Bien Hoa, the Black Virgin mountain, Tay Ninh, Ton Son Nut, a hospital in Saigon, Cam Ranh Bay and a VN town in the Central highlands (?Song Be?)
Ed,
You rattle all that off and then say I can remember the places?
I've been to Bien Hoa, Ton Son Nhut and Long Binh...Flew in there several times.
Black Virgin Mountain was Nui ba Din, a VC stronghold. A close buddy, Buck Lightell won a Silver Star there. I never got there myself, I operated mostly in II Corps along the Northern Cambodia and Southern Laotian borders.
Never got to Tay Ninh either. But another buddy Mark Smith, was shot in the foot and captured there when the NVA rode in with tanks on their final thrust to Saigon. Mark retired as a major, lives in Bangkok and devoted his life since to MIA remains searches and recovery.
Hospital in Saigon - never saw it. I did have an intimate relationship with the USAF Hospital in Pleiku for 11 days. Ken was stationed on that airbase. He started FADG.
Song Be was the name of both a town and the river there. the word Song means river in Vietnamese. I have not been there. I believe I recall from area studies that Song Be ran from the Parrot's Beak area down to Saigon. Sounds like you got lots of rice paddy time. I pretty much stayed in the mountains and never had to step a foot in one.
Cam Ranh Bay. Beautiful beaches, beautiful place. Spent two days in that hospital enroute from Pleiku as I was being shipped to Zama Hospital in Japan. When I got back, I landed across the hiway from there a number of times. We had a refuel, rearm point at Dong Ba Tin.
Also caught an R&R flight to Sidney from Cam Ranh Bay. King's Cross in Sidney taught me why R&R was 7 days. On the 7th day I knew, 8 days would exceed any man's tolerance level and he would die.
Considering what you wrote about your buddies, you might enjoy reading this. It is a different perspective on Veteran's Day.
Message 24053542
Stay safe,
uw |
