Return to Vietnam Vol 3.

SEA Hut/Hardback

When the Marines of 3/9 arrived at An Hoa after leaving the Water Point near Marble Mountain in April 1966, there was nothing but shelter-halves for personal sleeping quarters. Hardbacks were finally built during the summer BUT, we were out in the field all of the time. The one night India Company got to sleep in a hardback the VC mortared us killing two of our brothers and wounding many including yours truly.

Fast forward to 1967 and 3/9 is now all along the DMZ. During the summer we (India) was the "Sparrow Hawk" force working out of Dong Ha. On a rare day that we actually had off, some officers arrived in our area requesting our assistance in moving something. That "something" just happened to be a full size hardback built in the wrong place. Marines improvise, right? Here is a photo that ended up in SEA TIGER of how we did it!

On a serious note, our Corpsman from Getlin's Corner, Doc Chuck Dockery who lost both his legs to numerous gunshot and mortars/rockets wounds, is in the University of Washington Hospital ICU. He had surgery to repair 2 of 3 aneurysms to his aorta. His heart and part of a lung that survived lung cancer now with pneumonia plus he has only one kidney having lost one during the battle. Doc is in critical condition! Please pray for him and his wife and two kids. Doc is our rock! When we dragged him into our last stand position at Getlin's Corner with more wounds than any of us who survived he said, "lay me next to a Marine that needs my help!"

Please pray for Doc! God bless you and God bless our troops at war!

Semper Fidelis,
Jack Riley I/3/9 1966-1967

Photo of plt 174 1962/ and K rats

Sgt Grit : Photo of PLT 174 Regimental Honor Platoon MCRD SD 1962 PLT Commander Gy Sgt Thurmond , DI's Sgt Sanders , Sgt Trver , Cpl Johnston. And a clasic photo of K rations served up , makes Mc Donalds look good don't it?

Semper Fi
Tony Nemitz.

DaNang Pics

Sgt,

I thought I sent these in a couple of weeks ago, but maybe not, or maybe you couldn't read them, or elected not to publish. whatever the reason I am sending again, some might remember or enjoy I got to Danang in July 1970. I labeled the pics 40 years ago, so I hope I was accurate back then.
Mag 11 main gate to air field
Mag 11 PX in housing area
shrapnel holes in the hangar wall
enjoy the memories of been there done that

Semper Fi
Choo Choo
sgt of Marines (NLA)
68-74
RVN 70-71

Southeast Asia Huts

Sgt. Grit

Did you know the hooch's we had in Viet Nam have a name? Recently while wandering around on the net, I discovered they are called "SEA huts", which stands for "Southeast Asia huts". They are also referred to as "hard backs". I'm enclosing two pictures. One is of

a professionally built SEA hut, the other was taken on Monkey Mountain and was my hooch while in Bravo Battery 1st LAAM Bn, '65-'66. When I first arrived on the mountain, they were true "hard backs". They were just a 2x4 frame with a GP tent thrown over them and they leaked everywhere the canvas touched the lumber. Our chief cook, Sgt Wainscott, was the Battery "liberator of all goods not deemed important enough to post a guard" and in December of '66 some "homeless" corrugated followed him back to the Battery. We cut the tops off the tents and gave the corrugated a new home. Somewhere around the end of monsoon season, a good sized stack of 1"x6" lumber mysteriously showed up in the Battery compound. Since the Marine Corps wasn't an organization to allow anyone or anything to just lie around, like most good suburbanites, we sided our homes.

If you Google SEA hut, you'll find this description:

"When the 16- by 32-foot wood-frame tent is modified with a metal roof, extended rafters, and screened-in areas, it is called a Southeast Asia (SEA) hut. An example of the completed product is shown in figure 9-21. The SEA hut was originally developed in Vietnam for use in tropical areas by U.S. troops for berthing; but, it can readily be adapted for any use in any situation. It is also known as a strongback because of the roof and sidewall materials."

The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

The Old Corps

Who (or what) is “The Old Corps?” There is no doubt that each and every one of us who have served has heard or used the phrase “The Old Corps” at one time or another. No matter when they served or how long they served, there is always someone referring to “The Old Corps.” For example, WWII veterans might refer to themselves as “The Old Corps” when talking to veterans who served after them. Vietnam War veterans, like myself, may refer to ourselves as “Old Corps” when talking to veterans of more recent times of service. Veterans who served in any given era almost always refer to themselves as “Old Corps” when in conversation with veterans who served in a later era. The Corps is always changing.

