggest event that happened when I was there, Country and I were sitting on the bleachers outside the TV/Radio Shack when we heard rapid fire coming from in front of us and down below, just a second or so later 2 Navy Jets shot up right in front of us, I think they were Navy, all we saw was the bellies of the Jets. Not long after that a chopper landed fairly close by and "Miss (Friggen) America" stepped out!!! You could tell who it was by the little red white and blue jump suit she had on looked. She was there to entertain the troops down below at the Air Base, in a hanger - we saw that show... Did You? The only person on the Mountain I ever had a problem with was an Native Indian, who came by a tower I was on one night. It was the one on the opposite side of the mountain from the Ocean and around half way up the road between the Mortar Pit and the Shack. He was shouting at me, wanting me to come out and face him, for what seem to be my having the last name of Coady (Buffalo Bill Cody) is who he had it in for... guess he was drunk, he had never spoke to me before then to find out I really was not related to that history, I never leave my post, I don't shoot my fellow soldiers and I happen to favor the American Indians regardless of their tribal ancestry. Oh well! I hope you get this and really hope you answer the questions in it. If no one has told you yet, "Welcome Home John!" Happy Trails... Jim Coady,
DeleteKarl,
ReplyDeleteMy tour of duty in Vietnam was 1967-68. I was stationed at Dong Ba Thin. I was transferred, along with another soldier by the name of J. Sliwa, to Vung Chua Mountain. We were asked to be transferred there by a former staff sergeant that we had been with. His name was Daniel Ortega. In 1967, Vung Chua Mountain still had a tremendous amount of work to be done in order to secure the perimeters. J. Sliwa and I built this bunker that you are talking about. I have many pictures of this bunker. I've wondered all these years if anybody ever looked at this bunker and imagined who built it. I've wondered what their thoughts about it would be. We also built the mortar sites with the bunker for the ammunition.
HI My name is Ronald Hill I was in Quin Nhon and pulled guard duty at the radio station at the base of vugchua mountian was with the 1st log command was there from Nov 68 / may 69 ANYONE THAT WAS THERE OR IF YOU KNOW ANYONE THAT WAS PLEASE CONTACT ME RMHCowboy@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI was with Co D, 40th Signal out of Phu Tai. In the summer & fall of 67 we placed the poles & cable from the DCO at the base of the mountain to the top of the mountain. We also placed the first submarine cable across the river by the ice plant on Hwy 1 at Phu Tai. Darrell Beard army_1966_1969@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI was with Co D, 40th Signal out of Phu Tai. In the summer & fall of 67 we placed the poles & cable from the DCO at the base of the mountain to the top of the mountain. We also placed the first submarine cable across the river by the ice plant on Hwy 1 at Phu Tai. Darrell Beard army_1966_1969@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteReading all this brings back memories. I was assigned with the 61st MP battalion and spent a year on top that mountain providing security, and doing recon in the area. Sure glad all my training was infantry, sure came in handy
ReplyDeleteThank you for the security you provided. I was on that Mt. with the 362nd signal Co.from 4-69 to 12-70. after that I was with NHA contractor in Hue until 4-71, They were 3 months behind on the pay for my location so I typed up fight orders to Saigon and showed up in their office. As for the guard post it looks to me like post 24, it did have a trap door to the roof and we would pull duty up there when it wasn't raining.
DeleteI was stationed on the mountain in 1967. I and 2 other Air Force guys took care of the Navigational site you see in some of the pictures. Our equipment was right next to helipad. Our antenna is the barrel like object you see in some pictures. Old memories. Use to have the army guys from the signal group next to us come over and use our shower. We had installed a 55 gallon drum on top of a small building and we could heat up the water. We had a couple of rods with power cables running to the generators that provided power to our equipment. We inserted the rods into the water and presto hot water. You just had to be careful not to touch the shower head cause you would get a nice tingle.....Just wondering if any of the Army guys on the thread were in this outfit next to us Air Force guys.
ReplyDeleteI was with the AFVN radio and tv station in top of the mountain in late 1967 and the the Tet offensive in 68. We lived and worked in a
ReplyDeleteQuonset hut, with an attached tv studio constructed in a semi trailer in the states and dropped in place, ready to go, just plug it in. Remember pulling guard duty in a lonely bunker with the only light the almost full moon and the fog swirling up thick as it raced up the mountainside.