Semper fi: Joined the Corps Oct. 1966. Boot Camp in San Diego. MOS 1833 Amtracs. After 6 months at Court House Bay. Off to staging. Landed in Danang August 1, 1967. C131 to Dong Ha. Then 12 mile. Mike Boat ride to the mouth of the Cua Viet River to 1st Tracks, A Companyfourth platoon. Camp Kessler. The Company was out on operation. I spent my first few days with SGT Wright where I discovered that A Company was designated as AMGRUNTS. We were 1833 /03. My second week I was driving a tractor on mission. A few hours out the tractor hit a mine. My first of four I experienced. The worse day for the A Company was the ambush of January 20, 1968. Although the TET OFFICIALLY started January 30.. we were hit on Jan. 20. In minutes we lost. 11 Marines. 18 with major injuries that were Vac out. The tractor I was on hit a BIG Tank mine. I was sitting on top as a grunt. A few minutes later I was on the ground gathering my senses. An hour or so later we were saved by two new Cobra Choppers. The complete story is too long to complete. There are reports under Amgrunt 1968
Joined the Marines in 1966. .My MOS was 1833 Amtrak. After Six months at Camp Lejeune I was off to Staging. Arrived at CUA VIET, Camp Kessler at the mouth of the Cus Viet River
How true, Tom!! When the DI’s told us that every Marine was a basic rifleman, it was completely true. As I found out as I progressed through my career, “When you’re up to your ass in alligators, It’s hard to remember that initial objective was to drain the swamp!!” Semper Fi!!! Top Pro
I was an “amgrunt” in 1969-70. We were still occupying outposts up the river (My Loc) from Cua Viet and north near the DMZ (C-4, Oceanview) and running patrols and ambushes until we left in late July 1969 for Camp Schwab, Okinawa.
Frenchy did you go down to L.Z. Friendly at Comer in the 80ties?-
Frenchy , my name is Ed C . I was MOS 1861 1st Amtracks , we had the 105 tank terrot on the
the amtrack looked like a tank on steroids. We were at the mouth of the Cua- Viet river at the
ocean. C-4 Oceanview we work up to the D.M.Z. and into it sometime did you ever see or work
with our tracks. We worked with 3/3 Grunts alot and some fire-missions also .
Semper – fi BRO.
Your comments about AMGRUNTS brought back memories to me. I was a corpsman at the BAS from Dec, ’67 through Dec. ’68. We treated casualties for 36 consecutive hours during Tet. The NVA was on the north side of the Cua Viet River. They wanted us to evacuate but we had too many wounded to leave behind. They issued all of us Docs M16s. You know you are in trouble when corpsmen are given rifles. Thanks to Naval shelling and Air Force bombing the NVA retreated. I also spent a few days in the DMZ at C-4.
My MOS was also 1833. I was in A Co. 1st Amtrac Bn. at Kanehohe Bay, Hawaii. We were sent to Vietnam in 1965 and we landed at Chu Lai on May 7. I wasn’t an Amgrunt because all my time in “The Nam” was at Chu Lai. (’65 and ’66) Tractor 1-A-06.
Lovely Court House Bay. Was there Jan 66-Aug66. Finally received orders to WestPac. Joined Marines to go to Vietnam. Boot Camp at San Diego, then AmTracs at Del Mar. Was hoping to get orders for Vietnam when finished, but no, sent clear over to the east coast. Sept 1, 66 finally received orders to Vietnam, go directly to Travis AFB do not stop at staging.. Loved the Corps, Semper Fi
No staging battalion! By ’67, as far as I know, all Marines went through staging battalion at CamPen.
Do you feel that you were at a disadvantage by not having this, what I consider, valuable indoctrination?
I WAS A AMGRUNT WITH IN BRAVO CO 2nd PLT FROM APIRL 67 TO DECEMBER 67 THE SQUAD I OPERATED WITH LED SSGT PETER COSWELL HE SMOKE A WHITE PIPE AND WORE A RED BANDANA WHEN I FIRST GOT TO CAU VIET RIVER I WAS PUT IN THE BAD GUY TENT IT WAS A BLAST.
I was in 1st. Armored Amphibian Co.,1st. Platoon, at the Cau Viet in 1967. Although my mos was 0848 I went out every time the tracs went out as an amgrunt. I was a Sgt. and the Ssgt. that was in change of FDC would not give me a job in FDC [I should have been an opt. chief] so when we were not protecting the guns I went out. After I left the Cau Viet I went to Hoi An and got my proper job as an opt. chief with 3rd. 155 guns. Was kept in the field until 4 days before my enlistment was up and back home four days later, an out after my four years. Really quick come down. Semper Fi