In my opinion, this leaves only one conclusion as to who “The Old Corps” is: The day you graduated from recruit training, YOU became “The Old Corps.”

Once a Marine – Always a Marine
Former Cpl Bob Mauney
2nd , 3rd, and 5th Shore Party Battalions
(Red Patchers)
USMC 1966-1968
Vietnam 1966-1967

ASP 1 - April 27th, 1969

Sgt Grit,

I'm sending pictures that were taken from Hill 34 while the ammo dump was exploding. I had sent some of these before but I can't remember which ones, so I'll send all of them. Semper Fi, Jim Herbst Sgt 7th Comm Bn - Co. A 1st ATs', 1st Tank Bn ( 3 Fingers C.O.P.) & 5th Comm Bn - Sept 68 to April 70

Cpl Pat Padilla RVN 1969

The unit is Fifth Marines the location is An Hoa about 26 miles south of Dange (spelling)
I really didn't think Sgt Grit would be interested, glad to see you are.
Semper Fi
Cpl Padilla

75mm Pack Howitzer at Quantico, USMC Museum

In 1968, members of "India" Company, 3rd Bn, 3rd Marines captured two 75mm Pack Howitzers on Dong Ha Mountain. Although it took the Marines two days to reach the location of the Guns, the Marines of India 3/3 did accomplish their mission despite constant small arms and mortar fire by the entrenched NVA. Once the location of the Guns were discovered, to the astonishment of all, the Marines also discovered that the Guns were American made and bore American stamped marking's on many of it's parts to include a "General Electric" marking on the breach. These Guns had pounded and harassed the Marines as well as US Army Artillery Batteries on Camp Carroll for months and despite tons of every known ordinance imaginable, the Guns could never be silenced until the brave Marines of "India" 3/3 put a permanent silence to them, once and for all. Today only one Gun still exists, the second Gun is believed to be buried at Camp Carroll thanks in part to Marines who rather see it buried than fall into the hands of the US Army Artillery Battery at Camp Carroll...So the legend goes. If you are ever at the USMC Museum in Quantico, please stop and see the display and you will understand why these Guns were so prized by the North Vietnamese and hated by Marines.

Danny Medders
Sgt. USMC 67-68
India Co. 3/3

Washington DC 2009

I served eight years FMF....I did three tours in Vietnam as a Recon Corpsman but time in combat ended up taking their toll on me...seeing to much combat and to much death put me in a private Hell that only other Combat Veterans, could ever nderstand...you learn what the word "Frightened" is all about....you learn how to walk away from your brothers when they are laying there dead in a shelter half, waiting for the Chopper to come in and take them home. To survive, you know that you have to shut down all feelings and just do your job. A lot of veterans coming out of combat have already lost their ability to "restart" their emotions and live a normal life. They will carry the memories of combat for their entire life. The civilian Dr's have attached many names to our demons...from "survivor guilt" to the catch all "PTSD". But they will never truly know what we are feeling.

For over 40 years now, I have dreaded a journey that I knew that I someday had to take. It involved me going to Washington DC to see the Vietnam wall. I asked my daughter to go to the wall with me because she was as impacted by the war as I was....I lost my mind in Nam, and she lost her dad. My daughter flew from Kansas and I flew from Florida to DC.....we planned to go to the wall in the morning. I woke up early the next morning and prepared for the trip to the wall...I honestly didn't have the slightest idea of how I would react to being there. I put my service ribbons on my Jungle Utility shirt that said "Russell".... "U.S.Marine". and we left for the Memorial. The wall wasn't as cold and frightening as I had thought it would be. I walked slowly by each panel of names...reading them....wondering if I would see names that I knew....while all along hoping that I wouldn't. By the time I reached the end I was crying....The sight of all my combat brothers names on the Granite Wall as a lasting tribute to "Americas finest children" gave me a different view of Nam....the war is over...

Now this is the Corpsman speaking: If you are a Nam Vet and having trouble with PTSD....DOC says go to the wall.....it won't cure you, but it makes you feel like you were also "One of Americas finest children" in answering your countries call, and doing your best........somehow you'll walk away knowing that your life mattered, and that you will always be a part of history,

My Daughter took this picture of me reflected in the Granite Wall.......sort of "the ancient worrier visiting his fallen brothers".

