More Nam Pics 2

More Pictures !

Look Marines !
This is how you build a bunker. 1st you dig a DEEP HOLE. Lay in runway matting, and 6" X 6"X 9'posts, 4"X12" lumber for a roof and sides. This was our small bunker by the Air Strip.1/3 of our Detachment lived here.

THE ALAMO HILTON !
This wasTHE bunker that everyone wanted for his own. When done this bunker had over 6 feet of rock and sandbags over it. Some of the rock would barely fit into a 2 1/2-ton dump truck. Until the delayed fused rockets started landing, we were sure nothing, could penetrate.
Home was truly where YOU dug it !

I arrived at Khe Sanh Aug.19th, 1967. Our first job, tear out the old air strip.

The next thing we did, was grade and pack the ground. Then we put more dirt in some gravel and shot it with Asphalt.

Everything went good until, THE RAINS CAME. Then we had to do it over. This time we tore it out in sections. 1,000 feet at a time. Dug out the muck, and laid a solid base of rock.

We would drag full sections out to save time, and when the base was prepared, we drug the sections back again.

When we didn't have enough horses to get the job done, we would talk a couple tankers into helping out.

Any Tankers Remember helping out on the Strip.

Tony Rorick another Bro.
Equipment Operators always carried our Cameras.
In Vietnam every minute could bring a Photo op. If anyone KNOWS Tony PLEASE e mail me. We are looking for all of our Brothers.

Check out the Choppers and birds on the ground, You wouldn't see that after the seige started.

Water Buffalo! Ok Wenger who's the guy waving HI to me? Jerel says it's John Pugh Over and out, Juliet Echo Romeo Echo Lima, We did all our washing out of the Buffalo. Clothes, Shaving, Teeth, and Drinking water.

We were piling up supplies, for bunkers, Hard Back hooches, and other buildings for the Marines.
Can you see the Concrete Batch Plant in the Back ground?

EO Chief Rees, Left. EO 2nd Class Carl, Right.
Chief Rees was my "A" school teacher. He knew his Book learning, he could tell you how do do anything. He knew the Navy Numbers for every vehicle in the Navy. He just had a hard time when he got on a piece of machinery. He was the BEST Chief I ever worked for, All EO's would do anything for this Man!!

Steel Worker Chief Nunnley.
King of the dirt mound, he was our XO at Khe Sanh. Everyone is waiting for the birds to land so we can go back to work.

L.A.P.E.S.
Low Altitude Parachute Extraction Skids. While we worked on the strip, The Air Force & Marines got to Practice resuppling with out landing. The Crew Chief would deploy the chute and once the wind got it, out came the sled, with our material on it. Food and Ammo would come this way during the Siege.