Nha Trang, December 1968-November 1969:
I arrived in Vietnam December 1968. The flight from Mc Chord AFB,
Wash. brought me into the Cam Rhan Bay, Air Base. That was an experience
in itself. When I stepped off that plane at Cam Rhan, I first noticed
right the stifling heat. It was hot... hot... hot, and very
humid. The terminal at Cam Rhan was full of Air Force, Army, Marines
and a number of Vietnamese workers. There was an overwhelming mixture
of odor of sweat, urine, and other undesirable smells of Vietnam.
I was at Cam Rhan only a short time.
I boarded a C-130 which transported me to Nha Trang Air Base. Nha Trang was only a short flight up the coast and over the Dung Bo
mountains. The Load Master didn't even raise the hatch door to the
C-130. On the way into Nha Trang we flew over a small island just
off the coast. The island, Hon Tre, was unusual in that it had three
separate large circles of lights on it. I thought to myself: what could that be?
I was met at the Nha Trang terminal
by a member of the 14th SPS who took me to the SP barracks where
I signed in. The Security Police were some of the lucky ones at
Nha Trang. Nice barracks constructed of concrete. Didn't require
sandbags for protection. They were close to the B.X., Mess-hall,
Open Air Theater, Swimming Pool, etceteras.
Nha Trang was a very nice base, with
the beach just outside the Main Gate. It was a very beautiful beach,
palm trees, white sands, the water was aqua blue. One could walk
to the beach from the SP barracks in just a few minutes. Downtown
Nha Trang was very alive with numerous clubs where an Airman could
go to drink and socialize with the ladies. There were lots of ladies.
Of course they wanted you to buy them drinks. Lots of MPC were spent
on the ladies in Nha Trang. Nha Trang City was somewhat of a beautiful
place with its French villas and architecture, and friendly people.
You could tell they enjoyed our presence, and money.
Lots of local civilians worked at
the base. Mamasans cleaned our barracks, construction workers repaired
buildings, and others worked in the BX, Snack Bars, Mess Halls,
NCO Club, Officer Club and Barber Shop. I still remember the first
haircut I received in Vietnam. After the barber was through cutting
my hair he grabbed my head and gave it a quick snap to the left,
then to the right. Popped my neck! I came unglued, only to find
out that was one of the customer perks. Almost shot that barber!
My first duty in Vietnam was in Security,
usually at guard towers, Security Patrol, and perimeter posts. We
had a large squadron of Security Police at Nha Trang. Most served
duty as base security. The Air Force did not have enough barracks
on Nha Trang Air Base so they leased a lot of villas and hotels
in downtown Nha Trang. We were also responsible for the security
of those off base facilities. We used private guards, mostly of
Chinese descent, to guard the hotels and villas. The Chinese hated
the Vietnamese and would not let them get a way with anything.
Nha Trang Air Base was a fairly secure
base. We were hit by mortar and rockets quite frequently, with little
accuracy and little destruction. Nha Trang Air base was backed up
by the 5th Special Forces which had a camp just outside the base.
They passed through our base to get to theirs. We also had the C-47,
and C-119 Gunships with side-firing gattling guns. It was an awesome
sight when ole' Spooky & Shadow cut loose with those gattling guns,
and one I remember to this day.
I worked Security for a few months
and decided to volunteer for duty on Hon Tre island. Hon Tre was
the island just off the coast of Nha Trang I had flown over earlier.
The three circles of lights turned out to be security perimeter
lights. The first one was the cantonment area where the Air Force
and Army 5th Special Forces had their barracks. The second was the
Armed Forces Radio and TV station, which was run by the Army. The
third was a radar site run by the Air Force and Army. The Air Force
provided security for the contoument area and the radar site. Army
MP's secured the radio and TV station. The lights on Hon Tre could
be seen from not only Nha Trang but also Cam Rhan, and th.
We could set on top of Hon Tre and watch aircraft landing at Cam
Rhan and Nha Trang. We could also see rocket and mortar attacks
from there.
Duty on Hon Tre was a little rougher
than Nha Trang. Roads were all dirt, the barracks were little more
than wood-frames, and the latrines used overhead tanks of rain water
for showering. We were somewhat isolated from the night-life of
Nha Trang. To get to Nha Trang you had to board a ferry boat. The
boat made three or four trips a day to the main coast. The ferry
took a pretty good to cross the channel so you needed to be off
duty. I will never forget those quiet sailing times.
Hon Tre Guardmount for the security
shift was conducted at the Central Security Control on the lower
contoument area. After post assignments, we boarded a 2 1/2 ton
truck for the trip up the mountain to the third area on top of Hon
Tre. Once, on the way up the mountain, we met a huge snake which
was on the way down the mountain. It was definitely the largest
snake I've ever seen! The K-9 dogs went crazy, and it was a good
thing they were muzzled. The snake was about 12-14 feet long, and
as round as your thigh! He passed us without much trouble, and the
dogs settled down. Never saw another snake after, that but you can
bet that I was looking close at the things that go bump-in-the-night!
The only dead VC I saw in Vietnam
was on Hon Tre Island. The 5th Special Forces used Hon Tre for a
training and instruction area. There were numerous reports of VC
activity on the island and one day they met up. A firefight between
5th Special Forces and some VC occurred--three KIA VC. Their bodies
were brought back into the contoument area for identification and
removal. Of course the SPs had to check them out too.
After my duty on Hon Tre, I returned
to the main base at Nha Trang where I was placed in general Law
Enforcement activities such as Main Gate, RMK Gate, L.E. Patrol,
and checking the Chinese guards downtown. There was one incident
at the NCO Club where the Army 5th Special Forces and the Marines
got into a large fight. We had to call in the K-9 section to break
it up! Neither Special Forces nor Marines wanted to mess with those
bad a-- dogs!
Overall, duty at Nha Trang was good!
I will never forget Nha Trang and would like to return there someday!
We were harassed by the VC from time to time, but to my knowledge
they never tried to come on the Air Base. We were ready for them,
and they no doubt were aware of this and never really tried. Base
security was tight, the K-9s was ready, and we had ole Spooky and
the Shadow--baddest two asses in town to help us out!