DaNang Ammo Dump

Sgt. Grit,

I just finished reading the story from Carl Baker about his experience on April 27,1969 when the DaNang Ammo Dump exploded and I thought this picture might be of interest.

I was assigned to HQ. Bn. 3rd MAR. DIV. and we had a compound located on Freedom Hill right next to the main PX. The picture, taken the day after the ammo dump exploded, shows me holding my prize possession. I had just pulled the locker out of what was left of the hootch that we had built ourselves just weeks before the dump went up. The pile of rubble in the back round is the main PX on Freedom Hill. Luckily, I had stored the tape deck in the locker before we were evacuated and it survived the blast.

J.R. Inganamort

USMC / Cpl. / 0331

Major Jack Ruffer

After reading Major Ruffers storey I had to add a tid bit of my own. Major Ruffer and I basically started our careers together, he was in Plt 264 and I was in plt 164 in Aug 1959. I graduated on Nov 17th and went to ITR, after ITR we got leave to go home for Christmas. Jack and I hooked up when we were both assigned to B Co, 1st Bn, 7th Marines at Las Pulgas, he was in Weapons Plt and I was in 2nd Plt. We deployed to Okinawa on April 1st (April Fools) in 1960. We became friends (Buddies). After returning from overseas in May 1961 we were assigned to B Co, 1st Bn, 5th Marines at Camp Margarita, 33 Area. We remained close and would go on liberty together. Since his Dad was in the Air Force and was at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino which wasn't too far from Camp Pen. My Dad and Mon were in Coronado, CA so I would go home when I could. I do not think we had cars at that time since base pay was low. My Dad was career Navy and after 30 years retired in Nov of 61. I had an Uncle who was in the Air Force also At Norton AFB, so we would go to San Berdo after my Dad retired and went back to Annapolis, MD since they owned a house there. Jack meet a girl in San Berdo and one thing led to another. Before you know it they were getting married. The wedding was held in San Berdo he asked me to be his Best Man ( the best man was getting married and I was his witness) see picture. I talked to him about Mexico but he did not go for it ( I was glad he didn't) Pat was a great catch and an outstanding person. She was good for Jack. We both went back to Camp Pen. Later in 62 we both were transferred to Marine Barracks, he to Alameda and me to San Diego Naval Station at 32nd St.

I then went to Drill Instructors school in July of 1964. After graduation I was assigned to my 1st Recruit Plt, 164 the same number Platoon I was in as a recruit. I finally made Sgt with a cutting score of 165 in Jan of 1966(spent 4 yrs as a Cpl). In 1966 I became a WSI and transferred to the Special Instructors section as a Drownproofing instructor at the MCRD pool. In 1967 I was so water logged I was assigned to teach Code of Conduct, some History and UCMJ. In Oct 1967 I received orders to Vietnam. Arrived in DaNang in late Nov in time for Thanksgiving and my first in-country birthday #27. I was assigned to Hq Co 2nd Bn 5th Marines in An Hoa, about 25 miles So West of DaNang. The beginning of Jan 68 the Bn moved to Phu Bai. Well we had not been there long when the TET offensive began. I ended up being a replacement assigned to Capt Christmas Hotel Co for about 30 days and went into Hue City. Getting back to Major Ruffer, we had seen each other on the Drill field. He had been selected to the Meritorious NCO program. The next time we ran into each other was in Phu Bai or DaNang, he was a Capt and been awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart in Operation Medina. (The Book is called The Lions of Medina by Doyle D. Glass) I recommed it to all.

We kept running into each other over the years. Jack retired as a Major, I got out when I got back from Nam and went on LAPD. My Dad and some LAPD officers who were Marine Reservist talked me into joining the Reserves which I did. Jack and I reconnected through Together We Served, all of our stuff is on their web and FaceBook.

I have written enough. Picture of me attached.

Semper Fi Sgt Grit and keep up the Great Work.

Norman W. Honadle
CWO-5 Retired
Las Vegas, NV

Vietnam   Vol 1   Vol 2  Vol 3
Back to Marine BS Page - Back to Scuttlebutt Menu